Scott Swanson
National Night Out won’t be happening in Sweet Home this year but just about everything else relating to local public safety will be at the Ninth Annual Jim Bean Memorial Safety and Crime Prevention Fair from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, July 21, at Sankey Park.
The public is invited to turn out for a chance to talk with representatives of various local law enforcement and public safety agencies at the event.
Because National Night Out falls on Aug. 2, which is the first Tuesday after the Oregon Jamboree, organizers decided not to try to celebrate it this year, said Gina Riley, Sweet Home Police Department community relations officer. The park is fenced off for the Jamboree and the clean-up usually takes several days.
She said there will be an emphasis on how Sankey Park is a place Sweet Home residents can take their children and “that they’re safe in the park.”
“We’re doing it at Sankey Park on July 21 and we’re inviting Neighborhood Watch groups,” Riley said.
Getting there early is advisable.
The first 200 people to show up will get a free hot dog and a soda. Also, the REACH helicopter is scheduled to land at 6 p.m. and stay an hour – unless its crew gets a call (which happened last year), said city staffer Cindi Robeck, another organizer.
The Jake Blair Band of McMinnville will perform. Leader and guitarist Jake Blair, a Lebanon native, has performed professionally since the age of 13, according to his website. He’s opened for acts such as Joe Bonamassa, Curtis Salgado, Linda Hornbuckle, Patrick Lamb and Jefferson Starship. He’s also played with David Vest, Robbie Laws, Anson Funderburgh, Garry Mezziere, Ellen Whyte, Jesse Samsel, Gary Burford, Ty Curtis, Ben Rice, and many others. Blair has a room named after him at the McMenamins Hotel in McMinnville, complete with his picture painted on the wall.
The band specializes in “sophisticated blues” with Blair known to use his harmonica as a slide with his guitar.
Also, residents are encouraged to bring documents they need shredded by a truck provided by LinnCo Federal Credit Union. ‘’
“We haven’t had the shredder truck for a couple of years,” Robeck said.
Also on tap are exhibits and information on child safety, home safety and crime prevention, a child identification service that will fingerprint and photograph participants – “a whole gamut” of activities and services, Riley said.
“That’s why we’re inviting everybody – fire, police, county, state, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, United Way, the Chamber of Commerce. It’s totally free. We will have free bike inspections, free bike registrations, free bike helmets for kids who don’t have one.”
The Sheriff’s Marine Patrol is expected to participate and the U.S. Forest Service’s canine patrol officer Drex and his handler are also scheduled to be there.
“We’re just gearing up to have as much information and fun as we can for the night,” Riley said. “We just want families to come down and spend the evening in the park.”