HANOVER TOWNSHIP -- It was a bittersweet night for one volunteer fire company in Luzerne County and the community it serves.
The Bresleau Hose Company has hosted its annual summer bazaar, and after thirty years, this is the final one.
It`s the first week in July, and at the Breslau Hose Company that means one thing, its bazaar time.
The annual summer bazaar kicked off in Hanover Township. With fun, games, and a row of sizzling grills, the eager crowds came calling.
“It`s wonderful,” said Noreen Draht. “We were here last year. It was one of the best times we had all season.”
“The grandson, the games, having fun. This is good, my daughter, my friends, we all get together. It`s nice,” said Bill Falls.
The volunteer hose company has hosted the bazaar for the past 30 years as a fundraiser, but after this year, the company is calling it quits.
Due to a drop in volunteer firefighters and the amount of community commitment it takes to put on this event, the company said it can no longer put on the show.
“Help is hard to find. It`s hard to find people to give up three days, actually probably about two to three weeks of their lives to put this on," said Jeff Tudgay, Hanover Township Fire Chief.
“It`s very sad. My father was the president of the hose company at one time, we were just talking about how sad it is to see it end," said Jean Michael.
All six fire companies in Hanover Township are consolidating into one department to pool manpower.
“Some of the companies have ample manpower and some companies have very little manpower, so in this situation I think bigger is going to be a lot better for us because then we would all be pulling one wagon towards the same goal,” said Tudgay.
“I`ve been in Hanover Township, and it really is sad but they`re going to build a great new fire station on the highway so we`re all really happy about that,” said Draht.
The Breslau Hose Company Bazaar runs through July 7.