Danny Medina, office of emergency telecommunications services of Trenton
DeHart Park was buzzing with activity last week as the Township of Maplewood and its police department hosted a National Night Out event.
The event offered free food, a DJ, bounce houses, pony rides, and resource tables manned by members of local organizations offering information about their activities or services.
National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make neighborhoods safer. It’s a night where communities host events like block parties, festivals, and cookouts to foster positive relationships between residents and local law enforcement, while also raising awareness about crime and drug prevention.
South Orange and its police department held a similar event on Floods Hill as did municipalities across New Jersey. The well-attended South Orange night included bounce houses, a bounce slide, grilled hamburgers and hot dogs and an outdoor screening of the movie “Dog Man.”
In Maplewood, Melissa Mancuso, director of community services, was at one of several resource tables in DeHart Park sharing information about upcoming events and programs for kids and active adults.
Gabriel Suarez, local health outreach coordinator of Maplewood Health Department, was at another table sharing resources on his department’s programs.
Dina and Kay of the Domestic Violence Response Team for Maplewood had information on their organization but said they had to remain anonymous and only provide their first names. They are on call 24/7, to help police speak with victims of domestic violence.
Bob Landau, chair of scholarships for the Maplewood Glee Club, had an informational table.
“We give scholarships every year,” Landau said. “We’ve been around since 1947.”
The Maplewood Glee Club is a group of avid singers. There are no auditions. It’s open to all men who sing. Currently there are 67 members. They perform songs ranging from Bruce Springsteen to Motown, Christmas songs, Hannukah songs, and “a lot of silly songs,” he said.
They performed last month at Maplewoodstock.
Natasha Osborne, children’s librarian at Maplewood Library, was proud to talk about their new facility, where more than 4,000 people showed up on the first day. She said about 1,000 people per day come to visit the library.
“We are needed in the community,” she said.
Dancette Pratts, owner of Inspirational Dance Studio, shared that her dance troop recently placed in the top three in the Elite Dance Competition that was held in Cape Cod a few weeks ago. The dancers were Adela, 15; Zoe-Phoenix, 11; Helena, 12; Sweenlyne, 17; and Gianna, 14.
A.J. Eus of Maplewood was there with her 9-year-old niece Clarke.
Eus said she loved all the activities, especially the bounce houses.
“It’s fun for kids,” she said. “A fun environment. Keeping busy on a summer night.”
Vanessa Noney of Maplewood was there with her 10-year-old daughter Brooke.
“Summer nights, it’s something to do,” said Noney, as Brooke was about to take a horse ride for the first time.
Tolu Kadri said she was enjoying the variety and seeing her daughter’s classmates.
Toni Marshall said she likes the diversity of the town.
The Maplewood Police Department is located at 1618 Springfield Ave., Maplewood. To learn more, visit: https://maplewoodpd.org/
About the Author
