Expect the familiar and a few new wrinkles at Burnsville Fire Muster 2012
Expect the familiar and a few new wrinkles at the 33rd annual Fire Muster, Burnsville’s post-Labor Day community festival.
The event, which stretches from Wednesday, Sept. 5, through Sunday, Sept. 9, will include Fire Muster staples such as Saturday’s Fire Truck Parade, Sunday’s Community Parade, carnival rides on Friday and Saturday, live music, fireworks, and firefighter and police demonstrations.
Most events are held at Civic Center Park, Nicollet Avenue and 130th Street. This year, festivalgoers can choose to avoid the walk from the main parking areas at Faith Covenant Church and Nicollet Junior High/Sky Oaks Elementary.
The Burnsville wrestling boosters will raise money by offering rides in pedal-powered Pedicabs from the parking areas to the grounds.
The boosters will “essentially work for tips,” Fire Muster board Chairman Tom Taylor said, adding that the board is trying to bring more community groups into the event.
Taylor, a Burnsville resident and president and CEO of Shippers Resource Center in Burnsville, is in his first year as chair of the eight-member Fire Muster board. He served the past two years as co-chair with Jim Marchessault of Business Card Services in Burnsville. Marchessault is this year’s ex-officio chair.
Taylor said he expects to put in two more years leading the Fire Muster.
“When we’re in an environment where people are so connected electronically but not face to face, this is a place where you can actually get to see your neighbors again,” Taylor said. “That, in and of itself, makes it worthwhile.”
Other new features this year include a National Guard obstacle course and the revival of an old Fire Muster favorite: the Bucket Brigade game.
The Burnsville Education Association is sponsoring competitions between teams of fifth- and sixth-graders from Burnsville schools. Bucket Brigade teams pass buckets of water hand to hand, like firefighters did in the old days.
“Whichever team has the highest water level, tosses the most water into a barrel, wins,” Taylor said. “And we’ll be measuring.”
Fire Muster events kick off Wednesday with a block party from 5 to 10 p.m. at the Best Western Premier Inn north of County Road 42 and west of Nicollet Avenue. The event was begun last year.
There will be a beer garden and wine tasting with live music of a local flavor. The first act is the School of Rock Road Crew (rockers ages 12 to 18) followed by Q the Clique (featuring three Burnsville High School seniors) and headliner Mike Linden of Apple Valley. The 22-year-old with a new solo album plays with the Super Pilots, who performed Aug. 18 at the Art and All That Jazz festival in Burnsville.
Weekend music at Civic Center Park is a Fire Muster tradition. 1980s revivalists Brat Pack Radio will play Friday night, and up-and-coming country band Hitchville will play Saturday night. Both shows are from 7 to 11 p.m.
“They went so well last year, we decided it would be best to bring them back again,” Taylor said of the bands.
Helicopter rides will be offered by Minnesota Helicopters on Friday beginning at 7 p.m., Saturday beginning at noon, and after the Community Parade on Sunday afternoon.
“It was a great success last year. It was a huge draw,” Taylor said.
A fireworks show will start at 9:45 p.m. Saturday.
Saturday’s Fire Truck Parade, a Fire Muster staple that typically features more than 100 units of antique and modern firefighting equipment from throughout the Midwest, is from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Sunday’s Community Parade, also a tradition, is from 1 to 2 p.m.
A community worship service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Sunday.
Honorees
Walter Adams of Burnsville has been designated as Fire Muster marshal. His firefighting career dates back to World War II, when at age 12 he began as a volunteer in Reading, Mass. After moving to Burnsville in 1979, Adams worked for the city’s police and fire dispatch service.
Former Deputy City Manager Tom Hansen is the Fire Truck Parade grand marshal. Hansen, who retired this year as Burnsville’s operations manager, oversaw police and fire operations and was a key link between the city and the Fire Muster.
Daniel Mahowald is grand marshal of the Community Parade. Mahowald owns Cornerstone Copy, a longtime Burnsville business, and is the Burnsville Chamber of Commerce’s 2011 Business Person of the Year.
Admission
A $5 Fire Muster button (three for $10) is needed for admission after 5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Buttons and carnival tickets are available in advance at several Burnsville locations. Information on button is here and more is at www.burnsvillefiremuster.com.
For a full event schedule, click here.
For more on the Medallion Hunt, click here.
For more on the Photo Contest, click here.
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