Sequels generally don’t match the original. But Meet Me In Morristown II surpassed all expectations on Thursday night, transforming the downtown into a piazza that crackled with art, music and life.
Dozens of performers and artists made South Street and the Morristown Green a movable feast for all ages, reprising a “Last Thursday” experiment that premiered in June.
“This is good,” marveled Morristown artist Ron Ritzie, as two acrobatic young ladies behind him hooped in synch to the throbbing rhythms of The Craft Band. The beat was infectious, despite the band being quarantined inside a glass box on a flatbed truck.
Young thespians from the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, meanwhile, out-competed pealing church bells, screaming sirens and ear-splitting motorcycles to captivate a diverse audience with A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
And further down the block, MorristownGreen.com proudly presented singer-songwriters from Morristown High School, in front of Strawberry Fields Self-Serve Frozen Yogurt.
MG Presents Stars of MHS at Strawberry Fields. Please click icon below for captions.
Someday tour buses may stop there to ogle the birthplace of Minnomania.
Minno–a duo featuring vocalist Michael Chase and guitarist Jordan Rabinowitz–shared a set of original tunes that brought plenty of smiles to the corner of South and Pine.
The recent MHS grads also welcomed special guests from their school coffeehouse scene: Vocalist Sydney Prusso, a June graduate, and rising sophomore Anastasia Bergeron, who sang several original numbers while accompanying herself first on guitar, and later on electric piano.
Together, on very short notice, they put on a fine show. Our thanks to them all for infusing the sidewalk with great sounds and positive energy. And our special thanks to Jordan for recruiting this talented ensemble.
Thanks, too, to Leslie Raff, Marie Pfeifer and Josh Stearns of Team MG for all their help .
And last but not least, a great big thank you to our gracious hosts at Strawberry Fields. Robin Mercadante and Lauren Roby made us feel right at home. Please add your thanks by ingesting healthy quantities of their tasty frozen yogurt!
More scenes from Meet Me In Morristown II. Please click icon below for captions.
The red carpet seemed to extend all the way up South Street to the Green and beyond.
“Everyone wants this kind of community activity. They crave it,” said a beaming Tom Werder of Morris Arts, the nonprofit that hatched Meet Me In Morristown with the Morristown Partnership.
We can hardly wait for the next party. See everyone in a month, Last Thursday.
Did you post photos or videos from Strawberry Fields–or from anywhere else at Meet Me In Morristown? Tag them #MGMeet and we’ll post the best ones on Morristown Green.
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