What was supposed to be an epic return to Rutherford’s Labor Day Street Fair wound up being an epic disappointment for Bob Joerger and the children in attendance. The Leader featured Joerger last month as he was constructing a large castle made entirely of cardboard boxes to be placed on the lawn of the Presbyterian Church for the fair.
The castle, complete with a dragon cut-out, crawl spaces and peep windows, was Joerger’s first in nearly 15 years. While still an attraction (children and parents stood about it curiously well into the afternoon) the castle was never used for its intended purpose — for children to interact and play with.
“At about 9 o’clock the fire marshal came by and started taking pictures,” explained Joerger. “He said he’d be back at 11, which he was — and he came with the inspector who looked it over and shut it down.”
Among the reasons Joerger was given for the shutdown were inadequate illumination of exits and that his building materials (cardboard boxes) were not to fire code.
When they asked for his name and number, Joerger was told that a final report would be drafted. Joerger has made attempts both by e-mail and visiting borough hall to obtain the report, but has not found success.
Joerger said he hopes that if he understands the borough’s specifications, he’ll be able to construct a more suitable castle in the future — though he admitted that he finds his castle being closed down to be a bit silly.
“I understand codes; codes are a reasonable thing for the most part,” Joerger said. “I wouldn’t want to live in an apartment that wasn’t up to code, for instance. But I don’t think you can hold a structure meant to stand on a lawn for five hours to the same parameters as you do to an actual building.”
Labor Day’s disappointment hasn’t left Joerger completely discouraged, however. He is considering building a smaller version of the castle for the Autumn Festival on Rutherford’s West End later this year — even saving some of the original castle’s decorations in the event that he does so. Still, at this time, his participation is contingent on the festival’s interest and his ability to obtain the inspector’s report so that Labor Day’s outcome isn’t repeated. “I already know that I’ll be carving out the exit signs so that the sun can shine through them,” he said.
Mostly what bothers Joerger, a vivacious, happy sort, is that his construction — intended for children — was never utilized. “I’ve rationalized it by telling myself that I had my fun in building it, but the kids didn’t get to use it,” said Joerger before admitting that the castle was visited by one rebel child. “One boy did sneak in though. Did exactly what he was supposed to do, ramble around in there a bit, poke his head out of the windows and come out.”Joerger said he hopes that his next castle will have a few more ramblers. The Leader was unable to reach Fire Marshal Paul Dansbach and Rutherford’s Bureau of Fire Safety despite several attempts.