Maryland firefighters hope relocating event to Berlin  will boost participation

By Tara Fischer

Staff Writer

(June 18, 2026) Firefighters from across the state will travel through the Town of Berlin this weekend as part of the annual Maryland State Firefighters Association Parade.

In a move that steers the event off its usual Ocean City route, the MSFA will host its annual firefighter parade in Berlin for the first time on Saturday.

The event, open to any department from Maryland that wishes to attend, will kick off at 2 p.m. Participants will proceed north on Main Street near Berlin Furniture and end at the Taylor House Museum.

The fire departments will stage their equipment at Worcester Preparatory School and the Northern Worcester County Athletic Complex, with both locations opening at 10 a.m.

A shuttle service will be available from the staging areas to Downtown Berlin. Participating firefighters are invited to patronize local shops and restaurants before the event’s afternoon start time.

According to MSFA Convention and Conference Chair Robbie Blackiston, the parade’s venue switch from Ocean City to Berlin was made to bolster fire department involvement. While the procession invites every company from the State of Maryland, organizers have noticed a significant decline in attendees.

Blackiston said that the parade has dwindled over the last five years, with a substantial drop-off last year. The event used to extend roughly four hours, but the 2025 event lasted only 55 minutes.

“With the difference in that, we had to find out what was going on,” he said.

The parade has historically been held on a Wednesday in Ocean City. To get to the bottom of the decline in participation, the MSFA surveyed its members, who indicated they would like the event to be held on a weekend.

“Most of the membership would like to see the parade on a weekend due to not being able to take off work because of work constraints,” Blackiston said. “Our lives have changed.”

However, securing a Saturday timeslot in June in Ocean City proved to be challenging with the start of the resort’s tourist season.

Alternative locations were considered, and in January, the Berlin Council voted to designate itself as the home of the MSFA parade in 2026.

“[We’re] transitioning into a small-town event instead of a big city event type thing, so we’re going to see if that helps us,” Blackiston said. “We’ve been fortunate to work with Berlin this year.”

In addition to firefighters, music and showmanship will be part of this year’s MSFA procession. The Joseph A. Ferko String Band is set to parade with the state’s first responders.

The Joseph A. Ferko String Band was founded by pharmacist Joseph A. Ferko in 1922 and is a staple of Philadelphia’s annual Mummers Parade, the oldest continuously operating folk parade in the United States, dating back to 1901.

For parade spectators, parking will be available at Berlin Intermediate School, within walking distance of downtown, with an optional shuttle service. Local eateries and retail stores will be open before, during, and after the event.

Following the parade, the participating firefighters are invited to a reception at Ocean Downs Casino.

The post-procession gathering will kick off at 2:30 p.m. When each fire department completes the parade route, they can head straight to the casino. The afterparty will feature music, food, beverages, and an award ceremony. The awards will be handed out at 6 p.m.

The Berlin parade and Ocean Downs event will kick off the MSFA’s week-long convention, with activities scheduled through June 25 at the Ocean City convention center. The lineup of conference festivities will officially begin on Sunday, June 21, at 8 a.m.

Blackiston said while the parade has moved to Berlin this year, the convention itself will remain in Ocean City.

“We’re still in OC for our convention at the convention center like always,” he said. “We still have activities in town throughout the week. We still have a good connection with Ocean City…They still welcome us.”

Event organizers are hopeful about this year’s parade. While the MSFA has initiated an online preregistration model, any Maryland fire department will be welcomed regardless of if they signed up beforehand.

Additionally, a Touch-A-Truck event is slated for Saturday before the parade from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Touch-A-Truck will allow kids to see and learn more about the firefighting equipment.

“I’m looking forward to the locals and everybody coming out and hopefully supporting the Maryland State Firefighter’s Association with moving the event [to Berlin],” Blackiston said.

Berlin Fire Company President David Fitzgerald added that his team has provided support to the MSFA in terms of parade logistics and permitting.