The entire Pearl River County community is invited to participate in the Henleyfield Volunteer Fire Department’s Community Appreciation Day set for Saturday Sept. 13.

The event will feature free hamburgers and hotdogs, a Jaws of Life demonstration and a moment of silence for the firefighters that lost their lives in the rescue efforts during 9-11.

Henleyfield Fire Chief Scott Sullivan said the opening ceremonies for the event will begin at 10 a.m., which will include the raising of the flag and the moment of silence for the fallen firefighters.

The opening ceremony will also feature a dedication of the fire station in memory of a past Henleyfield firefighter.

From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. the station will be serving free hamburgers and hot dogs. Fun jumpers will be on hand for the kids.

Anyone wishing to donate blood can do so during the event from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Blood Mobile.

At 11 a.m. the department will also hold a fire extinguisher training class that will allow women to put out a stove fire in a controlled environment, Sullivan said.

From noon to 2 p.m. children can learn about being a firefighter as they watch one of the volunteers dress out from their street clothes to a full fire suit, run a maze and then search a bedroom for victims. Sullivan said the exercise will help children understand what firefighters do and what they sound like and look like when dressed out.

“It’s a common thing for a kids to hide from a fireman during a fire because they look like a monster,” Sullivan said.

Beginning at 2 p.m. community members can see how firefighters use the Jaws of Life to extricate an accident victim from a wreaked automobile.

A raffle for several large items will be held at 3 p.m. For $20 per ticket community members can register for a chance to win one of five guns, a Big Green Egg cooker, Yeti Cooler, $500 in cash, an iPad Air or a Mission Compound bow, Sullivan said. After each drawing the winning ticket will go back into the hat for the next drawing, so one ticket could potentially win multiple prizes, Sullivan said.

Anyone who has some extra household chores they don’t want to do themselves can bid on volunteer fireman and woman to do it for them. Bidding begins at about 3:30 p.m. Sullivan said these men and women will be available to help with grass cutting, painting or any other chore the bidder has in mind.

All proceeds from the day will go towards purchasing a new emergency communications system for the county, Sullivan said.