HALL OF FLAME

On Friday we headed for the Phoenix Zoo along with Judy and Don. What a big mistake that was. We had forgotten that it was Good Friday and I am sure every family in Phoenix was going to the zoo that day. Needless to say - we changed our mind rapidly. We'll do the Zoo another day.

Right next to the zoo is the Hall of Flame so we turned in there. My Dad was a retired volunteer fireman, Jim was a volunteer fireman, and Don is a wildlife volunteer fireman. What a treasure this museum turned out to be.

The Hall of Flame is the largest collection of firefighting apparatus in the United States. It has over 90 full restored pieces dating from 1725 to 1969.They also have a National Firefighting Hall of Heroes, which honors firefighters who have died in the line of duty or who have been decorated for heroism.

This is a memorial to all the fire fighters who perished in the World Trade Center attack on September 11, 2001. A piece of the steel beam from the WTC.

Boys will be boys no matter how old they get. Both Don and Jim just had to "drive" the fire truck. It didn't matter how many little kids were hanging around, the "boys" had to have their dream.

The museum also has patches for every fire department in the United States. They have a book listing each fire department by state and where they are located on the wall. We were able to find the Dale City, VA patches. Jim was a charter member of this volunteer fire department many years ago so he was excited about seeing the patches.

This museum should definitely be put on your list of places to see if you are in this area.