Two-day event to honor David Cassidy

C’mon, get happy! West Orange will soon be celebrating the life and legacy of former West Orange resident David Cassidy.

Mayor Susan McCartney — along with Karen Ranieri and Barb Collentine — are working with the Downtown West Orange Alliance planning a two-day celebration scheduled for the end of July.

A historical market will be installed at Colgate Field, where Cassidy played Little League baseball as a child. And the town will co-name Elm Street “David Cassidy Way.”

Cassidy, best known for his role as Keith Partridge on “The Partridge Family,” spent his childhood in West Orange, being raised primarily by his maternal grandparents, living on Elm Street.

When McCartney was asked about doing this, she loved the idea.

“I just loved watching the afternoon line-up. ‘Dark Shadows’ and then ‘The Partridge Family’,” she said.

Ranieri, who has been a David Cassidy fan since she was 5, began organizing events to honor Cassidy after he died in 2017. They were held on his birthday and fans from all over the country would meet up.

One time they met in front of Madison Square Garden, which Cassidy called his favorite venue. They all sang Partridge Family songs until security came.

“I had (a photo of) David’s head on a stick,” said Ranieri enthusiastically. They also gave out socks to the homeless because Cassidy always talked about bringing love and light to the world.

The group also visited Music Box Theatre, where Cassidy performed in “Blood Brothers” and dined at Sardi’s where Cassidy’s photo is on the wall.

When the pandemic hit, they held virtual meetings in Cassidy’s honor. In 2023, they decided to have West Orange as a featured topic since that’s where Cassidy grew up.

They had West Orange historian Joe Fagan as a guest speaker.

“He interviewed David in the past,” said Ranieri. “He knew him.”

That’s when the idea of a historical marker was first broached. Fagan liked the idea and Ranieri and Collentine started a Go Fund Me fundraiser.

“We raised the money within two weeks,” said Ranieri. “People were very excited. People from the U.K., from Australia. They were all excited.”

And with the help of Megan Brill of The West Orange Downtown Alliance, everything began falling into place.

Brill approved of the street sign.

As of now, the two-day itinerary is tentative, as specifics are being worked out.

One thing that is set in stone is a vendor table for the I Think I Love You Animal Foundation, a nonprofit that provides financial support to animals in need of sanctuary or medical attention, especially retired thoroughbred racehorses who require rescue.

There will also be a David Cassidy West Orange Tour. Guests will visit Holy Trinity Episcopal Church where Cassidy sang in the choir and Eagle Rock reservation where he played as a child. Ranieri said she’d also like to visit the Edison Museum. “That’s something really nice to see,” she said. “They have the first film studio.”
Ranieri feels that David Cassidy Way will mean a lot for his legacy.

“The fans are all looking for a place to go to remember David,” she said. “A lot of people feel he was underrated. He was looked at as a teen idol. He was more than that.”

Collentine hopes the historical marker will be like Strawberry Fields in Central Park is for John Lennon fans.

“The historical marker will still be there for anybody who can’t come to this event,” she said. “They’ll take pictures and it will be on Facebook. That’s really what the legacy is. People can say, ‘He mattered to me.’”

Camillia Hoare, a fan from the United Kingdom who knew Cassidy and donated two rose plants in his name to Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in West Orange, said she was pleased to hear about the efforts.

“He would be so humbled by this,” Hoare said. “This was the place David was most happy and a normal person before the madness of fame took hold of his life. At heart, David was just a normal guy who wanted what we all wanted—to be liked, loved, and respected for who he really was.”

Hoare continued to share what she learned from Cassidy’s autobiography, “C’mon Get Happy.” “That house on Elm Street and all those childhood memories of West Orange is where he was his happiest,” she said. “It’s a truly fitting tribute to him and I am glad that this was allowed to happen. The David Cassidy of Elm Street before he became the teen idol mythical figure.”

Karen Ranieri and Barb Collentine are seeking people who knew David Cassidy during his time living in West Orange and would like to speak at this event. Feel free to contact them at: [email protected]

  David Cassidy, West Orange