July 3, 2024

New Home Base for Homeworks Trenton is Collaboration of Founder and Local Architect

HOME AWAY FROM HOME: Scholars in the Homeworks Trenton program, which will soon have a permanent headquarters designed by JZA+D near the city’s Cadwalader Park. Homeworks houses girls who attend Trenton public schools during the week, providing support and structure to help them thrive.

By Anne Levin

Among the three honorees at the Women of Achievement breakfast held by the Princeton Mercer Regional Chamber of Commerce on June 26 was Natalie Tung, the co-founder and executive director of Homeworks Trenton, an after-school boarding program for marginalized girls who attend the city’s public schools. Tung, a native of Hong Kong and a graduate of the Lawrenceville School and Princeton University, was nominated for the distinction by Princeton-based architect Joshua Zinder.

The two had met at a networking event during which Tung spoke of her goals for the program — to provide the students with an environment of stability, structure, and support. Fast-forward five years, and Zinder has helped Tung find a permanent home for the program in Trenton. His firm, JZA+D, has designed the repurposing of the building, which will increase its usable square footage by some two thirds, provide dormitories, a full kitchen, areas for work and study, staff apartments, and more. more

Dohm Alley Exhibition Features Einstein and His Interest in Wonders of Magnetism

EINSTEIN IN DOHM ALLEY: Town officials joined Princeton Einstein Museum creators for a ribbon-cutting event with magnets at the opening of “Einstein’s Attraction to Magnetism,” a pop-up exhibition in Dohm Alley at 102 Nassau Street through September 15. From left are Einstein Museum Board Treasurer Riten Patel, Princeton Plasma Physics Lab Staff Research Physicist Frances Kraus, Princeton Councilwoman Eve Niedergang, Princeton Municipal Administrator Bernie Hvozdovic Jr., Princeton Councilwoman Michelle Pirone Lambros, property owner Stanley Dohm, and exhibit designer Jonn McCollum. (Photo courtesy of Princeton Einstein Museum)

By Donald Gilpin

“Einstein’s Attraction to Magnetism,” a summer pop-up exhibition, opened with a ribbon-cutting celebration on June 27 at Dohm Alley on Nassau Street, and it will remain open through September 15.

Created by the Princeton Einstein Museum, which is under development for a future opening, the exhibit includes four 9×4-foot banners with information about magnetism and how it is used, Princeton-area research using magnets, a life-sized Einstein selfie, and a hands-on ferrofluid playground. more

Sale of Jasna Polana Golf Club Expected to Close on July 9

By Anne Levin

The Jasna Polana Golf Club is under a purchase/sale agreement with Concert Golf Partners to sell the club and its amenities. The transaction is expected to close on July 9. Concert Golf Partners is a property investment company in Heathrow, Fla., with more than 30 private clubs in its collection.

The 222-acre property and 18-hole golf course, bordered by Route 206 and Province Line Road, has been on the market since last September. It will remain in full use as a golf club and will not be developed, according to administration of the club.

“One hundred percent, they will keep it as is,” said Peter Angerame, Jasna Polana’s director of sales and marketing. “They didn’t buy this to develop it.” more

July at Morven Offers Rich Array of Programs, Celebration, and Tea

By Donald Gilpin

The theme is understanding the past and shaping the future, and Morven on Stockton Street in Princeton, embodying a rich history that dates from the American Revolution to the roaring ’20s to the societal upheavals of the 1960s, provides an ideal setting to explore that theme.

