Orange and East Orange get ready for NNO on Aug. 7

ORANGE/EAST ORANGE, NJ — Orange will be celebrating National Night Out on Tuesday, Aug. 7, from 4 to 10 p.m., with a variety of safe, family-friendly activities at the Central Avenue Playground.

The list of activities includes the annual Anti-Violence National Night Out Caravan, led by Mayor Dwayne Warren, which leaves from Central Avenue Playground at 4 p.m.; a community block party at the playground; and the 10th annual Hassan Miller Basketball Game, in honor of former West Ward Councilman Hassan Abdul Rasheed’s son, who was shot and killed in a taxi in East Orange in 2008.

City officials said there would also be NJ World Cup Soccer games, a DJ, a special screening of the hit movie “Black Panther,” a back-to-school book-bag registration, a “late-night swim,” face-painting and amusements for young people of all ages at this year’s event, as well as plenty of food, drinks and snacks, including hot dogs, hamburgers, popcorn and cotton candy.

Meanwhile, in the neighboring city of East Orange, Mayor Ted Green will be leading his city’s public safety caravan for the first time as mayor, traveling from block party to party.

According to the NNO website, 2018 marks the 35th anniversary of the United States celebrating National Night Out on the first Tuesday of every August since 1984.

“Our goal is to shed some light on National Night Out,” said the statement on the NNO website. “Let’s go back to the beginning. In 1981, the National Association of Town Watch was founded to connect community watch programs across the nation and provide them the resources they needed to make a difference in their neighborhoods. In 1984, the NATW officially introduced National Night Out as a night where community members and local police officers would band together to meet with each other, discuss community safety concerns and celebrate the neighborhoods where they live.”

According to the website, National Night Out “is a night for residents to forge a positive bond with the law enforcement officers that are tasked with protecting their community.”

For more information about the Orange NNO 2018 celebration, contact Officer Cherry at 973-266-6190. For more information about East Orange NNO activities, call 973-266-5153.

  National Night Out