Picturing the Past

In the late teens, around the time of World War I, the city of Princeton purchased its first motorized fire apparatus. It was a Federal Fire Truck with a price tag of $3000 ($52k in 2023 dollars). Many local citizens were critical of the administration appropriating that much money for a piece of fire equipment. Horse drawn firefighting equipment was retained even after the motorized truck was put in service.

By the mid 20’s, horse drawn firetrucks were considered ineffective and it was deemed necessary to purchase a new 1924 American LaFrance fire engine. The American LaFrance could pump more water than the Federal vehicle or the horse drawn apparatus. It was

~ Recycle Tips ~

The “Plastic Problem” is complex. Plastics pollution is the biggest enemy and threat to our environment. Plastic waste is non-biodegradable and takes THOUSANDS of years to decompose. It is a material consisting of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic compounds that are pliable and can be molded into objects or fibers.

Plastics are classified by number. You can find out what type of plastic an item is by looking for the triangle of arrows with a number inside it. Typically, it is located on the bottom. The higher the number of plastic classification, the more it takes to break down and recycle. This causes mills to not take those due to how expensive they become to reprocess. Mill policy is the main reason Gibson County transfer stations can only accept PET/PETE (#1) or HDPE (#2) plastics. Examples of these are soda/water bottles, jugs, juice bottles, detergent or shampoo bottles, etc. Bring your #1 and #2 plastics to the Recycle Center or transfer stations and help us to better our community. Please Reduce (the volume of single-use items like plastic utensils, cups.) Reuse (the plastic items that can be repurposed) and Recycle! Thank you, Gibson County!

Follow us on Facebook OR check out our website: http://www.gibsoncountysolidwaste.com also equipped with long ladders that could reach in excess of 50 feet. When the American LaFrance was delivered, the length of the vehicle was not considered, and it was soon found out it would not fit in the old horse barn on the north side of City Hall corner of Prince and Broadway in Princeton, Indiana. A new brick addition was built on the north side of the fire station to house the new fire truck.

As more trucks were purchased throughout the years, the 1924 American LaFrance was used as a secondary fire truck. This continued until 1960, when it was finally taken out of service. By the end of the 1960’s, space was becoming scarcer at the old fire station, and it was determined that the Princeton Fire Department would not be able to house the obsolete vehicle. The truck was stripped of any useful or dangerous equipment, and it was retired to Southside Park as a piece of playground equipment.

On Tuesday, December 27th, 23-year-old Lee Friedman, a 2018 PCHS graduate and 2022 alum of Western Kentucky State University, toed the starting line of the “Princeton 100,” an impromptu 100-mile ultramarathon comprised of 3, 33.33-mile loops around his hometown of Princeton.

Several months before race day, Lee said, “I told myself that after college I would get back into running, pick a race, train for it, and complete it. I looked at 5Ks, 10Ks, and full marathons knowing that if I trained I would be able to complete those distances and would be focused on my finish time. Those are all respectable distances, but I wanted something more. I wanted to attempt something that even with the right training and preparation I still might not be able to complete. That led to my discovery of ultra-marathons, the ultimate endurance sport where runners cover unprecedented distances, with many being 100 miles or more. I thought, ‘How is that even possible?’ and knew that I had found my race.”

Friedman initially chose to train for a 100-mile race scheduled for February 2023, built out a training plan, and got back into the groove of running again. Unfortunately, other life commitments scheduled to start in mid-January made it impossible to travel to the race and commit to the multi-day event as well as the recovery time required. Handed the excuse of life getting in the way, he could have easily walked away without testing his limits. But, after running roughly 900 miles over the previous five months and some encouragement from his wife Jade, friends, and family, Lee chose to attempt an ultra-distance by running 100 miles around the hometown where he logged countless training miles with friends and classmates as a student athlete.

The night before setting out on his 100-mile adventure, Lee said, “I believe the constant pursuit of a better version of yourself requires taking on difficult tasks that push you outside of your comfort zone. I’m not doing this to prove anything to anyone. This one is for me. I’m going in search of my breaking point.” Race day dawned cold and cloudy with a couple of inches of snow still on the ground. Even so, a dedicated group of family and friends gathered in the back parking lot of the Princeton Community High School at 8 a.m. to see him off.

Throughout the day, Lee was cheered on by countless friends, family, and community members who used a Garmin live tracking link to follow his route. Various friends and family members also ran or biked portions of the race with Lee while others caravanned behind them in vehicles to support, encourage, and ensure their safety.

G Burch, CFP®, CRPC® Financial Advisor

As the miles stacked up, night began to fall, and the temperature dropped to 20 degrees. By 6:00 p.m. he had passed the 50-mile mark. Determined to give it his all and see just how far he could go, Lee continued running into the night, finishing 75.72 miles in 18 hours and 23 minutes. He ultimately chose to end the race at about 2:30 a.m. on December 28th for the sake of his health and safety. In a post-race Facebook message thanking all those that supported him, Lee said, “I have experienced a wave of emotions throughout this following day. Initially, I primarily felt disappointment for not going the distance I was hoping to reach. Finally, I came to the realization that even though I didn’t make

100 miles, I did in fact find my breaking point. At mile 75.72 when I could no longer walk without my wife and sister supporting me under each arm, I had answered my question. At 2:30 a.m. on a dark county road east of Princeton I hugged my wife and told her I had done what I came to do. And in that I have found peace.”

After the race ended, Friedman’s family said, “While he may not have made the full 100 miles, there is no doubt that Lee gave 100% and then some. We couldn’t be more proud of his determination, grit, and heart! We are so thankful for all of the family, friends, and community members that made a point of coming out and cheering him on in person or virtually. Watching the community that he has been a part of his whole life turn out to encourage and keep him going was a beautiful thing to see. Lee was not alone for one single moment of this race, and that’s because of you! Your support made all the difference. You are what makes small town living the best.”

Lee dared to do something most of us would never even have the courage to attempt and inspired us all in the process to rethink our limits. 75 miles in less than 24 hours in freezing temperatures and mostly along unplowed backroads is no small feat! It’s an adventure none of us is likely to forget anytime soon, and we look forward to seeing what Lee Friedman will conquer next. Note: The “commitment” which made Lee unable to run the race that he’d originally trained for was Black Hawk pilot training. Best of luck to Lee!