A free movie in the park will be a part of Lehighton's National Night Out 2017.

The Lehighton Police Department has partnered with the Lehighton Downtown Initiative to hold the event at 7 p.m. Aug. 1 in the borough's upper park.As part of the event, a free movie, "Hoodwinked," will be shown in the park at dusk, according to borough police Detective Matt Arner.Also, the Pennsylvania State Police K-9 Team will host a meet and greet; there will be free popcorn sponsored by Nationwide Insurance; and the Lehighton Historical Society, as well as the Local Flotilla of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary will be on hand.Additionally, there will be fundraising for the Gower family, who tragically lost their 9-year-old daughter Vahnne when their Mahoning Township home went up in flames earlier this month.Prizes will be given away based on donations. When people make a donation, they will get a raffle ticket.Arner said gift cards and cash donations are welcomed. Proceeds given to the volunteers will be given to the Gower family, he said."We originally had other plans for a community fundraiser, but in light of this situation, we felt the efforts would be best put to help that family," Arner said. "We'd like to thank the LDI for really helping us bring this event together, as well as the sponsors that are providing the prizes as well."Arner said the purpose of the event is twofold."One is for the police department and members of the community to get together in the interest of keeping the community safe, crime-free, and establishing a good relationship with the community," he said. "With the tragedy that occurred with the Gower family, we are hoping that this could help them in any way possible."Arner said the borough police department has been holding National Night Out for several years, and said they were the first in the county to have a National Night Out.