Do you know your neighbors? If you live in West Allis, chances are you’ve met them at a National Night Out event. For over 20 years, the 60,000 residents of the small Wisconsin city have had the opportunity to participate in this annual crime prevention event.
Learn more about National Night Out
National Night Out is an event that brings community members together to interact with and find out about the services provided by the police, fire, public works, and health departments. This crime prevention event is sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch and is celebrating its 27th year of existence this August.
Along with the traditional observance of National Night Out—turning on porch lights and holding front porch vigils—many communities host block parties and cookouts, have visits from local police departments, and hold parades, exhibits, flashlight walks, contests, and youth programs. This year, the West Allis events will last two days with a community festival on the first day and traditional block parties on the second.
Over 4,000 people are expected to attend the community festival. The festival is held at the city’s farmers’ market and includes music, carnival games, bike helmet giveaways, bouncy castles, slides, a climbing wall, face painting, a dessert contest, and informational booths. There is also a health fair sponsored by the local medical center with many community health care providers manning booths about everything from women’s health to massages.
Learn about Project 365, another National Night Out program
“I think this event really brings the whole community together,” says Patty Kompas, the Event Coordinator for the West Allis Police Department. “Almost any family can afford it—it’s a very inexpensive night and a lot of stuff there is free.”
The West Allis neighborhood watch program, which has over 750 block captains, runs the neighborhood parties on the second day of National Night Out festivities. Neighborhoods can request visits from McGruff the Crime Dog and a police squad to take pictures with the kids and visit with residents. Sixty-seven neighborhoods hosted block parties last year and received prizes based on neighborhood participation, theme, and number of house porch lights turned on.
National Night Out gives all generations the chance to come together and allows youth to be involved in their community. According to Kompas, the event has an incredibly positive impact on young people. “It allows them to see that there is more out there than just crime and there are ways that they can get involved. There is so much there that’s positive.”
Kompas advises any community considering hosting a national night out event for the first time to work on getting two things right away: volunteers and a great location. Aside from their block watch captains, the West Allis Community Festival is run by volunteers from several local churches, the women’s club, Sanford-Brown College, and the Parks and Recreation Department. “The volunteers are what make the event possible, we could never do this by ourselves—it’s just too big,” says Kompas. The covered farmers’ market where the festival is held also makes the event work well every year, rain or shine. “Even if the weather isn’t fabulous, we can still take care of this event.”
West Allis is a perfect example of how hosting a National Night Out event can bring the community together for a safe and fun summer celebration. Whether your block, your neighborhood, or your entire city hosts a National Night Out event, it’s a great way to create a positive atmosphere for your youth and community.
