Spring Fling Starts at 10 a.m. Today

Downtown Westfield will once again be transformed into a festive open air market for the 19th annual Spring Fling sponsored by the Greater Westfield Area Chamber of Commerce.

Approximately 300 local merchants, including 20 food booths, will set up shop from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, May 5. More than 45,000 visitors are expected to come out to enjoy music, crafts and family fun.

Last spring's event included rides for children, a hot dog eating contest and even a flash mob. Attendees should save room as WindMill will once again challenge fair-goers to see how hot dogs they can down in two minutes. The contest begins at 1 p.m. at the Main Stage. Because several streets will be closed for the day, the GWACC recommends parking in the municipal lots. This is a rain or shine event. 

Other highlights include:

An AFS booth will be set up so exchange students spending a year in New Jersey, as well as families who are hosting students, can share their experiences.

Collaborative Painting at Westfield's Spring Fling: The Westfield Art Association (WAA) invites everyone to participate in the creation of artworks through collaborative painting at its booth at Westfield’s Spring Fling. WAA will also be sponsoring a prize drawing for those who take the fun “Art Personality Quiz.” All WAA activities at Spring Fling are open to all and are free of charge.

Rosanne Kurstedt and Lisa Carletta-Vieites will be at Learning Express in Westfield to read and sign their wonderful picture book, 'And I Thought About You' from 1:30 to  3:30 p.m. (Paper airplanes and butterfly tattoos, too!)

The Westfield Soccer Association will also have a booth.