A celebration of law enforcement is planned for Saturday at Iola’s Riverside Park.
The Support the Blue Concert in the Park kicks off at 5 p.m. with an assortment of food, games, inflatable attractions for kids “and just enough time to talk to local law enforcement and show your appreciation,” organizers said.
The event is sponsored by Iola’s Community Involvement Task Force/PRIDE Committee.
The free event was prompted by a series of recent protests across the U.S. against law enforcement, noted Mike Ford, a CITF/PRIDE member (Ford also is an Iola police officer.)
Among those protests were occasions when the demonstrators wound up getting along so well with the police they were protesting that the events turned into de facto block parties.
The Neosho River Boys, a local bluegrass and gospel group, will perform.
