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With summer wrapping up, the City of Suffolk revealed its results for this year’s National Night Out celebration.

According to Suffolk National Night Out Committee Chair and Suffolk Director of Media and Community Relations Jennifer Moore, the event held on Tuesday, Aug. 6, saw city-wide participation from “10,000 people across 20 locations.” However, the numbers decreased “due to the threat of the hurricane and the inclement weather.”

Despite the dreary weather, both Lakeland High School and Kings Fork High School saw plenty of attendees and law enforcement officials party together while saying no to crime in Suffolk. Along with performances from the LHS and KFHS marching bands, the events saw plenty of food, vendors, and residents having fun while connecting with members of the Suffolk Police Department, Suffolk Sheriff’s Office and Suffolk Fire and Rescue. Likewise, National Night Out Committee Member James Dailey and Suffolk Obici National Night Out Lead Coordinator Cusi Hamlin were both honored for their contributions to the celebration. Dailey, who served his last event after 22 years, was awarded the National Night Out Legacy Award while Hamlin was awarded the 2024 National Night Out Participant Award.

As the festivities wrapped up that night, Hamlin shared her thoughts on helping make the event happen, noting that she “always loved National Night Out.”

“I started doing National Night Out since 2006 when I lived in Texas, because I thought it was very important for the community to learn to build better relationships and friendships with our first responders,” Hamlin said. “And when I moved here in 2009, I just continued and started putting on these events.”

Hamlin called the support for the celebration “wonderful” after seeing so many residents come out. Likewise, she shared her thoughts on her award and the hard work that came with it.

“Yes, it is a lot of work. I am not going to say it isn’t. But everything I do, I had an aneurysm five years ago, and that really changed a lot of the ways I think of things,” she said. “I don’t think of myself as selfish, so I help Creekside [Elementary School] and Lakeland if they need help sometimes, because it’s not about me. It’s about, really, the community and leaving something behind that is positive.”