There were celebrations at nine locations throughout the city Tuesday night, including a large gathering at LeRoy Haagen Memorial Park

Paul Valencia
Clark County Today

There was DJ playing fun music.

Later, a live concert was scheduled.

There were bounce houses for the youngsters.

And there were dozens of pop-up tents, some for service organizations, others for small businesses in the area.

No, it was not a fair. 

It was a gathering.

It was another neighborhood party for National Night Out at LeRoy Haagen Memorial Park in east Vancouver.

The city had nine of these gatherings Tuesday, celebrating an event that in Pennsylvania in 1984. It quickly grew into a national event. This one in east Vancouver seems to keep growing. It has been going on for more than 15 years.

The mayor was there early.

The chief of police was scheduled to make an appearance later.

One of the biggest sponsors, once again, was the Port of Vancouver.

“National Night Out is something the port has been involved with for many, many years,” said Ryan Hart, communications director for the port. “It’s a great opportunity to engage with the community to talk about what the port does, and support this great event.”

Hart also appreciates the roots of National Night Out, brining everyone together to interact with local law enforcement.

That’s right, National Night Out started as a way to promote community and police relations. Vancouver Police officers were walking around the event Tuesday night, some with their families, too.

The event has also evolved into a party-like event to bring all sorts of community leaders and business owners together, along with the chance to promote public safety.

“This is an opportunity for neighborhoods to bring in partners and share information and it’s all about community building,” Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle said. “It was started to help people feel comfortable with law enforcement and also (with) each other. That’s what it’s about.”

This was the third stop on Tuesday’s tour for the mayor. She said she planned on attending all nine in Vancouver. 

“It’s a wonderful opportunity for people to come and get to know what’s going on around them,” she said.

There were other National Night Out events planned throughout Clark County, as well, including Ridgefield, La Center, and Battle Ground.

According to its website, National Night Out “enhances the relationship between neighbors and law enforcement while bringing back a true sense of community. Furthermore, it provides a great opportunity to bring police and neighbors together under positive experiences.”