Oak Grove VFD Lt. Alan Thieman and associate member Shane O’Connor recently trained on water movement and pump operations by cleaning off silt at Lang’s Campground boat ramp. (Photo by Michele Newbanks)

A year after local fire departments were forced to cancel their summer fundraisers due to COVID, many are trying to regain a sense of normalcy.

Departments across the county are making plans for one of their busiest fundraising seasons.

¯ Salem VFD Chief Jay Handschumaker said their event will be from noon to 7 p.m. June 5 at the firehouse.

“We’re having a mini-social this year, since we didn’t get to have one last year,” he said. “We’re also having a reverse drawing in October.”

¯ “We’re committed to doing our social June 12,” said Fearing VFD Chief Jeff Lauer. “We plan on having a full social.”

He said there will be a baked steak dinner, outdoor games and food, ice cream and a country store.

¯ Wesley Township VFD Fire Chief Jim King sent out a notice that their festival, scheduled for June 19, is canceled due to CDC guidelines.

They will have a drive-thru meal instead from noon to 6 p.m., consisting of either barbecue or plain steak sandwiches and chicken noodles.

There will also be raffle tickets for $1 each or six for $5. First prize will be a grill smoker/combo; second prize is a $300 Cabelas package; third and fourth prizes are $100 Kroger gift cards; fifth prize is a 20-inch boys bike; and sixth prize is a 20-inch girls bike.

¯ Dunham Township VFD will hold its ice cream social from 4 to 8 p.m. June 26.

They usually raise “anywhere from $4,000 to $6,000,” said Fire Chief Ernie Hoschar.

¯ Beverly Volunteer Fire Chief Phil Lowe said they will be doing a pancake breakfast from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. July 4.

“And raffling off a side-by-side and a 4-wheeler,” he said.

The drawing will be Aug. 22 during the Waterford Fair. For tickets, contact any Beverly firefighter or call the fire station at 740-984-2252.

¯ “We’ve got our social July 17 on Buell Island from 5 to 9 p.m.,” said Lowell Adams VFD Fire Chief Josh Harris.

He said they are planning to have Bingo and a country store.

“We’re not asking businesses for donations, but if they want to give one, they can,” he said.

¯ Reno VFD Chief Dan Ritchey stated they would have their social starting at 4 p.m. July 24 at the old Reno School.

“It’s going to be our regular social we usually have this time of year,” he added.

¯ Oak Grove VFD President Austyn McVicar said their ice cream social will be held starting at 4 p.m. Aug. 7 at the fire station.

He said they normally have a country store, but there won’t be one this year. Instead, they are going to let Bingo run longer in the day.

Although there won’t be a country store, people can still donate pies, and drop them off, either the night before or the day of the social.

“All help is appreciated,” McVicar said.

The band Phase 2, who have played several times at the Oak Grove social, will start around 5 p.m.

McVicar said their full barbecue chicken dinner will be held, along with 50/50 gun raffles.

“We usually have quite a few people,” he said. “We’re still going to social distance, but there won’t be masks at this point.”

This is Oak Grove’s biggest fundraiser and it would have been difficult to not have one two years in a row.

“Without the social, it puts a big burden on us,” McVicar explained. “We use the money for emergency items like a CPAP machine.”

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Other fire departments have decided not to hold a fundraiser this summer.

¯ Little Hocking VFD Chief Mike Chevalier said they will not have their July 4 social, as it used to be held at Little Hocking Elementary School. The school was recently demolished.

“We haven’t had time to get something to replace it,” Chevalier said. “This year we’re not going to, unfortunately.”

Instead, they will have a pancake breakfast the Saturday following Fire Prevention Week, which is Oct. 3-9.

¯ Warren VFD will also not hold their annual ice cream social this year.

Fire Chief Mark Wile said it was scheduled for mid-June.

“With the mask mandate not being released yet, we just decided not to,” he said. “It’s too late to plan it.”

The fire department will have raffles to raise money instead.

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If you go:

¯ Beverly VFD – 400 Seventh St., Beverly.

¯ Dunham Township VFD – 5770 Veto Road, Belpre.

¯ Fearing Township VFD – 1975 Stanleyville Road, Whipple.

¯ Lowell Adams VFD – 223 Lock St., Lowell.

¯ Oak Grove VFD – 102 Oak Grove Lane, Marietta.

¯ Reno VFD – 250 Cornerville Road, Reno.

¯ Salem VFD – 39 Mills Firehouse Lane, Lower Salem.

¯ Wesley Township VFD – 2060 State Route 550, Bartlett.

Source: Times research.