Story and photos (from past years) by Mary Jane Farmer,  for the Van Alstyne News

In this, the 40th anniversary year of the establishment of National Night Out, Van Alstyne Police are hosting its yearly community gathering from 6-8 p.m. this Tuesday, Oct. 3. The full event will be held at the Central Social District park downtown. Van Alstyne Fire Department also will be out, as those first-responders work often with the police officers, helping with Van Alstyne residents’ and visitors’ safety and well-being.

Two then-new members of the police and fire departments learned quite a bit about dancing from this young lady and others who joined her. – Pre-2020 NNO

City Event Planner Kandi Hessell invites everyone to get involved. “Bring your family and friends out to the Central Social District Park for a night of free fun.”
In addition to meeting all the peace officers and first responders, there will be free train rides, bounce houses, face painting, hot dogs, and other fun activities. “A Care Flight helicopter will be on site, along with the city’s police cars driven around to protect and serve our wonderful community,” Hessell said. Also on hand will be many of the city’s ambulances and fire trucks. Big Dave with Mad Rock 102.5 radio station, who will also be broadcasting live. “Giveaways and fun for the whole family – you won’t want to miss this event!” Kessell added.
Another media said there will be a tug-of-war between police and fire officers, but that is not confirmed. NOW CONFIRMED:  This tug-of-war will be at 7 p.m., inside the park.
It will be, at the least, Van Alstyne’s 24th year of involvement. Police Chief Tim Barnes said it was Justice of the Peace Precinct 2 David Hawley, then a high-ranking deputy with the Grayson County Sheriff’s Office, who organized NNO in this

A Van Alstyne policeman drove the traditional train filled with children through the night – About 2017

county.
National Night Out is parented by the National Association of Town Watch, organized in 1984. All cities, including Texas’ towns then, across the United States celebrated NNO on the first Tuesday of August.
For the law enforcement agencies in Grayson County and all of Texas, August was, and still is, an extremely hot time, and thus the NATW designated that Texas’ NNOs be held the first Tuesday in October. Van Alstyne PD switched over that first year, and it remains on the first Tuesday every October.
“NNO enhances the relationship between neighbors and law enforcement in a true sense of community. Furthermore, it provides a great opportunity to bring police and neighbors together under positive circumstances” – National Night Out Click Here for its Website

The kids are allowed nowadays to get into patrol cars now as they were in years past.

Police Chief Tim Barnes said, “It’s (NNO) just been a long tradition with our community. It’s a great event that brings the community and the department(s) together and at no (taxpayer) expense.”

Story by Mary Jane Farmer for the Van Alstyne News. Photos by Paige Boatman

The City of Van Alstyne will soon have a sixth city park for its residents and visitors to use for their enjoyment.Monday (September 25), city and business leaders were joined by residents to break the ground for the Eula Umphress-Robert Hynds Park, to be built between Dallas Avenue and Kelly Lane on the east side of U.S. Highway 75.
City Manager Lane Jones, Mayor ProTem Lee Thomas, and Parks & Recreation Director Tyler Bank all addressed the crowd, after which they and seven others picked up shovels and ceremoniously began moving dirt.
According to Jones, the Umphress/Hynds Park construction contract has been awarded. It was Piazza Construction LTD of Denison who received the award. Construction will begin on the 24-acre green-space park in October. The targeted completion date is late Spring of 2024. The park will include, Jones added, a fishing pond and fishing piers, walking trail, pergola, and playground, two parking lots. There will also be a large open space for individual or group activities.
The other city parks include North Park, Wilson-McKinney Park, Dorothy Fielder Park, Forrest Moore Park, and the most recently added Central Social District Park, which has been in use for two years.

Mayor ProTem Lee Thomas was one of several who addressed the crowd at Monday’s park groundbreaking.

Van Alstyne Police Chief Tim Barnes and Fire Chief Ryan Dockery were among the many city leaders at Monday’s groundbreaking.

Highway spans all of Texas from Arkansas to New Mexico

US 82 Corridor map

Press Release from Texas Department of Transportation, Sept. 13, 2023

PARIS, Texas – The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is working to shape the future for one of the most important highways in the Paris area (Grayson County is in this Paris, Texas area), and public input is crucial as the agency looks to meet the transportation needs of tomorrow.
TxDOT is conducting an online survey between Sept. 11 – Oct. 18, asking the public for its input and perspective on US Highway 82, which stretches across Texas for more than 570 miles from Arkansas to New Mexico.
The survey, part of TxDOT’s US 82 Texas Corridor Study, will give the public an important voice in shaping the future of US 82 and the many communities it serves. The corridor study is looking for ways to keep up with the state’s growing population, increasing traffic and booming economy.
The study examines currently planned transportation projects and analyzes additional safety, connectivity, bottlenecks, and other mobility needs along US 82 in Texas. The results of the survey will help TxDOT identify potential improvement needs and prioritize plans, policies, programs, and projects.
The study will consider the following key elements to identify and prioritize proposed projects along the corridor:
• Safety
• Mobility & Congestion
• System Connectivity
• Multimodal Passenger & Freight

Click here to find out more about the US 82 Texas Corridor Study and to take the survey.

The survey is also available in Spanish.

Story by Mary Jane Farmer

NOTE: An indictment is a formal charge and not an indication of guilt.

The Grayson County Grand Jury , during it’s most recent seating, indicted Van Alstyne resident David Prikryl on three charges of Harrassment of Public Servant.

Van Alstyne Police Lt. Steven Hayslip said that on June 4 of this year, officers were called to a house on Nash Street because of a disturbance in progress. Upon arrival, they learned that someone in the household had sprayed Prikryl with an over-the-counter pepper spray for his/her own safety. Officers placed the suspect under arrest and placed handcuffs on him. The suspect resisted arrest, and then reportedly spit on both a paramedic and a police officer. Once at the Grayson County Jail, he also spit on a jailer, Hayslip added.

Bail was set at a total of $30,000, ($10,000 on each of the three charges), payable in surety bonds. As of Aug. 21, Prikryl remained incarcerated.