Hellertown and Lower Saucon held their annual National Night Out Aug. 6 at Dimmick Park in Hellertown. It was an opportunity for the community and first responders to come together in an effort to build relationships and increase awareness of crime and safety.

The family friendly event included free food, music, demonstrations, activities and games for kids. Members of Hellertown and Lower Saucon Police departments along with Dewey, Lower Saucon Fire & Rescue and Steel City Fire Departments were on hand with the various vehicles they use.

One of the highlights of this year’s event was an appearance by Silver the arson detection dog along with the city of Bethlehem’s Detective/Deputy Fire Marshal Douglas Nothstein. Silver and Nothstein put on a demonstration for the attendees. Silver is one of only 10 dogs in the state that is used to investigate arson. Silver is specially trained to detect up to 50 different accelerants and has been used in locations all over the Lehigh Valley.