By: centraljersey.com
I am pleased to inform you that this year’s Cranberry Festival, held in Bordentown City on Oct. 2 and 3, was the busiest and most successful in the 21-year history of the event.
The perfect weather brought out a crowd estimated to be near 50,000 over the two days and the festival hosted a record number of crafters, food vendors and musical entertainers. There are plenty of thanks and kudos to go around!
A heartfelt "thank you" goes to Tim Haggerty and all the fine folks at Ocean Spray Cranberries Inc. for their continued generosity as major co-sponsor of the event. Thanks, too, to Sarah Jeffers and Beneficial Bank, who again sponsored the Vintage Car Show held on Saturday.
It’s impossible to express sufficient gratitude or admiration for our event organizers, Jackie Reed and Patti DeSantis. Most folks are unaware that work on the festival actually begins in January of each year and these two ladies have nurtured and guided the event from its humble beginnings two decades ago to its current status as one of the region’s premier autumn attractions. A "shout-out" is also in order for all the terrific volunteers you saw in those "event staff" shirts who insured that everything went smoothly from set-up right through break-down both days.
Our thanks also go out to Mayor Lynch, Commissioner Targonski and Commissioner Cheesman, as well as to Chief Simmons, Lt. Miller and the Bordentown City Police Department. I also want to recognize the outstanding job done by the Public Works Department – the sidewalks and thoroughfares were kept remarkably clean despite the record crowd.
Last but by no means least, the DBA thanks all the Bordentown City residents for helping to make our visitors and vendors feel welcome. I know that having 50,000 people in town causes some difficulties and inconveniences but the people of Bordentown, as usual, handled it all with grace and good spirit. I hope everybody had some fun – we couldn’t do it without you.
In closing, I’d like everyone to know that the proceeds generated by the Cranberry Festival and other events such as the upcoming Spirit Walk (Oct. 22) and Ghost Walk (Oct. 24) are used by the DBA, in cooperation with city government and other organizations, to keep our town attractive and our business district vital not only for the upcoming holiday season but throughout the year.
Doug Palmieri President Downtown Bordentown Association
Live music makes Bordentown rock
To the editor:
We are writing to thank all the people who put together the free, live music in front of the Record Collector on Sunday afternoon, a great way to cap off the best Cranberry Festival we’ve been to since moving here 10 years ago. Thanks to Randy "Now" Ellis, John and Sue Chrambanis from the RC and everyone else who pulled this together and volunteered.
We heard the last two performers, the Grip Weeds (really fun to see a gal on lead guitar by the way), and Terry Sylvester backed by the Cryers. I kind of knew that he had been with the British band The Hollies, but I didn’t realize he was going to sing so many of their hit songs. For a fellow of a certain age, he was in fine voice, and even hit those high notes in "Carrie Anne." I had forgotten all the hits The Hollies had and hearing them live brought back a lot of good memories.
Terry Sylvester has connections with some other memorable folks in music and also did a song by his friend, Gerry (Marsden) and the Pacemakers, which was very touching, and had at least one couple slow dancing together. Terry joked that Gerry himself might need a pacemaker these days, having just had heart surgery! In fact, he made a couple of funny jokes about "being of a certain age," and as I looked around I saw people who may have a few extra pounds and gray hairs, but who were smiling, dancing and singing along, like they were kids again.
I also saw little kids excited by the music, playing air guitar and dancing. I saw parents (or maybe grandparents) dancing with their little ones. We were especially touched by "He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother," which Terry dedicated to all the U.S. and U.K. servicemen and women abroad, with hopes that they come home safely.
Terry Sylvester said he thought Bordentown seemed like a "sweet town," and indeed it was very sweet to see the generations coming together and enjoying the live music, especially coming from a guy who is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. We didn’t have this in my hometown growing up.
We are so fortunate to have this interest in live music, the folks who can bring it together, and this venue, which has been drawing some real legends in the last 2 1/2 years: a former Beatle, a former Monkee and a former E-Streeter among many others. (Another former E-Streeter is coming in November by the way.)
Thanks again, and rock on!
Bryan and Susan Grigsby Bordentown City
Keep the music coming at Cranberry Festival
To the editor:
I attended our yearly Cranberry Festival this past Saturday and Sunday. Both days were crowded and successful.
Sunday’s festival had a party-like atmosphere with School of Rock performing a Led Zeppelin cover and other rock songs in town. The B.A.S.I.C.S. Trinity Methodist Church Praise Band sang for us in front of their church on Farnsworth Avenue. The Record Collector had some of New Jersey’s finest rock bands, the Doughboys at 2 p.m., and the Grip Weeds at 3 p.m., perform for us outside the store. Terry Sylvester, formerly of The Hollies, performed in the finale. All of this music was free.
I hope next year that music can be added to Saturday’s festival. I would have enjoyed seeing the antique cars more if music was in the background. The festival just gets better every year.
Nicholas Rossos, M.D. Bordentown
