Where to celebrate National Night Out in Bucks County on Aug. 2

As Bristol Borough’s newest police chief, Joe Moors said National Night Out was an event he was looking forward to participating in for the first time.

Bristol Borough will hold its first ever annual National Night Out on the grounds of Snyder-Girotti Elementary School on Tuesday, Aug. 2.

“What I’m trying to achieve is good community relations with the citizens of Bristol Borough and a positive interaction with the children of the borough,” Moors said.

The event will feature members of local law enforcement, emergency vehicles, health and resource information, a bounce house, games, face painting, DJ, give-a-ways and a chance to meet the new police chief.

National Night Out is a community-building event that works to promote and strengthen relationships between local neighborhoods and police departments, with the events typically occurring on the first Tuesday in August.

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This year, Bensalem, Middletown, Quakertown, Richland, Buckingham, Solebury, Morrisville, Bristol Borough, Falls,Bristol Township and Doylestown Township will host events.

The events vary by department but some include gatherings at a park or township building, along with officers handing out ice cream to neighborhoods.

Bristol Township will host its events at the new municipal park. Food trucks, moon bounces, sports blow ups and a DJ will be there for kids along with the National Guard, police and fire department and emergency medical services with demonstrations.

Bristol Township Director of Parks and Recreation Brian Morris said the ultimate goal is to get the message out that “police are here to help.”

“Our police, fire and EMS put their lives on the line on a daily basis,” he said.

Solebury Township will host its events at Laurel Park.

Featuring the Solebury police officers, New Hope Eagle Fire Company and Solebury Township Parks and Recreation, the event will have food and drinks, face painting, balloon animals, police and fire displays, a moon bounce and more.

“I think it's important that the community actually comes out and gets to know the officers outside of you when they have a problem,” Solebury police Sgt. Kevin Edwards said.

“It gives them an opportunity to meet us on a more social level and a more personal level,” he said.

Bensalem will host its event at the township pavilion. There will be several vehicle displays, a K9 demonstration, a showing of “Behind Closed Doors,” an education trailer and a “Copsicle Ice-Cream Bus.”

Middletown Community Relations Officer Melissa Robison said the department will be hosting its events on site at the front parking lot of the Middletown Township Police Department.

Kids can participate in carnival games, meet Sesame Street characters and all emergency services will be in attendance and performing demonstrations.

Robison said unlike other departments, Middletown’s National Night Out serves as a kickoff event for the department's “Shop with a Cop” event during the holidays.

All proceeds from National Night Out go toward Shop with a Cop, and so far, all 60-plus vendor spots have been sold out, according to Robison.

Despite the great turnout last year, Robison said she’s never had this “quick and hefty” response from the community in terms of participation.

Morrisville Borough will host its event at Williamson Park, and will also be featuring tours of police SWAT/MRAP, helicopters, ambulances and fire trucks.

There will be face painting, environmental education, a child ID unit, a bouncy house with a slip and slide, hamster balls, free food and a showing of an outdoor movie at 8:30 p.m.

Doylestown Township will host its events at Central Park. There will be police demonstrations, fire trucks, ambulances, helicopter landings, food, music and more, which is free to the public.

In Quakertown and Richland, the departments are going around delivering ice cream to people in the community.

Having participated in these events for almost 10 years, Quakertown used to host block parties but after the pandemic, the departments transitioned to an ice cream cruise.

Families in the borough can sign up and provide their address and officers drive around and hand out ice pops and ice cream to those registered from 5 to 8 p.m, according to Parks and Recreation Coordinator Ashton Miller.

Miller said the purpose of this night is to get neighborhoods out together and interact with one another and help kids feel more comfortable around officers.

Richland Township is doing something similar. From 5 to 8:30 p.m., police cruisers and firefighters will distribute ice cream to residents.

“It’s important because anytime you can be a presence in your community in a situation where it’s not something that’s gone wrong in the neighborhood or somebody’s in trouble, that you’re having a positive relationship with your residents is very, very helpful,” Richland Chief of Police Richard Ficco said.

This year, Buckingham Township will team up with Peddler’s Village and host events which are free and open for adults, kids, families and friends.

Falls police will be hosting its event at the Falls Township community park. The event will not have any vendors and will instead serve as a meet and greet with a K9 demonstration and a way for the community to receive information.

The following police departments are hosting events for community members to attend:

• Bensalem Township, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the township pavilion, 2400 Byberry Road.

• Middletown Township, 6 to 8 p.m. at the police department, 5 Municipal Way, Langhorne.

• Buckingham Township, 6 to 8 p.m. at Peddler’s Village, 122 Carousel Lane, Lahaska.

• Solebury Township, 6 to 9 p.m. at Laurel Park, 3092 North Sugan Road, Solebury.

• Morrisville Borough, 6 to 8 p.m., followed by an outdoor movie at 8:30 p.m. at Williamson Park, 97 N Delmorr Ave, Morrisville.

• Bristol Borough, 5 to 8 p.m. on the grounds of Snyder-Girotti Elementary School, 420 Buckley Street, Bristol.

• Falls, 6 to 8:30 p.m. at the Falls Township Community Park, 9050 Mill Creek Road, Levittown.

• Bristol Township, 6 to 8 p.m. at the Bristol Township Municipal Park, 2501 Bath Road, Bristol.

• Doylestown Township, 4 to 8 p.m. at Central Park, 425 Wells Road, Doylestown.

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Bucks County police departments to host National Night Out events