Community Event Set for National Night Out

By Misty Cryer

A series of activities is planned for August 9 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Carlsbad Beach Bandshell in observance of National Night Out. This event allows the community to connect with first responders from various public service agencies.

The aim is to show how the agencies and communities of Eddy County work together to keep the county strong and safe while having some summer fun. Thanks to the sponsors, the eventgoers can look forward to an array of entertainment, including free food and drinks.

The Carlsbad Coalition used to coordinate National Night Out in individual neighborhoods prior to the COVID pandemic, said Brandy Mendoza, Community Wellness and Outreach Coordinator for the Eddy County DWI Program. “I reached out to them and asked if the DWI program could bring it back. We wanted to do a centralized event,” she said.

“With the support of the county, we are having Eddy County’s very first National Night Out,” said Mendoza. “The purpose of it is to bring the community and first responders together to build a safer community.”

The event will start with the 5K Walk/Run, said Mendoza. To sign up for the 5K in advance, interested parties can call 575-361-2512.

“Everyone will meet at the Beach Bandshell at 8 a.m., check in for the 5K, and the race will start at 8:30 a.m. After that, we will have an intermission with refreshments,” she said.

Following the race, attendees can enjoy a variety of entertainment throughout the day. “We’ll have Inflatafun. They’ll be there all day with five bouncers,” said Mendoza. “We’ll have games and interaction with the agencies. We’ll have free food from 12 to 2 p.m.,” she said.

“The Sheriff’s Posse will be cooking the food for us, and the city has servers that will be helping us hand out food,” said Mendoza. The schedule she provided specifies that lunchtime will feature guest speakers and a special performance by Top Notch Cheer, accompanied by burgers and hot dogs.

“We will have face painting, Let’s Have Foam, and there will be a fire vs. police volleyball game,” said Mendoza. According to the schedule, the volleyball tournament will begin at 10:30 a.m. Let’s Have Foam will be present from noon to 3 p.m., with face painting from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Raffles are scheduled to start at 2:30 p.m. (participants must be present to win), followed by agency interactions and relay games at 3 p.m.

“We will have a bunch of different relay games,” Mendoza said, adding that there will be tug-of-war.

Sparky the Fire Dog will also be there, along with different apparatuses from all the agencies, she said. She specified that the Carlsbad Fire and Police departments, Loving Police, New Mexico State Police, and the Eddy County Sheriff’s Office will participate in the event.

“We’ll have the helicopter. Eddy County Fire and Rescue will have their Fire Prevention Trailer,” she said.

“This whole event will be completely free,” said Mendoza. At press time, the sponsors of the event included ExxonMobil, SIMCO, Artesia General Hospital, CNB Bank, Walmart, Carlsbad Community Foundation, Albertsons, and Zealous Energy and Environmental Services. She said, at the time, they were still adding more sponsors.

Mendoza has served as Community Wellness and Outreach Coordinator for the Eddy County DWI Program for two years, she said. In addition to working with the DWI School and Victim Impact Panel, she said she also does radio ads and billboards and participates in health fairs and community outreach events. She said she mostly enjoys being involved in the community.