Boro groups make sure annual tour rides again
BY SETH MANDEL
Staff Writer

JAMESBURG –– No funding? No problem. Leave it to the generosity of a few local organizations.

After a grant for the borough’s annual holiday carriage rides fell through, Jamesburg Area Chamber of Commerce President Teddy Ehmann rallied local businesses, which in turn made sure the tours of historic Jamesburg went off as usual.

“They were going to cancel it, but I said the community will really pick it up,” Ehmann said. “Boy, did they pick it up.”

The Jamesburg Civic Association and borough historical association, along with several local businesses, pitched in to bring the carriage rides to the borough this month for the fourth consecutive year.

“And it’s the first time they’ve all worked together,” Ehmann said.

Ehmann, owner and operator of Family Framers, East Railroad Avenue, said that in the past the borough received grants from the county to help run the event.

“There are grants available for cultural things, and they just don’t have any money anymore,” Ehmann said.

But Ehmann and the event organizers were undaunted.

Instead of canceling the event, the carriage rides have returned better than ever.

“People just went back to their respective organizations and said, ‘Listen, they’re not going to have it this year, and it looks like something we really want to do,’ ” he said. “It’s just great.”

The tours, which will take place at 7 and 9 p.m. Dec. 8 and 15, will start from the Lakeview Mansion, Buckelew Avenue, and return there after a 20-minute horse-drawn carriage ride through town.

Ehmann said the mansion will be open for visitors to tour, and local organizations will be providing free hot chocolate, hot cider and chestnuts.

Due to limited space and the extended ride, Ehmann said reservations are required for the carriage tours. For ticket information, call (877) 463-6546. When prompted, enter pin code 3919. There is a $5 donation for each ticket, with the money going to the Presbyterian Church Deacons Food Pantry.

In past years, the carriage rides began on East Railroad Avenue, but there wasn’t much to draw visitors beyond the carriage rides themselves.

“Nobody stays open, so there’s not much for people to do, and it’s cold,” Ehmann said. “So now they can be in the mansion, there’s going to be a lot to do at the park there around the mansion. And it’ll be a lot more historic, a lot more festive.”

Ehmann said the resolve and dedication shown by the local organizations to make sure the event came together for a fourth year, and to even improve the event, is an illustration of the town’s character and a great example of why he gets involved in such programs.

“This is what I love about Jamesburg,” Ehmann said. “I put the word out, and in record time, like within three days, had all these organizations who have never worked together. That was my Christmas present.”

Ehmann was named president of the chamber in November, after the retirement of Alan Brown.

He said the chamber is not just for the borough, but services will be expanded to include nearby towns such as Spotswood, Monroe, Cranbury and Dayton.

He said he is both excited and honored by the appointment.

“I love the area, I love the market, I love the community,” Ehmann said.