City of Davis and ASUCD to host Davis Neighbors’ Night Out

Davis Neighbors’ Night Out (DNNO), an event sponsored by the City of Davis and ASUCD, will be in full swing from noon to 7 p.m.

According to Stacey Winton, the community coordinator for the City of Davis, DNNO is a program that was developed in 2006 to better communication between neighborhoods and the students who move into them each year.

DNNO is made up of block parties throughout the city. Each neighborhood has a liaison who connects with the sponsors and who is responsible for sending out invitations, coordinating events and connecting with fellow neighbors for other logistics.

“I have enlisted neighbors to set up chairs and bring stuff for the children to play with,” said Leah Ross, one of Mace Ranch neighborhood’s liaisons. “Everybody brings a dish and has a good time and we usually have a good turnout.”

Other sponsors of DNNO are the Davis Police Department and ASUCD units like Unitrans.

“The police department is putting together the party packs that we give them such as balloons, necklaces, nametags and other things based on what the hosts ask for,” Winton said. “Unitrans sends buses to show how they work and Band-uh and cheerleading groups from UC Davis also come through the neighborhoods.”

With many students living in residential homes in Davis, DNNO provides an opportunity for students and community members to get to know one another so that any potential conflicts that might arise in the future may be resolved peacefully.

“I think it’s important [for students to come out to DNNO] because sometimes students don’t realize that their neighbors are resources who can help them find jobs or internships,” Ross said. “It’s a great way for students to network and to be a member of the community.”

Besides instilling better communication among both groups, DNNO is also an opportunity for longtime neighbors to look out for one another.

“Another goal is to promote community, help neighbors know each other, reduce crime and build a sense of community feel,” Ross said. “In a neighborhood, there is always a lot of change; there are people who have lived here for 15 years and it’s exciting to meet them.”

The block parties can range from 25 to 100 people, and each year it gets a little higher, Winton said.

In addition, DNNO is good opportunity for students who live in Davis to meet neighbors who know that they are hardworking and want them to succeed during their time at UC Davis.

Although the number of students at some block parties is small, Barbara Zadra, North Miller Drive liaison, said students are welcome to attend and neighbors would love to get to know them.

MEE YANG can be reached at city@theaggie.org.