Latest news with #NNO
Chicago Tribune
12-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Park Ridge police chief says National Night Out helps build ‘social capital with the community'
The Jesse White Tumblers and a 'Back to the Future' DeLorean time machine vehicle were among the attractions at National Night Out in Park Ridge. The Aug. 5 gathering at Hodges Park was one of numerous annual NNO events nationwide – also including in nearby Morton Grove and Niles – which is billed as providing an opportunity to bring police and residents together. Park Ridge Police Chief Bob Kampwirth told Pioneer Press that National Night Out is a good way to build a positive relationship between the police department and the community. 'This is an event that we host to connect with the community, especially the younger people, the kids. This is really an event for the kids,' Kampwirth said. 'It is just to get people together and have a nice, fun event and show the kids before they go back to school.' Kampwirth said National Night Out helps children see the police are there to offer assistance or advice. 'If they need help or they have questions, we want to make them feel comfortable. We don't want them to be afraid of us,' Kampwirth said. 'We want to make sure that we're building social capital with the community and let them know that we care about them.' Kampwirth said the community helps to lift police officers' spirits. 'The appreciation that we're seeing from the community and the kids, that is tremendous. If the parents like us, the kids are going to like us because they look up to their parents,' Kampwirth said. The event included a trackless train, children's games and activities with Brian Wismer Entertainment, magician Amazing Adamz, Chicago Bears mascot Staley, face painting and a mobile gaming truck. National Night Out also featured a mechanical bull, a Blues Brothers mobile, food, giveaways and a Park Ridge police officer as a disc jockey. Park Ridge resident Veronica Cross told Pioneer Press she attended the event because it fosters a relationship between children and the police, who are also present at events including 'Concerts in the Park' and 'Taste of Park Ridge.' 'The kids feel pretty comfortable around them, which I think is a pretty important thing so (kids) see them as a good role as opposed to a scary, bad role,' said Cross, who was at the event with her family including her daughter Caroline Cross, 8. Park Ridge Police Department Executive Officer Tom Gadomski told Pioneer Press that a popular National Night Out spot featured Park Ridge bike shop Wheel & Sprocket along with one of the city's bicycle officers, who talked about new city regulations for e-bikes and electric scooters. 'Everybody wants to know about them and the different classifications,' Gadomski said. 'Ask us about it. We'll tell you so it's our way of reaching out and just getting to know the community and just being approachable.' Gadomski mentioned other highlights of the night, including a new inflatable rodeo, Lin-Mar Towing from Morton Grove returning with their biggest trucks to raise the flag and Wayne Messmer, who returned to sing the national anthem, being introduced with the Chicago Bulls theme song and smoke. 'It's basically a giant block party that we're trying to have for the community. National Night Out is celebrated in so many different ways,' Gadomski said. Park Ridge officials state on the city's website that National Night Out in the north suburb is designed to enhance the relationship between neighbors and law enforcement while bringing back a true sense of community. Mayor Marty Maloney told Pioneer Press that the event, which has grown every year, offers police officers a chance to interact with the community in a relaxed setting as opposed to a heightened situation such as an emergency or a traffic stop. 'We're at a unique point in the country where some of the relationships between the general public and law enforcement may not be perfect,' Maloney said. 'I think it's really important to give everyone a chance to interact in this type of an environment.' Maloney, who described Park Ridge as a cross between the fictional Mayberry town in the TV sitcom 'The Andy Griffith Show' and the fictional Bedford Falls from the film 'It's a Wonderful Life,' said the city's police officers invest in relationships with the community through events. Park Ridge resident Alissa Pump told Pioneer Press she attended National Night Out for a second year to support the community and the effort to make children feel more comfortable that a police officer can help them in any situation. 'Just the awareness and the positive impact police and public safety has around the community, I think they do a great job,' said Pump, who participated with her family, including her 2-year-old son Johnny.