Morven Museum & Garden, supported by a variety of community partners, is taking on the challenge of connecting history and civic engagement with a July schedule of educational programs and entertaining events that includes a festive Fourth of July Jubilee; a community reading of Frederick Douglass’ “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?”; a Summer Reading Soirée with two authors of historical fiction discussing their recent novels; summer cream tea service in Morven’s historic Garden Room; and an exploration of the “hidden histories” of women’s education in early America.  more

On Franz Kafka’s Birthday: “The Tremendous World I Have In My Head”

By Stuart Mitchner

The Culture page of the Bloomsday edition of the New York Times features a photoshopped image of the insect hero of Franz Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” complete with feelers and a smartphone shell. The June 16 dateline of the article by Amanda Hess (“The Very Online Afterlife of Franz Kafka”) inadvertently suggests a comradely connection between Leopold Bloom and Gregor Samsa, whose creator actually happened to be in Trieste in September 1913 when Joyce was working on the “Proteus,” “Lotus Eaters,” and “Hades” chapters of Ulysses.

In Kafka: The Decisive Years (Princeton University Press paperback 2013), Reiner Stach supposes that “if Kafka had met Joyce, there is no telling what direction world literature might have taken.” You never know. As Charlie Chan says in the epigraph heading Chapter 14, (“The Lives of Metaphors: “The Metamorphosis”) — “Strange events permit themselves the luxury of occuring.”

The only other strange event occurring on this Kafkacentric Culture page is the cluster of movie listings in the bottom righthand corner, with titles that ring all the appropriate bells: Film Forum showing Robot Dreams and Evil Does Not Exist, the IFC Center, Ghostlight and Handling the Undead, Film at Lincoln Center Kidnapped: The Abduction of Edgardo Mortara. And at the Paris Theatre, it’s “Bleak Week New York: Cinema of Despair.”

And Bleak Week was well before the debacle of the debate and the existential panic that followed, even before the Supremes sang “Where Did Our Law Go?” more

Yardley Players Stage “The Sound of Music” at Kelsey Theatre; Appealing Production Proves Why the Beloved Musical is a Classic

“THE SOUND OF MUSIC”: Performances are underway for “The Sound of Music.” Presented by Kelsey Theatre and The Yardley Players; and directed by Kristy Davis, the musical runs through July 7 at Kelsey Theatre. Above: Watched suspiciously by the (offstage) Nazis, the Von Trapp Family Singers give a performance on which their lives literally depend. From left are Aurora Quinn (Louisa), Emma Poppell (Brigitta), Gabi Oliano (Gretl), David Nikolas (Captain Von Trapp), Laney Kenwood (Liesl), Lauren Wolensky (Maria), Scarlet Hillman (Marta), Trevin Davis (Kurt), and Joseph Wilson (Friedrich). (Photo by John M. Maurer)

By Donald H. Sanborn III

Yardley Players Theatre Company is presenting The Sound of Music at Kelsey Theatre. Kristy Davis directs and choreographs an appealing production that honors the 1965 film adaptation, while accentuating the benefits that a live production can offer the story.

The Sound of Music marks the final collaboration between composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II. The book by Howard Lindsay and Russell Crouse is suggested by Maria Augusta Trapp’s memoir The Trapp Family Singers. The show follows Maria’s journey from novice at Nonnberg Abbey to governess for the seven children of the stern widower Captain Von Trapp; and the threat posed to the family by the Anschluss (the Nazi takeover of Austria) in 1938.  more

Class is in Session for “School of Rock”

ROCKING OUT: Members of the cast of “School of Rock” are ready for shows July 12-21 at the Kelsey Theatre in West Windsor.

Can a wannabe rock star posing as a substitute teacher transform nerdy fifth graders at an elite prep school into contenders at the Battle of the Bands? The answer will be revealed when Thank You 5 Productions brings School of Rock to the stage of Mercer County Community College’s (MCCC) Kelsey Theatre, July 12-21.

