PHOTO COURTESY OF HERMISTON POLICE DEPARTMENT
Remember– for those of us old enough – when everyone knew their neighbors and everyone kept an eye out for one another?
It seems like those days are long gone, even in smaller communities like Hermiston. On Tuesday, Aug. 4, however, Hermiston – and communities around the country – will turn back the clock during National Night Out.
The annual event provides folks with an excuse to throw a block party and invite the neighbors over for ice cream, watermelon, and some good, old-fashioned neighborly fun.
“This is a good opportunity to get to know your neighbors,” said Erica Sandoval of the Hermiston Police Department.
There are no set rules to organizing your own block party. It can be as simple as inviting your next-door neighbors over or you can invite the entire block over. And although you don’t need to let the police department know of your party, Sandoval encourages doing so by calling her at 541-667-5112 or e-mailing her at esandoval@hermiston.or.us.
“We take fire department equipment to each party,” she said. Sandoval expects a dozen or more block parties to take place in Hermiston on Tuesday. The event usually coincides with the first day of the Umatilla County Fair, but this year’s National Night Out is a week earlier.
“Hopefully, we’ll have more parties since it doesn’t conflict with the fair,” she said.
Sandoval said neighborhood block parties are a way of strengthening bonds between neighbors which, in turn, makes for safer, more secure neighborhoods.
“You tend to take ownership of your neighbor’s property if you know who they are and you can put a face to them,” she said.
This is the 32nd annual National Night Out and the 17th year that Hermiston has taken part in the event.
