Whittier Lakeside Festival and National Night Out

You're invited to the third annual Whittier Lakeside Festival and National Night Out on Tuesday evening, August 3, 2009 from 6-9pm at the Whittier Lake sponsored by the Frederick Police Department and Whittier Homeowners Association. This program, part of the 27th Annual "America's Night Out Against Crime," provides an opportunity for Whittier neighbors to come together and celebrate our community spirit. Meet your neighbors and get to know each other in this block-party event!

Last year's program was a great success with about 1,000 people coming out to join in the fun!

We have many fun activities planned for the whole family, including FREE FOOD and demonstrations by the Frederick Police Department, Independent Hose Co., and many community businesses as well as games and rides for kids of all ages.

National Night Out is a community-police partnership held the first Tuesday of every August since 1984 sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch in the United States and Canada. It aims to increase awareness about police programs in communities, such as drug prevention, town watch, and other anti-crime efforts. Initially communities held lights-on vigils. Now, many communities hold block parties, festivals, and other events to help bring neighbors together. National Night Out was developed by Matt Peskin of the National Association of Town Watch in 1984. That year there were 2.5 million participants in 400 communities, in 2006 there were over 35.2 million participants in 11,100 communities.

What people are saying about National Night Out:

"National Night Out means more to us than you will ever know. I am thankful to you, the members of NATW, for not only having a positive influence on my life, but for spearheading a program that has really enriched and touched so many hearts and homes within our community." - David Spigelmyer, Crime Prevention Officer, Richardson, TX.

"National Night Out has proven to be an ideal way to get neighborhood watch block clubs started. People are busy and it can be difficult to bring neighbors together just to get know each other. But in Minneapolis, NNO’s positive message, step-by-step directions, handy customer service, helpful materials, plentiful door prizes, and national significance have encouraged many groups to come together for the fist time. Each year, a significant number of NNO events mark the beginning of new neighborhood watch groups. First-time NNO event organizers often become the ongoing leadership for the blocks." - Community Crime Prevention/SAFE, Minneapolis, MN.