08071 Pitman | Summer/Fall 2023

Question & Answer

COFFEE OR TEA? WHICH DO YOU PREFER? WE ASKED OUR NEIGHBORS, HERE’S WHAT THEY HAVE TO SAY!

Christina Ferguson says she prefers coffee while holding a cup of ice coffee. “I drink coffee every day!”

~ Est. 2015 ~

Family Owned. Locally Sourced. Made with love.

Specializing in Creampuffs, Patisserie Desserts, & 100% buttercream cakes! We offer Vegan Cakes, Vegan desserts, & many more!

Catering available for events from 5 to 500!

Wednesday 10-6 |Thursday 10-6 Friday 10-6 | Saturday 10-5

7 EAST HOLLY AVE PITMAN NJ 08071 856.589.2919

Dana Spitz prefers coffee. "I just like the ritual of having coffee and it calms me."

(L-r) Lois Francisci and Pat Prante prefer coffee. “I like the taste and it tastes better than tea.

Ellen Reustle “I’m a new coffee drinker but I like them both!”

(L-r) Amy Tomasso and Nancy Dixon “Definitely coffee, we’re coffee girls! It wakes us up and gives us the energy for the day!”

Letter from the Editor:

Hello 08071!

Can you believe it’s that time of year again for a new school year and ALL things Fall? I definitely can’t, but here we are! I am excited for you to check out our Summer into Fall edition magazine dedicated to the lifestyle and community of Pitman.

Did you get a chance to pop into the pop-up parks at Ballard Park this summer? The Greater Pitman Chamber of Commerce started Pop-Up Park events years back as a way to bring together residents and the local business community through a series of family-friendly activities. This year was no different. Dozens of people attended each week, whether they came for fresh produce, live music, yard games, sidewalk chalk for the kids, and other cool summertime activities. Check out the poppin’ good time on page 6.

The significant history of Alcyon Lake Park is well documented

through postcard collections, photograph albums and other items at the Pitman Memorabilia Museum at 71 Circle Ave. We take a look at what once was of the park area in the 19th century to what it is today from the sawmill days to the amusement park and Alcyon Speedway days on page 8.

In this issue, readers will get to know local artist/teacher Bernadette Perry. She has an eye for what pops. Whether it’s Pitman’s pastel-colored Grove homes; charming storefronts; and/or the iconic, art deco marquee of the Broadway Theater, she sees it. Like many teachers (and parents), Perry lost her way when COVID-19 happened. “I stopped making art that was just for me, and I accidentally gave up on my dream of being a ‘real’ artist.” Learn how Perry revived her dream on page 11.

When in town, stop into Chloe’s Crème Puffs on Holly Avenue and grab yourself a soft, fluffy, doughy “melt in your mouth” crème puff, which are baked daily. Yum! You can choose/try different flavors you want inside. On tap currently are the regular vanilla and chocolate as well as raspberry, pumpkin and/or cookies n’

cream. Alison Lusardi and her “small and mighty” team at Chloe’s Crème Puffs bring you this deliciousness. Open since 2015, Lusardi said she is happy how her business has grown, which now offers so much more baked goods and wedding cakes. Go have a taste on page 14.

We round this issue with a feelgood story. Inside the Lighthouse Community Center, “a beacon of hope” transcends to those who need a helping hand. Run by Pastor Randy Van Osten and housed in the First Baptist Church of Pitman on North Broadway, the center offers a thrift shop, serves hot meals twice a month and provides a safe place for kids to come and hang out. About half of The Lighthouse volunteers are affiliated with the church, but the other half of the volunteers come from the local community. Learn all about these good deeds on page 19.

All of this and more awaits on the pages ahead!

Kathy Chang Editor

Summer/Fall 2023 Contributors

Kathy Chang EDITOR

Diana DiSimine

Jennifer Amato Asha Brodie Mindy Toran

Jamie Giambrone Boris Cardenas

Poppin’ Family Fun at Ballard Park

POP-UP PARKS TOOK PLACE THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER

Story By Jennifer Amato

Photos By Boca Media

Pop! Pop! Pop!

It has been a “poppin’ up” good time in Pitman during the summer.

The Greater Pitman Chamber of Commerce started Pop-Up Park events years back as a way to bring together residents and the local business community through a series of family-friendly activities.

