CLINTON, NJ — August 15, 2026 — Firefighters and antique apparatus enthusiasts gathered in Clinton Saturday as the Clinton Fire Department celebrated the 100th anniversary of Lulubelle, a 1926 American LaFrance pumper that remains part of the department's history.

Members of the High Bridge Fire Department attended the celebration with their 14-61 American LaFrance, along with a staffed ladder crew, according to the department's announcement.

The event was held at the Clinton Fire Department's station at 1 New Street and along East Main Street and New Street. The Clinton Fire Department had promoted the event as an Antique Fire Apparatus Muster celebrating Lulubelle's 1926-2026 centennial.

Lulubelle was Clinton's first mechanized fire engine. The department identifies her as a 1926 American LaFrance pumper and says she was refurbished in the late 1980s. Members completed another major overhaul in 2012 to keep the historic apparatus operating. The department reports that Lulubelle was last pumped during a drill in 2021.

The centennial brought antique apparatus and firefighters together for a day centered on preserving fire-service history. Local reporting later noted that antique trucks from several agencies lined East Main Street during the celebration.

For firefighters, antique apparatus events provide more than a display of older equipment. They preserve the history of how fire departments developed, how water supply and pumping operations changed, and how apparatus design evolved as fireground needs became more demanding.

Lulubelle also represents an important part of Clinton's own history. The Clinton Fire Department traces its organization to 1892, after a major 1891 fire devastated much of the town's Main Street business district and demonstrated the need for local firefighting equipment.