Up to 300 enjoy National Night Out at Bucklin Park
EL CENTRO — Imperial Valley summers are full of Grade-A opportunities to stay indoors. On Wednesday from 7 to 9 p.m. at the El Centro Police Activity League — in conjunction with the local Target store — endeavored to give people a reason to instead venture outside and stretch their legs a bit at Bucklin Park.
The event was part of National Night Out, an annual community-building event conceived by the National Association of Town Watch, which dates back to 1984.
The first National Night Out was a subdued a air. NATW simply suggested that folks leave their porch light on and sit in front of their homes. Wednesday’s event had a bit more to it. In furtherance of NNO’s stated mission of “promot[ing] police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make our neighborhoods safer, more caring places to live,” PAL coordinated with various local law enforcement and emergency response agencies (including El Centro Police Department, the Fire Department and the county Sheri ’s O ce) to provide the public with opportunities to get to know them in a friendly atmosphere.
PAL also brought in representatives from various city and county services (like El Centro Regional Medical Center, city Parks and Recreation, the Center for Employment Training, LGBT Resource Center, the Center for Family Solutions, etc.) to provide information on their various programs.
Of course the real hook was the free hot dogs, chips and lawn games furnished by Target, which has been the event’s sponsor for several years.
There was also the requisite shaved ice truck on site. PAL Director Edward Preciado was on hand and indicated that he was pleased with how the event was turning out, estimating the attendance to be in the 200 to 300 range.
He said was pleased to “provide the public with the opportunity to go out and meet law enforcement officials that serve the community and to learn about programs available (locally).”