Over 15,000 communities across the country participated in National Night Out Tuesday
ISHPEMING TOWNSHIP -- They say there's safety in numbers, so that's why the Ishpeming Township Fire Department wanted to host National Night Out for the tenth year in a row. Marquette County neighbors got to know each other, and, hopefully, look out for one another.
"Everybody's so busy nowadays, nobody knows their neighbors, people don't know who lives on their block," says Ishpeming Township Fire Chief Andy Lusardi.
"Someone had broken into my shed and stole my bike and some chairs and a tent out of it. I think if we knew our neighbors better that they would keep out and keep people out of your yard that don't belong there," says Terry Bowen of Champion.
Michigan State Police, the Ishpeming Township Police, and the Sheriff's Department were all on hand to meet and greet the community. They want kids and their parents to know who's protecting them.
"A lot of times we're busy working the roads, working the waters, doing different things, so we like to meet the public. If they've got any questions, we're glad to answer whatever they have for us," says Errol Lukkarinen of the Michigan State Police.
Fire truck rides and demonstrations gave kids an insight into what goes into a career in public service, everything from what it's really like to use a fire hose, to how heavy military equipment is.
"The public, their main perception of police, fire, paramedics, is usually what they see on TV, so this gives the public a chance to come in and get hands on," says Jonah Bonovetz of the Michigan State Police.
Over 750 people came to Ishpeming Township's Night Out; nationally, it'll be almost 40 million people participating.
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