R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press Five-year-old Kylo Snowaert of Hannahville sits in the Guardian Flight helicopter, part of the AirMedCare Network, and talks with flight paramedic Eric LaCrosse and flight nurse Brooke Kashmark during National Night Out in Hannahville on Wednesday. National Night Out is an event to introduce law enforcement and emergency services personnel, vehicles, equipment and more to local residents.

HANNAHVILLE — The gathering grounds of the Hannahville Indian Community joined thousands of communities around the country participating in National Night Out, a community-building initiative intended to boost neighborhood camaraderie and bring first responders and citizens together for a fun, positive, family-friendly experience.

The origins of the popular summer event, held annually the first week of August, began with a man in Philadelphia who volunteered for a community watch program and made efforts to connect with other neighborhood watch groups and law enforcement agencies. The first National Night Out was held in 1984 and involved 400 communities in 23 states, according to the organization’s website.

Now, cities in all 50 states take part each year, and Hannahville was one of over 60 communities in Michigan that hosted National Night Out festivities this week. The event at the gathering grounds was called “Unity in the Community” and welcomed a host of parties for food, games, prizes, and unique experiences for engagement. Visitors could see up close horses ridden by the Bay Area Mounted Search and Rescue, climb inside the Guardian Flight helicopter and the Harris Township Volunteer Fire Department’s fire truck, see a UP Health Systems ambulance and more — plus talk with the people who operate the vehicles and serve on reponse teams.

Other groups with stations at the gathering in Hannahville on Wednesday were the Delta County Sheriff Department, Hannahville Indian Community Victim Service Unit, Keepers of the Future Child Care / Head Start, Three Fires Recovery Residence, Hannahville Behavioral Health Department, Hannahville Dental Clinic, Project Visions (vocational rehabilitation) and more.

R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press
From left to rigt, Lawrence James Meshigaud, Quincy Anziano, Dakota Meshigaud Jr. and Dakota Meshigaud Sr. smile from aboard a Harris Township fire truck, which they were able to check out during National Night Out in Hannahville on Aug. 6.