National Night Out Event Set For Tuesday, Aug. 2, At Monee Reservoir

Celebrate National Night Out on Tuesday, Aug. 2, with a meet-and-greet with area first responders, including the Monee, Crete and Forest Preserve District police departments and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources conservation police.

The free, all-ages event will take place from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Forest Preserve District of Will County’s Monee Reservoir, which is located on Ridgeland Avenue, south of Pauling Road, in Monee Township.

See emergency vehicles up close and get a picture with Willy the Woodchuck, the Forest Preserve District mascot. Registration is not required.

“National Night Out was created to enhance relationships with the public and law enforcement,” said Tracy Chapman, the Forest Preserve’s deputy director and public safety administrator.

“Law enforcement officers are a part of the community, and we want to encourage positive relationships within the forest preserves and communities that surround us,” she added. “We invite people to this event to see the unique vehicles and other ways we patrol including bicycles, ATVs and UTVs, and we want people to get to know the officers outside of an emergency or enforcement interaction.”