Adams National Night Out Event Honors Public Servants
 Adams Selectman Joseph Nowak presents a certificate of thanks to Trooper Gail Buck of the Massachusetts State Police on Tuesday during the National Night Out celebration in Adams. See more photos here. |
ADAMS, Mass. — The town of Adams made national news last month with the high-profile arrest of a resident suspected of plotting a terror attack.
Local law enforcement assisted the FBI at the scene that night, but that's not why Richard Blanchard, chairman of the Board of Selectmen, was happy to honor the town's public servants on Tuesday night.
"For me, it wasn't for that one event. It's what they do all year round," Blanchard said after presenting certificates of thanks to six agencies during the National Night Out celebration at Renfrew Park. "They all do what they can to keep our lives a little safer and a little longer."
Blanchard and fellow Selectman Joseph Nowak presented certificates that read "We thank our public safety personnel and their families because they risk their lives every day to ensure the safety of all of us" to:
* The Massachusetts State Police, accepted by Trooper Gail Buck;
* The Adams Police Department, accepted by Chief Richard W. Tarsa Jr.;
* The Adams Alert Hose Company, accepted by secretary Jason Godfrey;
* The Adams Ambulance Service, accepted by paramedic Mike Gleason;
* The Adams Forest Wardens Department, accepted by Chief Richard Kleiner;
* The Adams Department of Public Works, accepted by Town Administrator Tony Mazzucco.
"It says on the National Night Out posters, 'Come celebrate with your neighbors and build a safer and stronger community,'" Blanchard said in presenting the certificates. "What better opportunity to say thank you to some of the people that work and risk their own lives to make our community safer."
Many of those agencies were represented in the National Night Out event, including the ambulance service and fire department, which brought vehicles for children to climb in and inspect. Kumar, the police department’s German shepherd, and handler Officer Curtis Crane gave a demonstration. In addition, information on smoking cessation programs and other community health endeavors was available; students from J Star Gymnastics performed some tumbling; Spina Digital Entertainment donated their time to offer music and games for the children; and local supermarkets donated hot dogs, chips, water and a cake emblazoned with the words "Thank You To Our Home Town Heroes" on it.
The event was part of the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition's series of National Night Out events, which included festivities in several parts of North Adams. In Adams, though, the event was spearheaded by volunteers Corinne Case and Kathy Morissette. Case is the Adams-Cheshire team leader for nb21 (not before 21, not in northern Berkshire), a community organizing program designed to reduce teens’ access to alcohol and other drugs by changing community policies and practices.
"She just cares about this stuff," said Wendy Penner, NBCC's director of Prevention Programs and grants manager, who popped in at the Adams event after spending some time at the North Adams festivities.
Case said she was happy with the turnout of around 100 people of all ages in the park on an evening that alternated between sunshine and clouds — and happy to honor the local public servants.
"With all of the bad news, we want the community to know that public servants are risking their lives to keep us safer," Case said.
Even if the iffy weather kept some people home, there was a silver lining: After a brief rain shower sprinkled the crowd, a double rainbow appeared in the sky over the town.
"And that's just perfect on our National Night Out," deejay Diane Spina said. "A rainbow. Unity."
Tags: Adams, National Night Out,
