Written and photographed
by Will Yurman
John Pitcher served up hamburgers and hot dogs for an hour at Miller Park at the annual National Night Out. “A lot of fun, but the most work in the whole place is serving the food,” Pitcher said with a smile. “Good time though, got to meet everybody.”
And then he saw the foam cannon. “That’s my highlight,” he said. And he wasn’t the only one. The cannon, picture Luke or Han on the Millennium Falcon, blasting away at the enemy, but with bubble bath, attracted kids like bears to honey if I may mix my metaphors.
The first National Night Out took place 41 years ago, in 1984. It was organized to bring together law enforcement, neighborhood watch groups, civic groups and community members. It has grown into thousands of community events across the country, including the one in Florence, which began seven or eight years ago, Pitcher said.
The Florence event is funded with contributions from local residents and businesses. “Everybody can eat for free, they can play on the games for three hours for free. Doesn’t matter how much money you have, you get to play and play everything for three hours,” Pitcher said.
For Pitcher, it’s about making connections with the community outside of the fraught circumstances of being involved, one way or another, in a crime or emergency.
“Unfortunately, some people only see the police when it’s the worst time in their life or when they’ve done something they shouldn’t have done.” So National Night Out offers an alternative. “It’s for the community to get a chance to know us and for us to get to know some of our community.”
This is always such a fun event for our local law enforcement, EMS, and other First Responders to have a very positive connection with our community! Our local, Oregon Dunes Daughters of the American Revolution Chapter. loves participating and helping with this event!