Starbucks may have dropped its pumpkin spice lattes in August, but October marks the true start of fall in Moorestown. There’s no shortage of ways to celebrate the season, and locals of all ages will have opportunities to get out and have some fall fun.
Autumn in Moorestown
Autumn in Moorestown will take place on Saturday, Oct. 12 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with the event shutting down Main Street from Chester to Church streets. The Moorestown Business Association’s annual event will feature craft vendors, food vendors, a car show and live music. At 11 a.m., the craft beer vendors will open – a feature of the day’s activities that was successfully added for the first time last year.
Russ Nesevich, the event’s chair, said they’re largely sticking with the same annual components that have made the event a success year-after-year. He said High Octane NJ will supply the cars, and many of the same craft beer vendors will be back, along with a few new ones.
“The event should be similar to what it was last year; I think everyone had a great time,” Nesevich said. “This year, we’ll try to skip the early morning showers.”
Nesevich said, in years past, many people walked through, took all of it in and then headed on to other things. Last year, they really noticed people sticking around more and spending several hours mingling with friends, checking out the crafters, listening to music and eating and drinking on the street.
He said the event has always been great for the community, but they’ve also been willing to tweak it based on feedback. Autumn in Moorestown has grown every year, and they’ve added components like the car show, larger bands, craft beer and wine to keep things fresh.
“What better way to spend a Saturday afternoon in October than with friends and neighbors on Main Street?” Nesevich said.
Halloween Parade
The Moorestown Newcomers and Friends Club is reviving Moorestown’s Halloween Parade. Annette McGuire has been spearheading the parade, which will take place on Sunday, Oct. 20 at 4 p.m. with a rain date of Oct. 27.
“[The] Halloween Parade was brought back by popular demand,” McGuire said. “Many Moorestown adults remember participating in [the] parade when they were a kid. We want to continue this fun tradition for our families.”
The parade will start on Main Street in front of Wells Fargo Bank and continue down Main Street to Church Street. The staging will be at 3 p.m. on the corner of Main and Chester in front of the cemetery, and all Moorestown residents are invited to participate in the parade.
McGuire said they will have a costume contest directly after parade on the Moorestown Community House front lawn. The contest will have a variety of categories, including best family costume, best group, funniest, scariest, best homemade costume and best in show.
Refreshments will be served on the Community House lawn, and they’ll have a DJ, face painting and selfie station.
“Our goal for the day is to spotlight the creativity of our kids and families and, of course, to have fun,” McGuire said.
Semi-annual Rummage Sale
On Oct. 21, Fellowship Hall at First United Methodist Church in Moorestown will be the place to shop. The church will host its semi-annual rummage sale, which has been a tradition at the church since the early 1940s.
Shoppers can find bargains on clothes, jewelry, houseware, kitchenware, books, electronics, baby items, toys and more.
The rummage sale will take place on Monday Oct. 21 from 6 to 9 p.m. and on Tuesday, Oct. 22 from 9:30 a.m to 2 p.m. with a soup and snack lunch available from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and again from 6 to 8:30 p.m. On Tuesday evening, the “Bag Night” feature will return by popular demand. That night, guests can put anything that will fit into a standard grocery bag for a price of $3.
People who have items they would like to donate to the sale are invited to drop them off on Saturday, Oct. 19 from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Sunday, Oct. 20 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. or until the room is full. Anything requiring two people to carry will not be accepted. For more information, please contact the church office at (856) 235-0450.
Main Street Candlelight Stroll
The Moorestown Business Association has taken Candlelight Night and the Holiday Stroll and combined them into one event: “Main Street Candlelight Stroll.”
“This year, and in support of Small Business Saturday, the Main Street Candlelight Stroll will take place on Nov. 30 rom 2 to 8 p.m.,” said event chair Christine Dash. “This will be a fun-filled all afternoon into the evening event designed to support our local businesses and to lift the holiday spirits of our community at large. “
Dash said there will be a New York City-inspired “popup merchant village,” horse-drawn carriages, a tree-decorating contest, carolers, children’s activities and more. She said attendees will even see Santa himself join in the festivities. In collaboration with The Sun Newspapers, they will also be holding the annual “What the Holidays Mean to Me” art contest, and families can vote for their favorite artist in many of the Main Street shops. The winner will be revealed before dinner.
“This event is steeped in tradition and evolves in a spirited way to keep warm with spirit while adding new and exciting highlights,” Dash said.
She said the MBA’s goal is to invite both Moorestown residents and non-residents alike to stroll Main Street and help get the holiday spirit started.
