National Night Out Returns To Alexandria In 2021

ALEXANDRIA, VA — National Night Out 2021 events in Alexandria Aug. 3 are part of a nationwide push to strengthen police and community relations.

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.

The Alexandria Police Department, Fire Department, Sheriff’s Office and other City of Alexandria agencies will celebrate National Night Out from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Aug. 3. Acting Police Chief Don Hayes, Sheriff Dana Lawhorne, Fire/EMS Chief Corey Smedley, members of City Council, City Manager Mark Jinks, and other city and public safety officials will attend to reaffirm a commitment to safety and security in Alexandria. The Alexandria Police Department’s K-9 Unit, Motor Unit, Bike Patrol, Command Bus, Armored Personnel carrier and the Crime Scene Mobile Lab will also provide demonstrations during neighborhood visits.

Residents are encouraged to turn on their porch light and meet their neighbors outside. Neighborhood block parties or small events such as a cookout or ice cream social can be sponsored by residents.

Event times will vary for the various participating locations. Below are the participating locations, with times subject to change.

• Hopkins–Tancil / ARHA Ruby Tucker Family Center: 5 p.m.-8 p.m. 322 Tancil Court
• ARHA Ladrey High-Rise: 5 p.m.-8 p.m. 300 Wythe Street
• ARHA Princess Square: 5 p.m.-8 p.m. 1500 block Princess Street
• ARHA Charles Houston Recreation Center: 5 p.m.-8 p.m. 901 Wythe Street (parking lot)
• Father Rankin House (courtyard): 6 p.m.-8 p.m. 314 Duke Street
• Lennox Place at Sunnyside Courtyard: 6 p.m.-8 p.m. Common area (intersection of Charles Avenue, Shorter Lane and Courtland Circle)
• ARHA Arlandria: 5 p.m.-8 p.m. 4109 Mount Vernon Avenue
• Hume Springs Playground Park: 6 p.m.-8 p.m. 100 Dale Street
• 400 Block of E. Howell Street: 6 p.m.-9 p.m. Street location
• Warwick Village Citizens Association: 5 p.m.-7 p.m. Landover Park–3201 Landover Street
• Del Ray Citizens Association: 5 p.m.-8 p.m. Pat Miller Square, intersection of Oxford and Mount Vernon Avenue
• 1400–1600 Oakcrest Drive: 6:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m.
• Brenton of Del Ray: 6 p.m.-9 p.m. 500 E. Luray Avenue
• Lloyd’s Apartments: 5 p.m.-7:30 p.m. 800 Tennessee Avenue (in front of rental office)
• 100-200 E. Spring Street: 5 p.m.-8 p.m.
• ARHA Quaker Hill Apartments: 5 p.m.-8 p.m. 100 block Ellsworth
• College Park Civic Association: 5 p.m.-8:30 p.m. Bishop Ireton School Parking Lot
• Green House Condominiums: 5 p.m.-7 p.m. 5300 Holmes Run Parkway (back of building)
• Brent Place: 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. 375. S. Reynolds Street (back parking deck)
• Park Place Condos: 6 p.m.-8 p.m. 2500 North Van Dorn Street
• Fairlington Towne Unit: 6 p.m.-9 p.m. North Dearing Street in common area behind row of homes in the green space between Jason and Ingalls
• Place One Condominiums: 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. 5500 Holmes Run Parkway
• Seminary Civic Association: 5:30 p.m.-8 p.m. Cul de sac of Woods Avenue/Place
• Stone Gate Foundation: 6 p.m.-8 p.m. 4659 Kinsey Lane
• Watergate at Landmark: 6 p.m.-9 p.m. 211 Yoakum Parkway
• Hermitage of Northern Virginia: 4 p.m.-6 p.m. 5000 Fairbanks Avenue
• Society Hill: 5 p.m.-8 p.m. 3806 Vermont Court
• Exchange at Van Dorn: 6 p.m.-8 p.m. 4840 Eisenhower Avenue (clubhouse/pool area)
• Edsall Bluff Pool Deck: 6 p.m.-9 p.m. 6135 Edsall Road
• Townes at Cameron Parke: 5 p.m.-7:30 p.m. 3827 Dominion Mill Drive
• Brookville Seminary Valley: 5:30 p.m.-9 p.m. 4901 Polk Avenue, Alexandria Free Methodist Church parking lot
• Quantrell Mews: 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. 6006 Ricketts Walk

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.

Many National Night Out events are back in 2021 after widespread cancellations last summer due to the coronavirus pandemic.

For example, businesses in Marple Township, Pennsylvania, are donating goods to be used during a night of music, games and demonstrations. In Palos Hills, Illinois, kids can play in large inflatable toys, and a face-painter will be on hand at a local park.

Tim McCarthy, a retired Orland Park, Illinois, police chief, has called National Night Out “a great way for kids to meet their local police officers in a relaxed, comfortable atmosphere unlike an emergency setting.”

McCarthy, a former Secret Service member best known for taking a bullet for President Ronald Reagan in a 1983 assassination attempt, told Patch in 2019 that police officers “enjoy seeing everyone come back each year to see all that’s happening with the police department, and to have a fun evening.”

Participants of Alexandria's National Night Out are encouraged to share photos and videos with hashtags #ALXNNO21 and #NNO21.