Saturday, July 30, 2011

SCPC Concert: Go Zydeco!

Laissez les bons temps rouler!

Take a trip to Zydeco country at this Sunday's Somerset County Park Commission's 15th Annual Bayou Fest at Duke Island Park.

This year's always-lively double-billed concert features Zydeco-A-Go-Go from 5:30-to-6:30 p.m. and CJ Chenier & The Red Hot Louisiana Band from 7-to-8:30 p.m.

To get you in the mood, some photographs from previous SCPC Bayou Fests...

More than a concert, this is a chance for concert-goers to immerse themselves in Cajun culture with the always popular Cajun food sold by Touch Bayou, a catering firm specializing in Cajun and Creole food.


There is no admission charge for the concert. Take a chair or blanket and your camera. Well-mannered dogs on leashes who do well in crowds are welcome.
##
To increase your appreciation of the concert, learn a little about zydeco music. According to the Zydeco Historical and Preservation Society "...the music draws upon French, Creole, West African, Cajun, Caribbean, and R & B musical traditions. Zydeco Music is characterized by the use of the accordion, spoons, scrubboard, fiddle and triangle...".

Wikipedia has an overview of zydeco music.
##
To whet your appetite, here is a menu from a past concert...

##
The Zydeco-A-Go-Go website is here.

The C.J. Chenier and the Red Hot Louisiana Band website (where you can listen to some of their music)is here.

Touch Bayou Catering's website is here.

The Somerset County Park Commission news release about this concert is here.

Friday, July 29, 2011

Due South Concert- July 28, 2011

Thursday evening's HEF concert at AVM park featuring Due South got off to a late start due to electrical problems, but the band made up for it by staying late to get in more music.

Enjoy this slideshow of the band and other activities in the park...


It was nice to see the larger audience. The weather helped.
##
Photographs courtesy of George Mariasz and Susan Gulliford.

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Friday's Somerville Cruise - July 29th, 2011

This Friday's Somerville Cruise Night doesn't have a specialty car show listed, so go and enjoy all the cars and the free concert.

The HNJJ crew chose the photographs in this slideshow to remind you that these cruisers pay attention to all the details, so take your time and admire all the work they put into these special cars......


The Connie Tarantino Summer Concert will feature guitarist John Harrity starting at 7 p.m. on the front steps of the Somerset County Courthouse.

##
Reminders: wear comfortable shoes and bring a camera. Cruise Night is outdoors. Nice place to bring your dog if he or she is well behaved and does well in crowds. Don't touch the cars without the owners' permission.

The official hours of the Cruise are listed as 6-9 p.m., but cars start arriving a lot earlier. Some cruisers admit to getting there as early as 3 p.m. to get a good parking space.

Many Main Street restaurants provide outside dining on Cruise Nights at reasonable prices. Many of the area businesses stay open for cruise...patronize them.

Feel free to bring a chair or blanket and some snacks to the concert.

This is a true cruise with many of the cars driving up-and-down Main Street...be careful. There is a DJ at the church on West Main Street and more cars in the lot behind the church [...although there recently was some ill-timed construction going on back there].
##
For information about the 2011 Connie Tarantino Summer Concerts go here.

Information on the Somerville Cruise Nights can be found here.
##
Photographs from Somerville Cruises over the last five years courtesy of Susan Gulliford and George Mariasz.

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

HEF Concert - July 28, 2011

This week's Thursday evening Hillsborough Education Foundation (HEF) Music in the Park Concert Series will feature Due South.

According to Due South's website...
Due South is one of New Jersey’s top country bands, performing hits from artists such as Brooks and Dunn, Dierks Bentley, Lady Antebellum, Sugarland, and Kenny Chesney to name just a few. We also cover music from legendary performers like Patsy Cline and Johnny Cash. The band has a growing list of Southern Rock covers too, from groups like The Eagles, Allman Brothers, Marshal Tucker, and Linda Ronstadt.

These free concerts are held in Ann Van Middlesworth Park at the end of Pleasant View Road off Amwell Road on Thursdays from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Bring a few dollars to purchase snacks from the Hillsborough High School Robotics Team.

Enjoy these photographs from the July 14th concert which featured The Tone Rangers Band...

