The Kennett Square Police Department’s Community Night and a guided walking tour of public space projects will round out the Third Thursday season for 2022.

Anyone who’s breathed in the community spirit at Third Thursdays on State Street this summer will tell you that Kennett Square is a beautiful, vibrant place with a big heart. The glorious weather, combined with an expanded line-up of offerings including street vendors, children’s activities, and food trucks, has made for an unprecedented season. The final Third Thursday event for 2022, on Oct. 20 will be a fitting grand finale.

Kennett Square Police Department Community Night

The Kennett Square Police Department’s Community Night will bring the intersection of State and Union to life from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. as the department and its community partners set up a range of special activities designed to delight and inform both kids and adults. There will be goodie bags, police vehicles and equipment to explore, a chance to try fingerprinting, a police-car-cut-out photo booth, candy, and more. In addition, kids age thirteen and under can enter a raffle to be “Chief for a day.” Kids who have their costumes all set for Halloween are also encouraged to wear them for the evening, according to Chief of Police Bill Holdsworth.

“Some of our strategic partners will join us, too,” Holdsworth said. “The fire department will bring personnel and a piece of equipment, the Chester County Crime Victims’ Center will be there to explain their services, and Lucky Dawg Animal Rescue will bring animals for kids to meet.” 

The event is intentionally child-friendly and fun, Holdsworth said. “It should be a neat opportunity to complement dining in the street and showcase public safety here in town.”

Above all, the Kennett Square Police Department is looking forward to connecting with people in the community and continuing to build the kind of relationships of trust that are integral to successful community policing. 

“COVID put a damper on the community activities we’ve been involved in for years—like Study Buddies and After-the-Bell,” Holdsworth said. “We’re looking forward to getting back what we’ve lost and continuing to foster the bonds we’ve been working on.”

Holdsworth and his officers place a high value on community trust and count it a privilege to serve people in the community and to be there to help—often in difficult situations. They also recognize that it’s an ongoing process to develop that trust. “We know there’s some fear of engagement, and particularly among our Latino population because of some of the things they’ve experienced,” he said. Events like this Community Night enable police officers to build relationships in a fun, non-threatening environment.

“We love being part of the process of making this an enjoyable place to live, work, and play,” Holdsworth said. “When everyone stays safe, we can continue to thrive as a community.”

Take the Trail to Third Thursday

What could be more Kennett-esque than enjoying a walk around town on a beautiful fall evening, stopping to enjoy small bites and crafted non-alcoholic drinks while learning about various public space projects that are in progress and being planned to make our community an even more walkable, inclusive, and inviting place to live?

Plan to join the Kennett Trails Alliance on Third Thursday for this free guided tour beginning at 5 p.m. at The Creamery (401 Birch Street).

At The Creamery, attendees will receive a special stainless steel branded carabiner mug to rinse and refill with a unique mocktail or infused water at each stop. Kennett Square Borough Manager Kyle Coleman will kick off the tour by sharing the Borough’s plan to make essential repairs and enhance the streetscape on Birch Street. Participants will also have the option to receive one free specialty cocktail at The Creamery to be enjoyed prior to the tour's departure.

At WorKS, the Kennett Trails Alliance will give an overview of the Kennett Greenway project, after which the tour will move on to the Red Clay Demonstration Area for another mocktail and small bite and the opportunity to meet the trails consultants and learn about this exciting project that will include environmental restoration and transform a 33,000-square-foot forgotten “backyard” space into a beautiful recreational space for the community.

The penultimate stop on the tour will be the Waterworks Buildings at Anson B. Nixon Park, where walkers will enjoy a beverage and small bite and learn about KAPA’s plans to transform these historic buildings to serve our growing community. The tour ends at State Street, where participants can enjoy dinner and festivities at Third Thursday, including an opportunity to “build your own park” on a game board at the Kennett Trails Alliance table. Community members are also encouraged to take this survey to give input on what they’d like to see in the future Red Clay Park.

Kennett Trails Alliance executive director Christina Norland is excited for this unique collaborative event and is grateful to all of the community partners involved and to The Creamery for providing the catering. 

“People can eat, be nourished, and get the scoop on all of these different projects,” she said. Please note that this event is free but RSVPs are required.

State Street will be closed to traffic from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. so the community can enjoy these special events in addition to outdoor dining, live music, special vendors, kids activities, food trucks, and more.