Dewey Finn never quite made it as a rock star, but also never gave up on his rock and roll dreams. So when he manages to impersonate a substitute teacher at a prestigious prep school — and becomes enamored with the musical talent of his students — Finn goes to work transforming a class of straight-A fifth graders into a guitar shredding, bass slapping, rock band to compete in the Battle of the Bands. But can he and his students keep this special assignment secret from parents and the school’s headmistress as they learn to fully embrace the power of rock? more

Music of Moody Blues Comes to State Theatre

LODGE IS LIVE: John Lodge, right, with Jon Davison and Duffy King, will perform classics from The Moody Blues in a concert on Saturday, July 13 at the State Theatre New Jersey in New Brunswick. (Photo by Dana Grubb)

State Theatre New Jersey presents The Moody Blues’ John Lodge on Saturday, July 13 at 8 p.m. Lodge, legendary bass player, songwriter, and vocalist of The Moody Blues, a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, will be live in concert performing the music of The Moody Blues and the album Days of Future Passed.

The show encompasses a first set of electric Moodies classics featuring ‘“Isn’t Life Strange,” “Legend of a Mind,” “I’m Just a Singer (in a Rock and Roll Band),” “Ride my See-Saw,” and more. The second set will see Lodge and his band perform the album Days of Future Passed (“Nights in White Satin”) in its entirety, and in full symphonic sound. Jon Davison of YES also joins Lodge on stage to perform the classic songs “Nights in White Satin” and “Tuesday Afternoon.”  more

Phaeton Piano Trio at Richardson Auditorium

THREE PIANISTS: German pianists Friedemann Eichhorn, Peter Horr, and Florian Uhlig make up the Phaeton Piano Trio, performing a free concert at Richardson Auditorium on Monday, July 8.

On Monday, July 8 at 7:30 p.m., the Princeton University Summer Chamber Concerts presents the Phaeton Piano Trio in Richardson Auditorium on the Princeton University campus. This concert is free and will include Trio in C Major by Haydn; Trio No.1 in D Minor by Felix Mendelssohn, and Trio No. 4 in E Minor, the “Dumky” by Dvorák.

Pianists Friedemann Eichhorn, Peter Hörr, and Florian Uhlig have performed in major cities in Europe and Asia. After their South American debut at the Fondacion Beethoven, Santiago de Chile, the trio celebrated another debut in the U.S. in 2020 with concerts at the Library of Congress, Washington and the Frick Collection, N.Y.. In 2023, the Phaeton Piano Trio performed again in the U.S., and made its debut in Canada as “Ensemble in Residence” at the “musicandbeyond” festival in Ottawa, Canada.

In the 2024/25 season, the trio has been invited back to Ottawa and will perform at festivals in Germany, again in the U.S., and for the first time in China. In addition, two CD recordings are planned for the hänssler classic label in co-production with SWR, including the complete recording of the works for piano trio by Camille Saint-Saens.

For more information, visit princetonsummerchamberconcerts.org or call (609) 570-8404.

“Whispers of Time” Exhibit at Princeton Public Library

“WHISPERS OF TIME”: An exhibition of photographs curated by architectural design specialist Farzaneh Tahmasbi is on view in the Princeton Public Library Reading Room through July 21. An art talk featuring Tahmasbi is scheduled for Thursday, July 18 at 7:30 p.m. on Zoom.

“Whispers of Time: Exploring Select Iranian Architectural Gems,” an exhibit of photographs curated by architectural design specialist Farzaneh Tahmasbi, is on view in the library’s Reading Room through July 21. An art talk featuring Tahmasbi is scheduled for Thursday, July 18 at 7:30 p.m. on Zoom.

The photographs on display showcase the rich tapestry of Persian architecture and celebrate its timeless beauty, intricate detail and cultural significance. From the majestic domes of mosques adorned with vibrant tile work to the imposing bazaar steeped in centuries of history, each photograph offers a glimpse into the architectural marvels that have shaped Persian culture. The exhibition provides an exploration of various architectural styles, showcasing the diversity and ingenuity of Persian craftsmanship.

A Zoom link will be provided to those who register through the events calendar at princetonlibrary.org.

“Smoke & Mirrors” Coming to Zimmerli Art Museum

This fall, viewers are invited to expand their understanding and perception of accessibility through “Smoke & Mirrors,” opening September 4 at the Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers University—New Brunswick. This major exhibition features the work of 14 artists with disabilities from across the globe who conceptualize access through humor, antagonism, transparency, and invisibility. The exhibition will run through December 22.

