HOWELL – The Howell Township Police Athletic League hosted its annual National Night Out event at Soldier Memorial Park off of Maxim Southard Road.
According to the PAL’s website, “National Night Out is an annual event that promotes community safety and strengthens the relationship between local law enforcement and the neighborhoods they serve. The event aims to raise awareness about crime prevention, encourage community involvement, and foster positive connections between citizens and law enforcement.” Another reason for the event’s existence is to build relationships between emergency services providers and the people that they serve.
The event included vendors, stands, and multiple displays, with many of them coming from the various emergency services that work in Howell. A lot of stands represented certain causes as well, using the event to spread awareness.
One such booth was the 1-800-Gambler booth. This stand was at the event to spread awareness of the dangers of gambling and how it can ruin lives. They attended the National Night Out with a specific goal in mind: to help spread the ideas of prevention and awareness to younger people, so they would be equipped with the knowledge about it later in life and could make better choices. With gambling becoming more accessible through various phone apps, the need to spread awareness of gambling addiction becomes much more important. The event also had a drug awareness booth, which came to the event with similar intentions.
Many of the emergency service organizations that were in attendance had displays that included their vehicles. Several ambulances, cop cars, and fire trucks lined the main pathway of the event. One such vehicle belonged to the Howell Township Office of Emergency Management. The Office of Emergency Management was at the National Night Out with the intention of spreading awareness of, and preparedness strategies for, various natural disasters. According to the township website, the purpose of the office as a whole is to maintain a high level of preparedness to protect the citizens of Howell; to mitigate loss and life and assets before and during a disaster and in the aftermath; and to facilitate the recovery of Howell Township in the mid and long-term intervals following a disaster.
Representatives from the office attended the event, distributing emergency preparedness packets and encouraging individuals with disabilities to register with the town so that they can provide extra assistance in the event of an emergency.
Another group of emergency service workers that had a display at the event was the Howell Township Police Emergency Medical Services. Their display included an inside look at one of their vehicles, allowing eventgoers to see what it is like to be in the back of one of their trucks.
The event also included a graduation ceremony for the Howell Township Police 2025 Youth Law Enforcement Boot Camp Cadets. These cadets, who recently completed their summer program, were given special recognition on the main stage during the event. The program itself lasted eight days and consisted of classroom instruction on police procedures and roles, various police work drills, and different types of physical training.
Several organizations and businesses from around the Howell area were also in attendance. Chick-fil-A, which is located on Route 9, had a stand at the festival along with Flagstaff Bank, which is located on Lanes Mill Road. Other local businesses included Art Beins Karate and Kickboxing, along with Art Soccer Training, a soccer training school off of Kent Road that offers private and group lessons. Brookdale Community College was also at the event, handing out information about scholarships and the school.
The event also included a lot of typical town fair attractions, including an ice cream truck, various arts and crafts vendors, and a face painting table.
