Dancing Rabbit Books owner Carol Ann Adams is participating in an independent booksellers campaign to help raise awareness and funds for the Greenwood Fire Department's old fire station on Howard Street.
The national in-store fund-raising campaign to benefit local firefighters is being held in conjunction with the airing of "Fire on the Mountain: The True Story of the South Canyon Fire" that will air tonight on the History Channel. The promotion is sponsored by Book Sense, the History Channel and Washington Square Press, the company that published the "Fire on the Mountain" book written by John N. Maclean.
The special campaign has encouraged booksellers to mount theme displays and to work with community members in organizing and hosting special events, said Adams.
When Adams heard about the campaign, she immediately thought about the old fire station.
Greenwood Fire Chief Larry Griggs has been working more than five years to turn the old station into a museum, but funding has not been available.
Adams thought the program would be a good way to start raising money and awareness of the project.
Griggs said he just missed an opportunity to apply for a $200,000 grant for the museum because there were no matching funds.
Griggs said programs such as the Campaign for Communities Firefighter Fundraiser are not unusual, especially since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
"She called me a couple of months ago about this," Griggs said, and he was glad to get the help.
While there has been support for a fire station museum from Main Street Greenwood, banker John Pittman and others, Griggs said not much has been done to get things going at this point.
He hopes this program will generate the interest to get things going. Griggs also hopes some group might even think about taking on the restoration of the firehouse as a project.
"With all the other projects going on on Howard Street, it would be a waste to not have that building included in it," he said.
Adams said she asked Griggs for a boot and hat to use in her display. And, a number of old fire department photos have been added as well. "It is a tradition of firefighters to use a boot to put donations in," she said.
"It would be great if someone would like to donate money in honor or memory of a firefighter," she said.
Adams set up her display several weeks ago, but she took it down temporarily for Art Alfresco. Today, book-store customers can view the display and drop in their donation in an alcove on the left wall at Dancing Rabbit Books.
"We want to generate some interest, because there is probably somebody out there who is looking to do something for us," she said.
Adams said she hopes the effort will at least get the museum fund started.
"The firefighters just do so much for our community. We need to do something to honor and recognize them," she said.
"And that building is just so beautiful," Adams said. "We need to do something before it is too late."
Adams said one community will receive an additional $2,500 for its local fire department, based on its efforts in the campaign.
The winner of the campaign will be announced at the end of tonight's show.
But Adams hopes to continue her efforts to help the fire department indefinitely.
In November, she plans to recognize firefighters during a book signing of "A Firefighters Night Before Christmas." The book is written by Kimbra Cutlip and illustrated by James "Jim" Rice. Rice will be present at the signing from noon until 2 p.m. Friday, Nov. 22, she said.
Adams also plans to give 10 percent of sales from the book to the fire department fund.
Adams and Griggs also would donations of firefighter memorabilia that could be displayed in a fire station museum. "They can bring it by the department, and when this project comes to fruition, we will have these artifacts," Griggs said. "You'd be surprised at the kinds of stuff people have."
