The City of Sandy Springs and Target have teamed up for the City's participation in the 28th Annual National Night Out (NNO) in an effort to create a safer and healthier community. National Night Out will be held on Tuesday, August 2, 2011, from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. at Hammond Park, 6005 Hammond Drive. The free event will include food and refreshments; car safety seat checks; information on how to sign up for or start a Neighborhood Watch program; the Fire Safety House, which provides a hands-on learning environment; fire trucks and police cars; meeting police officers and firefighters; and information on how to be safe in an emergency.

"The goal of National Night Out is to create a safe and healthy community, so we involve residents and public safety personnel. We do this while also creating a unique crime and drug prevention event that takes place right in our neighborhood," said Police Chief Terry Sult. "The partnership between Target and the Sandy Springs Police Department further strengthens and supports local anticrime programs."

Nationwide, last year's event involved residents, law enforcement agencies, civic groups, businesses, neighborhood organizations and local officials from more than 15,000 communities in all 50 states. In all, more than 37 million people participated in NNO. Target gives away 5 percent of its income to communities every week, which is more than $3 million per week. This year's local sponsors include Publix, FastSigns, Pig-n-Chick and Kroger.

The Sandy Springs Police Department's Community Affairs unit is hosting the graduation of the 9th SSPD Citizens' Police Academy (CPA 009) on Thursday, August 4 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at City Hall. This is the culmination of 12 weeks of classes consisting of classes such as K-9, SWAT, 911 and Jail Tours, Detectives, Crime Scene, Traffic Law and several others. These 16 residents of Sandy Springs dedicated each Tuesday night from 6:00-8:30 p.m. to spend their time with the officers of the SSPD to learn the "in's and out's" of the Sandy Springs Police Department. 

The graduation is a great community event where each student receives a graduation certificate and the thanks of the command staff for their dedication.

For information, contact Senior Officer Larry Jacobs, Sandy Springs Police Department, with any questions.   

Opening to the public on August 7, 2011 "Heroes of Sandy Springs," is a new exhibit in the Heritage Sandy Springs Museum that draws on historical photographs, archives, artifacts, and film clips to tell the story of policing and fire fighting in Sandy Springs. The exhibit actively engages visitors in learning about the long, but little known tradition of policing and fire fighting in Sandy Springs by examining the roots of policing and fire/rescue as the Sandy Springs community developed and grew in population and ethnic diversity.

Heroes of Sandy Springs will be located in the changing exhibit galleries of the Heritage Sandy Springs Museum. Each room will feature interpretive panels containing historic photographs and narratives and cases will display artifacts including badges, patches, equipment and other significant items. Visitors will be inspired by the stories of all volunteer groups that worked tirelessly to protect our community, and how the small volunteer forces became the world-class, professional departments that Sandy Springs has today.

The exhibit will be on display through February 15, 2012. For more information visit the Heritage Sandy Springs Museum Website.

This year's Sandy Springs Festival will be held September 17-18 at Heritage Green and the surrounding streets. The event is a yearly fundraiser benefiting Heritage Sandy Springs, a non-profit organization serving the community.

Aside from the live entertainment, food, children's games and rides, and artist market, the 2011 Sandy Springs Festival will feature an interactive civil war encampment. In July 1864, more than 80,000 soldiers crossed the Chattahoochee and set up camp in the fields and farmlands of our community. Professional re-enactors from The Battle of Atlanta, Inc. will share their knowledge of camp life including cooking, music, marching and drilling. Festival visitors of all ages will be able to interact with soldiers and civilians, men and women, who will share their knowledge of what actually happened here in Sandy Springs.

Stop by the City's booth to meet our elected officials, firefighters and police officers. Staff will be on hand to answer your questions and share items related to your City.

For more information, visit the festival website.

Sandy Springs Fire Rescue is looking for residents who would like to become a part of our Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). During a series of four classes in August, each CERT member will learn basic disaster response skills including fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization and disaster medical operations.

Learn more on the Sandy Springs CERT webpage.

Fulton County Public Schools will begin the new school year on August 15, 2011. Back-to-School vaccinations will be available from August 1-12. The Fulton County Division of Nursing will administer the required vaccinations.

Vaccinations will be held August 1 - 5 and August 8 - 12 from 8:30am - 4:00 pm at the following locations:

• North Fulton Health Center - 3155 Royal Drive, Alpharetta 30022
• Center for Health and Rehabilitation - 365 Boulevard, Atlanta 30312
• Adamsville Health Center - 3699 Bakers Ferry, SW, Atlanta 30331
• College Park Health Center - 1920 John E. Wesley Ave., College Park 30337

An additional Saturday clinic will open on August 13 at the four centers listed above. For more information, click here.