Following the success of this year’s National Night Out event on Aug. 4 in Truesdale, planning is already underway for next year’s event, which will be in Warrenton.

National Night Out is a nationwide campaign promoting police-community partnerships, with various different kinds of celebrations planned across the country on the first Tuesday in August. 

In Warren County, for the past several years, municipalities and their police departments have taken turns hosting National Night Out. This year and last year it was held in Truesdale, in 2023 and 2024 in Wright City, and in 2021 and 2022 in Warrenton.

At the Aug. 12 Truesdale Board of Aldermen meeting, Mayor Jerry Cannon said National Night Out “was a combined effort of everyone that works for the city, lots of volunteers, and the aldermen” and the city received many compliments about the event.

“There were comments made by some people that they would like to see us keep it,” Cannon said, “but it’s supposed to pass around every two years amongst different communities in the county, which is the way I would like to see it done: We take our turn and pass it off to the next city.”

Cannon added that “the bug has been placed in the ear of Marthasville by county commissioners,” and that he was in favor of bringing the event to Marthasville next year as well.

“I think it would attract a whole different group of people who would meet and connect, and we could still help,” he said.

Marthasville City Clerk Ravin Kersting told the Record, however, that because Marthasville does not have its own police department, the city is not interested in hosting National Night Out. She added that Marthasville was asked about hosting the event last year, too, and also declined at that time.

Instead of Marthasville, next year’s National Night Out event will be held again in Warrenton, although likely at a different location than in 2021 and 2022, when it was held at the Warrenton Athletic Complex, according to Warrenton Police SRO Sgt. Doug Stonebarger.

“I don’t want to do it there; I think it’s too far out,” Stonebarger said of the Athletic Complex. “We are right now talking about using one of the ball diamonds possibly in town, possibly shutting down one of our streets by one of our schools, doing it there, putting up booths.”

Stonebarger said Truesdale’s National Night Out is the model he is hoping to replicate in planning Warrenton’s event.

“I’m not going to lie to you, I have been to four different National Night Outs, and the best one that I have seen so far have been the ones that Truesdale has put on. They do an amazing job,” he said.

“The exact same way that I saw Truesdale do it, I’m telling you, I’m going to copy and steal every single idea they have,” he added. “And at the point where I can’t think of anything more that they did, I’m going to bring one of them in and say ‘Alright, now tell me what I need.’”

One aspect of Truesdale’s event that Stonebarger wants to repeat in Warrenton is that nothing at the event costs money, making it more inclusive for low-income families. He added that unlike many other places, Warren County law enforcement agencies have good relationships with the communities they serve, which National Night Out contributes to.

“How cool is it to have kids that are actually wanting to walk up to cops, and have a conversation with cops, and have fun with cops? And they get free hot dogs and free candy and free sodas and free water,” he said.

One new addition at National Night Out this year was a reptile show presented by Show Me Reptiles. Stonebarger connected with Show Me Reptiles by chance, he said, when the show came to Black Hawk Middle School, where he was working as the school resource officer.

At National Night Out this year, Show Me Reptiles was “a pretty big hit,” according to Stonebarger, “and the kids were having so much going past there seeing the snakes and snapping turtles and things,” he said. “It was amazing.”

Show Me Reptiles will likely return for next year’s National Night Out event in Warrenton, Stonebarger said. He added that the friendly competition between area law enforcement agencies to do their part in making National Night Out a success has led to improvements to the event year after year.

“We’ve been outclassed for so many years before this year — this year we were due to bring out some good stuff, and I think we did,” Stonebarger said of Warrenton’s involvement in National Night Out. “I think we were pretty good this year, and hopefully next year will be even better.”