A textbook chamber-of-commerce cloudscape decorated Abilene’s evening skies for National Night Out Tuesday.
Families snacked on complimentary hotdogs supplied by United Supermarkets while the Abilene Police Department, the Texas Department of Transportation and the Abilene Fire Department answered questions and showed off equipment for kids and adults to peruse.
The Abilene-Taylor County Public Health District offered free flu shots while other services tempted visitors to take information home with them by handing out candy or other giveaways.
Booths serving everyone from veterans to the Abilene Public Library visited with curious passersby as a live band played from a flatbed trailer in front of police headquarters.
In many communities National Night Out arrives in August, but in places like Abilene and others where late summer heat is a deterrent, early October is the date.
The annual event the began in 1984 in the suburbs of Philadelphia with a purpose of bringing communities together, as well as providing opportunities to meet with representatives and leaders from police, fire and other municipal or county agencies.
This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Families turn out to climb trucks, snack on hotdogs, and enjoy National Night Out
Reporting by Ronald W. Erdrich, Abilene Reporter-News / Abilene Reporter-News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
