Cherry Hill residents turned out Tuesday evening for the township's annual National Night Out, filling Croft Farm with families who climbed into police cruisers, explored fire trucks and raced radio-controlled cars alongside the officers who patrol their neighborhoods.

The free event ran from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Aug. 4 at Croft Farm, 100 Bortons Mill Rd. Mayor Dave Fleisher, the Township Council and the Cherry Hill Police Department organized the gathering, which featured police and fire demonstrations, music, community groups, games, food trucks and prize giveaways. The national program, sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch since 1984, is held the first Tuesday in August to strengthen police-community partnerships.

This year's event moved from its original planned location at Cherry Hill High School East to Croft Farm, the historic 18th-century property that also hosts the township's annual Harvest Festival. The township posted a prominent notice on its event page flagging the change and arranged shuttle service from Holy Eucharist Parish, 344 Kresson Road, starting at 5:30 p.m.

The venue worked.

Councilwoman Jill Hulnick announced the event at the June 22 Township Council meeting, encouraging residents to attend. The Cherry Hill Police Department posted a thank-you message on its official Instagram account on Wednesday, Aug. 5, the morning after the event.

More than a dozen local and regional businesses sponsored the night, including Wawa, Wegmans, New Jersey American Water, Raising Cane's, Great Clips, The Bank of Princeton and the Cherry Hill Alliance on Alcohol and Drug Abuse.

Residents with questions about future township events can email [email protected] or call 856-488-7868. The next major community event at Croft Farm is the Harvest Festival, scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 18.