FAIRMONT — On Tuesday the Fairmont Police Department is inviting people to celebrate Fairmont Night Out from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Gomsrud Park in Fairmont. The event will include an opportunity for people to meet new officers and chat with some they already know. There will be Police, SWAT, Ambulance, and Fire trucks on display, and the Police Department and Fire Department will engage in a game of Horse Shoes.
There will also be a meal provided, consisting of hot dogs, potato chips, cookies, and Culligan water. The event is part of National Night Out (NNO), which was founded in 1984 and is meant to offer an opportunity for communities to promote fellowship and safety.
NNO was initiated by young Philadelphia resident, Matt Peskin, who had a desire to help neighborhoods regain control of their community by taking a stand on one summer night each year to gather within their neighborhoods. The idea took flight and soon spread to cities across the country.
According to information provided by National Night Out, Peskin spent several years volunteering for the Lower Merion Community Watch program, which works in cooperation with the Lower Merion Police Department. During his tenure of volunteer work in the township, he often patrolled his neighborhood assisted in patrol dispatch and shortly thereafter introduced the program’s newsletter becoming a representation of the success that took place within the organization and the volunteer work put forth by over one thousand neighbors.
In 1981, Peskin established the National Association of Town Watch to provide community watch groups the necessary information, resources and assets to stay informed, interested, involved, and motivated within the community. Neighbors and local law enforcement across the nation supported the association as it steadily grew for the next three years.
Finally, National Night Out was introduced in August of 1984 through an already established network of law enforcement agencies, neighborhood watch groups, civic groups, state and regional crime prevention associations and volunteers across the nation. The first annual National Night Out involved 2.5 million neighbors across 400 communities in 23 states.
Fairmont Police Chief Mike Hunter has previously stated that the department looks forward to the evening, as it provides an informal opportunity to be available, have some positive interaction, and make themselves available to talk to people.
The vehicles on display are a big draw for children and families, which helps develop some of that positive interaction between people and law enforcement.
The event, like so many others, was canceled in 2020 due to Covid restrictions. Hunter stated that there was a question of whether or not the event would occur this year, but it was ultimately decided to go ahead.
“We weren’t sure if we were going to move forward with it,” he said. “But we’re going to keep it a kind of low-key event.
“We’re going to ease back into it and if people are able to attend, great. If they still have concerns we understand that and we hope to see them next year.”
In a previous Sentinel article, Hunter has said that he personally enjoys the opportunity to thank the community for its continued support over the years.
“I always enjoyed it when we did that back in the early 2000s and it started to become a big production. But I still think the best time spent was those one-on-one conversations, just being able to answer questions, being available and for us to thank people for their support.”
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