FORT BELVOIR, Va. -- Maybe it was the swimming. Or, maybe it was the free food. Either way, the entire Fort Belvoir community was a winner at Tuesday's 15th annual National Night Out celebration.
Residents flocked to outdoor pools on North and South posts for an evening of swimming, free giveaways, cotton candy and activities.
Talia Rona, 7, was accompanied to the North Post Swimming Pool by her mother, Jessica. After doing a few laps, Talia dried off and said she was ready to test out the moon bounce.
"I like swimming. It's the best part of the summer," she said excitedly. "I went in a moon bounce before, too. They're also a lot of fun."
Also attending the event at North Post was seven-year-old Katie Gellers, who received a free National Night Out T-shirt from the Belvoir Police.
"Now, I have another shirt to add to my collection," she said. "This one is nice. I like it. It's really cool."
While the larger crowd was over at North Post, others found their way over to the 18th Street Swimming Pool. Assisting with the celebration was Belvoir Fire Marshall Gary Smith, a veteran of the installation for 25 years.
"We're here to assist the police any way we can. It's really their night. We have some fire trucks that kids can peak into and a display of old landmines that were used in previous wars," Smith said. "We also have a display of fireworks commonly used by kids. We make sure they understand these fireworks are actually illegal and why safety is so important."
Margaret Tanner, who came to enjoy a night of swimming with her daughter, Nicole, was happy to see Belvoir's participation in National Night Out.
"It's a national campaign against crime, which can happen anywhere. Small towns or big cities," Tanner said. "It's great to see our local police and emergency workers reaching out to those in the community."
National Night Out is an annual campaign sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch, a non-profit organization dedicated to developing and promoting crime and drug prevention programs across the U.S.
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