As Morristown Green reported, the Morristown Partnership postponed the Festival on the Green on Friday, Sept. 25, for the first time in its 30-plus-year history. The only earlier gap was 2020, when the festival didn't happen at all. A wind advisory was in effect from 6 p.m. that Friday until 6 a.m. Sunday. It called for northerly gusts up to 45 mph, and the forecast allowed for as much as three and a half inches of rain over the weekend. Most of Morris County's America 250 Living History Weekend was called off along with it.
So fall in Morristown now starts in October. The festival returned Sunday, Oct. 4. The Festival of Books follows on Oct. 9 and 10. Downtown trick-or-treat is Friday, Oct. 30. Much of that calendar lands on one corridor. The festival's main stage is at South and DeHart. The book festival runs out of 100, 110 and 121 South Street. Two of the town's biggest pending projects are on South Street as well.
What Moved and What Is Still Unsettled
The festival has a firm new date. The historical programming does not, and the official pages don't agree yet.
| Event | Original plan | Status as of Sept. 29 |
|---|---|---|
| Morristown Festival on the Green | Sunday, Sept. 27 | Sunday, Oct. 4, noon to 5 p.m., rain or shine |
| Encampment on the Morristown Green | Saturday, Sept. 26, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. | Postponed, new date to be announced |
| Living History fireworks | Saturday night, Sept. 26 | Cancelled |
| Morris County History Trivia Night | Friday, Sept. 25, Glenbrook Brewery | Held as scheduled |
| Other historic-site open houses | Saturday, Sept. 26 | Check each site directly |
The encampment is the unresolved piece. Morris County's news page says Living History Weekend is postponed until Oct. 24. The Morris County 250 site says a new date for the Green encampment "will be announced at a later time," and it lists the fireworks as cancelled with no replacement date. On Sept. 25, Morristown Green described Oct. 24 as a do-over organizers were considering. That report is the most accurate summary so far. The weekend was supposed to bring reenactors to the Green and Macculloch Hall, Lafayette to the Sansay House, and the Morris County Historical Society to the Presbyterian Church. Treat Oct. 24 as a tentative date for now, not a plan.
The reason for waiting was practical. Morristown Green reported that Sarah Neibart, who chairs Morris County's America 250 committee, said organizers didn't want to risk damage to the reenactors' "18th-century attire, equipment, or historical items." Some of the history still reached the Oct. 4 festival. The Morris County 250 page listed a History Corridor there from noon to 5 p.m., where visitors could meet the county's historical organizations.
Oct. 4: The Festival Kept Its Map
The festival moved to a new date with its layout intact. The Partnership's festival page counts 165-plus exhibitors, including businesses, restaurants and community groups. A separate Partnership event listing says 170-plus. Either way, the layout matters more than the count, because the program is spread across several streets.
The Main Stage is at South and DeHart Streets, where Joe Bilotti's Heart of Gold Band plays from 1 to 5 p.m. The Sound Stage, at Morris Street and Dumont Place, has TropyBand Orquesta and Shorty Long & The Jersey Horns. The beer tent is on Washington Street, with an all-day DJ and live music. The Green itself has a concert and fitness sessions on the lawn.
Families could spend most of the day on Speedwell Avenue. That's where the Family Jam ran, with children's music, a live animal show, and a dinosaur show with fossil digging. Kids Place was also on Speedwell. Rides and attractions were $2 per ticket or $10 for an unlimited-play wristband, and rock climbing cost $5 extra. Carnival games were at North Park Place from noon to 5 p.m. The Partnership's main page gave a different Family Jam schedule than the separate festival site.
The exhibitor list names several food vendors: Avellino's Wood Fired Brick Oven Pizza Truck, Beenie's Ice Cream, Central Taqueria, Chef Fredy's Table, Motown Caribbean Catering Services and the Empanada Truck.
Parking works like this:
- The Ann-Bank Garage, Dalton Parking Garage and DeHart Street Garage are free during the event, and so is on-street parking.
- On-street meters between DeHart Street and Market Street are reserved for ADA parking.
- Lot 10 stays open for the Morristown Farmers Market until 1 p.m., so the festival and the market share the morning.
The festival site posted road closures as a graphic, not text.
