For the first time in many years, there will not be a specific emergency services vehicles ‘convoy’ visiting every National Night Out gathering in Escalon.

With an average of six or seven neighborhood events offered, the caravan had been a staple for more than 15 years, bringing police, firefighters, ambulance personnel, city employees and members of the Escalon City Council to each for a bite to eat and a few minutes to socialize.

This year, police officials said they will try to have a couple of officers stop by the gatherings, but the department won’t be coordinating the large scale convoy. Down some personnel and with a variety of other issues factored in, officials said the convoy just won’t come together this year. Council members may individually choose to visit the various sites and the fire department and ambulance squad may get involved but it would be on a smaller scale.

Police Services Manager Dorothy Vandagriff said neighborhoods planning to observe National Night Out on Tuesday, Aug. 6 can call her with their information and location at 691-7301 and that will be passed along to officers, fire and ambulance personnel.

The first year for National Night Out in Escalon was a structured, community wide event in 1995, hosted at Main Street Park. The following year, 1996, various gatherings were put on by different neighborhoods and the caravan idea was formed. Most years, one caravan covered all the Night Out gatherings, but once there were so many that the group split into two, each one taking half the festivities.

Longtime participants have included a barbecue on Chianti Court, the Saron Lutheran Church potluck, and a Mission Street gathering.

Vandagriff said so far this year, planners for a gathering on Colombard Court and one on Chardonnay Court have been in touch with her, so those sites are already on the schedule.