LINCOLN - Hundreds of residents and visitors to the White Mountains region of Lincoln and Woodstock enjoyed a free festival during the National Night Out event on Tuesday. The occasion helps link communities with their first responders.

Attendees saw K-9 demonstrations by State Police, a large bubble machine creating play areas for kids, and over 40 volunteer booths providing free temporary tattoos, backpacks, and informational materials. Families could also tour ambulances and fire trucks while meeting local police and hospital staff from Littleton Regional Hospital.

Each summer, Ryan Robertson and his family from Ashland, Mass., vacation in the area. His mother noted they regularly participate in this festive event held at the Granite State Railway parking area.

The boy interacted with Jon Bouffard, chief of the Linwood Ambulance Service, learning to apply a tourniquet to control bleeding and perform chest compressions with locked elbows during Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation training.

Besides police, fire, and ambulance services with their displays, nonprofit organizations such as the New Hampshire Humane Society provided games and activities.

Food options for families on the pleasant summer evening included offerings from Indian Head Resort, Pub 32 Pizza, El Charro, Woodstock Brewery, and cookies from Arnold's Wayside Diner.

Bill Mead, a paramedic with Linwood Ambulance and veteran ski patroller at Cannon Mountain, described the event as an excellent opportunity for the region's EMS teams to celebrate summer with the community they serve while educating them about vital services for residents, workers, and tourists worldwide who visit for the area's natural beauty.

National Night Out is part of a national community building campaign designed to strengthen ties between first responders and their communities.