Children at Brayton Hill played on the Spongebob Squarepants-themed bounce house at its National Night Out celebration on Tuesday. For more photos, see the slideshow.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Neighborhoods celebrated National Night Out, a nationwide event that aims to heighten crime awareness and strengthen communities, on Tuesday.

 

Police, fire and ambulance personnel were on hands at various locations, including the Greylock Valley, Brayton Hill, Mohawk Forest, Western Gateway Heritage State Park, the United Neighboorhood Organization Playground on Bracewell Avenue and Renfrew Park in Adams.

 

Annie Rodgers of the coalition and coordinator of National Night Out said over a hundred participated at each site, with some sites eclipsing 200 people.

 

"Not only was it a chance for neighbors to unite together in a fun and positive way, but also a chance to talk with each other and public safety officials about the concerns that have been weighing on their minds," Rodgers said.

 

Children and families had the opportunity to meet with emergency personel and check out their vehicles and gear at all sites.

 

"With the presence of our public safety officials, children came to understand that our police officers and firefighters are friends, and not people that just came around when bad things happened," Rodgers said.

 

While a key portion of the events focused on making the youth familiar with emergency personel and crime awareness, each location had its own draws for entertainment and food to bring the community in.

 

At Greylock Valley, there was an obstacle course, live music, painting, bingo and a barbecue and potluck. Both Mohawk Forest and the UNO Playground held sundae parties. Heritage State Park served up snacks and had a variety of games and prizes. Brayton Hill featured a bounce house and numerous competitions, including the frozen T-shirt contest and dance-offs. At Renfew Park, Dominos supplied free pizza and games were set up, including cornhole and badmitton.

 

Rodgers said neighborhood leaders also took the time to survey their communities for future ideas on activities, neighborhood organizations and crime watches. In addition, the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition's drug prevention and awareness program nb21 tabled throughout the night at some locations.

 

Nationally, the event is sponsored by National Association of Town Watch. Locally, Northern Berkshire Community Coalition's Northern Berkshire Neighbors and nb21 programs spearheaded the event.

 

For more information about planning next year's event, contact Rodgers at 413-663-7588.