Fire in the Park, Cruisin’ the Gut offer full day downtown

A fire in the park sounds like an emergency, doesn’t it?

Not July 16’s Fire in the Park. It’s the very opposite of emergency. And anyway, lots of firefighters and paramedics will be on hand.

Fire in the Park is the annual informational and charitable event hosted in Esther Short Park by the Vancouver Firefighters Union. It’s a day of fire-safety and first-aid education for children and families — as well as fundraising for the victims of the real emergencies that firefighters respond to every day. Firefighters Care is the name of that community assistance fund, and local firefighters in the field can dip into it when they meet people who need a little immediate assistance.

But the main point of Fire in the Park is sharing useful information about fire and disaster prevention and safety, according to Vancouver firefighter and event organizer Matt Thierfelder. Main events during the 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. proceedings will include hands-only, group CPR lessons at 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. and a nine-station Kids Firefighter Challenge. Kids who master all nine challenges — including such things as bike safety, water safety, chemical safety, “teddy bear CPR” and more — will win a free all-sports helmet. Home Depot also will be on hand to teach kids about using tools safely — and build something fun along the way.

And, of course, fire engines and firefighters will be on hand for you to meet, greet and admire.

Many bells and whistles that used to be part of the festivities — but distracted from the real theme — have been dispensed with. The chili cook-off, beer garden and live entertainment are long gone, Thierfelder said, and so is the actual firefighter challenge, a friendly race to don gear, attach hoses, break down a door and drag to safety a fire-victim dummy. It was great entertainment, Thierfelder said, but it didn’t really “get the message out.”

“The whole focus now is on public education and safety,” he said.

Classic cruise

Once you’ve absorbed those serious lifesaving lessons, head over to Main Street for an even bigger spectacle: Well over 1,000 classic cars and hot rods of every description, and many thousands of owners and admirers, returning the downtown scene to the glory days when pridefully parading your wheels north and south between Dairy Queen and the river was a popular high school spectator sport.

What started as local car lover Phil Medina’s effort to create a venue where he could show off his purple 1961 Chevy Parkwood station wagon has exploded into Cruisin’ the Gut, a truly massive annual car-culture festival. The official start time is 10 a.m. July 16, but early birds start showing up as early as 6 a.m to stake out good sidewalk spots; the event isn’t over until 10 p.m.

Designated areas will include a family fun zone and racers row on 12th Street, vendors alley and a Dick Hannah employee car show on 16th Street, and “Mopar Mayhem” at Ding’s Racing and Car Care at 18th and Columbia streets.

Mopar is the mashed-up name of Chrysler’s Motor Parts division, but the term has come to be used as shorthand for the customized cars-on-steroids that auto enthusiasts love building with those parts. (Alternate meanings of Mopar run from the macho “Massively Over Powered And Respected” to the sarcastic “Many Odd Parts Assembled Ridiculously” or even “Most Often Passed At Races.”)

Food donation sites for Share Vancouver, a leading agency that serves the hungry and homeless, will be at 16th and Main streets and at Dairy Queen, 2700 Main St. Streets and sidewalks will be crowded and busy, so it’s worth driving home this important event pointer: “All traffic laws apply, so keep it cool.”