The Peachtree City version of "National

Night Out" Tuesday included a bicycle rodeo,

clowns, fire safety demonstrations and a

kid-pleasing appearance by the "Phoenix" medevac

helicopter.

Held on the parking lot of the Kedron Village Kroger on Peachtree Parkway, the NNO

celebration drew more than 200 people. More than 150 Kroger stores in the southeast

participated in NNO.

The local store provided free bike helmets to about 50 children Tuesday evening,

according to customer service manager Delmas Shipman.

National Night Out began about 14 years ago as a way of bringing neighborhoods together

to fight crime, eliminate drug trafficking and protect children, Shipman said. In Peachtree

City the kids got a close-up look at police and firefighting equipment, talked to officers

and learned such safety basics as "dial 911 in

emergencies" and the "stop, drop and roll"

technique to help put out the flames if their clothes

catch fire.

Shipman said the turnout from local law enforcement and fire/EMS agencies "was

just fabulous." Personnel from the Peachtree

City Fire Department, Peachtree City and Tyrone police departments, and the Fayette

County Sheriff's Department participated.

National Association of Town Watch started the NNO celebration to bring citizens and

police together to fight crime, and it has been endorsed

Johnson Wax Inc. was the 1998 national sponsor.

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