MILLSTONE – As the Millstone Day community celebration marks its return in 2021 after a year lost to the coronavirus pandemic, the event will coincide with the official opening of Millstone Park on Red Valley Road in Millstone Township.
Millstone Day is scheduled to take place from noon to 5 p.m. Sept. 12. Admission is free and all are welcome to attend.
According to the Millstone Township Parks and Recreation Commission, Millstone Day will feature inflatable rides, live bands and a beer garden sponsored by Millstone Elks Lodge No. 2613. Children will be able to decorate pumpkins for free. Fishing will be allowed for participants who bring the proper equipment
Sports featured at Millstone Day will include volleyball, basketball, tennis, pickleball, soccer and lacrosse, according to the Parks and Recreation Commission.
“We are hoping to do a lot of the fun things we did and had success with in the past, as well as bringing some new and exciting elements into Millstone Day this year,” Township Committeeman Chris Morris said during an Aug. 18 meeting. “We are happy to be able to do it this year based on what we could not do last year.”
Morris is the Township Committee’s liaison to Parks and Recreation
Millstone Day 2021 will be the first edition of the celebration to be held at Millstone Park, a 186-acre facility on Red Valley Road. Municipal officials said the event will serve as the official grand opening of Millstone Park to the public.
The development of Millstone Park has been ongoing since 2016. Officials completed the first phase in early 2020 and work on the second phase is continuing.
The park will eventually have nine general purpose fields (six with lights), restrooms, a kitchen serving facility, a trail that can be used for walking, jogging and horseback riding, a playground, and a boat-accessible pond that can be used for fishing and irrigation.
“Having Millstone Day at Millstone Park will be a great step to expose the park to all of the public,” Mayor Gary Dorfman said. “(We are trying) to make the community aware of all the things we do in recreation and Millstone Day will be a big step toward helping make that happen.”
“We have dozens of volunteers working every day, with multiple meetings a week, trying to pull all of this together. We are looking forward to it,” Morris said.
Dorfman thanked Morris and all of the volunteers who are organizing Millstone Day and helping with the opening of Millstone Park.
“At Millstone Day and the launch event of the park, I want to make sure we recognize the volunteers who helped make the park and Millstone Day happen,” the mayor said.
