KYLE MURPHYStaff Writer

Residents came out to Frazier McEwen Park Thursday night to celebrate the members of the Tullahoma Police Department, community partners and other local first responders for National Night Out.

National Night Out is a nationwide annual campaign where residents have the opportunity to meet local officers and first responders and have an open dialogue about how to make the community safer. This year’s event was the fifth iteration that the Tullahoma Police Department has held.

National Night Out was held at Frazier McEwen Park on Thursday, Oct. 9. It was originally scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 7, but it was rescheduled due to weather. By Thursday evening, the weather and temperatures were just right for a night out with city and county first responders, where there was free food, drinks, inflatables, a raffle for door prizes and a variety of first responder vehicles.

On hand for the evening was members of the Tullahoma Police Department, Tullahoma Fire Department, Coffee County EMA, Coffee County Sheriff’s Department, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, Tennessee Highway Patrol, Coffee County 911 Communications Center, Reyes Coca Cola, Tullahoma Downtown Lions Club, Tullahoma Arts Council, Tullahoma Animal Shelter, Tullahoma Parks and Recreation, Middle Tennessee Raptor Center, Highland Rim Bicycle Club, The Attic Outlet and Walmart.

One of the highlights of the evening was a friendly competition between the Tullahoma police and fire departments. Each department had a team of five compete in a relay race at the inflatable obstacle course, where each member of the teams went through the course and run back to tag in the next person. The fire department had the early led, but the police department quickly recovered to keep it a tight race. Ultimately, the fire department were able to get the win, celebrating with high-fives, group hugs and sportsmanship with the police department.

According to the National Association of Town Watch, during its over four decades of National Night Out, 38 million neighbors take part in National Night Out across 17 thousand communities in all 50 states, U.S. territories and military bases worldwide on the first Tuesday in August (Texas and select areas celebrate on the first Tuesday in October).

For Tennessee, 41 cities and communities participate in National Night Out including Chattanooga, Knoxville, McMinnville, Nashville, Shelbyville, Tullahoma and Woodbury.

For more about National Night Out, visit the National Association of Town Watch’s website at natw.org.