MANALAPAN, NJ - The Spirit of the Jerseys New Jersey state history fair returns to Monmouth Battlefield state park this May! Experience five centuries of New Jersey's history all in one place at the annual SPIRIT of the JERSEYS State History Fair, a historical festival for all ages on Saturday, May 13th, Monmouth Battlefield State Park in Manalapan.



This free, award-winning event, which runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., rain or shine, is a fun-filled adventure into New Jersey's past with living history demonstrations, military re-enactors, tours, exhibits, period music and dance, and historical organizations and museums from around the state. (Suggested Parking Donation/$10 per vehicle) One of the largest battles of the American Revolution took place in the fields and forests that now make up Monmouth Battlefield State Park. The park preserves a splendid rural 18th-century landscape of hilly farmland and hedgerows that encompasses miles of hiking and horseback riding trails, picnic areas, a restored Revolutionary War farmhouse and a Visitor Center with exhibits and media programs that interpret the Battle of Monmouth and its impact on America's fight for independence from England. The park is easily accessible from Routes 9 and 33.

This year's fair will commemorate the 100th anniversary of WWI with several special programs including music of the era, a one-man stage production featuring President Woodrow Wilson and a reading of New Jersey poet Joyce Kilmer's poetry. Other exciting new programs will feature the Princeton Swing Dancers and a presentation on Ann Baumgartner Carl, a Jersey girl who trained as a Women Air Force Service Pilot (WASP) during WWII. There are plenty of hands-on activities for kids and adults, from participating in historical games to plowing a furrow or participating in a military drill. Don't miss the opportunity to meet such historical figures as Harriet Tubman, President Teddy Roosevelt, Alice Paul, Dr. James Still, Walt Whitman, President Woodrow Wilson, Molly Pitcher and George Washington.