The line of people waiting to vote in front of the Rodda Center at the north end of Votee Park in Teaneck stretched half way to Palisade Avenue on Sunday afternoon. Inside, a similar queue snaked its way to the entrance of the voting room and around its periphery. Sunday was the last day for early voting, and even though the dedicated voters were informed that there was no waiting at the Hackensack location, they firmly stood their ground.

Meanwhile, across the parking lot there was a veritable family party going on. With Israeli and Jewish music saturating the air, the south area lawn was crowded with a whole “neighborhood” of inflatable climbing and play structures, some carnival-style tabletop games, a complimentary frozen treat truck, two TVAC ambulances for “tours,” and a CPR demonstration mannequin staffed by Teaneck council member, long-time TVAC volunteer and Jewish Link co-publisher Mendy Schwartz.

Teach NJ, deftly directed by Katie Katz and joined by two field directors, Maya Joyandeh and Ben Hutt, sponsored the event. Katz, Joyandeh and Hutt circulated through the crowd to encourage and facilitate community civic engagement in the current election. At stake are three Board of Education seats, seats for Bergen County commissioner and New Jersey state representative.

So, while the kids bounced and slid inside the inflatables or sat behind the wheel of an ambulance, parents could switch off going inside to vote. And of course, there was plenty of advice available at the campaign resource tables, complete with literature and candidates set up in the parking lot at the legally mandated distance from the entrance.

David Gruber, James Wolff and Gerald Kirshenbaum also had a digital image billboard truck playing their histories, testimonials and platforms for the election.

Ellie Wolf is a staff writer at The Jewish Link.