Free Family Fun At National Night Out In Cherry Hill Area Tuesday

CHERRY HILL, NJ — National Night Out returns to Cherry Hill on Tuesday, the Cherry Hill Police Department said on its Facebook page.

An estimated 38 million people are expected to participate in one of approximately 16,000 National Night Out events across the United States that will be held this year, according to the National Association of Town Watch, an organization that helps facilitate many National Night Out festivities.

These days, the annual event usually consists of carnivals, block parties, barbecues or other free events organized by communities and police departments that are geared toward the whole family enjoying, according to the U.S. Justice Department, which helped establish National Night Out.

Simultaneously, crime prevention messages are conveyed and relationships between law enforcement and residents are fostered, the U.S. Justice Department continued.

"The Cherry Hill Police Department, Cherry Hill Township and Cherry Hill Recreation Department are thrilled to bring back National Night Out this summer!" the police department said on its Facebook page.

The 2022 National Night Out in Cherry Hill runs from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday at the township's Municipal Complex on Mercer Street and will have demonstrations, games, food, giveaways and more, the police department added.

Don't live in that town? Below, find specific times and locations of some other National Night Out celebrations being held near Cherry Hill on Tuesday.

• city of Camden = 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Farnham Park and
• city of Camden = 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Mi Casa Village and
  
• city of Camden = 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at McGuire Gardens and
  
• city of Camden = 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Staley Park
• Evesham = 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the township's municipal complex on Tuckerton Road
• Maple Shade = 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the township's municipal lot located at North Forklanding Road and Brubaker Lane
• Medford = 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Freedom Park in the township
• Merchantville = 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the community center on Somerset Avenue
• Mount Laurel = 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the municipal complex on Mount Laurel Road

The events being held this year are much different than some of the first National Night Out celebrations held in 1984, which were celebrated by roughly 2.5 million people in about 400 communities across the United States, according to the National Association of Town Watch.

One of those early events was in the Pennsylvania suburbs of Philadelphia, where residents participated by turning on their porch lights, the U.S. Justice Department said.

Another early National Night Out celebration held in Boston consisted of a public reading of a proclamation that discussed the significance of the day and the event, according to the U.S. Justice Department.

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