Ashland Ladies Auxiliary Hosts Fundraising Fair

Ladies Auxiliary of the Ashland Fire Department (seated, left to right) Samerna Rion and Wendy Slater joined by (standing, left to right), Jennifer Hamilton, Roxanne Holton Geller, Yvette Blain (secretary), Heather Younes (president), Kelly Decker (financial Secretary) and Jennifer Thielen. Not present were Bonnie Jean Diamond (treasurer), Beverly Mannino, Darlene Mattice (Vice President), Emily Lacombe, Amanda Porter, Gloria Blum and Renee Pine.

Famous firefighter chefs include (left to right) Tim Buckner, Heather Younes, Michelle Fancher, James Thorington, Jeremie Younes and (supervising at the sink) Randy Tuttle

Ashland Fire Department, proudly serving the community for one hundred years, and returned to full strength following a massive fire in 2010 that destroyed the firehouse and equipment.

50 years and counting.

By Michael Ryan

ASHLAND - A rejuvenescence of the Ladies Auxiliary of the Ashland Fire Department is underway even as the mountaintop unit makes ready to celebrate its centennial and host the 2026 Greene County Volunteer Firemen’s Association Convention.

That’s a lot said in one sentence so let’s start with the Vendor & Craft Fair scheduled for Sunday, August 10, in support of the Auxiliary’s revival.

Those festivities are happening at the firehouse on Main Street, featuring a homemade-style breakfast, cooked in their famous fashion by the local firefighting volunteers, from 8 to 11:30 a.m.

There will be a variety of vendors (10 a.m. to 5 p.m.) and live music with The Torpedoes, led by legendary, hometown kid drummer Sonny Rock, playing favorite classic rock tunes (noon to 4 p.m.).

Normally, that would be enough. These are not ordinary circumstances. The fair will also hold a Cornhole Tournament, run by the Mountaintop Cornhole League (registration 10:30 a.m., bags fly at 11).

And wait. Catch your breath. An assortment of baskets will be set up at the raffle table, with the Auxiliary serving up burgers, hotdogs, sausage and peppers and hot meatball subs, 11:30 a.m. until closing at 5 p.m.

Everything is centered on raising funds for the acquisition of new uniforms for the Ladies Auxiliary, according to Auxiliary president Heather Younes.

The uniforms are their current goal, but not their primary mission. “We need to support our firefighters,” Younes says.

“When I became the president [in January 2025], we had only two Auxiliary members. Now we have fourteen and more are wanted.

“We want to provide sandwiches and coffee on the front lines and when the firefighters return to the station house. I’m in the fire department so I know how important that caring is to our volunteers,” Younes says.

In quieter times, uniforms will allow the Auxiliary to represent firefighters and themselves at public events such as holiday parades, etc.

And speaking of parades, a mammoth procession will be unfolding in Ashland in the fall of 2026 when the local company hosts the annual Greene County Volunteer Firefighters Association convention.

2026 also marks the centennial anniversary of the formation of the Ashland department, serving as hosts for the countywide convention for only the second time in the past 82 years.

Creation of the Ladies Auxiliary came in 1974, lead by Charter members Carol Truesdell, Carol Partridge, Donna Tompkins, Marilyn Soule, Lolita Aplin, Janis Knox and Nellis Newcombe.

Also involved were Joan Holdridge, Ruth Cross, Susan Tuttle, Alice Dewell, Ruth Tompkins and Elaine Mattice, as well as others (an official plaque containing all names was lost in the infamous 2010 firehouse blaze).

Relighting that grassroots torch, new officers are Darlene Mattice (vice-president), Bonnie Diamond (treasurer), Yvette Blain (secretary), Kelly Decker (financial secretary) and Younes.

While participation ebbed in recent years, the Ladies Auxiliary is once again vibrant, standing behind and next to the men and women in the trenches.

Younes, who also serves as an EMT for the town’s ambulance corps, says,

“we are here to foster and extend the interests, welfare and growth of the firemen’s activities, and to assist in all possible ways in the work of the Ashland Fire Department.

‘We’ll support the firemen’s functions by helping at the dinners, breakfasts, all fundraisers and parades. What better way to get involved with your community?” Younes says.

“Please reach out if you are interested in becoming a member. My contact information is 518-734-3636 or younestownofashland@gmail.com.”