BLOOMFIELD, NJ — A parade of classic cars will travel down Broad Street at about 6 p.m. on July 6, Aug. 3 and 31. Their destination will be the five-point area at Bloomfield Avenue and their purpose will be to show off during another classic car display. Classic cars will gather at the site each Wednesday during July and August for the Cruise Night Summer series. The parades begin at Brookdale ShopRite and Brookdale Baptist Church, at 1350 Broad St.
On June 1, classic cars paraded for the first time this summer.
“It was another opportunity to build some excitement,” said Ollyn Lettman, director of the Bloomfield Center Alliance, which sponsors the car show. “These are cool cars. It’s an invitation to come out.”
Lettman said the parade and other BCA efforts are intended to attract people to the downtown area.
“A number of restaurants provide discounts, too,” Lettman said of special nights.
The first classic car parade attracted 44 cars. They were joined by 22 more in the downtown area, according to Lettman.
“We fit them in,” he said.
There is also something for children at the car shows and Lettman promises something different every week.
“Along with cool cars, classic tunes, and deals from local restaurants, we offer a Kid’s Corner where children can be entertained with various activities and trophies to show winners for first, second and third place. This past Wednesday, we had Batman and his Batmobile,” Lettman said. “It went over big.”
The BCA also got together this year for a new activity to get people outside and enjoying themselves in Bloomfield restaurants.
Partnering with the Westminster Theater at Bloomfield College, and the 4th Wall Theatre Co., the BCA is promoting having dinner and taking in a live show. This week, the musical “Big Fish” will be performed Friday and Saturday, at 8 p.m., at Westminster Theater. Lettman said there will be exclusive dining discount for “Big Fish” patrons.
“This is a brand-new initiative which we coordinated in the hope of encouraging people to come and visit our downtown for the opportunity of experiencing great live theater and a nice meal at one of our local restaurants,” Lettman said. “We’ve gotten a good response and are planning on other dinners and productions.”
For more details, readers may visit www.bloomfieldcenter and com/pub/gen/event/298/fulltext and 4thwalltheatre.org/big-fish.
Looking ahead, Lettman said the Harvest Fest will be pushed back one weekend, to Oct. 8 and 9. He said this will give the Bloomfield event less competition for quality vendors, less competition with other festivals, and take advantage of Columbus Day, which falls on Monday, Oct. 10.
He also hopes to change the feel of the Harvest Fest with more artisans displaying and selling their works. It was also possible the festival will have a beer garden this year.
But for now, Lettman said the first Wednesday night of Cruise Night was a success.
“Considering the fact that schools are still on, we were happy with the number of people that came out,” he said.
Cruise Nights are from 6 to 9 p.m.
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