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“National Night Out” teams across Terrebonne Parish will gather in an effort to build relationships with local law enforcement
officers.
Each August and October, approximately 16,000 American and Canadian cities and military bases celebrate the event.
Houma Police will take part Tuesday in block parties held to keep the safety awareness efforts going throughout the year. Block parties are scheduled at Maple Avenue Park, East Park, Gazebo, Southdown West, Deweyville, Mandalay Woods and Mechanicville.
Those that participated in the past said they are excited to continue the safety efforts fostered over the years.
For residents of Westgate and Southdown West Subdivisions, this year’s block party will expand and relocate, bringing together community members from both neighborhoods at Westgate Park, moving from last year’s location near the tennis courts in the Southdown West neighborhood.
The event will include activities for the whole family as well as a place to meet and greet neighbors and law enforcement.
“It’s all about neighbors getting together,” Gale Jackson-Wolfe of Westgate Subdivision said. “The police department is very prominent in our community and this is important because it is all about bringing everyone together.”
Jo Ann Caillouet of Southdown West Subdivision said the two groups will meet from 6 – 8 p.m. at Valhi Lagoon Park at the end of Woodwind Drive and the event will include children’s activities, up-close looks at service vehicles such as fire trucks and lots of food.
There will also be entertainment from local cheerleaders, music and a booth from Recycled Paws Rescue.
Near Houma’s downtown area, the Maple Avenue Park Neighborhood Association, along with the Jefferson Davis, Wright Avenue and Kingdom Connection Neighborhood Watch Groups are set to take over Maple Avenue Park for the October event. Mary Lynn Stewart of the Maple Avenue association said residents look forward to the outing every year because it serves as a meeting point for those who may not be next-door neighbors but live in close proximity and allows them to discuss issues that may be a concern to others.
“It certainly demonstrates the partnership that’s being created through law enforcement in communities and neighborhoods,” Stewart explained. “We’re working together to combat crime, but it also brings neighbors together for the first time. We just feel like in the past there’s been something lacking, we’ve kind of isolated ourselves, but now it’s really good to get out and see what’s on each other’s minds. You get to see what each other’s concerns and issues are and by doing this, you are able to converse, visit, get to know each other and strengthen neighborhoods.”
The Maple Avenue Park event runs from 6 – 7:30 p.m. and includes food, sweets, a magician, music and other fun for the whole family.
Organizers also ask for non-perishable food bank donations.
East Park Neighborhood Watch will meet from 6 – 7:30 p.m. while Gazebo Neighborhood Watch will meet from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. at Southdown Plantation’s Buquet Pavilion.
Deweyville will host a block party at Lee Avenue Park from 5 – 7 p.m. and Mandalay Woods residents will meet from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. at 102 Mandalay East. Cost is $5 for individuals, $10 for couples and $15 for families. The Mechanicville block party runs from 6 – 7:30 p.m. and features special guest Houma Police Chief Dana Coleman, Judge Juan Pickett and Terrebonne NAACP Youth Director Diane Collins.
National Night Out is a program run through the National Association of Town Watch, a non-profit crime prevention organization dedicated to the development and promotion of crime prevention in communities across the country.
The first National Night Out was held Aug. 7, 1984 and over 38 million people now take part in the event.
