Dixon Residents Come Together For National Night Out

Cooler weather and good food made up only a portion of the fun which Dixon neighborhoods had during the 29^th Annual National Night Out on Tuesday.

The event is held yearly as an effort to strengthen the ties between law enforcement, fire and community members.

This year, the neighbors on West Mays Street came out in droves and spent the evening laughing and sharing stories as they waited for local law enforcement, fire personnel and the mayor to stop by and chat.

“We're very very close, “ said Dawn Gorley, block captain. “We have from the corner all the way down to the other corner. We have 20 kids on Main Street alone and then seven more back behind us.”

She added she has been helping to organize the party for the past three years and that word of mouth in the neighborhood helps in getting people to attend.

For this event, neighbors sat in a closed off alley on lawn chairs and chatted as kids skateboarded and played around them. A table held all the food for the evening-food that included hamburgers, hot dogs, potato salad, chips, dips, soda, condiments and fruit items.

When Dixon fire personnel arrived in a fire truck, kids surrounded the fireman as they handed out badges and let them open and close doors on the outside of the truck Some kids even got up behind the wheel and pretended to drive to an emergency.

“It gives us a chance to get to know the people around here,” said Volunteer Fireman David Corrigan. “We have three engines out tonight and this is our second stop. You meet a lot of nice people.”

But as exciting as seeing the truck was, kids were even more excited when fireman turned the emergency lights on.

“I am here because I like to know more about the neighbors,” said Antonia Marquez. “I came last year and it was wonderful because the mayor, police and fire department came.”

Consuelo Tejeda also enjoyed herself and even made what she called a Mexican hotdog consisting of a hotdog wrapped in a tortilla with a little bit of jalapeno pepper.

“We love to get together,” Tejeda said. “We see each other every day. But it's nice to come out in the evening and talk. It's so fun.”

When Dixon Police Chief Jon Cox arrived with Mayor Jack Batchelor Jr. in a police cruiser, the kids in attendance swarmed the car as Cox passed out badge stickers and opened the back door. For those children lucky enough to get into the back seat, an element of surprise awaited them as they suddenly realized they had no way of getting out once the door was shut.

One girl, visibly shocked, pointed out that there were no door handles on the inside and other kids simply pounded on the window. When Cox turned on the flashing lights, one child even managed to sneak in and turn on the siren.

“It's really gratifying to see all of our neighbors working together and watching their houses and watching out for each other,” Batchelor said. “It's just one more thing that makes Dixon a great place to live.”