22nd Annual Third Street Halloween Trick or Treat

The 22 Annual Third Street trick or treat will take place on October 31, 2016. The event will begin at 4 pm.  Third street vehicle traffic will be blocked off  along Third Street with some cross traffic areas being allowed and police patrol will be in place.

According to Wayne Lohaus a Third Street resident and the official counter for the event, it all started in 1994 with neighbors serving spiced tea and pumpkin bread.  The idea caught on in the neighborhood and soon the entire street started handing out candy, hot dogs and other food items out over the years.  The official count has risen in the beginning from 400 to approximately 1200 children each year.

 

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“Don’t Wait Check The Date” Fire Prevention Week (Month)

 

 

Every smoke alarm has an expiration date: What’s yours?

Fulton Fire Department urges all City of Fulton residents to know how old their smoke alarms are, and to replace them every 10 years.

 

October 03, 2016 – Does your home have a smoke alarm? According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), the answer is likely yes: NFPA research shows that most American homes have at least one. But do you know how old your smoke alarms are? If you’re like most people, you’re probably not so sure.

 

A recent survey conducted by NFPA revealed that only a small percentage of people know how old their smoke alarms are, or how often they need to be replaced. That lack of awareness is a concern for The City of Fulton Fire Department and NFPA, along with fire departments throughout the country, because smoke alarms don’t last forever.

 

“Time and again, I’ve seen the life-saving impact smoke alarms can have in a home fire, but I’ve also seen the tragedy that can result when smoke alarms aren’t working properly,” says Assistant Chief Terry Rudolph of the City of Fulton Fire Department. “That’s why we’re making a concerted effort to educate City of Fulton residents about the overall importance of smoke alarms, and that they do have a life limit.”

 

NFPA 72, National Fire Alarm Code®, requires smoke alarms be replaced at least every 10 years, but because the public is generally unaware of this requirement, many homes have smoke alarms past their expiration date, putting people at increased risk.

 

As the official sponsor of Fire Prevention Week for more than 90 years, NFPA is promoting this year’s Fire Prevention Week campaign, “Don’t Wait – Check the Date! Replace Smoke Alarms Every 10 Years,” to better educate the public about the critical importance of knowing how old their smoke alarms are and replacing them once they’re 10 years old. Fire Prevention Week is October 9-15, 2016.

 

The City of Fulton Fire Department is joining with American Red Cross this month to conduct training and start receiving more free smoke alarms to install after the training is complete.  We will also be in the schools speaking and handing out fire prevention information and supplies.

 

To find out how old your smoke alarm is and its expiration date, simply look on the back of the alarm where the date of manufacture is marked. The smoke alarm should be replaced 10 years from that date (not the date of purchase). The City of Fulton Fire Department also says smoke alarms should be tested monthly, and that batteries should be replaced once a year or when they begin to chirp, signaling that they’re running low.

 

For more information on smoke alarms and this year’s Fire Prevention Week campaign, “Don’t Wait: Check the Date! Replace Smoke Alarms Every 10 Years”, visit www.firepreventionweek.org.


Donna Watts Retiring

Donna Watts, head utility billing clerk, is retiring. Donna’s last full time day will be September 30th.  She will be working part time through October.  When asked what she is going to do she says she plans to spend time spoiling her new grandchild during her retirement.  If you see her wish her well and thank her for her dedicated service to the City.  We would like to wish her well and thank her for her years of service.


Meet Melissa Erin Curtis (Fire Department Recruit)

We would like you to meet the newest recruit to our Fire Department Melissa Erin Curtis.  Melissa joined the ranks on September 12, 2016.  Melissa moved here from Hernando, MS to attend University of TN at Martin (UTM).  Melissa served her local community through Walls Fire Protection District as a Junior Firefighter and Emergency Medical Responder.  She is certified in CPR, First Aid and Incident Command (100, 200, 700 & 800).

Melissa contacted us during the summer through the National Volunteer Firefighter Council website and told us she was coming to our area to live and attend UTM, where she is majoring in criminal justice with emphasis on forensics and plans to use this to be a fire investigator.  She told us she had come from a firefighting and EMS family and needed a fire department to be active in here  Her father, mother and brother are first responders in Fire & EMS.   After meeting and talking with her we were more than happy to furnish her a department to be active and serve the community.   She has stepped up to the task and already began much of her training.  Many of you met her on standby duty at the Banana Festival but if you see her around town say hello, make her feel welcome and thank her for serving our community.


Fall Has Arrived

Temperatures may still be warm outside but yesterday was the first day of fall.

Sept. 22 is the autumnal equinox, the time when the sun crosses the celestial equator, the imaginary line in the sky that corresponds to the earth’s equator. The autumnal equinox – also known as the September or southward equinox – occurs between the 21st and 24th of September each year.

On the equinox, the sun rises directly in the east and sets directly in the west with a location above the equator illuminating the Earth from pole to pole. Before the autumnal equinox, the sun rises and sets more to the north; afterwards it shifts more southward.

The autumnal equinox is the first day of fall north of the equator; it’s the first day of spring in the southern half of the world.

When is the start of fall?

The autumnal equinox, the start of fall, arrived at 10:21 a.m. EDT on Thursday September 22, 2016.

Here’s a breakdown of fall’s official arrival for other times zones:
Central Daylight Time: 9:21 a.m.
Mountain Daylight Time: 8:21 a.m.
Pacific Daylight Time: 7:21 a.m.

After the equinox – Latin for “”equal night” – the days in the Northern Hemisphere will get shorter until the winter solstice in December. On Thursday, the sun will rise at 6:44 a.m, EDT and set at 6:52 p.m. EDT. The exact equal day and night won’t actually occur until a few days later on Sept. 25 with sunrise at 6:47 a.m. EDT and sunset at 6:47 p.m.

