64th annual Ferndale barbecue is time for community to come together

It may be the one time of the year when people get to see a firefighter … and like it.

The Ferndale Volunteer Fire Department annual community barbecue is a way for the department’s firefighters to get to know the community and for the community to get to know them.

The barbecue, last Saturday, attracted nearly 900 people. The department served up a classic summer barbecue with bison burgers and all the trimmings. It was so popular they sold out of food … for the first time.

“It’s our way of showing our appreciation to the community,” department spokesman Dominic Kovacevic said. “A lot of times this is the only chance to for us to interact. We’re seeing them in a circumstance when nothing bad is happening.  They don’t want to see us between barbecues.”

Kovacevic said the firehall is an unknown place to most people in the community throughout the year. On Saturday, droves of people sat in the firehall to enjoy a meal and meet the people who might get the call at 3 a.m.

“This is a chance for them to see the faces behind the doors,” he said. “This is why we answer the call. Those people, those little kids.

“Plus it’s the cleanest the fire hall is all year.”