Newark Celebration 350 Records

Tradition has it that Newark, New Jersey, was founded in May of 1666 when a band of Connecticut Puritan families, led by Robert Treat, landed on the shores of the Passaic River and began building a settlement.

Over the years the city has celebrated major anniversaries of that founding. In 1866 the city’s 200th anniversary was heralded with a parade on Founder’s Day, led by Newark native and Governor Marcus L. Ward. Members of “the militia, the fire department and many civic societies, with distinguished guests from all parts of the State” marched in the rain that day. The festivities concluded with “historical exercises in the First Presbyterian Church, conducted under the auspices of the New Jersey Historical Society.” Among the speakers were historian William A. Whitehead and publisher of the Newark Daily Advertiser William B. Kinney. (Cunningham 166- 167 and Urquhart, 820)

A “Committee of One Hundred” organized 100 events between May and October to commemorate Newark’s 250th anniversary in 1916. The festivities included parades and dinners, dedications of civic monuments, poster and poetry competitions, a musical festival, an industrial exposition, and the Pageant of Newark. The Pageant, held in an amphitheater in Weequahic Park, was performed by 4,000 citizen-actors with 92 speaking parts, and featured scenes of Newark’s founding, history, industry, and the contributions of immigrant cultures. (Cunningham 248-249; Shales 221-241)

1966 marked the city’s 300th anniversary, which was duly celebrated with a year of “Pride in Newark” themed events. On Founders’ Day (May 18) “church bells and factory whistles rang at noon, kicking off a three-hour parade of bagpipers, historic steam engines, marching bands, soldier brigades, and floats sponsored by corporations and city agencies.” (Tuttle, 3-5) Following in this long tradition of anniversary observances, Newark Celebration 350 (NC 350), was organized to commemorate Newark’s 350th anniversary. American historian, Rutgers University-Newark professor and Newark City Historian Clement A. Price (1945-2014) was an early proponent for a commemoration of Newark’s 350th anniversary and chaired the committee tasked with developing and implementing the celebration. Upon his death, attorney, educator and community advocate Junius Williams took over leadership of the committee. NC 350 paid tribute to Newark’s history, culture and diverse communities through a year-long series of festivals, programs and events. In September and October of 2015 NC 350 leaders held community meetings in each of Newark’s five Wards to generate enthusiasm and “ideas for events, partnerships and opportunities.” Subsequent grant applications to fund events were accepted through a process of rolling admissions.

The kickoff for the festivities was held in the fall of 2015 with a NC 350 Family Fun Festival at Military Park (October 17, 2015), and throughout 2016 NC 350 funded over 150 events in honor of Newark’s anniversary. These events and programs were organized by cultural, civic, religious and educational institutions; community groups and individual citizens from Newark and the surrounding area, and included ward-wide and city-wide fairs, festivals and parades; art projects, and theater, dance and musical performances; exhibits, workshops, conferences, lectures, oral history projects and tours.

Several of the funded projects resulted in publications: “Distinguished Alumni” (Newark Public School Historical Preservation Committee); “Knowing Newark: selected Star-Ledger columns by Charles F. Cummings”,” edited by Timothy J. Crist (Newark: Newark Public Library, 2016); and “Newark Landmark Treasures; a guide to the landmark buildings, parks, public art & historical districts in New Jersey’s metropolis,” edited by Mark W. Gordon and Anthony Schuman (Newark: Newark Preservation and Landmarks Committee, 2016) Newark Celebration 350 Records, Newark Public Library, page 3

In honor of Newark’s anniversary, the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) priced tickets to selected performances at $3.50. The New Jersey Devils and the Prudential Center offered Newark residents 35,000 free tickets during the 2016 season. The 1916 Gutzon Borglum monument “First Landing Party of the Founders of Newark,” commissioned for the city’s 250th anniversary, was restored and moved to the NJPAC campus as a “Legacy Gift” of the NC 350. New Jersey artist Faith Ringgold was commissioned to create a limited edition (200) commemorative print, “A Day in Newark’s 350th Year Celebration, 2016.” Proceeds from the sale of the prints, which sold for $1,000 each, were slated to fund arts programming beyond 2016.

