‘National Night Out’ in Bemidji Connects Community with Law Enforcement

National Night Out is a country-wide celebration that hosts fun events for communities to connect with and build positive relationships with local law enforcement. On Tuesday in Bemidji, the local Boys & Girls Club hosted their own “Night Out.”

The Boys & Girls Club of the Bemidji Area has been hosting the get-together for the past 15 years. Walking into the event, residents can find a resource fair.

“We invite our area community partners and organizations to come showcase what they do,” explained Boys and Girls Club of the Bemidji Area Program Director Shelby Weckwerth, “Bemidji has a strong community, and we really want to show our community members what resources are available to them so they can make those connections and know what’s available.”

The event is free and open to the public, and there wasn’t an exact visitor count, this year was definitely a success.

“I would say this is probably one of our busiest years,” stated Weckwerth. “Typically we see about 700 people, but we already ran out of food and we’re getting more right now.”

“We’re looking at about 475 that have gone through and got food,” offered Sandy Hennum, Headwaters Regional Development Commission Community Development Specialist. “And so we know that there’s probably more than that. It’s a gorgeous night and there’s just all different kinds of things out here to do.”

Along with the dunk tank, yard games, and face painting, kids can do things like dress up in things like firefighter gear and bulletproof vests, and they really get a chance to get to know the different first responders there.

“It’s a chance to connect with the community,” said Bemidji Police Chief Mike Mastin. “You know, we all come out and look for an opportunity to engage with citizens that we normally don’t engage with in a positive setting. It’s a time to build relationships with family, It’s a time to build relationships with children. And I think that’s important for a healthy community.”

Kids and adults of all ages were able to get up close and personal with squad cars, ambulances, fire trucks, and, of course, the law enforcement officers themselves.

Mastin added, “It allows us to show each other we’re all human and we all have interests and we have a lot of commonalities, if we just sit and talk to each other.”