A Night to Unite in Eden Prairie

Steamy weather didn’t deter residents of more than 150 neighborhoods from participating in Tuesday’s Night to Unite event in Eden Prairie. 

The annual summer event celebrates and strengthens the commitment to a safe community. Police officers and firefighters visit each participating neighborhood, sometimes bringing props. For instance, the spray from the fire hose offered a fun way for many children around town to cool off.

As in past years, Night to Unite participants were asked to donate food to the PROP Food Shelf. The Eden Prairie Police Department blog reported that this year’s event raised 8,732 pounds of food and $313 cash. 

New this year as part of the food drive: All parties that donated more than 200 pounds of food were entered into a drawing to win an ice cream social hosted by the Eden Prairie Police and Fire departments. This year’s winner was the Baywood Lane neighborhood, which gathered more than 268 pounds of food. 

There is one more opportunity this week for residents to interact with firefighters. Thursday is Neighborhood Night at the Fire Station, in which people can visit their local station (all are open) from 7 to 9 p.m. People can meet the firefighters, tour the station, and see what the inside of a fire truck looks like.