On Sept. 23, the Department of New Jersey will hold a Centennial Celebration Fundraiser at Eden-Stanley Post 294 in Pemberton from 1 to 5 p.m. Plans include a bike show, children’s moon bounce and ball pit, food, live music, displays and more. The cost is a $20 donation in advance, or $25 at the door. Children 12 and under get in free.
The theme for New Jersey is “Celebrating 100 years of service to our veterans, communities, state and nation.” According to Chuck Robbins, the department’s centennial chairman and newly named NECman, the Sept. 23 event is the second of three planned fundraisers; the first was in September 2016, and the last will be in May 2018. The fundraisers will help with the many plans the department has developed for its future conventions and beyond. For the 2018 department convention, ideas include the Budweiser Clydesdales, a drum and bugle corps, a USO tribute show and more. The committee is also planning a Centennial Grand Gala at the Crystal Point Yacht Club in Point Pleasant on Oct. 27, 2018.
Robbins says that in addition to the fundraisers, the department has sold more than 2,200 New Jersey Centennial coins, for a grand total of $24,000 raised. “We have not used any of the department’s funding,” he adds.
