The countdown to this year’s National Night Out event in DeRidder will culminate on Monday night with a light-hearted and family friendly comedy show starring comedian Rik Roberts as the beloved Barney Fife.

The show is free for all to attend and will be held at the War Memorial Civic Center from 6 to 8 p.m. and will feature door prizes, refreshments and the announcement of the winners of the Aunt Bee’s Apple Pie Bakeoff contest.

Roberts will be on hand for a short meet and greet right at 6 before he takes to the stage to “nip it in the bud.”

Known nationally for his uncanny Barney Fife impersonation, Roberts is a Nashville-based comedian who has become best known recently for his role as as a Fife impersonator in the Amazon prime film, “Mayberry Man.” The film has become so successful that it is now being developed into a series.

Kentucky born, Roberts told the American Press that while he has been to the state of Louisiana many times before, this will be his first trip to DeRidder and that he is looking forward to being a part of the National Night Out event at last.

“Jackie (Herrington), the event’s coordinator, actually found me on the internet a few years ago and we started planning this before Covid hit in 2020,” Roberts said.

Roberts first began impersonating Barney Fife in 1994 when he was a part of a comedy group who performed as celebrities.

“I needed to find someone that I sort of liked like or could sound like. After some trial and error, I stumbled onto pretending to be Barney Fife. One thing led to another and before you knew it, I had the uniforms, a holster and my badge,” Roberts stated.

Roberts’ show is all about family and promises laughs for all generations of viewers through a mix of jokes, stories and songs. He said his favorite part of putting on the performance is the ability to take people back to a place of tender emotions for many people when they think of Mayberry.

“The most fun part is seeing how excited people are to see the deputy in uniform. It brings back such good memories of a TV show that taught all of us to slow down and treat others with respect,” Roberts stated.

The comedy show will kick off Tuesday night’s anticipated National Night Out event at the Beauregard Parish Fairgrounds in DeRidder from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Themed “Mayberry Comes to DeRidder”, storefronts in downtown DeRidder have been transformed this past week to represent iconic images and scenes from the classic Andy Griffith Show and Tuesday’s event promises to carry on that spirit with free fun activities for families to enjoy together while getting to meet the law enforcement officers who serve them.

First responders from the DeRidder Police Department, Fire Department, the Beauregard Parish Sheriff’s Office and military police from Fort Polk will be at the event to take part in games with their community neighbors and enjoy the night that will also feature food trucks, vendors and community resources information.

National Night Out is held across the nation with the intention of enhancing the relationship between neighbors and law enforcement in an effort to bring back a true sense of community.