Races, Fundraisers, Kids Activities: Week Ahead in West Deptford

Youth runners can stretch their legs (ha, ha) at the summer developmental race series, which begins Monday, July 15. 

Sponsored by the Gloucester County Running Club, the events will be held at West Deptford Park on Metropolitan Avenue in Thorofare. Individual races are $4 apiece, or $15 for the series. Entrants are limited to children aged 13 and younger.

(Bigger kids can check out the summer series 5K, which also starts in the park on Monday.)

Monday is also the kickoff for Operation Backpack, which helps collect school supplies for needy children at drop-off points throughout South Jersey. 

The campaign will run for a month, and even if you can’t afford to donate supplies, you can volunteer to help sort through them and pack backpacks for donation.

Call Chris Ward at (856)-964-1990 x185 for more information, or click here. 

Then on Tuesday, July 16, fans of the Woodbury Fall Arts Festival (FAF) can meet up at the Woodbury Station Cafe for a fundraiser from 5 to 9 p.m. The event promises wine and craft beer, entertainment, and an Italian buffet.

Thursday, July 18, is the grand opening of the brand new Kids Play Zone at the Deptford Mall. From 10 a.m. to 12 noon, children can try out the activity center, enjoying refreshments, activities, face-painting, and other activities.

There will be a free gift for the first 200 kids, courtesy of National Geographic, as well as a special donation to benefit the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, CT.

Thursday will surely bring with it more of the same heated discussions that marked last week’s annual budget hearing at the West Deptford township committee meeting (7 p.m. in the municipal building on Crown Point Rd.).

But if you’re not much for politics, you can sneak out to Woodbury for the Footnotes: Acoustic Coffeehouse series in City Hall courtyard, where Larry Geiger and David Laganella will be playing saxophone and guitar, respectively.

Or you can just hop next door at 7 p.m., when the library presents “Cole Porter: Music in Review with Joe Best,” a multimedia presentation blending film, music trivia and audience participation. Sing along with World War II-era classics from the Glenn Miller Army Air Force Band.

This Friday, July 19, you can check out the West Deptford Little Theater's production of The Music Man, Jr., at Green-Fields Elementary School. Tickets are $10 at the door, $7 in advance by emailing tickets@wdltproductions.com.

Older kids might want to stop by the West Deptford Free Public Library at 1 p.m. Friday to make sand art—bring an empty bottle, or use one of theirs. Call 856-845-5593 to register.

Looking to take advantage of some other activities without the little tag-alongs? RiverWinds Community Center is offering a night of childcare activities, games and movies with a snack included. 

Give them 48 hours notice, and you can drop off your child (aged 3 to 11) for just $16, and $6 for additional siblings.

Finally, on Sunday, July 21, stop by the Colonial Manor Methodist Church ice cream social and basket auction. The event supports activities at the 90-year-old church. Tickets are advance-purchase only ($5 adults, $3 for kids 11 and younger) by calling 609-980-3080.