National Night Out or Night to Unite is a United States wide program to encourage local law enforcement and the communities they serve to engage with each other in a relaxed and informal setting instead. The event is an annual community-building event that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make our neighborhoods safer, better places to live.
National Night Out started as a way for local law enforcement to mingle with the communities they serve, but it has turned into much more. Many neighborhoods host their own block parties and police officers, firefighters and EMS personnel visit as many of the community gatherings as they can. The visits give residents an opportunity to interact with the officers in a casual way. That leads to the community understanding the officers are people just like them.
Another cool aspect for the community is the ability to check out the vehicles and technology used by the different departments, which is really fun and engaging for the kids. Overall, there were several neighborhood parties that the City of Hastings departments were invited to. Members of the City Council also do their best to make it to as many parties as they can in their ward, which is a great way for residents to meet their representatives face to face in a casual setting.
The city encourages neighbors to host their own National Night Out party and the growing number of parties is awesome. There are some neighborhoods that do not create their own parties, so the City of Hastings Public Safety Advisory Commission (PSAC) along with the various safety departments host a central party at Lions Park, which started in 2018.
The city organized party has a lot of different activities to offer. Bouncy houses, a petting zoo, commercial vehicles to explore like a Tennis Sanitation garbage truck, Hastings Bus Company school bus, various EMS vehicles and squad cars. A State Patrol helicopter flies in and people can check that out, which is always a big hit.
There were a variety of local groups and businesses involved with booths at Lions Park. Hastings Community Education, Hastings Hockey Boosters, the City of Hastings, both the Boy and Girl Scouts and Dakota County Library had booths with small giveaways. The Army National Guard had their Rock-Climbing Wall, a local 4-H group had a petting zoo and music was provided by Maveric Music. There were also two large inflatables, a large, two chute slide and a bounce house.
Dinner was provided for the first 450 people which included a hot dog, chips, cookies, water and a token for a free scoop of custard from Culvers. The custard used to be served on site but maintaining the quality of frozen custard is really difficult away from the restaurant without expensive equipment, so the free token is the best way to give guests a free, delicious frozen treat.
National Night Out is the first Tuesday in August. Residents are encouraged to plan their own neighborhood parties and then share that information with the City of Hastings. The City will then assist the best they can with arranging visits from emergency service vehicles and personnel and the party will be added to their list. Mark your calendars for August 5, 2025 and set a reminder two months earlier to notify the city if you are planning your own party. It is a great excuse to hang out with your neighbors and a fun way to get to know some of your local emergency service personnel.