MAIN STREET CORNER
Last week, Main Street Corner gave a preview of the second annual Lawrenceville Jubilee. Since then, Lawrenceville Main Street volunteers have been hard at work finishing their plans for the jubilee so that this year’s edition will be bigger and better than last year’s. The schedule of events has now been set, and it looks as if their grand plans will be fully realized.
The jubilee, billed as the “Good Old Days Are Back on Main Street,” will be held in the parking lot in the village of Lawrenceville off Main Street (Route 206) between Gordon and Phillips avenues on Sunday, May 21, from noon until 4 p.m., rain or shine.
Starting off with a five-kilometer fun run on the campus of The Lawrenceville School, the afternoon of family fun will include a variety of free entertainment throughout the day, as well as food, games, and activities for adults and children of all ages.
Lawrence native and former Mayor Pat Colavita will be on stage playing the piano and leading the crowd in a sing-along with such old-time melodies as “Tea for Two” and “In the Good Old Summertime.” Two barber-shop quartets, Vocal Connection (a Sweet-Adeline style quartet) and VLQ (Very Large Quartet), will stroll the grounds. The DeNogla School of Irish Dance, a bagpiper and the Celtic band Tradition will delight listeners with reels, jigs, and many familiar Celtic melodies. Additional music groups will include the Lawrence Middle School Orchestra and the rock band Madison Flood. Storyteller Ann Walker will bring her love of stories and tales to the jubilee, and all will be invited to participate.
Throughout the afternoon, kids will delight in the numerous activities that will be sponsored by village businesses, including face painting, balloon popping, movie trivia, mask making, bagel tossing, digging for artifacts, relay races, stamp design and penny pitching. Many of the local restaurants will be providing food in the food court, which will also feature funnel cakes, cotton candy and Lawrenceville’s own contribution to the world of fine cuisine, an ice-cream sundae called the jigger.
Lawrenceville Main Street is a volunteer-supported, non-profit civic improvement organization. Since its inception four years ago, it has helped to bring about design improvements in the village, increased traffic safety and held numerous promotional activities for the village. In addition, it has welcomed 22 new businesses to the village. Lawrenceville Main Street, an official Main Street New Jersey community, has received awards for its accomplishments from the Township of Lawrence, the Regional Planning Council, and American Legion Post 414.
The times for some of Sunday’s scheduled events are as follows:
On-stage:
Noon, Lawrence Middle School Orchestra; 12:30 p.m., DeNogla School of Irish Dance; 1 p.m., announcement of the winners of five-kilometer race; 1:30 p.m., Madison Flood (rock band); 2 p.m., Tradition (Celtic band) 3 p.m., sing-along with Pat Colavita.
On the grounds:
Noon, five-kilometer run on The Lawrenceville School campus; 1 p.m. pancake-eating contest for Lawrenceville School students, strolling bagpiper, parachute play; 1:30 p.m., pet parade; 2 p.m., storyteller Ann Walker, jigger ice cream sundaes; 2:30 p.m., Vocal Connection (Sweet Adeline quartet), old clothes relay, cemetery tour; 3:30 p.m., chicken-wing eating contest, VLQ (Very Large Quartet).
For more information about Lawrenceville Main Street or the Jubilee, contact Ann Garwig, executive director, at 219-9300 or [email protected].