The Fall for the Arts Festival scheduled for today
The Fall for the Arts Autumn Festival scheduled for today at Historic Smithville Park will feature fine art and live entertainment, but only limited on-site canoeing due to recent storms that left fallen tree limbs scattered along the Rancocas Creek.
Sponsored by the Burlington County Freeholders and set for 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., the event has been described as a combination of two previously popular county events — the annual Arts in the Parks festival, which was held each year in September to celebrate the arts, and the Fall Foliage Family Float Festival, which featured canoeing on the Rancocas Creek in October.
Fall for the Arts is scheduled to be held rain or shine and admission and parking are free, although fees will apply to some activities.
Original plans called for visitors to be able to pay $20 per canoe to paddle along the Rancocas from Smithville Park in Eastampton to Mill Dam Park in Mount Holly, and then be shuttled back to Smithville. Unfortunately, recent storms in the area left fallen tree limbs and branches scattered along the creek, making the four-mile route impassable. As a result, there will be no canoeing to Mount Holly or return shuttles.
However, visitors will be able to pay a fee to canoe a portion of the creek bordering the park, as well as Smithville Lake. Children must be at least five years old and accompanied by an adult and there may be no more than four people in each canoe with a combined weight of 285 pounds of less. The on-site canoeing will begin at 9 a.m.
“This will still be a great family event, with lots of activities on the agenda,” Freeholder Director Bruce Garganio said. “There’s literally something for all ages here.”
Other Fall for the Arts attractions are still scheduled to be featured as planned, including: live music, dance, theater and storytelling that will be presented on three stages in Smithville Park; a variety of juried fine art and crafts that will be for sale, including paintings, photographs, jewelry, pottery and glass; the “Paint the Parks — Plein Air Competition” featuring landscape pieces painted before and during the event; free interactive activities that will allow visitors young and old to showcase their artistic skills; the beautifully choreographed Living Fountain; Give and Take Jugglers; “Mother Goose;” a puppet parade through the park; hayrides; scarecrows; wine tasting for visitors age 21 and up; croquet; and tours of the Smithville Mansion for $3 per person.
Historic Smithville Park is located on Smithville Road in Eastampton, three-quarters of a mile off Route 38. Funding has been made possible by the Burlington County Freeholders and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, through a grant to the County Division of Parks. Persons in need of special accommodations are requested to give two weeks advance notification. For more information, call 265–5858, or go to www.co.burlington.nj.us
