Barrington postpones its National Night Out due to storm threat

Barrington is rescheduling its National Night Out event, originally set for Thursday, to next Thursday, Aug. 10, due to the threat of strong storms, officials said Wednesday.

The severe storms predicted could include high winds and hail - reason enough to push things off for a week, said Patty Dowd Schmitz, the village's manager of communications, marketing and events.

"We have some good weather trackers here at the village who look at those things several days in advance," she said. "Because so many people and organizations are involved, we felt it more prudent to give notice ahead of time than get there and be completely washed out."

Several suburban law enforcement departments held similar National Night Out events Tuesday, but Barrington holds its in conjunction with the weekly Thursday Cruise Night in the downtown. Cruise Night also was canceled and will return next Thursday, Dowd Schmitz said.

The rescheduled National Night Out will be 6 to 9 p.m., centered at Cook and Station streets. The Chicago Police Department mounted patrol will make an appearance, and a police dog demonstration is scheduled. Other activities include bingo, a hula hoop contest, face painting, magic show, bike safety checks, digital fingerprinting and trackless train rides. Heinen's and Jewel will provide free burgers and hot dogs.