Bad weather on Sunday shortens the annual HarvestFest

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BLOOMFIELD, NJ — The weather has not cooperated with Bloomfield events since spring. This past weekend was no exception.

In May, the Memorial Day Parade was cancelled because of an ominous forecast. In July, the rockets red glare was soaked with rain on Independence Day. And this past weekend, Mother Nature cut HarvestFest short.

Ollyn Lettman, the executive director of the Bloomfield Center Alliance, which sponsors the two-day event, said the decision to cancel the second day had to be made by 11:30 a.m. Sunday morning, under heavy rains. So at 1 p.m., because of the forecast, the event ended. It was a disappointed Lettman’s first HarvestFest. No one saw the skies clearing around 2:30 p.m. But according to Lettman, Saturday was good.

“We had the Bloomfield High School Marching Band and a nice crowd of folks,” he said. “We had a great lineup of musicians and we felt Saturday was a good start despite the overcast.”

The numbers for the HarvestFest have not been crunched yet, Lettman said, so there is no telling how the event might affect the overall budget, if at all.

“We never looked at the event as a fundraiser,” Lettman said. “The objective was for something positive for Bloomfield Center.”

The next event the BCA has scheduled is on Saturday, Oct. 29, from noon to 3 p.m., It is the first-ever “Trunk or Treat” for the BCA. It will set up at the Farrand Street parking lot. Cars should register by email:
[email protected]. It probably will not be needed, but the rain date is Oct. 30.