Photographs courtesy of Susan Gulliford.

##
The HEF website is here.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

The Carriage House Rises

The reconstruction of The Ditmars-Polhemus Wagon House continues.

On Sunday it looked like this...


Moving right along, by Tuesday it advanced to this...


After having this project stall for a year or more one must ask why it suddenly took off? Any guesses?

Monday, July 25, 2011

Hillsborough(?) Weather

On Thursday the thermometer topped out at 103.5-degrees...

On Friday the thermometer made it to 106.2-degrees...

Saturday's 99-degrees was considered a break in the hot weather...

##
"Horses sweat, men perspire, women glow." - Mrs. Gallagher, 8th grade English teacher. [See? Despite what she thought, we did remember something she said.]
##
Class notes from the Rutgers Environmental Stewardship course (from an HNJJ crew member who completed the course):

Sunday, July 24, 2011

SCPC Concert: July 24th, 2011

This Sunday's Somerset County Park Commission 2011 Summer Concert Series features American tenor Michael Amante.

According to the SCPC website...
"...Michael Amante is an American tenor who can sing it all. Whether commanding the heroic volleys of Puccini or melting the tender phrases of O Sole Mio, Amante charms not only the opera world, but all worlds. The New York Times declared that this "swashbuckling Italian tenor exhibits both the voice and charisma of a crossover star," and Tony Bennett has hailed him as "the new Mario Lanza." From Rao’s restaurant to the opera house and musical theater, Michael Amante will now shine for one night in Duke Island Park. Don’t miss this performance!..."

The free Sunday evening concert runs from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m and is held outdoors at Duke Island Park in Bridgewater.
.
Bring your own seating - a chair or blanket. With the hot weather this week, plan on bringing a few bottles of cool water.

##
The Somerset County Park Commission 2011 Concert Series information can be found here.

Michael Amante's website is here.

According to Mr. Amante's website, he will be accompanied by soprano Marissa Famiglietti. Ms. Famiglietti's website is here.
##
The photograph was taken at a concert at Duke Island Park several years ago.

Friday, July 22, 2011

Flemington Car Cruise - July 23, 2011

This Saturday's Main Street Flemington 2011 Classic Car Show specialty is Woodies and Art Cars...


The cruise runs from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and a live DJ spins platters in front of the old Union Hotel.

##
Wear comfortable shoes. Take a camera.

For information about the Flemington-Raritan Business Association 2011 car cruises go here.

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Somerville Cruise Night - July 22, 2011

This week's Friday Somerville Cruise Night features NJ Triumph cars and the Connie Tarantino Summer Concerts features Tom and Kristine Klimchock.

The specialty cars park in front of the Somerset County Courthouse on Main Street. The concert performance runs from 7-8 p.m. on the front steps of the courthouse.

Enjoy these photographs from past Somerville cruises...


##
Reminders: wear comfortable shoes and bring a camera. Cruise Night is outdoors. Nice place to bring your dog if he or she is well behaved and does well in crowds. Don't touch the cars without the owners' permission.

Many Main Street restaurants provide outside dining on Cruise Nights at reasonable prices. Many of the area businesses stay open for cruise...patronize them.

This is a true cruise with many of the cars driving up-and-down Main Street...be careful. There is a DJ at the church on West Main Street and more cars in the lot behind the church [...although there has been some construction going on back there].
##
For more information about the Somerville Cruise Nights go here.

For more information about the Connie Tarantino Summer Concerts go here.

Update:HEF Concert

There has apparently been a change in the featured band. This evening's entertainment will be the Summer Swing Orchestra.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

HEF Concert - July 21, 2011

This week's Thursday evening Hillsborough Education Foundation (HEF) Music in the Park Concert Series will feature Due South.

According to Due South's website...
Due South is one of New Jersey’s top country bands, performing hits from artists such as Brooks and Dunn, Dierks Bentley, Lady Antebellum, Sugarland, and Kenny Chesney to name just a few. We also cover music from legendary performers like Patsy Cline and Johnny Cash. The band has a growing list of Southern Rock covers too, from groups like The Eagles, Allman Brothers, Marshal Tucker, and Linda Ronstadt.

