Sixth Annual Pennsauken Harvest Festival Held On October 12
By Frank Sinatra, AAP Editor
Pennsauken Township, in association with the Pennsauken Firefighters Association, will host the sixth annual Pennsauken Harvest Festival on Saturday, Oct. 12. This annual event, held from noon to 4:00 p.m. at the Pennsauken Community Recreation Complex on Westfield Ave., brings the Township community together with a family-friendly atmosphere and great musical performances.
“We’re hard at work to bring the Pennsauken community another great Harvest Festival,” says Duke Martz, head of Pennsauken Township’s Parks and Recreation Department. “We’d like to thank our many sponsors for their support of this year’s Harvest Festival, including Able Equipment; Arnolds Safe & Lock; Caruso Care; Connor, Strong & Buckelew; Doctor K Orthodontics; Elite Auto; Montegrillo Cucina Italiana; Municipal Maintenance Company; Pinsetter Bar & Bowl; Remington & Vernick Engineers; and T&M Engineering.”
Performances at the sixth annual Harvest Festival will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of Woodstock. The bands that take the main stage will be performing songs from that era, while covering a variety of genres.
“We’ve got four great bands lined up for the Harvest Festival, some of whom have some local talent among their members,” says Martz.
Held in conjunction with Fire Prevention Month, a time of year to focus on promoting the importance of fire safety in the community, the Pennsauken Fire Department will hold several demonstrations, including rappelling and a car extraction, as well as hosting their annual chili contest. This year’s theme is, “Not every hero wears a cape. Plan and practice your escape.™”
“When your smoke alarm goes off you may only have one or two minutes to escape your home safely,” explains Captain Dan Kerr, fire marshal of the Pennsauken-Collingswood Fire Prevention and Inspection Bureau. “Making an escape plan with your family and practicing your home fire drill can make all the difference in giving yourself enough time to get out safely.”
Rows of vendors and crafters will line the parking lot of the Community Recreational Complex, located next to the Merchantville-Pennsauken Water Commission building, north of Cove Rd. Attendees looking to enjoy a meal or snack will have several food trucks to choose from. There will be plenty of free activities for the kids. New this year, youngsters accompanied by an adult can board a hayride at Bethel Ave. and travel around the complex to a “patch” to pick out the perfect pumpkin for painting. Toe Knee the Magician will be on site, amazing kids both young and old with up close magic performances. Entertaining stilt walkers give attendees someone to look up to. For animal lovers, there will be a petting zoo and pony rides. Families can also take advantage of other Harvest Festival staples, including balloon twisting, face painting, and more.
Regular and handicapped parking will be available for attendees, both on site as well as the areas adjacent to the Pennsauken Community Recreation Complex; during the event, traffic assistance will be provided by Pennsauken Police. The rain date for the event is Sunday, Oct. 13. For more information, visit “Pennsauken Harvest Festival” on Facebook or go to http://www.twp.pennsauken.nj.us/content/harvest-festival-2019.
