Highland Park returns annual gathering to its neighborhood roots
More than 20 years ago, Highland Park resident Pat Snoots hosted the town’s first National Night Out in her yard and driveway.
Her husband grilled hot dogs that they’d bought at Sam’s Club, and Officer Lance Koppa drove up in a squad car, which the neighborhood children climbed all over. Another officer brought a fire engine, which the kids — along with some adults — climbed all over as well.
The evening’s goal was simple: to bring neighbors together with the first responders who serve them.
“They wanted to tell us things, and we wanted to hear about them,” Snoots remembered.
Since that National Night Out, Highland Park’s event has moved from Fairfax Park to Highland Park Village, to Lexington Avenue near the Highland Park pool.
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But this year, on Oct. 7, the town’s National Night Out returned to its roots. Highland Park held two evening neighborhood gatherings, one on Southern Avenue and the other on Cornell Avenue.
Koppa and Snoots, who at 81 has volunteered at countless National Nights Out, attended the event on Cornell Avenue outside the home of Camelia Shoemaker.
Adults spent time talking to each other, first responders, and city officials. Younger residents sampled treats and snacks. Many got boosted up to sit behind the wheel of a fire engine.
“This is just informal. It’s very personal. You can walk up and talk to anybody out here,” said Koppa. “Sometimes, it’s very, very simple things. And then sometimes … they might have a pretty big question, and we can help them answer that.”
Koppa said next year’s National Night Out will also focus on community gatherings that introduce neighbors not only to first responders, but also to each other.
“They get to meet us and talk to us, but I think it’s more important for neighbors to socialize with each other,” said Chief Chuck McGinnis, the town’s director of public safety. “I think that that’s originally what National Night Out was supposed to be all about.”
Ginger Koons walked her 6-year-old son, Judge, and 5-year-old daughter, June, over to enjoy the National Night Out fun on Cornell Avenue. The siblings got a “grand tour” of an entire fire engine.
June said that sitting behind the truck’s wheel was the highlight of her experience, explaining that “I got to turn on all the lights.”
Shoemaker, the event’s host, said that the town’s department of public safety had made her role simple and fun.
“It’s easy to say yes to Lance because he’s such a supportive, helpful, and much appreciated member of our law enforcement community,” she said. “I just have a lot of respect for the work that they do, keeping us safe.”
