It was fun. It was free. It was the annual National Night Out on Bainbridge Island.

Island police hosted a night of music, games, food and more at Sonoji Sakai Intermediate School on Tuesday, Aug. 6. The Night Out event is a national effort to foster connections between law enforcement and the communities they serve. Crime prevention, neighborhood watches, and an education on the local police department are among the many goals.

This year’s National Night Out on Bainbridge was moved from its usual location at Town Square to Sakai in response to the increasing popularity of the community event in recent years.

Tuesday’s festivities were all had under the toe-tapping tunes of Ranger & The Rearrangers.

With some cotton candy, or maybe even a hot dog, in hand, kids were able to climb on a fire truck and the police boat, families got their faces painted, and a few tried their hand at the dunk tank — a lucky few got to dunk Bainbridge Island’s city manager, Doug Schulze.

Even Rusty, the island’s K9 officer, came out of retirement to join the fun.