Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

The fifth Annual Lunenburg County National Night Out (NNO) was held Monday at the Kenbridge Town Park.

Originally scheduled for Aug. 7 the event was postponed due to adverse weather conditions.

On this evening the skies were clear and the weather was warm. The park was crowded with police, firefighters and several hundred community members enjoying the fellowship.

Bouncy houses were full of happy children while community relationships were being established with many first responders. Delegate Tommy Wright said “this is so good for the community, police interact with neighbors and their children, while building relationships in a fun and lasting way.”

Participants young and old enjoyed taking a close-up look at emergency vehicles. To the delight of many children Smokey Bear made a special appearance. Free food, music, balloons and face painting were also available.

Lunenburg County Sheriff Arthur Townsend was there along with several of his deputies. Townsend said, “this is a great event and lots of fun for the community.” Townsend also noted that along with having a good time information was available about the community.

According to its website National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make our 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. Furthermore, it provides a great opportunity to bring police and neighbors together under positive circumstances. More Information on NNO can be found at https://natw.org/about.

Organizer Dawn Childers said the location of the event alternates between Kenbridge and Victoria, with last year’s National Night Out being held in the Town of Victoria’s Railroad Park.