In a recent newsletter, Abington Township Commissioner John Spiegelman, Ward 11, shared his insights regarding Upper Moreland Township’s decision to cancel the June Fete Fair, which was to be held this weekend.
According to Spiegelman, the decision revolved around “the rash of teen fighting that has taken place at local fairs and carnivals throughout our region this spring, including widely reported-on violence at the Broomall Fire Company Fair in DelCo last month” and elsewhere.
Towards the end, he notes that donations can still be made to the Abington Health Foundation Women’s Board.
From Commissioner Spiegelman’s newsletter:
I wanted to share what I know and also to help dispel various inaccurate or unsubstantiated rumors that have circulating around this disheartening new. The reason that Upper Moreland Township refused to issue the necessary permits for June Fete was due to their concerns—and particularly the very strong concerns of the Upper Moreland Police Department—about possible outbreaks of teen brawling and related violence on the fairgrounds, in the parking lots, in the immediate surrounding area, or all of the above.
This was NOT due to any unpublicized cases of violence that occurred during last or preview years’ Fetes. Rather, it was because of the rash of teen fighting that has taken place at local fairs and carnivals throughout our region this spring, including widely reported-on violence at the Broomall Fire Company Fair in DelCo last month (an event which is likely canceled forever) and in Wildwood this past Memorial Day weekend, and also many not-as-well-known incidents elsewhere throughout the Delaware Valley, some far closer to home.
I am not certain that there were any specific threats targeting this year’s June Fete, but one of the most vexing aspects of the deeply disturbing problem of teen brawling, including violence that is peripherally or directly associated with gang-related activity, is that—although the phenomena of disaffected teens and the tendency of some of them to form gangs and fight with one another has existed for many generations—their ability to organize and schedule brawls over various social media, and thereby stay at least one step ahead of many law enforcement organizations, is unprecedented. Imagine West Side Story with Snapchat, a dystopia in which the Jets and the Sharks could schedule not only a single massive rumble “Tonight,” but many explosive fights, one continuing where the previous one left off, throughout the course of a weekend or an entire season. This is ultimately what parents, police, and whole communities are up against right now.
I am confident that Upper Moreland Township and the UMPD are firmly committed to doing whatever they must to ensure that this kind of cancelation is not repeated next year. As for our own Abington Police Department, I know that they are always working tirelessly to not only respond to but also get out in front of and prevent youth violence and mayhem.
As far as the loss of this year’s June Fete, all of the money that the Abington Health Foundation Women’s Board would have raised would have gone to support the Durham Fund for Nurse Wellness, which “seeks to address systemic changes within the nursing profession by prioritizing nurse wellness and resilience through initiatives that foster a positive, supportive, and healthy work environment” and “supports programs that aim to normalize well-being and improve overall wellness in the workplace.”
There is no overstating how the loss of June Fete 2024 will hurt the Durham Fund, but we can all help to lessen the damage by making a directed donation to the Women’s Board HERE.
Upper Moreland Township officials provided their explanation of the cancellation on May 28.
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Photo: Abington Township