Hot dogs grilling on a pink, pig-shaped grill sent wafts of delicious scent floating around as hundreds gathered at the steps of the Issaquah Police Station (and City Hall) for National Night Out on Tuesday.

“I thought it went just great,” Police Chief Paul Ayers said. “We had more people than we expected.”

The event saw a steady crowd from before the event’s official start time at 5:30 p.m. until it ended at 8.

Police did not keep an actual count, but crowds were estimated at 400 to 600 people.

The event included several tents that housed informational booths on emergency preparedness, safety, child safety and fingerprinting, equipment tour and large wildlife exhibits.

Food, raffles and prizes were also to be had.

One of the more popular aspects was the Shred It truck, which shredded thousands of papers for free.

Todd Van Cise of Shred It said one man carried several boxes from a few blocks away, just to get it all shredded.

Issaquah resident Judy Davis said she came initially for the shredding service but stayed around to check out all the other tents.

“I really believe in our police department,” Davis said. “They’ve been a big support for me.”

Residents Sandi Heller and Audrey Zackowitz said they both enjoyed the Fish and Wildlife booth, which had several pelts, including both bear and cougar skins, as well as paw impressions and scat.

“It was really interesting and informative,” Zackowitz said.

The event was the first one to be held at the police station. Across the country, an estimated 35 million participated in the Night Out events.