Interstate Towing Inc. displays the American Flag at least year’s National Night Out.
Reminder Publishing file photo
CHICOPEE — For its 31st year, Chicopee will host its rendition of National Night Out at Sarah Jane Park, 21 Vivian St., on Wednesday, Aug. 6 from 5-9 p.m., with multiple vendors, organizations, businesses and public safety units scheduled to attend.
The rain date is Thursday, Aug. 7.
Nearly 16,000 communities across the country participate in National Night Out, an event which promotes “neighborhood camaraderie” by having public safety officers available to talk with the public.
It is an annual community building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make neighborhoods safer and a more caring place to live.
Besides having multiple vendor booths set up, the event will also feature K9 demonstrations, a wing eating contest, performances from different school musical groups and conclude with a flashlight walk.
Officer Travis Odiorne, public information officer for the Chicopee Police Department, said the event currently has close to 100 vendors scheduled to attend.
Some vendors will have free giveaways while others will offer information on different resources that community members can benefit from including housing, food or other social needs.
“They offer resources to people in the community that may not realize what is available to them,” Odiorne said.
Although National Night Out is a family-friendly and neighborhood event, Odiorne talked about the importance of residents getting the opportunity to meet and speak with its public safety officers.
“Our department alone, we’re pretty active with our community events, we do a lot throughout the year, but this is just a culmination. It’s the biggest event we do every year,” he stated.
Odiorne said the event usually brings in around 3,000 people each year to interact with different law enforcement agencies and businesses.
Last year, the Chicopee Police Department celebrated an exciting milestone as the city’s National Night Out climbed to 13th place in the country. The achievement reflected the hard work and dedication of city departments, community members and organizers who collaborated to make the event a resounding success.
The award is based on the population of the city and how many people show up to the event.
Chicopee’s National Night Out event ranked 22nd in 2023 and moved up to 13th in 2024 and Odiorne said, “We’re hoping to get a little bit higher this year if we can.”
