The 57th Annual Fireman’s Festival in New Concord

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – The New Concord Fire Department is gearing up for its 57th Annual Fireman’s Festival this weekend

The two-day event that attracts nearly 4,000 people starts on Friday at 4 p.m with lots of food and entertainment for the entire family. And the free event is open to the community.

"They started years and years ago and it’s grown and we’ve got community involvement with all of the churches, high school sport teams and thing like that. Boy Scouts being in our area so we’ve turned it into more of a community type event then just the fire department," said Mark Jenei, Public Information Officer, New Concord Fire Department.

The proceeds from the event will support the New Concord Fire Association. This year, their goal is to raise money for new physical fitness equipment and to benefit their department’s cancer awareness program.

"There’s a big push right now for cancer awareness in fire departments across the United States because, there is too many fire fighters that are coming down with cancer and we’re hoping to promote additional things with that equipment and such," said Jenei.

Jenei said Friday at 10 p.m there will be a fireworks display held at the New Concord Fire Department.