Chatham-Kent FireFest is gearing up for another big year.
The sixth annual event will take place Friday, September 22, and the big show in downtown Chatham will be on Saturday, September 23.
"The key attraction will be Ecto-1, it will be an exact replica of the big ambulance from the 1984 'Ghostbusters' movie," says co-chair Brent DeNure. "So that will be our feature vehicle attraction.
DeNure says they expect around 10,000 to 15,000 people to attend, and upwards of 100 emergency vehicles on display.
"We've had trucks register so far from Buffalo, Columbus, Ohio, Kalazamoo, Michigan," he says. "We've got a note with from someone with interest from as far away as Virginia. So whatever we're doing is working, and we're looking forward to putting on a good show."
FireFest will feature two special tributes, one of the 50th anniversary of the Detroit '67 riots, and another to the crash of Northwest Airlines Flight 225 in 1987, including an appearance from the first responder who rescued the only survivor.
"It's recognized as being one of the premier events of its kind in North America. I think we're top 3 in North American for size, and we're definitely the biggest in Canada," says DeNure of FireFest's growth. "What we've built is very special and we're proud to make it available to the people at no charge."
Saturday will feature lots of family events, including safety demonstrations, the Junior F.I.R.E Challenge Course, the firefighter band Firesound, Stan the Magical Fireman, the Detroit Fire Department Clown team, and stilt walkers.
They will also be showing the original Ghostbusters film at The Boonies Drive-In Theatre in Tilbury on Friday, September 22 at 7:30pm. There will be a parade to the theatre from Chatham at 6pm.
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