4B | WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2022 | SIUSLAW NEWS | NATIONAL NIGHT OUT
police • community partnerships Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2022 | 6 to 9 p.m. Miller Park, 1651 18th St.
O
n Tuesday, Aug. 2, Florence Police Department is holding its fourth annual National Night Out (NNO). This fun community event brings thousands of families to Miller Park in Florence for an evening of safe activities, free dinner and snacks and getting to know local law enforcement. The event runs from 6 to 9 p.m. NNO is a community-police event in the United States celebrated by over 16,000 communities for the past 38 years. The event is meant to increase awareness about police programs in communities, such as drug prevention, town watch, neighborhood watch and other anti-crime efforts. “We just want to educate everyone in the public,” said Florence Police Department Executive Administrative Assistant Jamie Gorder, who plans the NNO event for the area each year. Florence Police Department will be providing hot dogs and hamburgers, chips, cotton candy and soft drinks at no cost to the public. There will be a variety of giant inflatable play structures and kid games with visits by police officers, City of Florence Public Works, city staff, firefighters, the Coast Guard and paramedics. In addition, local community groups will be in attendance, offering resources and information as well as other activities for families. Local youth will be able to get their face painted, have a balloon animal made and interact with local first responders. Florence Police Department’s 2018 event earned the NNO’s Rookie of the Year Award
due to the positive community interaction it generated. Gorder said the first year was something new and exciting but didn’t have a lot of community expectations. “Going into the second year, we thought, ‘Look what I have to live up to!’ But it is working itself out. We get so much community support,” she said. At the State of the City event on Feb. 2, 2020, Florence Mayor Joe Henry announced, “In 2018, we won the Rookie of the Year Award for our National Night Out from the National Association of Town Watch. How do you top that? Well, our 2019 event won the Outstanding Participant Award! We are one of 20 communities to win this award out of the 16,000 participants.” The 2022 event will feature giant inflatable play structures, dunk tanks, kid games and other activities, along with visits by police officers, Public Works, other City of Florence staff, firefighters, the U.S. Coast Guard and paramedics. The activities will be spread throughout the park, mostly so the inflatable activities can access the park’s electrical grid “I like it spread out this way because some people didn’t know our park was as large as it is and that there are that many baseball fields,” Gorder added. “With the city getting the new snack shack, there’s a part of the park under construction, so I like that we’re utilizing the whole park.” This year will have a DJ from Magic One Entertainment.
She added, “I want people to bring chairs and blankets and just sit and enjoy some great music.” At this point, NNO is still receiving monetary donations from the community. “There’s so much support that it just comes together each year,” Gorder said. “You get support from the community, you get every first responding agency that wants to help out, you get the City of Florence and our city manager saying, ‘Here’s our staff, here’s our presence. What can we do to make this happen?’ People just want to be involved.” NNO, a program of National Association of Town Watch, is an annual community-building campaign to promote law enforcement-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie. This helps make neighborhoods a safer and more caring place to live. NNO enhances the relationship between neighbors and law enforcement while bringing back a true sense of community. It provides a great opportunity to bring police and neighbors together under positive circumstances. Millions of neighbors across thousands of communities in the United States, Canada, and military bases worldwide come together on the first Tuesday of August to celebrate taking a stand against crime by hosting evening community events. Neighborhoods hold block parties, cookouts, children’s events, demonstrations and much more. For more information, visit natw.org and ci.florence.or.us/nationalnightout.
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IN HISTORIC OLD TOWN February 18-20, 2023
Fri-Sun: Great Glass Float Trail Saturday: Wine Trail – 12-5pm Sunday: Chowder Trail – 12-4pm
Saturday November 26, 2022 Cookie, Cocoa & Cider Trail served by local merchants Search for prizes
Florence
Holiday Festival
2022 2021
JOIN US IN HISTORIC OLD TOWN December 2022
Celebrating with Santa
the Annual Light up Your Boat-Float, Hayrides, and Holiday Shopping! Tree Lighting & Caroling at 5:30pm florencechamber.com/events
Thank you Florence Police Department, We appreciate all that you do! True Value Hardware 1750 Highway 101, Florence 541-997-8024 Old School Furniture 1550 6th Street, Florence 541-997-9424 Saw Shop Florence 1550 6th Street, Florence 541-997-2653
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NATIONAL NIGHT OUT | SIUSLAW NEWS | WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2022 | 5B
Show appreciation to law enforcement community
P
olice officers put their lives on the line every day they show up for work. But in spite of the sacrifices officers routinely make, their contributions often go unnoticed. Police officers’ jobs might be thankless, but that does not mean people cannot express their gratitude to the men and women in blue who keep their communities safe. The following are a handful of ways to show support for the police officers who work hard to protect and serve your community. • Support police fundraisers. Police departments fundraisers support various causes. Some might aim to raise funds for sports programs designed to help local youth, while others might hope to raise money for the families of fallen officers. Whatever the motivation for the fundraiser, by supporting
