The Eldridge Police Department will host its first-annual National Night Out event Tuesday, Aug. 2, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Sheridan Meadows Park, 851 N. 1st Street.

The free National Night Out event will include entertainment, live radio DJ, Police K9 demonstrations, Emergency Vehicle tours, many special guests and close out the event with a firework show, according to a Friday release from Eldridge Police.

The National Night Out program began in 1984 to promote citizen involvement in crime prevention activities.

Special guests include but are not limited to: Rapunzel and The Little Mermaid from Dreams Come True QC Princess Parties, Vince and Larry crash test dummies from the Iowa Governor’s Office of Traffic Safety, Iowa Ghost Busters, Storm Troopers, Spider-Man from the Iowa League of Heroes, Chase from Paw Patrol, QC Storm’s Radar, and Sparky the Fire Dog.

The Eldridge Police Department will have bounce houses and face painting. They will be selling hamburger and hot dog baskets provided by North Scott Foods, lemonade shakeups with lemons provided by Hy-Vee. Eldridge Police T-Shirts will be sold, and they will hold a silent auction to raise funds for a K9 Program and equipment. KONA ICE and Tropical Snow will be selling shaved ice refreshments while SIPS Coffee will be selling “Back the Blue” drinks.

Emergency vehicle tours from Eldridge PD, Davenport and Bettendorf PD, Scott County Sheriff’s Office and other police agencies. Eldridge Fire Department, Medic EMS, Med Force Helicopter will also give tours of their vehicles.

There will be an Impaired Driving Awareness Course, where a person can put on goggles that simulate impaired driving while operating a golf cart. Additionally, there will be a seatbelt convincer experience where a person can experience a crash impact at 5 to 7 miles per hour and the importance of wearing a seatbelt even at that low of a speed.

Eldridge residents are also encouraged to participate by turning on their home or porch lights beginning at 9 p.m. to show support for National Night Out and promote neighborhood safety.

The National Night Out program began in 1984 to promote citizen involvement in crime prevention activities and police-community partnerships. The program is on the first Tuesday of every August, which involves nearly 38 million people and more than 16,000 communities across the country, and U.S. territories and military bases worldwide.