Marr And Arsenault Mike Marr and Gary Arsenault model the red hot Firefighters' Convention T-shirts at the Fourth on the Common celebration. All tees are $15 and are available now at Poole Brothers Lumber in Boothbay Harbor. (Photo Kevin Burnham)

In just nine short weeks, the Boothbay Region will be hosting the 45 th Annual Maine State Federation Firefighters' Convention September 11 through 14.

Firefighters from the 400 fire departments statewide, and their families, will arrive to celebrate and acknowledge those who dedicate their lives to protect our homes and families.

The first public event, a 9-1-1 Memorial Service, will be held on Friday, September 12 at 8:30 a.m. on Perkins Field (at Boothbay Region High School).

Representatives of all first responders will be present, as will the Lincoln County Sheriff's Honor Guard, Forestry Honor Guard, Coast Guard Honor Guard and the Boothbay Fire Department Honor Guard.

The City of Bath's Fire Department 9-11 Memorial will be on display on the field. The section of steel from one of the World Trade Center (WTC) towers is the focus of the memorial. It measures approximately two-feet long, is 16" tall and weighs almost 300 pounds.

The original drawings for the memorial were created by Bath firefighter Mike Clarke. These initial drawings and input from firefighter Lawrence "Buddy" Renaud led to artist John Gable's rendering of the final concept.

In 2005, Clarke began conceptualizing a memorial and began researching memorials around the country. He discovered that many of them featured a section of girder from one of the fallen towers.

On behalf of the City of Bath's fire department, Clarke contacted the people coordinating the memorial efforts as well as a victim's organization.

Two local steel companies, Reno's Fabrication and Fournier Steel with assistance from Bath Iron Works (BIW) Local S-6 and BIW brought the memorial to completion.

Said Clarke of the memorial, "The simulated rubble pile in the front of the memorial is a piece that was designed by an artist at BIW. It is made of Styrofoam with some pieces of rebar in place. BIW painters completed the paint scheme after reviewing dozens of photos from the site. They did an incredible job with the color. The two photo's were donated by two local photographers, one is a picture is of the towers from the ferry arriving from Staten Island years before 9-11. The second is a picture taken from Broadway and Liberty Street around September 20 th 2001 by a photographer who lives in Brunswick, Maine."

The memorial was dedicated on July 1, 2006 at the Patten Free Library in Bath. Since then, it has been displayed in the Hall of Flags at the State Capitol Building, Bar Harbor, Rockland, Kennebunk, Kittery and Portland.

Clarke said that dozens of New York City fire and police department members as well as civilians related to WTC victims have expressed their appreciation to Maine for remembering September 11, 2001.

Clarke will be speaking at the memorial service, as a first responder and as a member of one of the 28 nationwide emergency response teams, this one from Beverly, Massachusetts, that were assigned to the site of the devastation on Sept. 11. Clarke and the team remained at the site from Sept. 11 through 19.

Three hundred fifty-three firefighters gave their lives in the rescue efforts and those lives will be among the thousands reflected on during this very moving service.

Boothbay's fire department will have two ladder trucks at the field and other first responders will have equipment that will be demonstrated and explained.

Advertise throughout the convention on the Video Roadshow LED Video Wall. For $300, your business, activity, organization or group can utilize this 9' x 12' video wall with 14mm pitch, making it the highest resolution LED video wall on a trailer.

The giant 9' x 12' video screen can be rotated 360 degrees and houses a high-quality speaker system to advertise your business/product/service throughout the convention.

And the LED system includes a rack of audio and visual equipment to output video and sound from a DVD or other formats.

Committee chairman John Long, of the Boothbay Fire Department, is looking for six to 10 sponsors who wish to create a two-minute advertising loop that will be broadcast alternately with the events schedule, Fire Fighter I and II training in a video game format and, possibly a live camera feed.

The submission deadline for video and/or multimedia content is on, or before, August 5, 2008 for a fee of $300.

The Video Roadshow provides a great way to promote local companies, organizations, products and services while supporting the region's firefighters.

The video screen will be located at various locations, including the YMCA parking lot and, possibly, Perkins Field during the 9-11 Memorial Service.

Discuss advertising by contacting John Long at 380-9239.

Inclusion in the 64-69 pages, 8-1/2" x 11" commemorative booklet, is a history-making must.

Prime Ads for local advertisers are priced as follows: Back cover (color) - $2,750; inside front cover - $1,500; inside back cover - $1,250; back cover (b/w) - $1,250.

Color Ad pricing: Full page - $625; half-page - $475; quarter-page - $325; one-eighth page - $175.

Black and white ad pricing: Full page - $550; half-page - $400; quarter-page - $225; one-eighth page - $150.

Long reports there are still some spaces available.

The call is still out for vendors to fill some spots that are still available in the lower area of the Field House.

And, convention booklet advertisers receive a discounted rate. The registration fees are as follows: one booth/one table $150; if you have a half-page ad in the booklet - $125; with a full-page ad in the booklet - $100. Outdoor display area fees for exhibitors are $100 (no convention booklet ad) or $50 (with a convention booklet ad).

For more information on sponsorship, vendor space, or booklet advertising contact Long at 380-9239. All convention related forms - vendor, exhibitor, sponsor, or booklet, can be downloaded at www.boothbayfiredept.com

Advertising packets are available at the Boothbay Town Office, or stop in and see Long at Poole Brothers Lumber. Don't miss this opportunity to play a central role in a historic moment in Boothbay's history - and to support our region's firefighters.

Watch for future articles highlighting this extraordinary event.