One of the biggest events of the year in Crookston is Nite to Unite at Central Park and it will be held on Tuesday, August 7 with fun for the family, thousands and thousands of dollars in prizes and most importantly, a chance for the community to get
up close and personal with their local law enforcement.
The Nite to Unite committee is made up of many great volunteers and is led by Crookston Police Officer/School Resource Officer Don Rasicot.
There is one change this year with the fifth Annual Walt Keller Memorial Bingo party being held at the Golden Link from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. Cost is $10 for an hour or $1 per game. Free cookies and coffee will be served, and prizes will be given to all winners. All proceeds will go to the Walt Keller Memorial Fund and the Tri-Valley Bus will provide transportation starting at 2:30 p.m. Stops are at the Villa/Summit, Summerfield Senior Apartments, Oak Court and Nimens Espegard apartments (Building C). “Bingo has become so popular that we weren’t able to seat everybody at the park,” said Rasicot. “So we moved it to the Golden Link and bingo will start at 3:00.”
Rasicot said this is Crookston’s 15th year and nationally, it has been held for 35 years. “It is a national event that encompasses over 40 million people and 15,000 communities around the country,” said Rasicot. “The beauty of the event is it brings the public and law enforcement together in a fashion where you meet your policemen by first name and get a hometown feel for each and every officer. This is a lifestyle for us, not a job. We want to be a part of the community and want the community to feel comfortable around us.”
The Nite to Unite opening ceremonies will be held at 4:40 p.m. to kick off the festivities in Central Park. Before the opening ceremonies start, Rasicot will lead hotrods and the National Guard into the park. “At about 4:20 to 4:25 I will parade in the hot rods and our hometown hero’s, the National Guard. At about 4:30 we will have Sargeant Kitty Barstad sing the National Anthem and in earnest Nite to Unite starts,” said Rasicot. “I will introduce Chief Biermaier and we will have about a 20-minute ceremony honoring our five hometown heroes, some are businesses and some are people. Shortly after that, we will have a whole array of events.”
They will have three K-9 dogs and they have hired a zoo with 19 exotic animals on display and it will be a one-hour demonstration.
The Nite to Unite is made possible by the generosity of the many people and businesses that donate prizes, money and time to the event. “Businesses, people and service groups, have been incredibly generous and I could not possibly tell you all the people and businesses that have donated all the prizes,” said Rasicot. “We are giving away 30-plus bike packages, helmets, and locks. We have a couple grand prizes, two Mall of America Family packs valued at over $500 and a John Deere electric side by side Gator. We will hand out the prizes throughout the night and we have 100’s to give away like Chrome books.”
Rasicot tells us the main reason for the Nite to Unite and said the crowds are big and it is noticed each year. “There is none in the area that has the crowds and demonstrations that we do,” said Rasicot. “We get recognized by the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Crime Prevention unit and we have been recognized the past five years and we have been honored with a plaque.”
The schedule is below –
3:00 – 4:00 PM – Walt Keller Memorial Bingo at the Golden Link
4:40 – 5:00 – Opening Ceremony
5:10 – 6:10 – Kemper Zoo exhibit
6:35 – 6:40 – Blues Brothers chase
6:10 – 6:40 – Watermelon eating contest
6:50 – 7:30 – Helicopter arrives and viewing time
7:40 – 7:50 – Golf ball drop
Dunk tank participants and times-
4:30 – Miss Crookston Aleece Durbin
5:00 – Polk County Sheriff’s Deputy Jim Tadman
5:30 – Polk County Sheriff’s Deputy Randy Sondrol
6:00 – Jeremy Olson (New Crookston Schools Superintendent)
