2017-12-15 Hillsborough Beacon

TIMEOFF

COMMUNITY

He does want to go home

A call for holiday photos

Steven Van Zandt wraps the ‘Soulfire’ tour at the Count Basie Theatre. Plus: Review of ‘A Christmas Carol’ at McCarter.

Does your family decorate for the holidays? E-mail photos to amartins@centraljersey.com by 12/19 to be featured.

VOL. 61, NO. 50

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Friday, December 15, 2017

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McCauley, Ferrera absolved by township ethics board

By Andrew Martins Managing Editor

An ethics complaint filed against Committeewoman Gloria McCauley and Business Administrator Anthony Ferrera was recently thrown out by the Hillsborough Township Ethical Standards Board after its members ruled that neither party was guilty of any impropriety.

The decision came during the board’s first meeting in years on Saturday, Dec. 9.

The meeting was called solely to discuss a petition filed by a group of residents, which asserted

that McCauley had facilitated, and accepted a commission for, the sale of Ferrera’s home in the same year that the committee voted to increase the business administrator’s annual salary by 5.45 percent. Those actions, the complaint alleges, are the makings of a quidpro-quo.

According to the complaint, those actions violated aspects of N.J.S.A. 40A:9-22.5, which states that “no local government officer or employee or member of his immediate family shall have an interest in a business organization or engage in business transaction, or professional activity, which is in

substantial conflict with the proper discharge of his duties in the public interest.”

“We want the township committee to know the ethics rules and to comply with them,” Roger Koch, one of the signatories on the complaint, said at the meeting.

A second complaint against Committeeman Greg Burchette was not heard by the township’s ethics board, since it is currently being dealt with at the Superior Court level.

Prior to the start of the meeting, Koch called upon the ethics board to recuse itself from the hearing, since all five of its mem-

bers were appointed by the township committee. He also pointed to previous comments made by Township Attorney William Willard that called the complaint an “unsubstantiated partisan attack,” stating that the attorney’s assertion could have created some prejudicial notions within the board.

Ethics Board member Steven Cohen called the call for recusal “nonsense.”

“Everyone has been striving 100 percent to being ethical and fair and not to prejudge. If you don’t think we have been, you have the right to appeal,” Cohen

said.

Ethics Board Chairman Abed Medawar echoed those sentiments, stating that the board aimed to be fair and ethically sound, despite the fact that “there are relationships...that exist between board members and different people on the township committee.”

“We don’t feel that that takes away our impartiality at this time,” Medawar said. “We believe we can compartmentalize these issues and we believe we can look at them on their own merits.”

See ETHICS, Page 3A

District introduces new substance abuse policies

By Andrew Martins Managing Editor

The Hillsborough Township Board of Education recently introduced a trio of drug policy changes that would not only take aim at vaping on school grounds, but also address some drug and alcohol concerns as well.

Superintendent Dr. Jorden Schiff said the proposed policies were needed in order to dissuade drug and alcohol use by students, and a way to keep up with modern drug use trends.

“We’ve been working very hard on developing new policies and procedures in particular for vaping,” he said. “As we continue our work educating our teachers, parents and teachers, we feel that this will have a positive effect on reducing vaping in our schools.”

According to the first of the proposed policies, the district could soon reclassify vaping devices as pieces of drug paraphernalia since they “can be used to deliver illicit drugs,” Schiff said.

Under the district’s current regulations, all vaping and e-cigarette devices are considered tobacco products.

If passed, the new policy would place vaping devices in the same category as pipes, rolling paper and hypodermic needles.

Board member Judith Haas said the district is also looking to work with the Hillsborough Township Police Department to help crack down on vaping devices on school property.

“According to the police department, vaping is included in the township’s smoking in public ordinance, so they can issue summonses without further legislation,” she said.

A second policy proposed on Monday establishes guidelines for how school employees can administer “opioid antagonists” like naloxone, which is commonly referred to as “narcan.”

Under the policy, school nurses are permitted to use naloxone to any “student, school personnel or other person believed to be experiencing an opioid overdose during school hours or during on-site school-sponsored activities.”

Once a school principal or supervising staff member learns of a potential overdose taking place on the premises, the policy requires that they immediate call 911. In the event that the nurse isn’t already handling the situation, the principal is also required to contact the nurse immediately.

