The Martians are coming back to Grovers Mill.
The Historical Society of West Windsor and several community partners are hosting the township’s first “Martian Weekend” Oct. 24-26.
The event is meant to mark the infamous 1938 “War of the Worlds” radio broadcast by Orson Welles that placed sleepy Grovers Mill at the center of a nationwide panic.
More details and a full schedule are available at MartianWeekend.Weebly.com.
On the evening of Oct. 30, 1938, Welles and his Mercury Theatre troupe aired a science-fiction story describing Martians landing in Grovers Mill, near the intersection of Clarksville and Cranbury roads.
Though fictional, the program convinced some listeners that an alien invasion was real. The following day, newspapers across the country reported widespread alarm, cementing Grovers Mill’s place in pop culture history.
“Rather than fear the Martians, why not celebrate them?” organizers wrote in announcing the event.
Paul Ligeti, president of the Historical Society of West Windsor, said the anniversary is an opportunity for the community to turn a legendary broadcast into something engaging and family-friendly.
“As you may know, in 1938, Welles broadcast a radio play that depicted a Martian invasion of the planet earth and (supposedly) panic spread across the nation,” Ligeti said. “Regardless of fact or fiction, it remains one of radio’s most infamous events and pegged central NJ as the landing site.”
Ligeti said that in West Windsor Township (which hosts the ‘Grovers Mill’ neighborhood – the ‘touchdown’ site of the aliens in the 1938 radio play), a number of community institutions have united to plan a weekend’s worth of events around the historic event.
Ligeti said: “Called ‘Martian Weekend,’ this collaboration features history tours, radio reenactments, ham radio demonstrations, family-friendly trick-or-treating/arts-and-crafts, and even a brand-new play highlighting the broadcast’s production and legacy. All of these are free or very low-cost for the public. We intend for this to be an annual weekend of events.”
The three-day festival will feature themed activities across West Windsor. On Friday, visitors can take part in a live reenactment of the radio play at Grovers Mill Coffee House.
Saturday’s programming includes alien-themed arts and crafts and trick-or-treating at the historic Schenck Farmstead, home of the West Windsor History Museum.
On Sunday morning, a guided bicycle tour will showcase local landmarks tied to the “War of the Worlds,” followed by a stage play that evening at West Windsor Arts exploring the legacy of the broadcast.
Families can also search for “aliens” hidden in township parks throughout the weekend.
The event is organized by the Historical Society of West Windsor, West Windsor Bicycle and Pedestrian Alliance, West Windsor Arts, West Windsor Township, Grovers Mill Coffee House, and the Delaware Valley Radio Association.
