There was a buzz at Silva Park this past Saturday – not only from the Sheriff’s office Air 101 helicopter that buzzed the Crossroads neighborhood with sirens blaring – but also the community that attended the barbeque hosted by City of Riverbank and Riverbank Police Services (RPS). The free meal and festivities began at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 27 and was open to all residents. Officials said the event was very well attended.
“It was much better than anticipated,” remarked Riverbank Mayor Richard O’Brien. “The event itself all the way across the board was great but the helicopter was a big hit. I would like to see this type of event hosted four times a year by each district representative.”
RPS Chief Ed Ridenour has continued the event for the past three years to sustain the solid relationship with the community and continue to build relationships.
“We had such a great attendance we ran out of food after about 45 minutes, we will plan for more meals next year,” said Ridenour. “This event was very successful thanks to the help of many people. I want to thank our City Council, City staff, Sheriff Specialty Teams, Fire Department, STARS Volunteers, Riverbank Police Services staff, and of course the public for showing up to make this such a worthwhile event.”
They served up 240 free meals to guests that included a hot dog, chips, Rice Krispies treats, and a bottle of water. There were several activities for families to enjoy that day. There was a bounce house, corn hole game, and coloring books for the kids.
With the different teams spread out at Silva Park there was plenty of room for guests to mingle and for long lines to form. The K9 and Deputy, Community Resource Deputy, Community Service Officer, and Sheriff’s Explorers were all on hand to visit with residents.
“Awesome turnout,” stated Central Valley Community Resources (CVCR) CEO and Councilmember Darlene Barber Martinez. “The event turned out great. I think the community enjoyed the event.”
CVCR had a booth where they gave away books, water, hand sanitizer and a guest favorite, sno cones. There were 260 sno cones consumed and 40 books distributed.
“Parents were very appreciative for the books and the water bottles,” added Martinez. “Kids enjoyed mixing flavors of the sno cones. We had several kids that came back for seconds.”
Stanislaus Consolidated Fire Protection District had a fire truck at the park and were handing out fire hats to kids. The SWAT truck was open to the public and had several kids climbing in and out of it. The Bomb Squad had their robot and gear out for the public to check out.
Although there was a drone in the sky hovering over the event the big highlight in the sky was the Sheriff’s helicopter that circled the neighborhood as well as the event with sirens and then landed in the park.
“The helicopter by far was the star of the show,” expressed Ridenour. “It flew the neighborhood with siren and loudspeaker before landing at the park which drew a huge crowd. Everyone seemed to have a great time and great conversation.”
The first event was a drive through BBQ held at Pioneer Park in 2020 and in 2021 it was held at Castleberg Park.
The Chief noted that there are plans to have another community event next year held at Silva Park that may possibly coincide with National Night Out.
