"We wanted to follow through on the historic Orange Hat City theme; we went for a baseball cap bench," said brothers Emilio and Stephen Panasci of Orange and Maplewood, respectively.

Their pop art bench, "City Fitted," was a crowd-pleaser this past Saturday afternoon where many dozens of community members, artists, woodworkers, and supporters of the University of Orange and HANDS, Inc. the Valley Arts District based housing and development services not for profit group, gathered to cast their votes in the first "Battle of the Benches." The event was conceived and sponsored by the University of Orange, a free, people's university which seeks to make Orange an urban village for our century. Among those present were Dr. Mindy Thompson Fullilove, university president, and Karen Wells, university local historian.

The bench-making contest was designed to enhance public spaces in Orange and promote their greater use. The evening before, there had been a tree planting ceremony in Monte Irvin Park, Orange and earlier on Saturday, the university held related lectures and workshops at the Family Success Center on Scotland Road in Orange.

Monte Irvin Park is named for the Baseball Hall of Fame outfielder and power hitter — Irvin played with the New York Giants in the 1949-1955 seasons — who grew up and long lived in Orange. So talking baseball, it is time to get back to that oversized baseball cap/bench: Contributor Emilio Panasci is an urban planner  living in the Valley Arts District of West Orange/Orange; kid brother Stephen recently received a degree from North Carolina State in landscape design where creating small scale design structures is part of the program.

Using reclaimed wood, bent iron, fabric and a recycled Frisbee — painted orange — as the crowning button on their oversized cap, the brothers' bench invited clusters of lounger's all afternoon: Think  baseball meets South Beach one judge noted.

Theirs was among the dozen imaginative benches vying for a bevy of awards. The top winner of the day was "Marble Madness." It and its companion piece, "1872," were built by students from YouthBuild Newark, an educational and urban renewal program. The students were led by architect Brian Lee; Oswald Fombrun, a project manager in green construction and an instructor at YouthBuild Newark, and Terry Lang, also an instructor from that organization. Ebony Leesang of Newark engraved the brass plaques on "Marble Madness." "I draw, so it was easy," said Leesang, of her freehand engraving.

"We used recycled pallets, doors and marble pieces, mostly taken out of IronWorks," Lee said. "The marble seat is designed to keep you cool in summer."

Bench-maker Lana Dikidjiena — she contributed "A Clockwork Orange" — talked about the concepts behind the contest. Dikidjiena was among the many event participants directly or indirectly affiliated with HANDS, which has been revitalizing Orange and the West Orange/Orange Valley Art District (VAD). Dikidjiena is friends with Molly Rose Kaufman, HANDS coordinator for the event. Volunteer Michele Racioppi also worked on event coordination.

"The University of Orange and HANDS have been holding conferences, classes and event in connection with what is known as place making," said Dikidjiena. "Three years ago French urbanist Michel-Cantal Dupart came to Orange to talk about how the community could create plans to attract investment and people to the area."

The organizations ultimate goal is to transform Tony Galento Plaza, a small, triangular plot of land adjacent to the Orange train station, into an inviting space where commuters, shoppers and nearby residents can sit, talk, and enjoy the city.

Visitors to the "Battle of the Benches," which was held close to the plaza on the side lawn of the historic Orange Public Library, were given a hand illustrated map of the surrounding streets and the many restaurants and shops in downtown Orange.

Many of the benches were fabricated at the VAD IronWorks Gallery on Tompkins St. in Orange. Most used reclaimed and recycled materials. Styles ranged from a classic bench made by Mark Miller, a frequent contractor for HANDS renovations, to the rough hewn "Story Telling" by John A. SaVittieri, a specialized custom woodworker and furniture maker who rents his studio space in the VAD from HANDS.

Benches were judged for creativity, use of found objects, promotion of Orange pride and for sturdiness. Anthony Mark LaMort, an event judge and faculty member from the University of Orange quipped that if he could sit on a bench and it didn't collapse, then it was sturdy. Other judges were Robin Gordon of HANDS, Imani Banks of the Orange Public Library, and two urbanists in residence at the University of Orange — Timothy DeLorm and Lourdes Hernandez-Cortero.

"Story Telling," an ensemble of bench and table circled by low stools, has its permanent home at the library. "The oversize log was contributed by Joey Lang of Friendly Tree Experts," said SaVittieri. "I remembered the story telling I enjoyed as a young kid at the old South Orange Public Library. This installation will hold story telling for the kids of Orange."