Lake Kennedy to hand out school supplies

Lake Kennedy Civic League will be using National Night Out to help spread a message of crime and drug awareness and prevention — and make sure local children are properly prepared for school.

The event will take place from 6-8 p.m. at Lake Kennedy Park on Aug. 6.

Refreshments such as hotdogs, hamburgers and drinks will be provided at the Lake Kennedy Park National Night Out. Music will be provided by announcer Benford Hunter. Jump ropes, hula hoops, horseshoes and kickball games will be provided at the event. A clown will do face-painting. The community has donated all goods that will be provided at the event.

The group has received 46 backpacks and 175 bags of school supplies donated. The backpacks will be given to the first 46 children who arrive at the event. Any other children who arrive after those 46 will be given a bag of school supplies. Supplies include pens, crayons, pencils, a notebook, a two-pronged folder and a keychain labeled “Just say no.”

“This year, I think we’ve taken it a level higher,” said Arleathia Crocker, president of Lake Kennedy Civic League. “We have got our friends and families outside of our communities to come in and to help us with donations.”

National Night Out began in 1984 as a means to promote activities such as partnerships with local police and communication in neighborhoods to help dissuade potential criminals. The National Association of Town Watch sponsors the event. Over 37 million people in 15,000 communities across North America participate in National Night Out.

The Lake Kennedy Civic League was created in 1976 and meets once a month on the third Thursday. A police officer is present at these meetings to help keep the group informed of local issues. In order to help let the group know of city issues, several city officers occasionally join meetings as well.

The league was formed to help with the beautification of the community. Streetlights, restrooms and playground equipment have been built in Lake Kennedy Park thanks to the group’s efforts.

“Without the league, we would not be able to accomplish a lot,” said Lucille Dildy, former secretary of Lake Kennedy Civic League.

As far as future endeavors, the organization hopes to improve the storm drains in the neighborhood.

Communities combine efforts

Three of the biggest National Night Out parties in Suffolk are combining forces this year, resulting in a shindig so big it has to be held in a hospital parking lot.

Applewood Farms, Hillpoint Farms and Burnett’s Mill will throw the bash in the Sentara Obici Hospital parking lot.

“It’s a really good idea,” said Paige Hill, who works at the hospital. “We’ve got the space. It’s a nice way to be involved.”

Hill and colleague Sheila Patterson said the hospital had wanted to be involved in past years, but “we weren’t sure how we fit in,” Patterson said.

“We were more behind the scenes the last couple of years,” Hill said.

But the hospital will be front and center come Tuesday, when it will host the combined communities’ party from 6 to 9 p.m.

The celebration will include numerous children’s activities, including a bounce house, face painting, a petting zoo, carnival games, a puppet show and more.

Additional fun will include catering by Roy and Ricky’s, dancers and the Peanut City Cloggers, live music and entertainment, a puppet show, vendors, and a large health fair that will include exercise demonstrations, blood pressure screenings, cancer prevention information, advanced care planning information, diabetes education, nutrition information and more.

Sailors from the USS Abraham Lincoln will volunteer to run the carnival games.

The party will be one of two finale locations where caravans of law enforcement and elected officials will wrap up their tours of the city. The other one will be the Chuckatuck celebration.

The organizers have hand-delivered about 1,500 to 1,600 fliers and are expecting thousands of guests at the party.

“We are really anticipating a really nice turnout,” National Night Out coordinator Diana Klink said. “It’s going to be an amazing event.”

Denise Ranay, of Applewood Farms, said the event is turning out to be better than what the communities would have done separately.

“Each of us took our expertise and added it,” she said. “It’s been really interesting to find out what they’ve done in the past and bring it all together.”

Hotel plans NNO party

The National Night Out party at the Hilton Garden Inn Harbour View may not be visible from the street, but they’ll be prepared in case it rains.

The hotel is having an all-indoor event for the surrounding neighborhood, but the community spirit may shine through the hotel walls and lure others in.

“We felt it was very important to participate because the community we have behind us, we wanted to reach out to them to let them know we are a community player, not just a hotel,” said Tammy Harrison, director of sales at the hotel. “The more we’re involved, the more the community knows we’re involved.”

The event will feature a disc jockey who gets the kids dancing, Harrison said.

“He’s totally interactive,” she said. The disc jockey also will lead games and contests such as limbo and hula-hooping.

“We’re really focusing on the kids,” Harrison said.

Hamburgers, hotdogs, chips, a sundae bar and a wine tasting are on the menu, Harrison added.