This year was no different.

From the end of June through mid-August, there were pop-up events held in Ballard Park every Thursday from 6-8 p.m. “to bring visitors to the uptown to shop and dine,” said Vanessa James, who became chamber president in 2018 and has been coordinating the pop-ups since that time. “It’s a fun community event.”

From the end of June through mid-August, there were pop-up events held in Ballard Park every Thursday from 6-8 p.m. “to bring visitors to the uptown to shop and dine,” said Vanessa James, who became chamber president in 2018 and has been coordinating the pop-ups since that time. “It’s a fun community event.”

SUMMER/FALL 2023

PHOTOS BY BOCA MEDIA

Dozens of people attended each week, whether they came for fresh produce, live music, yard games, sidewalk chalk for the kids, and other cool summertime activities.

Some were able to catch some “superheroes” (i.e. costumed characters) racing each other on the lawn or they were able to see their favorite princesses. The characters held meet-and-greets with the kids for photos.

Sometimes local police officers or firefighters stopped by with their trucks.

The pop-up did not have to end the night at 8 p.m. As Greater Pitman Chamber of Commerce alludes to on their Uptown Pitman website Shop Eat Stroll Stay

Some folks had dinner at a Pitman restaurant after shopping along Broadway.

Local businesses were invited to get involved, James said.

“This year Thyme Pitman, a local catering company, had special menus each week,” she said. “We also have Visalli’s Farm Market with Jersey produce. Sometimes Hallowed Grounds Coffee, Pitman’s mobile coffee business, attended. Over the Top Party Planning provides characters. We have local musicians provide music. Other businesses and local organizations are invited to participate.”

The Greater Pitman Chamber of Commerce has other events planned throughout the rest of this year, such as sidewalk sales, Broadway theater performances, craft fairs, Restaurant Week, townwide yard sales, food truck festivals, small business weekends, Girls Night Out, and Christmas events.

Next year, look for the dates for annual events such as more Broadway theater and sidewalk sales, Fourth Friday events, the Shamrock Shoppe Hop, the Easter egg hunt, and the July 4 parade and fireworks. — 08071

A LOOK AT ALCYON LAKE PARK’S SAWMILL AND HISTORY

Postcards of the past

Story By Asha Brodie

Photos By Boca Media

Postcards usually portray a memory - a still photograph or illustration - of a time that once was.

That is for sure when you peruse the postcard collection at the Pitman Memorabilia Museum along with its photograph albums.

On postcards of Alcyon Lake Park, you will find what the park once was in the 19th century and what it is today.

Let’s begin with the sawmill, which at one time was on the site.

Sawmills were quite popular in the area and used for many things such as cutting lumber to assist with constructing buildings.

Charles Wynne owned the sawmill, which was powered by water and used to cut logs into dimensional lumber, according to Debra Higbee, vice chair at the Pitman Memorabilia Museum.

Window sashes were a commonly used product at the mill, which is now the site of Peter Lumber Company on West Holly Avenue. In 1932 Hugh M. Peter, Sr. founded Peter Lumber Company. His business plan was to proudly offer customers quality mate-

rials, good service and sound advice at the right price, according to its website. The company has six locations in Southern New Jersey and two locations in Pennsylvania.

“Mr. Wynne also owned the property surrounding the sawmill including Wynne’s Mill Pond where people could rent boats and enjoy fishing,” Higbee added.

In 1888, the mill pond and sawmill were purchased by brothers Henry and George Carr.

The Carr brothers renamed the pond Halcyon Lake.

“The name Halcyon meaning ‘serene, happy, and peaceful’ was first selected, but the brothers thought the name might be hard to pronounce so they dropped the ‘H,’” Higbee explained.

By 1892, the brothers transformed their purchase of Alcyon (minus the ‘H’) Park into a popular amusement park. It was the ideal spot for boating and fishing and there was a heavily trafficked boardwalk as well, Higbee said.

Along with attractions like the amusement park, there was also a casino, roller-skating rink and toboggan.

PHOTOS BY BOCA MEDIA Alcyon Lake Park was named for its serenity, happiness, and peacefulness. It lives up to its name to this day.

Don’t forget the bowling alley and the horse and bicycle races of Alcyon Speedway.

