RO residents brave the rain to support National Night Out

Red Oak’s most recent National Night Out event took place successfully on Aug 4, despite one major obstacle.
For the first time since the event was started in Red Oak in 2016, rain fell on the day of the event, beginning before the kick-off at 6 p.m. and steadily continuing for nearly an hour. While cancellation was discussed, Red Oak Police Chief Justin Rhamy said they elected to carry on, albeit without an opening ceremony.
“The intensity of the rain at the very start of it wasn’t concerning in an of itself, but we had to weigh the intensity of the rain versus our attendance. As the rain went on, we were also concerned at the safety factor as there were some cracks of thunder, but thankfully, we didn’t really see any lightning. Obviously if there was any lightning that would have been a game-changer and we would have had to cancel for sure, but for the most part we just had that steady rain that alternated in intensity. With that in mind, and with all the vendors that had set up and stuck it out and with all this food prepared, we decided we were already committed at the point in time and we chose to push through with it,” explained Rhamy.
Because of the rain alternating between light and strong, Rhamy said they were concerned with the crowd numbers, but in the end, even the rain didn’t keep people away.
“I was thoroughly pleased with the amount of attendance was there during the course of the rain and then I was even more pleased at the attendance once it ceased raining and everybody realized that it was done and the storm started to pass. The sun started to shine just a little bit which brought more people to the square. Also, events like the foam party were able to be held once the sun started shining, and the Kiwanis Club was able to set up in the park and do bicycle helmet fittings,” commented Rhamy.
While the overall attendance will certainly be down from this year, Rhamy felt it was still strong given the circumstances. Also, because of the nature of the event, it always falls on the first Tuesday in August, so the weather is what the weather is on those dates. .
“We didn’t worry about it and it didn’t it didn’t hinder us from pushing forward. With the magnitude of what we put on down there we don’t have the opportunity to really put it anywhere else, and we don’t have an opportunity to get it inside anywhere so we have to hold it, rain or shine. I feel we pulled it off,” Rhamy stated.
One free food vendor had to pack up due to the storm, there were still plenty of free food options available and the vendors were able to remain high and dry.
“While we don’t have the exact numbers, the City of Red Oak was set up and passing out hot dogs, and they thought they served around 500 hot dogs. Also, if I remember correctly Faith Community came down with 350 or 400 servings of pulled pork and Westlake Ace Hardware was very similar maybe 400 to 500 servings from them,” explained Rhamy.
Rhamy added that after now hosting the event for 10 years and having clear and sunny skies, a rain day was bound to happen eventually.
“We’ve been very fortunate up to now, and quite frankly the weather has been all over the spectrum over the course of this year. Prior to this, the only things we had to deal with were if we had a really sweltering day. For the most part, we’ve had a number of great days where it’s in the high 70s and lower 80s. While we had to endure the rain this year, we did it with smiles on our faces and everybody was pleased to be there.”
Rhamy said it was also reassuring to know that rain or shine, the public will still turn out to support first responders on NNO, and the vendors will stick out the weather as well. In the future, he anticipates that there may be some more back up planning, just in case.
“This year, a lot of the vendors had tents, and after this recent NNO, I’m going to anticipate that if there’s a chance for rain at NNO events in the future, that they all have tents and be even more prepared for it.”
Rhamy said he and the other event organizers appreciate everybody coming, out spending an evening with them in the inclement weather, and they look forward to seeing everybody next year.