Skip to content Skip to left sidebar Skip to footer

Author: haddonfieldtoday

Fourth of July celebrations canceled

In normal times, Haddonfield celebrates the nation’s independence with a celebration downtown and fireworks on July 3 and a parade on July 4.

But these are not normal times.

The Haddonfield Celebrations Association, the not-for-profit community group that plans and raises funds for these and several other annual events, has decided that a public celebration of America’s independence will not be practical in 2020.

“We’re disappointed, of course,” said Ken Tomlinson, the Association’s president, “but we decided it was best to be safe rather than sorry.”

Arrangement for the fireworks and parade are typically made several months in advance. “Each year, we pay deposits to vendors and bands,” Tomlinson said, “but it didn’t make sense to do that this year, since there are many unknowns, and many decisions are out of our hands.”

Tomlinson said the Celebrations Association recognized that its decision will disappoint not just residents, but many others from throughout the region.

“Hundreds of out-of-town folks come to Haddonfield for our spectacular fireworks and one of the best parades in the Delaware Valley,” he said. “We will look forward to welcoming them back in 2021.”

Commission meeting set for May 12

The Board of Commissioners will hold their scheduled May 12, 2020 meeting via video, beginning at 7:30pm.

Members of the public who register HERE may watch, and participate at appropriate times. Those who register will receive instructions and a personal link by email. Instructions also will be provided for those who prefer to listen by phone.

Giraffe sculpture arrives in Haddonfield

Photo: Susan Baltake

After a traffic-stopping ride through downtown Haddonfield early this morning, a 1,000-pound, 15-foot tall bronze giraffe was installed in the Children’s Sculpture Zoo, within Tatem Memorial Garden, at the corner of Kings Highway East and Evergreen Avenue.

Now all he needs is a name. To suggest a name, enter on the Haddonfield Outdoor Sculpture Trust’s website, HERE, through May 31.

HMHS Athletics ranked #1 in NJ, #14 in US

A CBS-owned website that specializes in coverage of American high school sports has ranked the athletics program at Haddonfield Memorial High School number 1 in New Jersey and number 14 in the United States.

MaxPreps calculates its rankings by assigning points for state championships and runner-up finishes and by factoring in the popularity of each sport, size of each state, state enrollment divisions, and the number of schools in each state enrollment division. Points also are awarded for national rankings, where available.

This school year, Haddonfield athletes brought home state championship trophies for boys’ cross country, girls’ indoor track, boys’ swimming, and girls’ swimming. They were state runners-up in girls’ field hockey and girls’ cross country.

The state rankings are HERE. The national rankings are HERE.

School’s out!

Students in New Jersey will not return to their brick-and-mortar schools any time soon. Governor Phil Murphy today ordered all schools in to remain closed for the remainder of the school year.

Public schools will continue to provide remote learning for students to allow districts to meet the state-required minimum of 180 instruction days.

In a statement released in conjunction with his order, Gov. Murphy said, “This is a difficult decision and I know that many students, parents, and staff would like to be able to return to school. However, I have been unwavering on the message that we need to make decisions based on science, not emotion. And while New Jersey is making great strides in mitigating the spread of COVID-19, science tells us that at this point, we can’t safely re-open our schools.”

The governor’s complete statement is HERE.

Two more COVID-19 deaths

Among the 48 new COVID-19-related deaths reported today by the Camden County Department of Health were those of two male residents of Haddonfield: one in his 50s and one in his 90s.

The reporting period covers April 13 to 30 — hence the relatively high daily tally. It is not known how recently these two residents succumbed.

The total number of deaths of Haddonfield residents attributable to the novel coronavirus now stands at 4.

In Camden County, Haddonfield ranks relatively low with respect to cases reported. It is 30th out of 37 municipalities (27 cases vs. 3,542 county-wide), and 13th out of 14 municipalities with population greater than 10,000 (2.33 per 1,000 versus 6.85 county-wide).

Two Commissioner work sessions

The Borough commissioners will hold work sessions on Monday, May 4 and Wednesday, May 6.

The May 4 meeting, to be held through Zoom at 7pm, will be closed. The commissioners will conduct interviews for an Affordable Housing developer.

The May 6 meeting, at 3pm, will be accessible to members of the public on GoToMeeting. Link HERE. The webinar ID is 559-612-083.

Crows Woods woods are open

Following Gov. Phil Murphy’s announcement on Wednesday that state parks will reopen on Saturday, May 2, the Borough commissioners announced on Friday that the walking path and wooded area of Crows Woods will be open for public use from 6am on Saturday.

The park will close at 6pm each day. Parking will be limited to the lot next to the concession stand.

All other fields, playgounds, concession stands, bathrooms, and pavilions in Haddonfield will remain closed.

In their statement, the commissioners noted: “Visitors must practice social distancing and stay six (6) feet apart from others (social distancing is not required for immediate family members, caretakers, household members, or romantic partners). No organized group activities, activities involving contact with others, or sports are permitted. If residents & visitors do not abide by these restrictions, the Commissioners may be forced to close the path and wooded area once again, so we ask for your cooperation and thank you for your understanding. All dogs must be on leash.”