They came with their families, friends, and neighbors, and for one night, Kish Park felt like the unofficial center of the county.

The helicopters touched down on schedule, fire trucks gleamed in the fading sun, and the smell of grilled hot dogs drifted through the crowd. National Night Out 2025 unfolded as more than a date on the calendar — it became a genuine gathering of the community, shaped in large part by the commitment of local police.

If you were at the park on Tuesday, you saw the work up close. Officers from Mifflin County Regional, Granville, Derry Township, and Lewistown Borough police didn’t linger on the sidelines; they ran games, handed out backpacks, refereed tug-of-war battles, and walked the gravel with a word for everyone.

Some guided children through the seat of a patrol car; others ducked questions from teenagers with a grin, but they all managed something that goes beyond the official call of duty: they made themselves approachable.

That, more than the fireworks, the face painting, or even the bike giveaway, is what stands out. Law enforcement stepped out from behind the uniform and met the community eye-to-eye, laugh for laugh, story for story.

The line for free backpacks wound long, and officers kept pace, helping students pick out supplies and making sure every child left with something more than a handful of stationery — a sense they belonged. It’s easy to take the details for granted, but those details matter: a backpack for a child whose family is stretching dollars, a kind word for a worried parent, a snow cone shared between strangers.

Plenty of agencies lent a hand, from Children and Youth to local EMS, Geisinger, and Walmart Vision, all stationed under pop-up tents or beside ambulances and fire trucks. But it was the police — fanning out through the crowd, pausing for pictures, answering questions, guiding children and calming nerves — who set the tone for the night. They made sure National Night Out was about more than showing off equipment; it was about building trust, one conversation at a time.

In the middle of it all, the giveaways served as small but meaningful gestures. Children left with new backpacks, sometimes the only one they’ll get this year. Older kids wandered from the climbing wall to the motorcycle show, a DJ played requests, and the air grew thick with the sound of laughter and friendly competition. By dusk, when the fireworks capped the evening, Kish Park felt smaller, closer. The distance between us had shrunk, even if only for a few hours.

It’s easy, in the headlines and in everyday talk, to focus on what divides us from those who wear a badge. Events like National Night Out serve as a reminder of how much we gain by coming together. Trust isn’t formed through speeches or pronouncements; it grows in moments of ordinary kindness. On Tuesday, Mifflin County’s law enforcement gave those moments freely. They showed up in force, yes, but also in spirit.

So, this is a thank you to the officers who spent hours planning, to the leaders who understand that community safety begins with relationships, not regulations. You gave the county a night of fun, yes, but also a night of reassurance. You made it easier for parents to introduce their children to someone in uniform, to see police not only as authority figures but as neighbors and mentors.

We are grateful to all the volunteers and agencies who made National Night Out possible. But it’s the police who left the most lasting impression: not by standing apart, but by standing with us. For that, and for all the unseen, unheralded work you do every day, thank you.

If Kish Park felt a little smaller, a little more connected, it’s because of you. Here’s hoping those connections last long after the snow cones and backpacks are gone, and that next year brings an even stronger sense of community and trust. You’ve earned it.