WEST ORANGE, NJ — A brief sun shower did nothing to dampen the spirits of the estimated 800 people attending the Gregory School PTA’s Strawberry Festival on the afternoon of June 11. Children enjoyed a bounce house, inflatable slide and obstacle course, pony rides, face painting, sand art and games.
Also on hand were the mascot of the New Jersey Jackals baseball team, a DJ and a dunk tank, where local luminaries — including West Orange High School language arts teacher Tonio Favetta, West Orange Mayor Robert Parisi, Edison Middle School Principal Xavier Fitzgerald and Gregory School PTA President Cyndy Rintzler — were repeatedly dropped into the refreshingly cool water by baseball-hurling students and parents.
“Gregory School’s 78th annual Strawberry Festival rocked!” Rintzler said in the press release. “We’re so fortunate to be a part of a community that joins together to pull off this huge event to keep the tradition going, give our kids a fun day, and allow neighbors to get to know each other better and have fun together.”
Children also painted rocks to adorn the recently dedicated Gregory Gardens, a school education and beautification project begun earlier this year.
Cara Baluzy, a Gregory fifth-grader, said she most enjoyed the spinning cups ride because “it made me feel so little again, like I was on a roller coaster!” First-grader Sydney Hains also had fun; the highlight of the day for her, she said, was the dunk tank, where she got to dunk her dad.
Photos and Text Courtesy of Ken Alper
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