CONTRIBUTED BY GSEA
LEE COUTY —
The Genealogical Society of East Alabama will hold a meeting on April 16 from 11 a.m. to noon. The event will be held at the Museum of East Alabama which is located at 121 S. 9th St. in Opelika.
Bob Parsons will present a program entitled “From Horses to Horsepower: a Brief History of the Opelika Fire Department”. The program chronicles the changes in fire-fighting apparatus and techniques from the early days of Opelika to today’s modern equipment an Fire House Exhibit at the Museum of East Alabama including a 1949 pumper truck. The Fire House Exhibit will be open for viewing.
Parsons has been a member of the fire department since 2005, prior to which he worked as a dispatcher in the Opelika 911 Call Center. At the encouragement of Opelika Fire Chief, Shane Boyd, Parsons has taken on the role of managing the department’s social media, as well as curating the department’s historical photographs and documents. Today’s presentation is the first of what Bob hopes will be a series, celebrating the department’s 150-year anniversary in 2023.
Admission is free and the public is invited.