Princeton Shopping Center sets festival on Saturday

By: Rachel Silverman
   Folk dancing, pony rides and colorful balloons will fill Princeton Shopping Center on Saturday afternoon, as the popular township hub once again hosts its annual spring festival.
   "We’re celebrating good weather and showing off our shopping center," said Chris Hanington, general manager of the shopping center. "We have this beautiful courtyard and want to bring people to it and do some shopping while they’re here.
   "It’s family-oriented," Ms. Hanington continued, referring to the packed schedule of events, which includes a petting zoo, disc jockey and tattoo body painting.
   The festival, which will take place from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the shopping center courtyard, will also feature a kids’ health fair.
   "It’s basically to raise awareness of health and safety issues for kids," said health-fair organizer Ed Sofo, who practices at the Princeton Chiropractic Center. "There’s plenty of info for all ages."
   Dr. Sofo said the fair will include an ambulance, presentations on fire safety and car safety seat inspections. A nutritional expert and natural path doctor will also be on hand to provide medical counseling, as will Dr. Sofo himself, who will conduct spinal screenings.
   "We’re also going to have child emergency ID cards," Dr. Sofo said. "We will have a photographer taking pictures and the police department doing kids’ fingerprints."
   As part of Children’s Health Day International, the health fair will be conducting a fundraiser for the Make A Wish foundation, Dr. Sofo added.
   Griggstown Locke, Millstone River Morris and Shandygaff Longsworddance Corps will also be present Saturday afternoon to lighten the mood with some May Day dances.
   "They’ll be doing traditional folk dancing," Ms. Hanington said. "They wear traditional English clothing."
   Throughout the event, center shops will hold an outdoor sidewalk sale.
   Mr. Hanington added that the shopping center, which is 50 years old, is looking to undergo a substantial facelift in the near future.
   "We have an application with the Planning Board for renovation," she said. "There’s no expansion, nothing’s moving. It’s just a façade renovation," she said.