Monthly Archives: August 2025

News

Trenton Makes Bridge: The History and Legacy of the City’s Iconic Landmark

By James Kerr

When you think of Trenton, what comes to mind? People might think of the golden dome on the state capital building that can be seen while entering the city, Trenton Thunder Stadium, where legends like Aaron Judge played, or the historic parts of Trenton where the American Revolutionary War took place.

One piece of architecture that has been standing for 219 years that lights up the night sky and reflects off the Delaware River is the Lower Trenton Bridge, or the Trenton Makes Bridge, as referred to by locals.

The Lower Trenton Bridge was originally operated by the Trenton Delaware Bridge Company and was the first bridge to go across the Delaware River. The bridge links Trenton, New Jersey to Morrisville, Pennsylvania, and is a popular tourist attraction.

Beyond the physical purpose of the bridge, it has become a symbol of Trenton for visitors and residents of the city. Filmmakers, photographers and artists capture the bridge in their art. The bridge was featured in two romance movies, one from 1988 titled “Stealing Home” starring Jodie Foster and in “Baby It’s You,” starring Rosanna Arquette.

In 2018, the lights were updated with a new LED system, featuring a multi-colored lighting system. The colors change based on holidays or events. When the Philadelphia Eagles won the 2025 Super Bowl, the bridge was green. Recently, the bridge was illuminated with yellow and blue lights to represent the colors of Ukraine. But most nights, the bridge’s letters are red.

The famous phrase, “Trenton Makes, The World Takes” was coined by S. Roy Heath, who was the secretary of the Trenton Chamber of Commerce in 1910. The phrase represented the industrial power that Trenton was known for. Trenton produced goods such as steel, rubber, wire and ceramics. Many of these items were used in World War II and sent overseas, which represents “The World Takes” piece of the phrase.

In an interview with The Streetlight, Darren “Freedom” Green, a Trenton native, shared his perspective on the bridge and its impact on the city. Green spoke about the significant role Trenton once played in manufacturing goods, and how it brought prosperity to the nation and the city itself.

“‘Trenton Makes, the World Takes’ was Trenton exchanging what it was making so that the world could take it and know that Trenton was an amazing place to visit, so it was almost like an outreach component,” Green said.

“What made it special were the factories that were here that produce the rubber, the porcelain and everything that we were doing,” Green added.

He explained that the city is in need of change to be the place it once was. “‘Trenton Makes, the World Takes’ is a rebirth of the city and all that’s going on, but it’s gonna require the depth of the old to have a rebirth of the new,” he said.

Anudeep Deevi, a 2021 TCNJ alumnus who spent a lot of time in Trenton engaging in community service in college, shared his view of the bridge.

“The bridge shows the pride of a city that is not afraid to let the world know what they’re about,” Deevi said. “The shift from a production economy to a service economy also showed the shift from manu- factured goods to talented people in the arts, healthcare, technology and many more who call Trenton home.”

When asked about his perspective of the bridge’s meaning to the city, Deevi said “it’s a reminder of the immense potential that they have for enacting change both within their own communities and within the world.”

Deevi said the bridge “is a symbol to motivate students to achieve and dream big, for residents to find the issues wrong with the city and to fix them, and the community to never forget their roots.”

The bridge stands as a shining light glimmering over the Delaware River and can be seen by many when traveling through Trenton. The bridge will forever stand as a symbol for the city, representing its rich history and growing culture.

News

Where Play Meets Purpose: The Fan Favorite Club’s Community Impact

By Sakinah Ahmed

Every week, young athletes in the Trenton area learn more than jump shots and defense strategies at the Fan Favorite Club. They build their confidence and character through the innovative youth basketball program and a community that believes in their potential.

Founded in 2013 by professional basketball player and entrepreneur La’Keisha Sutton, the program has grown from humble beginnings to an organized operation in Hamilton. The organization now works with a core team including Director of Operations Romone Dunnagan and Coach Jeff Allen.

In an interview with The Streetlight, Allen said that the Fan Favorite Club worked out of public parks and gyms for the first few years. In 2019, they opened up their facility in Hamilton. Allen first learned about the program when Sutton came to speak at his high school. He said his biggest inspiration is the children who come and play from the Trenton area.

“Growing up I didn’t have any resources like this, so for me, it’s to give the kids a mentor to look up to,” Allen said. 

Having gone through the school system in the Trenton area, Allen’s experiences have led him to become a role model who strives to support the youth.

“At the end of the day, I get to work with my friends every day and we get to do what we love. We get to teach our life lessons through basketball,” said Dunnagan.

The club’s offerings extend far beyond basketball. While weekly classes run on Tuesdays and Thursdays, they have open gym on Saturdays. Throughout the day on Saturday, the club offers games for the youth such as chess, checkers, video games and other board games. They also host parties in the gym and holiday clinics for kids to play when they are off from school.

Dunnagan says they want to “be able to give back to them [the Trenton community] because somebody gave back to us.”

“So many gave back to us, and being there for the community and the surrounding communities is really important to them,” he said.

For clients interested in other activities, Simone Bryant, who goes by Monie B, offers music video classes that teach media production and photography. The club also has internship programs for youth to develop their skills in areas like coaching and secretarial work. 

For Dunnagan, the biggest challenge when working with youth is teaching the value of persistence. He says he aims to “get the youth to understand there’s a process. There’s a journey to all this. If you want to be as successful as you say you want to be, you cannot skip steps. You’re go- ing to have to go through something in order for it to mean it, just so it can mean a little more.”

Since its founding, the club has helped place over 20 students in college who have gone through its programs at different levels.

When these students come back during the summer, Dunnagan said “there’s so much energy in the building and it’s just flying around the room.”

Looking ahead, the Fan Favorite Club’s board aims to implement a summer camp program and expand its reach.

“We just want the good news of what we’ve been doing to be put out there,” Dunnagan said. “Hopefully the sponsorships come in.”

For Dunnagan, the club’s success story offers a broader lesson. 

“Anything is possible. You find a group of people that have the same vision as you and … you can move mountains,” he said. “We survived the highs and the lows of the business in general and we’ve made it out on the other side.”