Plenty planned for 25th anniversary of National Night Out

A fun way to meet your neighbors

Friday, Aug. 1, 2008

A dozen neighborhoods in Calvert County will participate Aug. 5 in the 25th Anniversary of the National Night Out providing games, prizes and food for community members.

Some of the communities have been doing it for years and have a set schedule like Broomes Island, said Candice D’Agostino, coordinator for Calvert Alliance Against Substance Abuse Inc.

Some have a carnival-type atmosphere and some are more laid back, she added, like Apple Greene 1 in Dunkirk that is having an ice cream social.

‘‘They do what fits their community,” D’Agostino said.

The National Night Out, designed to heighten crime and drug prevention and strengthen neighborhood spirit, gives communities the chance to meet police and send a message to criminals that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back, said Lt. Homer Rich of the Maryland State Police Prince Frederick Barrack, who is also CAASA president.

‘‘A major goal is to provide communities with an opportunity to meet their neighbors,” said D’Agostino.

Many people do not know their neighbors and they need to; it’s a safety issue, she said.

Along with a visit from police, U.S. Coast Guard and fire crews with apparatus, Long Beach and Calvert Beach in St. Leonard will have pizza, sodas and a 25th anniversary cake, and kids can cool in a dunk tank, while adults take their chance at bingo and a 50⁄50 raffle, said organizer Patty Gay.

The dunk tank has been popular at past events, she said; ‘‘The kids line up for it.”

They also will have carnival-type games, crafts and door prizes from companies who donated items for the event, Gay said.

‘‘The past couple of years it’s been the hottest day of the year. Hopefully it’ll be a little better,” Gay said.

Chesapeake Ranch Estates has been participating in National Night Out for about 20 years, said Tammy Gatton, organizer and head of the CRE Neighborhood Watch.

‘‘We always have a large crowd and it’s something our members look forward to,” she said. Last year was the one year CRE didn’t have one because of the lack of money, but this year they have some money in the budget for it, said Gatton, who has organized the event for six years. It’ll be a low-key event serving hot dogs and refreshments and providing door prizes, coloring books and glow sticks for the kids, she said.

St. Nicholas Lutheran Church in Huntingtown will host the event for its congregation and its neighbors with a potluck dinner, and it will have hula hoops, water balloons and balls on hand for the kids to play with, said Pastor Wendy Deeben. Rita’s Italian Ice will also set up a stand from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

The residents of Prince Frederick Village Apartments, Prince Frederick Senior Apartments and Calvertowne Apartments will be treated to a barbeque and pot luck dinner at the senior apartment community room, said organizer Pam Allen. Residents can participate in a raffle for donated gifts and their kids can play miniature golf, she said.

Three communities are participating for the first time, D’Agostino said: North Beach, August Run in St. Leonard and Calvert Pines Senior Center.

Calvert Pines Senior Center will hold its night out on the lawn starting at 5 p.m. with music by DJ Chip Allen, a retired deputy of Calvert County Sheriff’s Office, said organizer Sandy Marquess. The senior center will provide a cookout with hamburgers and hotdogs for the residents, she said.

The boardwalk is the spot for North Beach’s Night Out with local bands playing, special guest Maryland Junior Miss Hanna Leigh Stone of Huntingtown signing autographs and Calvert County Sheriff’s Office’s K-9 unit demonstrations, according to organizer Diane Burr’s press release.

Representatives from the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office, the Maryland State Police and volunteers from county fire departments and rescue squads will be at all the scheduled communities and U.S Coast Guard and Maryland Department of Natural Resource employees will show up at many of the communities that requested them, D’Agostino said.

‘‘The people are great and they go around to different communities,” D’Agostino said.

Some communities will have ‘‘fast pitch” where a radar gun will clock the speed of a ball thrown, while others have requested the Special Operations Team’s armored vehicle, fire trucks and ambulances for the kids to see up close, D’Agostino said.

CAASA provides the volunteer coordinators with hats, T-shirts, banners, Frisbees, fans and glow bracelets for give-aways, but it’s up to the communities to plan their own night out, she said. SMECO has also been supportive for the National Night Out for the last 10 years, she added.

Since many of the communities would be considered bedroom communities, the National Night Out is a great way to meet neighbors, D’Agostino said.

charvat@somdnews.com