June 9 Community BBQ to be hosted by Sarasota Police Department and city’s Parks and Recreation Department

Free event to be held in Gillespie Park

Image courtesy Sarasota Police Department

The Sarasota Police Department, in partnership with the City of Sarasota Parks and Recreation Department, is inviting reaidents to a free community Blue + You BBQ on Sunday, June 9, from 1 p.m. until 3:30 p.m. in Gillespie Park, the department has announced.

The park is located at 710 N. Osprey Ave. in Sarasota, a news release says.

The event is “an opportunity for residents to come out, grab a bite to eat and meet their local police officers,” the release points out.

This Blue + You BBQ gathering “is the first of several community barbecues that will be held over the next year throughout the City of Sarasota,” the release adds. The events will feature free food, juice, water, face painting, and family-friendly games and prizes provided by the city’s Parks and Recreation Department, the release notes. Police vehicles also will be on display.

“This is an opportunity for us to connect with our community, foster relationships and build trust with those who we serve and protect every day,” said Chief Bernadette DiPino in the release.

Additional community barbecues are scheduled as follows:

• Oct. 1, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. during National Night Out, at the Sarasota Police Headquarters on Adams Lane in downtown Sarasota.
• January 2020 — Arlington Park.
• April 2020 — Robert L. Taylor Community Complex on John Rivers Street, formerly 34th Street.