PHOTOS: A piece of the city’s history is set to roll again as the Avon Lake Historical Society prepares to unveil a fully restored 1939 Dodge American LaFrance fire truck later this month.
The truck, known as ALFD1, will be on display for the public during a community viewing at 1 p.m., May 23, at the Avon Lake Fire Department, 32811 Walker Road in Avon Lake. It is then scheduled to lead the city’s Memorial Day Parade on May 25, which begins at 10 a.m.
The restoration has been years in the making, led by Historical Society trustee Dave Dlugosz and a team of volunteers.
“This has been a process now for about the last two years,” Dlugosz said. “We’ve got a group of about 10 volunteers with all different talents, and now all of a sudden it’s all coming together.”
The fire truck, originally put into service in the late 1930s, was decommissioned decades ago and later passed through private ownership before being returned to the city. It sat unused in storage until the Historical Society took on the project.
Dlugosz said the truck is not only important locally, but also rare.
