Morris Plains Pumpkin Illumination on the Merchant Block

Morris Plains became a borough in 1926, after breaking off from Hanover Township. The 100th year started in borough spaces. A TAPinto Morristown preview listed a January 15 reenactment of the first 1926 council meeting, a January 17 family birthday party at 51 Jim Fear Drive, and a February 21 cocktail celebration at VFW Post 3401 on Tabor Road.

By late summer, the celebration had moved to one short stretch of Speedwell Avenue Extension. The Saturday farmers market sets up there. The September 26 centennial music night closed that street. On Friday, October 30, the borough's 100th birthday gets a display of more than 100 carved pumpkins on the same pavement. Morris Plains has a long list of anniversary events, but the ones that pulled the town outdoors kept landing on the Merchant Block. That block was ready because a group of volunteers had spent three years making it work.

The Block Across From the Station

The borough's own business page describes "a popular weekly farmers market and seasonal celebrations in the historic 'Merchant Block' across from the train station downtown." The address used for events is 771 Speedwell Ave. The same page names Arthur's Tavern, Woodam Korean BBQ and Time for a Bagel as downtown anchors, along with the Regalo gift shop and the GPS Plumbing Supply showroom.

The farmers market is the block's steadiest use. According to TAPinto Morristown, the regular season ended this past Saturday, October 10, running 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 771 Speedwell Avenue. A special Winter Market is planned for Saturday, November 21. The block still has events on the calendar after Saturdays at the market stopped.

Three Years of Volunteer Programming

Downtown Morris Plains runs most of what happens on the block. It calls itself a volunteer-led, non-governmental, nonpartisan nonprofit started by residents, incorporated in March 2023, with a mission of "economic, social, and cultural enrichment through partnerships, fundraising, projects and events." Portia Levasseur is president, and the volunteer board includes Juliette Whitten, Lucia Galdi, Allison White, Teri DiGrande and Amanda Cocheo.

The group's signature event started the same year it incorporated. In 2023, TAPinto covered a Pumpkin Illumination at the Merchant Block on Friday, October 27, as the kickoff to a week of voting on business pumpkins. Morris Focus calls this year's edition the fourth annual, and says the event "was created as a way to shine a light on Morris Plains businesses," which can take part as vendors for free.

The businesses say it works. In its March save-the-date, DMP reported that participating businesses rated the event 4.8 to 5.0 out of 5 over the past three years, and that 100% of surveyed businesses planned to come back.

What the Centennial Borrowed

By the fall of the 100th year, the borough's Centennial Committee was using the block DMP had already established. Its Saturday, September 26 event, Music on Merch, was billed as a mini music festival on the Merchant Block. According to DMP's announcement, "the street will be closed to traffic for the evening, creating a walkable, outdoor gathering space right in the heart of our downtown." The lineup had emcee Julia Cama, Candice Lee, 202 Band and Declan O'Hara. Autodidact Beer poured, and the food came from Cartisan Mobile Cheese Bar NJ, Bakeology by Sue and Coniglio's.

The two groups also work together going the other way. In the same post, DMP said the Centennial Committee is sponsoring the band for the October 30 Pumpkin Illumination. That band is The Counterfeiters, according to TAPinto's Halloween roundup.

August's Restaurant Count

DMP's centennial program reached past the block, too. In August 2026, the Centennial Circuit asked diners to spend at least $10 at 10 different Morris Plains restaurants and log each visit online. Finishing all 10 earned a 10 oz YETI cup with the centennial logo. The results DMP published are the closest thing the borough has to a map of where residents actually ate that month.

Participants logged more than 360 restaurant visits and spent more than $12,200. DMP's own breakdown shows that the most visits and the most spending went to different places:

DMP counts 25 restaurants in the borough. The list covers Italian, Indian, Japanese, Korean, Mediterranean, Mexican and American food, plus a French bakery and an ice cream shop. More than 40% of participants finished all 10 stops, and one participant told the organizers:

"We ate at some favorite places and tried new ones too."

The prizes were handed out on the Merchant Block. DMP volunteers distributed the cups at the farmers market on September 12. The program sent people out to restaurants all over town and then brought them back to Speedwell Avenue to pick up their cups.

October 30, Block by Block

The centennial version of the Pumpkin Illumination runs Friday, October 30, from 6 to 8 p.m. According to Morris Focus, DMP is asking residents and visitors to bring carved pumpkins for a display of more than 100, one for each year of the borough. Here is what's planned:

• Drop-off by 6 p.m. Bring a carved pumpkin to the Merchant Block by 6 and get a raffle ticket. Lighting is provided.
• Jack-O-Tavern. New this year, with food and drinks on site.
• Business carving contest. Business-carved jack-o'-lanterns are displayed for voting, and a master carver gives a live demonstration.
• More than 25 Morris Plains businesses are expected, with The Counterfeiters playing live.
• Selfies at the display for anyone who didn't carve, according to DMP.

The event is free. DMP credits its sponsors for keeping it that way.

The Last Two Weekends of October

The Illumination falls in the middle of the borough's Halloween stretch. The other two events are at borough spaces, so the season moves from the Community Center to downtown to the parks:

1. Saturday, October 24, 6 to 9 p.m. The Community Bonfire, with hayrides, glitter tattoos, music, pumpkin decorating while supplies last, and free marshmallows for roasting. The rain date is Sunday, October 25. Last year, TAPinto placed the bonfire at the Morris Plains Community Center on Jim Fear Drive, the building at 51 Jim Fear Drive that hosted the centennial's January birthday party.
2. Friday, October 30, 6 to 8 p.m. The Pumpkin Illumination on the Merchant Block, 771 Speedwell Ave.
3. Saturday, October 31, 4 p.m. The Halloween Parade & Party starts at Roberts Garden, rain or shine, and ends at Simons Park, where refreshments are served.

After Halloween, the block's next scheduled date is the Winter Market on Saturday, November 21, back at 771 Speedwell Avenue.

If the centennial has you wondering what your own place near Speedwell Avenue is worth, Sueanne Sylvester can walk you through it over coffee downtown. Request a Home Valuation, and bring your pumpkin on the 30th.