Hello 08037! Oh summer, you are here! Are you ready for those cookouts and/or amusement parks? I sure am! And I am excited for you to check out our Summer edition magazine dedicated to the lifestyle and community of Hammonton.
We start our issue with the Red, White & Blueberry Festival. In its 38th year, it draws upwards of 10,000 visitors. The festival, which has always been a one-day affair, began modestly as part of the Atlantic County Sesquicentennial in 1987 with a few food vendors and crafters. Along with the fact that the blueberry is good for one’s health, John Runfolo, executive director of the Greater Hammonton Chamber of Commerce, said the festival took off after the highbush blueberry became the official state fruit in 2004. Follow the blueberry aroma starting on page 6.
Next we rev, rev, rev up our classic engines with Cruisin’ Classics Auto Club and Cadillac Kings Car Club in South Jersey. Cruisin’ Classics Auto Club has been part of the original car club that started the Red, White, & Blueberry Show back in 1986. They will return for the festival’s 38th annual on June 30. Many members have great classic cars from the 1950s and 1960s, Street Rods, Customs, Stock and Modern Muscle Cars, Trucks, and Rat Rods, according to its website. Cadillac Kings Car Club in South Jersey formed in 2017, a chapter of the worldwide Cadillac Kings. Becoming a chapter of Cadillac Kings was a perfect fit. “They believed in family, Cadillacs and giving back to the community and they were all similar in age and their cars were direct reflections of who they are,” said Jay Longo, one of the founding South Jersey chapter members. These two organizations are not all about their classic cars, they give back to the community. Find out what they are all about on page 8.
We round out our Summer edition with Hammonton Heart & Soul, a team of community members who came together and recently released a 69-page action plan. It details everything that has transpired since civic leaders were awarded Community Foundation Transform South Jersey’s $100,000 grant. The Hammonton Heart and Soul Action Plan is the culmination of over three years of work with the community.
They asked:
- What do you love about Hammonton?
- What are your hopes for the future?
- What were your concerns?
This is a vision plan, a roadmap for our future, written by the people who live, play, and work here. Learn all about the plan on page 13.
Also check out our Hammonton Happenings on page 18 for future community events. All of this and more awaits on the pages ahead!
Enjoy!
