HILLSDALE—The Hillsdale Fire Department Carnival runs Monday, April 18 through Saturday, April 23, at the west borough parking lot. The schedule is Monday–Friday, 6 to 11 p.m. and Saturday, 2 to 10 p.m. Bracelet nights are Wednesday and Thursday.
The event, featuring rides, games, music, and classic midway food and treats, is organized by its founder, veteran firefighter and borough Office of Emergency Management Coordinator Bill “Butch” Franklin, who told Pascack Press in 2021, “I started it in 1993 when we were looking for a fundraiser for the fire department. I’ve been doing it ever since.”
The department held its first fair in 1902, when proceeds helped pay for a hose reel and pump — which the men had to haul by hand to the fire scene — as well as a small shed to house the equipment. Annual fair proceeds also helped to build the first firehouse in 1906.