I haven't been to National Night Out before, though I'd considered going to the 20th district one in the past. There were several happening near my new home, amongst them the one in Park Ridge, and since I was nearby and we drove by a parking space right next to the park I decided to take the baby for a bit. They had Wayne Messmer, who sings the national anthem for one or more of the sports teams (I am pretty sure the Blackhawks are one), and I thought that the Sox mascot was supposed to be wandering around but I didn't see him. There was a drumming group that provided some entertainment. There were lots of tables set up; local bank, Kiwanis, scouts, school district, and so on. Several of the booths had little games and stuff but I didn't want to get on mailing lists or endure sales pressure--at least not yet, and my kiddo is still thankfully too young to care about the games. The food booths were extensive: City Barbecue, Rita's Ice, Nick's Red Hots, Thalavia's Indian; the police had bought dozens of pizzas from one or two pizza places and were handing out slices. All the food was free, no tickets required. There was a little train that was giving rides to kids, which we didn't do this year but in a future year I'll squeeze my big butt into it for the babe's sake. They also had a bounce house for the kids, and a Nintendo Switch mobile van or something. The fire department was handing out stickers to kids, and there were a couple 911 dispatchers there talking to and showing kids how to make emergency calls if needed. Overall it was a very good event. read more