By Kate J. Conde>

My, how time flies. It seems as though the summer gets shorter each year and before you know it, it’s time to trade swimsuits for sweaters. It feels like just yesterday we had our summer kick-off barbecue, and now we are ready to start our monthly dinners again. Summer did not escape us without another eventful season here at the fire station — fires were fought, skillets were tossed and champions were made.

Each Fourth of July, the fire station is brimming with excitement, with officers organizing their crew and trucks for the fireworks, shining up the button tub for the parade, and setting up for our post-parade feast. As if that were not enough, this year we decided to throw in a basketball title holder: Celtics champ Ray Allen joined us in the Edgartown parade, riding atop our very own 1927 Mack! Mr. Allen was very gracious and down to earth as he walked through our station signing autographs and shaking hands.

Chief Shemeth thanked all our members for their great support for the town’s festivities on the Fourth. All fire trucks and ambulances were stationed around town, as well as on Chappaquiddick, and were well manned during the parade and fireworks. He recognized the sacrifice made on behalf of many members, as so much time was dedicated to our town’s safety and away from individual family picnics during the holiday. Chief Shemeth also thanked our firefighters for the great turnout at the August fire in Bold Water — it was a hot morning and the quick response was terrific.

On July 27, the Edgartown firefighters came out on top again as fire muster champions! Seven teams competed in three events. The winning team included Deputy Chief Alex Schaeffer, Assistant Chief Scott Ellis, Capt. Sam Koohy, Lieut. Andrew Kelly, Lieut. Don O’Shaughnessy, Jake Sylvia, Mike Klimek, Rick Mansfield, Asa Vought, Kara Shemeth, Frank Williams Jr., Mike Brown, Kevin Maciel, James Dropick and Henry Parent. Great job keeping the trophies in town, guys!

Deputy Chief Schaeffer has been keeping the members of the dive team busy this summer with many training sessions in the water as well as a high ropes course offered to all department members.

A summer on the Vineyard wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the Ag Fair, where the ladies of the department brought home a few blue ribbons and some bragging rights. Becky Brown and her horse Edit, took home blue ribbons in the stone-boat obstacle course and the barrel-racing event. Kara Shemeth not only won the skillet toss for the second year in a row, but she broke the fair record by 14 feet! Way to go Kara!

Congratulations to Asa Voght and his wife, Heidi, as they welcomed their son, Brady Nicholas.

While our nation’s flag was flying at half-mast on Sept. 11, Matthew Millman of Engine One read a prayer as members of the department and our community observed a moment of reflection and remembrance.

On Sept. 20, we held our 16th annual golf tournament at the Edgartown Golf Club. This event is our biggest fundraiser of the year to benefit our scholarship fund and was our most successful to date! Over 100 golfers joined us for the charity scramble, with the top eight teams winning exceptional prizes. Special thanks to Mark Hess of Edgartown Golf Club for helping us organize this great event and to Vineyard Vines and Stop & Shop for their extraordinary generosity. More thanks go out to Dan Larsen of Edgartown Seafood for donating the raw bar, Rita Brown of Vineyard Gourmet Bakery for our delicious breakfast baked goods, the Katama General Store for donating the desserts, and Dippin Donuts for starting our early round golfers with coffee. Many thanks go to our various generous hole sponsors and local restaurants for their support. The association feels very fortunate to be a part of such a bighearted community.

This date also marked another special day in the fire department family; Chief Shemeth’s daughter, Justine, got married at the Edgartown lighthouse. The day couldn’t have been more perfect, with sunny skies above and our Edgartown harbor in the background. Justine and her new husband, Paulo DeOlivieria, will continue to live in Edgartown. Congratulations and best wishes to the happy couple.

The association would like to welcome new member Max Sherman, who will be joining Captain Gundersen on Engine Four.

Congratulations are in order for our newest emergency medical technicians Jake Sylvia, Matt Millman and Morgan Hauck.

On a more poignant note, a graveside service was held on Sunday, Sept. 21, to honor Jon Sawyer, a former captain of Engine One. Dick Kelly, Andrew Kelly, Peter Look, Peter Look Jr. and Larry Thomas put on their best attire to join the family — they even brought Capt. Sawyer’s old truck, our 1927 Mack.

Thanks to several generous donations, Capt. Dick Kelly announced a restoration project at the fire museum. Don’t let the scaffolding keep you from stopping by to see the antique trucks or buy a T-shirt, our door is always open, all are welcome.

With all the summer activities, one thing stayed the same — the daily cribbage match every afternoon at 3 p.m.

As an unknown firefighter once said, “Hug a firefighter and feel warm all over.”