What's with the horns?

[zmgmeister.livejournal.com]

I heard a bunch of air horns sounding at 10 PM, right on the dot. Anybody know what that is, maybe a firehouse horn or a train somewhere? I hear those same horns regularly at noon too.

Comments

[hdaemon.livejournal.com]

If you're close to Route 16, you're probably hearing the Arlington town horn. No idea why they sounded it this evening (Couldn't help but hear it being only a couple hundred yards away), but it normally sounds every day at noon and 6:45pm.

[dancingdeer.livejournal.com]

That's definitely what it was, and it sounded at 10pm tonight to indicate that Arlington started its snow emergency, which will be lasting until 7am. Plows are out - I just came back in from walking the dog, mostly in the streets.

[dancingdeer.livejournal.com]

Oh, right. And normally, they go off twice a day, at noon and at 6:45pm. For "testing" or some such nonsense. It's a Tradition.

Olden days of Agriculture

[modstgodds.livejournal.com]

Actually, the noon and 6:45 horns are left over traditions from working in the fields. It was a call to the workers to come in and eat. I do not know why they have been left in place. I heard this finally after routing around looking for the meaning but I did not keep good research notes so I remember not where I finally got my answer. It may have been from the historian on the Arlington List.

Occasionally, the horn goes off in the morning which I think has to do with school being called off.

[pearlythebunny.livejournal.com]

I don't know if this is true or not, but this is what they said on the Arlington list about the 10 P.M. airhorn:

They are upholding the ancient town tradition of blowing the horn at 10:00
p.m. on the anniversary of George Washington's birth. Washington, as you
might know, spent his 44th birthday in Cooper's Tavern in beautiful
Menotomy.

[zmgmeister.livejournal.com]

Those are all interesting responses. This must be one hell of a horn.

I remember reading on an Arlington list something put together by a local historian about how the horns used to have all sorts of coded meanings years ago besides just school closures, like summoning police to their callboxes or tapping out fire alarms, and how some places even used it to call out the Boy Scouts.

Apparently these codes used to be listed in the front pages of the phone book so you could tell what was happening around town. It even mentioned beacons that would be lit up at night for the same purpose. I wonder if it was like the Bat-Signal from Batman.

Anyway it would be nice if we had a signal like that in West Somerville, maybe if a crime had just been committed to tell people to be on their watch.

Re: Olden days of Agriculture

[bombardiette.livejournal.com]

Interesting. But I bet they continue the "tradition" to do required checks of the system.

Where I work, we check our warning system by playing Reveille at 0730, Retreat at 1630 and Taps at 2100. Of course, these are holdovers from the old days in the military when Reveeille was the call to get your ass out of bed, Retreat was the call to take down the flag and Taps was the call to get your ass IN to bed.

We're already working by the time we hear Reveille, if you can get ANYONE to do the right thing and stop or even stand at attention during Retreat you're doing good...and no one is in bed at 9 pm when Taps sounds, I promise you that.

But, tradition is kept so we can ensure that the warning system is in good working order. ; )

Re: Olden days of Agriculture OR NOT

[modstgodds.livejournal.com]

Actually, I was wrong about the agriculture idea. Evidently, the Arlington Historian has been trying to kill this story for years. There has been talk of putting an air horn FAQ on the Arlington town website which I wish they would do so people could learn about it without having hear false rumors on street corners or at coffee shops. Or even in LJ.... I recall spending some time searching for an official word on it in google and the various websites for Arlington but none of them provided answers. I guess the only way is to slog through the Arlington List posts.

Sorry to lead you all astray. pearlthebunny and zmgmeister are in touch with more accurate research.

[pearlythebunny.livejournal.com]

I think the horn, which I have never heard, must be VERY loud. This is what I found on the "unofficial Arlington home page":

Horn, as in What the *$%@& is that horn that just went off?!??! (that made me jump clear off the sidewalk while shopping in Arlington center at noon the other day)? See, um, ... well, Board of Selectmen? Fire Department? Eventually, you'll find out.

[ron_newman]

The person who posted that, Paul Schlichtman, is known for his rather dry sense of humor.

Re: Olden days of Agriculture OR NOT

[pearlythebunny.livejournal.com]

Also, maybe one could just stop at the Central Fire Station in Arlington Center and say to the fire fighters, who presumably blast the horn daily, "What's up with that horn?" (Of course, maybe they wouldn't give a straight answer, and we'd all be more confused than ever.)

[pearlythebunny.livejournal.com]

That's why I wasn't sure whether to believe it or not. It sounds plausible, but it also sounds as if it could be an attempt to fool the uninformed.

[aquastar.livejournal.com]

The horn is loud ... (I spent my youth at the Arlington Boys and Girls Club and heard it all the time)

But if you are often in the area you sort of get use to it and although you still notice it, it doesn't seem to scare the shit out of you anymore.