For the non-disabled museumgoer, visiting an art institution is likely an experience with few obstructions. For visitors with disabilities, however, wayfinding through a museum — not to mention, simply accessing the entrance — is challenging. And the barriers are often invisible.

Organized by guest curator Amanda Cachia, a prominent disability arts activist and scholar, this unprecedented exhibition showcases work by artists with disabilities, who are underrepresented in museums. It also encourages visitors with disabilities and their allies to become active participants in telling their own stories. more

“Monuments and Myths” at Michener Art Museum

“CORNELIA FANNING GAY”: This marble bust by Daniel Chester French is featured in “Monuments and Myths: The America of Sculptors Augustus Saint-Gaudens and Daniel Chester French,” on view through January 5 at the Michener Art Museum in Doylestown, Pa. (Photo by Bruce Schwartz)

The James A. Michener Art Museum in Doylestown, Pa., now presents “Monuments and Myths: The America of Sculptors Augustus Saint-Gaudens and Daniel Chester French,” the first exhibition to explore the intersecting careers and significance of two of America’s most preeminent sculptors of the Gilded Age. The exhibition is on view through January 5.

Daniel Chester French (1850–1931) and Augustus Saint-Gaudens (1848–1907) were friends and sometimes rivals who transformed sculpture in the U.S. They produced dozens of the nation’s most recognizable public artworks, including French’s Seated Abraham Lincoln in the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., and Saint-Gaudens’s Diana, which graced the top of Madison Square Garden in New York. more

Heading Back to her 2nd Olympics for U.S. Rowing, PU Grad Collins Aiming to Help Women’s 8 Make Podium

PULLING IT TOGETHER: Claire Collins, second from right with visor, shows her form while rowing for the U.S. women’s 8. Former Princeton University women’s open crew standout Collins ’19 will be competing in the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympics for the U.S. 8. It will mark the second appearance at the Olympics for Collins, who helped the U.S. 4 take seventh at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. (Photo by Row2K, provided courtesy of USA Rowing)

By Bill Alden

For Claire Collins, making the U.S. rowing team for the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 marked a career breakthrough.

“It was pretty eye-opening, it was also the first senior national team that I made,” said Collins, a 2019 Princeton University grad who helped the Tigers earn four Ivy League titles during her college career and won the Otto von Kienbusch award as Princeton’s top senior female athlete.

“I had done the junior national team, I had done the U23. The Olympic team in 2021 was my first senior national team. It was also a really valuable experience as my first race on that level so I was seeing what that level was like. All in all, I would say a lot learned and great experiences.” more

PHS Lax’s Kenah, Hun Softball’s Kobryn, PDS Lax’s Caputo Get the Nod as Town Topics’ Leading Spring Performers

ON POINT: Princeton High boys’ lacrosse player Patrick Kenah, left, races upfield in a game this spring during his senior campaign. Star attackman and Lafayette College commit Kenah tallied 108 points on 61 goals and 47 assists as he helped PHS go 11-8 and advance to the Mercer County Tournament final. Kenah ended up with 372 points in his Tiger career on 217 goals and 155 assists. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

As Patrick Kenah prepared for senior season with the Princeton High boys’ lacrosse team, he put his nose to the grindstone.

“This offseason was super crucial, I wanted to put in the work,” said Kenah. “I knew I needed to have a good season. I wanted to help the team and be a leader of this team. I think I have set myself up well to do that, and I have been put in a good position.”

Senior attackman and Lafayette College commit Kenah achieved that goal, triggering the PHS offense.

After tallying four points in a 15-4 opening day win over WW/P-North, Kenah exploded for nine points on five goals and four assists to help PHS defeat Hopewell Valley 17-11.

