Second Saturdays, Underground Railroad event plans in Burlington City

BURLINGTON CITY — Take a stroll around down High Street in Burlington City and you’ll find quite a few things to do.

Down by the waterfront, Burlington City gives you views of the Delaware River. The city offers restaurants such as Revell Hall, coffee shops, breweries, musical events, food truck festivals and a myriad of other things to do.

Here are a few things going on this year:

Second Saturdays, various venues, Burlington City, through Oct. 10

Through October, on the second Saturday of each month, Arts Guild of New Jersey members are set to showcase some of state’s arts and culture: Think classes, live jazz music, workshops and more.

According to a press release, this new initiative, funded by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority and supported by members of the local business improvement district, is to channel a growing local economy, mass transit and the arts to “create an arts destination for the region.”

All events are to be free and open to the public.

The press release said the project brings together several community partners, including Lyceum Hall Center for the Arts, The Dime, the Burlington City Historical Society, the Quaker Meeting House, Infact Inc., Main Street and Visit South Jersey.

Second Saturdays are a new series of family-friendly events that are also to feature food and fun, serving as a place for community members to gather while patronizing small businesses and restaurants, the release said. It kicked off April 11 with a special art project for Autism Awareness Month at the Arts Guild of New Jersey along High Street.

“Collaboration and partnerships by local leaders, stakeholders and state agencies to bolster the arts in Burlington City has been a dream of Arts Guild NJ and we could not make this dream a reality without the help of [the economic development authority],” Shanisha “Nisha” Ray, board president for the Arts Guild of New Jersey, said in a press release.

“Being able to take the River Line to Burlington City, immerse yourself in the arts and patronize local businesses is an ideal way to spend your Saturday and help us organically support and grow our community and most importantly give a stage for some the region’s most talented artists.”

‘Faith, Friendship & Freedom,’ Burlington City – May 16

Members of the Burlington Quaker Meeting House are to present “Faith, Friendship & Freedom: A Historical & Musical Tribute to the Underground Railroad” from 1-4 p.m. May 16.

Sculptor Wesley Wofford’s “The Harriet Tubman – The Journey to Freedom” traveling exhibition is to be part of the event.

That 9-foot, 2,200-pound monument represents Tubman’s travels to free enslaved people. The abolitionist and political activist, who spent time in Cape May in some summers, led hundreds of slaves to freedom.

The exhibit began its journey at the Equal Justice Initiative Legacy Pavilion in Montgomery, Alabama in 2020, according to the National Park Service website.

Wofford, an Oscar- and Emmy-winning North Carolina artist, has said the statue “honors and pays tribute to Tubman’s commitment to and resilience in the fight for freedom.”

Tubman, a fugitive slave, was a conductor of the Underground Railroad — a network of safe houses, safe spaces and secret routes — and made dozens of trips from the South, helping to bring enslaved people to freedom.

According to a press release, this free public event serves as a featured stop in the broader #FreedomWalk2026 initiative, “connecting local history to a national movement of remembrance and reflection.”

Noted historian Anthony Cohen, founder of the “Journey to Freedom” program, The Menare Foundation and creator of #FreedomWalk 2026, is to share insights into the role that New Jersey played in the abolitionist movements.

“This event is about more than history — it’s about connection,” Dee Corbett, director of the Burlington Meeting House, said in the press release.

Members of the Essence of Harmony Choral Society musical group are to perform soul-stirring gospel songs. Cultural vendors are set to offer artisan goods, educational materials and community resources.

The New Jersey Economic Development Authority’s A.R.T. – Phase II Grant Program helped fund the event.

Go: 340 High St.; faithfriendshipfreedom.eventbrite.com.

Celeste E. Whittaker joined the Courier-Post in 1998. The South Jersey native has covered the Philadelphia 76ers, college and high school sports in her tenure and now covers food, dining, events, arts and culture and more for the Courier Post, Burlington County Times and Daily Journal. She has won numerous writing awards for her work. Please consider a digital subscription to help support our journalism.

‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’