Topsham is holding its first National Night Out Tuesday, Aug. 2, with the intention of building a relationship between the community and its Police and Fire departments. 

The event, hosted by the Topsham Parks and Recreation Department at the Foreside Recreation Facility, will be held from 5-8 p.m. 

“It’s an opportunity to come out and meet first responders and for first responders to meet the public that we’re serving,” said Topsham Police Chief Marc Hagan. “If you don’t have relationships, you can’t build any trust, and if you don’t have trust then you can’t build a relationship.”

Hagan previously worked for the police departments in Brunswick and Lisbon and was part of their National Night Out gatherings. Some 16,000 communities nationwide participate in the annual event, which the National Association of Town Watch started in 1984. 

“Our hope is to create a community event. The message we’ve heard from residents is that they want more events, so we’re hoping this one is successful,” said Pam LeDuc, director of Topsham Parks and Recreation.

The event will feature a dunk tank, bounce house, inflatable obstacle course and free food. It will also showcase cruisers and have a K-9 display.

“This is an opportunity for people to meet us in a nice and relaxed atmosphere,” Hagan said. “I want to be as involved as possible in the relationship between law enforcement and our community.” 

Hagan started as Topsham’s police chief in 2020 but, due to COVID-19, has not had the opportunity to hold a community event. 

“My biggest challenge since I’ve been here is that we haven’t been out in the community as much as I would hope,” he said.