News · Hardyston, Branchville, Green, Lafayette, Newton, Sparta, Vernon, Wantage
The Weekend Ahead: Route 15 Detours, a Renaissance Festival Weekend, and a 200th Birthday in Stockholm
Route 15 in Lafayette has been closed and detoured since September 1 with no reopening announced. The Sparta Renaissance Festival is back for its second weekend, Stockholm United Methodist Church turns 200, and there is a guided hike through the old Hyper-Humus peat mine. Here is what is happening across Sussex County this weekend.
Good morning, Sussex County. Second weekend of September, the fall calendar is filling in, and the county has one of its better Saturdays of the season lined up. Here is what is on, where the roads are a problem, and what is happening next week at town hall.
Before you go anywhere: Route 15 in Lafayette
Route 15 has been closed in both directions in Lafayette Township since Tuesday, September 1, when NJDOT shut the road between Mudcut Road and Morris Farm Road/Meadows Road for emergency drainage repairs south of the Paulins Kill bridge. NJDOT said the detour would stay in place "until further notice," and as of Thursday afternoon we had not seen a reopening announcement. Northbound traffic is sent around via Route 94 and Route 206; southbound goes Mudcut Road to Valleyview Road to Route 94. Trucks headed south should use Route 206.
Even once the emergency closure lifts, the separate bridge-replacement project on the same stretch had alternating one-lane traffic with temporary signals scheduled through mid-September. Either way: if Saturday takes you through Lafayette, check 511nj.org before you leave and build in extra time. We will keep updates in our news feed.
Friday, September 11
Today is the twenty-fifth anniversary of September 11. Many Sussex County towns and fire companies hold remembrance ceremonies this evening; check your municipality's website for the time and place.
Saturday, September 12
Sparta Renaissance Festival — Camp Sacajawea, 844 White Lake Road, Sparta. Second of three weekends. Fifty-plus vendors, knightly tournaments, re-enactment encampments, boat rides on the lake. $25 for adults, $10 for ages 6 to 12, free under 6. Runs Saturday and Sunday, then again September 19 and 20. Note that some calendar listings show the festival running every day through September 20; it is weekends only.
Stockholm United Methodist Church 200th Anniversary Celebration — 10 AM, Stockholm, Hardyston Township. Two hundred years is a long time for anything in this county to stay open. Worth a stop if you are anywhere near Route 23.
Hyper-Humus Wetlands Hike — 10 AM, led by the Foodshed Alliance at the former peat mine outside Newton. One of the odder and more beautiful pieces of land in the county, and not usually open for guided walks.
Fall Flea Market — 9 AM, First Presbyterian Church of Branchville.
A Fall Walk in the Gardens at Meadowburn Farm — 11 AM, Vernon. Meadowburn's gardens are at their late-season best right now.
Southern Stew at Milk Street Distillery — 7 PM, Branchville. Live music at the distillery.
Movie in the Park: A Minecraft Movie — 7:30 PM, EverGreen Park, Green Township. Bring a blanket; it is getting dark earlier now.
Also Saturday: a Harvest Market at The Homestead Rest at 10 AM, and Picnic in the Dahlias at Sunset View Farm Dahlias at 6 PM.
Sunday, September 13
Sparta Renaissance Festival, day two.
Barn Sale at Lusscroft Farm — 10 AM, Wantage. The historic farm's periodic barn sale; proceeds support the restoration.
Guided Painting with Elaine Kurie: Tuscany Villa — 1 PM, Sussex County Arts & Heritage Council, Newton.
The full list, with times and links, is on our events calendar.
Looking ahead
Next weekend is the big one: Mountain Creek Oktoberfest in Vernon runs September 18 to 20, the Franklin Train Show is Saturday, September 19 at Franklin Borough Elementary School, and Sussex County Day is Sunday, September 20 at the Fairgrounds in Augusta. Molly Tuttle plays the Newton Theatre Thursday, September 17, and tickets were running low as of this week.
Around the county
The Dot Mobile Library has added a regular Newton stop while the Dennis Branch of the county library is closed for renovation — useful if the Dennis Branch was your branch.
Hardyston schools closed Tuesday after mold was found at the elementary school. If you have kids in the district, check the district's messages for the latest on the building.
Sussex County Community College is accepting late fall registrations through Monday, September 14.
The Labor Day 5K returned to Sparta, and Pope John students showed off AI projects from a new summer program. All of these are linked in our news feed.
Next week at Town Hall
- Monday, September 14, 7 PM — Hardyston Joint Land Use Board. Resolutions on Aqua New Jersey's Wallkill Well #4 treatment facility and a Wits End Associates site plan. Agenda posted.
- Tuesday, September 15, 9 AM — Sandyston Township Committee. A morning meeting, for those keeping score.
Monday's brief will have the full rundown, plus what got decided this past week in Sparta, Green, Franklin, Montague and at the county. Plain-English summaries of every meeting, with links to the original documents, are in the Government section.
Heard around the county
Unconfirmed, and offered as exactly that: talk of a shared workspace opening in Highland Lakes. No name, address or date yet. If you know more, tell us.
If you spot something we have wrong or missed, use the "Report an error" link on any page. We would rather hear it from you than not hear it at all.
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