Well over 100 residents of Evanston’s Fifth Ward showed up at the corner of Church Street and Dodge Avenue this evening to celebrate National Night Out.
Conversation over food on the corner.
The event, designed to encourage community residents to participate in crime prevention programs, turned into a feast with support from the Evanston Community Development Corporation and other groups.
Walter Kihm of Cyrus Homes and development consultant Bill Smith were among those who spent a sweltering hot day preparing the barbeque.
From barbeque ribs and chicken, hot dogs and burgers, to corn on the cob, there was no shortage of food.
Fifth Ward Alderman Delores Holmes hosted the event.
The gathering was held in the vacant lot next to a building at 1823 Church St. that developer Daniel Cheifetz hopes to turn into a community cultural center with programming from a group called Boocoo.
Smoky artistry with cheeseburgers.
Other event sponsors include Community Builders of Evanston and Indie Energy. Evanston police and firefighters showed up — and the firefighters offered a special treat for some of the kids — the chance to cool off in the spray from a truck-mounted fire hose.
Police officer H. Bernhardt chats with neighborhood residents at the party.
A National Night Out event was also held this evening in the 8th Ward at Brummel Park which featured voter registration and movies for kids provided by the Ridgeville Park District.