We hope everyone will turn out at the Groves National Night Out event on Tuesday.
Most years, each of our communities—Port Arthur, Groves, Nederland and Port Neches—would have their own events celebrating our first responders.
The events are fun, family activities with games, prizes, treats and opportunities to interact with the men and women who keep us safe.
However, this year, in the wake of Tropical Storm Harvey’s terrible flooding, most communities are still rebuilding and so only Groves will observe the national evening event.
While we understand how, logistically, the other cities cannot play host right now, those citizens who can go ought to go to Groves’ National Night Out because it is especially clear, in the wake of Harvey, just how much we owe our first responders.
These men and women worked tirelessly for us.
Why, today, on our front page, we tell the story of Sgt. Patrick Britton of the Port Arthur Police Department, an officer who worked 36 hours strait saving others even as he lost his own home. His story is just one of many dozens, but it is a clear reminder of the debt we owe.
Tuesday’s ceremony will not repay that debt but it will at least give the public the opportunity to say thank you.
We hope everyone who can, will take that opportunity.
The Groves event will from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday at Lion’s Park at the corner of Jackson Boulevard and Lincoln Avenue.
We will see you there.