July 30--Thanks to a bit of lemonade, work begins this week for a new monument to honor Pittsfield firefighters past, present and future.
Volunteer firefighter Bill Irwin said twice each year firefighters sell lemonade and pork chop sandwiches during the Pig Days and Fall Festival in Pittsfield. It was that same lemonade stand that inspired the department on how it might use the money it's raised.
"It had an old wooden floor and was in bad shape so we got rid of it," Irwin said. "So we decided to pour some concrete."
The idea was originally thought to be a space where the fire department could set up its tent, but it quickly became something more. Two benches were added to the design, and a granite stone, about 2 feet by 5 feet, will be laid into the center.
The stone will bear the fire department's Maltese cross emblem, the year of its establishment and year of dedication as well as the phrase "for those who served."
"Next year, 2014, is our 150th year," Irwin said. "So it's kind of memorial to the guys in the past 150 years and those to come."
Work was expected to begin today -- weather permitting -- to pour a slab of concrete roughly 20-feet in length and width on the north side of the Pike County Courthouse.
"We'd like to have it done by the Fall Festival, which is the last weekend in August, but that's all weather permitting," Irwin said. "The hard part is getting everybody's schedule where they can help."
Much of the funding for the project comes from the fire department, but Irwin said it's also receiving support of labor and cost of materials from the community.
Irwin said that the entire project is because of community support, because it was the people of Pittsfield who helped make it happen every time they bought a cup of lemonade or a pork chop.
"I'm really appreciative of all the support we've had, and all the guys in the department and all the backing we've received over the years, both from the public and the city council," he said.
Copyright 2013 - Jacksonville Journal-Courier, Ill.