The parent of any student or a family member for school staff member will be contacted “as soon as practicable.” The superintendent will also be notified.

Under the state’s “Overdose Prevention Act,” neither the district, nor the nurse, nor the administration will be liable to any litigation as a result of administering naloxone.

The third proposed policy will allow the district to use handheld breathalyzers to determine whether students are under the influence of alcohol before, during and after school functions, such as athletic events, dances and class trips.

Though the devices will allow staff members to see a student’s blood alcohol content level, the policy states that it does not “replace reasonable suspicion testing, random testing” or other methods.

If a breathalyzer test comes back positive, the student in question

Photo by Scott Jacobs

Christmas has landed Two weeks before his annual present delivery trip around the world, Santa Claus stopped by the Central Jersey Regional Airport in Hillsborogh on Dec. 10 to give out some gifts and participate in a holiday party.

Staff honored for saving pupil

By Andrew Martins Managing Editor

Two staff members at Sunnymead Elementary School were honored during the latest Hillsborough Township Board of Education meeting for their actions during an incident last month that saved a student’s life.

Academic Skills Instructor Kitty Ward and school nurse Susanne Yurcisin were presented with certificates of appreciation from the school board on Monday for springing into action while a See POLICIES, Page 6A third grader was choking.

According to Superintendent Dr. Jorden Schiff, the incident took place during the morning snack on the morning of November 15. As the students were eating, one began choking on their food. Having received training on what to do when such a situation arose, Schiff said Ward went to the child and began performing the Heimlich Maneuver.

It was at that time that Yurcisin was across the hallway when she heard a commotion coming from the classroom, as children became increasingly worried for the well-

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being of their fellow classmate.

Schiff said the nurse rushed to the student’s aid and continued performing the Heimlich Maneuver, ultimately resulting in the food getting dislodged from the student’s throat.

The superintendent said the two women were able to save the child’s life and that the pupil is doing well as a result.

“We are all aware of the fantastic teaching that goes on in our classrooms everyday, but many of us overlook the additional care See SAVIORS, Page 3A

Call us Movie Times . . . . . . . . . . . 4B Senior Corner. . . . . . . . . . . 6A Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7A

News: (609) 924-3244 Classified: (609) 924-3250 Advertising: (609) 924-3244 To subscribe: (215) 354-3146

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Friday, December 15, 2017

CALENDAR Fire Department toy drive

Free holiday concert

December - The 2017 Toy Drive is underway and will run through December 20. Drop boxes have been placed at local business throughout the township to collect a new unwrapped gift for a child in need. All items collected are provided to the Hillsborough Township, Office of Social Services to be distributed to local families.

Boxes are located at the following businesses: Hillsborough Racquet Ball & Fitness Club, Kohl’s, Applebee’s, Century 21 Worden & Green, Amwell Auto & Tire (Firestone), ERA Realty, Staples, IHOP, JK Design, Planet Fitness, Provident Bank, Municipal Building and Hillsborough Fire Co. #2.

For more details you can check in at our web site at www.hillsboroughfireco2.co m.

Sun. Dec. 17 - Hillsborough residents are invited to celebrate the holiday season at a free concert by the acclaimed Raritan Valley Symphonic Band on Sunday, Dec. 17, 3 p.m.at the Bridgewater-Raritan High School auditorium.

The concert’s theme is ‘Tis the Season To Have Fun and it will feature traditional holiday music and more.

The 80 piece Raritan Valley Symphonic Band is one of New Jersey’s premier, volunteer musical groups. Founded over 30 years ago by Hillsborough resident Dr. Anthony Isch, today it includes professional musicians, music educators, and serious amateurs from Somerset County and beyond.

Further information about the Band and the upcoming concert can be obtained at rsvb.org.

Charlotte’s Web

Fri. Dec. 15 - Sun. Dec. 17 - The Hillsborough Middle School Drama Club will present Charlotte’s Web. Performances will be at Hillsborough Middle School during the following dates and times: Friday, Dec. 15 at 7 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 16 at 7 p.m.; Sunday, Dec. 17 at 12 p.m.

Clover Hill Reformed Church Sun. Dec. 17 - The Clover Hill Reformed Church Worship and Sunday School will be at 10:00 am, on Third Sunday of Advent, December 17. Our sermon, based upon Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11 and John 1:6-9, 19-28, will be entitled “Preparation.”

