by Sarah Glass
Local families and residents came together at the Ravalli County Fairgrounds in Hamilton on the evening of August 6 to view amazingly trained animals and curious contraptions and to participate in carnivalesque games of a different kind. While the fair isn’t yet due to come to town, for the second year running, Bitterroot Valley first responders joined together to participate in a National Night Out (NNO) event aimed at fostering positive relationships between themselves and members of the community.
Trucks and cruisers marked with Forest Service, Montana Highway Patrol, Ravalli County Sheriff’s Office (RCSO), and Hamilton Police Department logos sat glistening in a row. Nearby, a fire truck belonging to the Hamilton Volunteer Fire Department parked with its ladder extended toward the sky. In its shadow, a young girl – her face partially painted in leopard print – squinted in determined focus as she was guided in the art of using a water hose to spray over orange cones. Also on display were a Life Flight helicopter, a Bitterroot Health ambulance, and an RCSO armored vehicle. Representatives of each organization stood nearby, offering demonstrations and answering any questions. Other community conversation starters included RSCO drone equipment, a K9 deputy, and members of its newly established mounted posse riding atop their trusty horses.
“I want to be a fireman,” said a child to one of the RCSO deputies, a plastic fireman’s hat on his head. Other children wore sheriff’s stars pinned to their shirts while others contentedly ate hot dogs or waited in line to get their faces painted. Some had to hang on to their fireman’s hats, however, when Life Flight personnel mounted their helicopter and departed the fairgrounds by lifting into the sky.
According to National Night Out literature, the first NNO event occurred in August 1984 and involved “2.5 million neighbors across 400 communities in 23 states.” The event has grown enormously since then, sweeping across the nation. When asked how long NNO events have been running in the Bitterroot Valley, Ravalli County Sheriff Steve Holton said this is the first year RCSO has sponsored it. “We participated last year when the Stevensville Police Department sponsored it. As far as I know, this is only the second year,” he said.
The Stevensville Police Department did not sponsor an NNO event this year, but even if they had, said Hamilton Police Chief Steve Snavely, “we decided at the Hamilton Police Department that we would do one… for our community down here. It just so happened that the Sheriff’s Office had decided to do one as well, so we partnered to do that.”
While each community expresses NNO participation differently, the message behind the event remains the same: “We just want to provide a venue for people to come out, have a good time, interact with law enforcement and other first responders in a fun environment,” said Sheriff Holton.
“Get to know us,” added Chief Snavely.
Sheriff Holton mentioned that Kristin Kruse, former Stevensville Police Clerk who now works part-time for the Sheriff’s Office, was instrumental in the coordination and success of this year’s NNO event.