National Night Out Returns Tuesday In Glenview

GLENVIEW, IL — It's a tradition going back nearly 40 years as National Night Out returns across the country on Tuesday. Held annually on the first Tuesday of August, the family-friendly event will be held again this year in Glenview.

The free event is scheduled for 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Gallery Park, 2001 Patriot Blvd. Highlights include a touch-a-truck, inflatables, face painting and music.

The nationwide event "promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make our neighborhoods safer," according to the National Association of Town Watch, the organization that founded the annual early August event in 1984.

Since 1984, communities across the country have held National Night Out events on the first Tuesday of August. Block parties, festivals, parades, cookouts and other community events have been popular ways to celebrate the outreach-focused event.

More than 2 million Americans took part in the first National Night Out. Now, the event is celebrated in more than 16,000 communities across all 50 states, according to the National Association of Town Watch.