FREEHOLD – Olde Freehold Day was hosted at Lake Topanemus Park to honor veterans for their service and sacrifices that they made, while also celebrating the local community.
The festivities kicked off with a memorial ceremony at 11 a.m. to honor those from the area who have served our country. The ceremony was performed in front of the flagstaffs that overlook the lake, before the veterans and their families marched through the festival to the main stage area, where several speakers took the stage to show support for the troops and officially open the fair. The speakers included Reverend David Harris, who led a prayer for the veterans and the community, and local historian/keynote speaker Kevin Coyne, who shared stories about the Battle of Monmouth and how those Revolutionary War soldiers are represented by our veterans today.
The festival featured several shows and attractions, including live music, a dunk tank, a car smash, canoeing and paddle boating, a rock climb wall, and an area for children. The Kid Play Zone included a giant inflatable slide, a tree house slide, a petting zoo, an inflatable obstacle course, pony rides, face painting, and several carnival games.
The live music included performances by DJ Kortez, Jimmy and Gene, an acoustic band from Freehold, Step Aside, and the Eddie Testa Band.
The dunk tank and the car smash were set up by the We Are The Future Foundation, which, according to their flyer, is a New Jersey non-profit organization with the mission of enhancing young lives with community participation and education opportunities while inspiring positive change using the power and influence of sports.
Along with the different activities, several booths and vendors were at the festival. One of the booths was set up by the Lake Topanemus Commission, formed in a combined effort from the Freehold Township and Freehold Borough governments with the sole purpose of preserving and maintaining Lake Topanemus. The commission, which is comprised of four representatives from each township, was at the festival seeking donations to help maintain the park.
Some of the other booths were used to promote various organizations/causes, while others were businesses local to the town that helped sponsor the fair. These booths included a booth for the Freehold Regional High School District, a local election information booth, a booth dedicated to helping people register for early voting, a stand sponsored by the Marine Corps League, and a booth for NJLeaf, a smoke shop in Freehold Borough that sponsored the event.
On top of that, the festival had plenty of vendors and food trucks. One of the vendors was a baked goods sale set up by the First United Methodist Church of Freehold, while another sold sand art contained in small glass bottles. One of the most common vendors at local events in Monmouth County, Jersey Pickles, made its way to the fair as well. The food trucks included an ice cream truck, a barbecue truck, and a truck run by Freehold’s own Federici’s Italian restaurant.
The festival also had events that were geared towards adults as well, such as a beer garden available to those over the age of 21. The art show was set up by the Freehold Art Society and was a display of artwork made by local artists. The art show had set up a raffle for one of the pieces in partnership with the Lake Topanemus Commission to help them raise funds for the park. The art society has an exhibit in the Freehold Public Library and a permanent gallery set up above the CVS on West Main Street.
