Area communities to celebrate National Night Out
Submitted
Young residents take part in last year’s Hoops and Scoops free-throw competition at Grant Street Park in Uniontown as part of National Night Out.
Submitted
Residents in Uniontown play cornhole with members of the Uniontown City Police last year during the annual Hoops and Scoops event at Grant Street Park as part of the annual National Night Out program.
Submitted
Residents of Mon Valley communities check out fire trucks lined up at last year’s Mon Valley Night Out, part of the National Night Out program that unites first responders and community members.
A number of local municipalities will take part in events this Tuesday to mark National Night Out, a day meant to bring community members together with the first responders who serve them.
National Night Out, held the first Tuesday of August, is a nationwide annual campaign that started in 1984 to promote police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make neighborhoods safer and more caring places to live.
This will be the sixth year Uniontown has held an event, said Steve Strange, executive director of the East End United Community Center (EEUCC). From 5 to 8 p.m., all are invited to Grant Street Park in the city for “Hoops and Scoops,” a reference to basketball and ice cream.
“At Grant Street Park, we have the right location and ample space,” Strange said, “and outdoor summer time hoops in Uniontown and Grant Street go hand in hand.”
Strange said the event includes an age-based free throw competition, kicked off by Uniontown Mayor Bill Gerke tossing the first shot.
“After that we will have the first responders three-point shootout, and then announce the contest winners and present prizes,” he said.
Strange said Mark Suchev, president and owner of Apex Cleaning Supply in Uniontown, and attorney Tom Shaffer will provide Nathan’s Hot Dogs. The event will also include basket raffles, dancing, music and prizes.
Strange said National Night Out is an invaluable way for all community members to create bonds with police. He described a photo of a state police trooper kneeling down to put her hat on the head of a young child who attended last year’s event.
“To me,” he said, “that picture represents why this event is so great.”
Coleen Hughes, executive director of the Westmoreland Drug and Alcohol Commission, has similar feelings about why The Mon Valley Night Out, which includes departments from Washington, Westmoreland Fayette counties, is so important.
“(W)e wanted it to be kid friendly so kids in the Mon Valley know the police and the first responders are their friends and know they’re here to help, not hurt them,” said Hughes.
Hughes’ agency, along with Rostraver Police Department and the Drug and Alcohol Commissions in Washington and Fayette counties, started participating in National Night Out in 2018.
Monessen hosted the first two years, Charleroi hosted in 2021, and the event moved to the DiVirgilio Recreational Complex in Rostraver last year, where it will again be held from 6 to 9 p.m. this Tuesday. There was no event in 2020 due to the pandemic.
“It was a huge success,” Hughes said, adding it was their biggest turnout. “We had over 2,000 people who attended the event.”
Representatives from a number of departments are expected to attend, including Rostraver, California, Charleroi, Donora, Elizabeth Township, Monessen, Monongahela, North Belle Vernon, the Washington County Sheriff’s Department, West Newton and Southwest Regional Police. Members of fire departments from Rostraver Central, Rostraver Webster, Belle Vernon, Charleroi, Fayette City Fallowfield, Lock#4, Monessen, Smithton and Sutersville and Rostraver/West Newton EMS are also expected, she said.
To further strengthen the bond between the youth and the first responders, Hughes children at the event will receive a “passport,” used to collect first responders’ signatures and a raffle ticket for prizes ranging from bikes and games to iPads and ear pods.
Other offerings include face painting, raffle baskets, food trucks, and local businesses and organizations sharing information with community members. The evening with end with fireworks around 9:15 p.m. and a performance the band The Lyin’ Hearts.
The event, with a rain date of Aug. 4, coincides with the township’s 250th anniversary celebration.
“The Rostraver Township Police have done a wonderful job with seeking out sponsorships to give these kids numerous opportunities to win prizes,” Hughes said, adding there will be gift baskets donated by businesses in all three counties.
Proceeds will benefit Rostraver Township Police Department’s Santa Cop program, which assists over 300 families. Prize winners will be announced around 8 p.m.
All of the National Night Out activities get communities closer to being unified, said Hughes.
“I think that it’s about positive interactions with first responders and bringing the communities together,” she said. “I like the fact that all three counties in the Mon Valley are working together. It’s not just a Westmoreland County event, it’s a Mon Valley event.”