Tonight is the annual Seattle Night Out, a chance to close down streets, connect more with your neighbors and enjoy potluck food. These informal block parties help tremendously with community building and crime prevention.

I will be stopping by a couple events in my neighborhood this evening and encourage you to do the same. You can check out the facebook page or this map put together by the police department to find events near you. Last year Seattle neighbors hosted more than 1,300 events, so even if you can’t find one on the map there’s a good chance one is happening close by.