MORE: National Night Out Takes On New Life

Tuesday night's crowd of residents, firemen, police and rescue squad members — including lots of children — attended a "National Night Out" event that one of the major organizers promised will be the first of many in years to come.

"From here, we make it bigger and better next year," said Al LiCata, executive director of the Bernards Township Regional Chamber of Commerce, which co-sponsored the event along with local police in the Bernards Township PBA.

ADDED: More than 300 people, most from Bernards Township, attended, LiCata estimated on Wednesday.

"It's fun, especially in the summer," said one resident, Barbara Wong, whose children were playing the games set up in a grassy area in the middle of the shopping center off King George Road.

The community get-together offered demonstrations of firefighting, rescue squad and police equipment (including SWAT guns) at the shopping center. Bernards' event was a local version of a national program that began about a decade ago with the intent of bringing out the public in towns with high crime rates to enjoy their streets again.

In Bernards, one of the organizers, Police Det. Robert Herndon, said the idea is for the community to have fun and learn a little about their local volunteer emergency organizations — the Basking Ridge and Liberty Corner fire companies and rescue squads — as well as to meet members of the police department in a more relaxed setting.

"For us, it's a relaxed atmosphere, the community gets a chance to see us in a little bit of a different dynamic," said Herndon, one of the organizers.

The event was held in Bernards for a few years, and was discontinued after 2008, partially as funding grew tighter in towns everywhere, organizers observed.

This year, LiCata said the chamber arranged sponsorships and sought donations. The event did not cost taxpyaers anything, he said. 

He also thanked the management of Dewy Meadow Village for allowing the use of private property for the event, and said he expects to use the same location next summer.

A Scooby-Doo movie also was shown, and local businesses offered some give-aways, including hot dogs from the A&P supermarket at Dewy Meadow. A huge "National Night Out" cake, donated by the A&P, arrived later in the evening.

Children ran around for a peek at — and in — fire trucks and police cars, and even got to pick up (unloaded) SWAT equipment. The police department has four qualified SWAT team members, and two negotiators, said Police Chief Brian Bobowicz, who was among the dozen or so police department members at the event.

But the event wasn't all business, even for police. Patrol Officer Ray Gizenski took a break to accompany his daughter for a ride on ponies in a small ring set up by the Somerset County Lord Stirling Stable.

"It's a good community outreach," Gizenski said of "National Night Out."

Mayor John Malay agreed, even as he added, "I love it — all these big red trucks," as he stood near the firetrucks on display. 

Civic organizations with a purpose were also on hand. The Bernardsville/Basking Ridge Knights of Columbus handed out ID kits to parents to collect fingerprints and other indentifying information in case it is needed.

Local Girl Scouts, including Anna Kisker, 13, of Basking Ridge, collected food donations for the Somerset County food bank network, and also items for a "backpack" program to provide school lunch food and other supplies to donate to area children.

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