These free concerts are held in Ann Van Middlesworth Park at the end of Pleasant View Road off Amwell Road on Thursdays from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Bring a few dollars to purchase snacks from the Hillsborough High School Robotics Team.

Enjoy these photographs from last weeks concert which featured The Tone Rangers Band...

Photographs courtesy of Susan Gulliford.

##
UPDATE:
Due South's website states that the "...July 21, Hillsborough, Music in the Park Concert changed to July 28...." The HNJJ crew can't find anything else about a change in bands...?
##
The HEF website is here.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

The $250.00 Car Key

Over the last few years the HNJJ proprietor was sufficiently aggravated by new car locks and keys - or the lack of locks and keys - to plan an online rant.

But this morning there was an occurrence that was the straw that broke the camel's back! The cost to replace a lost "key" for our one-year-old all-American Dodge is...

$250.00
(Two-hundred-and-fifty-and-00/100ths-American-dollars)!


And when you call about the replacement they try to sneak around the amount by breaking it down. "Well, let's see..for your van it's $190 plus $49 for programming...and, uh, tax."

It's not like you can only order one-or-another or that any of these things are options. Get real and cut-to-the-chase: It's $250.00!

Do they think you won't notice that it adds up to $250.00?

And it isn't even a real key...it's a black plastic thing with buttons. They justify the $250.00 by calling it a fob-thingy or remote or chip or (even more impressive)transponder key. I don't care what you call it...you need it to use the car.

This disenchantment with car locks began a few years ago when trying to buy a small cheap car. That is the point where I discovered that I couldn't find an American station wagon with a keyhole on each front door and finally settled on one with at least a driver's door keyhole. I can't tell you how many times I have been on the passenger side of the car usually assisting an older or ill family member into the car or balancing some packages and realized that I couldn't unlock the door.

Oh, yeah, and the keys weren't even all metal...they were partly plastic.

Next, about six years ago, we bought a small Korean sedan that has actual keys and keyholes on both front doors and the trunk! Hallelujah!

But, on our most recent car buying search we were not to be so lucky. We couldn't find a cheap late-model used van with plain-old car door keyholes and keys. Apparently it's not even an option to get plain keys and keyholes.

Maybe there is a foreign car out there for the next time.

Meanwhile, attach something really big and bright to your $250.00 car key. It will annoy the heck out of you, but will stop you from losing your $250.00 car key.

##
Yes, I know about those stupid remotes. The first day I had one I put it in the front pocket of my blue jeans, I dropped onto the floor to retrieve something that had rolled under a desk and set off the alarm for the car parked outside in the drive way. Luckily there was a fifth-grader with me who was finally able to shut it off.

That was the first-and-last time that I carried one of those things.
##
Car Key History Lesson

This is a picture of car keys over the years..or at least the last twenty-or-so years. The metal shiney thing on the left is from a Japanese car circa 1989. It cost a few dollars to replace...less than $5. The middle Korean car key with the cheaper plastic top circa mid-2000s cost about $5 to copy but runs higher if you lose all your keys and the dealer gets you one...maybe up to $100. The black thing on the right (key? Fob?) from an American car circa 2010 cost...$250.00.

Mom's Air Conditioning

With the afternoon heat of the last few days and the higher and higher electric bills, I find myself using 1950’s techniques to cool my house.

Growing up we didn’t have air-conditioning except at the local movie theaters. Remember the banners they used to hang every summer to entice moviegoers in with the promise of coolness? They didn’t even mention what the show was – just that they were “air-conditioned”, written in ice-blue with edging suggesting a dripping ice block.

At home all the windows and doors were wide-open overnight. If you lived in a “troubled” area you kept the first floor windows shut at night and opened them about 5 a.m. As the sun rose, my mother would close the shades on the east side of the house and then the windows. By about 11 a.m. the house would be closed up, keeping in the cool night air. Sometimes the cellar door in the kitchen would be open, letting the mysteriously cool underground air float up.

We would occasionally have lunch in the shade of a big tree in the back yard and for a treat blow up the kiddie pool for an early afternoon splash. Moms would sometimes open aluminum chairs around the edge of the pool and dangle their feet in the cool water while they watched the kids and visited with each other.

