Long Hill Township’s “Picnic In the Park” was held on Saturday, Sept. 10 at Matthew G. Kantor Memorial Park in Gillette to celebrate 150 years of “Long Hill living”. This community-wide celebration, was from 3-9 p.m., and was sponsored by the Long Hills Chamber of Commerce. There was a suggested entrance fee is a dry or canned food item for the St. Vincent de Paul Parish food bank.
Long Hill’s Picnic In the Park featured fireworks, a time capsule burial, craft beer garden, pie eating contests, historic scavenger hunt finale, and entertainment. On Kantor Park’s field the Stirling Fire Company served hamburgers and hot dogs while the Milington Fire Department offered soft drinks. Millington firefighters hosted a beer garden with beverages available for purchase. An eight-week historical scavenger hunt concluded at the Picnic In the Park, where residents who collected all 10 cards were asked to bring them to the pavilion overlooking the turf field. The first 30 scavenger hunt participants to bring the 10 cards, with the correct answers, received Long Hill Township 150th anniversary T-shirts.
Other attractions included face painting by local Girl Scouts, and a magician and balloon artist for the kids. A time capsule was buried, not to be opened until Long Hill’s 200th anniversary, during a special ceremony. Inside the time capsule are letters from current township officials to town leaders 50 years from now. Included are photographs of how Long Hill looks today, among other artifacts. There was a fireworks display presented by Millington’s own Garden State Fireworks to cap off the celbrations. Members of Long Hill Police, Millington and Stirling Fire, Citizens Emergency Response Team, Long Hill First Aid Squad, and 150th Anniversary Committee assisted during the town picnic to ensure the celebration ran according to plan.
(above) The Long Hill Township Time Capsule buried at Town Hall to be opened 50 years from now on the 200th Anniversary of the Township.
(above) Neil Vaish (front right) of the Stirling Fire Department grills hot dogs and hamburgers provided free of charge to attendees.
Photos courtesy of Michelle Cavett.
