Bedford Fire Department Parade Entertains, Inspires: Slideshow

You could hear the drums before the lights of the first fire truck rolled into sight Friday evening as hundreds of supporters of the Bedford Village Fire Department lined Route 22 to watch the group's annual parade.

Tiny fists waved miniature flags as cheers and applause greeted the more than 21 organizations marching in the event, which also included a barbecue after the 7 p.m. parade wrapped up.

Many watchers had a personal connection to the marchers, including Christine Camaj of North Salem, who wheeled her 9-month-old granddaughter, Jolie Camaj, in a stroller to the edge of the Bedford Village Green for a good view of her father, Robert Camaj of the Croton Falls Fire Department.

"This is his daughter's first parade. She's going to wave to her daddy," Camaj said. "He's usually in the front of the line, and he's tall and he's usually holding the flag. It's nice to see how patriotic he is."

Karen Hayes of Katonah, with two uncles in the Bedford Fire Department and a neighbor in the Katonah Fire Department, said she had "quite a few people to cheer on here."

"It's like a thank you to them for everything they do for us. It's important to come out and cheer them on," Hayes said.

Doris Johannessen of Mount Kisco, waving with her 4-year-old grandson Charlie Wilson, said she came to support her husband, sons, nephew, niece and brother.

"I always feel very proud when I see the Mount Kisco Fife and Drum Corp come through, leading off a terrific department," she said. "It's very rewarding to see generation after generation respect the volunteerism of the fire department. They grow up with it."

Bedford firefighter Eric Wiltse, who serves with brothers Allan and Guy and whose father, Allan Wiltse, is a former fire chief, said marching in the parade is a way for him to express his pride in the department.

"It brings people together, and it's a opportunity to showcase the apparatus. The town can actually see how many men are involved with it," Wiltse said. "I believe the volunteer fire departments save the county a tremendous amount of money. Our department last year did, if I'm not mistaken, around 600 calls. That's an average of about two a day, all hours of the day and night."

Young and old alike marched in the parade, including 17-year-old Erica Bilquin, part of the color guard for the New Fairfield Sparklers Drum Corp. "It was fun, and it was not as hot as some of the other parades, so that was nice," said Erica, enjoying the evening temperature of around 80 degrees, a more comfortable setting than the 100-degree days earlier in the month.

For the marchers, it was also a chance to compete for honors.

Dutchess County firefighter Rich Giuliani, a member of the Westchester County Parade Judges Association, said the firefighters spend many hours readying for parades like Friday night's.

"We judge all the departments in multiple categories, such as marching, uniform, color guard, and then also the trucks and how clean they are and all of that" he said, adding that the judges travel so that they are never judging their own departments.

The results of Friday's parade will be online at the Westchester County Parade Judges Association Web site this week.

Competing is a way of showing pride in their department, Giuliani said. "It's the ability to show that not only you are good firematically, but you care enough about your community and neighbors that you're going to have a good showing of the department." 

And, for those who just showed up for a good time, there was that aplenty from the rousing sounds of the drum corps to the sight of historic equipment rolling down the street decades after its retirement to the simple pleasure of saying thank you to the firefighters over a hot dog and soda.

First-time parade-goer Joe Lucchese of Bedford, watching his son, Felix 5, and friend Colin Witz, 5, scarf down rainbow snow cones, said the event surpassed his expectations.

"It was much bigger than I thought it would be," he said. "It was great. It brought back a lot of memories of being a kid."