The Allentown Village Initiative (TAVI) is pleased to present the 2021 “Great Christmas Light Driving Tour” for Allentown and Upper Freehold. Residents are invited to register their decorated homes at the TAVI website to be included in an online map of decorated homes in the area. The map will be posted on the website beginning December 1, 2021 and will be updated throughout the month. With activities and travel limited, the Great Christmas Light Driving Tour offers a free, safe way to spread and enjoy some much-needed holiday spirit.

Participants are invited to begin their tour at the McCormicks’ home, located at 153 Route 526, Allentown, NJ 08501. While the McCormicks have been decorating for Christmas for many
years, this year’s completely outdoor, drive-thru display features a Christmas Village, nativity scene, over 100 decorated trees and about 50,000 lights spread over three acres. All are welcome to visit Monday – Thursday, 5-9 pm and Friday – Sunday 5-10 pm beginning in early December (date TBD). There is no charge; canned goods for the Allentown Food Pantry are gratefully accepted.

For more information, please call (609) 208-9991. TAVI wishes everyone a very happy, safe, and healthy holiday season.

Allentown, NJ – What do acclaimed jazz pianist Enoch Smith, Jr., Philadelphia Orchestra horn
player Jeff Lang and works by Rossini, Schumann, Attwood and others all have in common?
Allentown New Jersey, of course! Smith and Lang, both Allentown residents, will showcase
their artistry during “Musical Generations” in Allentown Methodist Church on Sunday
November 14, 2021 beginning at 3 pm. Their free concert will bring together faculty and
students of Allentown’s Mill Pond Music Academy for a program spanning diverse musical
styles, all connected to the Allentown community.

It’s an opportunity for residents to enjoy a sampling of Mill Pond Music’s best as part of the
“Allentown Arts” series sponsored by The Allentown Village Initiative (TAVI). Allentown Arts
presents performances and exhibits throughout the year designed to highlight the artistry of
Allentown and Upper Freehold in the historic setting of the village of Allentown. It is made
possible through the generosity of our community as well as a grant from Monmouth Arts, a
partner of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, and the Monmouth County Board of
County Commissioners.
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Be sure to join us for a great program. Allentown Methodist Church is located at 23 Church
Street, Allentown, NJ 08501. The concert and parking are free; Donations are always gratefully
accepted. Register to attend today and we’ll even save you a seat!

​Join in the fun of TAVI's Great Allentown Scavenger Hunt by registering below.  Once your registration is received you will receive clues and instructions on how to complete the hunt.   Register anytime before August 30, 2021.  The Great Allentown Scavenger Hunt ends at midnight on August 31, 2021.  Everyone who finds all 21 sites and emails us back (as explained in the instructions you will receive when you register) will be entered into our prize drawing.


Participation is FREE!  We are very grateful for any donation to support this and other TAVI projects for our community.

 ​Kaydee Molnar’s lifelong fascination with the stories that make up local history led her to  projects decorating Allentown’s Main Street, planting bulbs in an historic cemetery, and playing the flute for the holidays.  It also earned her the distinction of being named the first-ever recipient of the William Augustus Newell Award, presented to her by The Allentown Village Initiative (TAVI) in conjunction with her recent graduation from Allentown High School. 
 
Kaydee credits her grandfather with sowing the seeds of her interest in history.  He was an avid Civil War re-enactor, which made quite an impression on Kaydee as a young child. Once she started high school Kaydee sought out history-related courses and activities, taking advanced classes and becoming a member of the History Honor Society.  The Society, in turn, introduced Kaydee to TAVI and its many community projects.  It wasn’t long before she found herself helping out at TAVI’s Harvest Fest table and playing the flute for Allentown’s Christmas events.  A bit less glamorous (perhaps) was her work helping to install and later store the life-sized Victorian figures which grace Main Street at times throughout the year, and then all of the digging needed to help plant about 900 daffodil bulbs around the Olde Burying Ground on
Lakeview Drive.
 
Kaydee said she values all of her experiences at events and projects around Allentown that have brought people together to interact and help preserve the area’s history.  She’s looking forward to continuing her community involvement as she embarks on the path to becoming a licensed electrician. The five year apprenticeship for which she’s applied  will eventually lead her to the status of “journeyman” in her chosen profession.
 
