Offering thanks to unsung Block Party heroes

September 10, 2021| Community, Events, People

By: Caitlin Doran

The Lake Hopatcong Block Party brings together all kinds of local businesses, craft vendors, non-profit organizations, and the community to celebrate the lake and get to know the people in our shared “lake neighborhood.” And the day wouldn’t be complete without the usual bevy of food and beverage vendors, live demonstrations and entertainment, boat and trackless train rides, and children’s games. It’s a not-to-be-missed event!

A small army of volunteers will gather on October 2 to help make all of the above run smoothly, and we couldn’t be more grateful for the help with setup, parking, maintaining zones, helping vendors, directing the public, etc. By the way, if you were thinking about spending some time volunteering with us that day, yes, we could use more hands! Sign-up here!

But the volunteerism doesn’t stop with that small army. There are many unsung heroes of the Block Party who work in the background and deserve a moment of recognition. If you, reader, are one of these heroes, wherever you are, stand up and take a bow. You are the gears that keep the machine turning, and we are indebted to you! In no particular order, we’d like to thank:

Shuttle Bus Coordinators

Complimentary shuttle bus service from the six off-site parking areas to the Hopatcong State Park is provided by Hopatcong, Jefferson, Mount Arlington, and Roxbury. School buses were added to the fleet in 2021 from Roxbury and Hopatcong. Thank you to the town and school leadership and each bus driver!

Off-site Parking Partners

Complimentary parking areas are located at Roxbury’s Landing Park Recreation Complex, Landing shopping center (courtesy of FORSONS Partners), Assembly of God church (BARKING LOT reserved for guests with dogs), Hopatcong Senior Center, the Wayne L. Threlkeld Hilltop Sports Complex, and a new addition Tri-State Industrial, 12 Orben Way, Landing.

Traffic Management and Safety Coordinators

The Roxbury Police Department, working the busy Lakeside Boulevard; the Hopatcong Police Department and Sussex County Explorers, working the Hopatcong Senior Center and Hilltop Sports Complex; the Morris County Sherriff Office Explorers, working crowd control in the State Park; the New Jersey State Park Police, working the Hopatcong State Park complex; New Jersey State Police Marine Services Bureau; and S.P.A. Safety Systems

Camp Six Property Management

Camp Six is the hard-working group of folks maintaining and overseeing the Live the Lake NJ family of businesses, our 5-Star Sponsor.  More than a financial sponsor, they have been hands-on throughout the planning of the Block Party, offering help and solutions for making things run more efficiently and effectively. Their innumerous help includes the loaning of equipment to mark the vendor spots, gators and golf carts so we can set up and maneuver around the event more easily, and reinforcements in the parking areas. They’ve even offered to prepare better lids for our recycling bins to prevent mixing of trash and recycling. Their generosity and willingness to help is beyond compare, and we want to thank them and specifically Lisa Palanchi who is all about getting the job done!  

Safety Notice: The Lake Hopatcong Foundation would also like to ask everyone on October 2, 2021, to please slow down and drive safely due to the high number of attendees at this event. Please make accident prevention your business.