Northampton Township residents gathered Aug. 4 for the township’s first National Night Out, a free community event designed to bring residents together while strengthening relationships between the community and local first responders.
Held at Wetzel Pavilion in Northampton Township’s Municipal Park, the event drew over 1,000 people and featured township police officers, firefighters, EMS personnel, local businesses and community organizations. Families enjoyed food, music, inflatables, lawn games, face painting, giveaways, a dunk tank and a “Touch-a-Truck” display that gave children an up-close look at emergency vehicles.
Northampton Township Police Officer Orenda Geller, who organized the event with Kristin Fullerton, special events coordinator for the Northampton Township Parks and Recreation Department, said the event was created to give residents an opportunity to interact with first responders in a relaxed setting.
“We started this event as a way for us to build a relationship with the community, a way for the kids and adults to come out and have fun with us and meet the officers,” Geller said. “We wanted to show them that we are humans just like them who also like to be out here having fun.”
Geller said National Night Out also provided an opportunity for residents to meet local business owners.
“We have a lot of local businesses as vendors, so this was a good way for people to meet business owners in Northampton Township,” she said.
The event included representatives from the local police and fire departments, EMS and approximately 20 local organizations, including the library, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and the township senior center.
One of the biggest attractions for children was the “Touch-a-Truck” display, which included a mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicle used by the Bucks County SWAT team.
“That big black vehicle was a SWAT truck, and it was a big hit with the kids," Geller said.
The evening also included a K-9 demonstration, which Fullerton said was one of the highlights of the event.
“The dogs doing the demonstrations was something everyone was talking about,” Fullerton said. The demonstration showed how police canines are trained to assist officers, including through agility, scent detection and apprehension work, while emphasizing safety protocols.
For many families, however, the event was about more than the activities — it was an opportunity to introduce children to the people behind the uniforms and help them feel comfortable approaching first responders.
Louise Forbes of Churchville attended with her two grandchildren.
“This is a nice community activity,” Forbes said. “It’s good for these kids to have one-on-one contact with first responders.”
Kali Salinis, a native of Richboro, attended with her husband, two children and mother.
“I like bringing my young children here because this is a nice, wholesome event,” Salinis said. “There is lots of value in attending this event to show how a community comes together to have events like this.”
Kellie Peters, who lives two blocks from the event, attended with her husband and their four children, ages 11, 7, 4 and 1 week.
“We brought the kids here to do something fun and we like to support this great neighborhood where we live,” Peters said. “We love the sense of community here and all that this township does for families, so we go to as many of these community events as possible when they come along.”
Nicole Joseph brought her 4-year-old son, Nathan Joseph, who climbed into the SWAT truck during the event.
“He loves Batman and thinks this is a Batmobile,” Joseph said with a laugh. “I think it’s a good opportunity to bring him here to see that these first responders are people who will take care of him and are approachable.”
Northampton Township firefighter Mark Chapman attended with his 7-year-old son, William.
“I brought my son here to see how important community is and that helping out at this event is a public service,” Chapman said.
William helped at the fire department’s booth, handing out fire helmets, frisbees and information about what to do in the event of a fire.
Northampton Township Police Officer Marcus Wigler said the event gave officers a chance to interact with residents outside of emergency situations.
“We are here to answer questions anyone has and for people to get to know us in a positive way, not just when something bad happens,” Wigler said. “Our message is that anytime anyone has a question or problem, just call us. We are here to help.”
Fullerton said the response from residents was overwhelmingly positive, with the township receiving numerous phone calls and emails from people who enjoyed the evening.
Everything at the event was free, including pizza, Rita’s water ice, hot dogs, chips, water, face painting and inflatables.
Fullerton said the event also benefited from the participation of local organizations and businesses, which provided activities and giveaways for children.
“We had a large diversity of organizations and every vendor provided free giveaways,” she said. “When the kids came up, they could grab something off the table.”
Volunteers also helped make the event accessible to residents of all ages. Golf carts transported older residents who had difficulty walking to Wetzel Pavilion from the parking area.
“Most of our volunteers came from local schools,” Fullerton said.
Fullerton said the event fit into the Parks and Recreation Department’s larger goal of creating family-friendly traditions that bring the township together.
“Our goal here at Parks and Rec is to bring everyone together and give them safe, fun traditions within our township,” she said. “We are really about bringing the whole community together and giving them a fun, safe place to go to with their whole family.”
Fullerton hopes children left the event with a better understanding of the role first responders play in the community.
“I hope that children saw that our first responders are here to help us and not scare us, and that you can always trust them and go to them in a time of need,” she said.
Geller shared that goal.
“We want kids who were here to now understand that if they see us in the neighborhood, to come by and say hi,” Geller said. “We don’t bite. We’re good people who are here to keep them safe.”
For Fullerton, one of the most memorable moments came when she watched residents arrive at the park.
“It was pretty cool to watch all those people coming up that path in our park and all just flooding in when it started,” she said. “When I saw that, it put a smile on my face, as the kids were running around having fun.”
She said the event demonstrated the strength of the township community.
“What this event shows about this community is that we are all one,” Fullerton said. “We’re a big team and we’re here to keep our township safe and fun.”
The success of the first National Night Out led Geller and Fullerton to plan for its return.
“Kristin and I agreed that National Night Out was something we should bring to Northampton, and we hope to make it an annual event,” Geller said. “We are testing the waters this year to see what works and what doesn’t.
Fullerton said the two were pleased with the turnout and the community response and hoped to make the event “bigger and better” in the future.
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