The diverse activities drew in around 35,000 visitors on a daily basis, according to history of the site. However, over time the amusement park eventually closed and so did the Speedway years later in the 1960s.

The quote “all good things must come to an end” may be appropriate at this moment.

The sawmill in particular changed hands several times over the years. Robbin’s Lumber became the owner of the sawmill and the building was taken down in the 1940s due to the lack of water flow.

The Borough of Pitman acquired Alcyon Lake and has upheld its beauty.

These days you can take a stroll with your family and the one you love at the park. You can also sit to have a bite to eat at one of the picnic pavilions serenaded by birds that frequent there.

There is also a playground and breathtaking lakeside trees.

Although the days of the sawmill, amusement park and Alcyon Speedway are no more, that does not mean the history is lost.

Delve right in at the Pitman Memorabilia Museum, located at 71 Circle Ave. There is no charge for admission.

Opening hours are the second Saturday of each month from 1-4 p.m. and the fourth Friday of each month from 5-7 p.m. Private tours can also be scheduled as well.

The museum not only has the postcard collection and photograph albums, but there is also a women’s clothing display, an Alcyon Park display for the children and a wooden water main. There is also a barber chair and a vintage victrola (record player). — 08071

Local artist finds ‘lost’ dream during lockdown

ARTWORK ON DISPLAY AND SALE AT WORDS MATTER BOOKSTORE

Story By Diana DiSimine

Local artist Bernadette Perry has an eye for what pops.

Whether it’s Pitman’s pastel-colored Grove homes, charming storefronts, the iconic, art deco marquee of the Broadway Theater, she sees it.

If you’ve stopped into the Words Matter bookstore, perused what the latest Craft Fair had to offer, or been active on the Pitman Buy Nothing Facebook group, you’re probably already familiar with Perry’s paintings.

A Pitman resident for nine years and an art teacher for 13, Perry loves her profession, which gives her an excuse to be creative every day.

“However,” she notes, “I didn’t start painting in earnest until the beginning of COVID (in March 2020).”

When her school shut down during quarantine, she was left alone with a troubling realization.

“Like a lot of teachers (and of course, parents), I lost my sense of identity somewhere along the way,” Perry said. “I stopped making art that was just for me, and I accidentally gave up on my dream of being a ‘real’ artist.”

Practicing art for art’s sake was a way for Perry to pass time, spread joy, and hone skills during quarantine. Up to that point, she says, “I used watercolors all the time as a teaching tool in my classroom, but I had never used them as an artist.”

It was during lockdown, on the local Buy Nothing group, that Perry started to get attention as a local artist, offering to paint house portraits for her neighbors – pro bono. see ART page 12

PHOTOS BY JAMIE GIAMBRONE

Local artist Bernadette Perry’s artwork is displayed and on sale at Words Matter bookstore.

Photos By Jamie Giambrone

ART 08071

from page 11

In three years’ time, watercolors have become Perry’s specialty. They feature fine lines, delicate coloring, and attention to detail. And she has moved on from painting for just a few lucky, grateful neighbors, to selling her services and displaying her artwork at local events.

“The people of this town are incredibly supportive of my work,” Perry said with appreciation.

Her first opportunity to sell her art was at the Laurel Market under the Sunset Auditorium, where she was approached by Keryl Hausmann, owner of Words Matter, with an offer to sell them at her bookstore.

“She’s the kind of person who wants to use her success to help others succeed, and it’s an honor to know her and work with her,” Perry said. “Walking into a store and seeing my items on a shelf will never lose its shine for me. It’s the most amazing feeling.”

In turn, Perry’s art gives the store a lovely small-town touch. Whether in the eyes of a proud local or charmed out-oftowner, her paintings perfectly commemorate the picturesque town.

And while Perry is well-known for portraying Pitman landmarks and homes, it was actually her portrait of the iconic Angelo’s Diner in Glassboro which won Best in Show in last year’s Pitman Art Walk.

Aside from capturing the charm of small-town South Jersey, Perry also loves to paint nature. She uses her canvas to take a closer look at the flora and fauna of the Pine Barrens. She is also known to paint animals and pet portraits.

