'National Night Out' provides hours of fun

Local police are hoping community members come out to visit them Tuesday.

Many departments, including Batavia, Elburn, Kane County and St. Charles are participating in "National Night Out" events.

"We want to promote community awareness and community pride," said St. Charles Officer Jeff Finley.

More than 11,000 towns across the country are expected to participate in the event, sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch. The idea is to get residents out to talk with people in their neighborhood and police.

"We want people to be a little more comfortable being our eyes and ears," Finley said. "We do very little by ourselves."

St. Charles' event will be from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at Pottawatomie Park. There will be law enforcement-themed games and demonstrations. The first 2,000 people to attend will get a free meal.

In Batavia, the night out will be from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Quarry Beach. There will be free swimming, games and giveaways. Free hot dogs and hamburgers will be served from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

Elburn's second annual event will be from 6 to 9 p.m. at Village Hall. The fire department will be on hand to demonstrate its equipment for children.

The Kane County Sheriff's Department is hosting events in Big Rock, Wasco and Burlington.

The Big Rock event will start in Big Rock Community Park at 6 p.m., and the Wasco event will start at 6 p.m. at the Sheriff's Office substation, 4N645 School St. The event in Burlington will be at Burlington Park.

Several specialized units, such as the K-9 unit, the SWAT team and the bomb squad will be at the events. The Air Angels helicopter is scheduled to be at all the events, but that is subject to change.