By Ron Heal
A few years ago, I attended a national SPAAMFAA summer muster in Frankenmuth, Michigan. Every summer the Great Lakes Chapter of SPAAMFAA has a gathering or muster of vintage fire apparatus at that very popular tourist destination. Attending those musters is always worth the trip. Frankenmuth has also hosted several national SPAAMFAA summer meetings and musters, bringing in a selection of vintage fire apparatus from all over the USA and even a few Canadian rigs. While checking out the vintage apparatus line, I came across a well-known 1930 Seagrave tractor-drawn aerial (TDA) ladder truck that had served the Syracuse (NY) Fire Department as Truck 7. This truck was no stranger to musters in the east. It had been owned by some of the most well-known names in vintage fire apparatus circles—Richard Horstman, Ken Soderbeck, and Ryan DeVries had all been owners at one time. The 85-foot wooden aerial in a dark maroon color is very impressive. It was interesting to find out that the rig was now owned by Dr. Francis Glenn, a corn breeder and seed producer from Blenheim, Ontario. Glenn was on hand to talk about the rig he had trailered over from Blenheim. I was surprised to find such a storied rig that had served a U.S. city had made its way across the border to Canada. It turns out that the Seagrave was only the tip of a very large collection of vintage fire apparatus assembled along the shores of Lake Erie, just outside of the town of Blenheim. Glenn gave me his business card, and I am glad he did.
Over the years, I have stayed in touch with Glenn, and with each phone visit, I have learned more about his unique collection of vintage fire apparatus would you believe 18 pieces of fire apparatus? And they are all Seagrave-related. The best part of this feature is that there is even more!
Glenn is very accommodating and is generous to share information on his vintage apparatus collection. In 2015 when the Champaign (IL) Fire Department was getting ready to observe its 150th anniversary, we were able to make arrangements for Glenn to bring his 1915 Seagrave pumper that had served Champaign back to be a part of that big event. The 100-year old pumper was beautifully restored for previous owner John Zangerle by Ken Soderbeck. The pumper ran the parade route with ease. Glenn brought along his neighbor, Wes Thompson. It turns out that these two guys are not just neighbors, but they both are vintage fire apparatus collectors. By my count Thompson has 19 pieces of vintage fire apparatus. Two guys in rural Blenheim, Ontario, Canada, with 37 rigs between them!
In late June 2017, my travels took me back home to Ontario. Glenn and Thompson were kind enough to invite me to Blenheim to see their collections. On July 1, Canada was celebrating its 150th birthday, and there were all kinds of events and parades planned for that big event. I was sure that Glenn and Thompson would be getting rigs ready for some area parades. If they could find another 37 drivers, they coul