Perry’s current project is a series of paintings of local rooftops done in acrylics. She hopes to show them at her first Art Show. She also aspires to one day write and illustrate a children’s book that she can read to her students.

Over time and through practice, Perry has rejuvenated the artistic identity that she felt, three years ago, she had lost.

“Now, I work on creating something every day that is just for me. That already feels like success, and the fact that people like what I’m creating enough to buy it is amazing and humbling.” — 08071

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In our hometown of Pitman, a team of dedicated individuals are united in their goals of inspiring progress, preserving rich historical traditions and spaces, and being models of civic responsibility. Paul Blass, Adam Mazzola, and Robert Uyehara have combined their talents, passions, and determination, to create an unbreakable bond that will move our community towards a bright future.

Connection lies at the core of their success, as these three leaders bridge the gap between diverse ideas and practical solutions. During regular visits to local neighborhoods, they offer a casual space where Pitmanites can share their hopes for the town and what they ’ d like to see from this dedicated team.

They are able to take these ideas and turn them into actual change thanks to their experienced leadership and their deep love of serving our town.

Paul Blass , as our former Pitman Borough Council President, worked to preserve our historical spaces like the Pitman Grove Auditorium, so that today it can be made available to host religious services, community activities, and other various events.

Adam Mazzola currently serves on Pitman Borough Council as liaison to Public Finance. Under Adam ’ s leadership of the finance department, the Borough has passed consecutive budgets with zero municipal tax increases.

Robert Uyehara has previously served Pitman as President of the Board of Education. As Finance Chair of the Pitman United Methodist Church, Rob spearheaded a campaign to pay off the church mortgage 17 years early, and as President of the Board of Education, Rob was instrumental in bringing fullday, tuition - free preschool to Pitman.

history, and pave the way for a vibrant future.

Below: Team Pitman is Adam Mazzola (left), Paul Blass (center), and Rob Uyehara (right)

PAID FOR BY BLASS, MAZZOLA & UYEHARA FOR PITMAN, C. MONTELEONE HAUGHT, TREASURER

‘CHLOE’S CRÈME PUFFS’ AND MORE Borough Bites

The soft, fluffy, doughy “melt in your mouth” crème puff is baked daily and filled fresh to order at Chloe’s Crème Puffs.

Literally!

Don’t forget -- choose the flavor you want inside! The regular vanilla and chocolate or try the other flavors currently on tap – raspberry, pumpkin and/ or cookies n’ cream. And if you want a coating of sugar on top, go for it. Nom, Nom, Nom!

Meet Alison Lusardi, who brings this deliciousness to your taste palate as

owner of Chloe’s Crème Puffs. Named after her family cat and open since February 2015, she began her business with the thought it would just be a “fun hobby.”

“I’ll open a couple days a week, we’ll do this as a hobby, we’ll see how it goes,” Lusardi said of her thought process. “And then it really started to take off within two years. Then four years into opening, I was able to quit all my other jobs and make this full time.”

And “all my other jobs” is not a joke. Lusardi has done it all. Her first job was

actually a bakery and catering job believe it or not, but it took a bit of time to come full circle.

She graduated from Rowan University in Glassboro with a degree in art.

“Completely unrelated to baking,” Lusardi candidly stated.

When she graduated, she opened up her own art studio, however in her words “it kind of crashed and burned.”

Then she worked for an optical company where she came to the realization, she didn’t like working for somebody else.

OWNER ALISON LUSARDI AND HER ‘SMALL, BUT MIGHTY’ STAFF HAVE BEEN BRINGING THE DELICIOUSNESS OF CRÈME PUFFS TO PITMAN FOR EIGHT YEARS

Story By Kathy Chang

Photos By Jamie Giambrone

“I like things done a very particular way,” Lusardi said. “I’m kind of ‘Type A’ when it comes to my job and ‘Type B’ when it comes to hanging out with my friends. I’m the type of person that I need to do it for myself. I need to be my own boss.

“So initially my boyfriend [now fiancée Marcus] and I at the time were thinking, ‘we’re just going to move across the country. Just drop everything, just travel and have what we have in our car.’”

Her parents Peggy and David Lusardi reeled in their freewheeling mindsets after college.

“They were always like set roots, don’t give up on Jersey just yet, make something here for yourself,” Lusardi explained. “So my parents ended up helping me find this building.”

