The Biloxi Fireman’s Day Parade, a tradition that once was more popular than the city’s Mardi Gras parades, will roll through downtown Biloxi on the morning of Saturday, Sept. 20.
Biloxi Fire Chief Joe Boney said fire departments from across south Mississippi are expected to be represented in the  10 a.m. parade, which begins on Lameuse Street near the Biloxi Town Green, travels northward to MLK Boulevard, to Howard Avenue and ends at the Biloxi Fire Museum, on Howard Avenue a block east of Porter Avenue.
After the parade, a reception will be held at the fire museum, where free tours also will be available.
“The Fireman’s Day Parade has a lot history, just as much as the Biloxi Fire Department,” said Boney, an aficionado of fire department history and one of the driving forces behind the fire museum, which is actually named West End Hose Co. No. 3 Fire Museum.
“The fire stations across the city were community gathering places, the centers of each neighborhood,” Boney said. “They were voting precincts, they were usually near schools, and some of them even had meeting rooms for wedding receptions and other family gatherings. Today, the city offers places like the Biloxi Visitors Centers or the Civic Center, but the fire departments are still important parts of the neighborhood.
“And that’s what this parade is all about – a celebration of our history, and the men and women that many look at as our hometown heroes.
“We’re hoping to see a good turnout, for people to bring out the families and see a collection of new and antique fire trucks, and make a fun day of it.”
See the fire museum online
Visit the Biloxi Fire Department Facebook page
