Food trucks galore, craft beer, whiskey on tap for Lower Burrell fire department events

After a successful run of four food truck rallies last year, Lower Burrell Volunteer Fire Company No. 3 will present four new events this year featuring food trucks, craft beer and whiskey, and arts and crafts.

When the covid-19 pandemic quashed most fire companies’ fundraisers — a necessity for the volunteer fire companies to survive — Lower Burrell No. 3 changed up and offered outdoor food truck events that drew crowds.

“It’s great to see ‘LB3’ expanding their events in 2022,” said Chris Fabry, a Lower Burrell councilman. “The community has clearly embraced these events enough for the department to branch out and try new things.”

Last year, the company raised more than $15,000 from food truck events.

The money went toward repairs to the firehouse, including new HVAC and windows, repainting and repointing the building and other repairs.

“Lower Burrell No. 3 is extremely appreciative of our citizens and the amount of support they provide for our fund drive and our events,” said Brennan Sites, assistant chief. “We want the public to visit our station so they can see where our money goes.”

For this year’s slate of events, Sites and company wanted to mix it up.

The company will present two traditional food truck rallies with about 15 food truck vendors on May 21 and July 9.

The two new offerings, riffing off elements from last year’s events, will be an October Fest on Oct. 1 featuring craft beer, whiskey and wine vendors and a cornhole tournament, and a craft fair on Sept. 10.

Proceeds from the 2022 events will pay for new firefighters’ turnout gear. The company wants to buy five new sets of turnout gear for five firefighters, which cost about $4,000 apiece for a total of $20,000.

The National Fire Protection Association recommends the replacement of firefighter turnout gear every 10 years. Lower Burrell No. 3 staggers the purchase of the gear for its 40 to 50 firefighters to distribute the cost over multiple years, Sites said.