The Alternative Press

The Westfield Historical Society will be celebrating the 100 year anniversary of Charles Addams with a special one day exhibit of his prints during their fourth annual Apple Fest on Saturday, October 20. Tours of the newly renovated historic Reeve House featuring the Charles Addams exhibit will be available from 12p.m. to 3:30p.m.

Charles Addams, a Westfield native born in 1912, was a nationally acclaimed cartoonist known for his darkly humorous and macabre characters. Some of his recurring cartoon characters became know as the Addams Family and became the basis for two live-action television series, two animated TV series, 3 motion pictures, and a recent Broadway musical.

Addams did cartoons for the Westfield High School student literary magazine, The Weather Vane. His cartoons also regularly appeared in the New Yorker beginning in 1932. Houses on Elm Street and Dudley Avenue in Westfield are said to be the inspiration for the Addams mansion in his cartoons. The prints on display are donated by Ron MacCloskey, an avid Addams collector.

In addition to the exhibit Apple Fest activities will include Grandma Ginny's Antiques sale, children's and adult games, an apple pie contest and sales, pumpkin painting, barbershop music by the, food, mum sales, and much more. A special celebration of 100 years of Girl Scouts in Westfield will also be held.

The Westfield Historical Society is a non profit organization dedicated to preserving, interpreting, and encouraging interest in history and Westfield through educational efforts and community outreach. For more information please call the WHS office at 908-654-1794 or on the web at www.westfieldhistoricalsociety.org