Is the Virgin of Guadalupe offering Plainfield a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?
PT has followed the practice of religious processions in Plainfield for a number of years
Jean Mattson, former president of the Plainfield Historical Society, and an avid photographer, made it a point for many years to document the Good Friday processions from Library Park to St. Mary's Church.
As mayor, Al McWilliams was a regular guest and participant in the annual Guadalupe processions, and I, too, have noticed how they have grown over the years -- both in numbers and in spirit.
Suddenly, this year, the size seems to have become an issue.
It seems to PT that we should look down the other end of the tube.
What is going on here?
Is the growth in attendance a good thing or a bad thing? Is it a problem or an opportunity?
What is going on is that without our planning it, LIFE -- in the form of an EXUBERANT, MULTI-DAY CULTURAL as well as religious FESTIVAL that is spontaneously drawing hundreds more participants every year -- IS HANDING US A FREEBIE.
OK, maybe not a FREEBIE, but an OPPORTUNITY OF POTENTIALLY AMAZING PROPORTIONS.
Why not turn Plainfield into THE CENTER OF NEW JERSEY'S CELEBRATION OF THE FESTIVAL of Our Lady of Guadalupe?
A multi-day, multi-cultural opportunity for food, music, crafts literally handed to us?
PT has long ruminated on the success other communities have had in attracting visitors -- and their dollars -- through such culturally-related activities.
Think of the huge West Indian festival in Brooklyn every year. St. Lucy's in Newark. The Portuguese in the Ironbound.
Is this a wakeup call?
-- Dan Damon
View today's CLIPPINGS here. Not getting your own CLIPPINGS email daily? Click here to get started.
4 comments:
HERE HERE
Use a Roman Catholic holiday dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary as a vehicle for making money? Oh, I'm sure NO ONE would find that offensive.
Why not even start the festivities on December 8, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Perhaps Mr Clean and the BVM could be co-sponors. I can just see the banner hanging over Watchung Avenue: "Not just clean, it's Immaculate".
Pathetic.
Great idea for many reasons, certainly there is the economic standpoint, but you're correct in thinking we could pull people into town who may not have ventured here before, show ourselves off for who we are, a multi cultural town with so much to share with others around us. I know I have fun in Hoboken, Scotch Plains and Newark when these festivals occur..good food and fun.
Why is this parade a traffic issue when numerous community events and churches have had cultural and issue-based parades which closed off roads to traffic? Is it because this is from the growing Latin community which threatens some people in town?
Post a Comment