Unity in the Community is a partnership involving the Ripon Police Department, the Ripon Chamber of Commerce, and the local churches.

From July 29 through Aug. 6, Unity in the Community will consist of a variety of events leading up to National Night Out, Police Chief Ed Ormonde said at last Tuesday’s Ripon City Council meeting.

The Chamber of Commerce, for example, will host a gathering on Wednesday, July 31, at the Bank of Stockton, 234 W. Main St., beginning at 5 p.m.

“We’re inviting all Ripon businesses to attend,” said Chamber CEO/President Kelly Donohue, who is using the Unity in the Community event to bring awareness and establish a dialogue between local businesses and the Ripon Police Department.

And then there’s National Night Out, which will once again be held at the Ripon Community Center, 334 Fourth St., on Tuesday, Aug. 6.

“It’s a free event where residents can mingle, meet officers, play games and eat,” Ormonde said.

Donations from local businesses as well community members help make possible the free hotdogs, bottled water, chips, sno-cones, popcorn and cotton candy.

The Ripon Consolidated Fire District, the Ripon Ministerial Association, and the department’s own Volunteers in Police Service will also help out for National Night Out, which is scheduled from 6 p.m. through 9 p.m.