Annual township festival is Saturday in Woodlot Park
by Paul Koepp, Staff Writer
Now that Labor Day has come and gone, it’s time for another end-of-summer tradition, when township residents and organizations come together Saturday to fight drug abuse at the annual Charlene J. Austin Community Unity Day.
The free event will run from noon to 5 p.m. at Woodlot Park on New Road. The first Unity Day was held in 1986 to educate residents about the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse, and it was later named in honor of the South Brunswick woman who organized the first three Unity Days.
The event, sponsored by the South Brunswick Municipal Alliance on Substance Abuse, will feature presentations by the Sheriff’s Office of Middlesex County, D.A.R.E., the South Brunswick Police Department and the Fire Prevention Bureau.
Food will be provided by C & G Steak & Sausage, of Belford; Kendall Park Pizza; and Coneheads Ice Cream, of Monmouth Junction. There also will be entertainment, carnival games, and presentations by other local businesses and organizations, and N.J. Blood Services will be on hand to collect blood from eligible volunteer donors.
Arthur Roedel has been the Unity Day chairman since 1999 and said it is always a rewarding experience for everyone involved.
”What I enjoyed most about this event still holds true,” he said. “I like the idea of a community coming together each year, giving all of us an opportunity to see and speak with others that we either don’t know or don’t very often see.”
And people who get in the greeting mood can buy greeting cards from the township Social Services Advisory Board in its annual fundraiser at the event.
The cards, with artwork by two township residents chosen in an art contest open to all school-age children, will be on sale for $4 each or packages of five for $15. One card features a photograph titled “Cherry Blossoms” by Daniel Shapiro, 14, while the other card features a painting titled “Waterlilies” by Jacob Mitchell, 7, a second-grade student at Brunswick Acres School.
All proceeds from the sale of the cards will be used to help individuals or families in need pay for rent, utility bills, unexpected medical expenses, food and other emergency needs.
”September through December is our big push for monetary donations,” said LouAnne Wolf, the township social services director, who added that residents can be put on the list to adopt families in need for the upcoming holiday season. She also said that the township food pantry, located in the Municipal Building, can always use donations of jelly, Parmalat, snack foods and canned meats.
Another featured participant at Community Unity Day will be the school district, which will give parents the chance to sign up for the Emergency Email Notification service and the elementary school Online Friday Folder. There also will be a photo montage of this summer’s construction at Crossroads North Middle School.
In addition, the district’s cable station, Viking Television Network, will have an interactive area where children can film themselves. The footage will be used to create a video montage that will be shown on the channel, Comcast Cable channel 28, this fall.

