Township News – Lacey Township Police Department – 1st Annual National Night Out (Update) – August 1st, 2017, 6pm to 11pm

* Update *

I am happy to announce that the Lacey Township Police Department will be presenting our 1^st annual National Night Out, on Tuesday, August 1^st, 2017. The event will take place on the south side of Gille Park, 56 Manchester Avenue, Forked River, 6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. The purpose of this event is to strengthen law enforcement and community partnerships, and promote drug and DUI prevention and education. The event kickoff will take place at 6:30 p.m. with the National Anthem, being performed by 17-year-old Lyndsey Supsie from Lanoka Harbor. God Bless America will then be performed by 18-year-old McKenzie Hupke from Forked River.

This event will offer a variety of entertainment for all ages to enjoy. The Lacey Township Police Department, the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department and the New Jersey State Police will be on site. Each agency will present different pieces of law enforcement equipment and apparatus. The Lacey Township Police Department will have patrol vehicles on scene and will be available for photographs with visitors. Have your son or daughter take a picture with one of our officers in their favorite police car. In addition, the Lacey Township Police will coordinate a bicycle rodeo for young adults and the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department will provide a K-9 demonstration, a drone demonstration, and conduct Child ID. Additionally, the New Jersey State Police will coordinate a helicopter landing and/or a flyover. The Forked River, Lanoka Harbor and Bamber Lakes Fire Departments, along with the Lacey Township EMS, Lanoka Harbor EMS, Lacey Township Dive Team, and Monoc Paramedics will also be on scene to meet our visitors. Mayor Peter Curatolo will be attending this event and representing the Ocean County Department of Health, as the Director of the Intoxicated Driver’s Resource Center. Mayor Curatolo will be coordinating the Impaired Driver Simulated Course where participants get to wear “Impairment Goggles.” Detective Dimitri Tsarnas, who is one of the Lacey Township Police Drug Recognition Experts, will be assisting with the Impaired Driver course.

The Gille Park Skate Park will be open from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., and will have a live DJ playing music. There will also be face-painting and other fun events for the kids. The Lacey Township Recreation Department will be presenting an outdoor movie “The Lego Batman” movie, which will begin at 8:30 p.m. Please bring a chair or blanket for the movie.

There will also be several non-profit organizations with tables, including but not limited to the Lacey Township Municipal Alliance, YPR of Ocean County, Hope Shed’s Light, the Rotary of Forked River, the Lacey Township Chamber of Commerce, the Lacey Township High School PTSA, and the Lacey Township High School Boosters. Additional non-profit organizations will be added as we move forward.

Juice boxes will be donated by the Lacey Township Shop-Rite, bottled water by the Rotary of Forked River, popcorn by the Lacey Chamber of Commerce and bags of chips by the Lacey Township High School PTSA. In addition, the Lacey Township High School Boosters will have a table and will be giving out cookies. These items will be provided to visitors free of charge.

Linda’s Pizza, 136 Route 9 South in Forked River, and Popouli’s Pizza , 44 Manchester Avenue in Forked River, will be selling plain pizza slices for $1.00 during the National Night Out event. Popouli’s Pizza will be located on the east side of the park adjacent to Manchester Avenue, and Linda’s Pizza will be located on the west side of Gille Park near the Skate Park. In addition, the Lacey Township Girl’s Softball Association will be selling hotdogs for $1.00.

The goal of National Night Out is to strengthen the relationship between the Lacey Township Police Department, our local emergency services, and our community. Residents and visitors will have the opportunity to meet with officers from all three law enforcement agencies as well as meet with volunteers from our local emergency services, all while enjoying a fun-filled evening for the entire family. Additional events are forthcoming. Please come out and enjoy a night of fun!

The majority of this event will occur on the south side of Gille Park. Other than emergency vehicles, and motorists with disabled parking credentials, no vehicular traffic will be permitted on the south side of Gille Park during this event. The Gille Park gate on Manchester Avenue (southern most entrance/exit) will remain closed to traffic. Residents and visitors are asked to park their vehicles in the remaining parking lots of Gille Park, including the parking lot near the basketball courts (northern most entrance/exit of Gille Park on Manchester Avenue), and the parking lot near the Gille Park Tennis Courts, located on Western Boulevard. Additionally, parking will be available at the Lacey Township Municipal Building, 818 W. Lacey Road, and the Lacey Township Middle School, located at 660 Denton Avenue (off of Lacey Road). Residents and visitors that park at the Lacey Township Middle School will have the option to either safely walk to Gille Park (Kennis Walk stationed with Police Officers), or take the Lacey Township Recreation Bus, which will transport residents and visitors from the Lacey Township Middle School to Gille Park, both before and after the event.

Vehicles with disability parking permits will have accessible parking provided in the rear lower parking lot of Gille Park on the south side. Drivers are asked to utilize the rear entrance of Gille Park located on Veteran’s Way. Lacey Township Police Officers will be staged at the Veteran’s Way entrance to Gille Park to ensure that any motorist entering from this location has the proper permit.

If anyone has any questions in regard to this event, you may contact Lacey Police Lieutenant Paul Sullivan, Jr., at 609-693-6636 ext. 2577, or the Lacey Township Recreation Department at 609-693-1100 ext. 2203.