It may be difficult for some of its founding members to believe, but the Lawrence Township Volunteer Fire Department is celebrating its 40th year in the community.

“It don’t seem like it’s been 40 years,” Frank Jenkins, who was one of the original members of the department, said. “We’ve helped a lot of people.”

The department got its start with a little fewer than 20 members.

“It seems to me like we had 15 or 16 because we all had to go down to the bank to sign a $100 note to get our first truck,” Jenkins recalls. Now days the department boasts about 40 members.

“A lot of fire departments have trouble keeping people but we do pretty good at that,” he said.

Jenkins is one of the only organizing members who still volunteers, though some volunteers started not long after it was established.

“Some of (the firefighters) came in two or three months later and that’s good enough,” he said.

To celebrate the anniversary, the fire department will have a picnic from noon to 6 p.m. May 1 at the Andis School building. Food items such as hotdogs, hamburgers and soda will be available. There will also be entertainment for children.

Local band Southern Thunder Band will perform from 2 to 4 p.m. The band plays bluegrass and country music.

In addition to the food and music, representatives from Kings Daughters Medical Center will also provide a healthcare fair that day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Several screenings like blood pressure and cholesterol will be offered.

The Andis School building is located on Rt. 217 in Andis.