Haverhill Celebrates National Night Out at New Venue

(Additional photographs below.)

The Haverhill Police Department celebrated community yesterday with street fair festivities at the 12th Avenue Playground.

Part of National Night Out celebrations across the country, the social and community-building occasion was held under sunny skies and comfortable temperatures and featured demonstrations of police equipment and the Haverhill Fire Department’s smoke house, volley ball and basketball games and a resource fair with various nonprofits and service groups in the city attending. Haverhill Police Chief Wayne J. Tracy explained the value of the outreach event.

“It’s important to us because we get to interact with the community. The community comes out and people we may not normally see, we get to see tonight,” Tracy said.

As WHAV reported first last month, this was the first time National Night Out came to the 12th Avenue Park and McNamara’s Field, after years at Swasey Field. Acting Deputy Chief Meaghan Paré said she appreciated the relaxed, perfect summer night. She also appreciated the chance to sharing in the enjoyment of a fun event.

“It builds trust amongst our community. We get to interact in a different setting than normal,” Paré said.

Haverhill Girl Scout Leader and Service Unit Coordinator Liana Vera said the Girl Scouts were delighted to have a table because it gave them the chance to recruit new members by explaining that Girl Scouting is about more than cookies and camping. Lixue Tu, owner of Haverhill’s Wisteria Montessori School, said the night allowed her to talk to parents who might not know about the Montessori education program and its effort to make it more affordable. She was tabling with Maria Lebanca and Nicole Randall, who also operate sister Marigold and Snowdrop Montessori schools. The three schools are part of the Wildflower Montessori network based in Cambridge.

The new Haverhill Hillies Food Truck made an appearance offering hamburgers and cheeseburgers and the Haverhill Police Department staff grilled hot dogs. Taking on the duties were Officer Adam Durkee, a member of the community policing department, and Kevin Aro, the department’s fleet mechanic.

The police department showed off its search and rescue drones. Other agencies attending included Haverhill Promise, a project of the Haverhill Public Library, which offered free books to children; Haverhill Conservation Department, which raffled off a book about pond life; Boys and Girls Club of Greater Haverhill; Trial Court of Massachusetts, state Attorney General’s office; Foster MA/Adopt MA; Eliot Hospital; Community Action; Haverhill Exchange Club; Scouting; UTEC; American Association for Suicide Prevention; and NFI.

City officials attending included Haverhill Mayor Melinda E. Barrett, at-large City Councilors Colin F. LePage and Thomas J. Sullivan and Ward 1 Councilor Ralph T. Basiliere, School Committee Superintendent Margaret Marotta, at-large School Committee member Josiah E. Morrow and Haverhill Fire Chief Christopher Cesati.