The Clover Hill Reformed Church will be holding a Blue Christmas Service on Thursday, December 21, beginning at 7:30 p.m. Blue Christmas Service is held on the winter solstice, the darkest day of the year, and it is centered around the fact that the holidays are not always

joyful and happy for people.

For many it is the darkest time of the year in more ways than sunlight as they struggle with grief and loss, living with uncertainty in relation to jobs or health, and anxiety. A Blue Christmas service takes the time to acknowledge these realities and focuses on hope that the darkness does not last forever. As the night it is celebrated on is darkest of the year, that means that the next day is going to be just a little brighter. All are welcome.

The Clover Hill Reformed Church Christmas Eve Worship services will be at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, December 24.

Our services will be of carols and candles and the sermon, based upon Isaiah 52:7-10, Luke 1:26-38, Luke 1:46-55, Luke 2:1-7, Luke 2:8-20 and John 1:15, will be entitled “Good News for the Poor.”

The Clover Hill Reformed Church is located at 890 Amwell Road, Hillsborough, in the historic village of Clover Hill. Since 1834 we have been providing worship, education, fellowship and mission opportunities for individuals and families in Somerset and Hunterdon Counties.

For more information, please call 908-369-8451 or visit our website at www.cloverhillchurch.org.

Battle of Princeton talk Thurs. Jan. 4 - On Thursday, January 4, at 7 p.m., the Historical Society of Princeton will host local author Larry Kidder for a lecture in conjunction with the anniversary of the Battle of Princeton.

The story of Trenton in

the American Revolution is much more than just the two battles that preceded, and led to, the Battle of Princeton. The town played several military and political roles throughout the war and, due to its geographic location, became a crossroads of the Revolution.

Author Larry Kidder will examine those roles and how the stories of Trenton and Princeton were closely entwined throughout the war for independence.

Admission is free, but reservations are requested as space is limited: visit princetonhistory.org or call (609) 921-6748 x102.

Slavic dinner Wed. Jan. 10 - St. Mary Byzantine Catholic Church will sponsor the Slavic Dinner on Wednesday, December 13, from 4 to 7 p.m. The dinner will be held in the St. Mary Parish Center, 1900 Brooks Boulevard, Hillsborough. The cost is $15 for adults (ages 9 and up) and $5 for children (8 and under) and includes all you can eat pirohi, stuffed cabbage, kielbasa and sauerkraut, mashed potatoes, salad, dessert and beverage.

Each month a special entrée will be specially selected and prepared by St. Mary’s chef John Pagano.

Dinners are held on the second Wednesday of every month throughout the year.

Orders to go are available. For more information contact: St. Mary’s at 908725-0615.

NJ Devils Hillsborough Night Sat. Jan. 13 - The “My Town” Series Program, now in it’s fourth year, highlights New Jersey towns during

National Hockey League games played at the Prudential Center in Newark.

This is a great event open to all ages. Tickets and Group Packages will be on sale for township residents who would like to attend.

The Hillsborough Police Department will present the Honor Guard at the beginning of the game. Hillsborough Township will be recognized throughout the game, including a group welcome on the scoreboard.

Following the game, Hillsborough residents will be invited to the ice for a postgame photo! In addition, January 13tis Chico Resch mini-stick night honoring former Devil and current color commentator Glenn “Chico” Resch. The first 9,000 fans in attendance will receive a commemorative mini stick.

Tickets are available for purchase at https://groupmatics.events/event/hillsboroughmytown

Neshanic Garden Club meeting The Neshanic Garden Club will hold its regular monthly meeting at 9:45 a.m. on Thursday, January 25, at the Station House on Olive Street in Neshanic Station.

The program this month will be “Ohhhh, My Aching Back: Gardening Techniques as We Age”, presented by Mary Anne McMillian. Mary Anne is the volunteer program coordinator at Rutgers Gardens, and graduate from the Horticultural Therapy program at the New York Botanic Gardens. She will show specialized techniques that will allow people to continue to garden as they age.

The program will include scaling back, using lower maintenance plants, labor saving techniques and use of adaptive tools, raised beds and containers.

Bring a bag lunch.

Dessert and beverage only will be served at 12:00 p.m.

Prospective members are encouraged to attend.

