Firefest will be returning to Chatham-Kent on September 21, 2019. (Photo by Michael Hugall)Firefest will be returning to Chatham-Kent on September 21, 2019. (Photo by Michael Hugall)
Chatham

Firefest returning to Chatham-Kent

Despite threats of shutting down completely, Chatham-Kent Firefest will go off unphased in 2019.

The event will feature a newly renovated a 1927 Packard ambulance, the first one owned by the Detroit Fire Department, as well as documentary screenings and fire-safety activities for children.

"We're going to have a couple of rigs that provided mutual aid for the Detroit Fire Department during the big riots of [1967]," said  Brent DeNure, one of the main organizers of the event. "Firefest as a program has been first class since day one ... and I am really interested in restoring a relationship with city hall."

The event will also feature a parade that will go through Chatham, and make a stop at the Johnny Quest restaurant in Thamesville. The official announcement will not be made until more details are decided, said DeNure.

During a news conference at the Ten Seven Cafe in Chatham, DeNure said this year's instalment of the event would not have been possible without the help of the municipal council.

"I was blown away with the number of meetings Darrin Canniff had by the time he was sworn in between November and January," said DeNure. "If folk-lore is true, I think it was 170 organizations he met with."

For a majority of the conference, DeNure praised the recently-elected mayor's dedication to the event. During his time in office, DeNure said legislative changes have made it easier for organizers to operate in the municipality.

"I was ready to be done with it," he said. "It wasn't until some dust settled ... [that I remembered] the community counts on efforts like this."

Canniff was on-hand for the announcement. Continuing to bring events like Firefest to the municipality just makes sense.

"It's a simple concept. You make it easy for something to happen, and it happens," he said. "That's the philosophy we are using ... we want to make it easier to do business in Chatham-Kent."

Firefest is next up in what has been a busy summer for Chatham-Kent. RetroFest and the RM Sotheby’s 40th Anniversary drew an estimated 25,000 people to the downtown core of Chatham. Roughly a week later, the Festival of Nations, brought thousands more to the same spot.

Firefest will commence on September 21 and is expected to draw around 10,000 to 15,000 people downtown over the course of the weekend.

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