By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
It took a couple of tries for Lucas Schwartz to succeed at the task, but the 2-year-old boy finally tossed a recyclable bottle into a big, yellow recycling bucket.
Lucas was very pleased with himself, and reached for his prize — a green plastic Frisbee handed to him by one of the Lawrence Township Department of Public Works staffers manning the booth.
That booth, which drew a constant stream of visitors Sunday afternoon, was one of many set up in the Yeger Drive parking lot at Village Park — all in celebration of Lawrence Township’s annual Community Day festival.
For 7-year-old Elizabeth Duff, the main draw at Community Day was Gaminride — a trailer full of video games.
Sporting a lavender stripe in her hair — complements of Posh hair salon — Elizabeth said she also liked the Lawrence Lacrosse Club’s booth. Children could try their hand at flinging the ball into a net.
"I have lacrosse in my blood," said Elizabeth, who is learning how to play the game. Her dad, Aaron Duff, coaches youth lacrosse.
Sunday morning started out sunny and cool, but as the day wore on, the temperature climbed — and so did the attendance. The number of visitors at the event, which ran from 12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m., peaked around 2:30 p.m.
The goal of Community Day is to show Lawrence Township residents what is available to them. Many people are not aware of the nonprofit groups in the township, or the government services available to them. The event also allows local businesses to showcase themselves and reach out to potential customers.
Some groups may be looking for new members or volunteers, and some residents may be looking for places to volunteer. The groups and the residents can make connections at Community Day.
On display were booths from Lawrenceville Main Street, the Lawrence Historical Society, the Lawrence Township Education Foundation and the Garden Gate Garden Club.
American Legion Post 414 set up a booth so visitors could learn more about it. The Lawrence chapter of the League of Women Voters set up shop nearby, and the three volunteer fire companies — Slackwood, Lawrence Road and Lawrenceville — each brought a fire truck to Community Day.
Community Day also had its own "bag man," who walked around the parking lot decked out in 500 plastic bags. That’s the number of disposable plastic bags used by the average American every year. There is a movement afoot to ban the bags, including a nonbinding referendum to be placed on the Nov. 4 general election ballot.
But it wasn’t all about community groups. There was entertainment for children and grownups alike — from a hayride in a flatbed trailer pulled by a Department of Public Works tractor, to a concert by the Lawrence High School Red Scare marching band and pony rides.
The Community Quilt booth drew a lot of attention. Children and grownups picked up a swatch of fabric from a plastic bucket and glued it onto a sheet. The outline on the sheet was that of the municipal boundaries of Lawrence Township — which some youngster did not recognize.
Gabrielle Kanter of Young Audiences New Jersey, who was overseeing the quilt-making effort, said the sheet and its swatches will be turned into a quilt. The quilt will eventually placed in the Municipal Building, she said.
"(Participants) can be of any age. It’s a great way to have a lot of people working on something," Ms. Kanter said.
And a great way for people to turn Community Day into a community effort.
