'Night Out’ Grows
Montgomery County authorities are celebrating their second successful National Night Out event.
This year’s event was held Aug. 1 at Fountain Square Park. While last year’s National Night Out drew large crowds, event organizer Brad Baker said attendance this year was even higher.
“Some estimates put the numbers over 1,000. There was food planned for 1,000, and by 7 that night it was almost gone, so we were definitely way up in numbers. It is so hard to say exactly how many there were, as there is no way to get an accurate head count. Ron Kloewer with MCMH deployed his drone above the park; he did an awesome presentation for the Memorial Day Ceremonies at Evergreen, so we are hoping there is a little bit of footage from Tuesday evening, and it may give a better idea of the crowd size,” Baker said.
In addition to the larger crowd sizes, Baker said there was an uptick in activities in which people could participate.
“The Court of Honor put on a formal opening ceremony for us this year. Also, AgriVision, the ISU Extension, and the FFA were sharing ag safety information with an actual combine. That was a huge new spark of interest. Petersen and Weston Racing was very popular; Fareway brought their Tribute Semi, Crossroads Church brought bounce houses and other activities, and numerous other businesses and entities brought vehicles or booths for displaying. Also, our original partners showed back up and brought even more to the event. The pie in the face auction was good for some great laughs as well.”
Baker added the event also led to some new partnerships for the Red Oak Police Department.
“This event has brought together SWCC and the ROPD, as well as several other individuals to prepare a distracted driving program. We were able to have a soft unveil Tuesday evening and it garnered a lot of attention, something that as we move forward, will have growth and impact on the future in this area,” Baker advised.
All Fire agencies within the county had personnel in attendance. Red Oak Police, the Red Oak Fire Department, and the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office were all represented. Apparatus was brought from Elliott, Stanton, and Villisca. Emerson and Essex were represented. Law enforcement officers were present from the Iowa State Patrol, DNR, Page County Sheriff’s Office, Atlantic Police Department, Mills County Sheriff’s Office, BNSF, LifeNet. Baker said he was happy for another successful year.
“Most definitely pleased. Overwhelmed. We have improvements to make, on the planning and executing side; but this is a work in progress. It has grown so rapidly, that there has to be some growing pains. There is no way we could not be humbled and thankful for the many people who take the time to help us out, and to show their support. Absolutely hard to reach out and show our appreciation back to a community for helping make NNO – Red Oak happen, and that includes the donations of time, manpower, financial, and emotional support.”
Baker said it was hard to put into words how much it meant to him and other law enforcement, rescue agencies, and military personnel.
“First responders do their jobs on a 24 hr a day, 7 days a week mentality. It’s not like the corporate world where you are rewarded or recognized for what you do or accomplish; first responders may “accomplish” 2,3,10 major tasks/events in a shift all without the gushing of appreciation – it’s the job. This little part of SW Iowa is very unique to the world around us. People want to come and support Public Safety here, but they also agree with us that safety of the public takes everyone working towards a safer, healthier environment. If there is a motto it would be all want to try and affect the future of one person. Perhaps something at NNO, will have that impact down the road. Maybe one young person will remember something that was experienced on Tuesday evening, and a different route/path/decision will be made,” commented Baker.
While this year’s event has just recently come to a close, Baker said plans are already in the works for National Night Out, 2018.
“We already have had some great suggestions, some calls/emails/pictures have been shared. I think at this point with the large show of support for the event and the response from partners already planning their parts for next year, we will be looking at continuing to grow. The food chairpersons have already had some conversations, and several of our partners have already reached beyond their doors to enlist the help of their corporate offices, or other resources they have,” Baker advised.