08/23/2026
As another incredible Ashley-Hudson Festival comes to an end, all of us at the Ashley-Hudson Volunteer Fire Department are left with one overwhelming feeling: gratitude.
We are incredibly honored to be part of a festival that means so much to our towns and brings our communities together year after year. More importantly, we are grateful for the love and support you show our department—not just during festival weekend, but 365 days a year.
Friday night started things off with one of our favorite traditions—the Blue Light Parade. Thank you to everyone who came out, decorated their vehicles, lined the streets, and helped us continue a tradition that celebrates the heart and history of volunteer firefighting. Seeing those blue lights roll through our community reminds us why traditions like these are worth preserving.
We also want to thank our brothers and sisters at Salem Center Volunteer Fire Department for using our station to serve breakfast to our shared communities. Moments like these show that the fire service is about so much more than responding to emergencies—it's about departments working together and serving the people we all call neighbors.
A very special shout-out goes to former Chief Rick Bailer, who once again came out and helped direct the crew to make sure all that amazing chicken was cooked to perfection. Having former members and leaders continue to come back and lend a hand speaks volumes about the family that exists within the volunteer fire service. Rick, thank you for continuing to be part of ours.
We also want to extend a huge thank-you to Independent Full Gospel Church for coming out, volunteering, and assisting us throughout the weekend. Your willingness to jump in and help means more than we can say. We appreciate every one of you.
To all of the car, truck, motorcycle, and tractor owners who braved the elements and brought out such an incredible collection of vehicles for our show along with car show judge: Director of Steuben County Emergency Management Lee Greenamyer —THANK YOU! You helped make the event something special, and we appreciate your willingness to stick it out and be part of the weekend.
And to everyone who stopped by and purchased chicken from us—thank you. Every meal purchased, every conversation , every handshake, and every word of encouragement matters. The unwavering support of this community is what continues to drive our department forward.
We also want to give a huge thank-you to Tom's Pretty Darn Cool Fireworks. Once again, we truly appreciate the collaboration between your organization and our department. Working alongside you every year never feels like simply working with another organization—it feels like catching up with old friends. We value that relationship tremendously and are grateful for everything you do to help make festival weekend memorable.
And, of course, a tremendous thank-you goes to the Ashley-Hudson Festival Committee. Once again, you put on one heck of a weekend. The countless hours of planning, organizing, coordinating, and problem-solving that happen behind the scenes do not go unnoticed. We are proud to partner with you and proud to be part of what you continue to build for Ashley and Hudson.
Finally, thank you to each and every one of YOU.
Whether you attended an event, watched the parade, bought a chicken dinner, entered a vehicle, volunteered your time, stopped by to say hello, shared one of our posts, or simply follow and support our department here—we appreciate you.
A volunteer fire department doesn't exist without its community. You are the reason we train. You are the reason we serve. And your support is what allows us to continue moving forward.
The trucks will get cleaned, the equipment will get put away, and another Ashley-Hudson Festival will officially become a memory. But what won't be packed away is the gratitude we have for the communities we are privileged to serve.
From our firehouse family to yours, thank you for an unforgettable 2026 Ashley-Hudson Festival.
We are proud to serve Ashley and Hudson.
We are proud to be part of this community.
And we are already looking forward to doing it all again next year.
Thank you, Ashley-Hudson. We appreciate you more than you know.
— Ashley-Hudson Volunteer Fire Department
