The future of Cranbury Day is in doubt, as the business group that sponsors the annual street fair has raised financial concerns about having the event in 2019, a Cranbury official said.
Township Committeeman Matthew A. Scott said on July 9 that the leadership of the Cranbury Business Association had expressed to him, during a private meeting, that the organization would “have problems, financially, bringing Cranbury Day together next year.”
“As things stand, they don’t think they’re going to be able to put on Cranbury Day,” said Scott, who is the liaison from the Township Committee to the association.
The association has asked the township for help to “get Cranbury Day together” for 2019, Scott said.
His comments came during the Township Committee meeting on July 9, when officials briefly discussed the issue.
“We, obviously, are going to need to know all the costs they’re talking about,” Township Committeeman Daniel P. Mulligan III said. “We’ve got to understand the cost implications and the manpower implications.”
Township Committeeman Jay Taylor said he had heard conflicting messages from members of the Cranbury Business Association, that the event could end or continue.
“There are two different sides,” Taylor said. “I always figure the truth is somewhere in the middle.”
Christine Thompson, a past president of the Cranbury Business Association, said on July 10 that she is “probably” going to step down as the coordinator of Cranbury Day, a role she has filled for more than 20 years.
She said Beth Veghte, the current president of the organization who has worked closely with her on the event, is planning to move out of the area next year.
“We had concerns about whether the Cranbury Day event would even happen because she and I have spearheaded it for probably the last four or five years and done probably 80 percent of the work, with help from others, but minimal help from others,” Thompson said. “I know everyone is replaceable, but we don’t have a good feel for whether it would happen.”
Thompson said she feels the township could help financially, although she did not have a dollar amount in mind of how much the municipality ought to contribute. She is also looking to the township for help to organize Cranbury Day.
“It’s not just the money that we need help with,” she said. “We need the manpower to put the event on.”
Cranbury Day, taking place every year in early September after Labor Day, traces its origins to a sidewalk sale some businesses had in the 1970s. From those beginnings, the event bloomed into a street fair featuring vendors and other events, including helicopter rides. Crowds come from around the area to attend. This year, Cranbury Day is scheduled for Sept. 8 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.