Basilica hosts ice cream social for National Night Out

The Basilica of Saint Mary partnered with the Alexandria Police and Fire Departments to host an ice cream social on August 6 as part of the National Night Out program. National Night Out is an annual campaign that works to enhance the relationship between neighbors, law enforcement and first responders.

“It is wonderful to have an event like this where the parish can thank our police and firefighters,” said Father Edward Hathaway, Rector of the Basilica of Saint Mary. “They do so much to serve us and their work doesn’t always get acknowledged. We wanted to celebrate what these men and women do for our city.”

This is the third year that the Basilica of Saint Mary has hosted the event. Greg Doherty, a parishioner at the Basilica, organized the ice cream social.

“It’s summertime, which is perfect for an ice cream social,” said Doherty. “It reminds me of when I was a little kid. You can look around and see all the smiles on people’s faces. This is true community building.”

Attendees were invited to get onto a firetruck that the Alexandria Fire Department parked in front of the church.

“People really enjoyed checking the truck out,” said Lieutenant Robert Townsend of the Alexandria Fire Department. “I’ve had great conversations with people tonight and answered a lot of good questions.”

See a photo gallery from the National Night Out ice cream social here.

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