The autumnal equinox is the second that occurs each year. The first is the vernal equinox which occurs around March 20 or 21 and marks the beginning of spring.

While the autumnal equinox marks the beginning of fall for astronomical watchers, it’s not often used by meteorologists and climatologists. As the National Oceanic the Atmospheric Administration explains, the difference is because the astronomical seasons are based on the position of the Earth in relation to the sun, while the meteorological seasons are based on the annual temperature cycle.

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In Remembrance of Fulton County Sheriff Robert Hopper

Sheriff Robert Eugene “Bobby” Hopper Sr. of Cayce, KY died Saturday evening, September 17,2016 at the Lourdes Hospital in Paducah,KY.

Bobby was a member of the Cayce Baptist Church where he had served as superintendent since 1982. He had also been an adult Sunday School teacher for the past four years. Hopper was the Sheriff of Fulton County, KY, elected in 1993, served as a deputy for nine years and also served as a constable for 3 years. He was a graduate of Fulton County High School and had received numerous hours of training with the Department of Criminal Justice. He had served as the chief for the Cayce Volunteer Fire Department for 21 years. He was a member of the Kentucky Sheriffs Association, Kentucky Boys & Girls Ranch, was commissioned a Kentucky Colonel and was a member of the Hickman Rotary Club. He had lived in this area all of his life.

He is survived by his wife of 43 years, Barbara Carter Hopper of the Cayce community, two sons Robert Eugene Hopper, Jr. and Robert Eugene “Trea” Hopper III, both of Cayce, KY, a step daughter Melissa Bone and a stepson Jeff Bone, both of Clinton, KY, two step grandchildren Rachel Michelle Keefer and Jeffery Dale Bone, Jr., both of Clinton, KY.

He was preceded in death by his parents Bob and Alice Lowery Hopper.

Funeral service will be held at 1 pm Thursday, Sept. 22 at the Hornbeak Funeral Chapel with burial to follow in the Cayce United Methodist Church Cemetery. Visitation will be at the Cayce School after 5 pm on Wednesday, Sept. 21 and after 10 am Thursday at the funeral home.

Memorials may be made to the Kentucky Sheriffs Boys & Girls Ranch, 233 Sheriffs Ranch Rd., Gilbertsville, KY 42044 or the Relay For Life.


Banana Festival “The Tradition Rolls On”

The Banana Festival is in town September 9-17, 2016.  Here is the website for more info Banana Festival Website.

Why Bananas in Kentucky and Tennessee?

Upon hearing that the twin cities are hosting a Banana Festival many reply with, “Why Bananas?” While it is true our weather is not conducive to growing bananas, the twin cities have had a great impact on bananas in the United States.

In about 1880 the Illinois Central Gulf Railroad was the first to develop refrigerated cars. Suddenly those not living in tropical regions could have the same fruits year round that others enjoyed. Fulton, at the time, was home to a large railroad facility and became the redistribution point for the railroad because of its central location between New Orleans and Canada. The United Fruit Co, now Chiquita, began shipping bananas from South America by ship to New Orleans. The bananas were loaded onto railcars on top of 162 pound blocks of ice for the trip north. Fulton had the only ice house on the route north to Chicago. The bananas were re-iced with blocks from the Fulton Ice Plant, now closed. Empty railcars were pulled up to the side of the ice house and these large blocks of ice were loaded end up covering the entire box car. The bananas were then laid on top of the ice to continue their journey. At one point, over 70% of the bananas that were consumed in the US passed through Fulton. Fulton became known as “The Banana Capital of the World.”

So now that the concept of Bananas in Fulton, Kentucky makes sense why all the fuss? Well we owe that in part to Carolyn Allen Dunavant. When Carolyn was an 8th grade student at Carr Elementary School, she wrote a letter to Chet Huntly, a news anchor for NBC, inviting him to the International Banana Festival. Chet took her up on her offer and sent national news cameras to cover the small town festival. Carolyn was honored as a Top Banana that year and invited to a luncheon with Miss America, Donna Exum.

The International Banana Festival has had many changes over the years. In the early years “Amigos”, who ranged in age from 16-20, from South America would come about two weeks before the festival to stay with local families. They would attend parties, churches, schools, and socialize with local teenagers. This provided both groups with a wonderful experience that no textbook could match.

Several distinguished visitors have made appearances at the festival including Miss America, Miss Kentucky, Miss Tennessee, Miss Dairy Princess, officials from the United States State Department, congressmen, senators, and governors. Latin American guests have come from Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, Peru, Columbia, Panama, Nicaragua, Mexico, Argentina, and Venezuela.

The highlight of the festival has always been the 1-ton Banana Pudding, deemed the world largest. After traveling in the parade the pudding is then distributed to hungry festival attendees. We hope you join us as we are “Pudding Back Tradition” to the Banana Festival. We are bringing back several events and adding new ones. We hope you find something for the whole family and help make the festival the highlight of the year in the twin cities!

Credit http://www.thebananafestival.com/index.html


New City Website LIVE!

We are pleased to announce the launch of our brand new website! Our goal is to provide our City residents and visitors an easy way to access information. The user-friendly content is well-organized so you can easily navigate the site to find the information you’re looking for. The website will always be up-to-date with current and valuable information. Please be patient with us while we are still in the process of making some improvements.


New Website!

We are pleased to announce the launch of our brand new website! Our goal is to provide our City residents and visitors an easy way to access information. The user-friendly content is well-organized so you can easily navigate the site to find the information you’re looking for. The website will always be up-to-date with current and valuable information. Please be patient with us while we are still in the process of making some improvements.