National Night Out Calls Attention to Crime Prevention

Tuesday, August 5th was the designated date for Farmville’s observance of National Night Out. National Night Out is sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch. It is a crime and drug prevention event that has been in existence for 31 years. The event has gained momentum over the years, and does much to build and strengthen the bond between law enforcement officers, emergency care workers, and the people of the communities they serve.

The strength of that bond was clearly evident last night. The Farmville area had eight “block parties” scheduled in observance of the event, starting at different times on Tuesday evening. Though attendance varied from one party to another, the underlying theme was the same throughout the community. National Night Out in Farmville has turned into something very special, not just for the citizens of the community, but for law enforcement and emergency care workers, and even the local officials that represent the different areas of the town. It is more than an evening’s celebration of taking our neighborhoods back from the crime that so often occupies and hinders the normal efforts of the community, law enforcement and emergencies services. It is a chance for everyone involved to relax a bit and enjoy each other’s company. The event is an opportunity for everyone to get together and say, “I appreciate you and what you do,” to each other, a compliment that at other times may go unsaid.

The efforts that go into putting the evening’s festivities together are not small, and they are a testimony to the sense of community and responsibility that not only the town’s officials and public servants, but, most importantly, the citizens feel for their homes and neighborhoods.

Tuesday’s event was a chance for people to organize and act on those feelings. There was good food everywhere, and lots of it. Really, nothing in our life symbolizes the solidification of a bond between two parties more than taking a meal together. It’s been going on for a couple of thousand years. School supplies went out to children, helping to prepare them for the upcoming year. There was music and laughter, dancing and hugs. Kids ran around playing as hard as they could, enjoying the time stolen from their usual bedtimes. Hundreds of people at different places in the town came out and truly celebrated what was theirs. The town’s police officers and fire department were able to circulate through the different parties over the course of the evening. They were enjoying the same celebration; their sense of duty and responsibility to the community evident in the interactions between them and the people they strive to protect everyday.  As could be expected, the highlight of the evening for the kids was the appearance of the fire truck.

National Night Out in Farmville is firmly anchored. It is the yearly celebration of our community and the effort it takes to make it safe; a chance to say “Thank you for being there” and “I care about my home,” from all that live here to each other. Its observance can only get bigger.