Fair Lawn will turn back clock to Roaring '20s with reenactment of first council meeting
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Fair Lawn will step back into the Roaring '20s this week to celebrate the founding of the borough a century ago.
And it'll do it in style.
Tuesday night's council meeting will celebrate the borough's incorporation on March 6, 1924, with a reenactment of Fair Lawn's first council session, complete with local officials and audience members in period costume.
There will even be a town crier to ring in the festivities, so "Oyez! Oyez!" please.
The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the municipal building at 8-01 Fair Lawn Ave. It will kick off a yearlong series of events and activities dedicated to the borough's centennial.
Originally part of Saddle River Township, the borough was born 100 years ago as "Fairlawn," a name taken from the estate owned by local resident David Acker. His home, built in 1865, would later become the municipal building. The borough was renamed to "Fair Lawn" in 1933. Well before that, its history "can be traced back to the Lenni-Lenapi tribes," the borough website says.
State Assemblywoman Lisa Swain, a former mayor who is acting as co-chair of the Fair Lawn 100th Celebration Committee, said participants will dress in clothing from the 1920s to match the atmosphere of that first session. Local residents are welcome to join the audience and dress in the style of the era, too, she said.
The borough’s town crier, Tim Yuskaitis, will open the meeting, performing a role that dates back to the 1800s, when official proclamations were read loudly to the masses, who didn't have cable TV or TikTok to spread local news.
“It really will fit in with the spirit of 1924,” Swain said. “For special meetings, they have the town crier come, and it feels like a flash from the past.”
More: Fair Lawn Mayor Kurt Peluso resigns to take a new post in the borough
Former mayors and residents will play the roles of original council members and other officials during the reenactment. The group will follow a script of what was discussed a century earlier by their predecessors.
“The hot topic that I think will be relevant today is how much we paid for professionals and expenses back then,” Swain said. “What’s startling is how expensive things are today 100 years later.”
After the reenactment is over, residents are invited to a dessert reception at the Fair Lawn Athletic Club, across the street from borough hall.
Stephanie Noda is a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
Email: noda@northjersey.com; Twitter: @snoda11
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Fair Lawn will turn back time with reenactment of 1924 council meeting
