Construction continues in Fredericksburg at Fireman’s Park ahead of Hinkelfest

Despite consistent rain throughout much of the summer, the new banquet hall at Fireman’s Park in Fredericksburg is slated to be finished in time for Hinkelfest this September.

“Yes,” was Bell & Evans president Scott Sechler’s emphatic one-word answer when asked by LebTown if the project would be finished in time for Hinkelfest in September. A annual celebration of all things chicken, Hinkelfest is slated for the weekend of Sept. 12-14.

Sechler’s family, who owns and operates the local poultry company in Bethel Township, is financing the project on behalf of Fredericksburg Fire Company #1, the nonprofit organization that owns the park.

Read More: Poultry producer’s president speaks at Lebanon Area Fair’s Farmer’s Breakfast

Sechler told LebTown that he has several reasons why he decided to finance the new construction project, which also witnessed the demolition of two old dilapidated buildings and the removal of several dead trees that posed a health risk to park visitors. 

“We helped to start Hinkelfest. I’ve been involved with that since the beginning. And the whole idea of Hinkelfest was to raise money for the local charities, the library, the fire company, the Lions Club, things like that,” Sechler said. “And so the Hinkelfest is turned into something where it’s a big deal for people to come there and enjoy the entertainment.”

Sechler envisions the new banquet hall and facility adding to the appeal of Hinkelfest as a community event and destination for other events year-round.

“It (Hinkelfest) is a community thing to bring people together and it’s also a fundraiser. And all of that makes it worthwhile for us to be behind that,” Sechler said.

Richard Rabuck, a Fredericksburg Fire Company representative, shares Sechler’s view on the park enhancing Hinkelfest and said it will be a greater asset for fire company events and as a rental to the community.

“We’re gonna have capacity for almost 300 people, which will be really nice,” Rabuck said during a tour of the building. “We’re hopeful that it’s something that the community can use whether it’s businesses looking for business functions or weddings, things like that.”

The state-of-the-art building has other new amenities, according to Rabuck. It has a 5,500-square-foot dining area, 1329-square-foot kitchen, and 526 square feet of storage space. It can accommodate 299 individuals.

“We’ll have a commercial kitchen, commercial style kitchen in the building. We’ll be able to serve directly out the side of the building for Hinkelfest, just like we’ve done in the past. We’ll have new updated restrooms, which will be really nice for Hinkelfest and other events throughout the year,” Rabuck said. “So they (the three restrooms) will be at the back end (of the building), which faces the stage (area). So it’ll be a lot quicker access for folks that are here for the music shows that are at Hinkelfest. As well as giving some cover in the case of inclement weather or anything like that.”

Some parking will be added around the new building as well as some macadam in proximity to the new structure.

Sechler expressed other reasons for upgrading the park.

“This is our home and this is where we’ll be for generations to come. My grandkids are coming along and my kids are in the business. And so this is our home here. We have been blessed to be successful and it’s nice to bring the community along with us in many ways,” Sechler said. “This Fireman’s Park is central to the community and certainly needed help.”

He said the outdoor restroom facilities were an inconvenience to many guests, including his own family members.

“I thought, ‘Well, that’s something we can fix.’ And so then we made a commitment here with the business that we’re going to go out and help turn Fireman’s Park into a place that a lot of people want to be a part of, things and fundraising and entertainment and for it to get used year-round,” Sechler added.

He knows it will also be a great asset for the fire company to raise funds. 

“It’s also important for the fire company, I know from my Strausstown experience, that if you can help the fire company become sustainable with something that can earn money, then they don’t have to be out there raising money every week,” he said. “Fireman’s Park, if they manage that in a good way, that can be a major income (source) for the fire company. They don’t have to be fundraising all the time, and so that building and all of that facility will become (used) year-round since it’s heated and air-conditioned. It’s fully insulated. It’s going to have a full kitchen in there. It’s going to have a full dining hall.”

Sechler noted other key aspects of the new building. (Two existing pavilions on the park grounds will remain unchanged as well as the stage.)

“We hooked up the sewer system and put all-new bathrooms (ladies, men’s and family) in there. And it’s going to be a first-class facility that’s going to be durable and it’s going to last a long time. We put all top-notch input into what (the) floors, walls, and ceilings (would be),” he said.

While Rabuck said some complaints were received about the removal of trees, the only ones to be completely removed were already dead. He said there are plans to replace those trees with new ones.

Sechler stepped away from his daily duties at the plant several months ago to demolish the old buildings and remove the trees. “It’s going to be a nice facility that’s going to be used year-round (and has) water, sewer and everything connected as well as parking,” he said.

He noted this project was pursued by Bell & Evans on behalf of the community in which the company is located.

“We’re very community, family-friendly, and this didn’t take a lot of thinking to support the fire company,” Sechler said. “I mean, we need the fire company for many reasons. And this is a way to support the fire company and for all the community to realize that we don’t just take from the community. We are part of it, and we get a chance to give back by doing this.”

That means it was a no-brainer for Bell & Evans to want to make the new facility a reality.

“It came to us pretty naturally. Nobody had to twist their arm or talk to us about this. They didn’t come to us for this project. We went to them and said, ‘This is what we want to do.’ And the fire company was very supportive,” Sechler said.

As of mid-July, Rabuck listed what still needed to be completed. The building is under roof, which was a major accomplishment, he added.

“Obviously still some drywall, some ceiling items. But a lot of the structure of the building is already enclosed,” he said. “We have a punch list of items that we’re working through to finish up with the target date of Sept. 1 – and we’re actually ahead of the plan at this point.

“Weather permitting everything cooperating the way we plan for it, we should be well in advance of Hinkelfest. We’re hoping from a fire company perspective that we’re able to do some type of community unveiling, a Community Night event, where we can invite the community down ahead of Hinkelfest just to see the building, get to see what we’ve been working on from our perspective for the last couple months.”

People interested in renting the facility after it opens this September should visit the fire company’s Facebook page for contact information and additional details.