Meet Local Heroes At Sartell’s National Night Out Gathering Tuesday

Join the Sartell Police and Fire Departments for a National Night Out event at the Sartell Community Center on Tuesday. The event is slated to run from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m..

Tuesday's event promises fun for the whole family, including a live DJ on site, bounce houses, yard games, cornhole and chalk art! In addition, Sartell Royalty and the Student Council will provide face painting, wacky hair and temporary tattoos.

Sartell's popular K9 officer, Kimber, will be on hand to say hello along with folks from the Minnesota K9 Foundation. People will also be able to have a hands-on experience with Sartell Police squad cars and fire trucks in addition to the Meadowbrooks Farm tractor and Stearns County Boat.

Hungry? The Sartell Senior Connection will have free hotdogs, chips and water while supplies last, while Mr. Twisty and Timeless Troughs will have their trucks there as well.

National Night Out itself traces back to Philadelphia in 1984 when it was founded by Matt Peskin. Peskin told VOA News in 2016 that home break-ins increased in the early 1980's due to more people having to work, leaving homes vacant.

He felt that caused "people to lock themselves behind closed doors, instead of finding ways to deter crime under a unified community."

The first National Night Out was estimated to have involved about 2.5 million residents in 400 communities across 23 states, while the most recent data found over 38 million residents in 16,000 communities participating by 2016.