Yorkville July 4 Celebration in Jeopardy As Firemen's Association Disbands

With the dissolving of the Bristol Kendall Firemen’s Association, fire officials are looking for a new organization to sponsor the July 4 celebration in Yorkville.

For the past 57 years the organization that once played an integral role in the day-to-day operations of the fire district has organized the annual Independence Day celebration. But with the changing times and the diminished role of the association, it became time to pass off the July 4 responsibilities to another group, said Bristol Kendall Fire Chief Michael Hitzemann.

“With so many of the training requirements our guys have to go through once a week, this is a burden we decided to let go,” Hitzemann said.

On Jan. 2 Bristol Kendall Fire Protection District members will hold an open meeting to discuss the future of the July 4 celebration. If a group steps up to take over, Hitzemann said they will have access to approximately $11,000 in a July 4 fund to host the next event and several members can serve in an advisory role. The meeting will be held at 7 p.m.

“If we can’t find anyone willing to take this over, we’ll likely do one last event, then that will be it,” Hitzemann said.

The Firemen’s Association annually raised approximately thousands of dollars through private donations to host the July 4 events, including fireworks. No tax dollars were used, he added.

The Jan. 2 meeting will be held at the Bristol Kendall Fire Protection District, Station 1, at 103 East Beaver St. in Yorkville.