PILOT MOUNTAIN — Local residents are invited to lock their doors, turn on their outside lights and come downtown this Tuesday evening for a night of food, fun and fellowship with area police, fire and rescue personnel.

For the third consecutive year, the Pilot Mountain Police Department will serve as local host for the 2010 National Night Out. Other participating agencies will include the Mount Airy Police Department, the Dobson Police Department, the Surry County Sheriff’s Office, the North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement (ALE) Division, Surry County 911 Communications, the Pilot Mountain Rescue Squad and the Pilot Knob Volunteer Fire Department.

The gathering will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. at The Sandwich Shop, known locally as “The Squeeze Box.” The downtown diner is on the corner of Main and Davis streets. Sandwich Shop owner Dickie Crump will be on hand, helping to serve free hot dogs and drinks throughout the evening.

Participating agencies also are expected to provide a variety of games and activities for all ages including a dunking booth, a “DWI car” designed to simulate the experience of driving while impaired, fingerprint identification kits and other activities.

“This is a night when police officers get to invite citizens to come out and enjoy the evening with us,” explained Sgt. R.D. Bingman of the Pilot Mountain Police Department. “Everyone gets a chance to mingle and meet and enjoy themselves. This gives law enforcement agencies an opportunity to meet the public and show their new equipment as everybody gets to enjoy the night. This helps people, including our kids, become comfortable with us. It helps us let people know that it’s safe to come out.”

“It’s a national event,” added Pilot Mountain Police Chief Darryl Bottoms, “that gets people out to join hands with fire, rescue and police. It lets criminals know that we’re taking a stand. People get a chance to know the officers and it’s a fun night for everyone to be out.”

“Dickie Crump is a big part of this,” Bingman noted. “Without him it wouldn’t be possible.”

This marks the third year that Pilot Mountain has had a National Night Out event.

Nationally, this is the 27th annual event sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch (NATW). According to NATW, last year’s National Night Out campaign involved citizens, law enforcement agencies, civic groups, businesses, neighborhood organizations and local officials from more than 15,000 communities from all 50 states, U.S. territories, Canadian cities and military bases worldwide. In all, the group says, over 36 million people participated in National Night Out 2009.

“Last year, we had a good crowd,” Bingman said. “And we’re hoping for another good turnout this time.”