Mahoning Valley Fire Company is celebrating its 65th birthday - not with retirement - with a daylong bash to show off its newest piece of apparatus: a 2017 KME Freightliner tank truck.

The formal dedication of the truck will occur at 5

p.m.Sept. 17.Events on that date include a coaster derby, an old-time community carnival, a barbecue dinner and music in the evening by DJ Layne "The Doc" Roberts."It's going to be a fun day for everybody," said Jay Michalik, assistant fire chief. "The carnival will have all sorts of games and materials geared to fire prevention and education."Michalik said the day begins with a "Cornfield Classic Coaster Race" at 10 a.m., with the finals scheduled at 12:30 p.m. He said the race is named "to celebrate our country and our farming heritage that we're so proud of."Fire Chief Mark Ebbert said the new truck was purchased for $378,000, with $238,000 of that amount coming from a Federal Emergency Management Agency grant.It has a holding capacity of 3,000 gallons of water and is equipped with a 750 gallons-per-minute pump.It replaces a 1985 tanker that had a 2,500 gallon capacity. The older truck was a Pierce vehicle.Ebbert said, "It's almost identical to what we're replacing, but with today's technologies.""The new truck was built with more options and capabilities than the old truck," Ebbert said. He said the new truck has a larger pump, more cabinet space, can carry a ladder and has a booster hose on it.The new tank truck arrived June 30 but hasn't been put into service yet."We're still doing training on it," Ebbert said. "All operators must undergo training on it. Also, we're still waiting for some equipment to mount on it."He said he is hoping the truck will be put into service by the date of the dedication.Michalik said the fire company needs the tank truck because much of the township is still rural and without hydrants."We don't have hydrants here in Mahoning Township so we've got to carry the water with us," he said.Ebbert said the department is hoping to sell its old tanker truck. Because a FEMA grant was used to purchase the new vehicle, the older one can no longer be used as a piece of firefighting apparatus.He said sometimes farmers or firms purchase such vehicles to water fields.Michalik said the theme of the fire company, which is stenciled onto the side of the truck, is "pride in commitment, pride in community."He said this will be emphasized on the day of the dedication.The Cornfield Classic Coaster race is being coordinated by Rocky Ahner, who recently was in charge of the coaster race held in conjunction with Lehighton borough's sesquicentennial celebration.Ahner will also be in charge with another coaster derby scheduled for Oct. 1 in Lehighton as part of the borough's "Roctoberfest" event.Michalik said the carnival will be held from 1-5 p.m.The 5 p.m. dedication will be followed by a housing ceremony for the new truck.