Local towns will sponsor National Night Out festivities Aug. 5 and some have lots planned.
Kearny
Kearny’s event takes place from 6 to 8 p.m. on Belgrove Drive between Afton Street and Bergen Avenue.
Sgt. Jack Grimm and the Community Oriented Policing unit will have some of the usuals, including a bounce house, a fire-hose demonstration and more. There will also be a small petting zoo for children. The Kearny Police Department’s new mobile command center will also be present for residents to check out.
Also, the Kearny Police and Fire departments will square off in their annual softball game.
Food, including from Stella’s Empanadas and Mr. Softee will be available along the area.
“I’ve always enjoyed getting out and meeting our residents on National Night Out,” Mayor Carol Jean Doyle said. “I’ve always treated public safety with the utmost care and seeing people of all ages interacting with our great police department is always heartwarming. If you’ve never been to the event, please try to make it this year. You won’t regret it.”
Belleville
The Township of Belleville’s annual free celebration takes place from 6 to 9 p.m. at Belleville High School’s Municipal Stadium.
The Belleville Police Department, Mayor Michael Melham and the Township Council invite residents to come out for a night full of music, games, food trucks and more than 30 vendors.
For kids, there will be bouncy rides, train rides and a touch-a-truck area.
Other games, for kids of all ages include kickball games and a tug of war.
Belleville’s own DJ Ralph Tunis will keep the party going.
National Night Out is a way to foster connections between police and the public since the first one was observed in 1984.
“The police department is front and center in our community every day of the year,” Belleville Mayor Michael A. Melham said “To me, National Night Out gives us all a chance to recognize the efforts of our police officers — the men and women whose mission is to keep us safe and sound.”
“Fostering ties with the community, on an ongoing basis, helps us do our job better,” Chief Mark Minichini said. “And that job is to proudly protect and serve the people of this community.”
North Arlington
The Borough of North Arlington invites residents to its event which features family friendly music, free food and live demonstrations by the police and fire departments and volunteer emergency squad.
Festivities will run from 6-9 p.m. at 214 Ridge Road, right behind borough hall.
The band She Said No will perform that night.
Hamburgers and hot dogs will be given out and there will be an ice cream truck offering sweet treats.
“We have a wonderful community and fantastic first responders,” North Arlington Mayor Daniel H. Pronti said. “This event is planned to be both a fun evening outdoors with friends and neighbors and a way to educate our residents on how to avoid becoming victimized by criminals.”
“It is important that our police department and the community we represent have a friendly and trusting relationship,” North Arlington Police Chief Michael Horton said. “This event is a fantastic opportunity to foster those relationships, improving the safety of our borough and keeping North Arlington an excellent place to live.”
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Kevin A. Canessa Jr. is the editor of and broadcaster at The Observer, an organization he has served since 2006. He is responsible for the editorial content of the newspaper and website, the production of the e-Newspaper, writing several stories per week (including the weekly editorial), conducting live broadcasts on social media channels such as YouTube, Facebook, and X, including a weekly recap of the news — and much more behind the scenes. Between 2006 and 2008, he introduced the newspaper to its first-ever blog — which included podcasts, audio and video. Originally from Jersey City, Kevin lived in Kearny until 2004, lived in Port St. Lucie. Florida, for four years until February 2016 and in March of that year, he moved back to Kearny to return to The Observer full time. Click Here to send Kevin an email.