Freeport firefighters and borough businesses to host community events Tuesday evening
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Freeport firefighters and local businesses will be hosting events Tuesday to help showcase community services and commerce.
The volunteer department will have its doors open and engines out for touch-a-truck and fire prevention demonstrations from 5 to 7 p.m. at the station along Market Street.
There will be prizes and giveaways at the station as well as applications for anyone ages 16 and older who wants to volunteer to become a firefighter.
Fire marshal Michael Greiser said firefighters were looking to have some type of community event to engage the public instead of only interacting during an emergency.
“We’ll talk fire safety with any of the families that come through and residents that want to know more about a fire prevention plan for their homes,” he said. “We’re excited to be able to open our doors up and show everybody what we do. The opportunity presented itself with the businesses opening up for their event (so we joined in) to get out and be with the community that evening.”
The business event is the inaugural Mingle Off Market. It is scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. in the borough’s business district.
Some shops that are normally closed Tuesday evenings will be open. A sidewalk sale is planned along the 500 block of High Street.
Vendors include Sew Homemade, Lucy’s Riverside Café, Rai’s Spa, 1833 Coffee and Tea Co. and the Freeport Methodist Church Thrift Store. Lock 5 Tavern will have a food special during the event.
“I think it will be great for our community, great for the people in town, great for businesses and great for everybody,” said Brandi Kepple, owner of The Mercantile and one of the event organizers. “It’s super exciting. It’s great that so many businesses were like, ‘Yes. We’re interested.’”
Kepple said everything, including the name of the event, is a work in progress and organizers hope to build on it for the future.
The plan is to have it the second Tuesday of the month from March into December, weather permitting, though that might not be the case this year.
“We want to see good things happen in Freeport,” she said. “It will be wonderful for all the people. There are a lot of things that we’re planning to do that’s not going to be tomorrow.”
Those things being food trucks, live bands and other entertainment.
Admission is free and no registration is required for either event.
More information about the Mingle is available on the event’s Facebook page.
More information about fire department activities is available at freeportvfd.com.