Trenton Gears Up for Mid-Summer Festival

Current and past residents will descend upon Trenton for the 36^th Annual Mid-Summer Festival starting Friday and running through Sunday.

This year’s theme is “Hometown USA,” a nod to the roots that bring former Trenton-ites back to the area where they grew up.

“This event is really the highlight of our summer,” said Joann Perna, assistant director of Trenton Parks and Recreation. “It’s always been the unofficial reunion weekend, so we’re making it official this year.”

Each year, the festival attracts more than 100,000 people to downtown Trenton. And like the last 35 years, there will be plenty of attractions to keep festival-goers entertained.

• Festivities kick off on Friday, July 8 with the Mayor’s Breakfast at 8 a.m. at TV’s Grand Event. Tickets are $10 per person and must be purchased in advance at City Hall.

• The News Herald Newspapers Children’s Playmarket lets kids use their imagination to create hands-on arts and crafts from recycled products.

• Kids can be Junior Firefighters for a day and try their hand at spraying a real fire hose at the Trenton Fire Department.

• The Diaper Derby and Toddler Trot will be held on Saturday at noon near the clock tower for crawlers through age four.

• Riverside Kayak will be on hand to provide kayaking demonstrations at Elizabeth Park on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., with demos scheduled every 15 minutes.

• A coed volleyball tournament will take place over the weekend. The Class B tournament takes place on Saturday and the Class C tournament takes place on Sunday. Cost is $15 per player. Teams are limited to 8 players. Application forms are found on the festival’s website.

• Two stages will provide a wide variety of music for attendees, featuring local acts like Hidden Agenda and Flashback.

To help spread the word about the festival, the marketing committee enlisted the help of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to engage with visitors, share details about the event and thank the sponsors for their participation.

Organizers are also legitimizing the reunion aspect of the event with the introduction of a Reunion Package that gives exclusive access to a tent erected on vacant property adjacent to Café West.

It’s an ideal way for reunion organizers to collect everyone in one place.

“Usually they just meet at the beer tent,” said Kathy Kane, sponsorship and marketing chairman of the Trenton Mid-Summer Festival. “But now they have an actual spot to mix and mingle.”

Are you attending a reunion or heading back home to Trenton for the festival? Contact us at clare.ramsey@patch.com.