Dominic Nicora, Jr. is all smiles as the five-year-old shakes the hand of Agawam Police Chief Eric Gillis.
Reminder Publishing photos by Mike Lydick
AGAWAM — Loren Forastiere Kastner has been coming to Agawam’s National Night Out (NNO) since the town’s police department organized the first one in 2013. She’s never disappointed.
“I like all the demonstrations — the Jaws of Life and the K9 dogs especially — but what I really enjoy is seeing everybody from the community,” said the Agawam resident. “It’s a good community event that has something for everyone.”
Since 2019, Forastiere Kastner has brought her daughter Melody, 7, to NNO. “My favorite thing is seeing all the emergency vehicles — seeing them makes me feel safer,” said Melody as she stood next to Agawam’s newest police vehicle, a Ford F-150 pickup.
They were among an estimated 1,000 people who showed up for the event sponsored by the Agawam Police Department and its community partners Aug. 6. APD Officer Jeff Hichborn said the crowd exceeded his expectations.
“It was way more than I was expecting since rain was predicted and the concert was cancelled because of the weather. Normally, we would have more people because the concert draws people to our event. So, I’m very happy with the turnout,” said Hichborn.
Another person who was happy with the number of people at NNO was Mayor Christopher Johnson.
“This is a phenomenal event for our community. It’s good to see a large crowd — especially with the threat of rain. It’s great to see so many children here, too,” he said.
NNO — also known as “America’s Night Out Against Crime” — promotes “neighborhood camaraderie” among residents by having public safety personnel available to talk with the public. Sponsored locally by the APD and nationally by the National Association of Town Watch. Agawam one was of nearly 16,000 communities across the country that held NNO events on the first Tuesday in August.
Agawam residents Dominic Nicora Sr. and Sara Mirolli brought their five-year-old so Dominic to NNO so he could “see the good side” of police officers and firefighters. “It’s important for him to interact with these first responders so he can understand the important work that they do in our community,” said Nicora.
Mirolli added that it was good exposure for their son to learn about the work of police officers as well as see some of their vehicles. “Dominic has expressed an interest in being a police officer, so this was a good experience for him. He even got to meet Eric Gillis, our police chief, and shake his hand. He was thrilled to do that,” she said.
Karen Sadowski of Agawam has been bringing her grandchildren to NNO for many years. This year she came with her five-year-old grandson, Grayson Besaw. “This is a great event for kids — lots of giveaways for them, plus they get meet first responders in a personable and friendly way and see lots of emergency vehicles,” she said.
One of Grayson’s favorite police vehicles was an armored truck from the Massachusetts State Police. This specialized piece of equipment — called the BearCat — is used by the Special Tactical Operations (STOP) team.
“It was pretty cool. I sat up really high,” he said after being in the driver’s seat. “I saw the jackets they wear and got to touch some of switches in the cab.”
Garry Brinn never misses NNO. The Agawam resident has made a point of coming to every one since it started 11 years ago. “It’s always interesting. I always like to come to see what type of emergency apparatus is on display. Afterwards, I always have a much better appreciation of the work our first responders do every day”
Agawam’s Fire Department brought some of its vehicles — including an ambulance and a fire truck. It also brought its Jaws of Life — which firefighters use to extricate victims involved in vehicle accidents, Using hydraulic tools — cutters, spreaders and rams — firefighters removed doors, cut roof posts and then removed the roof of a Toyota sedan.
It’s a demonstration that Natasha Cassidy of Agawam always watches. “It has special meaning to me since I was involved in an auto accident when I was in high school,” said Cassidy, who has been attending NNO for the past seven years. “This demonstration is always interesting to me being on other side and seeing how they use the tools.”
Along with local first responders and personnel from the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department the town DPW and Republic Services, which provides Agawam’s trash and recycling service, displayed some of their equipment.
The high school’s robotics team was on hand with its robot — Rosie— to demonstrate how it performs complex tasks. Other organizations represented at NNO included AAA Northeast, the local Boy Scout troop, Agawam City Council, Agawam Emergency Management, Agawam Veterans Council, the school district’s Family Resource Center, Friends of the Agawam Veterans Cemetery, Interstate Towing, New Day Church, King Ward bus lines with Boomer, the mascot for the Springfield Thunderbirds’ mascot, radio station Q99.7, River Valley Counseling and Sacred Heart Church.
