Moorestown’s Department of Parks and Recreation is helping residents celebrate summer with its Monday night concert series and children’s entertainment at the Community House.
Sound technician Scott McCleery lives in Willingboro but volunteers for parks and rec. He explained how he started working with the summer events after his father became sick.
“ … There was a nutritionist who came out from Bayada (Bayada Home Health Care) to talk to him, and she was a member of MoorArts,” McCleery recalled. “I had just put together a studio in the garage and my father was kind of bragging about it, as parents will do, after she mentioned that her daughter was a harpist.”
The nutritionist told McCleery that the longtime sound engineer connected with the nonprofit MoorArts was planning to retire. From there, McCleery got involved with the organization – which supports the fine and performing arts in Moorestown’s community and schools – and connected with Theresa Miller, director of parks and rec.
“ … (I’ve) pretty much just been doing sound for both everything that MoorArts and parks and rec is looking for for a few years now,” he explained. “It was just kind of a fluke that I got involved, but I’ve been involved now for probably five or six years at least with parks and rec.”
Radiation Nation and the Ernie and Neal Band performed on July 11 and McCleery described the overall atmosphere.
“It was great to see that again, and it’s only the second concert of this summer,” he noted. “We had one that was canceled because of rain, and Ernie and Neal always have a big following. They’ve been doing children’s entertainment in the Moorestown area for … it’s close to 30 years now, so they always bring people out.”
“I know that Radiation Nation,” McCleery added. “They always have a lot of friends and family that come, so you have a combination where both fans are bringing out a following.”
The concert series will continue Monday with the Wind Symphony of Southern New Jersey, followed by Opus Soul on Aug. 1.
McCleery praises the township’s community charm.
“It (Moorestown) has an old feel to it,” he said. “ … I’ve been coming to Moorestown since the 1970s and even then, there were elements of it that felt like what you would see from (the) 1950s …
“When you’re walking up and down Main Street, it’s just a very comfortable place.”
For more information on parks and rec events, visit www.moorestownrec.com.
