We think you deserve a nice night out on the town. One where you can watch police officers drill each other with dodgeballs. In front of a couple thousand of your closest friends.
That may or may not be a perfect reflection of the mission statement for National Night Out (hint: it’s not), but all of those things can happen Aug. 6 when the annual crime prevention program returns to Rollins Park on Broadway from 5 to 8:30 p.m. The event is held in cities throughout the country and is in its 30th year of promoting cooperation between community members and police.
We’ll put it as lyrically as we can: It’s a fantastic community unity opportunity.
“I think that’s an important aspect of police work, to be involved with the community,” said officer Ryan Howe of the Concord Police Department. “Being close, making the police accessible to the community. It’s a great event.”
National Night Out, a program of the National Association of Town Watch, Inc., was designed to heighten crime prevention awareness, generate support for and participation in local anti-crime programs, strengthen neighborhood spirit and policy community partnerships and “send a message to criminals letting them know that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back,” according to release from the police department.
So how do you do that? Affordable food, plentiful games and an inflatable slide. Then again, that’s how you do anything, really.
The night features something for just about everybody. There will be food, drinks and music (courtesy of a DJ), animal displays, contests and other youth activities (including the aforementioned inflatable slide), a rock climbing wall and the Badge Ball dodgeball tournament, which will pit teams from several organizations, including the Concord Police Department, against each other. Howe said other groups likely to enter a dodgeball team include the Concord Fire Department, the New Hampshire State Police and Concord Hospital. Teams are made up of 10 members, and cost to enter the tournament is $100 per team.
There will also be police demonstrations, including those involving the K-9 and explosives units, wildlife displays and animal encounters, fire safety and fire prevention presentations and Touch-A-Truck opportunities with police, fire and construction vehicles. Banks Chevrolet and N.H. Safe Kids will team to provide vehicle restraint system demos, and there will be bike safety demonstrations by the Central New Hampshire Bike Coalition and S&W Sports.
In addition, there will be more than 35 safety, health and service booths, as well as other information display tables. There is no cost to attend the event, and all food and water will cost $1. There will be a free shuttle to the event from 2 Pillsbury St.
“We try to keep the cost low,” Howe said, noting the event is self-funded. “Obviously we couldn’t do it without all the community support and help.”
To that end, the police department is asking that all area businesses and residents turn on their outdoor lights from 7 to 10 p.m. as a show of support for law enforcement and the National Night Out program.
“I think it’s just a great event to bring the public together,” Howe said. “It’s a night to bring the community together, to raise awareness and fight back against crime. It’s a nice community event.”
Last year more than 3,000 people attended the event, Howe said, and the department is hoping to meet or exceed that number this year.
“The only thing we can’t plan on is the weather, but we’re hoping just like last year that it’s a beautiful night,” Howe said.
For more information on the event, or if you are part of an organization that would like to be involved, contact the Concord Police Community Resource Unit at 225-8600, ext. 3738, or visit concordpolice.com.
