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No. 2 Vol. 5
mypaperonline.com
May 2016
May Day Blooms Volunteers To Keep Madison Beautiful
adison's annual spring beautification day, held Sat. May 7, known as "May Day in Madison" attracts hundreds of volunteers who lovingly take the time to clean up, mulch, plant and weed dozens of public spaces throughout the town. This event is sponsored by the DDC (Downtown Development Commission). Part of this annual tradition is the Tshirt Contest offered to all elementary school children in Madison. Dozens of young and eager artists submit their bright and colorful drawings, of which one is selected for the volunteer t-shirt. Sue Whitehorn and Leslie Lajewski, May Day Committee co-chairs, have named Katie McElvany a fifth grade student at Torey J. Sabatini School as this year's winner. They commented that, "Selecting a winner is never an easy decision. We received over 130 beautiful drawings, it is very hard to pick just one. Katie’s design was chosen because it was bright, cheerful and depicted two of Madison’s most iconic symbols – a rose and the Waverly Clock.” Katie’s design will be reproduced on a 1,000 t-shirts,
which will be distributed to volunteers who help clean up and beautify public spaces throughout town. Donation checks should be made payable to Madison Main Street Foundation and mailed to the Downtown Development Commission - May Day, Hartley Dodge Memorial, 50 Kings Road, Madison, NJ 07940. For more information, contact the DDC at ddc@rosenet.org or call 201-400-2349. Congratulations to talented young artist, Katie McElvany, fifth grader at Torey J. Sabatini School, who proudly displays the winning design for this year's "May Day in Madison" T-Shirt design contest, worn by approximately 1,000 volunteers at this year's May Day held Sat., May 7.
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Madison Committee Seeks Volunteers For Town’s Storytellers Festival
he Madison Downtown Development Commission has approved funding for the town’s first Madison Storytellers Festival on Sat., June 11, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., in downtown Madison, with a vision to aggregate in one place on one day Madison’s unique arts and culture community for celebration, performance, readings, and interactive and arts education events, showcasing Madison’s unique qualities as a creative and cultural destination. The Madison DDC is opening a call for volunteers to join the Madison Storytellers Festival Task Force planning the event, which will be staged at Madison’s ‘Culture Corner,’ with a main stage under the railroad trestle on Green
Village Road, which will be closed off between Main Street and Kings Road from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., with additional stages at the Museum of Early Trades and Crafts, Short Stories Bookshop and Arts Hub, and Drip Coffee. Free and open to the public, the event will culminate by evening music at Short Stories Bookshop and Arts Hub from 4 p.m.-6 p.m. Local merchants throughout downtown will be encouraged to offer special sidewalk sales and special activities. After the festival, visitors are encouraged to enjoy a summer evening downtown, taking advantage of the dining, culture and shops in Madison’s vibrant downtown. Madison Mayor Bob Conley believes there’s a great deal that’s special about Madison. “But there are two things our community does exceptionally well,” he said, “We attract and foster high quality arts and culture, and we regularly come together as a community of volunteers. With these two unique qualities in our community, I’m thrilled to see how the first Madison Storytellers Festival is coming to life, thank all volunteers, extend a hearty welcome to our guest artists and visitors, and hope that all enjoy what Madison has to offer.” The event will be supported by the Madison DDC and local sponsors, in partnership with the Madison Arts & continued on page 4