For further information about club meetings, please contact either club co president, Cathy Heuschkel at 908-359-6881 or Kathy Herrington at 908-3596835. For more information regarding the club, you can visit us at www.neshanicgardenclub.org and like us on Facebook.

2018 Cupid’s Chase

Sat. Feb. 10 - Community Options, Inc. invites runners, walkers, and rollers (baby strollers and wheelchairs) to help make difference in the lives of people with disabilities by participating in their annual Cupid’s Chase 5K. Finisher medals guaranteed while supplies last.

Limited Edition Cupid’s Chase shirts will be first come, first served on race day if you do not register by December 31.

Not a fan of the cold weather?

Instead of bundling up, cuddle up with your sweetheart and support people with disabilities. For more information, please e m a i l cupidschase@comop.org.

Send items to amartins@centraljersey.co m or fax to 609-924-3842.

The deadline for submissions each week is 3 p.m. on Friday. For details, call 609-874-2163.

Friday, December 15, 2017

Hillsborough Beacon

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3A

Ethics Continued from Page 1A

After determining that the board was able to continue without the need to recuse itself from the issue at hand, Mayor Carl Suraci approached the board to provide his take on the complaint and to defend his colleagues on the governing body.

“I have known Committeewoman McCauley for a little over 10 years...I find Gloria McCauley the most trustworthy, ethical person with no ulterior motives and I have no reason not to trust her,” he said.

The mayor also said that regardless of the real estate transaction, which he said took place well after the vote to increase Ferrera’s salary, the committee would have voted to approve the salary adjustments.

Each year, the township

committee votes on annual salary rates for every municipal employee. In Ferrera’s case, Willard previously stated that his larger than average increase in pay stemmed from the fact that he serves as the township’s administrator, deputy clerk, ADA director and deputy zoning officer.

“These [salary increases] were not out of line,” Suraci said. “You do try to remain competitive with salaries in the area because you don’t want to lose good people.”

Suraci also called into question the real motive behind the complaint, echoing Willard’s previous sentiments that the ethics filing was a “character assassination attempt” by Democrats within the township looking to damage McCauley politically just weeks before her reelection to the

committee last month.

While Koch did not deny that there may have been some “political overtones” within the complaint, he stressed that there was more to it than an attempt to discredit a Republican candidate.

“The Democrats in this town felt that the all-Republican township committee was unchecked ethically. There was no one amongst that board who would call another member to task when they acted unethically,” Koch said.

“They’re not all Democrats on that list...I don’t see anything wrong in the two party system if the Democrats bring a complaint against a party that’s in charge.”

Despite the ethics charge, McCauley won reelection with her running mate, Republican Doug

only saved by the actions of Ward and Yurcisin, but also by the district’s effort to ensure all personnel are trained with such situations in mind.

“Having a positive outcome in an emergency takes knowledge, skill and importantly, planning. All of our school nurses use their leadership skills and knowledge to educate and prepare staff for sudden health emergencies,” she said. “I want to emphasize that the district has made an investment by ensuring that we have highly qualified school nurses that support the health and safety of all of our students.”

Dr. Tammy Jenkins, the principal at Sunnymead El-

ementary School, said the district was “so fortunate to have such professionals” in its halls.

Jenkins also thanked the efforts of other staff members who came to the classroom to help, including staff counselors to help calm the other students.

“It’s just so nice to see teamwork happening and as Mrs. Borek said, the work that the district has done in making sure that everyone is properly trained and prepared for emergencies,,” Jenkins said. “I’m just so excited that we had a positive outcome in a potentially scary situation...we are very fortunate.”

Saviors Continued from Page 1A

that our staff so often provides to our students,” he said.

“Thanks to [their] quick actions...the student’s life that was saved on November 15th and on behalf of the board of education and district administration, I want to express my deepest gratitude to these amazing educators and school nurse.”

As the two women received their certificates, the packed crowd at the Auten Road Intermediate School cafetorium gave them a standing ovation.

Lorraine Borek, the district’s nursing supervisor, said the child’s life was not

Tomson, who garnered 6,150 and 6,232 votes respectively on Nov. 7. By contrast, their Democrat counterparts Jane Staats and Harrison “Harry” Burke received 5,601 votes and 5,392 votes, respectively.

On Monday, Ferrera said the board’s decision vindicated himself and McCauley, stating that he has “always worked, not out of self-interest, but for the betterment of the Hillsborough community and township.”

