Union Hill Volunteer Fire Department annual Cake Walk
BY KADIE TAYLOR
THE LAFAYETTE SUN
UNION HILL — The Union Hill Volunteer Fire Department is holding its Annual Cake Walk on Nov. 22 at 6 p.m. CT at the Union Hill Community Club to raise money to continue to support the efforts of its volunteer firefighters to purchase and update gear.
To participate in the walk, Union Hill Volunteer Fire Department Treasurer Leigh Harmon-Richardson said attendees can purchase a $1 ticket per round with the chance of winning the featured prize for that round and buy hamburgers, hot dogs, nachos, chili and homemade baked goods from the concession stand to fuel their walking throughout the night.
“There are a little over 70 folding chairs that are set up in a circle,” she said. “You can pick any chair you want to sit in — the chairs are numbered — we have a person who plays music, and once the music begins and you're in the ring, everyone stands up and walks inside the circle until the music stops. When they stop the music, you sit down and find a chair. You can sit in the one right by you — you can walk across the ring and sit. As long as you're in an empty chair, and then they pull numbers out of a little revolving basket, just like bingo, and whoever's sitting in that chair gets the cake [or prize] that has been shown for that walk.”
Harmon-Richardson said the Union Hill Volunteer Fire Department Annual Cake Walk is an enjoyed community event, with many coming back yearly.
Many locals donate goods to the Cake Walk, and Harmon-Richardson said before each round of walking, an item is held up that the round winner will receive.
“Last year, we probably had over 250 people in that building; the majority of the items are cakes or baked goods,” she said. “We also have a few people who will donate a gift certificate to the event, some kind of gift basket or something like that. We have a guy in our community who makes really nice bird houses, and he'll donate a bird house to be walked for. We have a guy who raises pecans, and he'll bring a five-pound bag of cracked pecans, which is significant now because pecans are very expensive. We have people donate all kinds of items.”
Last year, Harmon-Richardson said the Union Hill Volunteer Fire Department raised around $3,500 through the Cake Walk, and the proceeds every year go towards ensuring the volunteer firefighters are able to assist locals during emergencies.
“We have to upgrade our equipment every so often — the fire uniforms that they wear are only good for so many years before they have to be upgraded,” she said. “Once [the uniforms] have been used for so long, they're not safe to go into a fire area. We have all kinds of equipment we have to keep on the trucks.”
Through donations and participation in the Cake Walk, Harmon-Richardson said locals are supporting the quick responses and community safety that the Union Hill Volunteer Fire Department helps provide.
“We’re usually the first people on the scene for any incident, whether it's medical or fire, because we're closer,” she said. “I've seen the action of our fire department, and I want to know that they're going to come assist me, so I'm just doing that in return.”
For more information, visit the Union Hill Volunteer Fire Department on Facebook.
