Evansville Police Announce Date for 2021 National Night Out But With One Major Change
Remember last year when all the fun annual fun events we loved to attend had to be canceled because of the COVID pandemic? The Evansville Police Department's National Night Out was one of those events. But 2021 is a new year. The dark days of the pandemic seem to be going further and further back in the rearview, and life appears to be gradually returning to normal in the Tri-State. Musicians are getting back on the road, and those events we desperately missed last year are announcing their return, including National Night Out.
The annual event began in Philadelphia in 1984 with the purpose being to give residents in communities across the country an opportunity to meet with first responders who help keep them safe day in and day out all year long. Over the course of last 37 years, National Night Out has expanded to cities and towns in all 50 states, as well as "U.S. territories and military bases worldwide," according to the official National Night Out website.
Like all National Nights Out, the Evansville edition is free to attend and will take place on the first Tuesday of August which this year is August 3rd. The event runs from 6:00 - 9:00 p.m. and will feature representatives from both the EPD and Vanderburgh Sheriff's Office, as well as members of the Evansville Fire Department, local paramedics, and EMTs. All of which will have vehicles from their respective agencies on site for the public to see up close. Previous editions of the event have also featured members of the Evansville Police Department's Mounted and Motorcycle Patrols (see picture above).
Not only will you get the opportunity to get to know the people who have dedicated their lives to keeping the rest of us safe and learn more about the tools they use to do that, but you'll also have the chance to enjoy free food and drinks.
The biggest change to this year's edition is the change in venue. For the past several years, the event has taken place outdoors at Wesselman Park on Boeke Road. However, Mother Nature never seems to want to play nice, and more times than not the event is shut down early or cancelled altogether due to inclement weather. In case she decides to do that again this year, the 2021 edition will take place at the CK Newsome Center on Walnut Street in downtown Evansville. This gives organizers the chance to use both indoor and outdoor space, as well as easily move everything inside in case Mother Nature decides to literally rain on the parade.
[Source: Evansville Police Department on Facebook]