Friday night at Narrow Valley Sportsplex in Nesquehoning was the place to be for many families.

Over 100 children and teens gathered for the first Community Night with Nesquehoning police, a two-hour event that aimed to build a connection between the community and the police department.

Police Chief Bradley Hess said it was great to see this event be well received

“We were thinking of something we could do with it being so cold and we’re fortunate to have a facility like this,” he said, noting that he approached Kathy Reaman and she and her staff were supportive of the idea and ran with it.

Hess added that the turnout for the event was impressive and it allowed the department to meet with the community and interact with the kids in a different way.

“The turnout alone shows how important this is to people,” he said. “We’re hoping this is kind of the first of many events. We are looking to make this a yearly thing.”

Four officers were stationed around the sportsplex, helping children with basketball, soccer, pickleball and free play, as well as one officer who was on duty who stopped in to talk to parents and community members.

Kathy (Kovatch) Reaman, one of the owners of the facility, said that this is what she visioned for the community when her family began planning Narrow Valley Sportsplex.

“This is why we did this in the first place,” she said. “We needed something like this in the community so badly and to be able to host something like this here six months after opening, I just love every second of it. It’s giving the kids something to do. It’s getting them active again and it’s about getting the community healthy again.”

Reaman thanked Nesquehoning police for approaching her with the idea and the rest was history.

In addition to sports, St. Luke’s set up a table to give out water and fruit, as well as books and other educational items.

The overwhelming response for the night was that the children enjoyed themselves, shooting hoops, kicking around soccer balls and just gathering to enjoy time with their friends.