Five Days Later, South Street Hosts the Books
The Morristown Festival of Books runs Friday, Oct. 9, and Saturday, Oct. 10. Friday night's keynote is "An Evening with Malcolm Gladwell," and it is sold out. The festival FAQ still mentions door tickets "if available," but the newer keynote page says tickets are no longer available.
Saturday is free, with no tickets or registration, and Morristown Green reports more than 85 authors. The main festival runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. KidFest runs from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and includes a Baby-Sitters Club celebration. Here's where the weekend happens:
| Address | What happens there |
|---|---|
| 100 South Street | Mayo Performing Arts Center, Friday keynote, 7:30 to 9 p.m. |
| 110 South Street | Vail Mansion lawn, information tent, book sales and signings |
| 121 South Street | St. Peter's Episcopal Church lawn, KidFest |
| 70 Maple Avenue | St. Peter's Parish House, selected KidFest author talks |
Adult author sessions are also held in the St. Peter's Church Sanctuary and Parish House, the Church of the Redeemer, the Presbyterian Church Parish House, and the Morristown & Morris Township Library. The keynote, the signing lawn and KidFest all sit within one block of South Street. The Main Stage at South and DeHart is back up the same road. On two weekends in a row, the busiest part of town is the stretch between the Green and the MPAC marquee.
The Same Blocks Are Planning for Later Seasons
South Street will keep changing after October. In September, Morristown approved revised plans for the Mayo Performing Arts Center's $65 million project, subject to conditions. It includes a 31,000-square-foot arts-and-education addition, seven studios, a flexible 150-seat performance and rehearsal room, and a major overhaul of the theater.
Farther down the street, at 133 South Street, Sofia's Table and Terrace would turn the vacant former Capital One bank building into a seasonal rooftop restaurant with indoor and outdoor dining. Billy Walsh would partly operate it, and Eric Heinel is a partial investor and managing operations partner. The September hearing drew support but ended without a vote. The board prepared draft resolutions both approving and denying the plan. That was the status as of the Sept. 4 report. Nothing more recent turned up.
The Indoor Stops the Storm Didn't Touch
A few places kept their schedules through the storm, and they stay open on quieter October days. On the stormy Saturday itself, Macculloch Hall Historical Museum kept its new Ulysses S. Grant exhibit open from noon to 4 p.m. The exhibition is Thomas Nast's American Hero: Ulysses S. Grant, shown in the Nast Gallery and Schoolroom Gallery. The museum is at 45 Macculloch Avenue and is open Thursday, Saturday and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. Its online exhibitions page doesn't list the Grant show yet, and no closing date has been published.
On Washington Street, two neighbors show how much range downtown has now. Point 5 opened at 48 Washington Street on June 17. It's a zero-proof bottle shop with more than 300 nonalcoholic products and a tasting bar, co-owned by Nicolette Siragusa, Tom Ireland and Tara Siragusa. Just along the street, The Grand Café at 42 Washington Street is marking its 45th year. It is now led by second-generation owner Allison Lloyd Porter, and Executive Chef Quang remains in the kitchen.
One regular stop is missing this fall. The Artist Baker, at 16 Cattano Avenue, announced Saturday, Sept. 19, as its last day after 18 years. Owner Andrea Lekberg described it as a community space as well as a bakery.
Recent and Upcoming Dates Through November
- Sunday, Oct. 4, noon to 5 p.m.: Festival on the Green and the History Corridor, rain or shine
- Friday, Oct. 9, 7:30 p.m.: Malcolm Gladwell keynote at MPAC, sold out
- Saturday, Oct. 10, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.: Festival of Books, free, with KidFest from 10:30 a.m.
- Saturday, Oct. 24: Possible Living History date, not confirmed by the Morris County 250 site
- Friday, Oct. 30, 3 to 5 p.m.: Downtown trick-or-treat at participating businesses
- Saturday, Nov. 28: Santa's arrival and the lighting of the Green
- Sunday, Nov. 29: Christmas Festival on the Green
A lot of downtown Morristown's fall now fits into the four weeks between Oct. 4 and Oct. 30, and much of it within a few blocks of South Street. If you're weighing how a busy calendar like this one affects life on a particular street in town, Gereon Wiese is glad to talk it through, in English, German, Mandarin or French. Let's Connect.
