Events scheduled for Aug. 6 in all three towns in Page Valley
By Randy Arrington
LURAY, Aug. 2 — Now in its fifth year in Luray, Police Chief C.S. “Bow” Cook is hoping for a good turnout for National Night Out from 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 6 at the Commuter Court (Park-N-Ride) along the Hawksbill Greenway.
“We started in 2019 and then COVID slowed us down. We really are just getting started, while it has been embedded in other communities for a while,” Chief Cook said this week. ” We want to reach out to as many people as possible… and hope that someone will take something away from one of the agencies that night that will help them in an emergency situation.”
First introduced in 1984, the inaugural National Night Out drew millions of participants nationwide in 400 communities across 23 states. The “annual community-building campaign” promotes partnerships between law enforcement, local agencies and residents.
“One of our biggest accomplishments in law enforcement is to break down barriers where we live and work… we are the community, we are part of it, we just get paid to work in it,” Chief Cook said. ” We want to help prevent crime and promote safety… but mainly, we want parents and kids knowing we are there to help… more events like this will help them realize we are one of them, and we are there to help.”
The festival-like atmosphere will include 16 different agencies or business represented, plus the El Amigo food truck and Flotzie’s ice cream truck. There will be door prizes and giveaways, including two flat screen TVs, pizzas from Dominos, and gift cards to various local businesses.
Luray’s K-9 officer “Boone” will be on hand for demonstrations, as well as vehicle and equipment tours by the Luray Volunteer Fire Department, the Rescue 3 Boat Team, the Page County Sheriff’s Office and Page County Fire and EMS. Information booths will be set up by Page County Public Schools, the Page Alliance for Community Action (“Hidden in Plain Sight” trailer), Page County Ruritans (suicide awareness and prevention), Shenandoah Valley Electric, Page County Health Department, Valley Health/Page Memorial Hospital, Shenandoah National Park, and local youth sports organizations.
“It showcases resources available to the community,” Chief Cook said. “We want to build relationships with first responders in the community as well… so we all feel comfortable in emergency situations.”
The Town of Stanley has been hosting a National Night out event a little longer than Luray, and Chief Ryan Dean says crowds have reached to nearly 1,000 with the added attraction of FREE hot dogs and FREE swimming at Hawkbill Pool.
From 6:30 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday night at Hawksbill Park just off Marksville Road, the Stanley Volunteer Fire Department and Stanley Volunteer Rescue Squad will bring vehicles and be on site to mingle with kids and adults in attendance, alongside police officers. Vehicle tours and giveaways will also take place, with organizations like the Page County Ruritans, Shenandoah National Park and Page Memorial Hospital at the park to share information.
For Chief Dean, he sees success of the annual event simply being “the community coming together as a whole and enjoying themselves.”
“It’s like the Trout Day we host [in the spring]… we dress down and try to blend in,” Chief Dean said. “They see us in a different light when we’re not in our regular, full uniforms… They see us as regular people, not just police.”
The Town of Shenandoah will be hosting its second National Night Out Ice Cream Social from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday evening at the Police Department, 411 Second Street.
“Each year National Night Out is celebrated across thousands of communities from all fifty states,” reads a message on the Town website. “It is an opportunity to enhance the relationship between neighbors and law enforcement. The Town will provide free ice cream and toppings as supplies last.”
In the 41 years since its inception, the National Night Out program has been attended by nearly 40 million people in more than 17,000 communities, including 141 localities in Virginia. Events are held on the first Tuesday in August in all 50 states, as well as some U.S. territories and military bases.
For more information about National Night out,
visit https://natw.org/
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