South Elgin event merges entertainment, police network

While many towns and their respective police departments held national night events in August, South Elgin and its officers will host a Country Day event in Panton Mill Park on Saturday, September 10, from 2-5 p.m.

“This is a new campaign that builds on our past successful campaigns,” said South Elgin communications specialist Craig Pierce.

Pierce said the department used to host national night parties at Jim Henson Park, usually the first Tuesday in August, when police departments across the country hold events on the same night.

“One organization, National Town Watch, has a National Night Out license. Since South Elgin Police cannot host events on designated nights, we cannot use the license name for other dates. Therefore, we created SEPD’s Village Day Out as something like activity,” Pierce said.

When South Elgin police needed to commit to a national nighttime event, there were four vacant police positions in the village, Pierce said, and there was no way to know if the department would have the time and resources to make it happen while it was understaffed.

“However, our police department wanted to host some kind of community event, which provided the opportunity to host events on weekend afternoons,” Pierce said.

Pierce said the village and its police saw the event as an opportunity to bring the community together and engage with the department.

“Usually, the only time a person sees an officer is during an emergency, a traffic stop, or some other less-than-ideal situation,” Pierce said. “Our officers live in the community, go to our restaurants, play school games and coach youth soccer teams. This will be a great opportunity for police and the public to interact in a positive, healthy way.”

In addition to the South Elgin Police Department, the event will include other Kane County law enforcement agencies and showcase police vehicles for inspections by children and their parents. Police also plan to pay tribute to those killed in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack that afternoon.

Pierce said various community organizations will also be in attendance on the day so residents can learn about the groups, the services they provide and potential volunteer opportunities.

Food trucks will sell a variety of options. There will be family-friendly entertainment, craft projects, temporary tattoos and coloring stations. The party will begin at 3:30 pm with a performance by country rocker Hillbilly Rockstarz.

For more information, call 847-742-5780 or see southelgin.com/villagedayout.

Mike Danahey is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.