BERWICK — Near the Berwick Fire Station on Saturday, a gentle wind snaked its way through the lower School Street corridor, carrying with it a curious sight: Tufts of black strands, interwoven in clumps, dancing lazily through the air and then dispersing like dandelion spores in a stiff breeze.
Turning a corner, and coming face to face with the station itself, the source was revealed: Seated in chairs in front of the bay doors were volunteer firefighters from around the county, gamely having their heads shaved amidst a crowd of smiling spectators. While the day was hot, the head shaving had little to do with cooling off in summer weather. Rather, it was a call to arms, as firefighters pooled their resources ”“ and their locks ”“ to raise money for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, a group dedicated to finding a cure for childhood cancer.
“This whole thing is ”¦ to show solidarity with the kids who have cancer, because after chemotherapy they usually lose their hair,” said John Kennedy, public relations chairman for the Berwick Volunteer Firefighters Association. “My hair’s going to grow back, but these kids are struggling for their lives.”
It was largely Kennedy’s efforts that resulted in the gleaming gaggle of bare heads. Originally a firefighter from New Jersey, his previous department held a similar event to benefit St. Baldrick’s, and after moving north a few years ago, Kennedy thought it was time the event became a tradition in Maine.
Firefighters from Berwick, Eliot, Lebanon and Somersworth, N.H. all agreed to the extreme haircuts, with each department donating to the cause. Other fire departments from across the state, which were invited but unable to attend, donated pledges as well.
The group had already raised $2,900 before the event started, and Kennedy hoped the final tally, buttressed by food purchases at the event and donations from the extended firefighter family, would push that number to well over $4,000. Corporate sponsorship also contributed to the amount raised.
The women were the first to have their heads shaved. Afterward, Lebanon firefighter Erica Anderson fought the compulsion to rub her hands over the newly bestubbled surface of her scalp.
“It’s a lot cooler,” she said. “I’ve never felt a breeze like this.”
William Stacewicz, also of the Lebanon department, heard about the head shaving event a couple of months ago and decided to forego his regular haircut, arriving in Berwick on Saturday with a considerable mane that put shavers to the task.
“I’m glad to do it, and to raise money for the cause,” said Stacewicz, adding that he hopes it becomes an annual fundraiser. “I’d definitely do it again.”
Eliot firefighter Tyler Penney usually gives his hair a fairly close cut ”“ but never this close. Aside from liking the look of his newly shortened follicles, Penney volunteered for the shave partly for a personal reason: His grandfather suffered from cancer, and while St. Baldrick’s emphasizes research funding for the ailment as it occurs in children, Penney said the experience gave him empathy for anyone who falls victim to the disease.
“If I can do anything to help find a cure, that was my goal,” he said.
— Staff Writer Jeff Lagasse can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 319 or jlagasse@journaltribune.com.
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