Last week with the prospect of a UPS strike that would require police to face picketers at the UPS distribution enter on Plan Way, it looked like the National Night Out celebration scheduled for Tuesday would be canceled. The event spotlighting the work of first responders started in 1984 in Philadelphia and has been a Warwick favorite for years. When UPS and the Teamsters reached an agreement there was a collective sigh of relief from police and firefighters not to mention more than 150 vendors scheduled to attend.

For more than 25 years years the event had been held at Oakland Beach. And then with some apprehension it was moved to Rocky Point. Last year saw vehicles backed up on Palmer Avenue with cars parked on both sides of the road and a packed parking lot.

This year it went much smoother. Yellow tape prevented parking on Palmer Avenue that put an end to people walking in the street so as to get into the park. What was once the entrance to the Rocky Beach community was cordoned off until the main parking lot was full.
Of course, a mild summer day, offering relief from the hot muggy weather of last week, made it pleasant. The vendors who had been contacted by Deb Wood of We Be Jammin offered a selection of crafts and entertainment. There were the food trucks, too and then the demonstrations staged by police and fire. The grand finale was the fireworks that lit up the scene and brought the event to a close with a bang. (Text and photos by John Howell)