Mount Tabor Celebrates Children's Day

Mount Tabor's young citizens take charge Friday night. At 7 p.m., they crown the Royal Court and elect the king and queen of Children's Day. The event takes place at the Mount Tabor Tabernacle, 26 Simpson Ave., where the children of Tabor will put on a show for their new royalty.

On Saturday, the Children’s Day parade will wind through town, featuring homemade floats, a midway and a night concert by Southside Johnny.

This year, the queen is Elena Morris, 15, who’ll be a sophomore next year at Morris County Vocational Technical School, where she studies dance. She also takes ballet classes at the Lynch School of Ballet in Denville at the Arthur Studio. She’s a Girl Scout who earned her bronze award and is working toward a silver award. Her parents are Lisa and David Morris.

The King is Dylan Williams, 15, who will be a sophomore at Morris County Vocational Technical School, where he was treasurer of the freshman class. His parents are Eric Williams and Mary Ann O’Brien.

First attendants are Sam Baker and Kaitlyn Partington.

Sam, 15, will be a sophomore at Parsippany Hills High School. He is the recipient of the Russ Berrie Award for Unsung Heroes for raising nearly $10,0000 for Houses to Homes-Guatamala, a program that helps poor residents in Sam’s native country. He is also a past recipient of the Mount Tabor Children’s Day Connie Nazzaro Award. He plays soccer and is a member of the Interact Club. His parents are Judy and Robert Baker.

Kaitlyn Partington, 16, soon starts her junior year at Parsippany Hills High School, where she is vice-president of her class and a member of the PHHS varsity competition cheerleading squad. She’s also a coach for the Little Vikings cheerleaders and is co-directing this year’s Children’s Day show. Her parents are Alex and Brian Partington.

Each year, the kids of Mount Tabor celebrate Children’s Day, a tradition that’s survived in the small Parsippany neighborhood for more than 120 years.