Photo Courtesy of Jordan Sang.
Over 30,000 people gathered on a closed 6 blocks on Bloomfield Ave on Sunday October 1st for the annual Caldwell Street Fair. The street fair brings over 140 local vendors, sponsors, kids’ rides, food, and a chance to win a 50/50 raffle prize. The event is sponsored by the Rotary Club of the Caldwells and the Kiwanis Club of Caldwell-West Essex. Amongst these volunteers are James Caldwell High School’s own service clubs, Key Club and Interact Club, respectively running their own booths.
The two clubs were met with an issue: the two booths were placed next to each which creates lots of competition. The JCHS service clubs started exchanging baked goods to help each other create sales. Working together to grab attendees’ attention tremendously helped both clubs increase their sales.
Every year Key Club has a booth dedicated to raising funds for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Ran by Senior President Sophie Hacker,
Photo Courtesy of Key Club Instagram.
the booth was set up at 9am and volunteers rotated out throughout the event. Key Club members brought in baked goods and had buckets that the attendees could put money in to help the cause. The club was very successful and was able to raise a sustainable amount of money that will all contribute towards funding Breast Cancer Research.
The Interact Club had a similar booth setup with fall themed sweets and donations going towards the Caldwell Fire Department. In the beginning, the Interact Club was making very slow sales. Two hours into the fair, an idea emerged from the Interact Club volunteers. They decided to start selling water during the humid October air.
Jordan Sang, the Co-President of Interact Club, said that what made his booth successful was, “Our decision to offer free water with our baked goods encouraged Caldwell residents to support our booth. Before we had the idea, we only raised a
Photo Courtesy of Jordan Sang
little bit of money, but our profits skyrocketed after attendees saw they could get water and a delicious treat for only $1!” This quick decision to start selling water grabbed people’s attention and the club was able to increase their sales. Like Key Club, Interact Club finished with a prosperous profit that will go towards the Fire Department.
The Caldwell Street Fair was a successful event and the dedication of JCHS volunteers made the experience worthwhile. Both clubs had a successful outcome and were able to give back to important causes.