the event you are donating to a good cause and showing the police they and their efforts are being supported. • Teach kids to respect police officers. Police officers have come under consider2019 FLORENCE POLICE NATIONAL NIGHT OUT able scrutiny in recent years, and youngsters may not know and think critically. • Obey the law. One of the how to respond to news stories that do not paint police officers best ways to show respect for in a positive light. Parents can law enforcement officers is to show their support for police obey the law. Should you be officers by teaching their kids called out for an infraction, to respect police. Encourage treat the officer or agent politechildren to come to you if they ly and comply with his or her read or hear stories so you can requests. • Share a positive story. Use help them process the news
social media or your networking connections to share a story of how law enforcement helped you or did something worth noting. • Pick up a police officer’s tab. Police officers work in your community and, therefore, they likely break bread in your community as well. When you see police officers ordering meals at a local restaurant or sitting down to lunch at a neighborhood diner, offer to pay for their meals or arrange payment with their waiter or waitress without letting the police officers know. However, keep in
mind that some departments may not allow their officers to accept these gestures, so always ask first. • Thank a police officer when given the opportunity. Though it seems simple, saying “Thank you” to police officers can reassure them that the communities they work so hard to protect support and appreciate their efforts. Thanking police officers may only take a few seconds, but such a gesture can help police officers better cope with the stress of their jobs. Police officers have difficult jobs that require them to make considerable sacrifices to protect the communities where they work. But it doesn’t take much to show your support for local police officers and express your gratitude for the sacrifices they make every day. — Metro
ENJOY A SAFE NIGHT OUT ON THE TOWN ALL YEAR
A night out on the town can be a great way to unwind, enjoy some cuisine and soak up some local culture. While nights out on the town are all about having fun, it’s important to prioritize safety when going out. A safe night out requires people to remain alert and aware of their surroundings and plan ahead so they don’t put themselves in potentially precarious positions. • Consume alcohol responsibly. According to
the U.S. Department of Transportation, every day 28 people in the United States die in motor vehicle crashes that involve an alcohol-impaired driver. Each of those deaths is preventable if people act responsibly when consuming alcohol. When going out for a night on the town, use a taxi service or ridesharing company to eliminate the chance of driving while intoxicated. When going out with friends, pick a designated
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driver who will abstain from alcohol throughout the night. Men and women who drive themselves but feel like they have had too much to drink to drive home can always keep their cars parked, call a taxi and return for their vehicles in the morning. The cost of the ride home pales in comparison to the cost of being arrested and/or getting into an accident. • Travel in a group. When going out with friends, make sure the group stays together throughout the night so no one ends up alone and vulnerable to criminals. Single men and women should always go out with at least one friend in tow to ensure their safety. Groups out for a night on the town should stay together and resolve to look after one
another throughout the night, even going so far as to ensure everyone safely makes it into their vehicles before group members go their separate ways at the end of the night. • Be mindful of all motorists. Even men and women who abstain from alcohol should be mindful of motorists when driving or walking around during a night on the town. Just because you’re being responsible does not mean everyone is acting similarly. Obey the speed limit and keep ample distance between your vehicle and other cars on the road when driving after the sun goes down. Don’t be afraid to pull over and even telephone the authorities if you notice anyone driving erratically. • Avoid confrontations.
The Alcohol Rehab Guide notes that irritability and extreme mood swings are warning signs that someone may be abusing alcohol. When out for a night, people may encounter those who have had too much to drink. If a potentially volatile situation presents itself, walk way, even if you feel like you’re in the
right. The other person involved may not be of sound mind and might be more prone to violence than he or she otherwise would be if he or she had not been drinking. Nights out on the town with friends are fun, but people must make safety a priority when sampling local nightlife. — Metro
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ALL VETERANS INVITED
The original A&W Drive-in opened in 1961
We invite you to join us. • Tuesday morning Ladies study group @ 10am • Sunday Worship 9:00am and 10:45am Corner of 10th & Maple St. • 541-997-3533 florencecrossroadag.org email: office@florencecrossroadag.org
“National NightINVITED Out is a way to ALL VETERANS
bring neighborhoods and local Police together! Add food and fun and you have a great community event! Way to go Florence!” ~Rep.BoomerWright@oregonlegislature.gov
Jim Hoberg, ABR, ABRM, CRS, GRI BROKER/OWNER
PHONE 541-997- SOLD (7653) FAX 541-997-7654 TOLL FREE 1-866-967-7653 jim@jimhoberg.com www.wcresi.com
ALL VETERANS INVITED
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6B | WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2022 | SIUSLAW NEWS | NATIONAL NIGHT OUT
NATIONAL NIGHT OUT 2021 Pizza • Burgers • Chicken Open 11:00 AM daily. Open late for dine-in or take out. Call-in orders welcome.
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Rotary Club of
KIDS ACTIVITIES & COLORING SHEETS In England, the police are sometimes referred to as this after Sir Robert Peel, founder of the British Police Force. ANSWER: BOBBIES
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Florence Oregon
We are proud to support our local Police, Fire and Ambulance. The Rotary Club of Florence meets 715 Quince Street, Florence, Oregon 97439 Each Tuesday From Noon to 1 p.m. www.theflorencerotary.org CURRENT PRESIDENT: Jane Hanawalt PAST PRESIDENT: Karen Skulley