Get to know your neighbors tomorrow by sharing good eats, great entertainment and a night out on the street by joining in on this year’s national August Night Out to promote safer neighborhoods.

The event focuses on crime prevention and is designed to heighten crime prevention awareness, increase neighborhood support in anti-crime efforts and to unite communities. There are several planned for the Ballard area and the community is welcome to join one or all.

East Ballard

This year the East Ballard Community Association is making it easier for any single block in East Ballard to join in on August Night Out.

Offering tools on their blog site, the group is directing neighbors to register their block with the Seattle Police Department to permit their street to be blocked off for the block party event.

“You can get the permit free online and you use the flyer to designate what street is doing the night out,” Shannon Dunn, East Ballard Community Association member said.

East Ballard provides the following ideas:

Bring food and drink: Night out event’s usually do a potluck. Neighbors can bring a dish and drinks, but be sure to have utensils, plates, cups and paper towels on hand.

Plan activities: Street chalk, face painting, street games, organize live music or performances.

Bring name tags: If you don’t know your neighbors get to know them by handing out name tags.

Block off the street: Use yard waste and recycling cans to block off both ends of the street where you’ll be celebrating the night out.

East Ballard has also added a perk for those joining in on August Night Out, as they’ve collected a number of gift certificates from local businesses to raffle out.

The group encourages blocks to gather contact information to create their own neighborhood mailing list.

“I’m looking forward to meeting new neighbors, more exposure for the East Ballard Community Association, inspiring people to be proud of East Ballard and to recognize more faces and feeling like they belong,” Dunn said.

For more information on how to get involved in the August Night Out in East Ballard visit http://eastballard.wordpress.com.

Lower Sunset Hill/West Ballard - 36th Avenue Northwest Between 59th and 60th Street

When she first got involved in Night Out in 2002, Margaret Johnson had seen a burst in young families moving into the neighborhood from 1996 to 2000. She thought Night Out would be a good way to get to know her neighbors while keeping the neighborhood safe.

“We first invited just 60th street and then it became successful on the corner of 36th and 60th and people said they wanted to consider doing a block watch,” Johnson said.

Seattle police gave out tips and focused on the safety benefits of getting to know your neighbors.

“We became more aware, traded phone number and emails and ever since then I’ve advertised the block party potluck and have invited the Seattle Police and Fire Departments,” Johnson said. “They’ve attended every year except for one.”

This year Johnson said they are focusing on safety, camaraderie and getting to known neighbors.

“Everyone is welcome, and we just have people bring either a drink or food to serve," she said.

For more information or to get involved contact Margaret Johnson at 781-1704 or m_atwater@att.net.

North Beach - 96th Street between 28th and 31st Street

Tina and Roman Michalak have been setting up the block party in their neighborhood for years.

“What we do is a block party and we always have it on our street,” Tina Michalak said. “But we invite several blocks and we usually have a potluck.”

Expecting neighbors to come from as close as three blocks away to across the neighborhood, Michalak said anybody is welcome.

August Night Out’s in the past have included a bike show put on by kids from the neighborhoods and Seattle Police officers usually make a visit, too.

“My husband and I have been doing it a long time and what we like is that we have a small house, and since this is in the street, we can have 50 people or more, so we invite everybody and we never skip a house. We invite everyone,” Tina Michalak said.

This year Michalak is asking attendees to bring a potluck dish to share and tables and chair. Those who wish to help set up can show up early.

To get involved contact Tina Michalak at 789-3614 or tinabina54@comcast.net.

Golden Gardens - 9055 to 9111 View Ave. N.W. (On View from Loyal Avenue to the Cyrus Avenue alley)

For the past six years, the Golden Gardens neighborhood has been putting together the August Night Out event. But last year was the first time it was officially hosted by the newly organized Golden Gardens Community Association.

This year, the group expects about 75 to 100 people to attend, where they will be providing entertainment by the Fairly Honest Jazz Band and the Seattle Fire Department, who plan to show up with their truck for both kids and adults.

One focus of the event will be on getting neighbors to sign up for a phone tree to keep everyone abreast of any issues in the neighborhood, said Julie Van Wallendael, president of the Golden Gardens Community Association.

They encourage neighbors to bring something to share, eat, drink and a chair or blanket to sit on.

Set up will begin at 4:30, bring appetizers at 5 p.m., bring a main dish from 6 to 7:30 p.m. and bring a dessert at 7:30 or later.

For more information or to get involved contact Shelly at 789-3893, Julie at 949-9055 or Dan at 399-1502.