Photo by Deb Gau Marshall Police officer Hunter Krueger gives Kirstin Weets a push start as she pedals through an obstacle course while wearing goggles that simulate the effects of impaired driving

MARSHALL — Hands-on experiences were some of big draws at Marshall’s National Night Out on Tuesday.

A line of kids were waiting their turn to try steering a pedal car while wearing special goggles that helped simulate the effects of impaired driving.

“It was very, very confusing,” said Kirstin Weets.

During her turn, Weets was able to pedal through part of a course marked with traffic cones, but she ran over a couple cones along the way.

Organizers and area emergency responders said there was a steady stream of people at National Night Out.

“It’s a great turnout for the night,” said Lyon County Sheriff Eric Wallen.

It helped that the weather Tuesday was sunny and not too hot, event organizers said.

Learning while having fun was all part of the event, which brought together area emergency responders and community groups. Besides checking out the games, food and inflatables around the park, kids and families also gathered around displays of emergency vehicles like police cars and an ambulance.

“The best was probably the armored truck,” said Blaise Mathiowetz.

One of the vehicles kids were exploring Tuesday was an armored vehicle used by the Brown, Lyon, Redwood and Renville Emergency Response Unit (ERU).

Demonstrations were part of the National Night Out too. Several people gathered around as Deputy Beau Swenson of the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office answered questions about his K9 partner, Roxxy. The new K9 is trained to detect substances like drugs, and also help find missing people.

“How fast can she run?” one young audience member asked.

“I would say pretty quick,” Swenson said.

In a demonstration, audience members also got to see Roxxy find a set of keys Swenson hid at the park.

Later in the evening, a crowd watched the Marshall Fire Department cut apart a pickup truck. The demonstration showed people the different cutters, spreaders and other tools firefighters use to help rescue crash victims.

Area emergency responders said National Night Out was a time when they could interact with people in a positive setting.

“You get to have a conversation,” said Daniel Heuchert, who was at the event with North Memorial Ambulance.

It was good to be able to answer people’s questions, he said.

“It’s showing people that we’re out there, and we’re here to help,” said Terry Winter with North Memorial Ambulance.

Wallen said events like National Night Out helped responders and law enforcement build better relationships with the community.

“It’s actually a great opportunity to have an interaction with kids,” in an atmosphere that’s positive, Wallen said.

“It’s great to establish those relationships,” he said. “We need good relationships with community members.