Since 1984, communities across the nation have celebrated National Night Out the first Tuesday in August. Catasauqua joined the crowd Aug. 7.

“This is the first time we ever did this event, and we are happy to put it on for the community,” St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church Pastor Scott Paradise said.

The event was held at the 417 Howertown Road church.

A spate of rain squalls midway through the event sent some scrambling into the church hall.

The event is designed to let communities know about police protection, meet EMS teams and talk to people in the borough.

Police Chief Douglas Kish attended. He has been instrumental in organizing meetings in the community so that residents can meet police officers.

“It’s so much better for us to meet people in this environment than when there is an emergency,” he said.

Catasauqua’s National Night Out had a list of events for the whole family. Eats were basic, with free snacks and hot dogs. Deejay Barbara Wentling spun a collection of tunes from her extensive collection. She only paused between raindrops.

McGruff the Crime Dog showed up, giving out some high-fives.

Highlights included a face-painting session and a performance by the YMCA’s dance team, which practices at the Nazareth location.