Detective Courtney Reece (left) and Officer Keighla McAloney (right) supervising bounce house fun. — Photos by Norah Doyle

By Norah Doyle

National Night Out is an annual community-building event held on the first Tuesday of every August, aiming to foster good relationships between law enforcement and residents. This program promotes both community engagement and creating safer neighborhoods by allowing residents to spend time with law enforcement and emergency services in a fun, non-emergency setting.

“It’s mainly just gaining camaraderie between the police and different communities,” said Somerville patrol officer Priscilla Ribeiro, who was the officer in charge of the event this year.

“In Somerville, there are so many resources. I don’t think people even understand how many resources we have, so it’s mainly to better connect everybody else to them in one big place of public safety.”

Some of the public safety resources represented at National Night Out this year were the Middlesex Sheriff’s Department, the Somerville Police Department, the Tufts Police Department, the Center for Missing Children, Cataldo Ambulance, the Somerville Fire Department, and the AGO Criminal Bureau.

From left to right: Silvia Arriaza, Gianna Gallant, and Jaclyn Diaz Guillen sing the National Anthem

Other resources present at the gathering included the Somerville Council on Aging, Mass Bay Veterans Affairs, Somerviva, The Welcome Project, and many city resources, including the Somerville Housing Authority and the Racial and Social Justice Department.

“I just think it’s great to get the community out, let everyone see what the community, especially Somerville, it’s a big community, has to offer, and you’d be surprised,” said Debbie Higgins, outreach coordinator at the Somerville Council on Aging. “I grew up here, and it’s nice to see everybody get back, and all the networking community going on.”

The event was kicked off by the Honor Guard and the singing of the National Anthem, performed by Somerville High School students Jaclyn Diaz Guillen, class of 2028, and Gianna Gallant, class of 2027, both members of Teen Empowerment. Somerville High School alumn, Silvia Arriaza, class of 2018, also joined in their performance by

The night included other performances and speeches following the anthem, including a Samba by Sophia Holz, Villari Karate, Teen Empowerment, Red Tiger Karate, Pop Warner Cheer, Oom Yung Doe, and the raffle winners’ announcement.

Sophia Holz performs for the crowd.

National Night Out’s stand-out features were those dedicated to the younger Somerville Residents. 4 colorful bounce houses bordered each end zone of the field at Dilboy Stadium, one of which was a waterslide, allowing children to cool off on the hot summer night.

Somerville and Middlesex officers were stationed in a corner of the field, handing out backpacks and school supplies to children in anticipation of the start of the new school year. They even set up a fake crime scene for attendees to explore, with fake weapons, evidence markers, and a fingerprinting station, which was a big hit with the children.

If they weren’t bouncing around or getting their face painted, young Somerville attendees of the event spent time at the end of the field at the Touch a Truck event.

Somerville residents left National Night Out with full backpacks, cotton candy, and a stronger relationship with local law enforcement and emergency services.

Blades and the staged crime scene.

National Night Out in Somerville even had a celebrity guest: Blades the Bruin.

Meghan Secanbaugh, representing the ABA Centers of America.

Face paint and balloon animals.