By Amy Batista, Special Writer
JAMESBURG — Residents are preparing for the annual Fall Festival on Sunday.
”It’s a festival to celebrate the town itself and it’s residents,” Mayor Marlene Lowande said. “I encourage everyone to come out and enjoy everything the day has to offer.”
The annual event will take place from noon to 5 p.m. along West Railroad Avenue.
”It’s the perfect day to bring Jamesburg together for our residents, for surrounding towns, even towns further away, just to come to Jamesburg and we can just show off our town and what we have to offer,” said Councilwoman and Chair of Public Events Barbara Carpenter on Sept. 26. “It’s just a wonderful day and I am hoping for good weather.”
Ms. Carpenter described the history of how the Fall Festival started and what it has become today.
”It use to be called Tonkery Day and Tonkery was the name of our past mayor who passed away,” Ms. Carpenter said. “His name was Joe Tonkery so they named it ‘Tonkery Day’ and it used to coincide with Buckelew Day and along the way it was changed to the Jamesburg Fall Festival.”
The rain date is the following week, Oct. 14, at the same time and location.
The event started in August and then moved to September before being scheduled in October, according to Ms. Carpenter.
”I like October because it’s the beginning of all the holidays so it gives more of that feeling that fall is here and the kids are excited for Halloween,” Ms. Carpenter said.
New to the event this year will be a petting zoo, a karate demonstrations, and Cub Pack 105 will be doing mobile races.
The pony rides and petting zoo will be located on the corner of Hillside Avenue and West Railroad in the grassy area across from the firehouse, and the mobile races, which will be judged, will be along Church Street in between Gatzmer and West Railroad avenues.
Ms. Carpenter said there will be several Jumpy Rides, a Bouncy Slide for children, a train ride and classic cars and motorcycles sponsored by the Jamesburg Elks, animal adoptions, live music, a DJ, an Art Class, games, face painting, sand art, and food as well as a variety of vendors.
”This year the town just recently purchased a new fire truck so they are going to display the fire truck so people can see where the tax money went on a much needed new fire truck,” Ms. Carpenter said. “We are going to have our Department of Public Works equipment, trucks, there so people can see them and get a little idea of what we have in our town, what are departments do, what equipment we have,” Ms. Carpenter said.
It is expected that more than 80 vendors will be in attendance at the festival and will include a variety of nonprofit organizations, local businesses, local farmers selling their produce, food, homemade crafts, and other goods, according to Ms. Carpenter.
The Middlesex County Sheriff’s Department will be handing out safety literature and be available to do free fingerprinting for those interested, according to Ms. Carpenter.
There also will be a pumpkin-judging contest at a table on West Railroad Avenue near the PNC Bank. Children are asked to bring their own decorated pumpkins to be judged. Prizes will be awarded for the funniest, scariest, cutest and most original.
”I want to thank everyone involved,” Mayor Lowande said. “Without the volunteerism in this town, events like this wouldn’t even be possible.”

