Milltown has a lot of pride, and perhaps some great talent too.

Residents will show off that pride Saturday, Oct. 4, during the 11th annual Pride in Milltown Day, an event which brings the community together, raises money for future community improvements and showcases the businesses within the 1.6-square-mile community.

A "Milltown's Got Talent" talent show will be this year's main attraction.

"We want our businesses to do well. When businesses on Main Street do well, Milltown does well," said Bob Belloff, chairman of the Milltown Revitalization Committee, which raises funds to revitalize and beautify the borough, using holiday lights, flower planters and benches.

He said Pride in Milltown Day serves as a reminder to residents that with so many businesses in the borough, there is no reason to leave Milltown.

Belloff said Pride in Milltown Day will be held 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 4 at Milltown Borough Park on Violet Terrace by Parkview School. The rain date is Oct. 5.

Attractions include an arts and craft fair, business expo, community pride fair, the magic and illusions of George Reiger Jr, yummy yummy food court, giant slide, face painting, fire truck, pet show contest, home run derby and egg toss.

A classic car show, featuring about 60 cars including some from out of state, will be held at the Milltown American Legion at Main Street and Washington Avenue.

Belloff, who has had antique Cadillac, said classic cars are like time machines.

"You can preserve something that belongs to a bygone era. It brings a piece of the past forward," said Belloff adding the design of classic cars is great - the golden era for automobile design. "It's great to preserve a piece of the past."

Belloff said to him the automobile represents the ultimate in American independence, you get in and drive to where ever you want to go.

This year's main event will be a "Milltown's Got Talent" show.

While in prior years music bands were brought in to entertain and attract people to the event through the afternoon, Belloff said the cost for the bands was getting expensive.

Kelly Severino and Stephanie Taglietta, who are new members on the revitalization committee, suggested the talent show and promoted the idea.

Taglietta said between 10 and 15 entertainment acts are scheduled to perform.

The acts include adults and children, from Milltown and surrounding towns, singing or playing instruments and even one person who is performing a parody of television commercials. A Nintendo Wii as well as tickets to a sporting event will be awarded as prizes.

"I was really surprised to see the talent that came out," said Taglietta, adding she hopes the talent show develops a following.

Belloff said the funds raised by the committee from the Pride in Milltown event will be used to erect a Victorian street clock in the borough to serve as a landmark visible to anyone traveling through Milltown from New Brunswick to East Brunswick.

"It will be a focal point for the people of Milltown," said Belloff, adding residents will be able to donate funds for the clock. A bronze plaque will be place on the clock with the names of the families who provide private sponsorship.

He said site surveys will be done to determine the best place to locate the clock. The Victorian clock is expected to be installed in the spring 2010.

A young black bear roamed onto West Lawrence Street on Sunday afternoon, drawing onlookers as it climbed high into a tree in a resident's back yard and then came down to meander between homes for several hours.

It finally left the neighborhood in the late afternoon, running across nearby Prospect Avenue toward a nearby wooded area.

The bear, estimated to be 1 to 2 years old and about 200 pounds, was spotted in the area around the North Brunswick border some time after noon by a Milltown resident, and roved through the neighborhood before settling in the tree.

Marybeth Kayne said she and her dog were on her front lawn, at 407 West Lawrence St., when she first spotted the bear walking along the street only about 10 feet in front of her.

She was said she was fascinated, and followed the docile animal for several minutes as it walked up and down the street, catching the attention of neighbors and dogs on the block.

""It really is exciting in a way, with all of the bad stuff going on in the world,'' said Kayne, a graphic artist who lives with her husband and pets. ""She was a good girl.''

Milltown police responded after being notified by North Brunswick around 1 p.m., Police Chief Raymond Geipel said. A bear had been spotted in the vicinity of North Brunswick High School on Saturday morning.

""They had gotten calls about it, and they were following it,'' Geipel said.

After wandering the street, the bear climbed a tree behind a home on a section of the road between Prospect Avenue and Clay Street. By 2 p.m. an officer from the state Division of Fish & Wildlife arrived and clapped his hands several times to coax the animal down.

Once it was on the ground, it spent the next few hours wandering back and forth between the yards of two homes on the north side of the street, seeking shade on the sunny day.

Milltown police advised residents to stay in their homes, but a small crowd of interested spectators formed and was kept about 100 yards down the street during most of the encounter, which lasted at least through the afternoon.

Geipel said police would stand by and most likely allow the bear to leave on its own accord, rather than attempting to coax it away and risk scaring it.

""As the sun goes down and we get the area cleared up, it will start to go back to where it came from,'' he said. ""We're just going to monitor it and make sure it doesn't get aggressive.''

Kayne, meanwhile, continued to be enthralled by the bear's visit and was one of several residents taking photos from a distance.

""I'm just glad they're going to let him go,'' she said. ""He's so cute. I love wildlife, but I know to respect it, to stay away.''

Lines of families criss-crossed the fields at Borough Park on Friday as parents waited with their children to jump on the moon bounce, climb up and then slide back down the inflatable slide, and shoot inflatable hoops.

Hundreds of people poured into the park for the borough's annual July 4 celebration, which began with a 5,000-meter run and continued with a parade down Main Street that culminated at the park with rides, arts and crafts, games, food and
drinks.

"It's great,'' said Tony Cedrone, who came to Milltown from Maryland to visit his wife's family. ""It's just small-town
America and we came to the parade and we'll see the fireworks and we'll have a great time.''

He was standing in line for the moon bounce with his 4-year-old daughter, Sofia, while his wife waited in line for the slide with Sofia's twin sister, Isabella.

Closer to the front of the line, another family had come even farther to take part in Milltown's celebration.

Former borough resident Diana Crossman, who left the state in 1983 to become a Vegas showgirl, had come from Las Vegas to visit her parents. The former Miss Mercer County was waiting in line for the moon bounce with her son Johnny, 9, and her daughter, Hunter, 7.

"We don't have parades like this in Las Vegas,'' she said.

Hunter's favorite part of the parade was the candy being thrown from the fire engines. Johnny liked the parade, but not the loud noises the went along with it.

""I liked it except for the trucks because they were so noisy,'' he said.

"But they threw a lot of candy,'' Crossman reminded him.

Johnny conceded that and shrugged.

"Is there anything you're looking forward to?'' Crossman asked him.

"Going back to Las Vegas,'' he said.

Nearby, Jason Yu and his wife, Memphis, were there for the free stuff.

"Free stuff and Mr. Ray,'' Memphis said, laughing.

They had already gotten free hot dogs, and their 15-month-old daughter, Vienna, was holding a balloon shaped to look like a flower. Their 4-year-old daughter, Sydney, was waiting to see Mr. Ray, the children's singer who would perform later in the day.

Under a nearby tent, parents watched as their children hammered nails into pre-made holes in wood at the Lowe's Build and Grow Clinic. Participants made sailboats, little basketball hoops, recipe holders and other crafts.

Lowe's brought enough crafts for 900 children, said borough resident Laurie Mills, who was working the booth.

As children hammered away, 13-year-old Hillsborough resident Nicle Tallman was making her second appearance at the park. She had participated in the 5,000-meter run and had gone back to her grandparents' borough house to rest before returning to the festivities with her mom.