Aug 7, 2021 3 min read

East Washington Borough will use its upcoming community picnic as an opportunity to honor Nicholas Cumer, a resident who was killed during a mass shooting in Dayton, Ohio.

At the annual picnic on Aug. 15, the borough will formally rename East Washington Borough Park to Nicholas Cumer Park.

Cumer, a 2012 graduate of Washington High School, was 25 when he was shot and killed in Dayton’s Oregon District in 2019 during an attack that also claimed the lives of eight others.

At the time, he was an intern at Maple Tree Cancer Alliance, and was out with colleagues. He reportedly shielded his friends from gunfire.

“That doesn’t surprise anybody that knew him well,” said the Rev. Brian Greenleaf, pastor at Washington Alliance Church and spokesman for the Cumer family.

Council member Joseph Fulton said plans to rename the park began with the previous council in 2019, with the intention of holding the rededication ceremony in 2020, but COVID-19 caused them to delay it.

“We wanted to continue the previous council’s wishes. I’ve been working with the family and learning about Nicholas,” Fulton said.

Fulton said he never met Cumer, but has come to recognize the impact he left on those who did know him.

“When I started learning about him … I was blown away by who he was,” Fulton said.

The picnic will begin at 3 p.m., and the rededication of the park will be held at 4 p.m. There will be a dunk tank where attendees can make a donation to attempt to dunk current and former council members as well as the mayor. Proceeds from the dunk tank will go to the Nicholas Cumer Scholarship Fund.

The picnic will also feature “Batman,” complete with a replica of the Batmobile from the 1989 Tim Burton film.

“Nicholas Cumer’s favorite superhero was Batman,” Fulton said. “He was known as the kid who loves Batman.”

Fulton said they hired John Buckland to play Batman. Buckland runs an organization called Heroes 4 Higher, and attends schools dressed as Batman to talk to kids about overcoming difficult situations.

Upon hearing the purpose of the event, Fulton said Buckland waived his speaking fees and asked that they only pay to transport the Batmobile replica.

As part of the dedication, Fulton said a new park sign will be unveiled that will tell Cumer’s story.

“They will know who he was and why (the park) was named after him,” Fulton said.

Greenleaf said that while Cumer’s family did not ask the borough to rename the park, they are honored they decided to do so. He described Cumer as someone who always had a smile on his face, and said that a park was an appropriate tribute to him.

“The park is meant to have fun. Your shoulders are down, you’re relaxed … He was that kind of person,” Greenleaf said. “In a way, it symbolizes his character.”