On Saturday, residents and businesses of downtown Suffolk will begin promoting awareness and participation in the annual observance of National Night Out, a crime prevention program scheduled Tuesday, Aug. 6.

Those involved will include: the Suffolk Police and Fire departments; the Commonwealth Attorney’s office; the Suffolk Citizens Community Services Committee; the Citizens’ Academy Alumni of Suffolk (CAAS); civic leagues; churches; and businesses.

Donna Perry is the local program chairman of activities, and is the president of CAAS. Perry said Suffolk was selected by the National Association of Town Watch (NATW) as a national award winner for its outstanding participation in 2001.

&uot;More than 33 million people from 9700 communities participated,&uot; said Perry. &uot;This activity is also a part of the promotion to be a national winner in the year 2002. We are promoting an activity with kids participation to produce a mural. The mural will be done at Birdsong Recreation Center and will be 12×15 feet in size. On Saturday it will be placed on a canvas and taken to Prentis Street where a carnival will take place.

&uot;On NNO on Aug. 6, we will place it on a trailer and take it around to show it off in different neighborhoods and communities. Kids from all over the city of Suffolk from different neighborhoods were contacted by flyers, phone calls and through neighbors.&uot;

Activities for Saturday will begin at 7 a.m. in the parking lot of Wal-Mart with the Second Annual NNO Pedaling for Safer Communities Bike Tour. Tours offered will include the seven-mile &uot;Family Tour&uot; ($25 for the entire family), 14-mile &uot;Novice Tour ($20), 22 mile &uot;Intermediate Tour&uot; ($20), and the 50 mile &uot;Advanced Tour&uot; ($20). All these will be police escorted, and will provide an opportunity for citizens to enjoy a scenic tour of our city while sending a strong anti-crime message to criminals.

From 10 a.m.-noon at Birdsong Recreation Center, a panel discussion involving city government officials and citizens will take place.

At that time panel members will be available to discuss citizens’ concerns regarding quality of life, and other vital issues in our city. There will also be a display area/booths distributing brochures or information they wish to share with the public.

On that day, Prentis Street, which is across from the train station, will be closed to traffic. From noon to 4 p.m. the carnival will feature community displays, food, games, and entertainment.

A highlighted activity will be a portable jail. For the price of 25 cents you may experience what it is liked to be locked up. Tickets for food items, games, and concessions will cost 25 cents each. The event will give residents the opportunity to network with neighbors and demonstrate a strong community front against crime while sending a strong message that crime is not welcome in Suffolk. Participants wearing patriotic colors, red, white and blue will receive a free ticket. Admission and parking are free.

&uot;CAAS will get a portion of the money raised from activities, a part will go toward a scholarship to a youth who is going into the field of law enforcement, and a portion will also go to the police and fire departments to supply them with needs that are not on their budget,&uot; said Perry.

Perry said that because of the surge of national and community pride, this year’s 19th Annual NNO promises to be even bigger and better that the last one.

She said that each citizen of Suffolk could make it that way with hardly any effort on their part.

&uot;It’s very simple. All that they have to do on Aug. 6 is first lock their doors, turn on their porch lights and go outside and mingle with neighbors. Doing this alone is sending a message to criminals that we are joining together in a community effort and fighting back against crime in our neighborhoods,&uot; said Perry.