It’s not every day that a local history museum celebrates its 50th anniversary of being open to the public, so the Aurora Regional Fire Museum is throwing a party.

The fire museum will host a Community Hero Day and Touch-a-Truck event from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 6, that’s free of charge and will include activities for the whole family to enjoy.

The event will include a touch-a-truck, community organizations, pop-up shops, and free fire truck rides. From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., families will have an opportunity to take a ride in a 1991 fire engine.

“While the museum has evolved over the last half a century, we are excited for what the future holds,” Executive Director Brian Failing said. “We are hosting this event as a way to welcome the entire Aurora community and region down to the museum to explore all that we have to offer.”

The touch-a-truck will include vehicles from the Aurora Fire Department, Aurora Police Department, city of Aurora, Aurora Public Library Bookmobile, Oswego Fire Department, Kane County Sheriff’s Office, Illinois State Police and Durham School Services.

Visitors can wander the grounds of the museum and explore the museum itself. A variety of community partners will be on hand, including SERVPRO of Aurora, CTS Fire & Safety, Costco, Star 96.7 FM, Champion Allstate Agency, New York Life Insurance, Universal Security Instruments, Illinois State Treasurer, SciTech Hands on Museum, and GlowZone Aurora.

“We will also have birthday cake while supplies last and food available for purchase from several food trucks,” Failing said.

Community Hero Day is presented by Inspection Reports Online.

About The Aurora Regional Fire Museum

Since 1968, the Aurora Regional Fire Museum has been an important part of the Aurora community.

Originally established by the Aurora Fire Department in 1966, the museum has grown from an exhibit in the basement of Fire Station No. 4 to a regionally recognized institution chronicling the history of firefighting in our community and region.

The Aurora Regional Fire Museum preserves the history of the Aurora Fire Department and fire service throughout the region through collections and exhibits while educating visitors about fire safety and prevention.

From humble beginnings, the museum welcomes over 9,000 visitors annually for tours, programs, and events.

For more information about the museum, visit the museum’s Facebook page or contact Executive Director Brian Failing at 630-256-4140 or info@auroraregionalfiremuseum.org.

SOURCE: Aurora Regional Fire Museum news release