HOPE — It was supposed to be a regular monthly meeting of the Hope Fire Department, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024. But mysterious asides kept entering the picture.

For the first jeans-and-T-shirts to arrive, it was the presence of two local reporters sitting among them in the 15 minutes prior to meeting time, waiting for something to happen. Figuring that we’d ruined the surprise with our presence, we forged ahead, one taking the chief aside for a quick interview; the other pulling out camera, lenses, notebook, voice recorder.

Crew members filed in, three of them wearing blue dress shirts and each carrying something wrapped in blanket-like fabric. The jeans-and-T-shirt group looked at each other. Were we supposed to dress up?

“I am dressed up,” said one who clearly wasn’t.

The men in their dress shirts were perplexed. They’d each received a phone call telling them to dress nicely, and to bring with them the 50-plus years of service plaques that they’d been honored with the previous year.

The banter revved up.

“They are taking back my plaque,” one joked. “They are firing me after 50 years.”

And then, a spouse entered the room, which begged the question as to why so-and-so’s wife was invited.

And, hey! somebody else’s spouse just arrived.

A third entered with a grandson in tow.

Chief Clarence Keller had a plan. Though many times it seemed like the surprise had been ruined, the ultimate surprise stayed secret until the final moment. For their 50 years of service to Hope Fire Dept., the next Annual Report for the Town of Hope is being dedicated to Alex Ludwig (1972), Dana Winchenbach (1973), and Fred Holbrook (1974). Select Board member Sarah Ann Smith spoke through a lump in her throat as she made the announcement.

As for the three men, they seemed pretty floored, and for these tough birds, who have likely seen it all in their 50 years, a surprise is pretty hard to come by.

One of them was fighting fires with the fire department before he’d even joined the roster. Another was promoted to officer status within weeks of joining. And all can say that they began when HFD was a mere 20 years old, having become organized as a result of a particular barn fire in 1952.

“All three continue to serve on the Hope Volunteer Fire Department,” said the Town Report. “We are grateful for their commitment, and it is in part because of their service that Hope Volunteer Fire Department is what it is today.”

Read more about the dedication in the Town Report, when it is released to the public at a later date.

Reach Sarah Thompson at news@penbaypilot.com