Bonfire bumps up against bureaucracy safety

 The Christmas Eve bonfire on Bedford Village Green. FRED JACOBSEN PHOTO

By JEFF MORRIS and EVE MARX

An annual Christmas Eve bonfire on the Bedford Village Green, a tradition said to have started spontaneously when service members returned home from World War II, this year collided with modern government’s permitting procedures.

The blazing pile of wooden pallets and logs became a police matter when it was discovered the gathering was taking place on town property without a permit. Town Clerk Allie Whalen said she became aware of the plan for a bonfire on the green when she saw a social media post about an hour beforehand, inviting the community to “enjoy the bonfire and sing along … join in the holiday tradition.” 

The bonfire was to begin at 7 p.m. 

According to Bedford police, at 7:14 p.m., officers went to the Village Green in Bedford Village for a report of an open burn, alerted by a town employee. On arrival, police said, officers saw preparations for a large bonfire and spoke with the event organizer,  Fred Jacobsen, a longtime Bedford resident and realtor. He was advised not to start the fire as there was no permit. 

Police said the organizer claimed a nearby church sponsored the event and said it was a town tradition. 

The organizer also said he’d spoken with the Bedford police chief, Melvin Padilla. After being reminded he had no permit, the fire was lit; the organizer said the town could fine him. The officer contacted dispatch who notified the Bedford Fire Department to extinguish the fire. 

Police said the fire chief declined to extinguish the fire. 

Police said no citation had been issued and it was unclear if one would be in the future.

Whalen told The Recorder she was the town employee who notified police. She said she consulted with Recreation and Parks Commissioner Chris Soi and other parks employees, one of whom said they’ve “had this fight with them before, but they go ahead and do it anyway.”

“The point in a permitting process for these things is not to incur money for the town, it’s to ensure that our hamlets stay safe and our events occur safely,” Whalen said. “It’s actually typical for us to get a public event request and say there’s no resources required for this.”

Whalen said that in addition to fire safety concerns — with a lot of wood roofs surrounding the green — there could be the need for a patrol car to control traffic if there are a lot of people crossing the road. 

A parks employee told her each year they have to reseed the turf afterward.

“The Green is an old historical space, and it is upkept carefully,” Whalen said. “Just follow the steps is what it comes down to,” she said. “We’re happy to accommodate you.”

The post Whalen saw was made by Jacobsen. 

“It’s been a continuous occurrence for 80 years,” Jacobsen said, and had always been sponsored by the Lions Club. 

His father, who was a member, had usually organized it but had passed away two years ago. 

“I believe the Lions publicized it in the past,” he said. “I don’t think they did this year.” 

He took it upon himself to publicize the gathering and start the singalong. He clarified that the Bedford Presbyterian Church and St. Patrick’s Church were not “sponsors,” but that clergy had always come out and said a prayer after the 7 or 8 o’clock services each year; people would then join the caroling. 

According to Jacobsen, when the police came he had said he would be happy to obtain a permit for next year, but he was not going to stop the Christmas Eve gathering. He described his interaction with the police as polite and a great example of the police making sure the community was safe.

“It’s a wonderful tradition that we’d love to carry on, so if we need to get a permit, we’ll get a permit,” he said. “There’s never been an issue before.”

Jacobsen said Assemblymember and former town supervisor, Chris Burdick, was a longtime Lions Club member who had participated in past gatherings. 

Asked about this year’s event, Burdick told The Recorder, “It’s a time-honored tradition, though I am not aware whether or not a permit ever had been issued for it. There are various events and practices which have been in place for quite some time and in effect are ‘grandfathered.’  That said, Fred’s response is appropriate in my view — to get a permit in the future — but I defer to the town.”