The purpose of National Night Out is to get our community involved with our first responders and strengthen our relationships," said Miranda Williams, administrative assistant for the Hellam Township Police Department. "We want to grow our partnerships between us and the community."

Hellam will host its National Night Out celebration on Tuesday, Aug. 4, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Hellam Township Municipal Building, 35 Walnut Springs Road, York. It will feature fun for people of all ages.

"This year, we have a bounce house obstacle course as well as an inflatable ax-throwing game," Williams said. "We will have food trucks and lots of vendors and community groups with tables of information and activities for kids to do. The fire department and other first responders will be here with their equipment for kids to explore as well."

Food trucks will include Traveller Coffee Co., Tank's Taters and Bayou Snow.

Along with representatives and equipment from the police, fire and sheriff's departments, The South Central PA Search and Rescue - Search 93 trailer will be on-site.

"We usually have officers there who hang out and walk around to meet people," Williams said. "We set up a rock wall, and we've had officers get in there and climb up the wall with people."

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.

Hellam Township began holding National Night Out about 15 years ago, and the event grows every year. The event relies on support from the community organizations and sponsors.

"We have so many wonderful sponsors for National Night Out from our community, and I'd just like to highlight their importance in making this event such a success," said Sarah Smith, assistant to the township manager. "We would not be able to put on these events without the wonderful and generous support of our community."

That's one of the reasons the township hosts National Night Out, Williams said.

"We get donations throughout the year for events from people throughout our townships and boroughs, and this event is a way to give back to them," she explained. "It's a night of fun, getting to know our first responders on a personal level. Sometimes with the police department especially, people get nervous around police. This is an opportunity to come out, talk to them and learn more about what they do."

Last year was the first National Night Out Smith attended, and the event made a positive impression.

"Come out and try it and see what's it all about," she said. "I didn't know what was going on in my own community until I started working for the township. This event showed me that our first responders are just people, too. They are people who want to help their community. They want to protect and serve."

Williams added that National Night Out offers something for everyone.

"It's a great night for families to come out, have some fun, get some food, learn not only about the police department and what they do to protect and serve our community, but also the businesses and organizations in our community," she said. "It's a cool way to learn about where you live and the people whose work keeps the community running and thriving."

To learn more about National Night Out, visit https://natw.org. For more information on Hellam's celebration, follow Hellam Township Police on Facebook and search for "National Night Out 2026."