News

Percheron Park Dedication Ceremony

Unveils new centerpiece of downtown Moorestown

Moorestown, New Jersey — It’s sure to be a photo finish as the decade long race to open

Percheron Park enters the home stretch. On Saturday, Oct. 8 at 3 p.m. on Main Street,

Moorestown Township’s long–awaited Percheron Park will officially open with a Dedication

Ceremony unveiling Joshua Koffman’s “Diligence,” a Percheron horse sculpture serving as the

pocket park’s centerpiece.

The ceremony will feature remarks from township officials as well as members of The Friends of

Percheron Park, the nonprofit group whose vision and fundraising helped bring the park to life.

Following the ceremony, attendees can dine at food trucks and listen to live music.

The township purchased the Main Street location – formerly a gas station – in 2008. A sign that

read “Future Site of Percheron Park” promised the park’s eventual arrival, but the tract of land

sat vacant for the next 14 years as the lot underwent soil remediation and the township awaited

the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s sign off.

Vacant no more, the pocket park will offer visitors to the town’s main thoroughfare a place to

take rest and maybe learn a bit about history. The life–sized bronze statue of a Percheron stallion

is a tribute to Moorestown’s place in American history. In 1839, Moorestown native Edward

Harris II brought the first Percheron stallions to the United States from France.

The Friends of Percheron Park fundraised more than $200,000 for the bronze sculpture and other

design elements of the park. The site features a low brick wall at the street corner with some

surrounding plantings, and Diligence, created by Philadelphia–based sculptor Joshua Koffman,

will be located behind some small shrubs. The site features stamped concrete with hoof prints

and benches for residents to stop and people watch.

Kathy Logue, president of the Friends of Percheron Park, said they are eager to bring art to Main

Street. She said while Haddonfield has its Hadrosaurus foulkii sculpture (fondly known as

“Haddy”), Moorestown will have “Diligence.”

111 WEST SECOND STREET ∙ MOORESTOWN ∙ NEW JERSEY 08057

Public Information Office Inquiries:

Kelly Flynn, Assistant Public Information Officer

Heavy excavation set for Sept. 16th through 27th 2019

Remediation on the future site of Percheron Park will begin (continues) on Monday, Sept. 16, Moorestown police announced. Drivers should expect delays on Main Street in the vicinity of High Street while work is being done from Sept. 16-27.

High Street north, toward Main Street from Prospect Avenue, will be closed to traffic. High Street south will be open, but there will be no parking permitted on that side of the street to assist the flow of traffic.

Due to the proximity of the heavy equipment working onsite, the sidewalks adjoining the site will be closed until the completion of the project. Drivers should watch for workers in the area. Police will be on location to assist with traffic.

By Anthony Bellano, Patch Staff

Percheron Park Horse Sculptor Commissioned

The Friends of Percheron Park has announced the commissioning of Joshua Koffman of Philadelphia as the sculptor for the life-sized bronze representation of the Percheron stallion “Diligence” in Moorestown, NJ. Koffman holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Fine Art from the University of California at Santa Cruz and a certificate from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, where he serves as a member of the faculty in Philadelphia.

Mr. Koffman has received a number of awards and honors for his work, which is displayed among private and public collections. (www.joshuakoffman.com) “We are very pleased to have the privilege of working with Joshua on this project so important to the history of Moorestown and our country,” commented Kathy Logue, president of The Friends of Percheron Park.
Click on the image to enlarge it.

IMG_1738 Joshua Koffman - Sculptor 400x243

– Beautiful Commemorative ‘Diligence’ Posters for Sale –

Sure to become a treasured Moorestown collectors item!

Unframed – $15.00

Call 609-230-1115 for purchase & delivery

Our sincere Thank You to Bill Burris and Family, the Staff of Burris Construction Co. – most notably Nick Keenan and Kim Jordan, the Sponsors, Donors, and Supportive Citizens, for making the Burris Open House a SUCCESS! Congratulations to the lucky winner of our Grand Prize – A Brand New Fiat!