A summer storm that brought in about 10 minutes of heavy rain couldn't scatter the community spirit created at Belmar's sixth National Night Out event on Aug. 2.
"Our first event started in the corner of the park, and now we're here in the plaza with almost all our restaurants participating," said event organizer Judy Davis. "It's just awesome seeing everyone out. I'm like a kid at a candy store."
The annual party is part of the nationwide National Night Out event, which promotes police-community partnerships by letting residents and officers interact in a fun, block party environment.
Chefs from restaurants like Tstreet Roadhouse, Little India and Grappa Italian Bistro offered attendees delicious samplings as police officers learned more about their community.
"Being able to put a face on the idea of police is so important," said officer Chad Smith. "Events like this humanize us for a lot of people."
Here are some of the best things we heard at the event:
1. Judy Davis: "Police do so much to ensure our safety, and I'm so grateful that they're here to keep crime stays down in Belmar."
2. Audrey DiFrancia, new owner of Paciugo Gelato: "Police officers risk so much in their job, it's important for all of us to show our support and love for what they do."
3. Sara Livingston, facility coordinator at Lakewood: "I love participating in this event because you get to meet a lot of new people, and see old friends."
4. Vicki Dunbar, marketing coordinator at Belmar: "We love the National Night Out event because it gets all our residents together. We like to see our tenants out enjoying each other. And it's great to support the police, because we wouldn't be able to do what we do there without them."
5. Officer Chad Smith: "We can't fight crime effectively without having a good relationship with our community, so the goal of this event is to bring eighbors together so they can get to know us."
from Lakewood Sentinel - Latest Stories http://lakewoodsentinel.com/stories/A-fun-sorry-National-Night-Out,234093
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