They’ll be goin’ to the mattresses this Saturday in Blairstown.
The 2023 Fall Festival in Footbridge Park will once again be the scene for Bedlam in Blairstown October 28, (which has been postponed from the original date of October 14 due to an inclement forecast) the annual bed race that features ingenuity, imagination and dash of insanity. The festival opens at 11:00 a.m. and the first bed will be rocking at noon.
The competition was cutthroat last year. Reigning champions Sleeping With the Fishes, who took the crown the previous year as Breakfast in Bed, retained their title despite the scorching competition.
The Fishes were closely followed by members of the Blairstown-based band Water Street, led by Dave Paulsen Jr. Water Street also provided some of the musical entertainment for the festival.
The Fall Festival will also feature more than 50 vendors offering a whole lot of different stuff, a craft beer garden for the thirsty (and over 21) and food truck court for the hungry (of any age).
There will also be many activities for kids and a few for adults who have yet to grow up.
Race officials are hoping for a repeat of last year’s weather, the first Fall Festival in a number of years unencumbered by pandemics, monsoons, fire and brimstone, earthquakes boiling rivers and any possible bad vibe. Under sunny skies, several hundred people line the race course.
The Fall Festival was organized by the Blairstown Enhancement Committee, a volunteer organization that works to improve the community. It will be open from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Joe Phalon, Contributing Writer
Joe was lured out of retirement by the opportunity to be a part of the Ridge View Echo. During a decades-long career in publishing and journalism, he has covered government on many levels from local school boards to the United States Supreme Court.
Along the way, Joe has worked at American Lawyer Magazine, The National Law Journal and The Record among other publications, and as the Press Officer of Columbia Law School. His work has been recognized with several first place awards from the Society of Professional Journalists and the New Jersey Press Association.
Being part of the Ridge View Echo brings Joe back to his roots and the kind of news coverage he loves: Telling the stories of people and local communities as well as keeping an eye on how their money is spent by their government officials.
Joe lives in Blairstown with his wife Rose, the founder of Quilting for a Cause, and their two wiener dogs. He is an artist in his spare time.
