Get Out on National Night Out 2012

National Night Out is an annual event which takes place the first Tuesday of every August. This year's National Night Out is on August 7th, 2012.

Remember the good old days when neighbors not only knew each other but also looked out for one another as well? The weekends were spent having neighborhood block parties and there was a comfort in leaving for a long vacation knowing that your house was safe because your neighbors were on the lookout. National Night Out, also known as "America's Night Out Against Crime" was introduced by The National Association of Town Watch; a non-profit organization which works in conjunction with crime watch groups and law enforcement agencies across the country.

The purpose of National Night Out is to get people out of their homes and socializing with their neighbors and local law enforcement by building camaraderie and having a good time with the intention of public and community safety not only on August 7th 2012 but also to last the entire year. The event was created in 1984 as an effort to heighten awareness and promote security through unity. The 2011 National Night out was a raging success with 37.1 million people in 15,325 communities from all 50 states, U.S. territories, Canadian cities, and military bases worldwide taking part in this event.

During the National Night Out on August 7th, communities are encouraged to keep "lights on" and hold front porch vigils, to socialize with their neighbors by having block parties, BBQ's, parades, visits from local police, festivals, rallies, meetings and whatever else you can think of. So Get Out on National Night Out!

The National Night Out website makes it easier than ever to organize and plan your event. They have partnered up with Nextdoor; a free private social network perfectly designed to organize your local community for National Night Out. You can also look up your local community to see if it is already registered for National Night Out on the website. Not only that, but you can also send out postcards to all of your neighbors to remind them of this fun evening thanks to National Night Out's partner WhitePages.

National Night Out
Find One in Your Neighborhood
(800) NITE-OUT
Official Site

Desiree Eaglin regularly borrows cups of sugar and eggs from her neighbors. She blogs at Sarcastic, Funny and Brutally Honest. You can find her on Twitter too.