WEST WINDSOR: First-ever Community Day to feature food, fun and face-painting

By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
Food trucks, face-painting, an inflatable slide, a rock-climbing wall and a performance by West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North’s jazz band are among the attractions at West Windsor Township’s Community Day, set for April 29., The free event, which is geared toward families, will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Duck Pond Park on Meadow Road. It is a new event in a new township park, said Ken Jacobs, the township’s manager of recreation and parks., Visitors to Community Day will learn about what is available in West Windsor Township, from businesses to nonprofit groups. The businesses and organizations will set up booths with information about themselves and what they have to offer., Representatives from the Police Department, the Health Department, the Human Relations Council and the West Windsor Arts Council also will be on hand to explain what they do and what they can offer., Children’s activities include an inflatable “bounce house,” a rock-climbing wall, an obstacle course and a carnival area with games such as ring toss and a knock-over-the-can game., Community Day, which is a collaborative effort between West Windsor Township and the Religious Leaders of West Windsor group, has been more than a year in the making. The goal is to bring the community together in a fun and family-friendly way., The impetus for Community Day grew out of discussions among faith leaders in the township, said the Rev. Ken Smith of the Princeton Meadow Church. The Religious Leaders of West Windsor includes priests, ministers, imams and rabbis from the Catholic, Protestant, Latter Day Saints, Muslim and Jewish congregations., Although each religion has its own beliefs and traditions, the faith leaders agreed that what united them was their strong convictions about caring for and loving their neighbors, Smith said. They decided to focus on core values – primarily, how to work cooperatively for the health and well-being of West Windsor Township, he said., “There is a great deal to be said to promoting the kind of community that is supportive and (whose members are) concerned about one another,” Smith said., Through informal discussions, the Religious Leaders of West Windsor saw the need for events that are supportive of families, Smith said. The group decided to approach West Windsor Township officials, and learned that the township was considering holding a family-friendly event., And although the faith leaders have played an integral role in creating Community Day, Smith emphasized that the religious community is not intent on proselytizing. That is not the purpose of Community Day, he said., “We want to live in a community that is supportive and united in promoting the well-being of West Windsor Township,” Smith said.