“To suggest there was a connection between my 2017 salary adjustment and the subsequent listing of my home with Committeewoman McCauley was simply untrue,” Ferrera said. “I am extremely disappointed the opposing party chose to impugn my character with the filing of

a frivolous ethics complaint just prior to the election for political gain. We see this type of politics on the national and state level, but it is particularly disheartening to see it at the local municipal level.”

McCauley said she was confident that she and Ferrera would be cleared of any malfeasance.

“I am extremely disappointed that this frivolous ethics charge, which was partisan politics at its lowest, was brought into Hillsborough by the local Democrats,” she said.

“While I am clearly pleased with the decision of the local ethics board, which completely exonerated me, I knew that I did not do anything wrong and therefore, I was confident it would come to that decision.”

BONDED & INSURED

McCauley called the complaint an attempt by the township’s Democrats to “assassinate my character as a means of impacting a local election.”

“I am very grateful to the voters of Hillsborough for seeing through this partisan attack and ensuring that the strong Republican leadership in Hillsborough will continue,” she said.

Koch said on Tuesday that he and his fellow complainants intend to file an appeal based on what he called a “lack of impartiality of the board members and their lawyer Eric Bernstein’s office,” as well as a number of perceived errors in the board’s reasons for their determination.

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THE STATE WE’RE IN

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Friday, December 15, 2017

By Michele S. Byers

A green agenda for Governor-elect Phil Murphy

With a new governor taking office in January, New Jersey has a great opportunity to regain its national environmental leadership role.

On the campaign trail, Governor-elect Murphy pledged strong support for the environment, a “green economy” boosted by clean energy jobs, and a renewed emphasis on climate change.

The time to act is now. The Governor-elect will inherit a small but diverse state with both the nation’s highest population density and the highest number of Superfund sites. Ensuring clean water, clean air, healthy communities, parks and open spaces, fresh locally grown food, and protected wild places and rare species - all in the face of budget limitations and climate change - is a big challenge.

One hoped-for move will be New Jersey rejoining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a collaborative of northeastern states working to reduce carbon emissions. New Jersey was pulled out of RGGI in 2011.

Governor-elect Murphy has pledged to update the state’s Energy Master Plan to set New Jersey on a path

www.hillsboroughbeacon.com 421 Route 206 Hillsborough, NJ 08844 Bernard Kilgore, Group Publisher 1955-1967 Mary Louise Kilgore Beilman, Board Chairman 1967-2005 James B. Kilgore, Publisher, 1980-2016

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to 100 percent clean energy by 2050. To achieve this goal, New Jersey must encourage the continued growth of solar energy and tap its vast potential to generate electricity from appropriately-sited offshore wind.

More top priorities for the Governor-elect: Water infrastructure repairs and restoration New Jersey must modernize and repair its aging water pipes, essential systems that deliver drinking water, remove and treat sewage, and take stormwater off streets.

The problem is especially serious in 21 of the state’s oldest cities, where “combined” sewage and stormwater systems are prone to backups and overflows, putting public health in jeopardy. This critical undertaking will also produce lots of jobs.

Energy and Pipelines - New Jersey is awash in proposals for new gas and oil pipelines. These massive linear developments pose serious risks to our water and air, and to the health and safety of communities.

Pipelines increase the state’s reliance on the fossil fuels that contribute to climate change, and would undermine the state’s ability to achieve 100 percent clean energy, a goal set by Governor-elect Murphy. Our new governor should use the state’s full authority under the Clean Water Act when reviewing proposed pipelines - and reject projects that do not meet its standards.

The Jersey Coast - Superstorm Sandy’s legacy made it clear that New Jersey must prepare for future storms and rising seas along the New Jersey shore and Delaware Bay coastline. An expected sea level rise of between 1 and 2.8 feet by 2050 will amplify the impact of storms and potentially engulf tens of thousands of homes and businesses. Decades ago, Gov. Thomas Kean called for a plan to oversee coastal development.

This should be a top priority for the new governor.

Reinvigorate the NJ Department of Environmental Protection - In recent years, the NJDEP has lost funding and staffing is below 1990 levels, while environmental protection issues have become more complex. The DEP’s mission is to protect our water, air, environment, health and public lands, but its capacity to do so, as well as staff morale, have been compromised.

