If It’s August, It Must be National Night Out

Expect  a lot of cop hugging and selfies.  

After neighbor and police volunteer Matt Peskin of Lower Merion in Pennsylvania first thought up the idea of neighbors getting together to stay informed and involved in the early 80s, National Night Out has become an American summer staple from Pennsylvania to Portland, and that would include Pasadena. 

(Texas celebrates it in October. That’s on them.)

It’s cookouts, it’s music, it’s neighbors hanging out, and it’s a sense of “We’re all in this together,” for one happy summer evening.

Pasadena joins the party on Tuesday, August 6 with a range of cookouts and safety demonstrations, seminars, youth events, visits from emergency personnel, and you and your friends. 

Locally, the national party begins at 5 p.m. with the main celebration at the Pasadena Police Department headquarters at 207 Garfield Avenue, with giveaways, community resource tables, games, and activities. From there, more than a dozen events will stretch across the city from Linda Vista to Bella Vista, as well as Kings Villages and the Shakespeare Club. 

The Pasadena Police Community Relations Section hosts the events along with a range of partners,  including the Pasadena Library, DWP, Pasadena Federal Credit Union, Pasadena Waste Management, Public Health Dept., and the Citizen’s Service Center.

Each of the block party events will feature potluck food, at least one will feature food from In-N-Out, and the Linda Vista event will feature a free ice cream social. 

More information on Pasadena’s local celebration is available here.