Over 50 police and fire departments will participate in Lake County’s 25th annual first responders expo at Gurnee Mills later this month, dubbed the largest event of its kind in the region.
The free expo is open to the public and will take place on Saturday, May 18 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Gurnee Mills parking lot E near Value City Furniture.
The event is hosted by Gurnee Mills in partnership with the Lake County Fire Chiefs Association and the Lake County Chiefs of Police Association.
It combines Lake County’s fire safety and law enforcement expos from previous years.
Over 50 police and fire departments from across the region will come together to showcase police cars, fire trucks, ambulances and the latest technology used by first responders.
“This expo brings departments together from the entire county,” said Kelsey Castrejon, Director of Marketing and Business Development for Gurnee Mills.
The expo will feature fire and crime safety activities, food trucks, live demonstrations, free giveaways and more.
Officials are aiming to provide public safety education to families in a fun-filled way.
The demonstrations include vehicle crash extrication, a K-9 team, a high-angle team, side-by-side live fire and the Waukegan Fire Department’s bomb squad & robot.
Station 51 Truck Company Bar & Grill of Antioch will also reveal its newly transformed fire truck into a food truck featured on the Discovery Channel’s Cruising Kitchens show.
Mall officials say the event is the largest public safety expo of its kind in the region.
“Last year, we had over 3,000 people in attendance and expect even more this year in celebration of our 25th anniversary and with the addition of the Tunnel To Towers 9/11 Never Forget Mobile Exhibit,” Castrejon said.
The Tunnel To Towers Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded to honor New York City Firefighter Stephen Siller, who was killed while responding to the attacks on September 11, 2001.
An 83-foot tractor-trailer transforms into the 1,100-square-foot exhibit and is a tribute to the lives lost on 9/11.
The exhibit provides interactive education including artifacts from the World Trade Center, documentary videos and radio transmissions from first responders, according to Tunnel To Towers.
Private tours of the exhibit will be given at the expo by New York City firefighters who had firsthand accounts of 9/11.
The public is invited to line up along Gurnee Mills Circle to welcome the 9/11 mobile exhibit during its procession on Friday, May 17 from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Car enthusiasts will also gather at parking lot E to compete in the Rods For Remembrance car show on Sunday, May 19 from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
The car show is hosted by Gurnee Mills for the first time and is held in support of first responders, veterans and their families.
Trophies that honor fallen Lake County area first responders will be awarded, with the winners being selected by surviving families, according to show organizers.
The public is welcome to attend the event for free.
Those interested in featuring their car for the show can register starting at 10 a.m. that day for $15.
All proceeds will go directly to the Tunnel To Towers Foundation.