(No story yet) Staff photo by Fritz Busch Mason Hauser, front, and Hunter Larson of New Ulm operate the New Ulm Fire Department 1870 pumper, shooting water on or near a couple children behind them at the New Ulm Fire Department 150th anniversary celebration at Turner Hall Park Sunday.

NEW ULM — Undaunted by a COVID pandemic event cancellation last year, the New Ulm Fire Department celebrated 151 years of service with lots of new and old firefighting equipment, music, food and beverages at Turner Hall Park Sunday.

No less than eight other fire departments including St. James, Hanska, Lafayette, Comfrey, Sleepy Eye, Springfield, Courtland, and Winthrop brought equipment to the show.

The Schell’s Hobo Band provided music.

New Ulm Second Assistant Fire Chief Missy Visser said she enjoyed having the event even if it was a year late and didn’t include a planned parade.

She talked about why she’s a firefighter.

“It’s good to give back my community,” said Visser. “And you create a family bond with other fire department members. It’s been a good day. We appreciate our community support.”

Visser said NUFD 150th anniversary merchandise is available at the 8th St. N. fire station. It can be ordered online too.

New Ulm’s antique fire fighting equipment included a horse-drawn steamer and an 1870s hand pumper that provided entertainment and a good workout for a number of kids who pumped water and stood under a stream of water that fell on them from above.

New Ulm organized its first fire brigade on April 30, 1859, relying on buckets passed form person to person, called “the bucket brigade.” The group soon got a homemade, wooden hand pump to spray water, and later a cast iron pump.

Retired New Ulm Fire Chief Jerome “Jerry” Plagge, who served form 1970 to 1992, attended the event. He served while working as a mailman at the New Ulm Post Office.

After retiring from the New Ulm Fire Dept. he served on the state fire chief’s board, earning a fire science degree, attending classes at Mankato State University and the University of Cincinnati, while working asa a part-time fire inspector in New Ulm and southwest Minnesota.

“They called me ‘pops’ in college,” said Jerry. “It was a lot easier for me to go to college in my late 40’s. Professors knew I was there to learn.”

Plagge grew up in Goosetown, living across the street form New Ulm Fire Captain Jim Puhlmann.

“He got me to join the fire department,” Jerry said.

Plagge said the rye mill fire near the Goosetown railroad tracks in 1985 was a fire he’ll remember.

“It was a big fire. We were there all night. Then I had to go to work,” Jerry said.

Fritz Busch can be emailed at fbusch@nujournal.com.