Lincoln Parish residents have an opportunity to interact with local law enforcement officers and other city officials during National Night Out set for Tuesday, October 7 from 5 to 8 p.m. at Zion Traveler Baptist Church.
National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign that promotes strong police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make our neighborhoods safer, more caring places to live and work.
“This is another great event trying to bring all parties within our city and parish together,” said Ruston Mayor Ronny Walker. “That’s one of our main focuses and has been for a while. It’s why we started Real Change of Ruston (years ago) to help bring unity to our area.
“I appreciate Zion Traveler’s Baptist Church and (Pastor) Maurice White for being such a big part of this event. I appreciate our local law enforcement for being so involved in this. I am looking forward to a great night.”
The event is dedicated to bringing community together to foster awareness, safety, and community solidarity. National Night Out highlights the crucial role of partnerships between law enforcement and the community, as well as the importance of citizen engagement. When police and community members collaborate closely, remarkable outcomes can occur.
“We are extremely grateful to Pastor Maurice White and Zion Traveler Baptist Church for helping revive our National Night Out,” said Lincoln Parish Sheriff Department Deputy Sheriff Landon Hunt. “This event highlights one of our main priorities: building positive relationships with the citizens we serve and working together to reduce crime and violence.
“It also a wonderful opportunity for children to connect with our deputies, play basketball with them and see firsthand that we are here to help them. National Night Out is a powerful reminder of the unity and strength that comes when local law enforcement and the community stand together.”
The Lincoln Parish Sheriff’s Office, the Ruston Police Department, and other local and state law enforcement offices will be represented at the event that is free and open to the public. It will include plenty of food, fun, and fellowship as well as giveaways and a guest appearance by Big Al Cherry.
“This is another great opportunity to bring our local law enforcement departments and our community together,” said LPSO Sgt. Iris Winston. “We want to show our community that we, as law enforcement agencies, are here for you. We want people to understand that we are everyday citizens as well.
“It’s our job to protect our residents, but we are real people who truly care about the people of Lincoln Parish. It allows us to show a softer side. I think this is good because many times our interactions are with people many times on the worst day of their life.”
Winston said some of the evening’s activities include a 3-on-3 basketball game with law enforcement officers playing with kids in the gym.
“It’s for whoever wants to participate in this,” said Sgt. Winston. “We will have our officers playing basketball with them.”
There will also be a dunking booth where event goers will have a chance to dunk police officers, including LPSO Sheriff Stephen Williams.
The event is sponsored by Origin Bank, AT&T, Century Next Bank, Gibsland Bank and Trust, the City of Ruston, Real Change of Ruston, Zion Traveler Baptist Church, Starbucks Coffee, and Associa.
Some of these businesses and others will have booths on site handing out information.
If you have any questions or would like to become a sponsor or vendor, please contact Sgt. Winston at iwinston@lpsheriff.org or 318-251-6440 for more information. If you would like a free information-only vendor booth, please scan the QR code below to sign up.
“We are looking for all types of vendors,” said Sgt. Winston. “We have a good variety already, but we are hoping to add more prior to the event. We want as many vendors as our location will fit.”
Sgt. Winston said that there is no charge for anyone to become a vendor at the event, but vendors must be informational only (no sales are allowed at the event).
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