Heightening crime and drug prevention awareness

Library Park will be the site of one big block party Tuesday evening as Orland celebrates National Night Out.

There will be food, games, law enforcement and public safety vehicles and a chance to put family and friends in jail for the night.

The event is being organized by the Orland Volunteers in Police Service, and their "Jail-N-Bail" serves as a fundraiser for the group's activities in assisting the police department with traffic control and other needs.

It runs from 6 to 9 p.m. in the park next to the library surrounded by Fourth, Mill, Third and Yolo streets.

VIPS Captain Gerald Rice said the group will use the jail proceeds to buy new reflective vests for VIPS members.

"All we have is hand-me-downs that don't fit all of us," he said. "We want to get the vests we need to keep everyone safe while we try to keep everybody else safe."

Inmates are dressed in striped jumpsuits and hats and create a lot of laughs as they plead to be bailed out.

VIPS crews also will sell hot dogs and soda in the park, Rice said, while the Orland Police Officers Association sells ice cream sundaes or root beer floats. There will be pizza from local pizza places and goodies from Alta Marie's Bakery, too.

Other venders plan to sell food, too, and there will be games for children of all ages.

Youngsters also may visit with Orland Police officers, check out a fire truck with the Orland Volunteer Fire Department and see the inside of an ambulance, Rice said.

Bicycle helmets are to be given to children who qualify as well, he said.

There will be other nonprofits in the park also such Unity in Recovery, Westside Domestic Violence Services and some Glenn County agencies, Rice said. Any community group or organization is welcome to put up a booth free of charge. Town and Country Humane Society plans to be there with a booth along with the other groups.

Information on forming a Neighborhood Watch will be distributed too, Rice said, since Orland police Chief Paula Carr wants to get the program going again.

Under this program, residents keep an eye on their neighbors' homes and watch for suspicious activity in their neighborhoods so it can be reported to police.

National Night Out is celebrated across America on the first Tuesday of August and promotes neighbors getting to know each other and doing family-friendly activities, sponsors said.

In the meantime, the VIPS is looking for new members to join the 30 already involved, Rice said.

Classes are held once a year in Willows and Orland to train volunteers on how to assist law enforcement. Graduates can then join whichever VIPS program they wish, he said.

For more information, call 865-1616.

Contact Rick Longley at 934-6800 or rlongley@tcnpress.com.