Letter from The Traci’s Hope Family

Dear Editor,

It has come to our attention that due to a significant miscommunication within our organization, that there has been a misunderstanding as to all of the underlying reasons why the Traci’s Hope BBQ was cancelled this year. 

Contrary to what was portrayed during a recent interview, Traci’s Hope was not cancelled due to lack of equipment at the Field Day grounds. Unfortunately, due to the nature of editing and time constraints, sometimes the full interview can not be shared with the public. We need to clarify that the Apalachin Fire Department has been nothing but supportive of our organization. In fact, years ago when our original site was under water and we were going to have to cancel, the Apalachin Fire Department gave us their venue without hesitation to save the event.

It is true that the fire department is trying to sell the land that we have all come to know and love as the Apalachin Field Day grounds. With the sale of this property, the fire department is also selling the equipment that was utilized during the field days. Each year they have sold various pieces of equipment, but that has not hindered our ability to provide the community with our traditional BBQ. 

Yes, the fire department sold their walk-in cooler, which was several years ago.  This year they did sell their large refrigerators in the area that we know as “the kitchen.” What was not said is that there were several refrigerators that were still available for our use. The fire department did sell the sink in this area, but made sure that the buyer did not remove it until after the Traci’s Hope BBQ. This shows how truly supportive they have been to our mission and our cause. Each sale of equipment was shared with our organization, so that we knew ahead of time what we were going to have available. Contrary to what was implied during the recent interview, the sale of equipment did not come as a surprise to us. 

Unfortunately, there were other deciding factors that played an important role in our decision to cancel the event.  

There was a significant injury to one of our Traci’s Hope volunteers; an injury that required surgery and a prolonged amount of rehabilitation. This volunteer has her heart and soul invested in Traci’s Hope and the annual BBQ. We as a family, wanted to make sure that she devoted her energy into healing her body and not worrying about the upcoming event.

In addition to this, there were also a couple tragic losses of family members within our Traci’s Hope family. These losses were completely unexpected and happened only two weeks before the event. Organizing an event, such as the Traci’s Hope BBQ, requires a lot of planning and manpower. As many of us were reeling from these losses, we felt that as an organization, we needed to concentrate on healing our hearts and supporting our loved ones who were dealing with the loss of their beloved family members.  

Despite all of the rumors and conjecture that the Apalachin Fire Department has had to face over the past few weeks, they were still willing to volunteer their time to help us keep our annual motorcycle ride safe by blocking traffic for all of the riders. This is a testament to the dedication that the fire department has for their community and the organizations within our community.  

We would like to thank the Apalachin Fire Department for their continued support of Traci’s Hope. Additionally, we would like to thank all of our supporters for their loyalty and concern during this difficult year. We cannot express how fortunate we are to live in a community like Apalachin. We would also like to make sure that everyone knows that Traci’s Hope is still here for you. If you need an application, please let us know. You can find us on Facebook.

Sincerely, 

The Traci’s Hope Family