Dover's Free Cultural Connections Family Festival Returns in June

Another day of family fun is heading Morris County’s way as Connecting Dover’s annual Cultural Connections Festival returns on Saturday, June 4th from 11 AM to 3 PM! This is the event’s second year and the theme is “Dover: Past, Present, and Future” to honor the town’s rich cultural history. Families and individuals will find plenty to enjoy as local musicians and performers take the stage and local artists exhibit their paintings, photography, and other artwork. More than 25 local nonprofits and community groups will be on hand to share information, resources, and more covering needs ranging from housing and healthcare to college and family services. This year features the addition of local food vendors which will be selling food that’s perfect to eat on the go, allowing families to browse the booths, dance to the live music, and explore the fire trucks and police cars on site for kids to enjoy.

Dover may be a tiny, two-mile long by two-mile wide town of just 18,000 people, but its cultural and historical importance to New Jersey is often overlooked. The town was built around the iron industry and became the site of an important iron forge in 1722 which attracted workers and support staff as it grew. Dover’s forge supplied General Washington’s Revolutionary War forces throughout the war and continued to operate until the town’s last major ironworks closed in 1950. Dover became a town in 1869 and, due to its prime position on the Morris Canal and on major roads of the time, it became a center for entertainment. The Baker Opera House and Baker Theater, the latter of which was the largest in the state at the time and considered the finest vaudeville house in the region, brought in performers like Lou Costello, Joe Cook, George Burns and Gracie Allen, and Harry Houdini. Audiences included Grover Cleveland, Mark Twain, Thomas Edison, and Babe Ruth. More recently, the town has become an important center for Morris County’s Latino population and Dover’s downtown boasts some of the best Central and South American restaurants in the county. Dover is also home to the The Kubert School, one of the most prestigious and highly-regarded schools of cartooning and graphic novel art in the country. For decades, Kubert graduates have been the artists behind the incredible comic book art at Marvel and DC Comics that has inspired the hugely successful cinematic superhero universes that rule today’s movie theaters.

Connecting Dover’s annual Cultural Connections Festival is a way for the people of Dover to celebrate their rich history and culture and to share it with their fellow New Jerseyans in a fun, family-friendly way. Local musicians and dancers perform on the main stage throughout the event, providing a wonderful sonic tapestry for the Festival and local visual artists have their art on display in galleries housed by local businesses and nonprofits. It’s also an important event for the area’s nonprofits and service providers as they reach out to the community and let them know how they can be of help. During last year’s event, the Hope One crew provided free Narcan training and kits to festival goers, Zufall Health administered free Covid vaccinations, County College of Morris students helped educate attendees about fitness, and free groceries and produce were distributed. This apolitical, welcoming atmosphere of community sharing, helping, and inclusivity is what Connecting Dover’s Executive Committee strives for with each event. The Connecting Dover coalition is comprised of New Jersey nonprofits and service providers who meet and regularly collaborate to best serve their community.

Connecting Dover’s 2022 Cultural Connections Festival will run from 11 AM until 3 PM on Saturday, June 4th along Basset Highway in Dover, New Jersey and is absolutely free for anyone to attend. This year’s Festival sponsors include Home Depot, the Mayo Performing Arts Center, and The Housing Partnership with Neighborworks America as part of Neighborworks Week. For more information about the Festival or about Connecting Dover, please contact Carlos Caprioli, M.D. at (862) 432-5014 or ccaprioli@partnershipmch.org