Babies lay on a blanket in the shade with their damp hair stuck to their foreheads.

By 2 p.m. it was naptime with a fan in the hall to stir around the by-then warmish air. My mother would do quiet cool work – no baking or ironing. By four, with the temperature having maxed out, it was time to start stirring again.

Dinner would be cooking on top of the stove – no roasts this time of the year. As a treat we might cook hamburgers outside or actually be decadent and have cold-cuts with sliced tomatoes from the garden and homemade potato salad out of the fridge.

By nine p.m. it was time to start the cooling cycle again, opening the windows for the night. A large box fan sat on a desk in my room all night – the room at the far end of the second floor - exhausting the day’s heat out the window and pulling in the cooler night air from downstairs.

##
"It was luxuries like air conditioning that brought down the Roman Empire. With air conditioning their windows were shut, they couldn’t hear the barbarians coming."
- Garrison Keillor, Lake Wobegon Days

##
When an acquaintance lost their air-conditioning for almost two weeks this July, I went in on hot days to check on their pets. I pulled down the unused rolled-up shades on the sunny-side of the house to block the sun’s heat and turned off window fans pulling the early afternoon humidity into the house.

They seemed surprised.

I guess no one teaches simple home-based climate control anymore. It’s just easier to switch on the air conditioner, use up the environment, and be shocked when the electric bill arrives.
##
This is an HNJJ reprint from August 15, 2008.

Monday, July 18, 2011

YMCA Going Solar

On July 14th the Hillsborough Township Planning Board unanimously approved the application of the Somerset Valley YMCA to construct a solar array structure over their parking lot and on the building roof.

The YMCA is located on a 7.37-acre lot at 19 East Mountain Road at the corner of South Branch Road.

The new solar array in the parking lot will be located over the existing last three rows of parking - four free-standing canopy structures with light fixtures on the underside and a maximum height of 17-feet. There will be 20,400-square-feet of solar.

There will be an additional solar array on the roof of the building.

According to the applicant's experts, the YMCA will use all of the power produced, providing about 85% of their power. There will be no loss of parking spaces and some additional landscaping will help to buffer the view of the array from the nearby homes. At the request of the board the lower four-feet of the support poles will be painted yellow to make them more visible to members parking in the lot.

Their experts also said that this project will be eligible for a Federal 1603 Energy Grant for alternative energy projects for non-profits.

##
From the Hillsborough Township Planning Board Agenda of July 14, 2011:
SOMERSET VALLEY YMCA (Fortin) – File #11-PB-13-MSR – Block 12, Lot 22 – 19 East Mountain Road. Applicant seeking Minor Site Plan approval and such other variances, waivers, and approvals as are necessary to permit the applicant to construct a new solar array structure over the last 3 rows of the existing parking at the rear of the parking lot, on property located in the R District.

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Dad's WPA Wall - 1935

In 1935 my father ended up working on a WPA project building a wall along the side of the road that went from West Nanticoke, Pennsylvania to the nearby summer resort of Lake Silkworth.

The wall is still there, protecting the river from wayward motorists and the road from a wayward river...


This job must have been quite a shock to an unemployed 19-year-old grocery clerk.
##
To get an idea of the size of this Work Projects Administration [WPA] project, look at the photograph with the pedestrian. The wall is much longer than shown in these 2011 pictures, but there was no other safe place to pull over.

Saturday, July 16, 2011

SCPC 2011 Concert: July 17, 2011

The Somerset County Park Commission's 2011 Summer Concert Series presents Harold Melvin's Blue Notes this Sunday, July 17th, at 7 p.m. at Duke Island Park in Bridgewater.

Founded in the 1950s, their best-known hits include If You Don't Know Me By Now, The Love I Lost, Wake Up Everybody, and Bad Luck. Their most famous member was the late Teddy Pendergrass.

##
Here are some photographs from last week's concert which featured Tommy Mara & The Crests with special guests Charisma. First up was Charisma...

..then Tommy Mara and The Crests...

Friday, July 15, 2011

Music in the Sourlands


The Sourland Music Festival and Silent Auction returns Saturday, July 16th, from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. at Hillsborough Country Club, 146 Wertsville Road, Hillsborough.