The largest event of the year, which like all other events and activities was free, was the 350 Founders Weekend Festival held in Military Park (May 13-15). The festival featured performers with Newark roots or connections including Faith Evans, Cissy Houston (with the gospel choir Jubilation) and DJs Felix Hernandez and Bobby Trends. Other performers included Naughty by Nature, the Robert Glasper Experiment, La India, and Stefon Harris with the United States Air Force jazz ensemble, the Airmen of Note. The Youth Stage featured Newark Boys Choir and Wells Fargo Jazz for Teens: “The Soul of Newark,” among others. Highlights of the weekend also included a North Ward Food Truck Festival, a family fun activity area Kidz Korner, local arts and crafts, and public art exhibitions including Newark’s proclaimed “peace ambassadors,” the Animodules.

Newark Celebration 350 Board of Trustees

Chair: Junius Williams, attorney and director of the Abbott Leadership institute (ALI) at Rutgers University-Newark

Vice Chairs: Marcia Wilson Brown, an alumna of the School of Law-Newark, and the vice chancellor for external relations and governmental affairs at Rutgers University – Newark; Ralph Izzo, the chairman and chief executive officer of Public Service Enterprise Group Incorporated (PSEG); and Victor Parsonnet, a Newark native, graduate of Weequahic High School, and prominent New Jersey cardiac surgeon

Secretary: Wilma Grey, Newark native, and Director of the Newark Public Library (2005-2015)

Treasurer: Gina D. Nisbeth, Director in the Structured Lending and Investments Group at Citi

Fundraising Chair: Irene Cooper-Basch, a graduate of Rutgers University-Newark and executive Officer of the Victoria Foundation

PR/Marketing Chair: Shané Harris, vice president of The Prudential Foundation

Programming Chair: John Schreiber, President and CEO of the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC)

Trustees: Ras Baraka, Linda Bowden, Nancy Cantor, Mildred Crump, Elizabeth Del Tufo, Steven Kern, Roger Leon, Gwen Moten, Jonathan Pearson, Paul Profeta, Hon. Luis Quintana, Hon. M. Teresa Ruiz, and Nancy Zak

Counsel: Robert Pickett

Honorary Trustees: Marc Berson, Joel Bloom, Cory Booker, Gloria Hopkins Buck, Raymond Chambers, Tim Crist, Joseph DiVincenzo, Jr., Curtis Farrow, Patrick Foye, Gale Gibson, Kenneth Gibson, Lawrence Hamm, Rashon Hasan, the Rev. William Howard, Sharpe James, Pastor David Jefferson, Robert Johnson, Barbara Kukla, Father Edwin Leahy, Monsignor William Linder, Robert Marino, Mary Sue Sweeney Price, and A. Zachary Yamba

Newark Celebration 350 Staff

John W. Johnson, Jr., PhD., Executive Director; Jackie Harris, Producer; Justine Hunter, Marketing and Communications; Isaiah Little, Director of Administration; and Danielle Vauters, Administrative Production Coordinator

Sources:

Cunningham, John T. and Charles F. Cummings. Remembering Essex: a pictorial history of Essex County, New Jersey. Virginia Beach, VA: The Donning Company/Publishers, 1995.

Shales, Ezra. Made in Newark; Cultivating industrial arts and civic identity in the Progressive Era. Piscataway, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2010

Newark Celebration 350 Records, Newark Public Library, Page 4

Tuttle, Brad R. How Newark Became Newark; the rise, fall, and rebirth of an American city. Piscataway, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2009.

Urquhart, Frank J. A History of the City of Newark, New Jersey, embracing practically two and a half centuries, 1666-1913. New York: Lewis Historical Pub. Co., 1913