National Night Out is a community-police awareness-raising event in the U.S., held the first Tuesday of August. The event has been held annually since 1984 and is sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch in the United States and Canada. The “Night” is meant to increase awareness about police programs in communities, such as drug prevention, town watch, neighborhood watch, and other anti-crime efforts. Check out our rundown of where and when to celebrate the event throughout Cape May County:
Avalon
Avalon’s National Night Out will be held on August 5th from 6 to 8 p.m. in the parking lot adjacent to the north side of Avalon Community Hall at 30th Street and the beach. The public safety departments in Avalon will be bringing their rescue vehicles. There will be plenty of activities and prizes for all ages during the celebration. For more info, visit http://avalonboro.net.
Cape May
Cape May Police Department will be celebrating “National Night Out” at the Cape May Elementary School grounds on Lafayette Street on August 5th from 6 to 8 p.m. Show your support for the local community and enjoy fun, games and activities at Cape May’s National Night Out. National Night Out has been held annually since 1984 and is designed to strengthen neighborhood relations as well as police partnerships in an effort to fight and prevent crime. For more info about the event or how to participate, call Capt. Rob Sheehan at (609) 884-9514.
Dennis Township
Dennis Township will host its National Night Out event on Tuesday, August 5th from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Dennis Township Recreational Complex located at 565 Dennisville Road. Guests will enjoy 500 free hot dogs and sodas (on a first come, first served basis), face painting, music, games, inflatables for kids, and even fireworks at dusk. The night will also feature crime prevention exhibits and drug and alcohol awareness programs. The event will “Give neighborhood crime and drugs a going away party”! For more info, please call (609) 861-1045.
Lower Township
The Lower Township Police Department and local officials are getting ready to welcome residents to the annual celebration of police and community partnerships during National Night Out on Tuesday, August 5 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
National Night Out is about educating the community on safety and learning about the police department, fire department, rescue department and all of their equipment and vehicles in a fun, entertaining atmosphere, said Lower Township Police Officer Bill Barcas, who is the school resource officer and helped organize the annual event.
Lower Township National Night Out will be held at Lower Cape May Regional High School on August 5 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Activities will be held by the athletic fields and parking is available in the main school lot.
Middle Township
Middle Township invites all to come out and join them on Tuesday, August 5th from 6 to 9 p.m. for free food, pony rides, a Sheriff’s Department K-9 demonstration, face painting, blow up bounce houses, a Hamer’s School of Karate demonstration, a skateboard contest with trophies for winners, raffle prizes, drunk driving obstacle course, and baseball competitions. Plus, the Middle Township Panther Marching Bands will be making a grand entrance into the event at 6 p.m. sharp. The event will be held at the Clarence Davies Sports Complex. The Court House Fire Department, Goshen Fire Department, Middle Township Ambulance Corp, & Rio Grande Rescue will be putting on a Jaws of Life demonstration. Cape May County W.A.S.P. will be flying radio control airplanes & helicopters. Be sure to be on the lookout for Batman in his Bat Mobile making an extraordinary appearance all the way from Newark City Police Department. Display tables will be set up from law enforcement agencies, car dealerships, and other local entities within our community. For more info, call (609) 465-8700, ext. 1915.
North Wildwood
North Wildwood celebrates “Night Out” on Tuesday, August 5th from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at 8th Avenue Field. City departments will set up displays around the block, representing police, fire, public works, beach patrol and recreation. Enjoy a free barbeque, snow cones, games, various activities for children including a dunk tank, hourly giveaways, and more. A movie will be shown after dark. The event is sponsored by the City of North Wildwood Police Department. For more info, call (609) 522-2030, ext. 1503.
Ocean City
When the Ocean City Police Department first started to participate in National Night Out, we would set up a table at the music pier and handed out informational pamphlets. We felt that this was too impersonal. We wanted to bring awareness as well as bring the community together. What better way but to have a carnival.
The main goal is creating a free, fun, family environment for everyone to come out, enjoy themselves and be educated at the same time. Thanks to the support of the Ocean City Policeman’s Benevolent Association, Local # 61, we were able make this event such a huge success. We were able to move from one table at the music pier to the Carnival at the ball fields at 6th and Bay. This year we’ve added some carnival games for the kids to participate in for a chance to win prizes. We still have the inflatable bouncers, face painting, music, and the crowd favorite; Dunk tanks. Not only will you get to dunk Police Officers but this year you may have the chance to soak some of the faculty and staff from the Ocean City school district.
The event will be held on Tuesday, August 5, 2014 from 5-9 p.m. at the Dick Grimes Sports complex located at 6th Street and Bay Avenue. It is a great time for the entire family. We encourage all ages to come out and have a fantastic evening.
Sea Isle City
Sea Isle City’s National Night Out celebration, which is being hosted by the resort’s Police Department, will feature a Moon Bounce, an array of emergency vehicles that kids can explore, “Drunk Goggles,” family activities, games, free snacks & gifts, and a showing of the movie “The Pink Panther 2”. The event will be held Tuesday, August 5 from 6 to 8 p.m. in Excursion Park located at JFK Boulevard & Pleasure Avenue.
Stone Harbor
The Stone Harbor Police Department proudly hosts the annual National Night Out celebration. The event will take place at 95th Street and Second Avenue at the Water Tower Plaza. Fun and games for families will kick off at 6 p.m. and conclude at 8 p.m.
Wildwood
Wildwood will hold its annual National Night Out celebration on Tuesday, August 5th from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Festivities will take place in Fox Park, located on Ocean Avenue between Burk and Montgomery Avenues. This yearly event offers an ideal opportunity to build neighborhood unity and strengthen police-community partnerships in a continuing effort to build a better City and safer America. Enjoy free games, food, prizes, a dunk tank and much more! Bring the entire family out for a fun night. The event is sponsored by the Wildwood Police Department. For more info, call (609) 522-2444, ext. 2325.