From the South Orange Village Center Alliance:
Based on multiple forecasts and a conversation with the meteorologist covering our event, we’ve got an 80-100% chance of rain on Sunday [September 18] during event hours (threat of severe thunderstorms is high too). We are moving [PlayDay] to our rain date of September 25, 1-6 p.m.
All other Stay & Play Weekend activities are happening as scheduled this weekend.
Next Sunday looks like perfect weather (so far) and although this is disappointing we feel it is the wisest decision to ensure a successful event. Thanks for all you are doing to roll with the changes.
Read more about PlayDay here from SOVCA’s Village Vibe newsletter:
Let’s start with the all the cool new attractions! For the first time ever, we have a Zip Line that will zip you high above W. South Orange Avenue. You’ve never seen South Orange like this before! We’ve also got a Rock Wall for the first time. Extraordinary! And then of course there’s the other new attraction that I wrote about a couple of weeks ago, and that’s the Euro Bungee. That should make you jump for joy! Not to mention three separate inflatable zones, including inflatables for little kids as well as the older kids. And we are also bringing back those super cool and super fast radio controlled race cars.
As you know, PlayDay is an event that’s free and open to the public. However, anyone (adult or child) wishing to participate in any of the above activities must purchase a $10 wristband, which you can purchase using cash or credit card at one of 3 locations: the corner of Sloan St. & S. Orange Ave., Spiotta Park, or the Riverside parking lot next to Ridge Tire. And if you’re planning on going on either the Zip Line or Rock Wall, or using the skate park (which is free to use) you must sign a waiver of liability. Anyone under the age of 18 must have their parent or legal guardian sign the waiver. You can save time on Sunday by downloading the waiver here, signing it, and bringing it with you (or your kids) to PlayDay.
PlayDay also has a ton of great stuff that’s totally and completely free! Like for example, miniature golf. Swing by on Sunday or you’ll miss it! There’s also street games such as Foursquare, hopscotch, hula hoops, jump ropes, and of course, corn hole. Let’s not forget table games under the NJ Transit viaduct including checkers, Sorry!, Chutes and Ladders, Rock ’em Sock ’em Robots, and oversized versions of challenges like Jenga, chess and Connect 4.
Thanks to our Department of Recreation and Cultural Affairs, there’s also an art experience with drawing activities, chalk art, printmaking, a giant puppet parade and more. The SO Public Library offers interactive fun, and local artist Russell Christian will be back to work with the community on another amazing large-scale sculpture, Big Head. The PlayDay Sport Court will be the place to go for on-the-street basketball, tennis and soccer. The South Mountain YMCA Y Zone will offer amazing fitness fun at the corner of Vose Avenue and South Orange Avenue. Additionally, representatives from more than 20 community groups will be on hand to keep you up to date on what they’re doing and let you know how you can get involved.
There will be a lot of food for sale from some of our South Orange restaurants during the event. The main stage, located on South Orange Avenue at Scotland Road, will offer great live music and dance all afternoon. (You can see the complete schedule here.
And also on the main stage, we are bringing back the Town Hall Deli Sloppy Joe eating competition at 5:00 PM! This year there’s a new audience participation piece of the Sloppy Joe contest! You can “vote” for the contestant who you think will win the competition, and one lucky person who chooses the right contestant will win the grand prize of a South Orange Village Center gift basket filled with gift certificates and prizes from some of our merchants! But, you gotta be in it to win it so make sure you get yourself to the stage at 5 PM.
We couldn’t do PlayDay every year with the incredible generous support of our sponsors, so we’d like to thank all of them here! First, a special thanks to Stop & Shop for being our Premium Play Area Sponsor and sponsoring the Zip Line! We also want to thank Investors Bank, Natalie Farrell of Weichert, and BCB Community Bank for generously sponsoring our inflatable areas. Furthermore, a big thanks goes to South Orange Country Day School which is sponsoring the art experience, Sparkhouse, the sponsor of the radio controlled test track, and Overlook Medical Center, the sponsor of our Sport Court. By the way, Village Family Medicine on Vose Avenue will be open during PlayDay and will be offering a family comfort (i.e. breastfeeding) station. We also want to thank our great media sponsor for this year, TAPintoSOMA.
This year, we have the highest number of Supporting Sponsors ever, and most of them will also be offering free activities for attendees. So thanks to all of our amazing Supporting Sponsors (in alphabetical order): Ashley Marketplace & Cafe, The Avenue at South Orange, Blink Fitness, Bunny’s Sports Bar, d&i Fitness, Eventage, Farmer’s Insurance, Jeff Lake Camp, Maplecrest Ford Lincoln, Maria Priadka School of Dance, Mark Murphy’s Music, Pet Wants, RWJ Barnabas/Saint Barnabas, South Mountain Y, South Orange Chiropractic Center, South Orange Exxon, South Orange Pet Services LLC, Spa Lady South Orange, Studio 509, Third & Valley, Town Hall Deli, The UPS Store, Village Dental Group, and Zeifman Orthodontics. How’s that for local merchant participation? It’s literally from A to Z!
All the municipal parking lots (except for the Riverside lot on W. South Orange Ave.) will be open during PlayDay. South Orange Avenue between Ridgewood Road and Scotland Road/Valley Street will be closed from 8 AM until approximately 7 PM. You can see the all the street closures and parking information here. There is one last thing that, unfortunately, I need to mention. As of this writing, the forecast for Sunday is looking a little dicey, and if we need to push back the event to our rain date, which is Sunday, Sept. 25th, we will get the word out on Saturday morning. We will post on our Facebook page, on our website, on the PlayDay website and through an email blast. Let’s put our collective fingers and toes together, though, and hope that the weather on Sundayholds out for the greatest day of play ever, PlayDay!
