Spirit of Mardi Gras and Valentines Day Comes Together for Annual Bash
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Local party revelers gathered at the East Carondelet Community Center Saturday night for the annual ‘Prairie Du Pont Fire Department Chicken & Beer Dance’. The event is held each year near Valentines Day to raise funds for the Prairie Du Pont Volunteer Fire Department which serves residents of East Carondelet, Prarie Du Pont, McBride Ave/Falling Springs neighborhoods and part of the bluff neighborhoods. This year party goers were dressed in both Mardi Gras attire and Valentines Day red as this weekend also marked the beginning of the Lenten season.
This is only the second year that the Prairie Du Pont Fire Department has held a chicken and beer dance. Previous to that they held an annual Valentine’s dance for 50 years. The party began with an all you can eat fried chicken dinner and was followed by music, prizes, raffles and dancing. Despite the cold outside folks came prepared for a hot time inside as they came to support their fire department and the men and women who serve as firemen.
I spoke to Prairie Du Pont Fire Chief Aaron Hoock about the annual dance and asked how money raised by such events is used by the Department. He said. “The money raised by events like this is used for fire prevention programs, uniforms, dress uniforms, badges, equipment, training and general operating expenditures.” Doesn’t the Prairie Du Pont Fire Department receive tax funding? “We do receive some tax payer funds from the district, but that’s not really enough which is why we hold events like this to raise the additional funds necessary to provide fire protection for our residents.”
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