The Jamesburg Historical Association will sponsor its annual Buckelew Day Festival from noon to 6 p.m. on Sept. 8 on the grounds of Buckelew Park, Route 522, across from Dunkin’ Donuts.
The theme of the festival, which a tribute to Jamesburg’s namesake James Buckelew, is “Discovering the History and Heritage in Your Back Yard.” More than 70 central New Jersey historical associations and historic sites have been invited to set up displays or send materials for distribution at the celebration. To celebrate the area’s heritage, the association is calling for local churches and organizations to set up displays at the event. History- or cultural related vendors also are sought.
Scheduled activities will include tours of Lakeview Mansion. The historic Jamesburg Train Room, with running Nscale trains and a diorama and scale models of historic area buildings, will be operational. The day also will feature Civil War re-enactors, an appearance by “Abraham Lincoln” and two smiths operating the historic Dingfeld Blacksmith Shop. The association will offer continuous showings of “Jamesburg of Yesteryear,” a 45-minute photographic history of the town.
There will be entertainment throughout the afternoon. The Lakeview Players, the association’s in-house theater group for high school and college students, will perform. Richard Roden, a retired English teacher and musician, will present “American History in Song.” Food historian Judith Krall-Russo will offer a discussion on the history of the Jersey tomato. The appearances by Roden and Krall-Russo are made possible through grants from the New Jersey Council for the Humanities.
In conjunction with Buckelew Day, the historical association is sponsoring the Historic Central New Jersey Photo Contest, open to any photographer age 5 and above, amateur or professional. Photographs must be history-related and taken between June 15 and Aug. 25 in Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean or Somerset counties. Contest details and entry forms are available online at www.jamesburghistory. com. Forms also may be obtained by writing to the Jamesburg Historical Association Photo Contest, 203 Buckelew Ave., Jamesburg, NJ 08831, calling (732) 521-2040, or e-mailing [email protected].
The Buckelew Mansion is open for public tours from 2-4 p.m. on the second and fourth Sundays of every month except December. Group tours for 10 or more individuals are available by appointment.
For more information on the Buckelew Day Festival and Jamesburg Historical Association activities, call (732) 521-2040 or log on to www.jamesburghistory.com.