A great Night Out at Eastlake block parties

Eastlake had two Night Out Block Parties this year: One on Franklin Avenue E., where neighbors have been gathering for several years, and a new event on Yale Avenue E.

The block parties are part of the national Night Out Against Crime program. The goal is to help neighbors get to know each other and to learn about safety and crime prevention.

Cecilia Grevson and Randy Wright organized the Yale Avenue block party. Terrie Johnston, the crime prevention coordinator from the Seattle Police Department's West Precinct, and officers Anthony Gaedcke and Paul Gracy stopped by to express their support for the neighbors' efforts at crime prevention. Seattle Firefighters also visited and brought a fire truck, which was a big hit with the younger crowd. Two neighbors were organizing signatures on petitions to improve the Parking Zone regulations in the area.

On Franklin, Jules James and Pandora Eyre and Erika Lim helped organize the block party. Talk centered around neighborhood issues and the announcement today that NOAA was moving its Seattle base to Newport, Oregon. Steaks and hot dogs were grilled, as were s'mores. Last week's heat wave was discussed and it was agreed that this week's weather was a great improvement.

It was a casual, cool summer evening and a chance for people to meet neighbors they didn't know. Just what the Night Out organizers intended.