A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news
A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news
One of the youngest neighbors at the White Pine Drive National Night Out party, Lucas, is all smiles after he got to sit in both a police car and a fire truck during the Tuesday evening event.
National Night Out events like this one along Cloquet's White Pine Drive allow adults and kids in a neighborhood to get to know one another and meet public safety officials like police and firefighters.
Upon arrival at the gathering on Cloquet's White Pine Drive, laughter and conversations echo down the block. Children jump in a bouncy house while firefighters attentively give tours of the giant trucks. Adults enjoy grilled food and chat with each other in lawn chairs scattered around the driveway. Cloquet Police Department stickers are plastered on everybody.
Altogether, the positivity of this gathering encompasses what National Night Out (NNO) is about. The neighborhood around White Pine Trail celebrated NNO on Tuesday, a nationwide community-building event that was introduced in 1984. According to the NNO official website, the gatherings provide a space for neighbors and public safety personnel to come together while bringing back a true sense of community.
In recent years, Cloquet has celebrated NNO in Veteran's Park, with the CPD hosting the event. According to CPD Chief Derek Randall, the event has since outgrown their capacity. This year the police department instead encouraged neighborhoods to connect through smaller events that the CPD and other safety personnel can attend.
"Ideally, neighbors will host the event(s), and the police can attend/engage/interact with our community members and build long-lasting relationships," said Chief Randall, who was present at the White Pine Trail gathering along with other CPD officers.
Melissa Young and Laurie Grussendorf took those words to heart. Together, with the help of their neighbors, they put together a neighborhood NNO event, complete with a bouncy house, scavenger hunt, goodie bags, food, and community safety personnel.
"I think it's really important for these kids with the police departments and all the negativity and stuff to show people the positive side of it," Young said.
Young and Grussendorf wanted to provide a space for new neighbors to get to know each other, while also having a chance to meet safety personnel.
Additionally, they set up a White Pine Drive website with contact information to increase neighborhood security.
An estimated 50 people attended the event, which was held from 6-8 p.m. Tuesday.
"National Night Out is a perfect opportunity for neighbors and communities to get to know each other and build new relationships and camaraderie," Randall said.
Smaller cities in Carlton County held events for the entire community Tuesday. Esko kicked off its Esko Fun Days week with a communitywide gathering at Northridge Park, while folks in Carlton headed to DNR park. Barnum, Kettle River and Moose Lake also held picnics Tuesday for National Night Out.
Wrenshall will kick off Brickyard Days this weekend with a free picnic during a "Community Night Out" celebration Friday, Aug. 6.
Writer Lydia Stone is a summer intern at the Pine Knot News.
