Eureka and Crescent Valley celebrate National Night Out

The Eureka County Sheriff’s Office recently held its annual National Night Out celebration in Eureka on Aug. 6 and in Crescent Valley on Aug. 7. Residents from both communities turned out to enjoy music, a free barbecue dinner and the highly anticipated raffle prize giveaway. 

National Night Out was established in August of 1984 by Matt Peskin of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its predecessor, the National Association of Town Watch, was started in 1981 by Peskin to “provide community watch groups the necessary information, resources and assets to stay informed, interested, involved and motivated within the community.” Three years later, after amassing a whopping 2.5 million neighbors across 400 communities in 23 states, the first National Night Out event was held. Natw.org states, “It grew to become a celebration beyond just front porch vigils and symbolic efforts amongst neighbors to send a message of camaraderie.”

National Night Out has been celebrated in Eureka for the past 14 years. Crescent Valley has held its own annual National Night Out event for the last five years. The Eureka County Sheriff’s Office (ECSO) works diligently every year to ensure that a fun time is had by all. This year, barbecued hot dogs, potato salad, chips, watermelon, cookies and cake were just some of the delicious foods served by ECSO employees. A variety of vendors and local businesses were also present in both towns, including the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Eureka County School District, Lions Club, McEwen Mining, I-80 Gold Corp, Nevada State Bank, Pena Clinic and Eureka County Volunteer Medical Services. The Nevada Department of Public Safety/Nevada State Fire Marshal brought their fire safety trailer. They handed out fire prevention goodie bags and plastic firemen’s helmets to each child (and to some adults!). Some of the raffle prizes included basketballs, camping chairs, tents, camp stoves and fishing poles.