MID-HUDSON – National Night Out – an annual networking campaign that promotes police and community partnerships nationwide – was held Tuesday night at various municipalities across the Hudson Valley.

A combination of 12 cities, towns and villages in Orange County took part in festivities that included live music, games, children’s activities and police demonstrations. The City of Newburgh held its celebration on Broadway with a special twist and added bonus for city residents. Fireworks postponed last month due to weather lit up the sky along its waterfront and served as a perfect ending to a fun-filled evening.

In the Town of Wallkill, more than a thousand commemorative t-shirts were handed out in the event’s first hour – not to mention nearly 5,000 hamburgers and hot dogs awaiting the palates of hungry guests. The town also raffled off a handful of mountain bikes and had other giveaways for local youth in attendance.

State Senator James Skoufis, who was able to secure $10,000 for the event through his office, dropped by toward the end of the night and congratulated Wallkill on a well-attended event. “This is not my money. This is your money,” Skoufis said. “My job is to bring back your tax dollars for functions like this that are important to the community. Thank you for being wonderful partners with the police.”

In addition to the City of Newburgh and Town of Wallkill, events were held in the City of Middletown, City of Port Jervis, Town of Mount Hope, Town of Newburgh, Town of New Windsor, Town of Goshen, Town of Warwick, Village of Highland Falls, Village of Montgomery, and Village of Walden.