The hotel was a rookie participant in last year’s National Night Out event and hopes to continue participating.

“Every year I’m here, we will participate in it,” Harrison said. “I believe in working in the community and building the community. How can you beat this when you’ve got police officers and firefighters and everybody coming together?”

List of events

Below is the list of participating communities, businesses and churches, the location of the party and the time of the party. Check www.suffolknno.org for activities that will take place during the events.

• Applewood Farms Homeowner’s Association (finale location) — Sentara Obici Hospital, 6 to 9 p.m.
• Bettie Davis Village — 100 Dover Court community room, 6 to 7 p.m.
• Burbage Grant Neighborhood Watch — 6815 Burbage Lake Circle, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
• Burnett’s Mill Homeowner’s Association (finale location) — Sentara Obici Hospital, 6 to 9 p.m.
• Chorey Park Apartments (Combined SRHA Party) — 530 E. Pinner St., 5:30 to 9 p.m.
• Colander-Bishop Meadows Apartments (Combined SRHA Party) — 530 E. Pinner St., 5:30 to 9 p.m.
• Commons at Centerbrooke — 1056 Centerbrooke Lane community room, 5 to 7:30 p.m.
• Cypress Manor Apartments (Combined SRHA Party) — 530 E. Pinner St., 5:30 to 9 p.m.
• East End Baptist Church — 523 E. Washington St., 7 to 9 p.m.
• East Glen Haven Community Watch — Holland Ball Park, 6720 Ruritan Blvd., 6 to 8:30 p.m.
• East Suffolk Gardens Civic League — Reed Court cul-de-sac, 6 to 8 p.m.
• Hall Place Community Association — Hall Place Park, corner of Hall Avenue and South Main Street, 6 to 8 p.m.
• Harbor Breeze Estates Phase 2 — 6090 Mainsail Lane, 6 to 8 p.m.
• Hillpoint Farms (finale event) — Sentara Obici Hospital, 6 to 9 p.m.
• Hilton Garden Inn Harbourview — 5921 Harbourview Blvd., 6 to 8 p.m.
• Hoffler Apartments (Combined SRHA Party) — 530 E. Pinner St., 5:30 to 9 p.m.
• Holland Community/Holy Neck — Holland Ball Park, 6720 Ruritan Blvd., 6 to 8:30 p.m.
• Hollywood/Jericho Civic League — Hollywood-Cypress Park, 2001 Arizona Ave., 6 to 8 p.m.
• King’s Fork Farms Homeowner’s Association — 5125 Kings Grant clubhouse, 6 to 8 p.m.
• Lake Forest Community — Sprucewood Lane cul-de-sac, 6 to 8 p.m.
• Lake Kennedy Civic League — Lake Kennedy Park, 1300 Blythewood Lane, 6 to 8 p.m.
• Nansemond Square Apartments — field across from office, 114 Nancy Drive, 6 to 8 p.m.
• Greater Oakland and Chuckatuck Civic League (finale location) — 300 Kings Highway, 6 to 9 p.m.
• Olde Mill Creek — neighborhood park, 6 to 8 p.m.
• Orlando Civic League — corner of Factory Street and Eola Avenue, 7 to 8:30 p.m.
• Parker-Riddick Village (Combined SRHA Party) — 530 E. Pinner St., 5:30 to 9 p.m.
• Pughsville-Suffolk Civic League — Pughsville Park, 5041 Townpointe Road, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
• Saratoga/Philadelphia Civic League — Ida Easter Park, 724 Brooke Ave., 6 to 8 p.m.
• South Suffolk/Pleasant Hill Civic Association — Mary Estes Playground, 220 Hunter St., 6 to 8 p.m.
• Spruce and Tynes Street — Tynes Street Playground, 151 Tynes St., 6 to 8 p.m.
• Suffolk Barber and Beauty — parking lot at corner of East Washington and Commerce streets, 6 to 9 p.m.
• Suffolk Inner-City Athletic Association — JFK Athletic Field, 6 to 8 p.m.
• West End Civic League — Linden Avenue median, 6 to 8 p.m.
• Westside Civic League — Bethlehem Christian Church, 312 Bute St., 4 to 8 p.m.
• Whaleyville Ruritan Club — Ballfield behind Whaleyville Community Center, 6235 Whaleyville Blvd., 6 to 8 p.m.
• Wilson Pines Apartments — 2525 E. Washington St., 5:30 to 8 p.m.
• Woodlake Community — Woodlake Park at Woodlake Terrace and Holbrook Arch, 6:30 to 8 p.m.