There were 500 pounds of ice and 700 hot dogs. There were men and women in uniform, wearing aprons and serving coleslaw, while others manned the barbecue.
But the crucial ingredient to the Night Out Against Crime event Tuesday night was the community.
Salt Lake City Councilman Van Turner has been hosting the annual event for nearly 20 years. National Night Out, held the first Tuesday of August, brings together law enforcement personnel, government officials, safety-patrol groups and residents and unites them against crime.
As families gathered in the parking lot surrounding Turner's Hook & Ladder restaurant in Glendale, the councilman said they are the reason he is so committed to the event.
"The message is that it's about families," Turner said. "We want strong families, strong neighborhoods and strong communities. It's important to all of us."
Raquel Miller lives in the neighborhood and attended the event with her husband and two children.
"We just heard about it and thought it sounded fun," Miller said. "It makes the neighborhood feel safe and like it's a good place to live."
Salt Lake City Police spokeswoman Lara Jones said the department wanted to participate to show its support to the community and its commitment to creating a safe environment.
"It's all about public safety," Jones said. "It works best when there's a partnership with the community, and this helps us support them in a very positive way."
Activities were held in seven locations in Salt Lake City, but the largest was near California Avenue in Glendale. Members of local safety-patrol group Guardian Angels said the area has had a history of crime, including a fatal shooting of a 22-year-old woman just two weeks ago.
Freddy Zamora, the Guardian Angels' Salt Lake chapter president, said there's "a lot of crime in this area" and that they aim to combat it.
"We want people to know about us, and we want to help if they need us," Zamora said. "We want to get the community involved, to help each other out and to help the police out."
Providing an opportunity for members of the community to mingle and interact with law enforcement officers was another objective of the event. City Councilman JT Martin, who attended the west-side event to support Turner and the anti-crime message, said it gave children a chance to see police as real people who want to help.
"These kids here know that police and firemen are their friends and are nothing to be afraid of," Martin said. "That's really important."
Guadalupe and Kara Lopez said they have attended the event as a family the past four years. It's fun for their children, they said, but it's also a learning experience.
"It's a good cause, and it teaches the kids," Kara Lopez said. "It gives them a chance to see that the police want to help them."
e-mail: emorgan@desnews.com