By Alexis Algazy
Usually, one receives gifts on a big birthday or anniversary.
But for its centennial, the Morristown Rotary chose to give the town a present: A $90,000 gazebo at Lidgerwood Park.
“There has never been a time when the Morristown Rotary Club has failed to enter any arena without reaffirming our values of service above self,” chapter President Steve Ellerman said at Sunday’s dedication.
Dignitaries, Rotarians and residents gathered in high heat–the mercury topped 90 degrees–for a ribbon-cutting, live music, arts and crafts and cornhole games. There even was free ice cream, served from a vintage 1948 ice cream truck.
Slideshow photos by Bill Lescohier and Kevin Coughlin. Hover/ click on images for captions:
“When working together, look what we can accomplish with a common goal of good in mind,” said Morristown Mayor Tim Dougherty, praising the Rotarians for being “all about community, selflessness, and giving back.”
The mayor described the pavilion as “awesome.”
“This is a structure that will be here long after all of us are gone,” Dougherty said.
Video playlist by Bill Lescohier for Morristown Green: Click icon, top right to toggle videos:
State Sen. Anthony M. Bucco and Assemblywoman Aura Dunn (both R-25th Dist.) and Morristown Councilwoman Sandi Mayer also delivered brief remarks.
Gazing out at the nearby Little League diamond, Bucco said he anticipates young sluggers competing to “hit the gazebo!”
Lauding the Rotarians, Dunn remembered a motto from her days working for the children’s show Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood: “Go where the doers are.”
A staff member for Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-11th Dist.) presented the Rotary with a flag that had flown over the Capitol in Washington. Rotarians Harvey Gilbert and Paul Nelson snipped the ceremonial ribbon.
The a cappella Morris Music Men and The FLukes, a ukulele group, provided the musical entertainment.
They were sheltered from the blazing noontime sun by the pavilion, which commemorates the Rotary’s six “Areas of Service”: Culture, Education, Health, Hunger, Veterans and Youth.
Donors can dedicate inscribed bricks to loved ones, arrayed around the gazebo according to these specific areas of service.
The public did not wait for Sunday’s festivities to begin enjoying the Rotary’s gift, which was completed a few weeks ago.
An hour after installation of a monument, “a 6-year-old’s birthday party was held under the pavilion,” said Merle Johnson, past president of the Rotary chapter.
Johnson was among about 20 former chapter presidents who were honored Saturday night at a centennial party at the Frelinghuysen Arboretum in Morris Township.
Chartered on May 1, 1922, the Morristown Rotary Club has contributed countless volunteer hours for projects around town–including raising money during the pandemic for 50,000 meals for seniors and others in need, ventures that also helped keep local restaurants afloat.
Kevin Coughlin contributed to this report.
