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A host of organizations set up booths at Melgaard Park for National Night Out. Aberdeen Insider photo by Troy McQuillen.
This is the 20th year the Aberdeen Police Department will host its annual National Night Out.
The free event has become a community staple, attracting about 2,000 people each year, according to a news release from the police department.
Although it’s been celebrated for two decades locally, the first National Night Out was in 1984. It started with neighbors simply turning on their porch lights and sitting in front of their homes. Now, more than 17,000 communities across the U.S. take part in National Night Out.
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Aberdeen’s event is at Melgaard Park on Tuesday, Aug. 6 from 6 to 9 p.m. The organizers are Sgt. Michael Law and Officer Jordan Majeske.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity to meet people from our community and hear their stories of the community,” Law said in the release.
Majeske, who previously served as the APD’s domestic violence officer, volunteered as a way to continue being involved with the community.
“This event is designed to allow area residents to meet the community helpers and see what they do and how they help the community,” he said in the release.
A variety of games and activities are available for youth at National Night Out, which is Tuesday, Aug. 6. Aberdeen Insider photo by Troy McQuillen.
Magic Joe will again entertain at National Night Out
Magic Joe will entertain at National Night Out for a second straight year. There will also be food, demonstrations, games, emergency response vehicles and prizes, including bikes for kids. Drawing times follow:
- 6:40 p.m. for elementary school-aged prizes.
- 7:45 p.m. for middle school-aged prizes.
- 8:30 p.m. for high school and adult prizes.
Magic Joe will perform shortly after the 6:40 p.m. drawings.
The inaugural Aberdeen event featured a doughnut-eating contest and a dunking booth. In 2007, police and firefighters faced off in a fire truck pull.
Last year, bikes and backpacks full of school supplies were given out, in addition to toys and games, Majeske said.
“I really enjoy seeing the kids’ faces when we are giving away the prizes and letting them sit in our patrol vehicles. It’s just a really great family-friendly event,” Law said in the release.
The money and other items needed for National Night Out come exclusively from donations.
Law sees National Night Out as a community-building event, according to the release.