Princeton is home to such an array of restaurants and businesses that sometimes it just has to show off a bit, and that's just what they did at the annual mid-summer marketing showcase on Palmer Square presented by the Princeton Regional Chamber of Commerce and Palmer Square Princeton.

Held on Thursday, June 14, hundreds of people turned out on one of the loveliest days of the summer, with plenty of sunshine, low humidity and a gentle breeze.  

“It’s our only business-to-customer event of the year and we have easily doubled our turnout since the very beginning,” said Peter Crowley, president of the Princeton Chamber of Commerce. “The value of the event is that it’s low cost but gives the businesses lots of eyes and touches. Especially in this economy, any kind of direct contact with the customer is helpful.”

Games and balloons, along with music provided by a DJ from Sound Choice, lent a festive, carnival-like atmosphere to the event, which is designed to give companies the chance to network with the public and meet potential new customers. Dozens of vendors and businesses signed up this year, setting up booths on the sidewalks and lawn of the square and giving away plenty of tchotchkes and candy, business cards and brochures.

It was a consumer’s paradise with almost every kind of business and service provider represented, including restaurants, local publishers, home decorating companies, photographers, the Princeton Dance and Theater Studio, Princeton HealthCare System and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital.

This year’s event was the fifth annual and sponsored by the Bank of Princeton just as it has every year.

“We are a bank that has the personal touch and a small-town feel and we believe in doing good for our community,” said Marketing Assistant Carly Thompson. “Instead of taking out lots of ads, we like to sponsor community groups and support the local non-profits. Sponsoring this event is just one more way of being a good neighbor.”

“Being here is a great opportunity to get some one-on-one, face-to-face time with the people in our town,” said Nancy Faherty with Borden Perlman, a third-generation family-owned insurance firm that has a large client base in Princeton. “We get to talk to people and to let them know we are here and that we are not your typical insurance company.” 

Food vendors in town made sure no one left hungry.

Among the free eats: Blue Diamond Que, a new catering business, doled out free samples of pulled pork, cole slaw and beans; Qdoba, a Mexican Grill on Nassau Street had a salad topped with fresh guacamole, the folks at the group of restaurants that includes Mediterra and Eno Terra served up risotto balls and focaccia with tuna tartare; Crown of India offered curried chicken and rice, and Karsay Coffee gave out samples of Shangri La Tea, perfectly refreshing on a hot summer day.

Beth Ann Burkmar of Princeton came out for the first time this year and she’s glad she did.

“The fine food helps and the samples are amazing," Burkmar said. "I discovered some new places and I’ll certainly be going to those places to eat."

Her eight-month-old son, Will, couldn’t eat any of the food, but he still managed to have a good time.

“He loved hearing the music and seeing the people and all the bright colors," she said "It was a great day to be out here on the square."