Rogue River’s third National Night Out came in hot – literally!
Even with temperatures just into triple digits and sliding slightly into the 90s, probably for an hour into the annual event, many people arrived to feel the cool grass at Rooster Park, quench their thirst with cool water, and enjoy Rogue River-style community.
Mayor Pam VanArsdale said that those assembled were “the strong ones” when the event started at 6 p.m. Still, soon enough, there were at least 100 people at the park, either listening to music from Janeen and the MVPs, the band Janeen McGinnis fronts with local guitar hero Dave Vestnys, grabbing a slice of pizza or a Häagen-Dazs ice cream bar, all donated by local businesses, or visiting one of the several first-responder and law enforcement organizations represented.
National Night Out began nationally in 1984 in a suburb of Philadelphia called Lower Merion, Penn., and is held annually on the first Tuesday evening in August by the National Association of Town Watch. It started locally in 2024, the first summer after Dave Rash was named Chief of Police in Rogue River, and it has been a success, drawing citizens and community partners, and people seem to look forward to it.
Rash, who introduced each of his officers at the start of the proceedings, said several police departments in the northern part of the state were unable to host their planned National Night Out activities due to smoke from forest fires. He admitted a contingency plan was put in place if the Air Quality Index (AQI) exceeded 200 in Rogue River. (It was planned for indoors at the east campus gym at Rogue River Elementary School.)
Along with the Rogue River Police Department and Jackson County Fire District 1 from Rogue River and Evans Valley Fire District from Wimer, the local emergency services, Jackson County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO), and Oregon State Police (OSP) are also represented at National Night Out in Rogue River.
Deputy Noah Strohmeyer of JCSO’s Marine Patrol arrived with one of his department’s 24-foot Rogue Jet rescue boats. With a jet drive, that particular boat can handle rescues in shallow water in particular. He said the department just received a pair of jet rafts that Strohmeyer said “just performs incredibly in shallow water,” maneuvering in tighter spaces and corners than the bigger boats.
He said the number of water rescues on the Rogue River – so far – has been less than in years past, he believed, because of the heat and smoke in the region. He said most seem to happen near Shady Cove, and he said the department had one near TouVelle State Park.
Oregon State Police was represented by its Crime Lab, which is based in Central Point. Forensic Scientist Steven Boland said his department has a staff of 12 in the local office, and that, with a table with fellow forensic scientist Megahn Pinedo, conducting some of the procedures, it felt a little like performing magic before guests at the event.
Another new service was the Jackson County Deflection Program, the county’s effort to treat drug offenses as the repealed Measure 110 was supposed to, offering a chance to stop using drugs, with the added accountability of facing charges.
Reach reporter Brian Mortensen at [email protected] or 541-582-1707.