Zaidyn Walker, 9, Tamaqua, swished the tip of the thin brush into a cup of water, cleaning it, before dabbing it into a bright yellow glob of paint. He squinted a little, tilting his head to the side, and began applying the yellow to his sketch of the sun.

Zaidyn, his brothers and others had picked their spots on large, two-sided blank canvases, where they were free to sketch or paint images that portrayed their memories of Tamaqua. All around them on Pine Street and nearby on Railroad Street, residents and visitors were busy making more memories of good times in Tamaqua.Two events, a National Night Out celebration organized by the Tamaqua Safety Initiative, and a Kids Karnival, organized by Tamaqua's Salvation Army, brought locals and visitors into the downtown area. It was the borough's second celebration for National Night Out, and the first Kids Karnival, held in the train station parking lot from 2 to 9 p.m."We needed to have some sort of fundraiser to help with various programs we have," said Melissa Latham, Tamaqua, who has been a Salvation Army volunteer for eight years. "We wanted to have something that would be for kids."Fundraising efforts got a boost from Silberline Manufacturing, Hometown, which is matching the Kids Karnival ride ticket sales dollar for dollar."We've always had a good relationship with them (Silberline)," said Dina Depos, Tamaqua Salvation Army program coordinator. "We went to talk to them and they were willing to help."Volunteers such as Cathy Johnston, Tamaqua, helped with pre-selling ride tickets. Johnston was tops in sales, bringing in $1,110, selling $10 books of ride tickets."I'm 68, and I've been volunteering since I was about 16," Johnston said. "It's great to see so many people enjoy all the rides and games."From the Railroad Street parking lot, people could stroll through parking lots to get to Pine and Mauch Chunk streets, where the National Night Out activities were held, headquartered at the Tamaqua Community Art Center. Organizations set up booths along both sides of the streets, and participants included the Tamaqua Girls/Boy Scouts, Schuylkill Elder Abuse Prevention Alliance, Tamaqua Police Department, members of the

D.A.R.E. Program, Schuylkill County District Attorney Christine Holman, Tamaqua Community Crime Watch, Tamaqua Youth Ministries, St. Luke's Hospital, Barry Isett & Associates, Citizens Fire Company, American Hose Company, Majestic House Apartments, LOL, Youth Writers group, Tamaqua Ambulance, Heroes for Hope, LCCC, Right Turn Auto, DJ Original Sounds and Demelfi's School of Music.The National Association of Town Watch created National Night Out in 1984. Originally, it was a program where participants simply turned on their porch lights.Today, almost 17,000 communities in 50 states, U.S. territories, Canada and U.S. military bases worldwide participate in National Night Out.