The Ligonier Valley Police Department, along with the Borough of Ligonier and the Township of Ligonier, invite the community to participate in the second annual National Night, to be held from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, August 2. , in the Lot of arrondissement A, opposite the YMCA.
Sponsored annually across the United States on the first Tuesday in August, National Night Out (NNO) began in 1984 as a way to strengthen community and police relations and bring neighbors together for a night of camaraderie and of pleasure.
First staged in the valley in 2019, Ligonier was awarded rookie of the year honors by the NNO organization for best event for the first time, but has been on hiatus for the past two years in due to the coronavirus pandemic.
According to Mariah Fisher, Vice President of Ligonier Borough Council and President of Parks and Recreation, an activity-packed evening is on deck for NNO 2022, which will also celebrate Ligonier Township’s 200th anniversary.
“The four local Ligonier fire companies (Ligonier Borough, Waterford, Wilpen and Darlington) will be participating and they will graciously donate hot dogs, lemonade and water to the event,” said Fisher, who also added. that Giant Eagle will donate popcorn to be distributed throughout the night.
“Each fire company will bring a truck to the event for children to explore and there will also be police cars and an ambulance (Mutual Aid Ambulance Service).”
A live demonstration with Ligonier Valley Police K-9 Kilo and his handler, Sgt. Jim Friscarella, will take place at 6 p.m. and a standoff between the police and firefighters will begin at 7 p.m. A vehicle extrication demonstration will be performed by firefighters at 8 p.m.
DJ Renee will provide the music for the festivities and the Ligonier BSA 372 and 1372 troops will help children make their own first aid kit. Also in attendance will be the Pennsylvania Game Commission and the office of State Representative Leslie Rossi.
Chalk, bubbles and coloring pages will be available for children while community-donated baskets will be raffled off to benefit the LVPD K-9 program. Attendees will also have the opportunity to dunk members of the police department and government officials in a dunk tank.
“Our event is about allowing the community to meet the important first responders who work so hard for us, as well as helping these groups raise money through donations that night,” Fisher explained.
“We look forward to the community coming out and supporting these groups and learning a little more about what they do for our community and having fun while we’re at it.”