After a tough stretch in mid-April which saw PHS go 2-3, Kenah helped the Tigers get back on track with a 21-11 win over Notre Dame High under the lights at Mercer County Community College, piling up five goals and six assists. more

With its Roster Expanding to 50 Athletes, PDS Track Program Made Strides this Spring

SETTING THE PACE: Princeton Day School star runner Emily McCann competes in a cross country race during her stellar Panther career. The recently graduated McCann, a Northeastern University track and cross country commit, has been a driving force for the fledging PDS track program as it has grown by leaps and bounds over the last four seasons. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

From its humble start in 2021 as a club program with about 20 athletes that competed in some varsity meets, the Princeton Day School track and field squad has certainly picked up the pace.

This spring, the PDS varsity track team saw its roster swell to 50 with the Panthers finishing third in both the boys’ and girls’ team standings in the Prep B state championship meet. At the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Non-Public Group B championships, the PDS boys and girls each finished 10th in the team standings. The Panthers also sent two girls’ relay quartets to the Penn Relays. more

After Producing an Encouraging 2-Win Week, Post 218 Baseball Primed for Stretch Drive

NO QUIT: Princeton Post 218 American Legion baseball player Nano Sarceno launches the ball in recent action. Last Thursday, Princeton High rising senior Sarceno went 1 for 3 with one run to help Post 218 defeat Trenton Post 93/182 8-5. Princeton, now 2-13, plays at South Brunswick Post 401 on July 5, hosts Hamilton Post 31 on July 7, and then plays at Bordentown Post 26 on July 8. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Even as the losses piled up this summer for the Princeton Post 218 American Legion baseball team, Pete Nielsen never lost faith in his players.

“We have the ability,” said Post 218 manager Nielsen. “That has been my message throughout the whole season.”

After starting the 2024 season with 12 straight losses in Mercer County American Legion League (MCALL) action, Post 218 displayed its ability, posting a 13-9 win over Broad Street Post 313 on June 23. more

Jackson Reuniting with PHS Buddies, Starring for SpeedPro in Summer Hoops

By Bill Alden

For Jay Jackson, playing for the SpeedPro team in the Princeton Princeton Recreation Department Men’s Summer Basketball League this year has been a reunion tour.

Jackson, who went to Princeton High for three years and starred in football, basketball, and lacrosse before transferring to the Pennington School, was excited to team up with SpeedPro, which is comprised of recent PHS alums like Judd Petrone, Jack Suozzi, Matt Rinaldi, Brendan Rougas, and Tim Evidente.

“It has been awhile — I grew up with them and we have been playing for a while,” said Jackson, who graduated from Pennington in 2021 and has gone to play college lacrosse at Frostburg State University where he will be a senior this fall. “It is just being able to hang out with the guys on the court. It is nice to be able to get back out on the court with these guys.” more

Battling Hard at Eastern Regional Presidents Cup, Princeton FC United 15U Gained Valuable Experience

UNITED WAY: Members of the Princeton FC 2009 United 15U pose for a team photo as they took a break from competing in the United States Youth soccer (USYS) Eastern Regional Presidents Cup in Barboursville, W. Va., last month. PFC ended up going 1-1-1 in group play at the competition as they narrowly missed advancing to the semifinals of the tourney. Pictured in the front row, from left, are Griffin Short, Cesar Carrera, Anthony Morales, Dani Da Costa, Dani Ludewig, Oscar Klein, and Gregoire Stefani. In the back row, from left, are Michael Habingreither, Jason Lee, Kingston Lipsey, Macintyre Jerdonek, Michael Caceres, Rayyaan Mohiuddin, Riccardo Meloni, and Nicolas Savard. Not pictured are Simon Danos, Yash Thakur, David Gajewski, Vivaan Ravindran, and Raphael Borentain.

By Bill Alden

Coming off winning the New Jersey Youth Soccer (NJYS) Presidents Cup in May, the Princeton FC 2009 United 15U boys’ soccer team headed to the USYS Eastern Regional Presidents Cup 2024 in Barboursville, W. Va., in mid-June where they battled hard before getting knocked out in the group stage.

