Kannapolis Fire Department is bringing sirens, canned goods, and blood donation buses together for one busy Friday evening at City Hall. On Oct. 2, the department will host its annual Fire Truck Parade alongside a food drive and a blood donation event, all centered around 401 Laureate Way, according to a Facebook post from Kannapolis Fire and Police.
The celebration unfolds in stages throughout the afternoon and evening. The food drive runs from 3 to 6 p.m., the blood drive from 2 to 7 p.m., and the parade itself kicks off at 6 p.m., according to Kannapolis Fire and Police. Attendees are encouraged to bring a chair to watch the procession pass by.
Getting there will require a small detour. The parade route begins at Biotechnology Lane and Laureate Way, travels along Laureate Way to North Carolina Research Campus Drive, and then returns to Laureate Way before ending near Watson Creek Drive, per the City of Kannapolis. Both City Hall parking lots will stay open for public parking during the event, though the roundabout directly in front of City Hall will be closed for the parade.
What to Donate and Where It Goes
Firefighters will be collecting non-perishable food donations near the intersection of Laureate Way and Watson Creek Drive between 3 and 6 p.m., per the Facebook post announcing the event. The department has specifically requested high-demand items including canned meats, peanut butter and jelly, spaghetti sauce, spaghetti noodles, canned fruit, pork and beans, and pudding cups, according to the City of Kannapolis.
Everything collected will go toward local families through Cooperative Christian Ministry, which operates drive-thru and satellite pantries across Cabarrus County and Kannapolis, per Cooperative Christian Ministry. The ministry distributes pre-bagged groceries to residents through its drive-thru pantry and regional partner locations.
The food drive comes amid a broader push to expand hunger relief resources in the city. In February, Cooperative Christian Ministry presented a proposal to the Kannapolis City Council requesting the city-owned College Station building at North Cannon Boulevard and Jackson Park Road to create a dedicated food pantry in what is designated a USDA food desert, according to the Salisbury Post. Three of the four quadrants surrounding that proposed site qualify technically as a food desert, the paper reported.
Blood Donations Aboard the Big Red Bus
Blood donations will take place aboard OneBlood's Big Red Bus mobile donation unit, stationed near Laureate Way and Watson Creek Drive from 2 to 7 p.m., according to the City of Kannapolis. The blood drive requires an appointment, which can be scheduled through OneBlood's online booking system at www.oneblood.org/donate-now.html, per the Facebook announcement from Kannapolis Fire and Police.
North Carolina regulations allow individuals aged 16 and older to donate blood, though 16- and 17-year-olds must submit signed parental consent forms before donating, according to OneBlood.
A Parade Rooted in Kannapolis History
The Fire Truck Parade is an established autumn tradition in Kannapolis that in past years has featured nearly 25 fire engines blaring sirens down Laureate Way, giving residents a positive, non-emergency way to interact with local first responders, the Salisbury Post reported in 2022. Past parades have coincided with fall festivities and costume contests in downtown Kannapolis, per the same account.
This year's parade will again include historic and modern fire trucks from departments across the region, according to the Facebook post from Kannapolis Fire and Police. Regional fire departments interested in entering apparatus in the procession can register electronically using an application form managed by the City of Kannapolis, while fire truck owners can find participation information at www.kannapolisnc.gov/kfd.
The department's roots stretch back more than a century. The Kannapolis Fire Department was originally formed in 1916 under Chief Sam Nash as a volunteer department created by textile manufacturer J.W. Cannon to protect Cannon Mills and the surrounding mill village, according to the Legeros Fire Blog Archives. The original department operated hand-drawn hose reels mounted on five-foot wheels before transitioning into a municipal department in the 1980s, per the same archives.
Today the department operates five fire stations across the city and is led by Fire Chief Tracy Winecoff, who has served with the department since 1999, according to the City of Kannapolis. Winecoff worked through the ranks as Engineer, Captain, Battalion Chief, and Division Chief before taking the lead role.
Full event information, including parade registration and route details, is available at www.kannapolisnc.gov/kfd.
