We’re going to take the first of our breaks from our “walking tour” of The Ave to start filling you in on some downtown fall activities. Our annual Scarecrow Challenge and Pumpkin Patch Party on The Ave return this month. We do the Scarecrow Challenge on The Ave in partnership with the Vineland Board of Education. All Vineland public and private schools, as well as local clubs and organizations are invited to design scarecrows. The scarecrows will be mounted on downtown lampposts on Landis Avenue. This is a real community event and I want to thank the Vineland Board of Education for being a strong partner again this year.
Those interested in entering a scarecrow must contact the Main Street Vineland office. They must be delivered by Friday, October 18. For more information on entering a scarecrow, call the Main Street Vineland office at 856-794-8653.
The public can vote for the best scarecrow by going on Main Street Vineland’s Facebook page. Voting will start the week of October 21 and will end at midnight on Thursday, October 24.
We’ll announce the winning scarecrow and the two runners-up and they will receive prizes at our third annual Pumpkin Patch Party on The Ave on Saturday, October 26, from 11 a.m.to 2 p.m. The rain location will be inside Landis MarketPlace, 631 E. Landis Ave. This event is sponsored by Lidl and additional sponsorship opportunities are available. We’ll have the mini-parks, at Landis Avenue and the Boulevard, decorated for fall, with hay bales, pumpkins, corn stalks, and mums. There’ll be a variety of fun seasonal competitions and games with prizes, pumpkin and rock painting, a magic show by Simply Silly Magic, Tori’s Critters with a live animal/reptile education table and show, DJ Zach, and much more. Children age 14 and under who are dressed in costume will receive free holiday candy.
This is one of the ways we make The Ave a focal point and make our mini-parks a center for activity. However you want to get involved—entering a scarecrow, voting for your favorite, and/or coming to the Pumpkin Patch Party, you can help make our downtown—The Ave—the best it can be.
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Our signature fundraising event, A Taste of Vineland & Volunteer Recognition Event, is set for Wednesday, October 23, from 6 to 9 p.m. at Greenview Inn at Eastlyn Golf Course. 4049 Italia Avenue. It’s now in its ninth year; the major sponsor is Century Savings Bank. Vineland restaurants will offer main courses, appetizers, and desserts. We’ll have a silent auction and much more.
We’ll also be recognizing those volunteers who have contributed greatly to the work of the organization, as well as a “Community Partner” and a “Media Partner” who have worked closely with us on our projects and initiatives. Vanessa Sosa, who chairs our Design Team, will receive our “Volunteer of the Year” Award. She’s being honored for her work on several projects that are part of the Design Team’s mission of beautifying The Ave. The Vineland Board of Education is being recognized as the “Community Partner” for their close collaboration with us on a number of projects and events. Alfonso Bermudez, of the area newspaper Visto Bueno is being recognized as the “Media Partner” for the regular coverage he’s given Main Street Vineland, projected to the area’s Hispanic community.
Tickets are $40 and are on sale now, and proceeds will go toward downtown beautification, business recruitment and development, and events. Tickets can be obtained online by visiting the event link at TheAve.biz. A limited number of tickets are available at the Main Street Vineland office; call 856-794-8653 for details. Additional sponsorship opportunities and ad space in the event program book are available. A limited number of spaces are also available for restaurants that would like to be part of this event.
