National Night Out Martinez Was A Huge Success!

The National Night Out Martinez event was the culmination of just over 8 months of planning with a 9-person team who did most of the work putting this event together. Our planning team consisted of Lt. Zach Lekse of the Martinez Police Department, Kristina Gilbert of the Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff, Irene Merkel of the Martinez Chamber of Commerce, Cliff Chan of Martinez CERT, and volunteers Kevin Murray, Nancy Griffitts, Steve Riccobono, Carol Christopher and Pete Sabine.

The City of Martinez was the primary event sponsor and provided a grant to put toward the event expenses. The balance of the expenses was covered by other sponsors and exhibitor participation fees.

$1,000 was donated to the Martinez chapter of the Feet First Foundation. We had superb regional television coverage on Monday, July 31, with a five-minute segment featuring Sean Sharkey and Dan Dorsett representing the local Feet First Foundation chapter, and a National Night Out Martinez event segue.

Our National Night Out Martinez event brought the community together with local law enforcement and first responder participants who were very grateful for this opportunity to interact with our neighbors in a positive light.

Our keynote speakers at the event included Martinez Police Chief Andrew White, Martinez City Council members Mark Ross and Satinder Malhi, Kristina Gilbert of the Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff, and Dan Dorsett representing the Feet First Foundation.

Over 1,000 event attendees came from Martinez and the nearby communities of Lafayette, Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill and Concord.

The Martinez Waterfront Park was the perfect size venue to host the Midnight Flyer Eagles tribute band, food trucks, shaved ice treats, two kids face painters, children’s entertainment, a petting zoo, and several local security companies showcasing their wares to attendees.

Also invited to the event were several First Responder agencies who brought their police vehicles, ambulances and fire trucks to the Waterfront Park. This included participation from Consolidated Fire, American Medical Response, Martinez Police Department, California Highway Patrol, and the Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff, CCC CAER, CC Health Hazardous Materials. The Martinez Police Department brought two motorcycles to the event, much to the glee of the children!

The Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff provided a helicopter flyover during the event as well as an exhibit with packets of information which included information concerning crime prevention.

Martinez Boy Scout Troop 429 volunteered its time during the event and also helped clean up afterward.

Our Martinez CERT (Community Emergency Response Training) team brought its radios and yellow glow-in-the-dark safety vests to provide valuable assistance to our event by coordinating the entire parking effort during the event, which was indispensable for us. We are very grateful to Martinez CERT for its volunteer support.

Contact Pete Sabine if you would like to be a sponsor or participate with an exhibit next year at National Night Out Martinez. Call or text 925-787-2548 or Pete@PeteSabine.com.

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