Local residents have a chance to enjoy five bands, a silent auction, and refreshments available for purchase.

Tickets are $20 for adults, children $5, and children under 6-years-old are admitted free. Well-behaved dogs are welcome.

For more information on this once-a-year event go here.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Somerville Cruise: July 15th, 2011

The weather promises to be great for Friday's Somerville Cruise. There is no featured car specialty listed, so the HNJJ crew picked out some favorite cars from their long-ago youths....

The Connie Tarantino Summer Concert series will present Chip & Annie from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. in front of the Somerset County Courthouse. Chip Mergott and Annie Bauerlein are a husband-and-wife duo who describe their music as "Fun, Family, Folk Music."

##
For information about the cruises go here.

For information about the Connie Tarantino Summer Concerts go here.
##
Photographs are from Somerville Cruises over the past five years.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

HEF Concert in the Park: July 14th, 2011

The Hillsborough Education Foundation presents The Tone Rangers in concert at Ann Van Middlesworth Park tomorrow evening, July 14th, starting at 7 p.m.

Bring a chair or blanket and the family. There will be snacks for sale. Ann Van Middlesworth Park is located at the end of Pleasant View Road off Amwell Road, west of Hillsborough High School.

##
The photographs, courtesy of Susan Gulliford, are from last week's storm-shortened concert. The audience was able to enjoy a half-hour of music by the Sun Dog Band (including Creedence Clearwater Revival) before the lightning finally forced a break and then the pouring rain ended the music.

##
For more information on the Hillsborough Education Foundation go here.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

The HNJJ Garden

In the HNJJ garden this past week:

Monday, July 11, 2011

HNJJ Answers Your Questions

When is the 2011 Rotary Fair?

The 4th Annual Rotary Fair runs from Tuesday, August 16th through Saturday, August 20th. According to the Hillsborough Rotary Club website, sponsorships are available.




When is the 2011 Somerset County NJ 4-H Fair?

This year's Somerset County 4-H Fair is being held Wednesday - August 10th, Thursday - August 11th, and Friday - August 12th. The fair is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day at North Branch Park, 355 Milltown Road, Bridgewater. For more information go here.





About the Hillsborough Township Food Pantry

According the the Township website "... Canned goods, pasta, paper products, over the counter medications, and other supplies are available to assist families in the time of financial crisis. Donations of items or food store gift certificates gratefully accepted...". The Office of Social Services is in charge of the Food Pantry. Their telephone number is (908)369-3880.



When is the 2011 Hunterdon County NJ 4-H Fair?

The 2011 Hunterdon County 4H and Agricultural Fair is being held from Wednesday, August 24th through Sunday, August 28th. For more information go here.







Where can I find a rabies clinic?

The HNJJ staff was unable to find a currently scheduled local rabies clinic. The township Health Department can be reached at (908)369-5652.
[If you find a clinic, please feel free to leave a comment with a link. Thanks.]


##
The HNJJ crew chose questions based on searches that resulted in referrals to the Hillsborough NJ Journal.

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Sourland Mountain Preserve Hike


The Sourland Mountain Preserve is the perfect place to get outside and enjoy nature.

Located in Hillsborough and Montgomery Townships, this approximately 4,000-acre Somerset County Park Commission park offers trails varying in length from the half-mile Pondside Trail to the more challenging 5-mile long Ridge Trail.

The entrance to the preserve is off East Mountain Road west of Mountain View Road. Stop at the kiosk near the parking lot to pick up a map.
##
For more information go here.

Saturday, July 9, 2011

SCPC July 10th Concert: Tommy Mara and the Crests with special guests Charisma


On Sunday the Somerset County Park Commission continues its 2011 Summer Concert Series with a doo-wop/boomer double-bill: Tommy Mara & the Crests with special guests Charisma.

The Crests' best remembered hits of the 1950s and 1960s include 16 Candles, The Angels Listened In, Step by Step, and Trouble in Paradise. Their doo-wop sound continues with Tommy Mara.

Charisma is a six-person Bronx-based group that covers the music of a variety of groups. According to their website "...Our repertoire includes selections from the four-man groups of the fifties, the Fifth Dimension, Spanky And Our Gang, the Temptations, Jay & the Americans, the Mamas and Papas, the Flamingos, the Doobie Brothers, Neil Sedaka, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, and others...".

