Because of pandemic countywide National Night Out party postponed till fall

Spokane County Neighborhood Watch Coordinator Venus Delcambre-Morris started planning this year’s National Night Out parties in January as she usually did, but it soon became apparent that the annual event couldn’t happen on the first Tuesday in August as planned.

It’s not just the big National Night Out party the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office throws at the Spokane Valley Mall that has been canceled, it’s all the individual block parties hosted by neighborhood groups.

“It made me sick to cancel it,” she said. “We’re just not in the correct phase. We wouldn’t want to put anybody at risk.”

Some people who typically host National Night Out parties didn’t even bother to send in a form to register their event and called to say that they wouldn’t be doing it this year because of COVID-19, Delcambre-Morris said.

“They’re disappointed,” she said. “They throw them every single year. It’s a tradition.”

Some National Night Parties are more extravagant than others, ranging from large gatherings with bounce houses and other activities to more simple neighborhood gatherings to share hot dogs. It’s also a chance for neighborhoods to sign up to have their party visited by first responders or elected officials. The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office helicopter, Air 1, typically visits several parties. Delcambre-Morris arranges prizes that party hosts can offer in free raffles.

“It’s a good opportunity to get them to your house so you can ask them questions,” Delcambre-Morris said. “This is why it’s important to invite neighbors, so they can meet each other and meet law enforcement.”

There are 67 Neighborhood Watch groups in the areas served by the sheriff’s office, but there are usually only 15 to 20 National Night Out parties in that area

“It’s not just Neighborhood Watch groups that have National Night Out parties,” she said. “It’s for everyone.”

Delcambre-Morris has tentatively scheduled a large community National Night Out event at the Spokane Valley Mall on Oct. 10. In addition to the status of the pandemic, she has to worry about the weather.

“We all know that we don’t know what we’re going to get,” she said. “It could be warm, it could be snowing. The weather is really unpredictable.”

The event typically includes free face painting and other activities for kids and a free hot dog dinner. People also get the chance to explore a fire truck, Air 1, an ambulance and other sheriff’s office equipment. Special groups like the Mounted Patrol usually attend as well.

Delcambre-Morris is trying to put everything together for Oct. 10, including the long list of vendors who usually have booths there.

“Everything is free,” she said. “We don’t charge vendors to show up.”

Many of the vendors who typically attend, like Northwest Harvest and the YWCA, offer programs for families, Delcambre-Morris said.

“A lot of people don’t realize all the organizations that offer help to family and children,” she said. “A lot of vendors who attend are people who help the community in some way.”

Delcambre-Morris said she doesn’t know if any neighborhood groups will also try to host events in October, but her office won’t offer any support for them.

“I have no control over whether the people have National Night Out parties in October or even in August,” she said. “But we do tell people that no government officials and no first responders will be coming to events.”

Now she just has to wait to see if the October event she’s planning will be possible.

“We have to be in Phase 4 for us to do this,” she said.