By Claudia Loucks
Correspondent

National Night Out in Geneseo is a joint effort by the Geneseo Police Department and the City of Geneseo in promoting a sense of community.

The event will be from 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 2, in Geneseo City Park.

According to Jessica Damewood of the Geneseo Police Department, the “Night Out” is “an annual community-building campaign that promotes strong police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make our neighborhoods safer, more caring places to live and work.”

Geneseo’s first National Night Out was organized by retired Police Officer Mike Gawrysiak in 1999.

“The Geneseo Police Department and the City of Geneseo are teaming up again this year for the fun family event,” Damewood said.

Some of the features visitors can expect at the Park on Aug. 2 are bounce houses provided by the Geneseo Park District, Fingerprint identification provided by Stewart Lodge #92 AF & AM., booths from State Farm – Bethany Winkleman, Henry County Farm Bureau and Freedom House.

There will be face painting by Whimsy Pixie Paint and balloon animals from the recently-appointed City Administrator Brandon Maeglin.

“We will also have food in the shelter and Sgt. Jamison Weisser and K-9 Kauzi will be doing a demonstration on the north side of the Park,” Damewood said.

There also will be a display of vehicles from the Geneseo Fire Protection District and the Geneseo Police Department.

Free raffle will be drawn on Wednesday, Aug. 3.

ABOUT THE ILLINOIS MASONIC FAMIY IDENTIFICATION (IMFID) PROGRAM SPONSORED LOCALLY BY GENESEO MASONIC LODGE

According to Jimmy Cowan, of Geneseo Masonic Lodge, the IMFID program offers a comprehensive kit to assist law enforcement at no charge in identifying missing children and elderly family members,

The Freemasons of Illinois sponsor the Illinois Masonic Family Identification Program.

Cowan said the program brings peace of mind and offers preparedness at a traumatic time for families.

The IMFID Kits will be available at Geneseo’s National Night Out on Aug. 2. Each kit provides necessary items for parents or guardians to complete:

-Color Photo that records image height. This digitized information can be quickly circulated by law enforcement to the media and distributed across the State via Illinois’ AMBER Alert Program.

-Fingerprints are the oldest reliable form of identification since they are unique to every person.

-DNA sample taken in the form of saliva from the inside of the cheek provides the family with the security knowing their child’s DNA is safe in their IMFID kit to provide to law enforcement in the case of an emergency.

-Recorded Interview provides critical information like appearance, speech patterns, personal characteristics, and mannerisms. This information is essential for law enforcement to identify loved ones and can be provided to media as needed to activate the AMBER Alert.

IMFID equals Hope and Preparedness, Cowan said, “In an emergency, call 911,” and he added that the IMFID does not replace local law enforcement.

The AMBER (America’s Missing Broadcast Emergency Response) system saves lives. The IMFID kit equips law enforcement with essential information.