By Cathy Miller

Christopher Cannavo originally moved to Washington in 1987. He attended Brass Castle Elementary School and graduated from Warren Hills Regional High School in 1998. Growing up in Washington, he played little league and high school baseball, and was a member of the Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts of America.

Studies took him away from home: He met his wife, Lauren, while they were undergraduate students at The University of Scranton. After earning a Master’s Degree in Elementary Education from The City College of New York, Chris taught third grade in New York City from 2004-2016.

Chris is deeply committed to his family and his hometown community, however. Currently he’s on family leave from his teaching position. He wanted to help his wife (now Dr. Lauren Cannavo) open Warren County Dental Center at 113 Belvidere Avenue, where she began seeing patients on June 1, 2015. The Cannavos have three children – Joseph, Gia, and Michael. 

As a class parent and member of the Washington Borough PTO, he volunteers both in the classroom and on field trips. He was elected to represent Washington Borough on the Warren Hills Regional School District Board of Education for the 2018-2021 term. He’s also extremely involved with youth sports, including the Warren Hills Youth Baseball Association and the Warren Hills Wrestling Club, and helps coach his kids’ baseball, wrestling, and soccer teams. 

June 11 was the final game of the Warren Hills Youth Baseball Little League “Rookie” season, featuring the Washington Borough Bears (sponsored by Warren County Dental Center) and the Mansfield Fireballs (sponsored by Verizon Wireless Zone of Mansfield). The teams were comprised of boys and girls ages seven to eight (first and second grade), and the match ended in a nail-biting 9-9 tie. Chris’s children, Joseph and Gia, sporting the team’s blue shirts on the field, were respectfully attentive to their Coach (and Dad). 

Chris’s mother and father, Valerie and Rosario “Russ” Cannavo, were in the stands rooting for the Bears, while minding the youngest, Michael. Chris said, “Without their help I wouldn’t be able to coach, volunteer or do most of the things I am able to do. My dad has always been my hero. He coached me in wrestling and baseball and my parents were at every one of my sister and my school events. Now they are very invested in their grandchildren’s lives. They understand how important is it for me and my wife to be involved, too, so they help in any way they can. We are extremely appreciative of their support!”

Chris also helps organize the Annual Warren County Wiffle Ball Tournament in Asbury. He’s played wiffle ball with friends since the age of nine. In high school, the games and bragging rights were so competitive that wiffle ball became a constant topic of discussion. In 1997, Chris, with several friends, began planning the first Wiffle Ball Tournament. This came to fruition in 1998 when four teams took the field in Butler Park on the banks of the Musconetcong in search of wiffle ball supremacy. Closing the day of rivalry and fun, the team Big Blue Machine emerged victorious and Warren County Wiffle Ball (WCWB) was born. As the tournament grew, WCWB partnered with the Butler Park Fire Department. 

On WCWB’s 10th Anniversary, in 2007, Gov. John Corzine declared August 4, 2007, Warren County Wiffle Ball Day across the entire state of New Jersey.

WCWB added Friday Night Play-In Games and the Home Run Derby in 2007. Always evolving, WCWB partnered with Franklin Township Fire Department in 2013. The league comprised 24 teams on four fields, and in 2017, celebrated its 20th Anniversary.

2019’s Annual Warren County Wiffle Ball Tournament takes place on Saturday, August 10. Friday, August 9 is the Home Run Derby, along with a special 12-year-old-and-under Home Run Derby. The Tournament is hosted by and takes place behind the Asbury Fire Department. Chris expects to win a championship this year on Warren County Dental Center’s sponsored team, Washington’s Teeth. 

Wiffle Ball is as American as the stars and stripes. As such, every Independence Day WCWB builds a float to march in the Washington Celebrates America parade. Chris got involved with Washington Celebrates America (WCA) three years ago after seeing a Facebook post seeking volunteers. When the idea of Dinner with the Grand Marshal was floated at a WCA meeting, Chris said, “This would be an awesome way to contribute to WCA since I’m not available to help at the actual parade.” With Warren County Dental Center generously sponsoring the event, 100% of the proceeds goes directly to WCA.” 2019 marks the second year of this deliciously successful fundraiser, scheduled for June 29 at The Draught House on Route 31, honoring Bob and DJ Pesaniello, this year’s Grand Marshals.

Christopher Cannavo is thrilled to be back in his hometown of Washington helping his wife grow a family-friendly dental practice while raising their three children in a community they both feel very proud to be a part of. Between his unwavering volunteerism and all his charitable work, there is little in Washington that Chris has not positively impacted in one way or another.

Interested in playing in the Wiffle Ball Tournament? Visit WCWB at www.wcwbt.com, on FB, or email the league president at awcwbt@gmail.com with any questions.