Above, the Pirate Parrot and pitcher David Bednar sit on Cranberry Township's antique fire truck Tuesday, part of a meet-and-greet tour with area first responders. Below, Pirate manager Derek Shelton, left, shakes hands with Adams Township fireman and former chief Bill Hays.photography by Seb Foltz/Butler Eagle
Mars grad Bednar, Pirates manager have fun time during fire station visits
CRANBERRY TWP — It was the second Butler County stop of the morning, but the energy hadn't dissipated.
When Pirates pitcher David Bednar, a Mars Area High School graduate, and manager Derek Shelton visited the Cranberry Township Volunteer Fire Company, they were no less enthusiastic than they'd been earlier Tuesday morning at Adams Area Fire District, their first stop.
Oh, and the Pirate Parrot came along, too.
The duo visited the fire stations as part of the team's honoring of first responders in the Pittsburgh area, where they distributed hats, T-shirts, balls and Pirate tickets to area firefighters, police and ambulance crews.
“It's cool to see the men and women who work hard to keep everybody safe and get a behind-the-scenes look,” Bednar said.
When the two were in Cranberry, Shelton, wearing a Roberto Clemente shirt, noticed a similarity between the fire company and the Pirates.“This fire station is (number) 21? In Pittsburgh?” he asked, referring to Clemente's uniform number.The exchange of memorabilia went both ways as fire administrator Amy Behun presented the Pirate pair with shirts representing the company, giving Shelton another way to wear “21.”“It's always very nice to be recognized by the community for what we do,” Behun later said, adding the department plans to share the memorabilia and tickets with Cranberry police and emergency medical services, as well as with Harmony Fire District.As the visit came to an end, a firefighter brought out the ladder truck, and the Pirate Parrot rode the platform to a location above the fire company's emblem on the station.
For Bednar, the visit to Adams Area Fire District was fun.The Mars area native said he grew up three minutes from where the new station on Route 228 is located.“(It was) definitely cool to see that one behind the scenes,” Bednar said.The 26-year-old right-hander, who stands at 6-foot-1-inch, also, as part of a tour of the facility, slid down the department's yellow slide — except this time without any base to target.Shelton, when speaking with firefighters in Cranberry, described the Adams facility as “very impressive.”
Pirate manager Derek Sheldon shakes hands with Adams Township fireman and former chief Bill Hays Tuesday.Seb Foltz/Butler Foltz
Adams fireman and former chief Bill Hays, left, gives Pirates manager Derek Shelton, right, pitcher David Bednar and the Pirate Parrot a tour of the Adams Township fire department Tuesday.Seb Foltz/Butler Eagle
Above, Pirate pitcher David Bednar, of Mars, right, signs an autograph for Adams Area Fire District’s A.D. “Buzz” Kelly Tuesday in Adams Township, part of a visit with first responders. Below, Bednar slides down the firefighters’ slide.Photography by Seb Foltz/Butler Eagle
Pirate pitcher David Bednar shakes hands with Cranberry fire department chief Scott Garins Tuesday, part of a meet-and-greet tour with area first responders.Seb Foltz/Butler Eagle
Below, Bednar slides down the fireman slide
Pirates pitcher David Bednar smiles during a visit to the Adams Township fire department Tuesday, part of a meet-and-greet tour with area first responders.Seb Foltz/Butler Eagle
Pirate pitcher David Bednar and manager Derek Shelton greet Cranberry Township fire chief Scott Gavins Tuesday, part of a meet-and-greet tour with area first responders.Seb Foltz/Butler Eagle
Pirate pitcher David Bednar signs a baseball for at Adams Township Fire District fire department Tuesday, part of a meet-and-greet tour with area first responders.Seb Foltz/Butler Eagle
Former Adams Township fire chief Bill Hays with the Pirate Parrot Tuesday.Seb Foltz/Butler Eagle
The Pirate Parrot shows his excitement perched atop Cranberry Township Volunteer Fire Department’s ladder truck with Chief Scott Garins and Tom Klingensmith.Seb Foltz/Butler Eagle
Pirates manager Derek Shelton signs an autograph for Cranberry Township fireman Jonathan Hult Tuesday, part of a meet-and-greet tour with area first responders.Seb Foltz/Butler Eagle
