CITY OF AKRON HOSTS 33RD NATIONAL NIGHT OUT

City of Akron Press Release

Published: 07-22-2016

Akron, Ohio, July 21 , 2016 – The City of Akron is hosting its 33rd Annual National Night Out (NNO), a unique anti-crime and drug prevention event sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch, is scheduled for Tuesday, August 2. The local theme is; “Hands Across Our Neighborhoods: Join Hands Against Crime.”

This year’s NNO will be kicked-off at Canal Park on July 26 when the RubberDucks challenge Richmond at 7:05 p.m. Pre-sale tickets are $5 and $9. Tickets purchased day of the event are $7 and $11. Guests who show their Acme card at the box office can purchase one ticket and receive a second ticket for free.

The NNO campaign involves citizens, law enforcement agencies, civic groups, businesses, neighborhood organizations and local officials from more than 16,700 communities and all 50 states, U.S. territories, Canadian cities and military bases worldwide. In all, more than 38 million people are expected to participate in America’s Night Out Against Crime!

“National Night Out is one of our city’s stellar programs, it continues to address the importance of residents and neighborhoods uniting together, as a community of families to take a stand against crime and drug abuse,” said Mayor Dan Horrigan.

“The longevity of our program along with its growth over 33 years illustrates how dedicated our Akron families are when it comes to being deliberate and intentional as we take our neighborhoods back and call a stop against crime and drug use – two elements currently devastating our communities and families.”

NNO in Akron started in 1984 with a site in East Akron. In 2005, a second site was added in West Akron. Since then, sites have been added each year throughout the city. Today, with a total of 15 sites, and more than 60 community partners, Akron has the most coordinated NNO events than any other Ohio city. The Akron PeaceMakers will assist at all sites and will interact and provide information to youth attending the event.

National Night Out is designed to:

Heighten crime and drug prevention awareness;

Generate support for, and participation in, local anti crime programs;

Strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships;

Send a message to criminals letting them know that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back.

Events start as early as 5:00 PM and run as late as 9:00 PM. Most sites will feature music, games and free food, and all sites will provide information on safety, health and other issues of concern. City of Akron anti-crime signs and You and the Law (law enforcement interaction) cards will be available at all locations as well as Block Watch sign-up and information.

For all questions regarding this event, please contact Billy Soule at 330-375-2660 or [email protected].

Also to view the complete list of NNO sites, visit:

For further information, contact:

Christine R. Curry

Director of Communications

166 S. High Street, Akron, OH 44306

Phone: 330/375-2209

E-mail: [email protected]