Lawrence ready to celebrate at Sunday’s Community Day

By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
   Community Day, which is Lawrence Township’s annual celebration of itself, is set for Sunday at Village Park, off Gordon Avenue and Bergen Street.
   The 16th annual Community Day, which will run from 12:30 to 4 p.m., puts the spotlight on community groups and businesses, said Steven Groeger, township superintendent of recreation.
   There is no rain date for the free event.
   ”Community Day is a two-way street,” Mr. Groeger said. “Different organizations and agencies and service groups put out a display on what they are about — whether it’s to get (residents’) participation in the organization or a donation — and for residents to see what is available to them from Lawrence Township, Mercer County and New Jersey.”
   One of the highlights of Sunday’s event is the Punt, Pass and Kick competition for youngsters, Mr. Groeger said. The event is co-sponsored by the Lawrence Lightning PBA football organization.
   The competition, set for 1:30 p.m., is open to boys and girls between the ages of 8 and 15, Mr. Groger said. Boys and girls compete in separate age groups. Boys do not compete against girls.
   Community Day is not intended to be a carnival, but there will be some children’s entertainment, he said. A juggler and magician will be on hand, and there will be pony rides and hay rides between 1 and 4 p.m.
   The Lawrence High School Red Scare marching band will perform, and at 2:30 p.m., there will be a Tae Kwon Do demonstration.
   The Lawrence Lightning cheerleaders, the Lawrence Hamnett Soccer Association and the Lawrence Township Junior Baseball/Softball Association will have booths at Community Day.
   The Lawrence Township Education Association, the Lawrence Booster Club, the Lawrence High School Distributive Education Club of America and the Lawrence High School Class of 2011 plan to set up booths.
   Plumb Chiropractic Center and Colonial Valley Chiropractic will have booths, along with Radiology Affiliates Imaging and St. Lawrence Rehabilitation Center, the American Diabetes Association and the Lawrence Township Health Department.
   The Lawrence League of Women Voters, Womanspace, the Moms Clubs of Lawrenceville — both east and west divisions — and the Lawrence Historical Society will take part in the event.
   Representatives of the Friends of Carson Road Woods, Sustainable Lawrence, the Lawrence Township Conservation Foundation, the Lawrence Nature Center and the Lawrence Greenway Committee will be on hand to explain what they do.
   The Master Gardeners of Mercer County, the township’s Shade Tree Advisory Committee and the Garden Gate Garden Club have signed up for booths to get their messages across.
   If all of those activities make visitors work up an appetite, there will be plenty of food available. The food vendors include Dino’s Café, Stewart’s Root Beer, the China Chef and Frank’s BBQ. The Lawrence Lightning PBA football team will sell food, and there will be an ice cream truck.
   Parking will be available on the streets around Village Park and in the parking lots off Yeger Drive and Gordon Avenue. Those who can walk or ride a bicycle are encouraged to do so, Mr. Groeger said.