La Grange-area police departments staged their National Night Out event Aug. 5 at Denning Park in La Grange in an event that included all four towns served by the Lyons Township Communications Center.
It was a new location for the event featuring emergency responders from La Grange, La Grange Park, Western Springs and Countryside.
“This is our first time hosting it,” La Grange Police Chief Timothy Griffin said as the night got underway. “What we’re doing now is rotating it between each of the four communities. We’ve got a nice event planned tonight, we’ve got all the agencies, we’ve got a beautiful night, we’re happy everybody’s out. We just want to have an opportunity to engage the public and make ourselves available. If people have questions, just come and ask us. … You can call and ask us about anything. That’s what we’re here for, to be open and engaged with everybody in the public.”
Musician Billy Gray opened the evening at 5 p.m. with a rendition of the national anthem, and people gathered in the park until 8:30 p.m.
In addition to the various police and fire department equipment on display, there were face painting and crafts for the children, pizza and burger vendors, and a water balloon toss where youngsters got to throw water balloons to police officers.
Several hundred visitors drifted through the Night Out at various times, with the Lyons Township High School’s South campus providing ample parking and police providing safe transit across Willow Springs Road.
La Grange Park is one of 156 Illinois towns to participate in the event that has grown from being a small neighborhood gathering in suburban Pennsylvania to a national phenomena.
The National Night Out website describes the event as a “community-building campaign” that promotes “police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie.”
It began in the early 1970s when officials in the Lower Merion Philadelphia suburb began a community watch event that in 1981 grew into the National Association of Town Watch and then morphed into the first-ever National Night Out event in 1984.
“National Night Out is all about bringing the community together,” said La Grange Park police Chief Tim Contois. “With the police departments and the officers meeting on a non confrontational basis, interacting, having that positive feeling and just getting out and having a good time.”
Several elected officials attended, including village presidents James Discipio of La Grange Park and Mark Kuchler of La Grange, La Grange Trustee Peggy Peterson and La Grange Park Trustees Mike Sheehan and Jamie Zaura.
“I think it’s great that it’s in La Grange this year and it’s great that the towns have come together to host it jointly,” Kuchler said.
La Grange Park resident Jeff Bloom attended with his two children, his father, and stepmother.
“This is probably my fourth or fifth National Night Out,” he said. “I think the kids get a lot out of it. They get to see the trucks and they get to see the police officers and the firemen up close.”
Some of the visitors were familiar faces. Former La Grange Park Trustee Lavelle Topps and his wife, Francine, were pleased with the event.
“I love this and I’m glad they did it,” Lavelle Topps said. “I’m glad they did the collaboration.”
Francine Topps agreed about the towns working together and said “you’ve got the park for the kids, you’ve got the music, and enough parking.”
Hank Beckman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
