The same river that George Washington crossed famously during the revolutionary war, is also the home of an annual celebration that guarantees a future for the youth of Port Jervis, New York.
Dinner on The Delaware is an annual event held on or near the fourth of July in the city of Port Jervis New York. It is primarily a fundraiser for the community projects the city does year-round.
The event is in its fifth year now, and consists of a dinner along the Delaware River, with food donated and catered by local businesses. It is both a marketing event for the community to showcase the kinds of foods available in the tri-state area and a chance for the local businesses to “give back” to the community as a partner of and usually also a community member.
The event has 500 tickets available each year. The point is to both create a demand by having limited seating and also giving the vendors a specific number of attendees to ensure there is enough food for all those who purchased tickets.
All profits from the event, go to the Port Jervis Recreation Department and used to fund programs that benefit the community all year long.
The event staff and coordinators are not the only volunteers, all the food is donated, and vendors also donate their time during the event. There is also a fireworks display finale to send off the dinner with a bang, every year. Even the fireworks are donated.
This year, a week before the event tickets were sold out, this according to John Faggione, the Director of the Recreation Dept. in Port Jervis. He is in charge of two city parks and a community center for the kids that is next to the city’s library.
Walking My Journey 