'National Night Out' Celebration Returns to Summit

Hundreds of community members are expected to attend Summit’s “National Night Out” event this Tuesday from 6 to 9 p.m. on the Village Green.

National Night Out was established in 1984 as a community partnership aimed at preventing crime and drug abuse around the nation. In addition to Summit, a number of communities in New Jersey host town-wide events each year.

The National Night Out in Summit will include:

• Speeches by Judith Josephs, Director of Summit’s Department of Community Services, Police Chief Robert Weck, and city officials
• A rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner
• An obstacle course
• Bounce house
• "Dunk-A-Cop” dunk tank to benefit Brooke Healey
• Kid’s magic show
• PAL hot dog cart
• A performance by “Exit Row” on the Big Stage
• Summit YMCA Fitness Demo
• Food Court by Pizza Vita
• Chris Clark’s Extreme Bike Stunt Show
• Demonstrations and displays from Summit Police Department, Fire Department, First Aid Squad, Department of Community Services and other emergency service agencies in the area.

Summit Police Chief Robert Weck says Summit has been participating in this national event for about 20 years. Early on, neighborhood watch groups around Summit would host block parties to celebrate the night out against crime. 

“For our National Night Out, we used to drive around in a caravan with a group of our officers and McGruff, the crime dog, and visit the various block parties that were taking place,” Weck told Patch. “We would talk to the kids, we had giveaways. That’s how it started, and Madison still does it that way.”

But over time, Weck says the department officers realized they were only reaching the neighborhood watch groups, not the entire town. From there, Summit’s National Night Out moved to the Village Green and it’s grown ever since.

Summit’s celebration now includes the Summit Fire Department, the Summit First Aid Squad, the Department of Public Works, the Department of Community Services, the Summit PAL, Summit ELKS, the Postal Police, the FBI, and the Union County K-9 Unit, among others.

“Some towns participate in National Night Out and some have never participated,” Weck says. “But we feel that this all ties into our police department’s mission – to build stronger relations with residents. This is a citywide event.” 

This year, Weck even found a way to help out a local resident and her family through this night out in Summit.

There will be a “Dunk-A-Cop” dunk tank at the celebration, which will help raise donations for Brooke Healey, a 4-year-old New Providence girl who is battling a rare, inoperable brain tumor, and her family. 

For $5, each participant will get three chances to dunk a police officer or city official, and will receive a “Team Brooke” support bracelet, Weck said. All proceeds raised will go directly to Brooke and her family.

“We think it’s a way to give back,” Weck says. “Everyone [in the department] jumped right on the idea and thought it would be great. We’re going to really try to raise a nice amount.”

There will also be a bike stunt show by Chris Clarke, one of Weck’s former 5th grade D.A.R.E. students.

“He travels the world doing demonstrations. He’s going to do a whole demo and it’s pretty exciting,” Weck says. “He sets up this whole ramp and bars, and he’ll pop up onto a bar with just the two tires on the bar. He’ll ride on one bar to another. The whole time, he’s talking into a microphone in his helmet, talking about being drug-free and how he couldn’t do his stunts if he were hung over. It’s a great message. He was there last year and he’s coming back this year, and that is sponsored by the Summit PAL.”

Summit Police will also be unveiling their new D.A.R.E. vehicle on the Village Green, which was donated to the city during the July 23 Summit Common Council meeting.

Weck says it’s a 2006 Dodge Magnum RT valued at $18,000, which was donated by resident Jeffrey Kaufman. 

“It’s like a station wagon, but the doors open up like Lamborghini doors. They open straight up,” Weck said. “His kids went through the program who are now grown. He said, ‘I want to give something back because my boys got a lot out of the program. I'm buying a new car and I’d like to donate this.’ The D.A.R.E. officers will use that to go back and forth to the schools during the day, and we’ll use it at events.”

There will also be a food truck food court at this event, which the city asked Pizza Vita to put together.

According to Rocco Flores, co-owner of Pizza Vita, the food court will include:

• Pizza Vita Pizza Truck
• Amanda’s Bananas
• Dark Side of the Moo
• French Quarter
• Luke’s Lobster

Summit's National Night Out sponsors include:

• Overlook Medical Center (presenting sponsor)
• Summit PAL (refreshments)
• Shaping Summit Together (entertainment)
• Summit Community Services (logistics, stage management)
• Summit Community Programs (producer)