The Philadelphia Historic District’s “52 Weeks of Firsts”  continues this weekend with a Saturday “Firstival” at the Fireman’s Hall Museum, commemorating the city and nation’s first volunteer fire company, formed in 1736.

The weekly celebrations highlighting America’s 250th birthday showcase a variety of marvels, inventions and events that first happened right here in Philly. The first two weeks recognized the first successful balloon flight in America and then the Mummers Parade as the nation’s first folk parade.

Brian Anderson, a firefighter and curator at the Fireman’s Hall Museum, said he was excited to get to tell the history of firefighting in the “52 Weeks of Firsts.”

“This is just outstanding,” he said at a press conference held at the Mummers Museum. “Telling the story about how Ben Franklin started the first fire company in 1736 when they were using bucket brigades and hand engines, to how we evolved to today, the equipment that we’re using doing the same mission of saving the general public and protecting property.”

The “firstivals” are free public events that run each Saturday of the year, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., kicking off each “firsts week” and offering entertainment and activities, including a sculpture painted by a local artist and selected by Mural Arts Philadelphia, music, giveaways and storytelling by Historic Philly’s Once Upon a Nation historical experts.

Artist Jenn Procacci painted the “No. 1” sculpture this upcoming week. The subject had special meaning to her, she said.

“My grandfather was a volunteer firefighter and I love civic service, so I wanted to support that topic by working with the volunteer fire company museum, firemen’s hall, to get the right imagery on their ‘first,’ and just honor the bucket brigade,” she said.