Shoreline and LFP Residents Turn Out for National Night Out

Around 30 neighbors in Shoreline’s Briarcrest neighborhood gathered at the corner of 26th Ave. and N.E. 153rd Street on Tuesday night for a potluck and barbecue to commemorate the annual National Night Out Against Crime.

The event was one of dozens in Shoreline and Lake Forest Park that brought neighbors out to meet each other and local police and fire personnel.

Hot dogs were on the grill and a Shoreline Fire Department engine made an appearance at the event, hosted by residents Andy Krawczyk, Kelly Schrader, and city council member Chris Roberts.

“It’s a great event,” said Roberts. “It was a great day, and the weather held up.”

Neighbors used the gathering as a chance to catch up with old friends, meet new ones, and discuss everything from their backyard gardens, to ways to build a sense of community in the area.

Briarcrest Neighborhood Association director Kathy Hall said that the biggest challenge currently is communication, but she’s hopeful that the utilization of the SWEL Timebank, where neighbors exchange time instead of money, could serve as a way to build community. A lending library, where neighbors can leave and pick up books for others, is also in the works.

Overall, community members enjoyed the opportunity to get together, and connect. Briarcrest resident Bettelinn Brown called the get together, “spontaneously fun.”

This year, an estimated 37 million people from over 15,000 communities in all 50 states, along with U.S. territories, Canadian cities, and military bases around the world participated in the event.

For more information on organizing a National Night Out event for your neighborhood for 2013, visit http://www.nationalnightout.org/nno/about.html.