Some of my fondest childhood memories come from right in front of my house. We didn’t necessarily live in the nicest part of town, but we were extremely blessed with the neighbors that chose the same neighborhood as us. It was a nightly thing to get out, kids and adults alike, to play street hockey, but one Tuesday night a year we did it big. National Night Out was always a highlight of my summer. Tonight several neighborhood block parties are scheduled to celebrate the 29th annual event.

Our event always consisted of picking a main attraction, one year we set up a full basketball court complete with all the Nuggets logos, another year we played a make shift “Fear Factor” game, and it changed from year to year. There was always good food, the police and firemen would stop by to show off their vehicles, and it was just a good time.

“The whole idea behind this is to get neighbors engaged with each other, know who their neighbors are, and promote neighborhood awareness, and have a sense of ownership in your neighborhood,” said Sgt. Susan West of the Greeley Police Department.

According to the National Night Out’s website, more than 37 million people participated in the neighborhood events across the country, Canadian cities and military bases throughout the world last year. This year there are 13 block parties scheduled in our neck of the woods, six in Evans and seven in Greeley…

Here’s a listing of the Greeley parties:

»6-8 p.m., 2000 block of 35th Avenue Court.

»7:30-9 p.m., 4200 block of 29th Street.

»7 p.m., 2900 block of 58th Avenue Court.

»7 p.m., 6200 block of Ashton Avenue.

»6 p.m., 1800 block of 74th Avenue Court.

»6 p.m., Kiwanis Park, 6th Street and 14th Avenue.

»6 p.m., 1500 block of 33rd Avenue.

And the Evans block parties are as follows:

»3400 block of Riesling Court.

»Pioneer Park, 3701 Ponderosa Court.

»3200 block of Cramer Avenue.

»3400 block of Sagebrush Boulevard.

»3900 block of 24th Avenue.

»3200 block of Carson Avenue.

Call Greeley police at (970) 350-9605 or Evans police at (970) 339-2441 for more info.

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