The Palmerton Police Department hosted its second annual National Night Out in the borough park on Tuesday night with more than 30 emergency organizations, first responders, local organizations, businesses and community groups taking part.

“It’s awesome to get out and interact with the community,” said Kyle Krempasky with the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office. “This community outreach is critical in building the bond between law enforcement and the community.”

Danny Baillie, 3, and his parents were being shown one of the fire trucks from the Aquashicola Fire Department by fireman Aleks Everett. Several local fire departments and other emergency groups from the area had trucks and equipment on display and offered tours to children and adults, explaining how the equipment works.

One of the special first responders there was Finn, a 16-month-old yellow Labrador that is a trained therapy dog and has been with the Lehighton Ambulance since January 2023. Finn helps other first responders in emergency situations, and also visits schools and nursing homes.

Colossal Radio provided entertainment, and the Palmerton Concourse Club held a Movie in the Park, showing “Super Mario Brothers.”

National Night Out is a nationwide event, started in August 1984 through an already established network of law enforcement agencies, neighborhood watch groups, civic groups, state and regional crime prevention associations and volunteers across the nation. The first National Night Out involved 2.5 million neighbors across 400 communities in 23 states.