The draw for the regional put the United in the same group with two strong foes from Eastern Pennsylvania and Maryland.

PFC United opened the competition by facing the Southern Chester County Dragons, ranked fifth in the Eastern Pennsylvania region. United got off to a slow start, conceding three goals in the first half on the way to a 5-0 loss. more

Sharing Concerns About Bike Safety on Witherspoon Street

To the Editor:

It was a beautiful sunny day. I used my new multi-geared bike to travel from Bank Street to the hardware store in the Princeton Shopping Center. I decided to take the new Witherspoon Street with the “sharrows.” Because Witherspoon Street slopes downward to Valley Road, I was traveling along in the highest gear at a good clip.

Three cars came up behind me honking their horns and passed me at high speed over the two don’t pass lines, seemingly trying to cut me off. A fourth car also passed illegally and the driver gave me the finger, yelling out the window, “get the f— off the road.” What about “share the road” do they not understand?

If this continues, sooner or later someone is going to get seriously injured or killed on Witherspoon Street. For public safety, perhaps better signing, slower speed limits, police surveillance, or restricting all bicycles should be considered.

Tony Nelessen, PP, CNU, MArch UD
Emeritus Professor
Bank Street

Congratulations and Thanks to All Involved In Model Outcome on Prospect

To the Editor:

Three summers ago a notable controversy arose when the University proposed moving the former Court Clubhouse across Prospect Avenue and demolishing three old houses to accommodate it. The demolition would have meant the loss of some fine Queen Anne and Colonial Revival architecture, and the erasure of the tangible history of the houses as homes to two eating clubs and several important professors, including émigrés from Nazi Germany.

Last Tuesday the University presented exemplary plans to the Planning Board for the restoration of the three houses, including preserving historic exterior fabric, reconstructing missing historic components, and painting in historic colors. The University’s team of staff and consulting architects did a superb job studying existing features and researching historic sources. The preservation of the houses has also importantly saved seven apartments plus distinctive office space for the University. more

Obituaries 7/3/2024

Lucy Patterson Cox

Lucy Patterson Cox of West Tisbury, Mass., died peacefully on June 20, surrounded by family after a courageous battle with cancer. She was 69.

Born in Princeton, N.J., Lucy was the third child of the late Henry S. Patterson II and the late Suzanne Virden Patterson of Princeton, N.J. and West Tisbury.

She attended Stuart Country Day School, Mary C. Wheeler, and St. Mark’s School. She graduated from Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Conn., with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in communications.

Her love for Martha’s Vineyard began at a young age, when her mother brought her to the Island at two weeks old to spend time together in a special place — a place that would come to hold a large part of her heart. As a young girl, she learned to sail at the Vineyard Haven Yacht Club, race in regattas with children from Lambert’s Cove, play in the woods with friends in West Tisbury, and visit family on Chappaquiddick.

It was during this time she met a young boy from West Chop named Peter. Years later, in her 20s, while working at Poole’s Fish Market in Menemsha, she would look down the dock and lock eyes with that same boy, now a rugged sword-fisherman. Peter would go on to become her beloved husband of 38 years, and the father of their two beautiful daughters, Madeline and Kelsey.

After working in banking, she found a career advising young students at Sacred Heart University, starting in the career development office. For 12 years, she was senior associate director of athletics for Student-Athlete Support Services. She dedicated endless hours to advising student athletes, attending countless sporting events, and helping young students from across the world navigate the trials of adulthood.

In retirement, she moved to the Vineyard full time where she continued to influence the lives of many as a drug and alcohol counselor and recovery coach. She was an active board member for Vineyard House, the only sober living community on the Island. Her work with the sober community was one of her greatest passions. She helped so many and found so much joy in helping others find peace in their sobriety.

