Newtown will again be joining over 38 million neighbors across 16,000 communities from all 50 states, US territories and military bases around the world when it participates in National Night Out (NNO) next month.

Newtown Community Center, in conjunction with Newtown Police Department and Newtown Prevention Council, will host this year’s event on Tuesday, August 1.

Residents are invited to the community center’s western parking lot, 8 Simpson Street, from 6 to 8 pm.

There they will be welcomed by community center staff, members of Newtown PD, and other Newtown and regional first responder agencies.

Admission is free and no registration is required.

Activities will include games played with the local first responders, a touch-a-truck event, K-9 demonstrations, music, bounce houses, crafts, face painting, Dunk-A-Cop, giveaways, and other family fun.

This will be the second year Newtown is participating in the annual event, which has been in existence since 1994. The event culminates on the first Tuesday in August.

Last year’s presentation included representatives from Newtown Police Department, including members of the PD taking their turn on the hotseat of a dunk tank; Botsford, Hawleyville, Newtown Hook & Ladder and Sandy Hook fire companies; Newtown Community Center, Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corps, Newtown Youth & Family Services, Connecticut State Police, CT State Police Troop A, the 928th Military Police Military Working Dog Detachment, and Norwalk Health Department.

Newtown Bee Editor John Voket served as DJ and emcee.

The local event was one of 28 in Connecticut communities last year. Nationwide, 16,000 communities registered for the 2022 event.

National Project Coordinator Matt Peskin calls NNO “a night for our nation to stand together and promote awareness, safety, and neighborhood unity. National Night Out showcases the vital importance of police-community partnerships and citizen involvement.”

Organizers have long believed that the best way to build a safer community is to know your neighbors and your surroundings. NNO triumphs over a culture that isolates people from each other, allowing them to rediscover their own communities.

“When law enforcement and the community work closely together, some amazing things can happen,” Peskin added.