HOWELL – Residents from all across the township came to have fun and celebrate the land they call home during the annual Howell Day and Green Fair at Soldier Memorial Park.
The event included mechanical rides, activities, games, food trucks, live music, and displays set up by different companies and organizations with the purpose of celebrating Howell and the local community. Several arms of Howell’s emergency response teams were there, with the intent of fostering positive relationships with the population they serve.
The rides that were at the fair included a mini Ferris wheel and teacups. Other activities also included a mini bungee jump trampoline, in addition to a rock climbing wall and the touch-a-truck display.
Bouncy houses included ones where participants could race each other through an inflatable obstacle course, and one where participants competed to gather red balls on an inflatable hungry-hungry hippos game.
On the other side of the lot in a different field, a petting zoo was set up, filled with goats and other small farm animals.
One of the games that people could play was cornhole, and several tournaments were played throughout the day. Another game at the fair was an axe-throwing competition set up by Bury the Hatchet, where participants competed with one another in side-by-side axe-throwing lanes. A mini golf area was set up at the fair as well.
As with many of the other events at Soldier Memorial Park, food trucks lined the main pathway of the festival. Plenty of food options were available for patrons. Looking for a traditional fair food type meal? Simply Sofrito, Caprici’s pizza, and Relish the Dog were the spots to go. Up for dessert? Mister Softee and Kona Ice were there serving sweet treats. Need a place to wet your whistle? The Howell Township PBA had beers on tap for patrons over 21.
It wouldn’t be a community event without community-based organizations and businesses having displays. Pack 258 had a tent and was trying to boost awareness for their Cub Scout organization. Howell Farmers United, a group of citizens dedicated to supporting local farms, had a display as well. Howell police and other emergency services were present as well, not only to be there in case of an emergency, but to show off their equipment and trucks, a few of which they allowed fairgoers to enter.
As they have with many other community level events in Monmouth County, Brookdale Community College had a display that featured pamphlets of information about the school and its programs.
The live music included performances from the Howell High School Marching Band, the Howell High School MVP Band, Jobanno and the Godsons of Soul, before wrapping up with the Black Ties. The Black Ties are a band from central New Jersey, with a few of their members being Howell natives. They played songs like “Brown Eyed Girl” and “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” to a crowd that was sitting back in their lawn chairs and enjoying the show.
Music wasn’t the only live performance of the day, as the students at Art Beins Karate put on a show of their own, displaying the moves and discipline they learned during their training.
The event would wrap up at 8 p.m. with a fireworks display that lit up the night sky. Those who could not attend the whole event due to prior obligations still showed up en masse for the firework show, as the entrance to the fair was lined with cars at 7:30, despite most of the festivities starting to close down.
