National Night Out scheduled in city

By BRAD KELLAR
Herald-Banner Staff

GREENVILLE October 05, 2008 12:37 am

— Weather permitting, more than a dozen neighborhoods across Greenville will be hosting activities Tuesday in an effort to learn how to fight crime.
Even if it does rain, at least some of those locations still plan to have fun.
The City of Greenville will be participating in the National Night Out Tuesday, after missing out on the event last year.
The event had traditionally been held during the first Tuesday in August and the local observance had been known to draw huge turnouts from all over the city. Greenville’s National Night Out had been recognized as being among the best in the United States for five years in a row.
But temperatures during the National Night Out often hovered in the triple digits and the numbers of people and neighborhoods participating had begun to dwindle.
So, organizers decided to host two events last October. The Greenville Night of Public Safety came first and was similar in function to the National Night Out. There were lots of people getting together in neighborhoods across the city, in order to have a good time and enjoy each other’s company, while meeting with area law enforcement and emergency management officials to learn what could be done to combat crime. Then there was the Texans Against Crime party a few nights later at the Greenville SportsPark.
The National Night Out was established by the National Association of Town Watch, which has declared Tuesday as the official National Night Out date in Texas this year.
A National Night Out Kick-Off party was conducted Saturday at the Fletcher Warren Civic Center in conjunction with the Keep Greenville Beautiful Fall Home and Garden Show. The party featured a bounce house, face painting and a display of the Greenville Police Department’s new patrol cars along with other emergency vehicles.
Organizer Laura Wood with the Citizen Police Academy Alumni Association said a local prosecutor is again to thank for the events.
“Both the Kick-Off Party and the National Night Out are sponsored by County Attorney Joel Littlefield,” Wood said. “He provided all of the funds for our events again this year. Joel has made it possible the past several years for us to continue with these programs.”
The National Night Out was established by the National Association of Town Watch to encourage people in neighborhoods across the country to come together and get to know each other, while meeting with law enforcement authorities and learning ways how to prevent crime, drug abuse and violence in their communities.
At least 15 neighborhoods have signed up to participate in Greenville this year, many of whom have been hosting activities since the event was first held on a local basis. The neighborhoods will be doing everything from roasting hot dogs, to playing bingo, to offering live music, or giving away door prizes. A complete list of neighborhoods will be included in Tuesday’s Herald-Banner.

Anyone wanting more information on being a part of the National Night Out can contact Wood at 903-457-3118.