The township’s parks and recreation department will team with organizer Just Jersey Fest to host the Country in the Park food and music festival from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, July 11, at Washington Lake Park.
It marks the event’s first time in conjunction with the township and will be headlined by three country music bands who will perform throughout the day. First up at 11 a.m. will be Tequila Rose, followed by South Paw at 2 p.m. After the Reign will close things out at 4:30 p.m.
“We wanted to freshen things up in the township,” said Washington Lake Park event coordinator Barbara Moore. “We previously did Taco Palooza at this time of year, but wanted to try a country festival. We had a jazz and crawfish fest in April that went well. The country fest will be similar to this.
“We want to try and draw in a new crowd and give something to everyone.”
On top of listening to music, attendees can take line-dancing classes taught by certified instructors Nicole Hamilton and Nate Golden. There will be two half-hour sessions dedicated to learning, and performances at 1 and 4 p.m. to the traditional line-dancing songs “Whiskey Bridges,” “That Honky Tonk Highway” and “Beautiful As You.”
To fit the occasion, food trucks at the festival will include Southern cuisine, along with Big Papa Jais with brisket; honey butter cornbread; mac ‘n’ cheese; smash burgers; pulled pork; pulled chicken; Chick Wings N Things; and CrawDaddy’s Cajun, authentic New Orleans fare.
There will also be a cowboy hat bar for adults, a mechanical bull and attractions for kids.
Tickets can be purchased at the gate or in advance at ticketleap.com. and will be discounted if purchased before July 10 at midnight. Attendees are asked to bring a canned or boxed non-perishable item to be donated to the local food bank, Mother Hubbard’s.
High attendance is anticipated for Country in the Park.
“I’ve had a lot of people call and inquire about the event,” Moore noted. “There’s also been a lot of people posting about it on social media. It should be a pretty good event.”
The amphitheater at Washington Lake Park will feature three bands during the Country in the Park event on July 11.
