By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
Lea KahnStaff Writer
Maddox Malave couldn’t make up his mind.
What did he like best about the Jubilee, sponsored by Lawrenceville Main Street?
”I liked the bouncy house and the horse. The horse walks, and in the bouncy house, you jump,” said the 7-year-old Lawrence boy.
Maddox wasn’t alone, as there was plenty to choose from at the annual event, held on a sunny Sunday afternoon in the historic village of Lawrenceville. The first Jubilee celebration took place in 1999.
Sunday afternoon’s festival featured children’s games, vendors’ booths, and booths set up by various nonprofit agencies. And, of course, there was food and musical entertainment not to mention the pony ride and the inflatable “bouncy house” that Maddox liked.
Vendors offered the gamut from jewelry to baseball team memorabilia, including T-shirts.
Children could knock down a tower of cans with a beanbag, or they could go pluck plastic duckies not rubber ones from a tub full of water. Depending on what they found on the bottom of the duck, they would win a small prize.
The Harvest Chapel Assembly of God offered “Fruit of the Spirit,” which was a fruit toss game for children with a message. Youngsters picked up plastic fruit and tossed it into bowls and earned points, depending on which bowl it landed in.
Bowls that were placed higher up on a tiered stand earned more points for the participants. A bowl at the bottom of the tiered stand earned 20 points and a message of “love, joy and peace.” At the top of the tier, a player could earn 75 points and a message of “patience and self-control.”
While the games were popular, there were long lines in front of the face-painting booth, the pony ride and, of course, the food booths. Visitors could choose from the predictable pizza, hot dogs, French fries, funnel cake or cheese steak sandwiches, to pulled pork sandwiches, cupcakes and Carribean, Cajun and soul food.
Nonprofit groups, such as the Alzheimers Association, the American Cancer Society, Twin Oaks Community Services which promotes foster parenting and the Lawrence Township Community Foundation, the Lawrence Hopewell Trail and Easel, which is a small animal rescue league, also set up shop to let visitors know what they have to offer.
And there was lots of music and entertainment. Disc jockeys from radio station WKXW-FM, also known as New Jersey 101.5, were on hand to play music and talk.
There was live music and dancing, too.
And there were plenty of strollers of the wheeled variety, and those who were pushing them.
Howard Nelson, the president of Lawrenceville Main Street’s board of directors, was pleased with the turnout. Lawrenceville Main Street is a volunteer-drived, nonprofit organization that oversees the business district in the historic village of Lawrenceville.
”This is the first big event for Lawrenceville Main Street for this year. We want to let everyone know that winter has ended and that there are all types of things available for people to participate in,” Mr. Nelson said.
This year, there were 70 businesses and nonprofit groups that arranged for booths at the event 20 more than last year, he added.
