‘We’re here to help’

DALLAS TWP. — When asked about his favorite part of Dallas Township’s National Night Out, Parker Kohli had plenty of things to choose from.

Kohli, 5, who was attending Night Out with his seven-year-old brother Mason, could’ve chosen the police cars. He could’ve went with the fire trucks, or the bounce house, or the food.

He opted for a simpler answer: “My favorite part is the whole entire thing.”

With law enforcement agencies and first responder companies from all over the Back Mountain teaming up with authorities at the state level, and some of the region’s premier organizations, there was plenty for all to enjoy at National Night Out, held in the Dallas High School parking lot Tuesday night.

The park at Birchwood Hills in Plains Township was equally alive Tuesday night as law enforcement and first responders threw a bash for their community in celebration of National Night Out. (More on that below.)

Dallas Township police chief Doug Higgins stressed the importance of the annual Night Out, featuring face painting, games and activities and opportunities to check out the vehicles driven by first responders in the course of duty.

“I think this is one of the most important aspects that we have, to get out into the community, meet the kids, meet the neighbors,” Higgins said. “It’s heartwarming … I want the kids to know that we’re here to help.”

This year marks Dallas Township’s third Night Out event, with the inaugural event in 2019 and a year off in 2020 due to COVID-19.

Higgins said that the event has been growing year by year, and it was easy to see that growth in Tuesday night’s crowd: Long lines at the food vendors, big crowds of people checking out the squad cars and plenty of activity at the dozens of tables set up by organizations throughout the Back Mountain and the surrounding areas.

Each of these organizations had their own fun in store for the children: for Kunkle Kennels, that fun came in the form of candy and a free T-shirt raffle.

“It’s great to see everybody come out,” said Jen Tregan, from Kunkle Kennels.

Right next to Kunkle Kennels was a table for the Kunkle Fire Department’s Junior Firefighter program, a program that company chief Jack Dodson says is crucial to the future of their department.

“The junior firefighters are going to be the backbone of our department,” Dodson said. “They’re the ones that will keep us alive.”

The Kunkle company and several other fire departments from around the Back Mountain brought the whole fleet of trucks to Dallas High School, and they were a big hit all evening long.

The Trucksville Fire Department allowed children to climb up to the top of the truck, offering quite the view.

Fire safety instruction and tips were also taught to passersby by the Back Mountain Regional Fire Department, educating the youngsters on what to do in case of an emergency.

The educational aspect is a big part of National Night Out, according to both Dodson and Higgins: Not only tips on fire safety, or general safety practices, but also to teach the next generation of potential police officers, firefighters and EMS workers how to do the job and save lives, when the time comes.

“We’re trying to get young people involved … hopefully, we’ll be able to get them involved,” Dodson said. “If we don’t get the community involved, the fire companies aren’t going to be here.”

Just as important for Higgins, National Night Out gives the children a chance to see the men and women behind the uniforms, and to let the community know that the local police forces are on their side.

“A lot of times we get a bad rap, but I want the kids to know that we’re people too,” Higgins said. “We’re here to help, we’re not here to hurt.”

That sentiment was made crystal clear, as the community came out in full force to meet, greet and support the local police and fire companies.

Of course, there were other perks too: when Cassidy Schlichter, 4, climbed out of the front seat of the Kingston Township police car where Officer Courtney Hontz was giving her a tour, she said that she was having fun in the car, but Schlichter’s favorite part of the evening?

“I liked the french fries.”

Foam party, fireworks highlight Plains Twp. event

Plains Township Police Chief Dale Binker said of the evening, “This is a nice community event. Agencies from Wilkes-Barre, Kingston and everywhere else come together and everyone gets to mingle and eat. Plus, we have a foam party for the kids. I’ve never seen that before,” he said with a laugh.

Officer Saif Mahmoud added, “This is a good way for the kids and the community as a whole to get used to seeing cops out and about, to be more unafraid of speaking with us, whether it’s for help or just casual conversation. It’s a good community building space.”

And with live music, free food, demonstrations, raffles, hay rides, the aforementioned foam party courtesy of The Foam Party Guy, there was no shortage of excitement, things to do or smiles in the packed crowd. There were also numerous vendors in attendance, further representing the community, such as Liberty Tax, A & B Sunrooms, and Mission BBQ.

Pennsylvania State Trooper Nic Lakkis, representing Troop R out of Dunmore, took a break from a slice of pizza and admiring kiddos to share his thoughts.

“Obviously the world we live is a little different right now, but this is all about the youngsters. We want the kids to be comfortable with first responders — anything from police to military, you know? We’re here to help and when they need help we don’t want them to be afraid to come to us,” he said. “So, events like this allow us to let them see that we’re friendly and we’re people, too. And they can approach us and talk to us. I think things like this are great. And as far as State Police goes, we try to get in involved in as many events like this as possible.”

The night was capped off with a fireworks display provided via Pizza Paul’s Fireworks.

As departments across the country take part in the annual celebration to unite police and first responders with the communities they serve, it’s safe to say that Plains Township, and surrounding municipalities, are in capable, dedicated, and friendly hands.