Eldersburg Celebrates National Night Out at Carrolltown Center
Eric Villard
August 5, 2009

Lisa Demola and her husband watched as their two children took
turns punching numbers out from a foam mat and sparring with Sykesville Tae Kwon Do instructors. National Night Out had commenced, bringing with it fun and a message of safety.

Eldersburg’s first ever National Night Out occurred Tuesday
evening from 6 to 9 p.m. in the back parking lot of Carrolltown Mall.
National Night Out is nationwide crime and drug prevention event that
usually occurs the first Tuesday in August annually. It is celebrated in
number of ways, from block parties to parades.

Location, location, location!

While the location may seem a bit hidden and out of the way, Ellen Dix,
president of the Freedom Area Citizens’ Council and an organizer of the
event, said that the location was great for the event because of how large and open it was and the fact that it provided a lot of parking for visitors.

Aside from the observable benefits, Dix added that the location
carried with it another positive – being a strictly Eldersburg event. “It’s
not down at the carnival grounds,” she said. “It has Eldersburg in front of
its name.”

The parking lot accommodated the large amount of foot traffic
well. An area normally neglected by Eldersburg residents had at the night’s commencement gained new life in the form of families, vendors, law enforcement and emergency personnel and even dogs. The normally barren asphalt was now trodden and town residents normally disconnected were able to interact.

Christine and Steven Naylor of Eldersburg were happy to see
Carrolltown Mall getting some much-needed attention. They commented on how the mall needed events like the National Night Out in order to bring more life to it.

Fun and Safety

The event was a mixed bag of fun activities hosted by various
local businesses and informational presentations and displays given by law enforcement personnel and emergency workers. Right next to the moon bounce was a presentation on home safety, and next to that an open fire truck for children to climb inside of.

A good portion of the back lot was filled with vehicles that had
some sort of interactive aspect, whether it be simply allowing people to
climb inside or having and entire RV devoted to informing about various ways to a stay safe. Possibly the oldest vehicle there, a military ambulance sat right next to an aged fire truck, both inviting event attendees in with open doors.

On the more quirky side, there was “Inky” the newspaper, mascot
of the Carroll County Times. Who would have known a newspaper could be so interactive, and so photogenic?

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