Chicago Tribune
12-08-2025
- Chicago Tribune
Maine Township National Night Out included farm animals, food collection for community food pantry
Maine Township joined other municipalities and police departments nationwide to host a National Night Out event, and the township's is billed as one of the oldest celebrations. The township National Night Out Against Crime event took place Aug. 5 at Dee Park in unincorporated Des Plaines. It was among many events presented on the first Tuesday in August across the country for the annual campaign aimed at promoting police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie. Maine Township Clerk Peter Gialamas told Pioneer Press the celebration was coordinated with the Cook County sheriff's office, the Niles-based Golf Maine Park District and the Des Plaines-based North Maine Fire Protection District. 'One of the goals of National Night Out is to really bring the community and the local law enforcement together, and we've found that National Night Out does a great job of that,' said Gialamas who has chaired Maine Township's National Night Out committee for about 12 years. According to the township website, the NNO theme this year was, 'From Patrols to Partnerships, We Are In This Together.' The night offered games, entertainment, raffle prizes, activities, demos, JG's Reptile Road Show, a petting zoo, popcorn, popsicles, representatives from Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge and a safety walk. 'They get to see the police officers that are patrolling the streets on a daily basis, get to talk to them, get to see the vehicles that we use, and it really is a great way for the community to interact,' Gialamas said. Penny Mateck, from the sheriff's community relations unit, told Pioneer Press the partnership to bring National Night Out to Maine Township goes back more than 30 years. 'We want the community to feel safe. We want them to feel comfortable coming to us with questions or whatever their concerns may be,' Mateck said. 'This is a really great way in a non-enforcement kind of event to connect with the community and let them know who we are.' According to Mateck, the sheriff's office offered activities such as 911 trivia as a teaching element especially for younger children and brought out vehicles including those used by the bomb unit, police and the Special Weapons and Tactics, or SWAT, team. 'The kids can sit in the squad cars. They can sit where the police sit. They can sit in the back seat where bad guys sit,' Mateck said about how the community is engaged. 'For some reason, the kids like to sit in the back seat and check that out.' Mateck said the sheriff's office also brings one of its bomb-sniffing canine officers and some of its partner agencies bringing their K-9s. 'We're out here every year on the first Tuesday of August and it's a time where the police and the community can come together,' Mateck said. 'It's really in an effort to keep the community safe and fight crime.' The event also featured the 'Stuff the Squad' fundraising effort, which Mateck said accepts grocery donations for the Maine Township food pantry that is located in Park Ridge. 'A lot of times donations are low, so this is a way to try to help them through the summer months,' Mateck said. Maine Township includes parts of Des Plaines, Park Ridge, Niles, Glenview, Morton Grove and Rosemont. According to Maine Township's website, National Night Out, which also was sponsored by Neighborhood Watch and community businesses, Gialamas said NNO is part of an effort to educate residents on crime prevention and safety. 'It's very important that they trust the law officers that are patrolling the streets,' Gialamas said. 'Especially the young kids, if they can see them, meet them and understand they're here to help them, that is just something that continues to grow and builds trust in the community.' Mateck explained that the police and the community collaborate to combat crime. 'The community is really the eyes and ears for the police department,' Mateck said. 'They will call the police when they see something suspicious. They will tell us things that help solve crime so that partnership is really important because they're really the other portion of the team that works together to keep the community safe.'
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Devin Townsend is taking an indefinite break from touring but promises 'dozens' of projects to come
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Devin Townsend has announced an 'indefinite' break from touring, advising anyone who is planning to see him onstage to come along to his forthcoming US dates. After that, well, it's vacation time. With the rising costs of touring, the logistics involved, and the amount of time spent away from his family, the prolific Canadian prog-metal guitar trailblazer released a statement, saying it was time to press pause. 'Over the years, I've heard it countless times: 'Dev, take a break… please.' But the flood of ideas, the excitement, and the support of incredible musicians and listeners have kept me going, kept me touring, and kept me grateful for a life on the road,' he writes. 'That said, things have changed – especially since the pandemic. Booking tours now means planning up to two years in advance. With fewer venues, fewer crews, and a saturated touring circuit, it's become more challenging than ever to line things up.' Townsend does not say how long he will be off-road for. But his upcoming dates in North America will be the only live shows in the foreseeable future. Those who can't make it could point can relive the live production of The Moth, Townsend's most ambitious – most audacious – work, and stream it in 4K UHD from On Air (priced £20.99), where it is available on demand until 28 May 2025. The Moth tells the story of life, from birth to death, and Townsend's performance of it in the Netherlands saw him accompanied by the NNO symphony orchestra and choir, plus his regular band featuring Mike Keneally, Darby Todd, and James Leach. That Netherlands show is and will be the only time he performs The Moth in its entirety. Townsend, however, will be back onstage. He just doesn't know when. Right now his priorities – familial and musical – are at home. 'Life has simply caught up with me,' he writes. 'My parents need help, my dogs are on their last legs, the kids have moved out, The Moth is nearly complete, and truthfully, I need some time to breathe and recalibrate.' And also he needs some time to devote to a the projects that have been pushed aside by Townsend's touring schedule, chief of which is The Ruby Quaker Show, a YouTube series to 'explore the dozens of creative ventures' that Townsend has prevaricated over. What sort of form will this take? All-sorts, says Townsend. There will be some weird stuff too. 'Albums, worlds, inventions, and strange, wonderful ideas I've postponed for years – now I'm making the time to bring them to life, without that familiar pressure of knowing I'll be gone again in a month,' he writes. Townsend's latest studio album, PowerNerd, is out now via Inside Out. His US dates start on 2 May in Nashville. See Devin Townsend for upcoming tour dates and ticket details.
