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Museum throws birthday party for Plano FD
Photo by Monica Graza: Joshua Mott, left, helps Natalie Mott try on bunker gear used by the Plano Fire Department Wednesday morning at the Heritage Farmstead Museum.
By Bill Conrad, bconrad@starlocalnews.com
The Plano Fire Department turns 126 years old this year and the Heritage Farmstead Museum is throwing the department a birthday party to celebrate.
The party, which is being held in conjunction with the museum's annual curator's camp, is Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Hillary Kidd, the museum's curator, said the free event is open to the public and will feature a carnival-like atmosphere with a dunking tank, cooking demonstrations and historic and modern fire equipment. At 11 a.m., the campers will be introduced and Interim Fire Chief Bill Peterson and Mayor Pro Tem Lissa Smith are scheduled to give remarks.
"All week we have had kids here at the museum who have been learning about the history of the fire department," Kidd said. "The camp is a behind-the-scenes look at museums. The kids created their own exhibit, which is opening on Saturday."
Capt. Peggy Harrell, the department's spokeswoman, said the department has undergone massive changes in its 126-year history.
"We began as an organized group of volunteers in 1886," Harrell said. "The men had to pay dues and usually numbered between 20 and 40. In the early 1900s they hired someone to take care of the horses, and as the city grew, more people were hired to be a part of the department."
Harrell said the department only became totally staffed with full-time firefighters in 1972, a time when the city had around 20,000 residents. In April 1972, the department had 15 salaried employees, a number which has grown to 320 as of 2012.
The museum is located at 1900 W. 15th Street and is open Tuesday-Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For information, visit www.heritagefarmstead.org.
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