By Bill Morgan, Staff Writer

 

Becker’s Night to Unite (formerly National Night Out) is an annual event when neighbors throughout the city (state and country) gather to get to know one another and promote community safety.

It all began in 1984 and is sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch in the United States and Canada. National Night Out began simply with neighbors turning on their porch lights and sitting in front of their homes.

Hot dogs, potato chips, lemonade, children's games, toys, tattoos and decorated tables filled with nourishment were all part of Tuesday’s event under a cloudless, warm sky.

Several neighborhood gatherings congregated on their streets, parks and sidewalks to enjoy picnic-style festivities while showing solidarity in their community.

Becker police and fire personnel manned their squad cars and trucks and rode through the city and townships with lights on  and horns blaring. Accompanying them were city council member Rick Hendrickson, some staff and Mayor Tracy Bertram.

They visited numerous gatherings as well as Kolbinger Park — where dozens of families and friends congregated for a meal, games, visits and a chance to ride the “drunk goggles” course under the supervision of a couple Becker PD officers.

The newest edition of police cars was also on display at the park — a black cruiser with stylish graphics as the BPD begins transitioning away from the current white-colored models.

Christine Poe of Becker decided to take a turn riding the golf carts “while impaired”, making for some good laughs from herself and the officer riding shotgun. Amanda Hubbard, local photographer, also mounted the driver’s seat to have some fun with the “drunk goggles”. Teenagers also strapped on the eyepieces for a “go” at the trail — some cautiously navigating the course and some driving  sloppily and erratic.

The “drunk goggles” program at the park is meant for some harmless fun, but also drives home an important message about driving while impaired.

Kids at the Kolbinger Park pavillion received stickers, tattoos, frisbees, pens, suckers, ear plugs, cups, tiny footballs, ice cream scoops, notepads, water goggles, headlamps, police badge stickers, school accessories, pizza cutters, keychains and fidget spinners donated by the Becker Police Dept. 

Mayor Bertram and Hendrickson traveled with fire and police personnel to visit people at the park and three neighborhood parties. Many people approached police and fire members and thanked them for their service.

“We have a good time with it and take it seriously hoping to spend some time speaking to people and learning about them their neighbors and what concerns they may have,” said Becker Police Chief Brent Baloun. 

The evening began for the law enforcement and fire members at Woodbriar senior apartments where they visited with the elderly while they enjoyed a simple meal. From there, the entourage headed to Kolbinger Park, then Autumn Ridge, 27th Ave. and Julia Lane in the matter of two hours. 

Kolbinger Park was brimming with activity where kids could entertain themselves on the playground equipment or bounce around on two bouncy castles, play bean bag toss or just play in the grass. 

Baloun reported that numbers at parties varied a bit but were well attended, while attendance at Kolbinger was down from the last few years.

“We've seen numbers up and down over the years so we aren't too worried that things are slowing down,” he said. “We had a couple bouncy houses and a tent for extra seating and people who attended were friendly and thankful. The bouncy houses were busy and a big hit. We are already thinking about next year!” 

Sponsored by the Minnesota Crime Prevention Association, AAA of Minnesota/ Iowa and the Becker Police Dept., Night to Unite is designed to help celebrate and strengthen neighborhoods and communities through partnerships with residents, city officials and law enforcement.