09/17/2024
Buckingham County Firefighters Association
Holds Groundbreaking at New Event Park
Venue is planned as a hub for community events and fundraising to support Buckingham’s volunteer fire departments
Buckingham— September 16, 2024
The Buckingham County Firefighter’s Association (BCFA) held a groundbreaking at the location of its new event park on Monday, September 16th. Located on Route 20, just north of the intersection with U.S. Route 15 in Dillwyn, the BCFA Event Park is a 28-acre open-air venue with a capacity for 4,500 people and parking for over 1,100 automobiles. The centerpiece of the BCFA Event Park is a truck and tractor pull track where the BCFA will hold its annual pull. But the event park is envisioned as a space where a variety of different community activities may be possible such as: fire training activities, agricultural education events, antique vehicle and farm equipment shows, Fourth of July Fireworks Show, Halloween Trunk or Treat Event.
Benefits of the BCFA Event Park
Members of the Buckingham County Board of Supervisors participated in the groundbreaking. Chairman Joe Chambers noted that, “the Board of Supervisors sees great value in what the BCFA is doing by developing this event park. Not only will it provide a place for seniors, children and all ages in between to participate in community events, but the money that the BCFA will raise through its efforts here, will go back to the volunteer fire departments to support their operations. That support helps the County by delaying the need for increases in county funds for this vital work.”
“The BCFA is deeply grateful to the Buckingham County Board of Supervisors for their support of this project,” stated BCFA President Brian Bates. He went on to say that, “the Board provided some ARPA funds in 2022 to the BCFA to help launch this effort. Our members have built upon that funding through our fundraising efforts to get this project completed. Ultimately, we see this as a way for the volunteer fire departments in Buckingham to derive long-term benefits through various fund-raising and community events held at this event park, while at the same time, giving the communities we serve a common space to enjoy such events.”
Project Timeline
The development of the Event Park is unfolding in four phases – one pre-construction and three site construction phases. The pre-construction phase was completed late last year. The site construction phases began in August and the BCFA has sufficient funds to take the project through Phase 2. The BCFA has two initiatives moving forward to raise the balance of the money needed to complete the project. The first is a direct-mail campaign seeking donations. This effort hit mailboxes last week. The second effort involves working with a major corporation to provide a donation in exchange for naming rights to the park. That conversation is ongoing. If the balance of the money needed to complete the final phase is raised soon, the project will be completed by the end of the year and the first event will be held next summer. Throughout this process the BCFA has benefitted from the fantastic partnership with David and Chad Perkins and their team at Pearson Construction, Inc. as they work to make the BCFA Event Park a reality.
About the BCFA
The Buckingham County Firefighters Association (BCFA) was formed in 2021 by the four volunteer fire departments in Buckingham County. The BCFA is a 501(C(4)) non-profit organization whose mission is to “promote the fire service, fund raising and education for the firefighters of Buckingham County, in order to better prepare and further enhance fire department operations for the overall safety of our fire personnel and the protection of the citizens and communities we protect and serve.”
For more information, press only:
For information contact: Brian Bates, BCFA President
[email protected]
Photo of groundbreaking. L-R
Tommy Joe Steger, Keith Agee, Clayton Gormus, Austin Linthicum, Karl Carter, Cameron Gilliam, Joe Chambers, Dennis Davis, Chad Perkins, Chip Davis, Dale Senger, Mike Palmore, Brian Bates
