HANCEVILLE — The rain may have cut into the turnout of Hanceville’s annual Kids Night Out, but it didn’t affect elementary principal Kim Brown — she was going to get wet anyway.

Brown volunteered to spend the entire event in the dunking booth, much to the delight of her students.

Brown’s near-continuous status underwater prevented an interview.

Because there was no sign of lightning in the storm, the event was allowed to proceed. Hanceville Reserve Officer Michele Allen, an organizer of the event, said that the event was a rain or shine affair.

“This is part of a national event to promote positive interaction with first responders,” Allen said. “We have members from the police, sheriff’s office and even the department of conservation.”

Allen spent much of the night manning a bow and arrow station provided by the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

Other stations included fire truck displays, Alabama Department of Public Safety officers in uniform and a station manned by the Cullman County Sheriff’s Office where children could pick up a complimentary coloring book.

“We’re out here to meet the kids,” Captain Ricky Blackwood said. “We want to teach them about the sheriff’s office.”

Blackwood’s station displayed equipment from the office’s SWAT team, such as a ballistic shield, an entry vest, a forced-entry ram, a gas mask, a fully-automatic UMP and a Remington shotgun.

While the rain may have prevented the arrival of law enforcement helicopters and motorcycles, it did not slow down any of the children at play.

“Our kids our having fun,” Hanceville parent Fabio Cipollari said. “The rain is making it even more fun for them.”

Cipollari’s wife, Elizabeth, said that the rain had turned the inflatables into veritable water slides.

Despite being drenched, the couples son, Savio, was grinning ear-to-ear, and he had taken away a valuable lesson, too. When asked what he thought about police offers by his father, Savio answered: “friends.”

Hanceville Mayor Kenneth Nail, while disappointed with the inclement weather, said he was grateful for those who did turnout.

“We usually see about 1,000 people out here,” Nail said. “I think maybe this is a third of our usual turnout, but everyone seems to be having a good time.”