Show Off What Makes Moorestown 'Classic'

As one of the oldest (350 years and counting) and culturally rich towns in the Delaware Valley, Moorestown certainly epitomizes the word “classic.”

So it's no wonder Moorestown is included among the 20 communities in the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission’s (DVRPC) first-ever “I Love Classic Towns” photo contest.

The contest is part of DVRPC’s Classic Towns of Greater Philadelphia program and is designed to showcase the aesthetic and historical beauty of those communities.

“Hopefully it’s a way for us to promote these classic towns as a place you want to be,” said Classic Towns program manager Alison Hastings. “To drum up excitement and get people excited about where they live.”

Several other South Jersey towns are designated, including Collingswood, Haddon Heights and Glassboro, as well as several Pennsylvania towns, like New Hope, Media and West Chester.

Due to the artistic nature of the contest—and the fact that it calls two of the Classic Towns home (Moorestown and Collingswood)— is a co-sponsor.

“Perkins is an arts organization. But one of the things that makes us different is we don’t stay purely in the arts,” said Perkins executive director Alan Willoughby. “We delve into history, the environment, and in this case, (the contest) is a great connection to history … It made total sense to be involved in this project.”

The assistant curator at Perkins is one of the judges for the photo contest as well, along with a photographer from The Philadelphia Inquirer. 

What makes a classic town?

Hastings said there are a number of quantitative and qualitative measures the DVRPC uses for its classification, including (but not limited to) population density, the presence of a downtown/Main Street district, walkability and the depth of the town’s history.

As for the photos, Hastings explained they’re looking for pictures that in some way represent the community, which can include anything from a shot of a landmark from an interesting angle to an image of an event that “captures the spirit of the community.”

There are seven categories: community, local history, parks and recreation, seasonal, people, Main Street, and residential. The winner in each of the seven categories will receive $100. A $300 Viewer’s Choice Award will also be given for the photo that gets the most votes from the general public, as well as a $500 Judge’s Choice Award.

Many of the photos will also be featured in a traveling exhibition that will visit select classic towns. Willoughby said Perkins will be the site of one of those exhibitions.

Hastings said Tuesday she was pleasantly surprised at the response they’d already received: 20 submissions in the first two days.

All photographs must have been taken on or after Jan. 1, 2010. The deadline for submitting photos is April 14, 2012. Online voting will take place from April 15 to May 14, with formal judging and winners announced by July 31.

Complete submission requirements and contest rules, as well as some of the latest submissions, can be found on the contest website.