The Lusardi’s were looking at a few small downtown areas - Collingswood, Haddonfield, and Merchantville – to name a few. The pricing turned out to be just right in the Pitman location at the time.

“It was pretty much an empty shell, which to my parents and I, a blank canvas to figure out what I wanted to do,” Lusardi said, noting the 525 square-foot space from front to back on Holly Avenue.

Prior to Chloe’s Crème Puffs, the location was home to a number of businesses – a furniture store, a candy store, a hair salon, which moved across the street, a tax wizards and it was the first location for Just Cookies.

“There’s been a lot of stores that started in this location so we always thought of it as a good luck charm,” Lusardi said, adding she initially thought she was going to open up a jewelry shop because her school degree is in jewelry, blacksmithing and ceramics.

However, with the “crash and burn” of her first art studio, she was hesitant about it.

“Even though I loved it, it didn’t seem something that was sustainable,” she said. “The type of pieces that I would make were collector pieces versus gifts. More like higher end stuff that doesn’t sound sustainable for the long run.”

see FOOD page 17

FOOD 08071

from page 15

That’s when Lusardi set her roots – well her Italian and Irish roots.

“I realized that I kind of like baking,” she said. With that said, Lusardi had to add she is not a cook (at all.)

So baking whisk, no cooking spatula. Got it!

“So when I initially came up with the concept, we were thinking of something that the town didn’t have.”

At the time, Pitman Bakery was still open and it had been around for 40 years. It’s something Lusardi adamantly stated she did not want to compete with.

After some brainstorming, it suddenly hit her, Voila, Crème puffs!

“It’s something that I have been making since I was 15 years old,” Lusardi explained. “When I opened up the store, it’s the only thing that we sold.”

The question that everyone had was, “How are you going to make money on just crème puffs?” And her answer was, “Well there’s a store in town that is called Just Cookies and they’ve been around for 20 years.”

“So maybe with just crème puffs, we can do it too.”

Using recipes from her grandmothers on both sides - Marie Worstall on her mom’s side and Alice Lusardi on her dad’s sideshe started baking crème puffs offering seven flavors from Thursday to Sunday.

Today, Chloe’s Crème Puffs has a staff of four. They offer a variety of 30-plus flavors. Not all in one shot, but as the seasons change.

Currently open four days a week in the summer and “my oh my” has the business grown over the years.

“I feel like I should put an asterisk, Chloe’s Crème Puffs’ and more, not just crème puffs,” Lusardi said with a laugh. “We were getting a lot of inquiries about making cakes and about vegan and gluten free items.

“So after we were open for about a year, I was able to hire my first person to help me and that’s when we started expanding the menu.”

From holidays and moonlighting seasonal items, the menu started “growing and growing and growing” from cookies and scones to key lime pies and wedding cakes.

Yes, you read that right. Wedding cakes. And a lot of them. Although Lusardi initially didn’t think that was the route her business would take after eight years, it has become a welcome niche to her bakery.

Since Lusardi opened, she has received quite a bit of requests for vegan crème puffs.

Currently they are piloting the recipe and she hopes her small “but mighty” crew of bakers – Rachel, full-time head baker, and Ambbar and Dawn, part-time assistant bakers) - can finally get it off the ground.

“Having a lot of requests for specialty items kind of helped our knowledge of figuring out a lot of different items that we can make,” Lusardi said.

“Every couple of months it’s always trial and error. Like what items are popular and what stuff to bring back and then obviously we rotate all the different items.”

Offering different items happens weekly, so every time a customer comes in, they will see something new.

SO WHAT IS NEXT?

For Lusardi, right now she is enjoying being a first-time mom to 11-month-old Leona.

She is also enjoying how successful her small location has been.

“I like where we’re at,” she said. “I never want to be pigeonholed into thinking it’s just about money because [really] it’s [about] finding good help and trustworthy help that will listen to you.”

Thoughts of looking for a bigger space and opening up a second location has been there. Then COVID-19 happened.

“We were pretty grateful that we didn’t sign a lease to get a bigger space or a second location,” Lusardi said, noting that 2020 was their busiest year as people started learning of their location. “[Having another lease] would have probably tanked everything.” — 08071

PHOTOS BY JAMIE GIAMBRONE

Owner Alison Lusardi and her ‘small, but mighty’ staff have been bringing the deliciousness of crème puffs to Pitman for eight years.

