Crosswicks Village Festival nears

Event to feature tours, historical fun

By:Vanessa S. Holt
   CHESTERFIELD — As autumn leaves begin their slow descent later this month, the Village of Crosswicks will turn back the clock for a day of old-fashioned fun, historic demonstrations and activities for the 13th annual Crosswicks Village Festival, an autumn tradition that grows larger every year.
   This year the festival, scheduled for Sept. 22, will include such tried-and-true favorites as carriage rides, a house tour and an antique automobile show. The festival will introduce two speakers on historical topics and a new juried arts and crafts show.
   Most of the activities will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
   Visitors can begin their day at any of those locations, and make their way through the village to see demonstrations and exhibits.
   The popular house tour is back for the second year in a row, with eight houses in Crosswicks and Chesterfield on the map this year.
   Tickets for the house tour can be purchased for $10 the day of the festival at the Chesterfield Township Historical Society museum on Ward Avenue in Crosswicks.
   Featured on the tour this year is "Four Acres," formerly the residence of Gertrude Brick, on Buttonwood Street.
   The house, built in 1904 by the Brick family, was sold at auction last year and the new owners, David and Tracy Hayden, are currently renovating the building.
   Also on the tour are the old Chesterfield Hose Company Firehouse on Chesterfield-Crosswicks Road, currently undergoing renovations; Ellisdale United Methodist Church, built in 1852 at a cost of $1,469; and the former Franklin Hall building, a public hall erected in 1851 later used as a post office.
   Local history buffs, children and people with an interest in Quaker history and the struggle for women’s rights will be interested in two special presentations that will highlight historical topics.
   The speakers are offered through "History Alive!" a Horizons Speakers Bureau program funded by a grant from the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, a partner in the National Endowment for the Humanities. It is locally sponsored by the Crosswicks Community Association.
   Carol D’Alessandro of Antique Touch and Teach, LLC, will present a program called "Childhood in the Late 1700s," at 10:30 a.m., at the Crosswicks United Methodist Church, Ward Avenue and Church Street.
   Her talk will focus on how children worked, learned and played in the early stages of American history, complete with demonstrations of tools such as a rug beater, scythe, sickle, embroidery ring, ball and cup games, hand-dipped candles, and other items 18th century children might have used.
   The struggle for women’s rights will be illuminated in an 11 a.m. presentation called "One Small Candle," chronicling the life of Lucretia Mott, a 19th century Quaker known for her outspoken stance against slavery and her belief in the equality of the sexes.
   Pamela Sommerfield of the American Historical Theatre will portray Mott, describing events in the activist’s life, from her involvement with women’s rights advocate Elizabeth Cady Stanton to her stance against violence and slavery.
   The Lucretia Mott talk will be held at Friends Meeting House, which was built in 1773, although it is actually the third building constructed on that property as a Quaker meeting house.
   Civil and Revolutionary War encampments on the Village Green will add to the historical atmosphere on the day of the festival, said Michele Graziul, treasurer for the Crosswicks Community Association.
   Crosswicks was the site of a skirmish between the British and American troops in the Revolutionary War, as British troops withdrew from Philadelphia and began to make their way to New York.
   After learning a little about history, kids and adults will have two opportunities to enjoy performances by storyteller Gwendolyn Jones at noon at the Friends Meeting House "Peace Garden," and at 3:15 p.m. in the upper level of the Community House.
   Activities and special features held throughout the day will include a quilt exhibit at the Methodist Church, a community marketplace on Church Street, demonstrations outside the Methodist Church and on the Village Green, colonial American music by Anne and Ridley Enslow, colonial children’s games and colonial dancing by the Crosswicks Historic Dancers on the Village Green.
   Face painting and pumpkin painting for kids will be held throughout the day at the Crosswicks Community House along with a pumpkin sale sponsored by local Boy Scouts and the juried craft show and sale. The antique car show will be held throughout the day on Main Street.
   Event organizers said the juried arts and craft show promises to offer a wide variety of unique handmade items including pottery, baskets, primitive Halloween crafts, decorative painting, quilting and fiber arts, jewelry, dolls and floral crafts.
   "We wanted to find local artists like the next-door neighbor who has been painting watercolors who nobody knows about," said Ms. Graziul. Antique appraiser Robert Slatoff will be available to informally evaluate items between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. in the upper level of Crosswicks Community House for a charge of $5 per item.
   Refreshments will be available at several locations throughout the day. Home cooking will be available in the lower level of the Community House in the Crosswicks Café, while homemade pie and ice cream will be sold at the Friends Meeting House on Front Street.
   The United Methodist Church will serve hot dogs and soda and a spaghetti dinner will be served from 3 to 7 p.m. at the Union Fire Co. #2 on New Street.
   Morning Star Ranch at 431 Ellisdale Road will be open for visitors between noon and 4 p.m.
   Crosswicks Village Festival is sponsored by the Crosswicks Community Association, Chesterfield Township Historical Society, Crosswicks Library, Crosswicks United Methodist Church, Crosswicks Fire Company and Crosswicks Friends Meeting.