Author: atwiford

Cherry Hill held its 4th of July celebration one day early – with some rain delays – at the Jonas C. Morris Stadium at West High.

Though gates were originally supposed to open at 7 p.m., weather conditions caused a 30-minute delay. Updates were posted on the township Facebook page, with assurances that the show would go on regardless of rain. 

Mayor Dave Fleisher was involved with the event’s planning and decision-making.

“We start months in advance, really a full year in advance, pulling together elements that create, hopefully, an unforgettable night for our residents,” he said. “So that involves the fireworks display itself, food trucks, live music, the DJ and coordinating all the resources and volunteers to make it happen.” 

Volunteers were stationed throughout the stadium – including at the front gates – to make sure minors were accompanied by adults and to answer any questions. The township police and fire departments were on the stadium field.

A stage was set up across that field from the entrance gate, where a DJ played music. The Cherry Hill Education Foundation had several booths at the stadium for sales of raffle tickets, snacks, candy, water and Gatorade that benefit district schools.

Jon Cohen is the the foundation’s president.

“It’s a great turnout,” he enthused. “People still stayed even though the weather is pretty bad … All the money that we raise goes right back to the classrooms. Most of it is to improve the classrooms for the teachers, money that the budget can’t cover, so we’re an all-volunteer group just trying to raise money to help teachers.”

Families and individuals set up camping chairs and blankets at the stadium or sat directly on the turf to wait for the fireworks. Some residents were adorned for the occasion, wearing everything from suits covered in stars and stripes to hats with American flags on top to Captain America T-shirts. Children could play within netting on either side of the field that kept the public away from the fireworks staging area. 

About an hour after the gates opened, the wind started to pick up and the rain returned. Some attendees ran to their cars or to the treeline near the field for cover.

“The rain was a little bit surprising, but I’m just glad that they’re going to be able to put the fireworks on,” said Mullica Hill resident Sarah Shockey.”I love watching fireworks, and for me personally, I’m not going to be able to see any on July 4. So this is going to be really cool to get to experience it as a little pre-game to Independence Day.”

The rain slowed as a live band began to play and the national anthem was sung. But it picked up again shortly after, and an announcement came for attendees to return to their cars to watch the fireworks. 

“Mother Nature gave us a run for the money this year, but it ended up being a huge success,” Fleisher observed. “The residents’ feedback has been very positive. Residents have really, really enjoyed the show this year.

“They didn’t let a little bit of rain get in the way of that.” 

Rain returned in time for the start of fireworks at 9 p.m., so they were delayed to about an hour later, when it left. People watched from their cars or got out to sit in parking lots, but the show went on.

Years after its heyday in South Jersey and around the country, a new Roy Rogers restaurant opened to anxious crowds in Cherry Hill on June 25.

Lines wrapped around the front of the building and overflowed onto the right lane of Haddonfield Road, where fans eagerly awaited their burgers, fries and chicken tenders. The restaurant hosted a ribbon cutting at 10 a.m. and opened to the public half an hour later.

The ribbon cutting incuded remarks from company officials and a welcome from Mayor Dave Fleisher, along with an American flag raised by the JROTC during the singing of the national anthem. The Roy Rogers company then presented the township library a check for $500, a donation to the community it left in the 1990s, according to the company itself. 

Hope Holroyd is the library’s public relations and marketing coordinator.

“They had contacted us a few months ago, saying that the opening was coming up,” she recounted. “They were starting to work on their advertising and marketing for it. And then, as part of the opening, they just wanted to provide a local donation and they reached out to us first.”

The library was the only local recipient of a donation from the fast-food chain, and members of its staff and the Friends of the Library organization attended the opening to accept the restaurant’s check. Also there were library leaders Tierney Miller, director; chief of operations Jennie Purcell; board of trustees member Kathy Judge; and Friends of the Library president Marlyn Kalitan.

The fast-food company’s ceremonial check featured a giant company logo and background drawings featuring the hat of Roy Rogers and a cactus. The chain was founded in 1968 and named for Rogers, a cowboy movie actor and singer.

“It was hot, but it was really fun to see everybody come out,” Holroyd noted of the restaurant opening. “The community was really excited, and that’s one thing we were excited to see, the amount of people who were just lined up and excited for the food and cheered us on for getting the donation.” 

In addition to the monetary contribution, the company also gave the library prizes for its children’s summer reading program, including wooden tokens that can be exchanged for free ice cream with a purchase and achievement certificates acknowledging a child’s success in maintaining reading skills during the academic off-season.

“It was just a really nice welcome back to the town and everything,” Holroyd noted, “because they hadn’t had a restaurant in town for a really long time.”