(NEWARK, NJ) -- Branch Brook Park Alliance (BBPA) will host the fourth Branch Brook Park Fest on Saturday, September 10 from 9:00am to 4:00pm in the Prudential Concert Grove at Branch Brook Park (rain date: Sunday September 11). Now in its second season, this program series brings together community members, local business owners, artists and visitors for an afternoon of family-friendly activities. The event features vendors, live music, interactive art, and more. 

“The Community Ambassadors of the Branch Brook Park Alliance and I invite you to join us in celebration of health and wellbeing through the activation of the historic landscape of Branch Brook Park,” said Kevin Meija, Program Director – Care of the Park, BBPA. “Through our series of Fests, we hope to inspire the surrounding community to take ownership of their park, to not only use it to commemorate life's most precious memories, but as a place to escape the city's hustle and bustle. We hope to continue this series of Fests for years to come to serve as a platform for the amazing local art and artists we have in the city of Newark.” 

Saturday’s event features vendors such as Wright Way Micro-Farm, Infinity Sisters Collections, and H.E.A.L. Beauty. Live music will be provided by DJ Shell Spin and live/interactive art activities will be provided by Andrece Brady. Branch Brook Park Fest is a production of the Branch Brook Park Community Ambassadors, a network of professionals who donate their time and talent in support of ongoing stewardship and activation of Essex County Branch Brook Park. 

“Park Fest showcases Newark’s local talent in an historic, bucolic setting, where visitors can engage with local artists in making an art project to take home, hear live music, and buy fresh produce and locally-produced goods”, says Linda Morgan, Co-Chair of the Community 

Ambassador group. “The Community Ambassadors welcome everyone to come out and enjoy this beautiful park.” 

Community members from across the greater Newark area are invited to attend this free outdoor program. Additional programs will be held on October 1 and October 29. 

The event is sponsored by: County of Essex; Essex County Parks System; Branch Brook Park Alliance; Community Foundation of NJ; Rutgers Master Gardeners; Rhodeside Hardwell Landscape Architecture & Planning; Jersey Cares; Prudential; PSEG; Ryan Family Foundation; The Turrell Fund; Horizon BCBSNJ; Dodge Foundation; TD Charitable Foundation; The Healthcare Foundation of NJ; Miss Jay Made It; The Nathan Cummings Foundation; and The Victoria Foundation. 

Branch Brook Park Alliance is a public/private partnership with Essex County and the Department of Parks Recreation and Cultural Affairs. The organization champions a masterwork of landscape architecture, conceived by Frederick Law Olmsted Sr. and designed by the Olmsted Brothers. The centerpiece of the first county park system in America located in the renaissance city of Newark, Essex County Branch Brook Park now enjoys new life. Together with a community of friends, the organization restored the park’s historic design and are refreshing it for today's lively use.