Festive ‘Night Out’ will be Celebrated Tuesday

Sponsored locally by the Butler Municipal Power and Light Authority, the event is poised to get local residents out and about, mingling with friends and neighbors while just having a good time.

Though it may seem like the idea for such a festive event is exclusive to Butler, it is really national in scope, as more than 16,000 communities across all 50 states, territories, Canadian cities and military bases partake in it.

Coordinated by the National Association of Town Watch (NATW), in partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice, it promotes partnerships between communities and the police departments that patrol them.

Along the way, residents are asked to keep their lights on, start block parties, shepherd in parades and foster relationships with neighbors and the officers that regularly monitor them.

“In the 1940s, 50s and 60s, everyone left their doors open, children stayed out until 9 p.m. and people looked out for each other,” Peskin said. “With people meeting each other, involving the police departments, it kind of brings back the atmosphere of the good old days.”

The National Association of Town Watch, according to its website, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the development and promotion of various crime prevention programs. Much of their work centers around partnerships with law enforcement and civilian leaders, to promote relevant knowledge for crime watch volunteers.

Since 1981, they have served thousands, and today their work is seen in communities across the entire nation.

In 1984, they introduced “America’s Night Out Against Crime,” in an effort to spread neighborhood camaraderie and improve relationships between police and residents.

Peskin was responsible for actualizing the event, and it began with 2.5 million Americans taking part across 400 communities in 23 states.

“It was a bit of a struggle at first,” said Peskin. “It was difficult getting chiefs from the big cities to come aboard, they thought we were nuts.”

Since these early days, where the event included mainly symbolic vigils on porch fronts, it has since become a celebration of community relationships.

As Peskin writes on the NATW website, “the seed had been planted.”

“There’s great things that come out of this,” said Peskin. “We even get hundreds of calls after the event from people who said they’ve met their neighbors and new people.”

For Butler residents looking to partake in the gathering, head towww.natw.org, where you can even register certain blocks and gather event information.