SERVING AS A ‘NAVIGATING AID,’ THE LIGHTHOUSE COMMUNITY CENTER OFFERS A THRIFT SHOP, HOT MEALS, A SAFE PLACE

‘COMMUNITY HELPING COMMUNITY’

Story By Mindy Toran

Photos By BOCA Media

Inside the Lighthouse Community Center, “a beacon of hope” transcends to those who need a helping hand.

Run by Pastor Randy Van Osten and housed in the First Baptist Church of Pitman on North Broadway, the center offers a thrift shop, serves hot meals twice a month and provides a safe place for kids to come and hang out.

“During the pandemic, we began thinking about how our church building was being used, which is typically only for a few hours a week,” Van Osten relayed. “We wanted to figure out a way to use our space that would better serve our community, and The Lighthouse was born.”

In March 2021, Van Osten and other members from the church and the community formed a nonprofit community development corporation and began setting his vision into motion. The first step was holding a fundraiser to clean out and repurpose the church social hall into a payas-you-can thrift shop. Around the same time, the Samaritan Thrift Store in town was closing and donated all of their remaining merchandise and clothing racks to the new Fig Leaf Thrift, named in honor of the church’s original thrift shop that operated in the late 1960s to mid-70s.

see COMMUNITY page 20

COMMUNITY 08071

from page 19

“The thrift shop gives us the opportunity to serve the community when the need is present,” Van Osten explained. “We’ve been able to help many families during times of need, including a family that was affected by one of the tornadoes last year, a family that had a fire in their home, people in domestic violence situations, [and] single parents.

“It also gives people dignity because you’re not just handing them a pile of clothes. They can come in at their convenience and pick out clothes and whatever items they need for themselves.”

With the money raised from the thrift store, The Lighthouse was able to begin offering free hot meals to members of the community twice a month.

“We’re addressing food scarcity in the community by offering wholesome, freshly prepared meals for people who are unable to cook or prepare meals for themselves,” Van Osten said, noting meals are offered for pick up on the first Thursday and third Monday of every month.

“We try to make everything from scratch, using locally sourced, fresh ingredients,” said Van Osten, whose background running a café for 18 years prior to his work with the church has helped with figuring out menus and preparing generous meals. “We started out serving 12 meals, then 40, then 80, and now it’s up to an average of 100-150 people per meal.”

About half of The Lighthouse volunteers are affiliated with the church, but the other half of the volunteers come from the local community.

“Our vision has always been to promote ‘community helping community,’” says Van Osten. “We’re working alongside people willing to use the resources and skills they have to help other people. I am extremely thankful for all of the volunteers who support the center, especially those in leadership roles. Like a lighthouse, we’re here to serve as a ‘navigational aid’ helping people find their way through life’s challenges.”

PHOTOS BY BOCA MEDIA

The Lighthouse Community Center offers a thrift shop, serves hot meals twice a month and provides a safe place for kids to come and hang out.

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The Lighthouse has also created a community youth center for local teens whether offering “Dungeons and Dragons” game nights and/or the Rainbow Room, a safe place for LGBTQIA+ groups to meet. The center also plans to hold “popin” nights for kids sixth to 12th grade on Thursday nights for a few hours where they can hang out, play games, do crafts, and just have a safe place to go for unstructured activities.

“There’s not always that much out there for kids to do,” Van Osten said. “There are some families that qualify for free programs and some families that can afford programs for their kids, but there tends to be a gap in programs for those in between. We’re looking to fill that need and give kids a safe place to go in the community.”

In the future Van Osten envisions The Lighthouse offering training programs for job and life skills, putting together a pay-as-you-can community café or coffee house to hire kids that age out of foster care and provide them with work opportunities, as well as possibly offering a space where people can come in and sit for meals rather than taking them to go.

“We are always looking for more volunteers and will continue to build on what we’re doing now and be there to support the community in whatever way they need us in the future.”— 08071

The Lighthouse Community Center is located at 30 N. Broadway in the First Baptist Church of Pitman.

Fig Leaf Thrift hours:

Tuesday - 5-8 p.m.

