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LAWRENCE: Community enjoys its night out

By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
Sitting on a jump seat in the cab of the big red fire engine, Chadd Dillid looked around as volunteer firefighter Kyle Collins explained "how things work."
After a few minutes, Mr. Collins asked the 6-year-old boy if he wanted to get down from the fire engine.
Shaking his head, Chadd made it very clear that he was not ready to go.
Chadd was one of dozens of children who gathered around the Lawrence Road Fire Co.’s fire engine Tuesday night in Heritage Park, trying on the firefighters’ gear and climbing up into the cab.
More children raced over to the inflatable bounce house, taking off their shoes or sandals before going inside.
It was all part of the annual National Night Out celebration, held in the park next to Eggerts Crossing Village on Johnson Avenue.
While the younger children played in the bounce house or clambered around on the fire engine and the older children shot hoops on the basketball court, the grownups sat at picnic tables in the park to socialize. Some were residents of the affordable townhouse development, and others were visitors.
"I came out to support the community and to see the children have fun — safely — in the neighborhood. Our youth are the people of tomorrow, and we have to keep them safe," said Trenton resident Deborah Allen, whose daughter lives in Eggerts Crossing Village with her children.
Tiraya Green, who lives in Eggerts Crossing Village, said she came out for the "fellowship" with her neighbors. This is the second time that she has attended the National Night Out event. It’s a good way to get to know the neighbors and to get educated on drugs and crime, she said.
That’s the reason that the Lawrence Alcohol and Drug Alliance and the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office both set up tables in Heritage Park. There was information on a variety of topics at the alliance’s table.
At the adjacent table, representatives of the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office handed out whistles, lights, stickers and other toys in an attempt to make friends with the children. The goal is to let children know that the police are their friends, said Assistant Prosecutor Laura Kotarba.
Mayor Cathleen Lewis, who stopped by with her family, agreed.
"It’s a good idea. I think it’s a great opportunity to get the community out (and) to interact with the Police Department, the fire department and emergency responders. It’s important to make the community connection," Mayor Lewis said.
And of course, the food wasn’t bad — hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill, prepared by Lawrence Township police officers. There was corn on the cob, chips, juice and soft drinks, plus watermelon for dessert.
The Lawrence Township Police Department has held National Night Out at Eggerts Crossing Village for several years, said police Lt. Joseph Amodio. The goal is to combat crime, he said.
"This is one night that the community can say, ‘This is our community and there will be no crime tonight,’" Lt. Amodio said. "We hope it passes on to future nights. If you see something (suspicious), say something."
Billed as "America’s night out against crime," National Night Out was created by the National Association of Town Watch in 1984, according to its website, www.natw.org. The crime and drug prevention event is held on the first Tuesday in August.
About 400 communities in 23 states took part in the first National Night Out. This year, more than 37 million people were expected to participate in the event in more than 16,000 communities in the United States and Canada.