HILLSBORO, Ohio — Highland County’s Victim Witness Division is thanking more than a dozen agencies, businesses and volunteer groups after this year’s National Night Out brought families out for an evening of public safety demonstrations, games and giveaways.
The division, part of the Highland County Prosecutor’s Office, organized the annual gathering and said in a Facebook post that the turnout and volunteer support made the event “such a HUGE success.”
National Night Out began in 1984, when Matt Peskin, a volunteer with a community watch program outside Philadelphia, organized neighbors to switch on their porch lights and gather outside in a show of unity against crime, according to the National Association of Town Watch, which created the tradition. The first observance drew about 2.5 million participants across 400 communities in 23 states. This year, more than 17,000 communities nationwide, including Highland County, took part on the first Tuesday in August.
The Highland County Health Department ran a bike safety rodeo, and the Paint Creek Joint EMS & Fire District brought a fire safety inflatable for children. The Victim Witness Division itself hosted a scavenger hunt along the Heroes Trail and a victim memorial garden, while the Highland County Sheriff’s Office demonstrated its Project Lifesaver tracking program and flew drones for the crowd.
K-9 demonstrations were staged jointly by the sheriff’s office, the Hillsboro Police Department and the Greenfield Police Department. The Highland County North Joint Fire & Ambulance District taught CPR, Narcan administration and fire extinguisher use, and Highland County Cornhole ran a tournament. The Highland County Task Force handled face painting.
Volunteers filled out the rest of the lineup. Hillsboro’s cheerleading program staffed hair tinsel, temporary tattoo, duck decorating, coffee sleeve decorating and sticker booths, while National Cooperative Bank ran the information booth. A staff member from Edgewood Manor of Greenfield also volunteered her time.
The Highland County Probation Department sent probationers to help keep the venue clean and to staff a cupcake decorating booth, and the county’s Job and Family Services agency, through its Child Protective Services division, ran a fingerprint and photo ID booth for families.
The division credited a list of local sponsors for supporting the event: Ladies Hillsboro Eagles 1161, National Cooperative Bank, Beechwood Pizza & Carryout, Buckeye Dentistry, W.E. Hodson Inc., REACH for Tomorrow, Southern Ohio Appraisers, Turner & Son Funeral Homes and Crematory, McCarty Associates LLC, Hillsboro Family Eye Center and VFW Auxiliary Post 9094 of Hillsboro.
The information contained in this story was obtained from the Highland County Victim Witness Division.
