On Tuesday, Aug. 5, Aurora will again join the entire country in celebrating National Night Out, a nationwide initiative that was first celebrated in 1984 and designed to build community togetherness and raise awareness about crime prevention.
Aurora will have a total of 27 sites offering various National Night Out events that will include entertainment, food, touch-a-truck opportunities and a chance to connect with the city’s first responders.
“This is just a great opportunity to come together and get to know your neighbors and meet our public safety staff and city officials,” said Jon Zaghloul, communications manager for the city of Aurora.
“Our mayor will be out and about as well and this is not only a great opportunity to get to know people and their neighbors and their neighborhood, but also all the people who do their best, every single day, to run the city of Aurora,” he said.
Zaghloul said there will be a live stream available on Tuesday from the city’s communications and marketing department focusing on National Night Out activities, a second-year effort that he said was very popular a year ago.
He said National Night Out is also “an amazing event when it comes to community-oriented policing. It allows our officers to go out into the community and meet people and not in a situation when it’s difficult but instead meeting them and have them know this is their officer for the area.”
“Our public safety personnel always look forward to this event. It’s always on their calendar,” Zaghloul added.
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This year’s National Night Out events in Aurora, by ward, are: 1st Ward, 5 to 7 p.m., Lighthouse Worship Center, 111 E. Indian Trail; 5 to 8 p.m., Pigeon Hill Neighbors, 825 Sheffer Road (Garfield Park); 6 to 7:30 p.m., Aurora Carrillon Lions Club, 1223 Barkston Lane; and 6 to 8 p.m., Northeast Community Group, 1590 Church Road; 2nd Ward, 4 to 7 p.m., Lights of Sacred Heart, State Street between Kane and Fulton; 5 to 8 p.m., Simply Destinee, 100 Middle Ave.; 5 to 8 p.m., Vineyard Aurora Christian Fellowship, 505 E. Galena Blvd.; and 6 to 7:30 p.m., We Are United/Restore, Root Street between New York Street and Spring Street.
Also, 3rd Ward, 6 to 8 p.m. Hometown Community Support Team, 1721 Town Center Street; and 5 to 8 p.m., United Neighbors, 550 Fourth Ave.; 4th Ward, 4 to 6 p.m., Bardwell Residences, 301 Weston Ave.; 4 to 6 p.m., Aurora Township, 313 Gale St.; 5 to 8 p.m., Divine Providence Ministries, 402 Sherman Ave.; 4:30 to 7 p.m., Blackhawk Park Neighborhood, 1306 Winona Ave.; 5 to 8 p.m., West Park Neighbors, 7629 W. Galena Blvd.; and 5 to 8 p.m., New England Congregational Church, 406 W. Galena Blvd.
Also, 5th Ward, 5 to 7 p.m., Washington Neighbors, Constitution Drive and Downer Place; 6th Ward, 5 to 6 p.m., Gayles Memorial Baptist Church, 730 Gillette Ave.; 5 to 7 p.m., Northwest Territories, 1038 Foran Lane; and 4 to 6 p.m., Randall West Homeowners Association, 1373 Monomoy St.
Also, 7th Ward, 5 to 8 p.m., Greater Mount Olive, 1039 Bonner Ave.; 5 to 8 p.m. Haven Christian Ministries, 1029 Kane St.; and 4 to 7 p.m., TBOC, 1226 Grand Blvd.; 9th Ward, 5 to 8 p.m., We Inspire Nations, 2000 Barrington Drive; 10th Ward, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Butterfield Park Neighbors, 2515 White Barn Road; 6 to 8 p.m., Village Baptist Church, 515 S. Frontenac St.; and 5 to 8 p.m., Teen Impact, 4008 Fox Valley Center Drive.
For more information on National Night Out in Aurora and to view a site map, go to www.aurora.il.us/NNO.
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.