By Jennifer Kohlhepp, Managing Editor
The Cranbury Day Street Fair is an annual event held in the heart of historic downtown Cranbury.
Cranbury Day has been taking place since the 1970s when two Main Street shop owners got together to host a sidewalk sale. The event has evolved over the years, growing with the help of other local businesses as well as nonprofit organizations.
In the past, the Lions Club barbecued chicken at the school and antique cars rolled into town on Cranbury Day.
“Over the years different people got involved and different things happened,” Christine Thompson, one of this year’s Cranbury Day coordinators, said. “One year we had a big science project tent. For a couple of years we had a petting zoo. It’s fun because each year there is something new and different.”
This year, the street fair will take place along Main Street from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sept. 12. Hosted by the Cranbury Business and Professional Association, the event will feature live music, games, pony rides, face-painting and approximately 80 vendors. What’s new will take visitors up, up and away.
“The newest thing this year are the helicopter rides,” Ms. Thompson said.
Analar Corporation owner Mike Renz will provide helicopter rides for the first time on Cranbury Day. For $45 cash per person, patrons can lift off from the soccer fields behind Cranbury Public School and get an aerial view of the township and its surroundings.
While some visitors take to the air, others will enjoy the sounds at two designated concert areas where local bands will perform throughout the day. The lineup includes the Tone Rangers, The Jazz Burglars, Bill and Bob, Pierre Dujue Jazz Quartet, Ed Goldberg’s One Man Band, Mummers Uptown String Band and Four Flight Rock.
“The music the last four or five years has been a big draw,” Ms. Thompson said. “We bring in hay bales for people to sit on and listen to the groups.”
Another sight to see will be the rubber ducks on the lake by the firehouse.
“The ducks are dumped into a roped off section and they race and we declare winners,” Ms. Thompson said. “This will be the race’s fourth year. It’s sponsored by the Lions Club and is a fundraiser for the club. The first three years the club donated the funds raised to the library foundation to build a new library. This year, the funds will go into a Lions Club project. The Lions Club is a service organization that raises money and gives it away.”
The Cranbury Public Library will host its own “Jail and Bail” fundraiser at the street fair. The following “perpetrators” will be booked and held in the library’s “jail cell” on Main Street — Barbara Adams, a beloved kindergarten teacher; Matthew Curran, a soft-spoken Cranbury dad; and Vincent Iznnaci, owner of the Cranbury Bagel Barn. Visitors can help bail them out by making donations that will be used to build the new library in town. The library has raised $2 million and the total construction budget is $2.93 million.
Cranbury Day is a huge fundraising day for local organizations.
“The Cranbury First Aid cadets usually have some type of fundraiser,” Ms. Thompson said. “In addition to the rubber duck race, the Lions Club will sell hamburgers as a fundraiser. The Methodist Church has a café where they sell lunch and they have ‘Attic Treasures,’ which is an inside yard sale. The Cranbury Fire Department will sell hotdogs as a fundraiser. The eighth-graders at Cranbury School have a fundraiser too. They enthusiastically sell baked goods throughout the day.”
The business association does not profit from the event. Members actually give donations to hire the bands and provide other entertainment for the day.
“Gabriella Kovacs of 1st Constitution Bank helps with the sponsors and T-shirts and a litany of businesses help and donate $100 to $200 to sponsor some of the music and activities,” Ms. Thompson said. “Cranbury Township donates the inflatables.”
A majority of the activities held throughout the day are free to try to attract as many attendees as possible, according to Ms. Thompson.
“We want people to come out to support the town, our businesses and organizations,” Ms. Thompson said. “A lot of people come because they don’t’ want to miss seeing their neighbors and others that they get to see on Cranbury Day each year. It’s a great day for people of all ages.”
Prior to the Cranbury Day festivities at 8:15 a.m., the Helene Cody Foundation 5K and Fun Run will take place. This annual event is held in memory of Helene Cody, a Cranbury resident who passed away on her 16th birthday. This is the major fundraiser for the Helene Cody Foundation, which has a mission to inspire youth to volunteer to better their communities and themselves. More information about registering and volunteering can be found at helenecody.com.
“It’s amazing how may people finish the race and walk through town,” Ms. Thompson said. “It’s wonderful for us because it starts the day off with a great group of people. It’s neat to see all of the racers.”
The American Repertory Ballet and Princeton Ballet School will also be participating in Cranbury Day. Every year, American Repertory Ballet Workshop (ARBW) students perform in Princeton Ballet School’s Cranbury studio at 29 N. Main St. Additionally, American Repertory Ballet takes part in the Cranbury Day festivities out on the street with a setup in front of the Princeton Ballet School building. This station will feature giveaway items, chances to win free tickets to an upcoming performance, and fun photo opportunities.
More than half of the vendors that will be at the street fair will be Cranbury businesses.
“People should just come out to show support for local businesses, have fun, listen to music and eat good food,” Ms. Thompson said.
For more information and updates, visit Facebook.com/CranburyBusinessAssociation.
