Downtown Vancouver was noisy on Saturday. The kids romping around Esther Short Park and climbing in classic firefighting rigs were noisy. The 10,000 people who roamed the Vancouver Farmers Market next to the park were noisy. And, the classic cars chug-a-lugging up and down Main Street were the noisiest.
The seventh annual Fire in the Park event hosted by the Vancouver Firefighters Union is intended to teach people fire safety and first aid as well as raise funds for the victims of the real emergencies firefighters deal with every day. Firefighters Care, the community assistance fund, can cover expenses such as a taxi ride or refilling a medication that burned in a house fire, said Scott Tiniakos with Paul Davis Restoration, who helped organize the event.
Tiniakos said emergency responders have to go through a lot of “red tape” to help people, but having cash on hand in the fire engines makes it easier for firefighters to help victims. That’s the main goal of the event, but the main entertainment?
“Teach safety to kids and let them interact with firefighters,” he said while fitting children for bicycle helmets.
Children who completed the nine-station Kids Firefighter Challenge went home with a helmet. Many children also got plastic red firefighters helmets (before they ran out). Some of those kids were spotted meandering up Main Street for Cruisin’ the Gut.
The annual car-culture festival brings thousands of people to downtown Vancouver over the course of the day.
Terry Overton camped out in front of Kiggins Theatre and in front of his teal 1960 Chevy Corvette.
“I’ve got all kinds of cars,” said Overton, who was wearing a car-printed polo. “This is my dream.”
He’s had the Corvette for 30 years and bought it when they were a lot cheaper. Nowadays, he surmises his kind of car would go for $65,000 to $110,000. He said his dad would often take him to car shows when he was growing up in Portland.
Gary Stacey, who’s lived in Vancouver since 1948, said he didn’t have a nice car growing up. He went to Fort Vancouver High School back when the campus was on Main Street and said he drove a beat up 1951 Chevrolet. Saturday, he admired a row of restored Chevrolets.
“You could buy all these cars cheap back then,” he said. “It makes you want to go out and get one and restore it.”
Back in the day, he said, cars were painted by hand and now it’s all automated. And, you could buy these cars for under $3,000.
“This looks better than it did new,” Stacey said, pointing to a cherry-red 1959 Chevrolet Impala.
As the Farmers Market and Fire in the Park wound down mid-afternoon, Cruisin’ the Gut was just getting started.
