By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
Florence Broadway sat on a chair in the Brearley House on New Year’s Eve, her brow furrowed as she focused on making a list of “bad things” in 2012 that she wanted to forget by tossing them into the bonfire that was being ignited about 30 yards away.
”I would like to forget about my best friend’s death,” Ms. Broadway said, looking over the list that she was carefully compiling.
Although Ms. Broadway lives practically next door to the Brearley House her home is on the other side of the Princessville Cemetery on Princeton Pike this is the first time that she has attended the annual Hogmanay bonfire.
”Every year, I forget about it. But this year, I remembered. I’m glad I did. I am looking forward to it,” Ms. Broadway said, as she waited for the bonfire to be lighted.
The Hogmanay bonfire is a Scottish tradition on New Year’s Eve. The bonfire at the Brearley House, which is located at the end of an unpaved road next to the Princessville Cemetery, has been sponsored by the Lawrence Historical Society since 1997.
While most of the spectators at the bonfire like Ms. Broadway live nearby, the event’s reach extended to North Carolina this year. The Cox family traveled from Greenville, N.C., to attend.
Well, not really.
”My sister, Nicky Carpinelli, lives in Lawrence,” said Kathy Cox. “We are here for the holidays, and she told us about it.”
”We said we wanted to see the bonfire. This is cool for us. It’s a little different. I ‘Facebooked’ my friend to let her know about it. Her husband is Scottish. I think it’s a neat ceremonial way to start the new year,” Ms. Cox said.
Meanwhile, fire master Tom Ledwith and Lawrence Historical Society members had gathered up scraps of wood and discarded shipping pallets to create a 15-foot-tall pile. Using a few commercial fire-starter logs, Mr. Ledwith set fire to the pile.
As the fire grew, so did the heat it generated. The heat pushed back the crowd.
”Oh, let’s take another step back,” a spectator said to his family. They moved back into the mass of people that surrounded the bonfire. The crowd was about 10 to 12 people deep.
Following Scottish tradition, most people write a list of things they would like to forget and then step forward to throw them into the Hogmanay bonfire on New Year’s Eve.
When Kevin Berry stepped forward and heaved a satchel into the flames, some folks may have thought that he had an especially bad year.
But the truth is, Mr. Berry said, his paper shredder is broken and he “balled up” all of the papers that he wanted to destroy and what better way than to toss them into the bonfire?
For those spectators who had already tossed their list of bad things into the fire, there was the option to tour the 18th-century Brearley House. The brick, Georgian-style farmhouse is owned by Lawrence Township.
Inside the house, musician Graham Kronk played traditional tunes on a violin. Dressed in a Scottish kilt, he had set up shop in the front parlor of the house.
The music attracted one group of visitors, who danced as Mr. Kronk played. Others watched, entranced by the music.
While the Hogmanay bonfire has been a Lawrence Historical Society tradition since 1997, the crowd this year exceeded past attendance at the event, said Laura Nawrocik, president of the Lawrence Historical Society.
”There were about 600 or 700 people. We usually have about 400 or 500 people. It’s word of mouth. It’s a popular event. The Brearley House is open, and it’s a good way to get people into the house. They tend to come back for the (monthly) tours,” Ms. Nawrocik said.
”I love it,” Ms. Nawrocik said.

