National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie. The goal is to enhance the relationship between neighbors and law enforcement while bringing back a true sense of community. Yonkers, like many other cities in the United States, holds its National Night Out event on the second Tuesday in August. This year, the event took place in the JFK Marina, which is near the Hudson River Museum, with a cookout, activities, games, demonstrations by first responders and conversations with community organizations.

Hudson River Museum took part in this event alongside members of the Yonkers Police Department and more than a dozen other organizations. HRM staff and members of our Junior Docent teen leadership program engaged visitors with activities related to the Hudson River, promoting stewardship of the river and its habitats, and offered them a close-up view of the hidden wonders of common plants found in the area by looking at them through a microscope. Many people we spoke to were happy to hear that the HRM Planetarium recently reopened to the public after having been closed for more than 15 months due to the pandemic. We hope to see them at upcoming museum events!

Thanks to the organizers and the Yonkers Police Department for including the Hudson River Museum in Yonkers’ National Night Out. It was an excellent opportunity to bring police, neighbors, and community organizations together!