Somerville Police Officers interacting with families at bouncy houses. ~Photos by Keith Foster

By Keith Foster

On Tuesday, Aug. 4, Somerville’s annual National Night Out was held at Dilboy Stadium in Somerville. The goal of this fun-filled family event is to get the community, especially children, to trust the police and emergency personnel.

Emergency personnel vehicles parked outside of National Night Out.

The fun-filled event featured:

• Bouncy Houses
• Concessions
• Lawn games
• Music
• Character meet-and-greets
• Opportunities for kids to “Touch a Truck”

The first 300 school-aged students who arrived received free supplies to get ready for the school year.

Lots of families came out on a night where temperatures were in the 80s, but there was plenty of water on hand.

Families lining up for “Touch a Truck.”

National Night Out is a Nationwide initiative. Held on the first Tuesday in August since 1984 by the National Association of Town Watch, it promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood trust in this day and age where trust is stable but remains low, according to Gallup.

A Somerville officer said, “It’s the best event we run all year. It’s also very important for us to connect with the community. “

Police Officer playing with families at Tic Tac Toe basketball bouncy game.

A resident said, “It’s a great event. They do it every year, and it’s a great event to get kids to trust the police. “

At the Tufts University Police Department tent, they had Haley, the university police’s comfort dog, and she’s also trained in EOD (sniffing for bombs and explosives).

“It’s a good way for kids to have fun and play and interact with the cops,” one parent said.

National Night Out at Dilboy Stadium with games and local Somerville vendors.

Police Officer providing water at concession stand.

Kids dancing with Chase from Paw Patrol and Lego Police Officer.

Kids playing in foam at dunk tank.

Kids sliding down large inflatable water slide.

Police Officer acting as goalie at Bullseye soccer game.

Kid planting a seed at “Planting Seeds of Kindness” table.