The Newell Award was named in honor of one of Allentown’s most prominent citizens. New Jersey’s 18th Governor, Washington Territory’s 11 th Governor, a member of Congress, physician and Allentown resident, William Augustus Newell was also the founder of the US Coast Guard.  The Newell Award recognizes outstanding service to the Allentown community and specifically, significant and tangible contributions in the areas of historic preservation and education, natural resource protection, support of the local business community and advancement of the arts and culture. The TAVI Board noted that, while consistently and repeatedly sharing her time and talent, Kaydee displayed leadership qualities, responsibility and initiative together with a spirit of volunteerism and good citizenship in service to our community. The Newell Award includes a $250 honorarium.
 
TAVI is a 501(c)(3) volunteer driven organization dedicated to improving the quality of
life in and around Allentown.  Whether it’s helping to beautify the town’s public spaces,
restoring and protecting our historic structures, promoting our small businesses, or
providing a forum for the arts and culture, TAVI has our community’s best interests at
heart. In addition to the Newell Award, a sampling of TAVI’s recent projects include:  the
Allentown Arts series of free performances and exhibits, publication of the Allentown History Sketchbook (provided to every graduating 8th grader), an Earth Day Clean-up, a Historic Scavenger Hunt, the Holiday Driving Tour, the July 4th Reading of the Declaration of Independence, the Old Burying Ground and Sensi Park Daffodils, TAVI Town Specials bulletins, and the Juneteenth Underground Railroad Walking Tour. For more information and to support TAVI’s work in our community, visit www.allentownvinj.org today.

​For more information contact:
Mike McCormick
(609) 208-9991
mccormicknj@aol.com

Kaydee Molnar(left) with TAVI president Martha Ploshay planting at Sensi Park, Allentown

​Kaydee Molnar, Allentown Class of 2021

​“We hold these truths to be self-evident” – familiar words for any American. To celebrate America’s 245th birthday, town leaders from Allentown and Upper Freehold Township will join members of the community to publicly read the Declaration of Independence once again this July 4th.  All are welcome to witness the event at 9 a.m., Sunday, July 4, 2021 in Pete Sensi Park, Main Street in Allentown.

The first public reading of the Declaration of Independence was held in Philadelphia on July 8, 1776, and other readings were held later that same day in Trenton and Easton, Pa. Adopted by Congress on July 4, 1776, copies of the document were printed and sent by messengers to be distributed throughout the newly-founded 13 states.  At the time, Allentown, NJ was a village frequented by many travelers en route from Philadelphia to New York.  It is likely that the Declaration was proclaimed in 1776 from very close to the same site at which it will be read 245 years later on July 4, 2021.

The reading is free and sponsored by The Allentown Village Initiative (TAVI).  Those attending are encouraged to visit local businesses afterwards and enjoy the quaint village atmosphere of our shops and restaurants.  For more information, please call the McCormicks at (609) 208-9991. 

The Allentown Village Initiative (TAVI) invites residents to join it in a special effort to patronize local small businesses. Register below to receive a weekly email highlighting our community’s great shops and restaurants (copies of the weekly bulletins can be seen below),  The email will showcase unique products, services and specials offered by entrepreneurs throughout Allentown and Upper Freehold.  There is no charge to participate.
 
It’s no secret that many small businesses -- which form the economic backbone of our neighborhood -- are struggling during the pandemic.  A simple and easy way to help these businesses survive is to participate in TAVI Town Specials.  Together we can support our community and each other – So register to participate today!

Welcome to the Great Christmas Light Driving Tour.  We hope you enjoy driving by homes in our community decked out for the holiday season!  TAVI will continue to update the map throughout the month of December.  Feel free to register in the post below to be added to the map, and of course, check back so that you can visit all of the “new additions.”  We wish you all a very happy, healthy and safe holiday season.

Congratulations to Greg Colen, Brandon Houle, and Patricia Brown for winning the prizes for the Great Allentown Scavenger Hunt!  Thanks to all who participated and made this event a success!

Join in the fun of TAVI's Great Allentown Scavenger Hunt by sending an email with your name, address, and number of participants to dwinknj@aol.com.  Once your email is received you will be registered as a participant and will receive clues and instructions on how to complete the hunt.   Register before August 30, 2020.  The Great Allentown Scavenger Hunt ends at midnight on August 31, 2020.  Everyone who finds all 29 sites and emails us back (as explained in the instructions you will receive when you register) will be entered into our prize drawing. 

Participation is FREE!  We are very grateful for any donation to support this and other TAVI projects for our community.