By Jeff Sovelove
Scorching summer heat wasn’t enough to deter an estimated crowd of 60,000 from attending Sunday’s 23rd annual fall festival, also known as the Morristown Festival on the Green.
Karen Carvelli of the Morristown Partnership, the festival organizer, noted, “We’re very excited about our new Beer Tent venue for this year and with the great attendance, despite the heat.”
“This gives an opportunity to people outside our district to see what Morristown has to offer,” said Mayor Tim Dougherty.
Slideshow photos by Jeff Sovelove
Joe Dolan of Eyes of the Wild was there with a selection of cute (and not so cute) animals for the kids, including a Black and White Tegu Lizard, a broccoli-chomping striped skunk named Oliver, and Pogo the Wallaby, whose favorite food is sweet potato.
Nearby, Pastor David Smazik of the Presbyterian Church in Morristown conducted the annual blessing of the animals. No lizards or wallabies wandered over, but there were quite a few (hot) dogs.
Kid-friendly Festival activities included face painting, a climbing wall, a miniature train, and the entertainer Polka Dot on the Family Stage.
Slideshow photos by Kevin Coughlin
It seemed like every restaurant in town was well represented with everything from Kobe beef sliders to Jamaican beef patties to lobster mac and cheese. And of course ice cream, which was doing a very brisk business on the warm day.
The Heart of Gold band provided renditions of classic rock favorites, while Cold Weather Company belted out folk acoustic tunes and the Stone Soup Symphony Orchestra featured several movements from Holst’s The Planets.
This year’s Festival on the Green featured something for everyone–except, air conditioning.
Slideshow photos by Dave Sullivan