Fire Engine Rally Weekend in Willow Springs Now Comes With a Citywide Yard Sale

When was the last time a single Saturday in Willow Springs had fire trucks rolling down Main Street, a tug-of-war at Booster Field, and yard sales up and down the side streets at once? Before this year, never. The Willow Springs Chamber of Commerce is holding its first Fall City-Wide Yard Sale on Friday, Oct. 9, and Saturday, Oct. 10. That Saturday is also the day the Howell County Fire Engine Rally comes back to Booster Field.

Put the two side by side and a pattern shows up for the rest of the fall. Many of the town's public events between now and Christmas travel the same short path, Main Street to Booster Field. Oct. 10 is the first and busiest day on that path.

A Rally That Was Gone From Willow Springs for Two Decades

The rally at Booster Field is fairly new to town. In April 2024, Frank Vanhorn came before the Willow Springs City Council on behalf of the Howell County Fire Chiefs' Association. He told the aldermen the last fire engine rally held in Willow Springs had been 22 years earlier. The council unanimously approved his request to use the Booster Field parking lot and run a fire engine parade through town.

Before that, the countywide rally was held in West Plains. The West Plains Daily Quill's Sept. 18, 2023 edition called that year's event the "third annual" Howell County Fire Engine Rally. It was set for the parking lot of the Greater Ozarks Center for Advanced Technology at 395 E. Broadway, which the paper described as a new location that year. In July 2025, the city's minutes used the Howell County Fire Engine Rally name for Vanhorn's Booster Field event.

That makes 2026 the third straight October at Booster Field. On July 16, the council approved Vanhorn's requests for this year's rally. Those were the use of Booster Field on Saturday, Oct. 10, barriers to block off the field the night before, and a fire engine parade the same morning.

What Actually Happens at Booster Field

Anyone expecting a polished antique-truck show will find something more hands-on. The rally is a competition between fire departments that the public is invited to watch and join. The 2023 preview listed tug-of-war, a tricycle race, a bucket brigade, a truck pull and a "midnight alarm" competition. That year also had a kids' truck pull using a Kubota tractor, with children and adults alike invited to compete.

The Booster Field years have added a few pieces of their own. In October 2024, Vanhorn told the council that 9 fire departments had confirmed, bringing 10 or 11 fire trucks in all. He said there would be local vendors, kids' games and a Fire vs. Police tug-of-war, and that State Fire Marshal Tim Bean would be on hand to present awards. Ozark Radio News printed a schedule for the 2025 rally. It started with breakfast at the American Legion from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m., priced at $9 for adults and $5 for veterans, with kids 12 and under eating free. The parade went down Main Street at 9 a.m., events began at Booster Field around 10 a.m., and the tug-of-war was at noon. A reminder the week of the event said awards would be presented at 3 p.m.

So far, only some of that is confirmed for this year. Here is what has been published for 2026 and what comes from earlier rallies.

The parade route is the one detail that has changed. In 2024, Vanhorn told the council the 9 a.m. parade lineup would be at City Hall. This year's approved route starts at the American Legion and comes down 10th Street before turning onto Main. If you live along 10th Street, the trucks will pass your door on Saturday morning.

The Yard Sale Turns One Saturday Into a Weekend

The rally has always been a one-day event. The yard sale stretches the weekend back to Friday and spreads it out from Main Street into the neighborhoods. The City of Willow Springs is waiving all yard sale permit fees for the whole weekend. In normal weeks a sale falls under the city's garage sale rules, which the council amended in December 2025 with Ordinance 1652.

The Chamber is building a citywide map of participating sales. To get on it, hosts send the Chamber their address and the dates and hours their sale will be open. The Chamber's number is 417-469-5519, and its email is [email protected]. One community calendar listing printed a different number, so if a call doesn't connect, try the email.

As of this weekend, no finished map or count of sales has been posted publicly. Shoppers who want a route planned before Friday morning should contact the Chamber directly.

Hosts have one practical thing to think about. Saturday morning brings fire trucks from across the county onto 10th Street and Main, followed by a crowd at Booster Field until mid-afternoon. A sale near that route will see more foot traffic. It will also see barricades and parade timing, since the city is blocking off Booster Field the night before.

Laying Out Saturday, Oct. 10

Based on what is approved for 2026, plus what has held steady at past rallies, a full Saturday could go like this:

1. Early morning: Check whether the American Legion is serving breakfast again. In 2025 it ran from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. and served as a chance to see the trucks up close before the parade.
2. 9 a.m.: The parade leaves the American Legion, comes down 10th Street, and turns onto Main toward Booster Field.
3. Mid-morning: Head out to yard sales while the departments set up their competitions at the field.
4. Around noon: If the Fire vs. Police tug-of-war follows past years, this is when it happens.
5. Afternoon: Make one more pass through the yard sales or stay for awards. The event ends at 3:30 p.m.

For coffee, The Place Drink Co. is the newest stop in town. It is a vintage-style drive-through and walk-up coffee trailer at 113 W. First St., on the old Horton Hotel site, owned by Melody Buse and Christine Collins. The Chamber held its ribbon cutting on Aug. 27. Its regular hours are Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., and it goes on the road for events on weekends. That makes Friday morning the surest time to stop by during sale weekend. Whether it will be open on First Street or set up somewhere else on Saturday hasn't been announced.

After the 10th, the Calendar Keeps Coming Back to Booster Field

The rally parade is the first of several this fall that end at Booster Field. The rest of the season follows a similar path:

• Oct. 31, 5:30 to 7 p.m.: Trunk or Treat on Main Street from Ferguson to Walnut, including the adjoining alleys.
• Nov. 7, 11 a.m.: The Willow Springs Veterans Day Parade, from the high school to Booster Field.
• Dec. 5, 8 to 10 a.m.: Pancakes with Santa at 2532 County Road 5800, which the Chamber lists as free.
• Dec. 5, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.: The Chamber's first Grinch Fest Christmas Market in downtown Willow Springs.
• Dec. 5, 5 p.m.: The Willow Springs Christmas Parade, again from the high school to Booster Field.

Two of these are new this year, just like the yard sale. Grinch Fest is billed as a first annual market, and the Fall City-Wide Yard Sale is the Chamber's first. Add the rally's return in 2024 after a 22-year gap, and the Chamber's December calendar now has a market, a breakfast and a parade all on the same day. Most of this fall's events happen on the same streets and the same field, and the rally weekend comes first.

If clearing out the garage for the yard sale has you thinking about the house that garage belongs to, we're happy to talk it through with no pressure. Wild Hills Realty is right down the road in West Plains, and you can start with a free home valuation whenever you're ready. We'll see you on Main Street when the trucks come through.