By Kevin Coughlin
Halelle Hudes, 4, was chalking up a storm on the sidewalk in front of Starbucks on Thursday night, oblivious to the pounding drumbeat wafting from the Green and a cacophony of guitars on South Street.
“I love it! We’re having so much fun!” said Halelle’s mom, Adeena Hudes, exploring Meet Me in Morristown for the first time.
The fun will resume in 2016, when the sidewalk fair returns for its third summer season, organizers said.
“Definitely, yes,” said Kadie Dempsey of Morris Arts, which co-produces the event with the Morristown Partnership.
“I would love to do it again next year. I’m in,” said Jennifer Wehring of the Partnership, an organization representing downtown businesses.
Photo slideshow by Katharine Boyle. Please click icon below for captions.
Thirty-one artists and a handful of local shops participated in Thursday’s season finale, which followed end-of-month fairs in May, June and July. This season added the May date and dropped September.
Thursday’s roster included the Gefyra Drum Circle with Carol Pena on the Morristown Green and Keith Kenny’s Big Red Suitcase Tour — a high-energy one-man band– outside the Morristown & Township Library.
In between, at various outposts along South Street, assorted musicians, painters and artisans interacted with people navigating among the cafe tables that have become part of the town’s summer streetscape.
“It’s just fun to be outside in Morristown,” said Marilyn Goffin, whose 23 South Boutique had a table of sale items on its stretch of sidewalk.
Adding to the buzz was a large crowd in town for The Monkees concert at the Mayo Performing Arts Center, and a preview party for the annual Rummage Sale fundraiser at The Woman’s Club of Morristown.
Photo slideshow by Kevin Coughlin. Please click icon below for captions.
Wehring said next year’s challenge will be extending the excitement beyond the block near the historic Green, where crowds automatically gravitate.
“You can feel the vibe on the street,” she said.
Dempsey expects Meet Me in Morristown to continue evolving.
“It’s bigger and better” than last year, she said. “More artists are interested, more people are coming out. They’re remembering to bring a little money and buying things. The restaurants all comment on how much better they’re doing.”
A $20 fee for artists did not dampen their interest this season, Dempsey said. Word of Meet Me in Morristown is spreading, she said, generating inquiries from artists beyond Greater Morristown.
And Meet Me in Morristown now has at least one fan in South Carolina.
Maurice Snook of Charleston checked out Thursday’s scene with his daughter-in-law and granddaughter, who live here.
“This makes us turn our attention from the routines of our lives, and pulls talent of local folks into focus,” Snook said. “Morristown is really a beautiful little city.”
Our thanks to MG Contributor Katharine Boyle for her lovely photos.
Kudos to Morris Arts and the Morristown Partnership for a terrific season and for continuing Meet Me in Morristown next year. Was out on the street with the kids last night and the atmosphere was electric. With the Jazz Festival, events at Mayo, Meet Me in Morristown, the Book Festival, First Night, Colonial Times and the Pumpkin Illumination (just to name a few), Morristown is coming into its own as a premier destination for the arts. Let’s keep it going.