A social event for 91 years, the Springdale Volunteer Fire Department’s jubilee is canceled this summer because of coronavirus pandemic restrictions.
Will it be the fireworks, the parade or amusement rides that thousands of patrons will miss the most? Likely everything, said Michael Ziencik, a borough councilman and treasurer of the Springdale Volunteer Fire Department.
“Even when it rained, it brought folks together,” he said.
A consolation prize is the Springdale Volunteer Fire Department will offer its famous carnival “take and bake” pizza on June 24. Last year, the department sold more than 200 pizzas. Check the fire department’s Facebook page for details.
This is only the second time the popular community fair has been canceled, Ziencik said. The first time was sometime in the 1940s, he added.
The jubilee used to be the largest fundraiser for the volunteer fire department each year. Cash bashes, the bunny breakfast and the Santa breakfast also raise money now, Ziencik said.
The jubilee has become more expensive to stage, especially the fireworks, he said. Although there’s a small admission fee for the event, it only defrays a portion of the fireworks expense, Ziencik added.
If the pandemic would ease up, it still would difficult to pull off planning a jubilee at the last moment. Many of the amusement ride vendors are booked up, he said.
