East 9th street was buzzing with food, music, and more for a local celebration of Neighborhood Night Out. Wichita neighbors gathered at the Urban League’s building Tuesday for an evening of goodwill hosted by a coalition of diverse community leaders.

“We wanted our neighbors to know that the Urban League is still here and ready to serve the community,” said Frankie Kirkendoll, Director of Program Services for the Urban League.

With assistance from Evergy, Harmony House, Common Ground, Dorothy’s Lane, and Dillons, the Neighborhood Night Out provided residents with free food, fresh produce, and fun prizes. 

Free Covid-19 testing and vaccines were made available to residents by the Wichita Black Nurses Association and Sedgwick County Health. 

The Urban League’s celebration was a week later than the  city-wide celebration of National Night Out, which is held on the 1st Tuesday of each month, but had the same goal of community-building.  National Night Out promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie with a goal of making neighborhoods safer. 

During Wichita’s Neighborhood Night Out, a series of community parties and gatherings were held across the city with members of the Wichita Police and Fire Departments stopping in at many of them to meet members of the community one-on-one.