Wet and Wild Waterfights

As Dave Shelton remembers it, the Annual Water Fight got started somewhere in the late 1940s or early 1950s. The hope was to develop an awareness in the community for the need of Volunteer Firefighters.

Initially, it was just between one team of Firefighters from Willits and one team of Firefighters from Fort Bragg. These two teams of Volunteer Firefighters would battle each other for a perpetual trophy in Willits on the 4th of July, then in Fort Bragg during Paul Bunyan Days. The match was the best two out of three, and originally it was fought on East Commercial Street in front of City Hall.

Dave remembers one year, when he was the nozzelman for the Willits team. He went head-to-head with the nozzelman from Fort Bragg team for three hours in just one of the rounds. Finally they both collapsed with no winner declared! A time limit was set after that, and because of liability the loose barrel was tethered (the barrel would sometimes end up in the crowd).

Come have a blast in saluting our Volunteer Firefighters. And, who knows, you might just get to “cool off” after watching the exciting CCPRA Rodeo.