Page 4 • Wednesday , May 24 , 2017 • The Hammonton Gazette
Sesquicentennial ends with time capsule closing
TIME , from Page 1 Lions , the Hammonton Sesquicentennial Planning Committee , the Hammonton Lions Club Sesquicentennial Committe , Mayor Stephen DiDonato , Councilman Joseph Giralo and many other members of the community attended a time capsule closing ceremony on May 20 at town hall , which served as a closing celebration of the town ’ s sesquicentennial , a unique celebration the town won ’ t experience again until the Hammonton bicentennial in 2066 .
“ it was a remarkable event and it brought together an amazing array of people in town . You can see everybody here coming from all different walks of life and different contributions and that sort of thing . it ’ s so multi-faceted and was a marvelous reflection of our diverse community with all of its talents , love and friendship ,” Hammonton Sesquicentennial Planning Committee member Daniel Bachalis said . the six-plus-foot-tall , mahogany-stained , oak hardwood cabinet is the result of a year of diligent craftsmanship from students and faculty of the Hammonton High School ( HHS ) technology and industrial arts department , while the initiative surrounding it was the result of a two-year , combined planning effort from several dedicated civic organizations .
“ We asked every civic group to participate in the events all year ... We tried everybody ; we tried not to leave anybody out . the businesses , educational entities , houses of worship , individuals who helped in so many ways , of course , the town ’ s Historical Preservation Commission and Historical Society of Hammonton were both a major part of this operation ,” Hammonton Sesquicentennial Planning Committee business chair robert Schenk said . the collaboration surrounding all of the past year ’ s sesquicentennial events also led to plenty of funds being raised . Schenk said the committee has an approximate $ 30,000 surplus that will go towards the restoration of the town clock , a fitting initiative considering the clock was the centerpiece of the sesquicentennial logo that was printed on memorabilia throughout the past year . the sesquicentennial time capsule isn ’ t the first one to be sealed during Hammonton ’ s history , but it will be the first one that remains above ground for all to see , which was a decision made by the Hammonton Lions Club ’ s Sesquicentennial Committee .
“ there have been several different time capsules buried throughout town , but these time capsules have actually become a part of Hammonton ’ s folklore because nobody has any idea where they are . People have tried to dig them up ; nothing there . So , the Hammonton Lions Club decided that we wanted to do something a little bit different . We wanted to do something that could be found 50 years later , and our committee thought that a cabinet of some sort , something that was above ground , placed somewhere where it could be found would be a great idea ,” Hammonton Lions Club Sesquicentennial Committee member Barbara Neary Bachalis said .
Once the idea to create an above-ground vessel for the time capsule was conceived , the grandfather clock-like design was created digitally by thomas Donio , a HHS student in teah Daniels ’ Product / Structural Design class .
With the blueprint for the chest completed , Daniels and fellow technology and industrial arts faculty members richard Cote and James ziegler crafted it , aided
greatly by students Justin fanz , Preston Haney , Kevin LeSage , Marina Liedtka , Brock Mauriello , zachary Piro , ryan romero , Kenneth roohr , edwin Silva and austyn Bubbei . after the chest was built , a laminate plate was donated by James Martucci , of Laminate Creations LLC , hand-etched with the town clock logo by ziegler and added to the capsule . the Hammonton Lions club showed its gratitude to the students and faculty of HHS during the ceremony by presenting Daniels , Cote , ziegler and the students who designed and worked on the project with certificates honoring them for their respective roles in the project , and also announced a $ 1,000 donation to the Hammonton Board of education to support the technology and industrial arts program at HHS . the time capsule will reside on the second floor of town hall for the next 50 years . its contents include sesquicentennial-related items , such as a binder with programs for the sesquicentennial events , the 73-page , commemorative program created by the Sesquicentennial Planning Committee , sesquicentennial mugs , wine glasses and magnets ( including one made by The Gazette ), sesquicentennial ornaments made by the Soroptimists , vinyl sesquicentennial banners that were displayed on Bellevue avenue last year , a gobo monogram projection of the sesquicentennial logo , a copy of Brian Howell ’ s founders Day speech , tickets to the sesquicentennial gala and fourth of July celebration , and more . the capsule also included several business- and community-related mementos , such as maps of downtown Hammonton , posters for third thursday , a program from the eagle theatre , menus from various restaurants , photo albums of various residents and their families , a drone-recorded video of various community events filmed from above , autographed books by John Wiessner and three books published by Superior Court Judge Nelson Johnson , a binder of photographs and biographies of all the local civic organizations , several newspapers chronicling the major events that have happened during the sesquicentennial and years past — including an edition of The Gazette containing this story as well as other edition of The Gazette — several yearbooks from HHS and St . Joseph ’ s High School , a
Hammonton Green Committee tote bag , a frog rock Golf and Country Club score card and essays by Hammonton Leo Club essay contest-winners Jenna Vivadelli , Justin Vivadelli , andrew Montemurro and thomas Librizzi , who wrote about what life in Hammonton may be like in 2066 . the contents of the time capsule were also encapsulated in a third category that chronicled Hammonton ’ s past , including a can of beer from the old eastern Brewery , the banner that hanged during Hammonton ’ s centennial , wooden centennial nickels , a barber ’ s apron worn by men during the 75th and 100th anniversary , a 1950 paper truck from South Jersey Laundry , a centennial bell pin worn by women 50 years ago , a Hammonton aviation bumper sticker , mementos from historic local banks ( first federal Savings and Loan association , empire Saving ’ s Bank , People ’ s Bank ), items recognizing the Our Lady of Mt . Carmel festival and various digital videos about Hammonton , including The Finders , the eagle theatre ’ s production of Our Town and Hammonton : A Great Place to Live , Work and Play , a promotional video created by resident and former Miss New Jersey-winner Lindsey Giannini ; a video about the 140th anniversary of the Our Lady of Mt . Carmel festival created by the Hammonton Gazette and a DVD player to play them in case they become obsolete in the next 50 years . the ceremony ended with the official sealing of the time capsule , which was performed by DiDonato , Neary Bachalis , Hammonton Lions Club president Lisa DeKlerk , Hammonton Sesquicentennial Planning Committee chairman Harold Stafford and Schenk .
Schenk attended a similar ceremony for Hammonton ’ s centennial in 1966 as a child . He said he was very grateful for being able to participate in the festivities leading up to the sesquicentennial — especially the time capsule project — even if he won ’ t be present to witness its opening in 50 years .
“ i happened to be around in 1966 ; i was 14-years-old . i ’ m glad to be a part of last year . i don ’ t think i ’ ll make it to 2066 , but somebody is going to open that up and remember what we did here this year . i think it ’ s great ; i think it ’ s a great thing that we have here . We ’ re very , very happy with it ,” Schenk said .