The smiley faced water tower beckons visitors to Longport.
LONGPORT - The Board of Commissioners is seeking volunteers to serve on a committee to plan the borough's Quasquicentennial Anniversary Celebration to mark the 125th year since its incorporation.
Longport officials have decided that there will be cake and a celebration on March 7, 2023. Local dignitaries, residents, and friends will all be invited to join in the day's festivities. The committee will help plan special events to commemorate this historic occasion.
Should there be a time capsule, the dedication of a plaque, a poetry or essay contest?
The 125th Anniversary Committee will help make those big decisions for this important day and the months to follow, Mayor Nick Russo said in a release.
Nearly 25 years ago, the Longport Centennial of Incorporation Committee organized a re-enactment of the first 1898 commission meeting and held a Centennial Open golf tournament. A Town Party was held in the summer, and the large room on the second floor of Borough Hall was renovated and dedicated as Centennial Hall.
The volunteer committee will help determine what will Longport's quasquicentennial will look like. Meetings will be held in the coming months and volunteers are needed to organize and run the event. The first meeting will be held in November.
Anyone interested in serving on the committee should email [email protected] or call 609-823-2731, ext. 100.
The Borough of Longport has a proud history on Absecon Island and at one point provided land for grazing and also served as a terminus for the ferry to Ocean City. Although the community has changed a lot over the last 25 years, we are proud of our uniqueness of living in an area surrounded by water on three sides, Russo said.
According to information obtained online from the Library of Congress:
The Borough of Longport, incorporated in 1898, belong to that category of seaside resort towns that were established by developers during the late 19th century, after the areas were opened up by the railroads. While the other Absecon Island communities of Margate and Ventnor, located just south of Atlantic City, were originally part of Atlantic City sharing the same developmental history, Longport, the smallest and most southern of the towns of Absecon Island, developed independently.
Longport continues this independent spirit as a quiet and largely residential seaside community that generations of families have been happy to call home.
