Andover Emergency Services Auxiliary held our annual town wide yard sale in August, and it was our most successful yet. We beat last year’s number of map locations and surpassed our goals. 

Thank you to all of those who took part in the yard sale, whether it was buying a spot on the map, sponsoring the yard sale, or buying a map and baked goods. It’s always a fun time to be had by all!

In upcoming news, Andover Emergency Services Auxiliary, in conjunction with Andover Fire Department, is hosting the second annual Touch-A-Truck at the Main Street Station, on October 15, from 10  AM to 1 PM. We will be showing off the town’s fire vehicles, including the 1937 antique fire truck, and will be joined by Andover Police Department, Lakes Region Mutual Fire Aid, and other local and state departments with which Andover Fire Department works closely. 

There will also be local vendors and resources providing information to the community. We may even be joined by a special guest or two. Touch-A-Truck brings Fire Prevention Week to an end, with this year’s theme being “Cooking Safety Starts with You.”

The Andover Fire Department held our 40th annual chicken barbeque. Again, Andover’s townspeople showed up and we had our best year yet, despite the torrential downpour. For the first time in a long time, we sold out of all side dishes. We believe we sold over 400 meals. 

There’s a lot of work that goes into the barbeque and the days leading up to it. But seeing the community come together to support the fire department makes it all worth it. 

We also had five students from Merrimack Valley High School helping out to earn their community service hours to graduate. Each graduating student of Merrimack Valley High School needs 24 hours of community service. Thank you to Abby B., Garrett B., Olivia B., Wyatt B., and Isabelle T. for all your help. 

The next event is the annual Christmas tree sale. Mark your calendars for December 1 and 2 to get your freshly cut Christmas tree. Keep your eye out for the next Beacon article for more details and information for this event. 

As always, both Andover Emergency Services Auxiliary and Andover Fire Department are in constant need of volunteers. Whether you would like to run into burning buildings, help provide recourse for the town’s firefighters, or even help with baked goods or childcare during a town emergency, we could use your support.