LAKEHURST – For the second year, National Night Out was a team effort between the Manchester and Lakehurst police departments.
National Night Out, which started in 1984, is the biggest nation-wide community event that gives police the opportunity to interact with the communities they serve.
Once again, the free event ran from 6 to 9 p.m. at Lake Horicon in Lakehurst. There were food trucks, free drinks, prizes, giveaways, live music, games, and a petting zoo.
This also marked the second year for a police donut eating contest which last year had the home team of Lakehurst having beaten the men in blue from Manchester.
This year was different. This year the contest ended in a tie, twice. A participant from Manchester however maintained his department actually won but The Manchester Times can neither confirm nor deny who actually scoffed up the most donuts (six seemed to be the magic number) and at the fastest rate. This year’s donuts came from the newly opened Wawa store in Lakehurst.
Mayor Robert Arace of Manchester was there along with Lakehurst Mayor Harry Robbins. Members of both municipal councils were also present plus a whole lot of people who came out to enjoy the festivities.
Parking around the borough was at a premium during the event and both Manchester Police Chief Robert Dolan and Lakehurst Police Chief Matthew Kline said they were pleased with the great crowd.
“The turnout is excellent. We are happy that Manchester Police and Lakehurst Police can get together on such a good night at such a good event,” Chief Dolan said.
“This is all community based. We also have a lot of educational stuff and we’re doing PT test here,” the chief said pointing to a youngster doing pushups as a Manchester police officer gave some encouragement and counted his repetitions.
“We also have the goggles over there,” the chief added noting that they were used to simulate the effects of drugs and alcohol on balance as a prevention measure to the public.
Mayor Robbins and his wife were standing behind the fence to the Lakehurst Elementary School where the Robert Wood Johnson/Barnabas Health emergency transportation helicopter would soon be arriving on the field next to the school building.
“We have a great crowd out here tonight,” the mayor said. He and his wife recalled a large crowd at the recently opened Wawa just a few weeks earlier.
Once the helicopter arrived, attendees got a chance to take a peek inside the cockpit and learn more about the service the aerial ambulance provides.
Ocean County Sheriff Michael Mastronardy was also present and he brought along some friends in the form of Ocean County Commissioner Barbara “Bobbi” Jo Crea and Officer McGruff the crime prevention dog. McGruff posed with attendees including the Kline family.
The law enforcement mascot has taught millions of people that the police can’t fight crime alone – crime prevention is everybody’s business and everyone can help “Take A Bite Out of Crime!”
Through television commercials, comic books, live appearances, and more, McGruff has encouraged people young and old to take common-sense steps to reduce crime.
The Sheriff has a very close rapport with McGruff and he was pleased with how the crime prevention dog provided messages to young people at the event. McGruff even did a bit of a jig when the trio visited the Ocean County Sheriff Department’s tent by the lake.
Some Facts About McGruff
There are 4,000 active McGruffs (number of costumes in use). McGruff has a classy Corvette, a monster truck in Arizona, and a wiener wagon in Florida. But most of all, he likes to ride in patrol cars assisting law enforcement.
McGruff’s favorite crime-fighting techniques are to teach children specific tips to be safe at home and school and to help law enforcement officers do their jobs better.
The mascot is a “ham,” so he loves doing public service announcements for television and radio or posing for print or billboard advertising. He had many photos taken of him during this event.
“It is a beautiful night for this. McGruff is really entertaining the children,” Commissioner Crea added.
Chief Kline said, “once again we’re here in Lake Horicon. I think we have more people this year. It is great to see both communities come together with law enforcement for a great cause.”
The Lakehurst First Aid Squad provided free water ice in a variety of flavors. Other organizations also got to showcase themselves and DJ music kept the crowd moving throughout the evening.
