National Night Out unbothered by weather for second year of rain
- Chuck Thompson
- 11 hours ago
- 4 min read
By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent
Shelby City Park – Once again, the rain showed up for National Night Out as it did last year, but that didn't keep first responders and families away from the fun at The Shelby City Park.
Less than perfect weather caused vendor and organization booths to be moved indoors, but the rain dwindled to a sprinkle long enough for families to check out various local county vehicles on display out front of the main entrance.
Fire trucks, ambulances, Cleveland County Sheriff's Office Command Center and BearCat SWAT / retrieval vehicle, Sheriff’s cars, Shelby Police cars, lots of people and smiles filled the Shelby City Park Tuesday evening.
Hosted by The Shelby Police Department in partnership with The Cleveland County Sheriff's Office, both Sheriff Alan Norman and Shelby Police Chief Brad Fraser commented on the benefits of National Night Out.
"It's a night to interact with citizens that you may not always see and socialize with fellow officers from various agencies and it's great to be able to do this every year and we're thankful to be part of it," stated Sheriff Norman. "I appreciate everyone that came out tonight."
"This is just really great," added Chief Fraser. "Great turn out and great to be here with our law enforcement partners, probation, fire service and EMS. it's a good opportunity for the community to come together and just to come out and visit with the public and each other. I look forward to it every year."
Inside the gymnasium, families and individuals flocked across the room, visiting various booths set up by local government, health / medical, law enforcement and other helpful resources.
Primary winner for the North Carolina House 110 seat. Caroline Eason was there, thanking first responders.
"I'm excited to get to be here at National Night Out in Shelby for my second year in a row," Eason said. "I got to meet so many people from so many walks of life across Cleveland County last year and look forward to doing the same here again tonight. I hope everyone will turn out to vote with the same enthusiasm as is being shown here at National night Out tonight and let their voices be heard on November third."
City of Shelby City Manager Justin Merritt was also present, along with various county and municipality departments, EMS, police, deputies, Boy Scouts, Crime Stoppers, and a plethora of other organizations.
Captain Chris Flowers, of the Shelby police Department, talked about how important National Night Out is for the community.
“This is an initiative that started decades ago. It started out as ‘National night Out against Crime’ and has grown to much more than that,” Flowers said. “It started out with only law enforcement getting out, public safety folks getting out, meeting the community, telling them about resources they might not have known.”
He continued, “Now, we’re actually bringing the resources to the table, to show them and provide some one-on-one education about what we do. We also have so many different booths here, about thirty at least. Atrium Health, fire departments, Highway Patrol, just a plethora of safety resources for the community, and food and ice-cream just make it better every time. The library is here with their bookmobile. Just so much to see and learn form. It's a great resource all together under one roof."
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Despite the rain, Flowers noted the large turnout. "We’re pleased to see so many people in the community come out to see what we do and get to know each other, and answer any questions that we can – and have a good time.”
Crime Stoppers was present both in Kings Mountain and Shelby Tuesday night, as Cheryl Yates explained, “We’re here to let the community know what Crime Stoppers is – a lot of people don’t know, so we’re here to inform the public and how they can make a difference with Crime Stoppers.”
Outside, Sheriff Norman allowed SI to take a tour of the Mobile Command Center, an RV type vehicle retrofitted and prepped for field command and hostage negotiation. Sgt. Frank Towle provided the tour of the Command Center, explaining the inner and outer workings of the vehicle. And Deputy Alex Granados opened the Lenco BearCat Armored Vehicle to see what such a vehicle looks like and its purpose.
National Night Out is an annual event to build the relationship between neighbors and law enforcement, promoting safer communities. It is celebrated on the first Tuesday of August.
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Chuck Thompson is a reporter and columnist for The Shelby Independent.
The Shelby Independent.