The Boothbay region fire departments, consisting of Boothbay, Boothbay Harbor, Southport and Edgecomb, will host the 54th annual Maine State Federation of Firefighters Convention Thursday, Sept. 7 through Sunday, Sept. 10.

The 2017 convention will mark the Boothbay region’s second turn hosting the event. Boothbay last held the convention in 2008, which was the first ever in Lincoln County.

The decision to hold the convention in Boothbay once again was made unanimously by 25 members of the federation, including vice-presidents from every county and the federation president, Ken Desmond.

When asked what will be different this time around, Chief Dick Spofford of the Boothbay Fire Department said, “Not much will be different from the 2008 convention. Many of the same crew members are on board and we have to follow guidelines, so we will be doing pretty much the same thing.”

Spofford said the preparations taken for the 2008 convention were two to three years in the making, but not this time. “We were supposed to have it in 2018, but the town that was supposed to have it this year had to back out, so we’ve been meeting for just over a year, now.”

When asked how many people are expected to attend, Spofford said, “Well, last time we had between 5,000 and 6,000 people.” With about 400 fire companies across the state and considering the previous turnout, there will be many accommodations assisting with discounts for the crews coming in for the convention, said Spofford.

Some of the events people can expect include the golf tournament, antique judging, the parade, a dinner and dance, and, of course, the muster in which several fire departments will compete in activities such as running hoses and spraying water at targets.

Spofford said all the vendors will be in the YMCA Field House along with registration, the parade will be at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 9 starting at Boothbay Region High School, and the muster will be on Sunday, Sept. 10 on the high school football field at 8:30 p.m. On Friday, Sept. 8 at 8:30 a.m., a service will be held at the school to honor those who were present at the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center. Spofford said there might also be a LifeFlight or forestry helicopter following the service.

The Boothbay Fire Department has a convention meeting on the last Monday of every month. On this month’s agenda will be the dinner and dance that will be held at the Ocean Point Marina.

A more detailed schedule will be announced as the event draws closer.