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Date: 7/28/2016
EAST LONGMEADOW – The town’s 2016 National Night Out is set for Aug. 2 from 5 to 8 p.m. at East Longmeadow High School and will feature a sky diving team this year.
“If the weather cooperates we’re going to have a sky diving team come in from Ellington, CT, and drop in so to speak, no pun intended,” Police Chief Jeff Dalessio told Reminder Publications.
The Fire Department is set to provide a few demonstrations that evening, including a car cutting demonstration and a live side-by side fire and sprinkler burn demonstration, he noted.
Dalessio said other demonstrations being explored include a bomb squad robot demonstration and one featuring a police dog.
“Those are still being finalized,” he explained.
The classic car show, which has been a staple National Night Out in past years, would likely continue, Dalessio said.
“We have our regular vendors that come every year and we like to see new ones participate,” he explained. “Moving forward next year, we’ll probably make a little better effort to get out to the different business owners and community organizers in town.”
He noted most of the vendors from the previous year are anticipated to return.
Dalessio said he believes the event is important to the community because it fosters building positive relationships with public safety officials.
“This is the opportunity for them to come out and meet the local law enforcement [and] Fire Department and meet other people in the community and say, ‘Hi’ and get a feeling for what your community is all about.”
He added there’s been negative impact on law enforcement due to recent events, but he believes at a local level there have been many positive interactions with residents with the department recently.
“People have been stopping by [and] showing their appreciation and it’s very good,” Dalessio said. “We’re very appreciative of that also.”
This year also marks Dalessio’s first National Night Out as police chief.
In past years, he helped organize the event alongside former Police Chief Douglas Mellis.
"I think we’ve got it figured out pretty good based on what he’s done in the past,” he added.