Increasingly the Fire Department's most common mission is shifting to being the First Responder to medical emergencies. Station 9 firemen can be on the scene of a heart attack or other medical crisis many long minutes before an EMS ambulance arrives. They come with training and equipment that can make a life-saving difference. Last year's events at the national level demonstrated the critical importance of local emergency services that many of us had come to take for granted. Attending the Festival, which is the Neighborhood's primary annual public gathering, is a gratifying immediate opportunity to make an impression in person on decision makers, since in recent years we have had several local office holders in attendance. So it is a chance to meet some of your representatives at various levels of government, as well as showing your support for the Station and our firefighters. Our very own, very local HPNA representatives elected at the October General Meeting (Monday October 7) will also take office at the Festival.

October is also the month to join or renew your membership in the Hyde Park Neighborhood Association. Our dues are a princely $1.00 per person or $2.00 per family. There will be a HPNA table at the Festival to join, pay dues, buy a copy of Hyde Park: The First Fifty Years Ñ the oral history by neighborhood historians Sarah and Thad Sitton, or a copy of the fine Homes Tour Poster by neighborhood artist Marc Burckhardt.

As is the custom,the Festival will begin with a Children's Parade from Shipe Park to the Fire Station. This recalls the strategy used by long-time neighborhood activist Dorothy Richter of staging a demonstration, three decades ago, to bring the plans to close the station to the attention of the public using children with balloons and ribbons and signs. This was novel enough to get the attention of the media, which had previously deemed the station-closing plans to be not newsworthy. To entertain children and their parents there will be food, drink and music. And as always volunteers are needed to help provide them, to set up before and clean up afterwards. Those interested in helping out should call or email Gary Penn at 452-3103, garypenn@swbell.net or Bob Breeze at 452-3850, breeze99@texas.net.