District No. 2 Fire Chief Tim Andre headed to the station at 1100 Russells Mills Road around 7 a.m. on Sunday, September 11. There was no emergency, but he was there to continue a tradition he’d been part of since 1998.

The Fire District No. 2 clambake dates back further than that though, said Captain Bob Butler. He said the district’s engine company—the Russells Mills Engine Company—would host its annual fundraiser at the former location on Rock O’Dundee in the 1960s, making the tradition at least 50 years old.

“It’s always the second Sunday after Labor Day,” said Butler. The funds raised through the $40 meal tickets and raffles go towards scholarships, equipment for the station, and families in the district who need help, he added.

So Andre started washing clams, setting up tables, and chopping watermelon early in the morning with his crew of about 50 volunteers to feed nearly 250 people. The crew steamed the traditional mix—complete with linguica, hot dogs, sausages, white and sweet potatoes, corn, and clams—over a bed of rockweed for about two hours.

“Without the rockweed, you really wouldn’t have a clambake,” said Andre, explaining that the seaweed traps beads of salt water that are released with heat.

As the dining concluded, guests turned to the raffle, which included a $5,000 vacation voucher as a grand prize. That’s not the best thing about the clambake though, said Butler.

“No one is getting a dime to do this,” he said, referencing the firefighters that donated their time to put on the event. “It promotes camaraderie.”

Butler said it was also nice to show taxpayers what they’re supporting. “We take pride in our fire station. It belongs to the taxpayers,” he said.

The day isn’t done for Andre and his team until everyone is satisfied, the station is cleaned, and trucks are moved back into the garage.

“It only takes one bad bake and they never come back,” said Andre, who personally checks on every table. “I heard no complaints. That’s a good thing.”