By Kevin Coughlin
For the second straight month, rain was an uninvited guest at Meet Me in Morristown, thinning Thursday’s crowd and sending some acts home early from the final gathering of the 2016 season.
But the moisture did not dampen the enthusiasm of organizers, who said the sidewalk fairs will return for a fourth season next summer.
“I think it’s going really well,” said Kadie Dempsey of Morris Arts. “Tonight we had more registered acts than ever before, 60 acts.”
She is hopeful that next year’s series can be extended farther down South Street, and also onto Speedwell Avenue — although she acknowledged that vendors and performers all desire to be on or near the popular Morristown Green in the heart of downtown.
Dempsey and Jennifer Wehring of the Morristown Partnership also are eager to plan additional community events next year in Pioneer Park, a barren slab of concrete across the street from the Green that is scheduled for an overhaul.
While summer weather always is a challenge, Wehring said the benefits of Meet Me in Morristown outweigh the anxiety of tracking the forecasts.
“I think it’s a really good thing for Morristown. We create a great atmosphere” for local businesses, and for entrepreneurs who cannot afford to set up shop in Morristown, Wehring said.
Vendors who stuck it out through the brief downpour included Jordan Blake, an Air Force serviceman who brought his paintings all the way from Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst; Erika and Noel Gregory, who exhibited their TieBro Handmade Bow Ties from Maplewood; and Chris Harvey, who opened a Pinot’s Palette franchise on Market Street this month.
Harvey, whose wife Emma gave birth to their first child last week, had novice artists happily painting floral scenes on desktop easels on the Green after the clouds relented on Thursday. (Emma got the night off.)
Slideshow photos by Katharine Boyle and Kevin Coughlin
Morristown’s open mic scene also was well represented, with a parade of singers who included Dan Baldan, Laura Onufryk, Bob Terhune, Rick Kreuger and Mari Byrd sharing their talents from the shelter of a canopy in the center of the Green.
Among the visitors taking it all in was Scott Rosenbush, former mayor of Morris Township. He moved to Salt Lake City last year after serving 19 years on the municipal committee.
Rosenbush, back in the area on business, said he loves Utah’s skiing. The Wasatch “hills” make biking a bit challenging, however. And the Greater Morristown still inspires a certain nostalgia.
“I miss the people,” he said.
