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Public mostly a no-show at firefighter social
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Logan Vanderpool, 3, wasnt so sure he wanted to step up into the Ceres fire engine as offered by Joe Spani and held onto his mother Tiffany instead during the Oct. 28 Fozen Yogurt with a Firefighter event - photo by JEFF BENZIGER/Courier photo

Perhaps it was game 6 of the World Series between the Giants and Royals that accounted for the small public turnout for the second-ever Frozen Yogurt with a Firefighter event last week in Ceres.

Approximately 10 firefighters used the time to catch up on conversation with each other and keep an ear peeled to the radio as the Giants ended up losing that night.

Firefighter Jason Cripe said the event is in answer to the Coffee With a Cop event held periodically.

Some public attended and had their pick of firefighters with which to interact. Tiffany Vanderpool brought her three-year-old son Logan by Supermom's Frozen Yogurt in the Richland Shopping Center and was treated to a tour of a fire engine by Joe Spani.

Firefighters set up a table for the sale of pink T-shirts. During the month the city sold the shirts to benefit the Bill and Elsie Ahlem Cancer Endowment at Emanuel Medical Center of Turlock. The approximately 100 T-shirts that didn't sell out of the 850 ordered are being shipped to Japan to be donated to displaced Fukushima area victims of the March 2011 earthquake and nuclear plant meltdown.

It was a busy month for the fire department. On Oct. 21 firefighters put on the second annual Drive-Thru BBQ at EXIT Realty on Mitchell Road. Proceeds went to the cancer endowment. EXIT then donated $500 to the same effort. The event ran for two hours in the parking lot of EXIT Realty on Mitchell Road. Proceeds went to the Bill & Elsie Ahlem Cancer Endowment at Emanuel Medical Center in Turlock. Persons rolled up and received a dinner for $10 per person or $35 for a family pack.

Off-duty firefighters also collected money for the Oct. 18 "Fill the Boot" on Mitchell Road. The effort raised $14,085 for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

They also participated in a fundraiser at La Morenita Restaurant also earmarked for cancer research.

All month long the department wore pink T-shirts as part of their uniform - an action that was approved by the Ceres City Council - to draw attention to the fight against breast cancer.

"This is one of those things that is never a negative," said Cripe. "Some complain about blocking the street for MDA - but 99 percent are good with it - this is one of those things where nobody says ‘that cancer stuff is really stupid.' It's positive all the way around."

October was also Fire Safety Month and firefighters offered coloring books for the kids at the event.