SHENANDOAH - The Polish American Fire Company No. 4 of Shenandoah will host the 61st annual Schuylkill County Firefighters Convention beginning Sunday.
The fire company celebrates its 100th anniversary this year. It is the first and only Polish American fire company in the United States.
The grand finale of the weeklong celebration will be a parade through the streets of Shenandoah that will feature more than 200 pieces of fire, EMS, antique and other emergency apparatus, 10 bands and community organizations from Shenandoah, Schuylkill and surrounding counties.
Polish American Treasurer Mike Wasko, who is co-chairman of the convention committee with fire company President John Lorah, said there's been a lot of work in preparing for the event. He said the last county firefighters convention in Shenandoah was in 1990, when the Polish American was celebrating its 75th anniversary.
Wasko said the fire companies that sponsor the conventions and parades do the planning using guidelines provided by the county firefighters association, along with advice from previous host fire companies on their experiences in planning, timing and running the conventions.
The costs involved in the conventions and parades, which he estimated at $50,000, are the responsibility of the host companies.
"We've been fundraising for this for the last 10 years," Wasko said. "We don't get any money from the Schuylkill County Firefighters Association, and we don't get anything from the borough. The funds come from our block parties, our deviled crab dinners, all the things we've been doing over the years."
The parade will be held at 1 p.m., rain or shine. Registration will be held at the firehouse from 8 to 11 a.m.