The coronavirus pandemic delayed, but could not cancel, the 2020 National Night Out celebration.
The event was postponed on Aug. 4, but rescheduled for Oct. 6, and the Parkwood Patrollers Town Watch welcomed the community to Parkwood Shopping Center to mark the occasion.
The evening featured a lot of donated items by Parkwood Shopping Center businesses: soft pretzels and pretzel dogs by the Pretzel Factory; pizza by Pat’s Pizzeria; sandwiches and chips by Reen’s Deli; doughnuts by Dunkin’ Donuts; and goody bags from TruMark Financial. Ken Martz, of Northern Liberty Press, has donated printing.
There were tables with representatives from Archbishop Ryan, St. Anselm and St. Martha schools; Normandy Civic Association; the offices of state Rep. Martina White and state Sen. John Sabatina Jr.; and Socks for the Streets.
Parkwood Patrollers honored Capt. Tim Linneman, commander of the 8th Police District, and community relations officer Trish Rosati.
The group also recognized members Colleen Pirolli, Joe Finocchiaro and Joe “Brutus” Nightlinger for patrolling every night since June 1.
Door prizes included Back the Blue lawn signs, blue light bulbs and free oil changes and 2021 calendars from McKeown’s Automotive.
Among those in attendance were Greg Bucceroni, community support specialist for Town Watch Integrated Services; and the Rev. Jonathan Dalin, parish administrator at St. Martha, along with the school’s Tiger mascot.
Donna Enstrom, president of the group, urged everyone to deter crime by turning on their porch lights, locking their car doors and bringing in their children’s bicycles.
John Del Ricci, president of the Parkwood Civic Association, labeled the Parkwood Patrollers a “safety net” for the community.
“We’re the eyes and ears of the neighborhood,” he said.
The Parkwood Patrollers debuted on June 1, a night after would-be rioters and looters showed up at Philadelphia Mills mall, only to be turned away by police officers and neighbors. ••
