Union Grove Fire Department will honor its founder and late chief, Charles F. Culp, Saturday with a special memorial service and open house.

Members of the department will unveil a new monument that will be permanently displayed at the station on County Road 51. The event will begin at 11 a.m.

Culp, also a former Chilton County Commissioner and well-known fruit farmer, died in February of this year at 73.

“We’re doing it in memory of him, mainly because of all the hard work and effort he made in this department and countywide,” said Robin Ellison, Culp’s grandson and the current chief of Union Grove Fire Department. “We’re really just dedicating this department to him.”

Culp was instrumental in founding the department and served as its chief from 1977 until his death.

A plaque and photographs will also be presented to Culp’s wife and daughters during the ceremony, Ellison said.

There are also plans to place a bench at the station in memory of Culp, and county officials will unveil new street signs naming a portion of County Road 51 after the late chief.

The portion runs from the intersection of 51 and County Road 42 down to the station.

The entire community is invited to attend Saturday. There will be free hamburgers and hotdogs.