Tuesday, Beebe Memorial Park will be packed with folks taking a stance against crime.

From 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Washington Police and Fire Services will host National Night Out, an observance celebrated with simultaneous community events nationwide. National Night Out promotes police-community partnerships and represents a combined effort by local residents and law enforcement to send a message: neighborhoods want to fight back against crime.

“This is to get people out of their houses, get them out to enjoy a beautiful evening, and get to know their neighbors,” said Washington Police and Fire Services Director Stacy Drakeford. “It’s a show of support that they will not tolerate crime in their neighborhoods.”

Kimberly Grimes, Washington Police’s community outreach coordinator, said National Night Out’s purpose is two-fold: getting people out to have a good time while also sharing information about a variety of programs available to residents.

Amidst the hot dogs, drinks, games and gift bags for the children, representatives from Voices for Change will be on hand to share information. The committee is a partnership between stakeholders in community care — Washington police, Beaufort-Hyde Partnership for Children, Department of Social Services, childcare facility Care-O-World and others. Its mission is to reach out to the community to help people get the resources they need.

“We are targeting all demographics to find out what the needs are and really trying to service the citizens of the city and the county,” Grimes said. “It’s to make sure we can help these families that are really in need. If they don’t have transportation — how do we get that happening? It’s about how to be effective in the community. … I’m excited about this new program.”

In addition to a hot-wing eating contest sponsored by the local Zaxby’s restaurant, there will be a Beaufort County Health Department representatives sharing information about their programs and a Fitness Unlimited exercise demonstrations.

“Last year, we started something different. We started to give out back-to-school items. We prepare bags for them. I want to make sure every child gets something. A lot of times money is tight, times are hard. What could benefit the child is school supplies,” Grimes said.

National Night Out will also give Washington Police the opportunity to promote its revitalization of local community watches. At least five community watches have been initiated or revived this year, with many more in the works, Grimes said.

For Grimes though, one of the more important events taking place at National Night Out is Tracy O’Carroll’s ongoing effort to prevent teens from texting and driving. O’Carroll’s daughter, Sarah Edwards, was killed in a 2011 wreck—an accident caused because Sarah was texting at the time. Since, O’Carroll has made it her mission to get teens to pledge not to text and drive, sharing Sarah’s story at schools and events across the state.

“Last year was the first time I actually heard her story,” Grimes said. “She got a lot of people to sign up to pledge to not text and drive. … She had a huge impact.”

Barring inclement weather, National Night Out promises to be a fun time for people of all ages with raffle items, bounce houses, police and fire services vehicles and equipment on site, in addition to a dunking booth manned by local law enforcement.

“Last year it was awesome, but I’d like to see twice as many people,” Grimes said. “I would love to have a big crowd.”