“They’re creepy and they’re kooky, mysterious and spooky. They’re all together ooky. The Addams Family.” The Addams Family creator, Charles Addams, was born in Westfield, NJ in 1912. As a kid, he broke into some of Westfield’s stately mansions because he believed them to be haunted. They served as inspiration for the backdrop of his Addams Family cartoon series in later years. Westfield celebrates its native son with AddamsFest 2018 this weekend.
Westfield Celebrates AddamsFest 2018
Several events have been set up all over the Westfield area to celebrate AddamsFest 2018 throughout the weekend. Here’s a guide to a few of the more popular events taking place:
Haunt Your House
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The owners of 22 Westfield homes participated in AddamsFest 2018’s Haunt Your House event. But organizers need your help to determine the winner. Simply download a driving map of all homes entered into the contest. Visit each one. Then vote for your four favorites online in the Haunt Your House voting booth. The voting booth closes at the end of the day on October 27th.
Charles Addams Art Exhibit
From now until October 30th, 40 original works of art and photographs will be on display to the public at the James Ward Mansion on E Broad St. A donation of $5 to $10 per person is suggested for anyone wishing to view these rare Charles Addams pieces. One of these pieces includes Dudley, the life-size skeleton that Charles Addams drew on a local barn wall almost 100 years ago. A portion of the proceeds benefits the Charles Addams Fund. Every year, the Charles Adams Fund grants scholarships to local Westfield High School seniors with artist aspirations of their own. Purchase your tickets online here.
Charles Addams Cartoon Contest Exhibit
Speaking of the Charles Addams Fund, Westfield High School students created their own homages to the namesake of AddamsFest 2018. View their tributes to Charles Addams’ work in the Community Room of the Westfield Town Hall between 11 am and 5 pm on Saturday and 12 pm to 4 pm on Sunday.
Charles Addams Workshop
Do you have a budding cartoonist living in your Westfield home? Then you’ll want to take them to the Charles Addams Workshop on Sunday, October 28th. At 11 am, New York cartoonist Felipo Galindo hosts a special children’s cartoon workshop at the Westfield Memorial Library. Admission is free but his stories are priceless. Reserve your seat online before the event to ensure your spot in the room. Other lectures will also be available all weekend for free. To choose which ones you’d like to attend, please visit the AddamsFest 2018 Lecture Series website here. You’ll find a complete schedule of the entire weekend’s events when you visit the AddamsFest schedule online here.
Weather Update
It’s going to be a wet weekend in Westfield. Therefore, several events that were originally scheduled for outdoors have been moved inside. The opening ceremony (10:30 am), Kids Zone (11 am to 2 pm), Chill on Quimby (11 am to 4 pm), and Charlie’s Ale Hall (5 pm to 11 pm) will all take place inside the Westfield Armory on Rahway this Saturday. All indoor events at the Rialto Theater, Westfield Memorial Library, James Ward Mansion, Town Hall, and Reeve House will go on as planned. The Howl-O-Ween Dog Costume Contest (3 pm) has been moved to Woofgang Bakery and Grooming. Visit the AddamsFest Facebook page to stay updated on any further changes for Sunday.