KANNAPOLIS — The Kannapolis Fire Department invites the public to attend a traditional washdown ceremony to officially bring the new fire engine 51 into service.

The ceremony will take place at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 25, at Fire Station 5, 2046 Barr Road.

A washdown ceremony is a tradition dating back to the 1880s and is done for each new fire truck to bring good luck to the truck and the firefighters. The new engine is literally washed by firefighters and the public. It is then backed into the department.

This new engine and Fire Station 5 services the Kannapolis Parkway, N.C. 73 and Afton areas of the city. The station typically responds to 1,200 medical and fire calls annually.