By Tom Smeaton
With three days of festivities within a nine-day span, Farnsworth Avenue is shaping up as the place to be in Bordentown this May. Starting with the Iris Festival on May 11 and ending with the two-day Street Fair on May 18 and 19, Bordentown residents won’t have to look far to be entertained. The 17th Annual Franklin Carr Memorial Iris Festival will be held at the Bordentown Historical Society from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. “[The main goal] is to recognize Franklin Carr because he started his garden on Mary Street and he became world-renowned, so we started the festival in honor of him,” said Jackie Reed, organizer for the Iris Festival. According to a profile on the Bordentown Regional School District website, Carr was a world-recognized hybridizer of iris flowers, which led to 12 international awards. Examples of the Bordentown native’s iris flowers are still growing in Buckingham Palace and the Vatican. The Iris Festival centers around a judged flower competition at 11 a.m., with prizes awarded after 4 p.m. However, there is also al fresco dining for lunch and an art show throughout the day with art, jewelry and pottery for show and sale. The very next weekend, the Northern Burlington Regional Chamber of Commerce will put on the 36th Annual Bordentown Street Fair across Farnsworth Avenue. The Street Fair is free to attend and already features 185 registered vendors, but this year’s event will also have a distinct new sound. “What we’re going to be doing this year is we’re going to be introducing live music for two full days at three locations along Farnsworth Avenue,” said Diane DiSpaldo, the executive secretary of the Northern Burlington Regional Chamber of Commerce and event co-chair. “This is the first time we’ve done something like this, so we’re excited to see how it’s going to work out.” Music will be organized by Randy Now’s Man Cave and Consignment Shop near Park Street and by Bordentown Guitar Rescue near Church Street. Finally, The Record Collector will put on the live acts near Burlington Street. As with previous years, the festival will showcase Farnsworth Avenue merchants and restaurants, as well as Chamber of Commerce members. Free parking for the event can be found at the municipal lots and side streets, as well as behind Carslake Community Center. DiSpaldo noted that the Street Fair “brings many benefits to local merchants and the entire business community, showcasing the Northern Burlington area as a great place to live, work and shop.” For more information about the Iris Festival, go online to downtownbordentown.com. For more information about the Street Fair, go online to nbrchamber.org/street_fair.html.
