As the vacation season approaches a new school year and the daylight hours begin to wane, the Wilmington Police Department and the Wilmington Police Association each August set out to remind the community that summer is still here! The celebratory atmosphere generated by the association’s long running Beach Day at Silver Lake and the department’s more recent National Night Out at Rotary Park is palpable.
Wilmington’s Silver Lake has been a summertime destination since the early days of the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway Company. As trolleys disgorged city dwellers onto the lake shore and into the adjacent pine groves, the Silver Lake neighborhood grew each season until it became a year round community after World War II.
On August 4, 1972, the Wilmington Recreation Department began its annual Beach Day. A full day of events, including games and swimming was planned. In fact, the beach was closed to the general public in order to accommodate all of the town’s children. The following year, a full-fledged swim meet was the event of the day and the Wilmington Police Association, a civic and charitable organization of police department employees, took over sponsorship. In 1974, the Police Association introduced one of the most popular games of the event that would be a highlight for many years, the Greased Watermelon Race. Teams of three people, kids and adults alike, vied to retrieve watermelons liberally greased with Crisco and set adrift in the water. It sometimes turned to chaos as the watermelons slipped from everyone’s grip repeatedly. To win this event was truly an accomplishment. The Beach Day continued to evolve to include and cookout, sandcastle building contests, swimming competitions, tug of war competition, beach volleyball and badminton games. By the 1980s it was the premier summer event for children of the town before the sadness of the resumption of school came about as the Labor Day Weekend neared. This year, after nearly fifty years since the inaugural event, Beach Day endures as the Wilmington Police Association and the Wilmington Recreation Department continue their summertime partnership for the youth of the town.
In 2014, what has become a similarly popular event for families began in its time slot on the Tuesday evening preceding Beach Day.
National Night Out, a country-wide initiative that began in 1984 as a crime prevention night watch event, has become in Wilmington, a premier police-community relations event. Initially under the direction of Chief Michael Begonis and then Officer Matt Stavro backed by generous grants from the Woburn based Cummings Foundation, the event has featured many exciting and interactive events for townspeople and visitors alike. An atmosphere of excitement reigns supreme as a National Guard helicopter lands a Rotary Park. Mounted State Police Troopers mingle with kids and parents. The wails of a police bagpipe band reverberate through the park. A simulated fire burn house and fire apparatus introduce the public to the world of fire safety. Dozens of police cruisers and specialty vehicles are on static display. Burgers, popcorn and ice cream are big hits with everyone.
Aside from the hiatus of 2020, each year since 2014 has seen hundreds of people turn out to see and interact with Wilmington Police Officers, Wilmington Firefighters and many other officers and representatives of dozens of visiting federal, state and municipal law enforcement agencies.
For the 2022 event, Sergeant Matt Stavro has relinquished organizational duties to Sergeant Mike Wandell who under the direction of Chief Joseph Desmond will endeavor to continue presenting this community event. But simply put, the popularity of both events has guaranteed their longevity and has cemented an undeniable bond between the members of the Wilmington Police Department and the residents of our great town.
Both events will be held this week, National Night Out on August 2nd at Rotary Park and Beach Day on August 4th at Silver Lake.
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