Slower than a Speeding Bicycle!

Pardon the wordplay I've used from the old radio intro for the "Adventures of Superman".

While attending Glendale's 2019 Gathering, I was surprised and amused to see the old--one and only firetruck--the Village of Glendale, Ohio had when I grew up there. The vintage apparatus, doubling as a pumper and ladder truck, was already considered old when I was a kid. It's now housed in a museum on Glendale's outskirts.

When my friends and I heard the wailing siren atop the town hall, we jumped on our bikes and headed to the fire station located in the Village Square. Meanwhile, the volunteers closed their small shops, set down their tools, or left their homes to answer the call. As soon as enough firemen arrived to compliment the truck, it emerged from the firehouse, engine chugging as its siren blared.

If the fire was located somewhere above the Sharon Avenue hill, we could pass the engine about halfway up if we peddled hard enough. This was obviously a moment of some embarrassment to the firemen on board (and a thrilling sense of accomplishment to us bikers).

Today, Glendale has one of the highest acclaimed volunteer fire departments in the country, with cutting-edge communications, modern vehicles and highly-trained personnel. Although the village has added some new homes and updated several retail establishments over the years, it sill maintains its charm from the past with its quaint gas street lights and, thankfully, its old firetruck.