by Dennis Dalman
editor@thenewsleaders.com
Once again, the Sartell Cookout with Cops event was a huge success – in fact, the most successful one in the history of the annual gathering, Sartell Police Chief Jim Hughes told the city council at its Sept. 11 meeting.
The cookout is a picnic that brings senior citizens in Sartell together with police and other safety and emergency personnel to share ideas, suggestions and to learn the many ways to be safe. The event includes guest speakers, demonstrations and lots of social fun, all during a picnic lunch cooked by police officers and other volunteers.
Cookout with Cops took place Aug. 24 at the big gathering hall at the St. Francis Xavier church grounds.
Hughes praised the organizations and donors who have made the annual gathering such a success for the past dozen or so years. Those who made it possible are St. Francis Xavier Church, Country Manor, Pan O Gold Bakery for bun donations, Interstate All Battery Center for donations of smoke-detector batteries and program presenters that included the Sartell Fire Marshall, Gold Cross Ambulance, the Central Minnesota Violent Offenders Task Force, the St. Cloud Police Department’s K-9 Unit and many other volunteers and guests.
“The event gets better every year,” Hughes told the city council.
Larry and Lydia Friesz of Sartell enjoy lunch and lively conversation with officer John Batterberry Aug 24 during a packed house for Cookout with Cops at St. Francis Xavier Church, Sartell.
