Westfield’s Big Day/National Night Out will spotlight more than twenty special interactive components for children and families, fashioned by the Westfield Police, when it takes place on the Middle School Athletic Fields behind Amelia Park of both South Broad and West Silver Streets, Saturday, August 6 from noon to 9 PM.
Produced by Westfield on Weekends (WOW) and the Westfield Police Department, the day long festival combines activities designed for the city’s participation in the National Night Out campaign that fosters community-police relations with several traditional festival elements, including musical performances, a vendor fair, children’s games, community booths and food.
The day offers a distinctive showcase of the community work of both the Westfield Police and other community organizations that help to make our communities “safe and more livable.”
Activities will include safety demonstrations; drills; drone demonstrations, fingerprinting, equipment displays; Police horses, K-9 demonstrations; a Cadet bike rodeo; and a LifeStar Helicopter on display.
There will also be jaws of life demonstrations, a cooling station, Westfield Fire Department trucks and equipment and a “Hidden in Plain Sight” trailer that is a recreation of a teen’s bedroom that educates families on how they may identify the signs of risky behavior.
In addition to the Westfield Fire Department, other organizations that will participate in the day’s activities will include Department of Fire Services, UMass Mounted Police, Civil Air Patrol, Drug Addiction and Recovery Team, Westfield Emergency Management, and Air National Guard.
In addition to policed-themed activities and band and concert performances, Westfield’s Big Day/National Night Out will also include a vendor fair of artists and artisans, community booths, children’s activities and food booths.
To date, major sponsors for Big Day/Night Out include Westfield G & E and Whip City Fiber; and the City of Westfield, Easthampton Savings Bank, Baystate Health; Baystate Noble Hospital, Firtion-Adams Funeral Services, Westfield Bank, and the City of Westfield. Admission is free, although donations to help defray the cost of the event will be accepted.