Will Cook County News

By Claude Martinez.

National Night Out (NNO) is back in Oak Forest this year, at 15800 Long Avenue, directly behind Culvers. After a few years off since the COVID-19 Pandemic, the yearly neighborhood and community bonding event, aimed at strengthening the relationship between residents, local law enforcement, and emergency services, is back on August 6 from 6 to 8 p.m.

It’s the community’s enthusiasm and support that has brought back the National Night Out. Oak Forest Police Officer Tracy Weiland, who has been with the department for eight years, is leading the charge. “This is the first time I’m hosting (NNO), and once COVID hit, it just stopped. We had a lot of residents requesting it last year, so I jumped on it and thought I would take it over,” said Officer Weiland.

She continued to explain NNO: “National Night Out is actually (for people) to meet your police and firefighters and get to know your neighborhood.”

Officer Weiland spoke about why it is so important for residents to attend community building events like these: “I think that it’s important for everybody–kind of get to know who’s protecting your neighborhood.” She added, “I want them to get to know us and understand that we’re real people—just normal people like them. We’re just doing our job and here to help them.”

Get ready for a night of fun and community bonding! There will be many exciting activities, including free child ID kits, a live DJ, bouncy castles, snow cones, face painting, a dunk tank, a K9 demonstration and many emergency vehicles to learn about.

To learn more about this event and how you can get involved, please contact Officer Weiland at 708-687-1376 or email tweiland@oak-forest.org.

WCCN would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the Oak Forest community for their continued support and enthusiasm for the National Night Out event, and to the Oak Forest Police Department and Officer Weiland for their dedication.

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