Are you ready? The Hudson Valley Volunteer Firemen's Association's (HVVFA) annual convention has come to Ellenville, and there's going to be a lot to do whether you're a firefighter or not.

The yearly event brings thousands of people wherever it goes, and this year should be no different. One of the biggest draw for the event is the full-dress parade, which, this year, will be marching its way through downtown Ellenville for three hours starting at 1 p.m. on Saturday, June 21. The preparation for the parade will begin at midnight on the night previous as the Ellenville Police Department closes off streets along the parade route.

As reported in the June 12 edition of the Ellenville Journal, the parade will feature 96 fire companies, 48 marching bands, and 40 Ladies Auxiliaries, culminating in an estimated 3,000 people in the line of the march. The lineup begins in the Green Acres area of the village at about 9:30 that morning. From there the parade will head down Market Street and makes a right at Warren Street. After that, it's a left onto Ann Street, another left onto Center Street, a right onto Route 209, and a final right onto Canal Street, where the parade will end near Berme Road. All those roads will be closed, so if you want to catch a glimpse, park your car at the Ellenville Central School District's campus, where shuttles will be running to take people to and from the parade.

The convention will include more than just one parade…alright, one enormous parade. The Southern Ulster Public Safety Association (SUPSA) has been working hard for the past six years organizing the convention's events and details since they managed to get the HVVFA to approve Ellenville as the home for the 2008 convention back in 2002.

"It's been a longtime coming," says Chris Depew, Assistant Chief of the Kerhonkson Fire Department and Chairman of SUPSA, which is comprised of Wawarsing's four departments: Cragsmoor, Ellenville, Kerhonkson, and Napanoch. "It's here now, and there's nothing we can do to stop it."

While convention-goers have been arriving at the Nevele Grand Resort, the base of operations for the convention's events, since Wednesday evening, the opening ceremonies began this morning. Thursday's events include a memorial for fallen comrades, tours of the area's firehouses, and a live music performance tonight back at the Nevele. Friday sees the naming of HVVFA's fireman of the year, and the Oktoberfest celebration, as well as the Mardi Gras parade in downtown Napanoch that night. Then, of course, comes the full-dress parade, which will stretch Ellenville's capacity to the limit.

Acting Chief of the Ellenville Fire Department, George Budd has one thing to say about the entire convention: "It'll be big."

But for those who worry about potential emergency situations during the parade's procession, relax: with so many firefighters around, there's no way a fire will go un-fought. In fact, Budd assures that his department will work closely with the other emergency services on hand during the parade.

One thing's for sure to those who come to the parade: don't forget to bring your water. What would a firefighter's convention be without it?

COMMENTS about this article (8)