"I heard nothing but rave reviews about it," Turner said.
However, when the township's recreation department held the event - filled with games of chance galore, for kids aged 4 through 15 - last Wednesday night, Turner made sure he was there.
"We even adjourned the Township Council meeting early, so all of us could go," Turner said.
Needless to say, Turner was amazed to see nearly 200 youngsters - and approximately 100 parents - on hand at Weehawken Stadium to partake in all of the fun events.
"I was astounded," Turner said. "When a small town like ours gets 200 kids to a single event, that's huge. And everyone just had a great time. It was our biggest single activity of the year for kids. The level of participation was incredible."
There were countless games for the children to participate in - like a football toss, a water balloon toss, archery, high-powered water guns knocking over soda cans, a tug-of-war, a three-legged race, horseshoes and ring tosses and a lot more.
There were also fun prizes to be won, like inflatable animals and inflatable hammers - which turned into impromptu weapons by the end of the evening. There were also plenty of hot dogs, soda and watermelon slices to go around - all free of charge.
"It's like our end-of-the-season get-together," said recreation director Chuck Barone. "Last year, we decided to have the night for the first time and it went very well, so we decided to do it again. But I don't think anyone could have expected the turnout we received. It was amazing. Every venue was pretty crowded."
Added Barone, "They were simple, but fun games."
Well, some weren't too simple. For example, many kids tried their hand at archery, but few actually hit the targets.
"I thought it would be good for the kids, because they all had archery in grammar school," Barone said. "But we didn't have too many good shots there. A lot of the kids want to put their best death grips on the string when pulling back. They don't realize there's a science to it. But at least they had fun trying."
The water balloon toss was also very popular. Kids had to toss the water balloon around a circle and if the balloon popped, you were eliminated. Nice consolation prize, to get soaked and then get out of the game.
Recreation workers said that they filled approximately 400 balloons with water for the contest. However, later in the evening, the game turned into nothing more than a water balloon fight.
"The same thing happened with the Super Soaker water guns," Barone said. "It went from shooting at the cans to shooting at each other. But it was all in fun. And it seems as if each kid got one of those crazy prizes. There were inflatable hammers all over the place."
Perfect for friends to bop each other on the head.
"This has become so popular that I think it's going to be one of the things that stays around for quite a while," Barone said. "And everyone had a good time. It was good, harmless fun for the kids. It's a big party for everyone in the town."
Barone said that the summer recreation program will wind down in the town's parks this week. His hectic schedule of planning events and field trips will now trickle down to a precious few, like a trip to a Met and a Yankee game next month.
"I can't believe it's almost over," Barone said. "I think we had the biggest turnout this summer for all of our programs and trips. Everything was packed this year."
"I think that's a sign that we're getting more kids," Turner said. "We had a variety of activities, offering different things every day. And the level of participation was astounding this summer. I really think the recreation department outdid themselves this year, with this Fun Night as the culmination."
Turner said that the weather also cooperated as well.
"It was a perfect night," Turner said. "Especially after last week, when it was nasty to be outdoors. This was just a wonderful night and now I see why it got such rave reviews last year."
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