Festival set for 10 a.m. Saturday at Armory.
By: Lea Kahn
Poets, dancers and artists will share their creative works Saturday when they converge on Lawrence for the second annual Lawrence Arts & Music Festival.
The daylong event kicks off at 10 a.m. and wraps up at 5 p.m. It will be held at the New Jersey Army National Guard Armory on Eggert Crossing Road, off Route 206/Lawrence Road.
The idea for the arts and music festival grew out of a communitywide meeting two years ago to discuss the then-fledgling nonprofit Lawrence Township Community Foundation, said Councilwoman Pam Mount, who is helping to organize the event.
People said they were interested in celebrating the arts in Lawrence, but there are no art galleries or theaters in the town, she said. The artists felt they have to go elsewhere to perform or show off their works, so it was decided to hold a festival in town last year, she said.
The arts festival tries to combine professional artists with young artists, Ms. Mount said. It gives everybody an opportunity to perform. It lets the children perform in front of a larger audience. It also gives the community a chance to see what is going on in the schools, she said.
Poetry reading sessions and a play, performed by the Lawrence Repertory Co., also are on tap, Ms. Mount said. Three stages will be set up to handle all of the performers.
Student musicians and singers from the Lawrence Intermediate School, the Lawrence Middle School and Lawrence High School will perform in the morning, Ms. Mount said. Those schools house students in grades 4-12.
In the afternoon, blue grass music, folk music and Phillipino classical songs will be featured. The Lawrence Community Concert Band will perform, as will the Actor’s Dance Studio.
Students from the four elementary schools Lawrenceville, Ben Franklin, Eldridge Park and Slackwood will display some of their artwork, Ms. Mount said. Nearly two dozen adult artists, including painters and sculptors, also will show off some of their creations. The artwork will be set up on boards in the armory.
The New Jersey Poetry Society plans to offer a children’s workshop on poetry, presented by society member Edith Kaltovich. She also plans to present a lecture on poet Walt Whitman later in the afternoon. Storyteller Gwendolyn Jones will spin her magic, also.
In a twist on the creative arts, the Moms Clubs of Lawrence East and West will be on hand to help children decorate cookies and make Mother’s Day cards, Ms. Mount said. Children may plant marigolds in flower pots that they have decorated.
There are also plans to open the Militia Museum of New Jersey during the festival, Ms. Mount said. The museum, which is housed in the armory, is curated by the New Jersey Army National Guard’s 112th Field Artillery.
Admission is free to the Lawrence Arts & Music Festival.

