On the weekend of May 20 and 21, annual fair comes to Bordentown.
By: Allison Busacca
BORDENTOWN CITY There’s a certain comfort in sameness. On the weekend of May 20 and 21, the same white tents will line the same streets and offer the same smiles at the city’s 29th annual street fair, sponsored by the Northern Burlington Regional Chamber of Commerce.
"The crowd keeps me coming back," said Claudia Teal, a crafter who has been participating in the fair since 1992. "I’m there all the time, just talking to people. Walking down the street I see past customers, old friends. It’s a great social time."
More than 100 crafters and local merchants are slated to participate in the fair, open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday along Farnsworth Avenue and part of Chestnut Street.
"Since I’ve been doing it, I’ve met so many neat people in Bordentown," Ms. Teal said, adding that the amount of crafters who return each year allow for a strong sense of community at the fair.
Bob Kalfus and his family have been participating in the fair for almost 17 years and said the entire experience has a very personal feel to it. Mr. Kalfus, who makes marionettes, said his family enjoys the performance aspect that comes with being a crafter and interacting with "the young at heart."
"We like to entertain," he said. "We do activities with the kids. Marionettes are different, so we step the children through the process (of using the puppets). We teach them."
However, the Kalfus family has other artistic talents as well. His wife, Amy Kalfus, specializes in candle art. His daughter, Melanie, 16, creates her own drawstring handbags. And his son, Matthew, 14, is the "all around guy."
On another side of the artistic spectrum, Ms. Teal creates home portraits in watercolor and pen and ink. She said she creates the images from photographs she has taken herself, or from pictures sent in by customers. Ms. Teal, who is a resident of Mansfield, said she got involved in the fair through her involvement in the Chamber of Commerce. She names Bordentown as a particularly enjoyable place to set up her business.
"I like doing the local, older houses," she said. "They have a lot of character and there are so many in Bordentown and throughout the neighboring townships."
She added that she gets photographs from home lovers throughout the world. "People mail me pictures from all over: Japan, England, Germany, all over the United States," she said. "I’ve drawn all types of houses, from townhouses to estates. Everyone loves their home."
The Street Fair will take place 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, May 20 and 21, rain or shine, in Bordentown City along Farnsworth Avenue.