Her love of nature was evident in her long beach walks, often exploring with her grandchildren. She looked forward to the arrival of the Baltimore Orioles each year, and chased glimpses of the elusive snowy owl. Recently, she ventured further afield, to a new adventure, mudlarking along the Thames River in London.

Her endless talents and interests included founding MadKel designs, needle point, upholstery, ancestral research, card games, climbing Mayan ruins, decorating for Christmas, gardening, watching hockey, sewing, jewelry making, antiquing, and traveling and fishing with her husband, especially during the Derby, where one of her greatest accomplishments was winning biggest shore bass in 2019.

She was predeceased by her dear sister Abby Ann Patterson.

Lucy leaves an enormous legacy and is survived by her husband, Peter Cox; her two daughters, Madeline Giosa (née Cox) and Kelsey Crimmins Cox, and their spouses, Eric Giosa and Margaret Blair Cox; her two beloved grandchildren, Rocco and Lulu (Lucy) Giosa; her brothers, Henry S. Patterson III, his partner Jeanne Herb, her brother Michael V. Patterson Sr., his wife Meg Patterson, their children, Michael V. Patterson Jr. and Nina Henze (née Patterson) and their spouses Rachel Patterson and Christian Henze; her nephews Nicholas Cammann, his partner Anna Corrado, their children Henry and Luca Cammann, Cortlandt Cammann, his partner Tara Gayle; her darling niece Katharine Cammann and husband Michael Cadman. She is also survived by her cherished furry children, Raven and Leroy.

A celebration of life ceremony is planned for the fall.

June 26, 2024

Celebrating Pride

Despite the excessive heat, the annual Princeton Pride Parade, sponsored by the Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice (BRCSJ), made its way from the Municipal Building on Witherspoon Street to an After-Party at the Princeton YMCA on Saturday. (Photo courtesy of BRCSJ)

Triumph Brewery Set to Open This Weekend

POST OFFICE NO MORE: The Triumph Brewing Company, relocated to the former post office building on Palmer Square, will be reopening this weekend after years of planning, renovation, and reconstruction. The main entrance is located where the post office loading dock used to be, on the opposite side of the building from the old post office entrance. (Photo by Anthony Stull Photography)

By Donald Gilpin

The former post office on Palmer Square is ready for its long-awaited rebirth as the Triumph Brewing Company, with reopening scheduled for this weekend, according to Triumph representative Eric Nutt.

It’s been a difficult birthing process since a plan for renovating the old post office was first presented to the Princeton Planning Board in 2017, but Nutt urges the hungry, thirsty, and/or curious to watch the triumphbrewing.com website for details about the reopening. It could be this Friday, he hinted, but certainly by the last day of the month on Sunday. more

Transit Study and Sewer Improvements Approved by Council

By Anne Levin

A comprehensive community transit program study, focused on how the routes of Princeton’s mini buses can be more effectively used, was approved by Princeton Council at a meeting on Monday, June 24. A resolution to retain Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates Inc., which the town has utilized in the past, was unanimously approved by the governing body.

The idea has been in the works for several years. The goal is to design a program pairing Princeton’s free Muni transit with services “not currently utilized in order to maximize access for all Princeton residents,” Deputy Administrator Deanna Stockton wrote in a memo to Council on June 18. “Consideration will be given to optimize service connections with Princeton University’s Tiger Transit.” more

Opportunities Abound to Celebrate America’s 248th Anniversary

By Anne Levin

With July 4 falling on a Thursday this year, celebrations of the holiday are being stretched into something more substantial than the traditional three-day weekend. In fact, the lead-up to Independence Day has been building, both locally and beyond, since Juneteenth observances were held a few weeks ago.

From fireworks in Skillman on Thursday, June 26 to a public reading of the Declaration of Independence in Trenton on Monday, July 8 — the site, day, and time where it was first read in 1776 — there are many opportunities to celebrate the anniversary of the American colonies’ official separation from Great Britain 248 years ago. more