On a warm summer night Thursday, July 11, members of the Gloucester City Celebrations Committee were already planning for the Pack the Park Autumn festival that will be on Saturday, Oct. 12, from 1 to 6 p.m. in Proprietors Park.
Gathered together in the Municipal Complex conference room deciding what activities would be available for the youngsters were Fire Marshal Patrick Hagan, Ashley Hagan and their daughter, Kennedi, Coordinator Lori Ryan, JoAnn Yourison and Sandy Reed.
They have already have a band, The Blitz, that will play three sets with two intermissions beginning at 1 p.m., and Patrick Hagan recommended streaming in music through the speakers during the down time.
Some 28 vendors have already signed up, and there was discussion about where to put the food vendors during the festival. Also, they agreed to hire a magician as one of the activities for the children and decided to build a small amphitheater using bales of hay.
The Gloucester City Youth Soccer League will set up a mini field, giving young people a chance to run around and display their skills.
In other business, the committee discussed the success of the Independence Day fireworks and the need to build a storage building at Proprietors Park to store equipment for all the various events that take place there, including the Summer Concert Series, the Winter Wonderland and the Head to Cleats annual event.
Ryan said a storage site would make it easier for all the organizers, and Hagan recommended a larger storage building as the use of Proprietors Park continues to increase.
Hagan reported the children really liked the water slides put up as entertainment before the fireworks display, but some residents complained that the food truck lines were too long. The committee meets the second Thursday of the month at 6 p.m., and will continue to make plans for Pack the Park.
