Oak Lawn Police Chief Daniel Vittorio recalled the first National Night Out event planned for the village.
He was working with the canine unit at the time and said there is one main difference now compared to back then.
“The biggest difference is with the new board and having more committees,” Vittorio said. “The Special Events Committee has added more activities with entertainment, a bouncy house and more things to bring in families. We have more younger families coming in here. It keeps getting bigger every year. That’s the biggest difference from the past.”
And despite a cloudy, windy evening, a large crowd attended the Oak Lawn National Night Out Tuesday night in the north parking lot of the Municipal Building near the village’s police and fire departments.
Vittorio also mentioned that several businesses contribute to the event, including Target and OSF Little Company of Mary Medical Center. The Oak Lawn Police Region 4 South Mobile Field Force was on hand to talk to parents and youths. The Oak Lawn Fire Department provided plastic helmets for the kids and allowed them to slide down a fire pole.
But one constant from when the Oak Lawn National Night Out began is the presence of the Oak Lawn Boy Scout Troop 596 out of Mount Zion Church. Scoutmaster John Paul and Demetria Papadopoulos, the troop secretary and scout mother, were on hand as usual, along with members of the troop who provided hot dogs, refreshments and popcorn.
Papadopoulos said they enjoy participating in the annual National Night Out.
“Absolutely. And we also collect enough money for all our programs for the year,” Papadopoulos said. “We are always honored to be invited. Everyone is so generous.”
National Night Out is held in most communities on the first Tuesday of August. The event is a campaign that promotes partnerships with the police and communities to develop a strong emotional bond.
The police provided a demonstration involving canine unit officer Bob Carroll and Thor, his 3-year-old dog that is part German Shepherd and malamute. Thor entertained the large crowd by finding drugs that Carroll had hidden in a nearby vehicle.
Youths asked a variety of questions. Carroll said the dog has a healthy appetite and loves to work. Carroll said Thor has a good disposition — most of the time.
“He is the nicest dog in the world until I tell him not to be,” Carroll told the crowd.
Police also noted that money raised for the unit, the dog and equipment comes from the offenders who are arrested for narcotics and other crimes.
The fire department also held its burn demonstration in which a trailer has a unit with sprinklers and the adjoining unit has no sprinklers. The department started a blaze in the unit with sprinklers and the fire was put out in just over a minute with little damage to a couch located within it.
However, the unit with no sprinklers became a large blaze in which two firefighters put out the fire that damaged a couch and TV inside the unit.
Oak Lawn Mayor Terry Vorderer was also on hand and thanked the crowd for attending.
Trustee Alex Olejniczak (2nd) said the event just grows in popularity
“This has to be the most people I have ever seen for this,” Olejniczak said.
