A child tries out a sheriff’s motorcycle at a past National Night Out in 2018.
SNOHOMISH COUNTY — Residents throughout Snohomish County will kick off August with a celebration.
National Night Out takes place Aug. 1 in Monroe, Snohomish and in neighborhoods throughout Everett. The early evening event promotes camaraderie among neighbors and a chance to meet and interact with police officers, firefighters and other first responders.
“It’s a positive environment for our police and fire” personnel, said Sally Petty, a member of the Rotary Club of Monroe that organizes the city’s National Night Out at Lake Tye Park. “This gives us a great opportunity to thank them for their service.”
She said the celebration in Monroe is one of the largest attended in the state and she is expecting a record crowd. “It’s a big undertaking. It’s like planning a wedding once a year.”
There will be a couple of changes for 2023. Monroe’s police K-9 won’t be attending because the dog retired, Petty said. However, the dunk tank is back with the police and fire chiefs signed up to get dunked.
Monroe’s National Night Out takes place from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Lake Tye Park. Rotary Club members have been organizing it since 2009, Petty said.
National Night Out traditionally takes place the first Tuesday of August in thousands of communities throughout the United States.
Everett will have National Night Out events taking place in neighborhoods throughout the city. As of press time, events are scheduled in the Bayside, Delta, Harborview/Seahurst, Glenhaven, Lowell and the Pinehurst/Beverly Park neighborhoods. For more details on these National Night Out events, go to www.everettwa.gov/511/National-Night-Out.
Port Gardner Bay Winery and Venture Church, 2201 Wetmore Ave., are also hosting public National Night Out events in Everett.
Linnea Covington, co-owner of Port Gardner Bay Winery, said National Night Out is a signature event for them. Visitors will enjoy listening to live music and eating oysters from Penn Cove from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. at 3006 Rucker Ave.
“We just have a great time,” said Covington.
Covington added the neighborhood is walkable for people and National Night Out provides interaction with nearby businesses. “We want it so that downtown Everett businesspeople are connected.”
In Snohomish, National Night Out takes place at Averill Field, which is located next to the Boys and Girls Club, and goes from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. It is organized by the city and the Snohomish Lions Club.
“This is really an opportunity for neighbors to get to know each other,” said city spokeswoman Shari Ireton.
Snohomish’s National Night Out will include firefighters from Snohomish Fire District 4, police officers, along with representatives from search and rescue, the library, and the city.
Terry Lippincott, a Lions Club member who helped organize the event, said National Night Out is a chance to meet with city employees, such as staff from Public Works, which residents often don’t see.
“It’s just a really great event for families to come to,” Lippincott said. “It’s just a really great social event.”
Firefighters will demonstrate how they use the “Jaws of Life” to extricate someone from a vehicle and provide water activities for children, Lippincott said. Snohomish Kiwanis Club members will be on hand to help fit children for a bicycle helmet.
Lions Club members will be serving snow cones.
“On a hot day, there’s nothing better,” Lippincott said.
