Published: November 07, 2009 07:23 pm      

Downtown fire museum creating buzz

Pledge night set for Nov. 19

The announcement of a funding drive in support of moving a top-notch firefighter equipment collection to downtown New Albany has stirred positive reactions.

Friends of the New Albany Fire Museum declared their intentions in September to shift the late Fred Conway’s collection of fire engines, antique equipment and memorabilia from Mount Tabor Road to a to-be-determined location in the city’s downtown.

A few weeks later, Curtis Peters, chairman of Friends of the New Albany Fire Museum, was contacted by a fire equipment enthusiast from Greenfield. He wanted to donate several antique items he’d collected over the years to New Albany.

River City Winery owner Gary Humphries donated a large truck to transport the antiques, and they now await a New Albany museum for showcasing.

Around the same time Peters heard from a Florida man who stopped in New Albany in the summer of 2008 to check out the Conway collection at the Vintage Fire Museum along Mount Tabor Road.

Peters said he was elated to hear about the effort to ensure the collection could be viewed by the public for years to come.

“It indicates that people not only from this area, but other areas too are excited about the project,” Peters said.

Conway toured and documented about 150 fire museums that he later wrote about in a book. He ranked his own collection as one of the top five in the nation based on his research.

Friends of the New Albany Fire Museum have set a $2 million benchmark to purchase the Conway equipment and start a museum.

The group set Nov. 19 from 6 to 10 p.m. as Save the Conway Fire Equipment for New Albany Pledge Nigh. The event will feature a firehouse chili cookoff with 8 to 10 firehouses expected to be represented from New Albany and other area outfits.

It will be held at The Grand, located at 138 E. Market St.

There will be a cash bar and live music provided by the Jamie Aebersold Jazz Quartet, which donated its talents for the event. Participants will have the opportunity to pledge dollars towards the cause during the evening.

From 4 to 5:45 p.m. on Nov. 19, the Conway collection will be available for viewing at the Mount Tabor Road museum for those who have purchased tickets for the pledge night.

Peters expects to have a better grasp of the fundraising situation after pledge night.

“The response at this point is mainly in enthusiasm, interest and support of the idea,” he said. “That’s the kind of support we’ve gotten so far, and it’s been widespread.”

David Barksdale, Floyd County historian and member of Friends of the New Albany Fire Museum, said hundreds of invitations have been sent out for pledge night.

“The committee is very committed to this project and I don’t believe we will have any problem raising our goal,” he said.

A location for the museum has not been chosen, only the agreement that it will be downtown. Peters said the first choice would be the former Frisch’s Big Boy building along Spring Street.

“It’s surprising how many people have said that if this museum materializes, it’s the kind of community thing that would further ignite downtown,” Peters said.



TO PURCHASE TICKETS

• Call 812-948-8711, or 812-542-0780 to reserve tickets. They can also be purchased at The Gallery on Pearl in the White House Centre, located at 222 Pearl St. Tickets are $15 per individual or $25 per couple.