Friday Night in South Orange Village

The rain held off on Friday night, and at 8 p.m., the clear sky above South Orange was deep blue. As two sets of musicians, Dave Braham at Spiotta Park and Cactus Salad at the Sloan Street gazebo, played their first numbers, locals gathered to listen, many carrying cold drinks or ice cream.

This weekend's “Staycation” concerts were organized by Main Street South Orange and sponsored by Kitchen a la Mode. Owner Ben Salmon explained, “This is a creative way to celebrate downtown. I was impressed by how fast Main Street executed this. It solves a problem and will, I hope, bring many residents downtown.”

By 9 p.m., the event had met his goal. Many groups of people were in the village, the numbers reportedly swelled by a power blackout in downtown Maplewood. “We’re here for ice cream and entertainment,” said Thomas Sanders, clutching a bowl of ice cream. And entertainment there was. The village was bright and buzzing, as people strolled between concerts and shopped at Kitchen a la Mode, open late for the occasion; trains came and went, and fire trucks backed in and pulled out of the firehouse. There was a visible police presence; a squad car with flashing lights was parked on South Orange Avenue for much of the evening.

The teen presence was significant, though several concert-goers noted anecdotally that it was a smaller group than they had seen on previous weekends. A large of group of teenagers seemed to migrate between Cold Stone Creamery on Sloan Street and the corner of South Orange Ave. and Scotland Road. Older teens arrived in cars blaring music from the windows, a contrast to the live music.

Groups clustered around the musicians included recent college graduates, many families, couples and a clutch of au pairs. Luis Pena, downtown with two companions, explained that he had come early to catch a train and decided to stay and listen to the music. “The music drew us in,” he said. “It’s definitely a good idea.” Pena has seen the numbers of teens downtown on the weekends grow, and with it some altercations. “That takes away from being here,” he said. “I think the concerts draw a different clientele.” 

The lively downtown scene, especially on an evening when the weather was uncertain, was “fun in a mellow way,” according to Seton Hall students Jen and Maya, who preferred not give their last names. They describe themselves as “regulars” in the village, and they have grown “more aware” of the teen situation. They came downtown for pizza at the Village Trattoria.

As the evening turned to cloudy night, and families with younger children went home, teens continued to arrive in the village, and smaller groups and couples left the larger gatherings to sit in front of darker storefronts, where their cell phones flickered like fireflies in the night. Adults who had finished dinner at local restaurants strolled through town. Rain threatened in fits and starts, but music played on as local eateries prepared to close for the night. The adult and teen experiences of a night in the village are quite different – the age-old generation gap in play – but the coexistence remained not placid, exactly, but peaceful on Friday night in South Orange.