Coppell citizens party the night away

Written by Phil Cerroni

By Amanda Casanova 

Coppell City Council members called the city’s National Night Out a great success.

National Night Out, held Oct. 2, brings together neighbors for an evening to meet and participate in anti-crime and anti-drug programs. This year, more than 65 block parties took place in the city with about 5,000 people participating in the one-night event.

“I want to congratulate the city volunteers on National Night Out,” Council member Wes Mays said. “(Without them) we would never have met our neighbors.”

Mays said some neighborhoods even had 100 percent participation.

“I had a wonderful time and I hope everybody else did as well,” Mays added.

Council member Aaron Duncan told fellow council members he enjoyed taking his children to the city event.

“We had such a fun time,” Duncan said. “I am definitely looking forward to it in the future. It’s a great tradition.”

National Night Out in Coppell started in 1991 with just a handful of block parties. That initial year Coppell earned a “Rookie” award for the event. Then, in 2006, 2008 and 2011, the City was ranked first for its population category by the National Association of Town Watch.

“I can envision 100 block parties at some point in the future,” Council member Marvin Franklin said. “All the parties I attended, people just had a blast and can’t wait to do it again.”