Celebrate the Season at Camp Jefferson Fall Festival

The Jefferson Township Recreation Department hosts its annual Fall Festival at Camp Jefferson Saturday. This event is free to the public.

The autumnal happening boasts a wide variety of family-friendly activities.  DJ Earl Heller of Sound Solutions will provide the music. Kids are the target audience for a Mad Science demonstration entitled “The Evil Witch of Eggsylvania” and "A Touch of Nature" Live Animal Show.  Strolling juggler Bill Ceddia will be on the grounds from noon to 3 p.m., and Karen’s Pony Rides and Petting Zoo will be on site from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The festival also offers afternoon hayrides, a fall coloring activity, pumpkin decorating, pumpkin picking in Camp Jefferson’s special pumpkin patch, information from the Jefferson Township Police Department’s Community Services Unit, fire safety info from the NJ Forest Fire Service and a model train display presented by the BD&W Model Train Club. 

It wouldn't be a good, old fashioned fall festival without a ride under the stars in a straw-filled cart, and Saturday's event will not disappoint on that score. There will be a night-time haunted hayride at a nominal fee throughout the haunted Camp Jefferson grounds. 

Refreshments will be available for sale with proceeds earmarked for “Operation Camp Jefferson,” a scholarship fund that will allow children from needy families to have a summer day camp experience next year. Members of the Jefferson Township Middle School Student Council and the Red Cross Club will serve as refreshment table volunteers.

The festival is set to start at 10 a.m. and end at 3 p.m. But that isn't the end of the seasonal fun. Jefferson Recreation proudly presents the 25th annual Halloween Haunted House. Get more information on the spooktacular holiday happening here.

When approaching Camp Jefferson, organizers ask drivers to follow the directions of the volunteer parking attendants.  Shuttle service will be provided by the township’s Dial-A-Ride van and the Camp Jefferson Blue Bus to and from off-site locations for overflow parking at the the Board of Education’s Central Offices Building (formerly the Robert Drummond School) at 31 Route 181 and at Ellen T. Briggs Elementary School, 1 Jefferson Drive (off Espanong Road), both in Lake Hopatcong.  

Organizers also ask everyone attending ito bring a nonperishable food item or a paper product to help restock Jefferson’s food pantries.

For more information, call the Recreation Department at 973-663-8404.