The Blue Monkey Tavern & Niagara Fire Company FallFest returned to Merchantville last evening to classic autumn weather. A crowd of more than 500 beer-lovers sampled 90 beers on tap, including from regional favorites Cape May Brewing, Dogfish Head Brewing and Kane Brewing. Your friend. Wine drinkers were also kept happy with white and red Pinos. Food was plentiful thanks to Marys Mobile Diner, Red's Rolling Restaurant and Just Fork It Food Truck and Caterer. A portion of the proceeds from the FallFest went towards the Niagara Fire Company. Enjoy the photo gallery!

Greg Wood, Susan Riley Stevens and their family live in Merchantville. The couple are longtime theater vets who play Norm and his wife Corky in Steve Martin’s new comedy, "Meteor Shower", and bring seventeen years of marriage on stage in Martin’s comedy, playing at the Walnut Street Theatre through October 27th. Playwright and comedian Steve Martin is always quirky and always exceedingly funny. In "Meteor Shower" he takes an absurd look at how we deal with modern marriage. Set in 1993, they play a couple that invites another couple to watch a meteor shower - an engaging mix of cocktails, nighttime and a couple of couples. Read a review here.

Businesses in Merchantville have the Monsterville spirit! You'll find Bones Alexander at Monsterville Antiques and Salvage letting you know that for the month of October he'll be in charge. They have lots of new antiques and salvage just brought in, so what better a time to stop by and visit him where - He'll be waiting! Eclipse Brewing has a new 8% Pumpking Ale on tap - a tasty malty fall beer or fall in love with their Coffee Chocolate Porter - an absolutely fantastic coffee-chocolate explosion of goodness! Janice and Pete at Mcfarlan's Market have everything you need for noshing while watching your favorite football teams in October - get ready with their fresh picnic shoulders for pulled pork, fresh-made sweet & hot sausage or munchies! And, wiccans who visit Spirit to Sole Connection can stock up on supplies for All Hallows Eve with their selection of floor washes, smudge sprays, energy shifting tea's and "Break the Spell" salts and goolish line of Organic Herbal Tea's just for the season! The Blue Monkey joins in this month-long celebration with their official 2019 Blue Monkey Tavern FallFest featuring 90+ craft and independent beers, wines, ciders, hard seltzer, hard kombucha and more! And for that ever nagging sweet-tooth Aunt Charlotte's Candies offers a mouth watering selection of caramel and candy apples, gummy candy and spooky foil chocolates! And, if you're looking for the perfect zombie look don't forget Halloween hairstyling at The Clip Joint, Castle of Beauty or Dash Styles - they've got the answer! #shopmonsterville. Vote today for the spookiest Monsterville Merchant!

COMING SOON to a Monsterville front door near you are "We've Been BOOed!" signs that make their magical way from house to house. First one neighbor, then another - then, before you know it, it's your house! Welcome to the wonderful world of Halloween BOO-ing. This secret tradition of friendly community fun surprises neighbors, friends or family with a gift that you make and leave at their door. Halloween BOO-ing begins when one neighbor secretly leaves a small gift basket, a BOO poem, BOO instructions and a BOO sign at a neighbor's doorstep. The lucky BOO-ee is asked to post the sign near the door, alerting others that "We've Been BOO-ed!" In turn, the neighbor is asked to BOO two other households, creating a chain reaction of Halloween fun. Day by day, the BOO signs proliferate. Soon, the entire neighborhood is sporting BOO signs, and everyone is guessing. Anyone who gets Booed and needs copies of the BOO poem, BOO door sign or Booing instructions can pick them up between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. at Monsterville Borough Hall! 

Linda Jean Maratea, age 71, (nee Morgan) of Ocean Pines, MD formerly of Merchantville, NJ moved from this life early Tuesday morning September 17, 2019. She is survived by her husband and love of her life for 53 years James M. Maratea, and children Jenny A. Karpinski (Jim), Jill M. Forte (Michael) and Patrick J. Maratea (Elizabeth). She was the adored grandmother of Elizabeth, Julia, Francesca and Lainey. She is survived by her brother Bruce Morgan and was predeceased by a brother Daniel Morgan. Relatives and friends are invited to gather will her family on Friday evening from 7:00-9:00 PM in the Alloway Funeral Home 315 E. Maple Avenue Merchantville, NJ. Her Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday at 10:00 AM in St. Peter Church 43 W. Maple Avenue Merchantville, NJ. Interment private. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to 262 Danny Thomas Pl. Memphis, TN 38105. Full obituary.