Wednesday - 3-6 p.m.

Thursday - 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Every fourth Friday - 5-8 p.m.

Saturday - 9 a.m. to noon.

Planning in Pitman

SEPTEMBER 1ST - OCTOBER 1ST

Big Fish @ the Broadway Theatre

Edward Bloom has lived a full and fantastical life, populated by witches, giants, and mermaids, marked by true love that stops time in its tracks, and framed by heroics that push the limits of believability. With spinetinglingly beautiful music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa, and a funny, heartwarming book by John August, Big Fish is a magnificent “big fish” of a tale, itself — spectacular, fantastical, and overflowing with love.

SEPTEMBER 16TH

Lori Poisker Memorial Pitman

Craft Show (9am - 3pm, Broadway)

Our Fall Craft Show is the largest and most popular event in Pitman! It historically has run for over 50 years!

Uptown Pitman hosts 250-350 hand craft vendors, food trucks, Pitmanbased non-profits, and many of our Pitman businesses on and off Broadway! We see around ten thousand shoppers on average attending our shows!

SEPTEMBER 22ND

Fourth Friday (6pm - 9pm, Ballard Avenue) Our amazing farmers from Laurel Market will also be Uptown, and joining them is a street filled with curated vendors and unique food trucks. All happening right alongside your favorite Uptown shops & restaurants. Spend Fourth Fridays in Uptown Pitman! Farm Market • Vendors • Food trucks • Live Music • Rock Wall • Face Painting • Balloon Art • Games • And More!

SEPTEMBER 26TH-30TH

Restaurant Week (Townwide)

SEPTEMBER 30TH

Town Wide Yard Sale (9am - 1pm, throughout town) Residents open their yard for your shopping pleasure. Stay tuned to the Borough Website for more information on this annual event.

OCTOBER 7TH

SUMMER/FALL 2023

Brews Cruise - (10am, The Caffeinated Cyclist) 25 mile bicycle ride through South Jersey departing from The Caffeinated Cyclist and ending in Uptown Pitman. All riding levels are welcome! Post ride drinks at Merryman’s Pub & Martini’s on Broadway, along with live music! Each rider receives 2 free drink tokens! A great day to cruise with friends!

OCTOBER 14TH

Witches of Pitman Shoppe Hop(All Day, Uptown Pitman) Grab your Broomsticks and fly into Uptown Pitman for the Annual Witches of Pitman Shoppe Hop.

We are conjuring spellbinding events for your coven! Pitman will have fun-filled, witchy activities scattered along Broadway.

OCTOBER 27TH - NOVEMBER 19TH

The Little Mermaid @ the Broadway Theatre Based on the classic Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, and the wildly popular Disney film, this musical staging of The Little Mermaid features a funny and fanciful book by Doug Wright, with the beloved score by Alan Menken, Howard Ashman, and Glenn Slater in an expanded but completely faithful form, featuring the rambunctious and persuasive “Under the Sea,” the romantic expectation of “Kiss the Girl,” and that anthem to longing and belonging, “Part of Your World.”

OCTOBER 31ST

Community Halloween Parade

- (4pm, Ballard Park) Bring your ghost or ghoul to Ballard Park to kick off Trick or Treating in Pitman!

NOVEMBER 4TH

PPD Annual Food Truck Festival (4pm, Broadway) Chow Down Uptown! and sample food from over 20 food vendors set up along Broadway.

NOVEMBER 25TH & 26TH

Shop Small Weekend (all day) There’s nothing small about this weekend in Uptown Pitman! Join our amazing community as friends and neighbors come together to shop and celebrate the diverse and thriving small businesses throughout town!

NOVEMBER 25TH

Pitman Bucks Sale (10am, Borough Hall) Who likes free money? Everyone! Especially when it can be spent at our favorite shops and restaurants in Pitman! The Greater Pitman Chamber of Commerce kicks off Small Business Saturday with the sale of Pitman Bucks! Spend $50 and receive $70 in Pitman Bucks. Start making a plan now to spend your free money in Uptown Pitman!

NOVEMBER 26TH

Annual Santa Parade (Uptown)

NOVEMBER 30TH

Santa (Ballard Park)

Craft Fair Flashback - May 2023

PHOTOS BY BOCA MEDIA