Dear Community,

While attending a West End Business and Professional Association meeting a couple of months ago, I was listening to Mike Rowley our newly appointed Police Chief and his vision for the Forks Police Department. He was talking about how he wanted the community to know his police officers and how he wanted his police officers to be involved in the community.

He wanted the community to feel that his officers were there for them, just not out there giving tickets when they break the law. It got me to thinking how we could make this happen in a good old community setting. Then it came to me what does everybody like and especially if it is free? Ice Cream!

Everybody likes free ice cream! What better way to get people together than over a good old Ice Cream Social. I ran this idea by the police chief and he thought it was a good idea and he was pretty excited about it. Now to find a date when nothing else was going on; so I went to the school and looked for a calendar date that was open with no games or events.

March 20 was open and it is a Tuesday night that does not interfere with Wednesday night meetings. Then I met with the people at Outfitters, they agreed to supply the ice cream. I met with Triss and Bruce at Sully’s, they agreed to supply the ice cream cups, and the toppings for the event. Forks Abuse also contacted me saying they wanted to be involved. What a great town to live in!

I contacted Vern Hestand at Olympic Graphic Arts and he made up a great flyer. As I was taking the flyers around town I had an opportunity to talk with several people and they all had a positive response to a gathering of this sort.

Of course, who doesn’t like free Ice Cream? My main point of this article is; isn’t it time that we start coming together as a community to support one another in all we do. Not only the School and our children that we support but also Law enforcement, Hospital employees, Ambulance Crew, City Council and the Mayor, Fire Department/Bill Paul, Ministerial Association and the Pastors, and all the volunteer organizations of our community. If we do not know who these people are then how can we work with these different Agencies and organizations to make Forks a great place to work and live?

We have a chance on March 20 at the Congregational Church Fellowship Hall, 280 S. Spartan Ave., from 6-8 p.m. to come together for fellowship, meet our police chief and his officers, hear about the changes that are going on in the jail and the vision the chief has for our community.

I would be a great time to also talk Neighbor Hood Watch. Also the officers and chief will be handing out stuff for the kids and of course some free Ice Cream. Please take time to come and be part of this Social Event. Who knows what a difference you or your family can make in our community until you try.

Pastor Warren Johnson

First Congregational Church of Forks