Oran Leon DeLoach died and entered into the joy of heaven on Monday, September 30, 2019.  Leon, as he was affectionately called, was 81 at the time of his death.  He was a Christian, Husband, Father, Grandfather, Teacher and Caregiver for all he came in contact with.  He was born on March 7, 1938 in Carrollton, Mississippi.  Leon was preceded in death by his first wife of 27 years, Donna Whitten DeLoach.  Leon is survived by his wife of 23 years, Jolynn Urbanelli DeLoach, children, Kim DeLoach Tomlin (Paul), Lee Whitten DeLoach (Sandi) and Gerald Wilson DeLoach (Doreen), step children Erica Levin (Daniel), Rachel Levin, Aaron Levin, Daniel Levin (Kim), and grandchildren Paul Tomlin, Donna Tomlin, Elizabeth DeLoach, Lukas DeLoach, Lily DeLoach, Tyler DeLoach, and Zoey Levin, along with many nieces and nephews. You are invited to join us for his service on Saturday October 5th at 11:00 a.m. at First Presbyterian Church of Merchantville located at 10 W Maple Ave.  Visitation will be from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. with the service starting promptly at 11:00am. Full obituary.

Aunt Charlotte's Candies is hiring! We need factory workers to help in the making of our delicious candies. This includes feeding and taking candy off the belt and many other jobs. This position is from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Enjoy summers off with an unemployment benefit until the last week of August. It's a great job for people with young children! If interested, stop by our store at 5 West Maple Avenue in Merchantville.

Join the cause! More than 15 residents and neighbors have filled out the form below to request the installation of walk/don't walk signals at Browning Road (CR-612) and Maple Avenue (CR-537). It is a very busy intersection and incredibly difficult to see the light when crossing. In addition, these four streets all offer the "turn right on red" options, leaving even crossing guards hesitant or unsure when crossing walkers. Please consider completing this online form to support this community effort to install walk/don't walk signals and make this intersection safer for pedestrians. There's power in numbers.

Come downtown on Friday, October 4th from 5:00 - 9:00 p.m., to help Merchantville kick-off a month of Monsterville events at our First Friday Night Market. Vendors and activities include Tara’s Cozy Kitchen, Bear Soaps & Honey, Earth Crafts by Ami, Dannette’s Kids Zone - full list here. For kids there's a special appearance by "A Wish for Winellda the Witch" and her friends, face painting, a Pumpkin Patch/Pumpkin Painting Contest and a showing of "Casper" the movie at 7:30 p.m. There's live music from The Pink Angels, The Sparklers & The Merchant Villains, food trucks - Red's Rolling Restaurant and Just Fork It Food Truck and Catering will also be joining us. Eclipse Brewing will feature their new 8% Pumpking on tap at their outdoor beer garden where Cigar Alley will have a table. Stop in to meet the artists and view the gallery at Eilandarts Center's Mystical and Magical - Dark and Light art show between 7:00-9:00 p.m. where Mat Eiland will be performing live. Don't forget to sign up for the 2019 Merchantville Turkey Trot on November 28th.

The documentary, Petty’s Island: A Journey Back to Nature will be presented tonight, October 1st, from 7:00 - 8:45 p.m. at Pennsauken Library. This 22-minute film highlights the history of the Island, from its first inhabitants, to the environmental transformation currently taking place. Petty’s Island is a piece of land situated on the Delaware River between Philadelphia and Camden - but technically a part of Pennsauken Township. For over 100 years, this Island was owned by Citgo and utilized for industrial purposes. In the early 2000’s, however, a bald eagle nest was found on the Island, forever changing its fate.The goal of the film is to inform others about the rich history of this land, and the educational and recreational activities that will soon be available to all, especially local residents.