The Alternative Press

CHATHAM, NJ - On an otherwise cloudy Saturday in June, hundreds of visitors and local residents filled the streets of downtown Chatham to take part in the town’s annual Fishawack Festival.

People of all ages participated in the activities that Fishawack had to offer, attending the all-day festival for a number of reasons.

Rebecca Lant, a local resident, takes her children to the Fishawack Festival every year because “it’s really fun and a nice family event.” Visitors like Sam Allen come to the festival as well, attending Fishawack because she remembers coming as a kid and “wanted to see it again.”

Needless to say, the Fishawack Festival is an integral part of the Chatham community that brings local residents, businesses, and organizations together each June.

Carolyn Cherry, director of the Chatham Area Chamber of Commerce, said that the Fishawack Festival is so important to the Chatham community because “all of the money that is raised goes back to local organizations and a scholarship at Chatham High School.” Specifically, proceeds from the Fishawack Festival benefit the Chatham Borough PBA, the Chatham Borough Fire Department, the Chatham Area Chamber of Commerce, the Library of the Chathams, the Chatham Emergency Squad, and the Senior Center of the Chathams.

The theme of this year’s festival, “Fishawack with Friends,” was evident in the strong sense of community at each part of the event. Entertainment, which took place at the gazebo in Reasoner Park, featured local businesses and organizations like Dance Innovations, World Champion's K Tae Kwon Do, the Chatham Community Band, the School of Rock, and local band No Shame. Crowds of people eagerly gathered to watch the various performances sponsored by Klas Electrical, Barnabas Health, and Weichert Realtors.

At noon, Borough Mayor Bruce Harris led the Mayor’s Awards Ceremony at Reasoner Park to honor volunteers in the Chatham community. Recipients of these Volunteer Awards included John Ball, recognized for his service to the Chatham Borough Farmer’s Market, John Bitar, recognized for his work on projects for the Chatham Township Environmental Commission, Katey DePinto, recognized for her help in regulating the Chatham Borough Community Gardens, Ed DiFiglia, recognized for his work on open space projects through the Environmental Commission, Kenji Hasegawa, recognized for his design of a historical mural of Chatham Borough, Kate Murphy, recognized for her efforts to promote sustainability in Chatham Borough, John Tancredi, recognized for his organization of projects through the Environmental Commission, and Erik Yates, recognized for his efforts to update residents during the October 2011 snow storm.

Harris also recognized Cynthia Steffens, recipient of the Sustained Service Award, for enabling Chatham Borough to obtain the Bronze Status Award in the Sustainable Jersey program and Jim LeMon, recipient of the Volunteer of the Year Award, for his longstanding commitment to best serving the residents of The Chathams.

Visitors and local residents were definitely not disappointed by the range of things to do at the Fishawack Festival. For families, the Children’s Events at Memorial Field allowed kids to take part in a variety of rides, games, and activities. At $10 per child, entrants were permitted unlimited participation in the Moonwalk, Backwards Slide, and Tugger the Tiger, provided by Lucky Star Entertainment, the Trackless Train, sponsored by Rosemary Stone Dougherty, Esq., carnival games, provided by the Madison Area YMCA, and arts and crafts like Spin Art, Tattoos, Face Painting, and Sand Art, sponsored by Barnabas Health, Bikeland, Cleaners Advantage, Investors Savings Bank, and Liberty Drug and Surgical. Children, mesmerized by plentiful activities at Memorial Field, had a blast running between the number of things for them do at the Fishawack Festival.

While the kids enjoyed the events at Memorial Field, adults walked around South Passaic Avenue and surrounding parking lots to shop at the street vendors who were selling there. This year, vendors sold everything from accessories to sports memorabilia to handmade soaps to handbags, providing avid shoppers or just those passing by with the opportunity of scoring something unique. Businesses on Main Street even set up tables outside, offering deals on their products for Fishawack attendees.

After a long day of entertainment, shopping, and fun, Fishawack guests visited Firehouse Plaza to snack on delicious food from a variety of vendors. Festival goers could take their pick at lunch or an afternoon snack, choosing between cheesesteaks, fried raviolis, shaved ice, smoothies, crepes, funnel cakes, bakery sweets, lemonade, fish and chips, and much more.

This year, the Fishawack Festival expanded to include Fairmount Avenue and the street leading up to the Chatham train station. Here, local organizations like the Chatham Borough Farmer’s Market and businesses like Green Village Computer Help set up booths that Fishawack attendees could visit.

The Fishawack Festival of 2012 was sponsored by Pipeworks Services, Overlook Hospital, and Juniper Village at Chatham. Donna McCoy from Juniper Village said that her organization sponsored the Fishawack Festival because “it’s well attended by the community and Juniper Village likes to support
that community.” Overlook Hospital was also present at the event providing free blood pressure screenings to attendees.

Preceding the Fishawack Festival was the 35th annual Fishawack Race, sponsored by the Chatham Borough Jaycees. These one and four mile races both started and ended at the Chatham train station, kicking off the Fishawack Festival.