The Concert, held at Duke Island Park in Bridgewater, starts at 5:30 and continues to 8:30 p.m. According to the SCPC website
"...Tommy Mara and the Crests have been making music for a long time. The Crests began as a New York R&B do-wop group in the late 1950’s. Their most popular song was 16 Candles, which rose to number 2 on the Billboard Charts and sold more than one million copies. Today, they are still singing and wowing audiences. There will be no Trouble in Paradise in Duke Island Park – just many people singing along to the hits of that golden era. Charisma opens the shows. This dynamic group of six perform the hits of groups like The Fifth Dimension, The Temptations, and The Doobie Brothers...".

Bring chairs or a blanket, and snacks or a few dollars for an ice cream cone.
##
For information on the Somerset County Park Commission 2011 Summer Concert Series go here.
##
For an album of photographs from the June 26th SCPC Duke Island Park concert and extra activities go to here at mycentraljersey.com.
##
Above 2010 concert photo courtesy of George Mariasz.

Friday, July 8, 2011

Somerville Chevy Nova Cruise Pix from July 1, 2011

This slideshow goes out to all the Nova owners at last Friday's Somerville Cruise...

Hillsborough Fireworks Cancelled - Again!

Today's Hillsborough e-news announced that this evening's fireworks have been cancelled again:
Tonight's fireworks at Auten Road School have been cancelled due to tonight's projected inclement weather.

The fireworks will be rescheduled for a later date still to be determined.

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Somerville Cruise July 8, 2011

This week's Somerville Cruise Night will feature the Cadillac LaSalle. The HNJJ staff picked out these Cadillac photographs from past cruises:


The Connie Tarantino 2011 Summer Concert Series will feature the big band music of Summer Swing. The free concert starts at 7 p.m. on the steps of the Somerset County Courthouse.

The featured cars are parked in front of the courthouse.

##
For Somerville Cruise Nights information go here.

For Connie Tarantino Summer Concerts information go here.

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

2011 HEF Summer Concerts


The Hillsborough Education Foundation and the Hillsborough Parks and Recreation Department are partnering again this year to present the Thursday evening Music in the Park Concert Series starting on July 7th.

The concerts kick off this week with Sun Dog. According to Sun Dog's website "...SunDog plays a wide variety of music including classic and early rock, 80s rock/pop,country rock, and much more...".

The concerts run from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Ann Van Middlesworth Park at the end of Pleasant View Road off Amwell Road. Bring chairs or a blanket. Snacks are available for purchase. The concerts are free.

For more information on this summer's July concert line-up, go to the HEF website.
##
Photographs from two of the 2010 concerts.

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

2011 Honoring Independence Day


The Washington Camp Ground Association's 122nd Annual Independence Day Celebration was held yesterday morning at the Middlebrook Camp Ground in Bridgewater.

This Celebration of the 235th Anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress began with the flag ceremony, where the Thirteen Star American Flag that has been hanging at the Camp Ground all year is retired and a new flag is raised.

As explained in Wikipedia:
"... Tradition holds that it was at the Middlebrook encampment that the first official flag of the United States was unfurled, after a law to adopt a national flag had been passed by Congress on June 14, 1777. This event is commemorated annually since 1889 on July 4 with a changing of the flag, a reading of the Declaration of Independence, and the delivery of an historical address at the Washington Camp Ground. Also, by special order of Congress, a Thirteen Star Flag is flown 24 hours a day at the Washington Camp Ground..."

The flag raising was followed by the singing of the National Anthem and the children are invited up to lead the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance.

The Declaration of Independence Ceremony followed with John Pacifico reading the Declaration of Independence and a talk by historian H.Kels Swan about the Preservation of America's Birth Certificate.

The ceremony ended with the presentation of American Citizenship Awards and a keynote speech by Bridgewater Township's Mayor Patricia Flannery.

##
Photographs courtesy of Susan Gulliford and George Mariasz.

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Honoring Independence Day

Now that you have decided which fireworks display and Fourth of July parties you will attend, it's time to schedule the Declaration of Independence into your celebrations.


