There is still time to volunteer and donate ahead of the annual Crookston Night to Unite, which will be held on Tuesday, August 4, on the campus of the University of Minnesota Crookston.
Cody Bannert of the Crookston Police Department organizes the event, which has been held since 2004, and encourages more people to come out and support this wonderful event filled with prizes, food trucks, and fun.
Some new events include a wheelbarrow race for groups ranging from toddlers to teenagers, a petting zoo with goats, and an egg drop contest along with a demonstration with a K9 officer. “The K9 demo is going from 6:05 to 6:20 p.m., and then we’re going to be adding an egg drop contest,” said Bannert. “So, working with our fire department, they’re going to be going up with the containers that are made by the age groups, dropping the containers from the fire truck, and then see if they break or not. So prizes will be given out to the winners for that from zero to four years old, five to seven years old, eight to 10 years old, 11 to 14 years old, and 15 to 17 years old.”
UMNC’s Director of Outreach and Engagement Michelle Christopherson has helped Bannert with some of the planning on campus and views this night as an opportunity for the community to engage with organizations and local leaders to help build a stronger community. “It’s a great collaboration with so many different partners within the community,” said Christopherson. “And having it be a showcase for the Crookston Police Department and the city, it is really an opportunity for everyone just to get to understand what services are available, who they can contact, and place faces with names with our city council members. So, all are welcome.”
One of the most popular parts of the Night to Unite is the bicycle giveaways. Every year, the police department collects donations and purchases bike packages to give to kids on Night to Unite. So far, they have collected a fair amount of donations, but would love to provide as many bikes to kids as they can. “So far in collecting of the donations, we’re at 25 bicycle packages,” said Bannert. “We’re definitely open to taking more donations. You know, there’s no donation amount too big and no donation amount too small.”
Anyone interested in volunteering or donating to the bicycle fund can reach out to Bannert at 218-281-3111.
