Those who have a fondness for Lehighton history, specifically the Lehighton Fire Department, can get their fix as part of round three.

The Lehighton 150 Celebration Committee will hold The History of Lehighton, Part 3, at 8 p.m. Friday on the second floor of the Lehighton Fire Station on Third Street in Lehighton.Lehighton's Sesquicentennial will occur next year. The committee wants to raise $55,000 for an eight-day celebration to commemorate the 150 years of the borough. The festivities are scheduled for June 25-July 2.This week we'll again be publishing tidbits of Lehighton history, this time with regard to the Lehighton Fire Department, in conjunction with the celebration committee.Today's facts• The fire department began chimney cleaning in the fall of 1959. In the first year, 116 chimneys were cleaned. This number grew each year, and in the final years it was over 400. This service, provided for a donation to the department, was a fire prevention and public service activity. After the first year, then Fire Chief Corvin Solt reported a dramatic decrease in the number of chimney fires.• During the 1960s, the borough had a two-way communications system in the municipal building. When the offices closed at 5 p.m. an attendant in the Lehigh Fire Company No. 1 social hall handled dispatches until midnight. At midnight, Paul Bayer, the only permanent employee for dispatches, would work until the borough offices would open again at 8 a.m. The base station and radio system went into operation when borough council voted for the purchase as a result of dial telephone service. Before that, Bell Telephone Company operators would activate the town's three fire sirens to alert volunteers.• On April 11, 1963, a fire destroyed six stores and a hotel. There were 21 people left homeless. The fire on Holy Thursday spread through several businesses on North First Street. The fire destroyed the Lehighton Hardware Company, Greenberger's Furniture Store, Webby's TV Shop, Mike's Swap Shop, Faenza's Shoe Repair, Stewart Grocery Store, and the Trexler House Hotel. Firefighters, under the direction of then Fire Chief Corvin Solt, battled the blaze for over six hours, and remained on scene into the next day.