Thirteen years ago, officer Mike Shetter of Northwest Regional Police Department suggested that the department join others in the area in marking National Night Out, an event to promote community connections.

Despite having no money in the budget for the event, Shetter persisted. He recruited detective Chuck Tobias, and together they have turned the annual celebration into something special.

This year's National Night Out will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 4, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the station, 8855 Elizabethtown Road. A rain date is set for the same time on Thursday, Aug. 6.

"This was something we really wanted to do for the community, and every year our job is to find things to add to it," Shetter said. "We feel like we owe it to the people who come to have something different every year."

This year's addition is a helicopter from the National Guard. It will take off and land throughout the event.

Other highlights include a bounce obstacle course, barrel train rides, tables from local organizations, food, music and fireworks.

"LIV-Etown, Tony and Clint Gibble, have been instrumental in helping us," said Jill Munafo, secretary for the police department. "There will be a stage set up by Ross Productions for the third year, and we'll have DJ Tyler Ross playing music, plus live music from Corty Byron."

Food trucks will include Harvey's Main Street BBQ, Auntie Anne's, Christ Lutheran Church's root beer floats, Elizabethtown Grange milkshakes, St. Peter's Catholic Church Fryers, the Candy Unicornium and The Donut Guys.

A variety of first responders, including the police, fire department and EMS, will be on-site with equipment for kids to explore. An Amtrak railroad vehicle will also be on hand.

The evening will wrap up with a fireworks display sponsored by Cocker's Towing.

"The whole idea of this event is to get the community connected with first responders," Tobias said. "Normally, we see the community when they need us. We see them in a difficult or bad situation. We want this to be an opportunity for them to see us as a friend, as a fellow community member."

Held annually on the first Tuesday in August, National Night Out began in 1984 to promote police and community partnerships. The first year, 2.5 million people across 400 communities in 23 states participated in the event. Over the years, the celebration has grown to encompass 38 million people in 17,000 communities throughout the United States.

"Everything is free but the food vendors," Shetter said. "Everyone is welcome - the more, the merrier."

Tobias said the Elizabethtown event always draws a crowd, and organizers are happy to offer the community an activity that's fun and free of charge.

"This event grows every single year," he said. "The community loves it, and we love it, too. It's a challenge for us to make this bigger and better every year, and we accept that challenge."

Parking is limited at the police station. People are encouraged to park at Elizabethtown Brethren in Christ Church, 996 E. High St., and take a free shuttle bus to and from the event site. The bus is provided by Krapf School Bus.

For more information on National Night Out, visit https://natw.org. For more information on Elizabethtown's National Night Out celebration, follow the Northwest Regional Police Department on Facebook.