Charles City enjoys National Night Out

By Travis Fischer, tkfischer@charlescitypress.com

The Charles City community filled Central Park on Tuesday as the Charles City Police Department hosted the annual National Night Out.

Part of a nationwide program designed to forge relationships between communities and law enforcement, National Night Out invites residents out for an evening of free food and activities with police officers.

“It was awesome. A huge success,” said Community Officer Duane Ollendick, who coordinated the event.

Not only were police officers on hand to engage with the community with activities and photo-ops, other first responders were also there with their own attractions. Paramedics from AMR gave kids a tour of an ambulance while the Charles City Fire Department set up hoses for water ball.

Floyd County Sheriff Deputy Luke Chatfield was also there with K-9 Deputy Sirius, who was popular with the kids visiting the park.

An estimated 800 people came out to Central Park to partake in the free meal, enjoy the activities, and learn about health and safety at the numerous stands across the park, with Ollendick estimating that this year’s event was the most well attended in Charles City since it began.

While the evening was organized by the Police Department, it takes the collaboration of many area organizations and businesses to put together.

There was more than enough to eat as Fareway provided hotdogs and buns for the event, which were grilled up by Hy-Vee, while Maria’s Tacos brought in hundreds of sandwiches and chips to pass around.

Cash donations from Hauser-Weishaar Funeral Home, CUSB, and McDonalds went toward inflatables, paper dishes and other expenses, while members of the CERT team volunteered their time to help the officers watch booths.

Along with free food and fun, kids also got a head start on their back-to-school preparations, with the United Way sponsoring a shoe giveaway, handing out 400 pairs of shoes for kids of all sizes and ages.

Similarly, the Salvation Army, working with Zoetis, passed out 200 backpacks filled with school supplies for pre-schoolers through 4th graders. An additional 50 backpacks will be distributed to Rockford and Nora Springs students.

The Hy-Vee Fitness RV was also on hand to challenge kids to fitness activities in exchange for prizes.

One of the new features for this year was a collision simulation machine brought in by the Iowa State Patrol. Capable of simulating a crash of about 10 mph, the machine demonstrates the importance of wearing your seatbelt even during slower car trips.

“People don’t realize how much it jerks you even going 10 mph,” said Ollendick.

With warm weather and plenty of activities, the night turned out to be an enjoyable evening to bring the community together with law enforcement officers and other first responders.

“I think the kids and everyone had a blast,” said Ollendick. “It was a good time.”