Can Sun City’s National Night Out be the largest gathering ever in the community’s history?
Can the celebration approach or exceed such events as last year’s summer concerts at the Fountain View Amphitheater, or maybe the 9/11 presentation narrated by Orion Samuelson at the same site several years ago?
National Night Out cooking organizer Phyllis James (N.19) prepares thousands of literature material headed to Sun City homes for National Night Out. (Photo by Chris LaPelusa/Sun Day)
Neighborhood Watch and Neighbors Helping Neighbors groups think it’s possible this year. They want to attract the biggest crowd in their history, at the National Night Out on August 4. To accomplish this, NW and NHN leaders are going all out to give the 2015 “night out” a new and expanded look, generate more community sponsors, and establish the event as one of the signature activities in the community.
New leaders have emerged to plan and organize the event. It will feature a “new”softball game, free hot dogs, outdoor model train displays, a dance band playing for listening as well as dancing, a fire safety simulator demonstration, and exhibits promoting Neighborhood Watch and the award-winning Neighbors Helping Neighbors program.
“We want to light a fire this year under some of the stay-at-homers who have been reluctant to come out to this event in past years,” said Bob Gienko, spokesperson for the NW/NHN Committee.
Another leader who is promoting the “new” and “bigger” night out in 2015 is Jim Uszler, new president of Sun City’s Neighborhood Watch. He has succeeded Ken Anderson, who was appointed to the Sun City Association board of directors earlier this year after a successful stint at the NW/NHN helm.
Uszler was executive director of the Mt. Prospect Chamber of Commerce for awhile before moving to Sun City and he is an experienced event planner and community organizer.
“We have had some problems with bad weather in the past, so this year, we’re planning a rain option,” he said. “If it rains on Tuesday, August 4, we’ll hold the night out in Drendel Ballroom in Prairie Lodge instead of Eakin Field. “We can’t have a softball game or run model trains there, but we can do everything else. The ideas for expansion started late last year when the softball club told us they would like to stage their annual mid-season all-star game separate from the National Night Out,” Uszler said. “We understood that and we started talking about new ways to generate attendance and stage asoftball exhibition at 4 p.m., when we get started, we will have the presentation of the colors by the Marine Corps color guard led by Commandant Richard Christie. After that, we will present a six-inning softball game between a team of police personnel and volunteers, and fire department personnel and volunteers. I think the police-fire competition will generate a lot more interest.”
The dance band will play from 6-8 p.m., with dancing in the parking lot behind Eakin Field, he added.The hot dogs will be available free of charge as long as they last starting at 4 p.m. Century 21 Realty and Sara Mitchell are sponsoring the hot dogs, Joe Gayton of ADT will offer free bottled water and home security and alarm information, and Heartland Bank is sponsoring the “Let’s Dance” music by the Sun City Let’s Dance band directed by Donna Bressler.
“This is Heartland’s 9th year as a sponsor with us at this event,” Gienko said.
The Illinois Fire & Safety Alliance will present a demonstration of a fire safety simulator, according toGienko. This is a free stranding image of a simulated home approximately 4’x8′. It is designed to teach fire safety by creating awareness of the top hazards in the home. It offers information on the specific facts about fire, and safety features in the home that can help save lives and protect property. It will provide information on smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, residential fire sprinkler systems, carbon monoxide detectors, and an EDITH plan in the kitchen.
Neighborhood Watch and Neighbors Helping Neighbors will have a table with handouts of their new colorful brochure, plus the Yellow Dot personal emergency identity program and the File of Life activities.
“We will also be selling raffle tickets for cash prizes,’ said Gielgud. “This is a fundraiser and we hope folks will be generous with their donations and participation in the raffle,” he said.
Phyllis James will organize the hot dogs. She and her crew will also wear special red aprons acquired for the occasion.
To top it all off, Huntley Mayor Charles Sass, members of the village board, village department heads and employees, along with Huntley Park District employees, all have been invited to attend. Many are expected to appear.
“We believe we have something for everyone here, for folks in Sun City and those in the Huntley community,” said Uszler. “More than 38 million people in more than 16,000 communities throughout America will join forces that night to promote police-community partnership, crime and drug and violence prevention, safety awareness, and neighborhood unity.”
