Neighborhoods throughout Montgomery County, including many in the cities of Gaithersburg and Rockville, will join in the celebration of National Night Out on Tuesday, Aug. 1. Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich and Police Chief Marcus Jones will be among those joining police and fire department representatives and local leaders stopping by events that will include block parties, community cookouts and activities for all ages.
Neighborhood events will start at various times. Most start around 5 or 6 p.m., although some enthusiastic communities will get started as early as 3 p.m. Residents should check with their neighborhood or civic associations for details on events that may be happening in their communities.
National Night Out was established in 1981 by an organization that became the National Association of Town Watch. Today, the friendly community events also share information on drug prevention awareness, generate support for anti-crime programs, encourage residents to be involved in their communities and send a message that neighborhoods and businesses are organized to fight back against crime.
National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make neighborhoods safer, more caring places to live. National Night Out enhances the relationship between neighbors and law enforcement while bringing back a true sense of community. It provides a great opportunity to bring police and neighbors together under positive circumstances.
Millions of neighbors take part in National Night Out across thousands of communities from all 50 states, U.S. territories and military bases worldwide.
Several Gaithersburg neighborhoods are joining communities across the country to participate in the National Night Out. One event in Gaithersburg is scheduled for 6-8 p.m. at the Casey Community Center at 810 South Frederick Ave. in Gaithersburg. That event will include an opportunity to meet police officers from the Gaithersburg Police Department and allied agencies. It will provide a chance to explore police cruisers and learn about a wide variety of safety topics while enjoying music, a cheer demonstration and urban line dancing by a local deejay.
McGruff the Crime Dog will stop by several of the scheduled block parties in the City of Rockville to spread his anti-crime and anti-drug message.
