National Night Out says thank you

To The Editor:

The National Night Out Committee is proud to announce that over 1300 community members attended our fifth annual event on Tuesday, Aug. 2 from 6--9 p.m. at Greencastle Robe Ann Park. Some 970 hot dogs, 700 snow cones, 500 bags of popcorn and over 1,000 slices of pizza were shared with all in attendance. Approximately 500 children were proud recipients of a basic bag of school supplies.

And despite the extreme heat, our National Night Out Knight made several appearances and was even spotted participating in the dance exhibition at the band shell. Over 35 local organizations continue to donate their time and energy in support of this powerful community outreach.

This event would not continue to be possible without the sponsorship of so many community agencies. We continue to be humbled by their sincere and generous contributions: Annual Family Movie Night, Area 30 Career Center, Bounce House Fun Rentals, Children's Museum of Terre Haute, Casey's General Store -- Roachdale, Community Partners, Jean Holder, DDS., Dance Workshop, DePauw University Athletic Department, Family Support Services, Fig's Follies, Flower's Bakery, Garl's Bike Shop, Greencastle McDonald's, Greencastle Parks & Recreation and the Aquatic Center, Holiday World, Humble Pie, Indiana State Police Excise Department, Indiana Beach, Monster Mini Golf, Monical's Pizza, Pizza King, PC PIE Coalition, PC Tobacco Cessation Coalition, St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, Teachers Credit Union, United Way of Putnam County and Wonder Lab of Bloomington.

We continue to appreciate our exhibitors and their ongoing support as we strive to keep our children safe and healthy: Air Evac, Air National Guard, John Hennette, DDS, Dennis Knuth, DDS, Ivy Tech Community College-Greencastle, Boy Scouts of America, DePauw University Public Safety, Department of Child Services, Duke Energy, Family Support Services, Greencastle Fire Department, Madison Township Fire Department, Reelsville Fire Department, Roachdale Police Department, Greencastle Parks & Recreation, Johnson Nichols Health Clinic, PC Head Start, PC Operation Life, PC Tobacco Cessation Coalition, PC Hospital, PC PIE Coalition, Purdue Cooperative Extension, Putnam County Kiwanis, Greencastle Police, Indiana State Police, PC Community Corrections, PC Juvenile Probation, PC Prosecutor's Office, PC Sheriff's Department, Roachdale Police Department, PC Adult Probation and Teresa Cunningham, State Farm Insurance.

To our school representatives who willingly donate time to our annual "Dunk Your Favorite School Administrator." Steve Livingston, Cloverdale Middle School, Shawn Gobert, Ridpath Elementary, Scott Spencer, Roachdale Elementary and Terry Tippin, North Putnam Middle School.

This event would not be possible without the wonderful community volunteers: Becky Brothers, Charlie Boller, Bobby Hopper, Matt Hertenstein, Carol Emery, Teresa Glenn, Jana Brothers, Nancy Michael, Sue & Dave Murray, Judge Matt Headley, Stephanie Campbell, Buck Martin, Kristina Warren, Natalie Pritchard, William Merkel, Edith Welliver, Joyce Mayer, Cheryl Hamilton, Fig Hardwick, Sherlyn Mark, Shelby Romandine and Chandler Hyten.

A special thank you to Putnam County Sheriff Steve Fenwick and his staff for providing personnel to help with the setup of equipment and cleanup after the event was over. Their participation certainly helped make the entire evening run smoothly. We want to also thank Rod Weinschenk, Troy Scott and the staff of the park for their efforts and service throughout the entire process.

And of course to our committee who spent months preparing for this annual event. Your hard work, support and encouragement without question is the greatest asset of all: Charlene Brown, Dominique Gibson, Eileen Johnson, Patti Harmless, Brian Hopkins, Jeff Mace, Jerrod Baugh, Shelly Chadd, Elizabeth Butts, Renee Marsteller, Darcy Hendershot, Steve Bahr, Rod Weinschenk, Troy Scott, Jim Maxwell, Jamie France, Tammy Hunter, Teresa Parrish, Tiffany Boswell, Bethany Bammann, Ashley Eads, Carl Singer and Tracy Bridges.

We're convinced this annual event is a night for our community to stand together to promote awareness, safety and unity. National Night Out showcases the vital importance of police--community partnerships and citizen involvement in our fight to build a safer nation.

We look forward to bringing Putnam County our sixth annual fun-filled and exciting event next year. Mark your calendars for Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2012 with a rain date scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 9.

Linda Merkel and Tom Sutherlin

NNO Coordinators