Honor the origins of Independence Day by attending the annual July 4th public reading of the Declaration of Independence at the Middlebrook Encampment on Middlebrook Road in Bridgewater.

This is the ceremony that can bring a lump to your throat and a tear to your eye. This marks the moment that the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence put everything on the line.

Attending this commemoration is something that every Central Jersey resident should do at least once.

Why not this year.

##
The Middlebrook Encampment is a 20-acre park, 1761 Middlebrook Road, Bridgewater, operated by the Washington Campground Association. The annual ceremony starts around 10:30 a.m. and takes about an hour.

From mycentraljersey.com:
"...The 122nd annual Washington Campground Association flag changing ceremony will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on the grounds of the Middlebrook Encampment. This site is conveniently located on Middlebrook Road in Bridgewater, between Mountain and Vosseller Avenues. Featured speaker this year is Bridgewater Mayor Patricia Flannery, with the Declaration Independence to be read by Raritan resident and chairman of the Basilone Parade Committee, John Pacifico.

Street parking is available on site and shuttle service will commence at 9:30 a.m. from the parking lot of the Somerset Savings and Loan, 220 West Union Avenue, Bound Brook. ..."

##
Photographs of the 2005 ceremony courtesy of Susan Gulliford.

Saturday, July 2, 2011

2011 Fourth of July Fireworks

Sunday afternoon change:
from the Hillsborough Township website -
Due to inclement weather:
**CANCELLED**
The Independence Day Fireworks
are cancelled for Sunday, July 3rd.
Rain date is Friday, July 8th
##
Hillsborough-area residents have at least two chances to celebrate Independence Day this weekend - July 3rd at Auten Road Intermediate School and July 4th at North Branch Park.

Hillsborough's fireworks display is on July 3rd starting at about 9 p.m. Previous information stated that this is a fireworks display only. According to our e-news...

"...The Township will host an Independence Day Fireworks program on the evening of Sunday, July 3rd.

This year's celebration, which is being funded by Assemblyman Pete Biondi and TD Bank, will be held at the Auten Road Intermediate School field. Shuttle buses will be available, beginning at 8p.m., from both the Hillsborough Middle School and High School. The rain date is Friday, July 8th. ..."

For those looking for more than fireworks, on July 4th starting at 5 p.m., the Somerset County Park Commission presents its Fourth of July Family Festival at North Branch Park (the 4H Fairgrounds) in Bridgewater...
"...Fourth of July Family Festival featuring
VERDICT and TOTAL SOUL
North Branch Park 5pm - 11pm

Verdict kicks off Independence Day at North Branch Park, turning the park into a tropical vacation paradise with their rich blend of classic reggae, calypso, soca, and funk island music. Then headliners, Total Soul, an 11 piece band perform R&B, soul, and Motown hits from the 60’s through today, brought to life with a mix of four-part vocal harmony, a soul-driven rhythm section, and “hot” horns. As they boast…”there’s Nowhere to Run if you give Total Soul the opportunity to Stomp into your Brickhouse and turn the park into a Boogie Wonderland. Other highlights of the day include children’s entertainment and activities, historical re-enactments, and fireworks..."

##
The Park Commission celebration is part of the 2011 Concert Series. For more information on the summer concerts, go here.
##
The morning of July 4th take a little time to keep the Declaration of Independence in Independence Day.

Friday, July 1, 2011

Ice Cream Season...Not!

It's July, ice cream season for those who are able to eat ice cream. But for those who can't eat dairy products it's the season to look on as others gobble it down in dozens of flavors.

Many of those who are lactose intolerant can eat certain types of yogurt, often including frozen yogurt, but frozen yogurts tend to come in a few basic flavors like vanilla and, uh, vanilla.

So when another flavor comes out, like Fudge Ripple, the lactose intolerant embrace it. Just look at the picture on the package - chocolate ice cream with dark swirls of chocolate sauce throughout...

Like this???...

Okay, not quite. One-to-two inches down into the apparently plain vanilla ice cream there is a small swirl of dark chocolate.

Maybe further down...almost at the bottom...is a little more chocolate swirly stuff in the center of the vanilla yogurt...


And, that was it.