WEST MILFORD, NEW JERSEY- Every year, the Autumn Lights festival presents an opportunity for residents of West Milford and other towns in the area to discover the local community while reconnecting with family and friends. October 13, the 18th year of the event was no different as people throughout North Jersey came and saw the best that West Milford has to offer.
The Autumn Lights Festival featured many different vendors, shows, food and fun this year. The weather could not have been better for the estimated crowd of 20,000 who visited and took part in the event. When asked what his favorite part of the festival was, West Milford High School student Dylan Walko quickly stated, “Oh, definitely the free stuff. A lot of booths hand out little free things that make it worth coming here.” Another resident stated that supporting local businesses and school clubs was the main reason he came.
There were many different events such as a Pickle Eating Contest, a Pasta Eating Contest, Blueberry Pie Eating Contest, Cutest Baby and Dog Contests, along with great food and many different fun things to buy. It was fun for all again in 2012 in one of West Milford’s biggest attractions.
The High School was represented by the Cheering and Football teams, and the Green Team, along with the Junior Varsity and Varsity Dance teams performing for the whole town to see.
The festival was formed in 1994 solely for the purpose of celebrating the community. At that time it was called the West Milford Pride Festival. In the past the event was held at the town hall, with less than one hundred people showing up. As the event grew older, it grew and became more popular. Along the way, the name changed to commemorate the installation of the town’s first traffic signal. The festival is now held on Union Valley Road making it closer to local shops and less of a hindrance to traffic.
The event has been getting great reviews for years as everyone loves to hang out with friends on a crisp afternoon. Visitors to the West Milford street fair sometimes stay for hours walking up and down the street socializing and sampling the goods available on either side of the street. This is surely an event that will continue to grow in size and popularity as the years go on. “I will definitely be coming back next year,” one resident said who was taking part in her first ever Autumn Lights. “It was just a lot of fun. It’s a great idea.”
