There was good news for the second year in a row at the Princeton Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Toast to Tourism Awards, held Tuesday morning at The Boathouse overlooking Mercer Lake in Mercer County Park.
Brian Tyrrell, Stockton University professor and CEO of Travel and Tourism Research and Training Associates, said during a presentation of his 2016 Economic Impact Study of Tourism in the Princeton and Mercer Region that activity in the area continues to be on the rise. more
At a public hearing Monday night, Princeton Council voted to adopt an amended ordinance related to cutting down trees and shrubs. Originally introduced this past July, the ordinance was amended and passed 5-1, with Patrick Simon voting against the measure as presented. more
Calling for a “revolution in values,” in support of the #BlackLivesMatter movement, Princeton Professor Eddie S. Glaude Jr. told a standing-room-only audience on Monday that white supremacy, in the form of a belief that white lives are worth more than others, prevails in this country. more
THE SEARCH IS ON: The Arts Council of Princeton, where a Fall Open House was held last weekend, is one of two non-profit organizations looking for a new executive director. The deadline for applications was last Friday. (Photo by Charles R. Plohn)
Last Friday was the official deadline to apply for the leading jobs at two of the town’s key non-profit groups. Both the Arts Council of Princeton and Sustainable Princeton are looking for new executive directors, as Jeff Nathanson and Diane Landis, respectively, move on to other challenges. more
Mark Eastburn at Riverside and Martha Friend at Littlebrook are two of five New Jersey finalists for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, the highest honors bestowed by the United States government for K-12 mathematics and science teaching. They are also the kind of elementary school science teachers who would make anyone want to start kindergarten all over again. They love the adventure of science, and they love working with young children. more
The Princeton branch of the English Speaking Union has scheduled its monthly talks on Samuel Johnson, Jane Austen, and other literary figures at the Lawrenceville School’s Kirby Arts Center beginning September 25. On that day, three scholars will discuss their experience at The Globe Theatre in London and at Edinburgh University. more
The Princeton University Latino Graduate Student Association will host Poet Laureate of the United States Juan Felipe Herrera in conversation on Thursday, September 22 at 7 p.m. in the Carl A. Fields Center on the University campus. The free public event is co-sponsored by Campus Conversations on Identities, Program in Creative Writing, Council on the Humanities, Department of Comparative Literature, Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Department of Spanish and Portuguese Languages, Program in Latin American Studies, Carl. A. Fields Center for Equality and Cultural Understanding, Department of English.
Gene Wilder’s recent death has revived Young Frankenstein — not that Mel Brooks’s classic 1974 travesty of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818) by way of the James Whale/Boris Karloff film (1931) needed reviving. You could stop strangers on the street in Princeton or any university town anywhere and soon find someone who could quote you a favorite line or describe a favorite scene. Even so, for all those who have not already revisited the 1974 film, it will be shown again on October 5 in a special one-night-only presentation in more than 500 theaters nationwide, with a “live introduction” by Mel Brooks.
A Bizarre Course
What takes Young Frankenstein to a level beyond the gags is Gene Wilder’s kindly, horny, out-of-it Dr. Frankensteen. While a stranger on the street may not be able to name the actor who played the monster (Peter Boyle), no one is likely to forget his loving, fatherly creator. In the new Rutgers University Press book, Monstrous Progeny: A History of the Frankenstein Narratives, there’s an image of a blissed-out Wilder cuddling his “emotionally needy creation”; his expression is the other side of rhapsodic, he might be Chopin caressing the score of a nocturne or listening to the music of the spheres. Co-authored by Lester D. Friedman and Allison B. Kavey, Monstrous Progeny may be the most thorough exploration of the bizarre course the Frankenstein myth has taken since Mary Shelley conceived it 200 years ago this summer. Besides tracing the stagings and filmings through the years, the book looks at “laff riots” like Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, biological mutation movies like The Fly, reanimation films (Re-Animator and sequels), cyborg films (RoboCop), robot movies (Blade Runner and A.I.), and more. more
On September 8, Community Options of Princeton opened its second Red Ribbon Academy, located at 2230 Camplain Road in Hillsborough.
The Red Ribbon Academy is a state-of-the-art medical special needs adult day program with a combination of tender loving care, therapy integration, and fun adapted activities. The program provides quality medical, therapeutic, and recreational support to medically fragile adults with developmental disabilities. more
The University League Nursery School (ULNS) has a new home. On September 6, Cindy Schenthal (ULNS Director) and Jim Levine (ULNS Board of Trustees Member) cut the ribbon to celebrate the school’s move from its original location, since its founding in 1949, to a new address on the grounds of the Jewish Center of Princeton at 457 Nassau Street. While this move offers new opportunities for ULNS, the school’s 67 year commitment to the Princeton community — a preschool education building self-confidence and independence — has not changed.
ILLUSTRATED LECTURE AT TRENT HOUSE: Archivist and photographer Gary Saretzky will present an illustrated lecture on 19th century New Jersey-based photographers at the Trent House Museum on September 24. Pictured here is Edward H. Stokes. He was a photographer in Trenton and is one of the subjects of the lecture. He also resided at the Trent House for many years. His son donated the Trent House to the City of Trenton to be used as a museum.
Of the approximately 3,000 different photographers who were active in New Jersey before 1900, more than 250 lived or worked in Mercer County, most of them in Trenton. In a slide lecture, Gary D. Saretzky will profile these pioneers, including Edward H. Stokes who lived in what is now the William Trent House, and discuss them within the larger context of New Jersey photography in the 19th century. more
BARNS AND BEYOND: This painting by Lisa Walsh titled “Red Barn, Winter,” is representative of the artworks that will be on sale at the Annual Art Show and Sale at the historic Parsonage Barn in Cranbury. The exhibit features many paintings of the barns located on the site where the show will take place, as well as other Cranbury scenes.
