Music Festival Celebrates Memory Of Former Morristown Mayor

MORRISTOWN, NJ — Residents are invited to attend a day of music and fun hosted by the Rotary Club of Morristown and celebrate the memory of former mayor Jay DeLaney.

The music festival is planned for Sunday, May 28, at Lidgerwood Park, 30 Erskine Drive, in Morristown, from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.

Local artists will perform live music, including top 40 hits as well as original tracks, officials said. This free community event will also include games and activities for the entire family.

During the celebration, the rotary club will hold a tree dedication in memory of DeLaney, who died in November after being diagnosed with esophageal cancer in July 2022.

DeLaney served as mayor from 1998 to 2005. He also served on the Morristown Town Council from 1990 to 1993, as well as the Morristown Planning Board from 1988 to 1990, among other civic positions.

Read more: Cancer Diagnosis For Former Mayor, Morristown Community Offers Support

According to his wife, Debra Gottsleben, DeLaney loved talking to his fellow community members and helping out in any way that he could. "Jay loves talking to people. It's always been his forte, being out and about," Gottsleben said.

Mayor Dougherty addressed DeLaney's death in a Facebook video to the public.

The Morristown Rotary Club, which was founded on May 1, 1922, has donated countless volunteer hours to community projects, including raising funds for 50,000 meals for seniors and others in need during the pandemic.

Last year, the Morristown Rotarians gifted the town a $90,000 pavilion at Lidgerwood Park.

"This pavilion is one of the ways we are celebrating 100 years of service to the community as well as 100 years of continuous service into the future," chapter president Steve Ellerman said.

The pavilion highlights six "areas of service" to which the Morristown Rotary Club contributes and develops projects: culture, education, health, hunger, veterans and youth.