NNO celebrates 20th anniversary in Aberdeen

This is the 20th year that Aberdeen Police Department will hold its annual National Night Out. The free event has become a community staple and is typically well attended, with approximately 2,000 residents attending annually.

Although it's only been celebrated for two decades locally, NNO is a national event that has been held every August since 1984. The first couple events were simply neighbors turning on their porch lights and sitting in front of their homes. Now, over 17,000 communities celebrate each year, according to National Night Out.

Aberdeen's National Night Out will be held at Melgaard Park Aug. 6, 2024, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Sergeant Michael Law and Sergeant Jordan Majeske are organizing the event for the Police Department again this year. They took over in 2023, after Officer Angie Senger's retirement.

Both were excited for the opportunity to help with NNO, which is one of the department's largest community events, Law said.

"It's a wonderful opportunity to meet people from our community and hear their stories of the community," Law said.

Majeske, who previously served as the domestic violence officer, volunteered as a way to continue being involved with the community. He sees it as an opportunity to build trust between first responders and community members.

"This event is designed to allow area residents to meet the community helpers and see what they do and how they help the community," Majeske said.

NNO is an opportunity for the community to interact positively with emergency personnel. Since law enforcement doesn't normally see people at their best, this is a really cool event for both officers and the public, Law said.

"At NNO, I have talked to people who I have arrested before and were not happy with me. After talking to them in a different setting, they see that we are not bad people and that we are just normal people doing our job," Law said. "It's really cool to see."

Throughout the years, a variety of main events have been held at National Night Out. The inaugural event featured a doughnut eating contest and a dunking booth. In 2007, police and fire departments faced off in a fire truck pull. Police won with a six second lead according to an Aberdeen American News article from the event.

Magic Joe will be performing for the second year in a row. His show last year was a hit with families, Law said. In addition, there will be a variety of emergency response vehicles to explore, as well as prizes for the kids.

"I really enjoy seeing the kids' faces when we are giving away the prizes and letting them sit in our patrol vehicles. It's just a really great family friendly event," Law said.

National Night Out is funded entirely through donations from the community. Last year, bikes and backpacks full of school supplies were given out, in addition to toys and games, Majeske said.

"Whether it's money or items to be given away, everything provided at National Night Out is from community donations," said Law.

All of Aberdeen area's emergency agencies participate in NNO and local businesses and non-profit organizations also get involved.

The Salvation Army, Ken's SuperFair Foods and Kessler's have been community partners for many years and provide the free supper for the event. Ken's supplies the drinks and Kessler's provides the hotdogs and buns.

"Salvation Army has been a huge help at the event for many years," said Law. "They cook and serve the provided hotdogs at the event."

Fundraising for this year's event has already started. Last year, Law received phone calls from area organizations asking to be part of the event. They want to let people know that they are service to the community, Law said.

Any organizations wanting to participate or provide donations can contact Law or Majeske at 605-626-7050 or by emailing [email protected] or [email protected].

NNO has been successful in Aberdeen because it is at heart, a community building event, Law said.

"This event lets people see us in a different light and as fellow residents," Law said. "It gives people a chance to talk to us in a setting where no one is trouble, nothing bad has happened, and there is not some sort of an emergency happening. I think this event has really helped build trust with the community members and it shows."

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