Watercolorists Unlimited will host their annual Fall Art Show and Sale at the historic Parsonage Barn on Cranbury Neck Road, one block away from Main Street in Cranbury, on Saturday, September 17 from 10 a.m.–4 p.m. more
SWINGING SOUNDS: “It’s an exciting milestone year for JazzFeast,” says Palmer Square Marketing Director Anita Fresolone, who oversees the planning of this very popular open air jazz festival. Prominent jazz musicians will be on hand, as will an array of various cuisines from Princeton area eateries.
The 25h annual JazzFeast will be held on the Green and the west side of Palmer Square from noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday, September 18, rain or shine. more
Acclaimed Irish actress Lisa Dwan will give a talk entitled “Performing Beckett” on Friday, September 16 at 4:30 p.m. at the Lewis Center for the Arts’ James M. Stewart ’32 Theater, 185 Nassau Street. Part of the 2016-17 Fund for Irish Studies series at Princeton University, the event is free and open to the public. more
McCarter Theatre Center will renew its annual tradition in December of 2016 with a reimagined version of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. As part of this new theatrical endeavor, McCarter is looking for a new group of young actors ages 5 to 13 to form this year’s Young Ensemble.
Sign-Ups for A Christmas Carol Young Ensemble Auditions will be held at McCarter Theatre Center on Wednesday, September 14 from 3 to 6 p.m. more
MUSIC AND MIRTH AT KELSEY THEATRE: Virginia Repertory Theatre presents “The Princess and the Pea” at Mercer County Community College’s Kelsey Theatre on Saturday, October 1 at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for seniors, students, and children. To purchase, call the Box Office at (609) 570-3333 or visit www.kelseytheatre.net.
Love will always find a way. It’s never been more true than in “The Princess and The Pea,” to be presented by Virginia Repertory Theatre at Mercer County Community College’s (MCCC’s) Kelsey Theatre on Saturday, October 1 at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Kelsey Theatre is located on the college’s West Windsor Campus at 1200 Old Trenton Road. more
On October 8 at 1:30 p.m., Hillsborough Township resident Pier Guidi will speak at Historic Rockingham on “Honeybees and Beekeeping in the Modern Age.” The lecture will be followed by a visit to Rockingham’s bee yard. Visitors will learn about the interesting lives of honeybees, the fundamentals of beekeeping, the requisite beekeeping equipment, and how to start a backyard-beekeeping adventure of their own. Seating is limited and advance reservations are requested by calling (609) 683-7132. Rockingham is located at 84 Laurel Avenue/Kingston-Rocky Hill Road (Rte. 603) in Franklin Township, 1 mile north of Rte. 27 in Kingston and 1 mile south of Rte. 518 in Rocky Hill. Learn more at www.rockingham.net.
ON HER TOES: Princeton High girls’ soccer player Zoe Tesone controls the ball during a recent practice session. Senior standout defender Tesone will be leading the PHS back line this fall. The Little Tigers get their 2016 season underway when they play at Hopewell Valley on September 8. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)
Losing 12 seniors to graduation from a squad that advanced to the Central Jersey Group 4 sectional semifinals in 2015, there were question marks all over the field for the Princeton High girls’ soccer team as it started preseason last month. more
The Manny L. Friedman Foundation has partnered with The Blue Man Group for their first annual fundraising event, which will be held at the Astor Place Theater in New York City on Sunday, September 25 at 1:30 p.m. The mission of the Manny L. Freidman Foundation is to make every animal smile! Proceeds from the evening’s event will benefit no-kill shelters nationwide. A Lawrenceville, NJ resident, Manny lived his 28 years with an unwavering commitment to caring for animals of all kinds. To purchase tickets, visit www.mannyfriedman.org.
It’s that time again on the Princeton University campus and at schools around the area. This week’s Town Talk features students like these. (Photo by Emily Reeves)
The Princeton Family YMCA on Paul Robeson Place is just six weeks away from completing the first step in a three-part “refresh” project designed to brighten up several key facets of their facility, to use their space to the greatest advantage, and to bring the building into the 21st century. more
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is holding two “scoping” hearings regarding the Williams Transco company’s newest pipeline proposal, which includes a compressor station in the Trap Rock Quarry in South Brunswick, 3.5 miles of pipe in Old Bridge and Sayreville, and 22 miles under the Raritan Bay. more
From September 16 to 25, the volunteers who have been helping plan Princeton’s first official Welcoming Week will finally see their summer-long efforts materialize. Princeton High School junior Leah Williamson, senior Luis Estrada, and Rutgers University senior Melissa Urias are among those who have been hard at work on this series of events, designed to bring together immigrants and U.S.-born residents and promote a spirit of unity between cultures. more
PADDLING THROUGH MONET’S GARDEN: Kelsey Kane-Ritsch, recipient of a fellowship that has landed her at Princeton’s D&R Greenway, will use her experiences working at the famous garden at Giverny and other far-flung locations to encourage stewardship of the environment during the one-year program.
Kelsey Kane-Ritsch has worked on environmental issues in different corners of the globe. She helped develop a curriculum on biodiversity in Kenya, worked with tribal elders and conservation groups in New Caledonia, and focused on invasive species management at Monet’s Garden at Giverny, France — all during her four years at Princeton University, from which she graduated in May having majored in anthropology with minors in environmental studies and French. more
