PHOTO BY KATHY CHANG/STAFF

Sayreville National Night Out: Fun, dancing and cornhole

SAYREVILLE – National Night Out in Sayreville was filled with food, dancing and cornhole.

The department held its annual event outside police headquarters on Aug. 2.

Community members enjoyed interacting with members of the Sayreville Police Department, Sayreville Fire Department, members of the emergency medical services and were allowed to climb in and out of department vehicles, trucks that were set up in grand style.

The event offered free food and fun activities for all. The Sayreville Fire House held a chili cook-off and the Sayreville Policemen’s Benevolent Association (PBA) Local 98 held a cornhole challenge.

National Night Out was introduced nationally in 1984 and is an annual community building campaign that was created to make communities safer and build trust between communities and their police departments, according to the National Association of Town Watch.

This is the 39th year of the campaign. Neighborhoods across the nation host block parties, festivals, parades, cookouts and other various community events with safety demonstrations, seminars, youth events, visits from emergency personnel and exhibits, according to its website.

The National Association of Town Watch sponsors the annual nationwide event that is also celebrated in U.S. territories and on military bases worldwide with a goal to establish stronger relationships and camaraderie between officers and the communities they serve.