Mahaffey gears up for firefighters’ carnival

The Mahaffey Community Firefighters’ Carnival is returning for its third year Aug. 8-9 at 958 Market St. — Courtesy photo

By Andy Stine

astine@altoonamirror.com

MAHAFFEY — The Mahaffey Community Firefighters’ Carnival is returning for its third year Aug. 8-9 at 958 Market St. in the small town, but the fire department is gearing up for an even bigger event in a couple years.

Mahaffey will host the Central District Firemen’s Convention in 2027. Last year’s event was held in East Freedom, Blair County, while this year’s convention will be held in Osceola Mills in Clearfield County in August.

The Central District Firemen’s Convention covers a 26-county area in Pennsylvania.

“Nothing like this has ever really been done around our town, so we just decided to do something,” Mahaffey Fire Department Fire Chief Bryan Sheeder said.

“We’re going to be really gearing up for that.”

The convention is an annual event that highlights the importance of firefighters. Last year’s convention began with a memorial service for all firefighters that had passed away in the last year in the 26 counties. There are also plenty of games and competitions over the three-day event.

Plenty on tap this year’s carnival

Although the district convention is still a few years away, there are still plenty of events happening at this year’s carnival.

On Friday, Aug. 8, the carnival is open from 4 until 10 p.m. There will be a 50/50, a basket raffle, games, bounce houses and food vendors. The band 7 Mile Run, a local country music group, will play from 7 to 9 p.m.

On Saturday, Aug. 9, the carnival is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. with a return of the food vendors, a basket raffle, a 50/50 drawing, a kids corner with balloon animals, bounce houses, games and activities. A DJ will be on hand to provide entertainment on Saturday.

The parade begins at 4 p.m. Saturday with the awards being announced on the main stage at 5:45 p.m. Sheeder said there are many fire departments confirmed to be coming for the parades, and there will be floats as part of the procession, too.

The Moore Brothers, a local band that covers all types of music ranging from classic rock, country, pop and more will be on stage from 6:30 until 9:30 p.m.

Fireworks from across the river behind the fire hall will begin at 9:30 p.m. with basket raffle winners announced after the fireworks.

The fire department is hoping for an even bigger turnout for the two-day event this year.

“Last year there were around 700-800 in two days,” Sheeder said. “We get a lot of people for the fireworks.”

Those attending are asked to bring lawn chairs and blankets as seating is limited for the event.