VENTNOR – The city’s National Night Out was a huge hit with families who flocked to the beachfront park on Newport Avenue to share community. The event, organized by Ventnor Special Events with support from the Police and Fire departments, has been a staple of the community for a dozen years or more.
National Night Out was started in the Philadelphia Area in 1970 and has grown to become a national event where millions of neighbors across the country celebrate community policing on the first Tuesday in August.
Police Chief Joseph Fussner said the event has been organized every year since before he was a new sergeant on the force.
“I remember it started before then,” he said.
Special Events Coordinator Donna Peterson, who is in her 10th year as a city employee, said the event was held years before she took the job after working for Atlantic City’s Emergency Management Team for many years.
Fussner said he believes the message of National Night Out resonates with residents.
“I believe the community understands that with community policing, we are engaging residents in helping to ensure their safety. That’s important in today’s environment. We are taking a kinder, calmer approach toward policing, which is what the nation wants at this time,” he said.
He said it was heartening to see civic groups join the event and offer fun and games for the children of the community.
“They are distributing information that’s valuable in keeping the community safe,” he said.
The event included numerous blow-up rides, table games, remote controlled cars and face painting. The Fire Department brought out several of its apparatus for children to investigate, a mermaid swam out of the ocean and perched herself on the bulkhead, and Elvis was sighted mingling with the crowd. The evening ended with a screening of the movie, “Super Pets,” on the big screen.
Casey Imnadze of Longport brought her family to the event.
“This is a great opportunity for the kids to come together for some wholesome fun, learn about the police and get to meet the lifeguards that work on the beach,” she said.
But the event offers an opportunity for small businesses to offer tastings of their street foods.
“We love to try different types of foods,” she said.
The event offered free tastings for the first 250 people who stopped by the Special Events tent to pick up a coupon for eight free food offerings.
DJ’s Dogs and Burgers offered a free hot dog, Las Olas provided free guacamole and chips, Grubbin’ Gringos gave out French fries. PJ Buckets offered mac & cheese, Sunny Suckles cooled everyone off with lemonade, and Batch It Up Bakery topped off the meal with cookies.
The Fireman’s Mutual Benevolent Association provided bags of freshly-popped popcorn and the Police Benevolent Association distributed Philly soft pretzels and water.
The City of Ventnor held its annual National Night Out event Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024 at the beachfront park on Newport Avenue. Hundreds of families attended the event, which included information booths, free food, food trucks and lots of activities for children.Copyright Access Network 2024
