Winder Fire Department’s 1940 Ford Peter Pirsch Fire Engine to Participate in 202nd Savannah St. Patrick’s Day Parade

WINDER, Ga. — The City of Winder Fire Department’s restored 1940 Ford Peter Pirsch Fire Engine will participate in the 202nd Savannah St. Patrick’s Day Parade on March 17 in Savannah.

Fire Engineer William O. Reidling will drive the antique fire engine in the parade, escorting the family of this year’s Grand Marshal. This marks the first time the Winder Fire Department has participated in Savannah’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

The department regularly participates in regional parades and community events, including the Atlanta St. Patrick’s Day Parade, where Winder firefighters have appeared for more than a decade, as well as the Winder-Barrow High School Homecoming Parade and the City of Winder Christmas Parade.

The 1940 Ford Peter Pirsch Fire Engine was restored by members of the Winder Fire Department in 2008 to commemorate the department’s 100th anniversary. Today, the engine is displayed in the lobby of Fire Station No. 1 in downtown Winder, where it serves as a symbol of the department’s history and tradition.

Savannah’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade will begin at 10:15 a.m. at the intersection of Abercorn and Gwinnett streets. The route proceeds along Abercorn Street, turns right onto Broughton Street, continues left onto East Broad Street, then left onto Bay Street and Bull Street, before concluding at Harris Street.

Each year, approximately 280 parade units—including marching bands, military units, community organizations, floats, and cultural groups—participate in the event. Thousands of spectators line the streets of historic downtown Savannah to watch performances by bagpipe and drum corps, Irish dancers, and marching bands, along with appearances by Irish and local dignitaries.

The public celebration of St. Patrick’s Day in Savannah dates back to 1824, when the Hibernian Society invited residents to attend a religious service and procession honoring St. Patrick. Over two centuries later, the event has grown into one of the largest and most recognized St. Patrick’s Day parades in the world.