Park Dedicated to Volunteers Named After MercerCounty Fire Service Legend

Firefighters and emergency personnel from throughout Mercer County gathered at Capt. Paul’s Firehouse Dogs in Lawrence Township on June 3, 2023, to dedicate a park in memory of a Mercer County fire service legend.

The new “Rudy Fuessel Dad’s Park” is located adjacent to the popular hot dog and ice cream shop at 2230 Princeton Pike. Paul Tweedly, a retired Trenton Fire Department Captain, and his wife Janice have owned the eatery since 2009. They are beloved by the community for their kindness and generosity, as well as for their unwavering support of the men and women of America’s emergency services and military.

Rudolph ‘Rudy’Fuessel, Jr., was a volunteer firefighter with Lawrence Township’s Slackwood Fire Company from 1955 until his passing at the age of 85 in 2022. Known affec- tionately around the firehouse as ‘Dad’ for his role as mentor to younger members of the fire company, he served as Slackwood’s chief from 1967 through 1983. He was instrumental in helping Tweedly clear and landscape the property next to the restaurant. Tweedly and friends, therefore, felt it only right to dedicate the land as a park bearing Fuessel’s name that honors all past and present volunteer firefighters of the Mercer County area.

Members of the Fuessel family were present to unveil the new park's sign.

- Fire News photos by Michael Ratcliffe