FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP — Michael J. Tighe Park, Georgia Road, will host Freehold Township Day from 5-11 p.m. July 9.
Freehold Township Day is presented by the Veterans Community Alliance with support from local businesses, including Irwin Lincoln Mazda, Freehold Raceway Mall, Freehold Volkswagen and iPlay America.
David Clemenko, president of the Veterans Community Alliance, said the mission of the event is to put on a patriotic event that families will enjoy, with rides and activities offered for free, to celebrate the “smalltown camaraderie and the American spirit.”
Bridget Mervin, a veteran of the U.S. Army who served in Iraq, will be honored at the event and presented with a grant that will help her to open a catering business in northern New Jersey.
Food vendors will be on hand in the park to provide a variety of appetizing treats. There will be a classic car show sponsored by Remember the Vets.
Freehold Township Day will feature something new this year — an area that Clemenko is calling a teen center.
“Last year as I was walking around during the event I noticed a lot of teens just sitting around,” Clemenko said. “I asked them why they weren’t up and having fun and they told me there was really nothing for them to do.”
He said he decided to address that issue in 2011.
With a sizable donation from Irwin Lincoln Mazda of Freehold, a teen center has been created for Freehold Township Day. There will be rides for teenagers, a volleyball tournament with prizes, and a disc jockey to entertain the teens.
Freehold Township Day will also feature a “Deal or No Deal” game show that will give two families the opportunity to win $500 each.