Middletown Township has been advertising the celebration of its 350th anniversary this coming year. The following is an excerpt from promotional materials on the township website:
“A series of programs and special events are scheduled to celebrate the township's founding in 1664...If your organization is hosting any special events with a historic focus between September 2013 and September 2014, we would like to include them in the Middletown 350 listing. Please fill out the form attached and return it by July 1, 2013 for possible inclusion in printed materials. Postings for the web and social media should be sent at least two weeks in advance.”
The Middletown Democratic Party submitted the required form in June of 2013 to notify the Township of our intentions to provide non-partisan video interviews of residents in Middletown who have knowledge of the history of the Township. The video interviews would be personal accounts of historical events and how things have changed over time and would not include any political comments.
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We believe Middletown residents have a wealth of knowledge that would provide a living history of the Township. When a story is presented by the person that lived through it, it is always an added treat, so we encourage every resident to come and tell their stories of life in Middletown and how it has changed over the years. Leave your contact information in an email sent to middletowndems@gmail.com. The first video we submitted to the township is a brief history of VFW Post 2179 in Port Monmouth and includes how the VFW Post participated in helping township residents during the aftermath of Super Storm Sandy. We invite you to view the video accounts of people’s lives to gain an appreciation of how Middletown has grown and changed over the years. This will be an excellent way for residents and non-residents to get a sense of how our community has changed over time.
Our concern now is that, as of this posting, we have not received any acknowledgement from the township regarding our application to participate in this celebration through submission of our video interviews. We sent a certified letter on November 8th requesting a response and so far have not received one. It appears that the Middletown 350 Committee does not consider the historic accounts of our residents worthy of inclusion. The Democratic Party of Middletown thinks these accounts are important, so we are participating in this historic celebration of our town by posting these videos for all to view. The first video can be viewed at:
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Attached is a copy of the letter inviting participation in the celebration, as well as the application that was submitted in June.
