My neighbors Stu and Kaethe dropped off an invitation for National Night Out on August 2, 2011 at their house. We’re invited to bring the whole family for lots of barbecue and all the trimmings. Stu’s smoked turkey is to die for! He made two of them at last year’s block party and it was the best turkey I’ve ever eaten.
National Night Out is a crime and drug prevention event sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch. People all over the country are having block parties, cookouts, parades, flash light walks, and visits from local police and sheriff offices.
According to the the official website the first National Night Out was introduced early in 1984. The goal is to:
- Heighten crime and drug prevention awareness
- Generate support for, and participation in, local anticrime programs
- Strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships
- Send a message to criminals letting them know that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back
Last year over 37 million people participated in NNO from over 15,000 communities from all 50 states, U.S. territories, Canadian cities and military bases worldwide. NNO has proven to be an effective, inexpensive and enjoyable program to promote neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships in the fight for a safer nation.
You can get an official registration form and organizational kit with “how-to” materials on the website. The promotional material says your community will see benefits far beyond the one NNO.
We’re so lucky our cul-de-sac is already a tight-knit little community that watches out for each other. We’ve been having block parties at different times of the year for over a decade. I think it’s great that our block will be getting together for a new event this year. I’m looking forward to learning more about National Night Out, catching up with all the neighborhood news, and of course, enjoying a succulent turkey drumstick!
