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FORTY FORT — Forty Fort Recreational Fields were abuzz with first responders and community members alike for the borough’s National Night Out event on Friday evening.
Each year, on the first Tuesday in August, communities across the nation host National Night Out events, all stemming from a desire to bridge the gap between first responders and the public.
According to the National Night Out website, the event is “an annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make our neighborhoods safer, more caring places to live”.
Just a few weeks after other municipalities held their own National Night Out events, Forty Fort decided to join in on the action.
“We schedule ours a little later than most because if we schedule them when everyone else does, we wouldn’t have anyone here,” said Dan Hunsinger, Chief of the Forty Fort Police Department.
According to him, the event offers first responders a chance to meet the community and for the community to do the same.
“It gives us a few hours to get together, socialize and let the kids know that we’re good people and we’re here to help — not hurt,” Hunsinger said.
The event offered plenty of free activities, such as face painting, a k-9 demonstration, a bounce house and dunk tank, scavenger hunts, a photo booth, giveaways, a bonfire, and even free food.
For Forty Fort Borough Council Vice President Cara Devine, it was important to keep the event free of cost for the community.
“We don’t want it to be cost-prohibitive for any family to come in,” she said.
In addition to all of the fun, plenty of first responders and public safety organizations were in attendance to mingle with the public — and each other.
“It brings the agencies together too, which is very nice” Devine said.
And Hunsinger couldn’t help but agree.
“It’s very rare that I get to have all of my officers together in one place at the same time,” he said.
In an effort to get the community excited about the event, the borough hid 100 blue rubber ducks throughout the community in businesses, monuments, parks and more throughout the week. Those that found the ducks were able to exchange them for gift cards donated by local businesses at the event.
And for Mason Hughes of Forty Fort, the ducks were the event’s biggest draw.
“We’ve been searching Forty Fort for two days now,” said Mason’s mother, Heather Martindale. “Luckily, he found one while we were here and he got a Dunkin gift card, which he can’t wait to spend on Munchkins.”
For Martindale, the event offers a great excuse to get out into the community.
“It’s nice to get out and it’s nice that they have the stuff for the kids. It’s absolutely a positive for the community, and it’s good to get to know the first responders better,” she said.