Midway residents enjoyed an evening of good company, food and fun Friday during the community’s annual night out.
Attendees gathered at Joseph Miller Park, where the festivities began at 6 p.m. Sister Letha Spencer, Midway Mayor Clemontine Washington, Liberty County District 1 Commissioner Marion Stevens, Thebes AME
Church Pastor S. Dyann Robertson and event coordinator Brother Benjamin Walthour kicked things off by addressing the crowd.
“Just keep in mind that elected officials want to come and be a part of whatever you are doing. But call them; let them know way in advance. We may not be able to stay, but we will show up … because we are family. We must work together because when we work together, we can accomplish a whole lot more,” Washington said.
Various churches in the Midway area collaborated on the event and raised money to pay for the food, which included fried fish, hamburgers, hot dogs, corn on the cob, chips and drinks.
Carol Simmons grilled burgers and dogs while chatting with other attendees. He said he’s been acting as the grillmaster since the inception of Midway’s Community Night Out, about 18 years ago.
“We come together, get to meet and greet, see people we normally don’t see because one goes to this church and another goes to this church, but on this night, we all can come together,” Simmons said.
Nearby, children played organized games and chased each other through the park’s baseball fields and playground. According to Simmons, a lot of time and effort go into coordinating the event, which the group typically starts planning just after the first of the year.
“This is very special because this is about the community. As the pastor said earlier, we’re all part of one community. We’re all of our brothers’ keepers, so we have to look out for another. A strong community makes a strong city, a strong country, a strong world. So we all have to look out for one another, so I’m just glad we can all get together and have a good time,” Benjamin Walthour said. “We’re all part of this community, and the stronger this community, the stronger we all are.”