Laurel hosts 89th annual Fire and Rescue Association convention

The Laurel Volunteer Fire Department and auxiliary are hosting this year's 89th annual Prince George's County Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association convention in Laurel this week.

To start off the week-long convention, teams of firefighters and auxiliary members challenged one another in field game competitions Saturday, Sept. 17 at McCullough Field. Some of the skill challenges included a bucket brigade, tug of war and a race to dress for a fire alarm.

The convention wraps up with a parade Saturday, Sept. 24 beginning at 10 a.m. at Fourth Street and Cherry Lane, behind Laurel Mall, and following a route along Fourth Street to Montgomery Street, then Montgomery Street to Ninth Street.

Following the parade, hook-up contests will be held at Eighth Street and Park Avenue, where units will compete in fire hose drills.

For a full schedule and more details, go to the Laurel Volunteer Fire Department's web site at http://www.laurelvfd.org.