Waldoboro firefighters were understandably grumpy early this week when news broke that a man had been arrested for threatening another man with a knife while waiting for the Waldoboro Fire Department’s 175th anniversary parade to come through on Saturday.
The way we reported the story, based on the information we were given, was the alleged threat was made during the parade. In fact, the threat occurred before the parade came through.
We concede the semantics, and happily amend our article accordingly, but in the big picture, the point is moot.
Regardless of when the alleged event happened, it has nothing to do with the Waldoboro Fire Department and is no reflection on them.
In this case they are playing the role of the innocent bystander. It just happened to be their parade the principals were convening to watch at the time this personal conflict became a public issue.
We do however understand the perspective of the firefighters. These guys worked like dogs for almost three years, planning and fundraising and scrimping and saving to put their celebration together, all at no cost to the taxpayers.
The effort was in addition to their regular duties, which are extremely time consuming on a good day. Maine firefighters volunteer to do a job firefighters in other states are paid to do, and make a full-time career doing.
If, after all that work and effort, literally the first thing you read was an arrest was made, we understand how that would swallow like a good plate of dried crow.
Make no mistake, Waldoboro Firefighters should be proud of themselves and the town should be proud of their department. In the end, they did it. They pulled it off.
They put together a three-day party, celebrating the past and the present, on one of the busiest weekends of Lincoln County’s year and it came off essentially without a hitch. From what we hear, a good time was had by all.
It was a celebration of the fire department, but it really was a celebration of the community they serve and we commend Waldoboro for coming together on this occasion.
