Othello Chamber celebrates start of school with community

OTHELLO — Technically, summer has a couple more weeks to run — Sept. 22 is officially the first day of fall – but summer seems to end when school opens. Othello schools opened last week, but the Othello Chamber of Commerce couldn’t let summer go without one last party.  

“It is our annual Back to School Movie Night. This is the third year the Chamber has hosted this event,” said Chamber Manager Jackie Wilhelm.  

The movie, and other activities before it started, drew a crowd to Kiwanis Park on Aug. 29, on a night that definitely resembled summer.  

“We invite a few local vendors and organizations to provide resources and activities to the community,” Wilhelm said. 

Children got to try sack races, a ring toss game and three-legged races courtesy of the Chamber. The Othello Police Department brought a couple of cool police cars and plenty of pages for children to color. The Othello Public Library had stickers and bookmarks, with the spot for their table carefully chosen. 

“We’re strategically positioned next to the snow cone truck,” Othello Librarian Georgia Reitmire said.  

The library is on Othello’s main street, of course, but Reitmire said some residents are unfamiliar with its services. 

“We try to hit as many community events as we have the staff for,” Reitmire said. “Different community events bring out different groups of people. We want to spread the word about the library to people who may not know about it yet.” 

Othello PD brought some of the participants in its Explorers program, as well as uniformed officers. Fernando Lopez and Rafael Vargas are OPD’s school resource officers; events like the movie night offer a chance to talk to residents in a low-stress situation, they said.   

‘A family-friendly event where we can mingle with the community,” Vargas said.  

Some children came up to the table and readily picked up markers, while others weren’t entirely sure what colors they wanted. The Explorers offered suggestions and help. The officers talked with children about the first days of school. 

“We get to know them,” Vargas said. “We get to engage them in a different way that is not law-enforcement-focused.” 

Lopez said events like the movie night offer a valuable opportunity. 

“We’ll be at the fair, too,” he said. “Any kind of community-based event, we’ll be there.” 

Reitmire said it was a good way to spend a couple of end-of-summer hours. 

“It’s so much fun to see the kids,” she said. 

    Children race to the finish line in the three-legged race during the Back to School Movie Night in Othello.
  

    Participants in the sack race try to stay upright. The last outdoor movie of the summer sponsored by the Othello Chamber of Commerce featured activities along with the movie.
  

    Easton Gomez tries to get the hang of the ring toss at the Othello Chamber’s last summer movie night.
  

    Laz Martinez concentrates on his task at the Othello Police Department coloring booth during Back to School Movie Night.