Neighbors enjoy food, conversation and bingo during the Evergreen Village Mobile Home Communities National Night Out event held at Val Smith Park Aug. 2. They are (left to right) Ken Rothanburg, Jocelyn Wood-Rothanburg and Bruce Brantley.
The Huntington family enjoys a picnic on the grass at Val Smith Park during the Evergreen Village National Night Out block party. Pictured clockwise from the bottom left are Addyson, 3; Makaila, 8; Brooklyn, 10; Jessica, and Isaiah, 2. When asked what her favorite part about the block party is, Makaila replied, “Eating!”
Adyleigh Hinnenkamp, 2, is held by her mother, Megan Voss, while she receives a sticker from Sartell Community Service Officer Amber Molitor during the National Night Out event for Evergreen Village Mobile Home Community held Aug. 2 at Val Smith Park.
Children and parents line up to explore the inside of a police car during a National Night Out block party held Aug. 2 at Val Smith Park in Sartell for the residents of Evergreen Village Mobile Home Community. Pictured (left to right) are Aiden Miller, 5; Shawn Anderson, 9; Tammy Anderson, and Benjamin Daniels, 8, all of Sauk Rapids. In the background is Eric Miller, father of Aiden Miller.
National Night Out was celebrated in several cities throughout the area Aug. 2. Pictured is a block party held by residents of Evergreen Village Mobile Home Community in Sartell. The event took place at Val Smith Park. More than 200 hamburgers were eaten within the first hour of the event. Block-party attendees enjoyed games of bingo, while kids jumped on an inflatable toy, played on the park equipment and hit some pinatas. The Sartell police and fire departments made efforts to attend a record 23 block party events this year. That number increased by six from last year. The police department attributes the increase to Facebook postings and advertising on the digital billboards within the city. While the block parties bridge a connection between residents and their local police and fire departments, they also allow residents the chance to connect with one another, said Amber Molitor, community service officer for the Sartell Police Department. “Last year we heard people became more comfortable allowing their children to walk or bike to school because they met their neighbors at the block parties,” Molitor said. “Some of them also found babysitters (from the event).”
