Residents join to mark National Night Out

The U.S.-Canadian event fosters camaraderie among block watch members.
& lt;a href=mailto:milliken@vindy.com & gt;By PETER MILLIKEN & lt;/a & gt;
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Tuesday's National Night Out parade and picnic brought community-minded people together from all parts of the city and beyond for an annual celebration of crime prevention.
"Everybody gets together, and they try to support each other," said Cheryl Soltis of Pasadena Avenue, president of the South Avenue Block Watch. Soltis attended with her two sons, John Makar and Gerald Makar Jr.; daughter-in-law Sabrina Makar; and grandson Deven Makar, 2 1/2, all of Pasadena Avenue.
She said her goal is to urge people not to stay behind their doors and complain, but to "come out and tell us what their problem is."
Her block watch has "closed 11 drug houses. Every time one pops up, they're soon out of there," she said.
"We need the help of everybody in the city of Youngstown to fight crime," she added.
Youngstown Patrolman Rodney Lewis noted: "Most of these people that are out here right now, they are the people that are going to call the police when they're needed. They're going to report that crime. They're the ones that support us."
International event
The event, which was observed simultaneously in 9,400 U.S. and Canadian communities, marked its 20th anniversary nationally and its 18th anniversary in Youngstown this year.
"I think there's a lot of benefit in people just coming together to know who their neighbors are," said Madelon Sabine of Poland, a parishioner at St. Patrick Church on Oak Hill Avenue who brought a 20th anniversary cake for the occasion.
"It brings the neighborhood together. I like the atmosphere. It's like a family reunion. It brings unity to the city," Jessica Lively of Campbell said.
She attended the event with her sister Jo Ann Carter and brother-in-law James Carter, who live on Mistletoe Avenue and belong to the Sheridan Block Watch.
Lively's grandchildren, Brandon Kennedy, 10; Kendall Miller, 9; Artshayla Jones, 4; and Keniceia Miller, 10, all of Campbell, also attended.
Others on hand were Council President John R. Swierz, several other city council members, representatives of the city police and fire departments, neighborhood residents, and block watch leaders and members from many other areas of the city.
Parade and picnic
The celebration, hosted by the Sheridan watch, consisted of a parade from Fire Station No. 2 on Indianola Avenue to a picnic at the Sheridan Elementary School playground, for which some 35 sponsors donated food, beverages, services and prizes.
The parade featured Mahoning County sheriff's cruisers; a firetruck; a Western Reserve Transit Authority trolley; numerous neighborhood children on foot, bicycles and battery-operated scooters; and Steffon Jones of Youngstown, a Colored Regiment Civil War re-enactor.
Donald Ells of West Warren Avenue brought a volleyball, which children used at a net in the playground. Ells, 70, was a member of the bronze medalist volleyball team in the National Senior Games in June in Hampton Roads, Va.
"This is one of the best recreations that you can have, not only for kids, but also for adults. Whenever you set up a volleyball net, strangers will come by, and they'll ask, 'May I play?' It's a game that attracts people, and no fighting," as sometimes occurs in other sports, he said.