Eighteen years ago, Philomath hosted a National Night Out event for the first time. Set up in the Thriftway parking lot, the three-hour gathering on Aug. 1, 2006, featured various public safety vehicles on display while live music filled the evening air and the Mothers Against Meth group operated a food booth.
The city’s new police dog was also on hand along with his partner, Dave Gurski.
“The following year it was at the police department and we had the dunk tank and had a really good turnout,” said Gurski, who is now Philomath’s chief of police. “Once this shelter was built, it was kind of a little bit better of a venue for some of the booths and things … we have a really good space here.”
Through those years, other locations included the middle school and for a stretch, it was split up between a couple of local churches. One of the constants has been Gurski — he’s participated in every single one since that inaugural year.
“I hope there’s a little bit of education with some of the booths that are out here and then also, I hope they see that we’re human as well and that we’re approachable and we’re here to help,” Gurski said. “I think we’ve always had a friendly face in Philomath — this police department has — and this has always been a good event to help foster good relationships.”
In addition to Philomath Police, several other public safety agencies were on hand, including the Benton County Sheriff’s Office and Philomath Fire and Rescue. A number of local organizations also had booths set up to share information and meet with the community.
“It’s just great to meet members of the community on a positive note versus a negative note and for residents to get to know our firefighters and for us to get to know our residents,” Philomath Fire and Rescue Chief Chancy Ferguson said. “It’s all about building relationships.”
Jonathan Olp, Benton County Sheriff’s Office reserve deputy, volunteered for the event.
“I just like doing it to make a difference,” he said. “It’s been fun … I’ve had nothing but good interaction.”
National Night Out, established nationally in 1984, takes place each year on the first Tuesday in August with the intent of strengthening relationships between law enforcement and their communities.
“We’ve had a lot of really good community support over the years and this is probably the one that we look forward to the most,” Gurski said about Philomath’s event. “We’ve got the Trunk or Treat event … and all of the outreach that we do at the schools with the bike rodeo, Safety Town and that stuff and those have been really popular events, too.”
Including Gurski, Philomath Police had four personnel scheduled to participate. Among them was Sgt. Brandon Thurman, who was stationed at a police vehicle, which always proves to be a popular stop for youngsters.
This is such a great event! I brought my kids yesterday, and they loved the passport activity in which they could pick a prize for visiting all of the booths. Also, as it said in the article, it’s all about building relationships. Strong relationships build strong communities!