MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — For the first time, the city of Morgantown and the Morgantown Police Department, with the help of West Virginia University (WVU) and BOPARC, will host a National Night Out Wednesday, August 5, at Krepps Park.
The event at Krepps Park runs from 6 to 8 p.m., and parking will be available around the park and at the CMA Church of Morgantown on Elmhurst Street. The event also includes free haircuts at House of Hair on University Avenue from 5 to 7 p.m.
Special projects coordinator for the city Shannon Davis said sponsors for the event include the Morgantown Utility Board, Visit Mountaineer Country Convention & Visitor’s Bureau, Triple S Harley-Davidson, First United Bank & Trust, Blue Gold Development, 84 Lumber, Mon/Vandalia Health, and the Thrasher Group. Several other businesses and nonprofits will also attend the event with activities and things geared toward families.
“So many different organizations that are coming out to support this event,” Davis said. “At this point we’re really excited to see how this comes together, especially since this is the first year we’re doing it.”
The Morgantown Police Department will serve as hosts and will bring the city’s K-9 officer for a demonstration. Families will be able to view the K-9 interacting with the handler and performing a variety of tasks that are required during normal operations.
“We’re going to have K-9 demonstrations with the K-9 unit from the Morgantown Police Department,” Davis said. “They’ll do suspect apprehension, narcotics and explosive detection, tracking, and handler protection.”
Davis said dive teams operated by the city will also provide a demonstration of what they’re asked to do when called into action.
“Police and Morgantown Fire Department dive teams will be doing demonstrations to show what they do,” Davis said. “How they do search patterns and communicating under the water.”
The House of Hair at 3041 University Avenue will offer free haircuts from 5 to 7 p.m. for kids from 5 to 12 years old. Online registration is requested, and children with special needs are welcome.
“Offering free haircuts for kids because at the end of the day public safety comes down to our well-being as well,” Davis said.
Davis said National Night Out is a free, community-wide celebration designed to create stronger, safer neighborhoods through connections between police and residents. Families can expect opportunities to meet first responders in an effort to build trust in the community.
“All of the sponsors that have come together to help us have been so wonderful, and many of them will be present the night of the event doing an activity,” Davis said.