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Community Gears Up For National Night Out
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With just a couple of days left for sign-ups, Escalon officials are anticipating another successful National Night Out in the community on Tuesday, Aug. 4.

Coordinator this year is Sara Cardoso with the Escalon Police Department and she said she will take sign-ups through the end of the day Friday, July 31. Those wanting to host a neighborhood gathering can contact her via email, at scardoso@cityofescalon.org.

Applications are also available at City Hall on McHenry Avenue.

“We have four so far,” Cardoso said of participating sites on Tuesday morning. “We will be sitting down to go over everything and plan it out.”

The ‘plan’ will see a contingent of police, fire, city and emergency services personnel traveling in a caravan on Tuesday, making stops at each of the neighborhood events to visit with residents. The goal of National Night Out is to get people out of their homes, seeing who their neighbors are and meeting with police and city officials in a relaxed, informal setting. The caravan does bring some excitement with it – typically running ‘lights and sirens’ through the community as they move from stop to stop.

Local youngsters also enjoy the chance to tour the fire trucks, ambulance and police cars that stop in their area and there are always some giveaway items, this year to include beach balls, glow sticks and mini flashlight whistles.

Confirmed gatherings as of presstime on Tuesday were at Chardonnay Court, Colombard Court, Jonathon Court and Mission Street.

Police Services Manager Dorothy Vandagriff said they were still waiting to hear from a few others that have participated in the past but do anticipate having several stops for the caravan on Tuesday.

The evening officially begins at 6 p.m. and runs through about 9 p.m., giving the caravan members a chance to stay at each stop for a short time. Gatherings in the past have included barbecues, neighborhood potlucks, ice cream socials, music, bounce houses and more.

As the title indicates, National Night Out is observed around the country on the first Tuesday in August, designed to send a message that communities are united and ‘taking back the night’ from criminals.

Police officials said it’s always a good idea to know your neighbors, and Night Out is a way for neighborhoods to come together, fostering solid police-city-community relations.