Retired nurse and lifelong artist Susan Kleinschmidt has won the Hopewell Harvest Fair’s annual cover art contest with a wood-panel painting of the Hopewell gazebo. Her winning piece will appear on the Hopewell Harvest Fair Almanac, expected in local shops in late August. Kleinschmidt receives a $250 prize for the top entry, chosen from a field of local artists.
The fair returns to the grounds of Hopewell Elementary School on Saturday, Sept. 20, from 9:45 a.m. to 4 p.m., drawing families from across the region for a day of fun while raising funds for area nonprofits. Board President Scott Fulmer thanked sponsors and volunteers who make the event possible: “The Board and I are incredibly grateful for the support of our sponsors, and for the dedication of our volunteers who bring this event to life year after year! For 2025 we are featuring more food, more contests, and more fun! Come to the Fair to meet local business owners and nonprofit groups in our Town Square, buy fresh produce from local farmers, shop handmade goods at Crafters’ Court, or enter one of our many contests. Children’s activities include pony rides, a petting zoo, scarecrow building, and tons of games! Groove to a fantastic lineup of live musicians, including the Hopewell Valley Marching Black & Gold. There is truly something for everyone.”
This year’s Leading Sponsors include Morehouse Engineering, Capital Health and TechNeed (providing tents and a drinking-water station—bring refillable bottles), Stuart Country Day School of the Sacred Heart (supporting a giant inflatable), and dandelion wishes, sponsor of Pezz Glassworks’ live glassblowing demos.
Additional support comes from:
- Platinum: Lear & Pannepacker LLP, MercerMe, Nomad Pizza, Pensive Weeds, Provident Bank, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton.
- Gold: Antimo’s, Blackwell Memorial Home, Corcoran Sawyer Smith, D&R Greenway Land Trust, DeSimone Orthodontics, Harlingen Veterinary Clinic, Hopewell Pharmacy and Compounding Center, Hunterdon Family and Sports Medicine at Hopewell Valley, L&A Tent Rentals Inc., Northwestern Mutual–Princeton, Pennington Quality Market, Princeton Montessori School, Stellitano Heating & Air, Thrivent, Valley Oil.
- Silver: American National Insurance of Hopewell, The Bear & The Books, Borough Mayor Ryan Kennedy, Boswell Engineering, Corveleyn Law Firm, Fox Pest Control, Hopewell Boro Auto Repair, Hopewell Valley History Project, Hopewell Valley Self Storage, Lennar, The Mending Fairy, One Compost Can, Pennington Montessori School, Regent Flooring Kitchen & Bath, Rockcital, Sourland Bread, Total Home Manager LLC.
Beyond the big day, the Harvest Fair strengthens the community year-round through scholarships and its Community Grant Program, which has awarded more than $225,000 to groups such as the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, local school PTOs, HomeFront, Younity, The Chubby’s Project, the Sourland Conservancy, and others.
Details on volunteering, sponsorships, and vendor opportunities are available at hopewellharvestfair.org or by email at [email protected].
