These are a set of eleven Pennington Day Booklets from the period of 1987 through 1999 (with a couple missing), thanks to Jon and Mary Baum, who created the booklets from 1989 to 1996. The over 400 pages were scanned to Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format, with text recognition (OCR) run on them so they are fully searchable.
== View the Pennington Day booklets in the Pamphlet Collection ==
Pennington Day Booklets
Pennington Day started in 1980, but we do not have any booklets until 1987. This annual event was born out of the community’s desire to help The Pennington School after the four-story O’Hanlon Hall building was lost to fire. Today, the Pennington Day Grants program continues to donate to non-profit community organizations.
The booklets fit into three sets of styles:
- The first booklet from 1987 contains numerous display ads from local businesses. We do not have any earlier booklets, or 1988.
- The booklets from 1989 to 1996 were done by the Baums, growing to 40 pages plus cover, with extensive descriptions of the Pennington Day events. The first four are 4 x 8 1/2 inches, and the others are 5.3 x 8 1/2 inches (around half a letter-sized page). These use a different format, and contain extensive listings of supporters and sponsors, and have display ads only on the cover pages.
- The handouts for 1997 and 1999 are simply a page or two of letter-sized paper, as the full event information was migrated to online.
In addition to the business and organization listings, the maps in the booklets trace developments in the Borough. For example, the Pennington Day map from 1993 shows the Library on North Main and the Grange set back across the street. The 1994 map adds the Borough parking lot there, the 1995 map shows the former Grange area under construction, and the 1996 map shows the the new Borough Hall and Library building set back from the street.
Pennington Day Activities
During 1987-1999, Pennington Day was held along Delaware and Main streets in the center of town. Later it was moved south, along South Main.
The booklets show that it was a busy event during this period:
- Events included a tennis tournament, quilt show, dog show, art festival, and fun run
- Exhibitors included business & organization booths, crafters, photo fantasy, and Library book sale
- Food included booths for breakfast, lunch, desserts, and snacks, and bake-off
- Entertainment included multiple sites for performances, coffeehouse, music festival, teen rockfest, games, and children’s entertainment
- The Pennington Day weekend also expanded with duplicate bridge night, evening dance, pancake breakfast, evening supper, biking tours and races, and golf tournament
- See also the Hopewell Harvest Fair Almanacs, from 1981 through 2022. We’re still missing 2003, and Community Day information in the 1980s.
Does anyone have more of the Pennington Day booklets to share – from the first event in 1980 to 1986, 1988, 1998, or into the 2000’s?
More on Town Events
See also Memorial Day
Hopewell – Harvest Fair, Community Day, Fire Dept. and Legion Carnivals
- Hopewell Harvest Fair – Photos
- Hopewell Harvest Fair Almanacs (1987-) and Community Day
- Harvest Fair Wooden Car Derby – 1983 – 2006
- 1978 American Legion Carnival – Gary Saretzky
- The Legion Carnival Train and Booths
- 1939 Hopewell Carnival Mystery Photo
Pennington – Pennington Day
Titusville – Fourth of July
- Titusville 1956 July 4th Parade and Water Show – and video
