Cirucci, who grew up in Camden, says the mall "lent a luster" to what had long been called Delaware Township. "People wanted to be in Cherry Hill. Everything was new."
Nearly a half-century after 25,000 people streamed through the doors on opening day, the iconic mall and the quintessential suburban township are planning events to celebrate their mutual milestone.
"We're hoping people will donate artifacts for an exhibit," says Sandra Ragonese, the township's director of historic properties and programming. "A lot of newer residents aren't aware of the history."
Perhaps they've heard the legend that Cherry Hill takes its name from the mall.
"I hear that all the time," says Lisa Wolstromer, the mall's senior marketing director. "It's not true."
Both the mall and the municipality are named for the Cherry Hill Farm, which once commanded the hill where the AMC Loews movieplex stands. Delaware Township was founded in 1844, and in 1961 voters supported renaming it Cherry Hill.
Less felicitous suggestions included Deltown, which "would have been blah," observes Mayor Bernie Platt, who moved to the township with his family in 1966. "The name Cherry Hill gives you an up. It's been very good for the township."
The west side of Cherry Hill was certainly swinging in the early '60s. The Latin Casino featured top-name entertainment, the Cherry Hill and Rickshaw Inns offered high-octane glitz, and the Hawaiian Cottage capitalized on the "Polynesian" cuisine craze by erecting a giant pineapple to catch the eye of Route 38 motorists.
At the nearby mall, busloads of tourists - some in their Sunday best - disembarked to partake of the "dancing fountains, thousands of exotic trees and shrubs . . . and waterfalls" promised by publicists.
