Last night was a fun night in our neighborhood. We celebrated National Night Out. Apparently, most of the country celebrates this event in August. But, because of the summer heat, Texas officially moved its National Night Out to October 7. Plus, we all know, Texas just has to be different! :)
The night is a national crime/drug prevention event designed to heighten community awareness and strengthen community spirit. San Antonio and outlying towns hosted various festivals and events last night. And, some individual subdivisions also hosted activities.
Our subdivision celebrated by hosting a block party fully sponsored by our Homeowners Association. It was great… we just RSVPd and showed up for a yummy dinner and chance to mingle with our neighbors! A free night out of the kitchen…whoo-hoo!
Our subdivision is made up of only 64 houses on two streets. So, we simply blocked off the middle of the street for the “party” area. The event featured catered BBQ for dinner (what else would you expect in Texas?!). There were several Lifetime banquet tables set up in the street for people to eat on and the caterer also used Lifetime folding tables under the Texas awning to serve the chow. Neighbors simply brought their own lawn chairs for seating arrangements to keep it simple.
One neighbor rolled out his portable Lifetime basketball hoop for some friendly competition and the kids were all worn out from jumping in the rented bouncy castle. And, since the event is a crime/drug prevention awareness night, members of our local police department and fire department visited as well. The kids (and adults) loved being able to climb on the fire truck! Our block party was super simple, but for its inaugural year, it was certainly a success!
We’ve lived in four states so far during our military assignment and Texas is the first place we have lived where our neighborhood participated in this fun event. Hopefully, the event is growing nationwide. If you want to host National Night Out event in your neighborhood next year, now is the time to get the wheels in motion to get everyone on board! Check out the tips and organizational kit available at the National Night Out website to help get you started.