— Photo courtesy Therese Loutherback ©
About 300 residents came together on Sept. 15 to connect with neighbors, promote communication, have fun, and help create a safer community, event organizers explained in an email.
The Spyglass Hill Seventh Annual Picnic featured a food truck, ice-cream truck, games, a face painter, and 14 Chamber of Commerce vendor booths, officials noted in the message.
Attendees included State Senator John Moorlach, Newport Beach City Manager Grace Leung, Newport Beach Mayor Diane Dixon, Mayor Pro Tem Will O’Neill, and City Council members Brad Avery and Kevin Muldoon.
Newport Beach Police Department Commander Keith Krallman was a special guest, as well as NBPD Crime Prevention Specialist Sara Verschueren.
“A strong Neighborhood Watch program in Spyglass and events like this encourage a proactive approach to taking care of our area. Some of our best information comes from our residents that are looking out for each other and see suspicious activity,” Krallman said in a prepared statement.
The annual event has helped the neighborhood become safer, reported Spyglass Picnic and Neighborhood Watch chairperson Therese Loutherback.
“Community involvement over the past several years has brought about a decrease in crime due to residents being vigilant in watching out for each other,” she said in a prepared statement. “It all comes back to getting to know the neighbors which add a quality of life as enjoyment comes from seeing each other and becoming friends.”
At the event, O’Neill presented Loutherback with a sash that read “Mayor of Spyglass Hill.”
