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	The Ypsilanti Courier A Heritage Newspaper Weekly Publication

Residents enjoy annual CoPAC picnic

Associations treat citizens to a day in the park

By Dan DuChene, Staff Writer

PUBLISHED: August 31, 2006

Despite dreary weather and a grey sky, Ypsilanti residents came out to the third annual CoPAC Community Picnic on Saturday, in Prospect Park.

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Every neighborhood association provided food for the event, as well as the Friends of the Ypsilanti Police and the Community Policing Action Council, CoPAC.

Picnic-goers were treated to free hotdogs, beverages and desserts.

"Each neighborhood association has a picnic," said Rod Johnson, an organizer of the picnic. "We thought it would be a way for us to interact with each other."

The Ypsilanti District Library's Book-mobile was on-site at the event, as well as the Ypsilanti Police Department.

"I'm off today," said Matt Harshberger, interim chief of the Ypsilanti Police Department.

Harshberger said there were three off-duty police officers manning the booth at the picnic, as well as three rotating on-duty officers.

The department opened the doors to a squad car and its mobile command unit, so children could go in a look around. There was also a display of different weaponry and equipment of the department's SWAT team. Picnic-goers could even check out the department's forensic tools.

Sand-art, face-painting and other crafts were available for interested children.

If that's not enough, raffle numbers were drawn all day. Lucky attendants were treated prizes like a $5 coupon to Bombadill's, an outdoor lantern or a Slinky Dog Bank.

"I was hoping people would show up early," Johnson said when the picnic started at noon.

Even though the event got off to a slow start, by the end of the day there were plenty of push-pins on the city map. Each pin represented a family present at the picnic.

"It's an all-city picnic. It's for everyone to get together and socialize," Harshberger said.