A Fire Truck Muster: To Claytor Lake with the Old Dominion Historical Fire Society

As Justin completed his summer teacher workday, Kim surprised Elijah and Gwen with a trip to Claytor Lake State Park for the annual Old Dominion Historical Fire Society (ODFHS) Claytor Lake Muster.  Elijah has so enjoyed seeing the antique fire trucks in Roanoke "around town," especially at special events at the Virginia Museum of Transportation, and we heard about this event as we began following ODHFS.  With Claytor Lake being only about an hour from Roanoke, it was an easy trip for us.

The fire truck muster involves a short, simple parade of antique and late-model fire trucks that then park near the lake itself for viewing.  We hung out as they connected various pumpers, spraying water out into the lake and thoroughly impressing Elijah; we had our questions about various trucks answered by the truck owners.  Apparatuses on display ranged from early 20th century (about 1917) to just-a-few-years-older-than-Kim (about 1977) and included around a dozen vehicles.  It's like being at a specialized car show, but Kim finds that the owners of old fire trucks are more willing to allow you to be "hands on" with their treasures.  

We also played on the nearby playground and took in the atmosphere, including beautiful Claytor Lake.  The muster seems to coincide with a simple, laid-back annual festival at the park--think fried food vendors, a local radio station playing, opportunities for the kids to do sand art.  The people we met were friendly.  Note that the festival is extremely relaxed--we asked at the park gate about the timing and location of the parade, and no one seemed very knowledgeable, probably because "things just happen when they do" in this not-so-type-A atmosphere. 

If you go, know that park admission is raised (but still inexpensive) on festival weekends--we paid $10 instead of the usual $5--but they do accept Visa and might knock off a few dollars for a canned food donation.  Your visit is a great opportunity for a simple picnic, so bring one from home.  Few other attractions and restaurants are in the immediate vicinity, but you are not far from the Radford/Christiansburg area and from Pulaski.  For our recent visit to a simple transportation museum in Pulaski, click here.