Mr. Cheeks performs a set for an enthusiastic crowd.
IRVINGTON — Township residents came together on Saturday for Unity Day, which featured games for the kids, food for everybody and music from some legendary artists.
Events like this are important, Mayor Tony Vauss said, because they bring people together, creating community, which leads to better outcomes for all.
“When I took office, we used to have 30 homicides a year, we’ve had one this year,” he said. “A lot of what we do is community based.”
Activities for children included bounce houses but there was also a tent for seniors so they had somewhere to sit and stay out of the sun.
“Everyone looks forward to this event,” Vauss said, noting the presence of both young people and senior citizens.
Recreation Department Director Donald Malloy said this was the 23rd year that a Unity Day event has been held in the township.
“The concept is to try and unify the community,” Malloy said. “The Irvington community is very diverse. We thought ‘How can we bridge cultures and get seniors and young people together?’”
This year, people from the mayor’s summer youth program helped work the event, serving the seniors, which helped create interactions between the two groups.
In previous years, the event was held in Orange Avenue Park but a decision was made to move it to Civic Square because it is more visible and would generate more attention in that location.
Among the acts at the event were Valerie Adams and the Dimension Band, Dupre Kelly of the Lords of the Underground, Beanie Sigel and Mr. Cheeks.
Dupré Kelly, also known as DoItAll, is the first platinum-selling hip-hop artist to win an elected seat in the United States. He was elected as a councilman for Newark’s West Ward in a nonpartisan city council runoff.
Kelly, now representing his hometown, was sworn into office on July 1. Kelly arranged for the artists to perform at Saturday’s event.
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