Important regulations to protect resources have been weakened. Our new governor should make wholehearted implementation of NJDEP‘s critical mission a top priority, starting with appointing a new commissioner with the commitment essential to make this happen.

Special Places that Protect our Water: the High-

lands and Pinelands - Our state’s flagship regional planning laws and plans need support. Governor-elect Murphy can make an enormous contribution to water quality, water supply, open space preservation and quality of life by ensuring that all new appointees to the Pinelands Commission and Highlands Council support and will defend the missions of these superb planning agencies.

Open Space - New Jersey’s open space and farmland protection programs have enjoyed tremendous popularity and success in recent decades, but much more land needs protection. And the state and other agencies must do more to protect New Jersey’s outstanding natural heritage, including our forests and “wildlands” and the rare plants and animals that inhabit them.

Rare species are declining and critical ecosystems are disappearing due to human-caused stresses, climate change, sprawl, forest fragmentation, lack of comprehensive management planning, overabundant deer, invasive species, rising sea level, storms, erosion, and diversions of parkland to nonpark uses. Illegal off-road vehicle use on public lands is rampant and damaging key habitats. Programs to protect rare animals, plants and habitats on public lands need bolstering.

Finally, it’s equally important to focus on urban parks to ensure that all residents of New Jersey can walk out their front doors and access safe parks and trails.

Together, these priorities make for a tall order but they are essential to ensure a healthy future for both our environment and our economy.

For a complete and comprehensive set of recommendations for the new governor, see “Environmental Agenda ‘18: New Jersey’s Conservation Roadmap,” which was developed by the New Jersey League of Conservation Voters in partnership with nearly 30 environmental groups. To view the report, go to www.njlcv.org/sites/default/files/news/ EnvironmentalAgenda%2718.pdf.

And to learn more about preserving New Jersey’s land and natural resources, visit the New Jersey Conservation Foundation website at www.njconservation.org or contact me at info@njconservation.org.

Michele S. Byers is executive director of the New Jersey Conservation Foundation in Morristown.

COLLEGE CONNECTION

Get a second chance at ‘early decision’ Legal Notices NOTICE OF ANNUAL ELECTION FOR THE COMMISSIONERS OF FIRE DISTRICT NO. 1 IN THE TOWNSHIP OF HILLSBOROUGH, COUNTY OF SOMERSET ________________________________________________

NOTICE is hereby given that the Commissioners of Fire District No. 1 in the Township of Hillsborough, County of Somerset, shall ask the legal voters of said fire district on Saturday, February 17, 2018, between the hours of 2:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. or longer if necessary, to approve or disapprove of the proposed 2018 Annual Budget. Said voting shall take place at the Hillsborough Municipal Building, 379 South Branch Road, Hillsborough NJ 08844.

The legal voters of said fire district shall also be asked to elect two (2) Commissioner(s) to said Board of Fire Commissioners for a three (3) year term.

The closing date for the filing of Petitions of Nominations to the Secretary of the Board relative to candidacy for said term shall be January 19, 2018. All nomination petitions may be obtained from the Hillsborough Bureau of Fire Safety, 379 South Branch Road, Hillsborough NJ 08844, County of Somerset.

John Lazorchak, Clerk The Commissioners of Fire District No. 1 Township of Hillsborough HB, 1x, 12/15/17 Fee: $22.32 NOTICE OF DECISION HILLSBOROUGH TOWNSHIP BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT

The Hillsborough Township Board of Adjustment held a public meeting on Wednesday December 6, 2017 at 7:30 p.m. in the Courtroom of the Municipal Complex, at which time the following Resolutions were memorialized: Steven POTAMIS and Nonna AKOPYAN – File #BA-17-09 – Applicant GRANTED ‘c’ bulk Variance for relief from Maximum Impervious Coverage (39.47% approved where 30% permitted) to construct a hardscape patio on property known as Block 180.09, Lot 62 on the Hillsborough Township Tax Maps, located at 39 Boehm Way in the AG District, with conditions.

Chad and Kelly CORNER – File #BA-17-14 – Applicant GRANTED ‘c’ Bulk Variance for relief from Maximum Impervious Coverage (19.6% approved where 15% permitted) to construct a one-story addition to an existing residential dwelling on property known as Block 183.01, Lot 63 on the Hillsborough Township Tax Maps, located at 51 Anne Street in the R District, with conditions.

Praveer MISRA (TJC Development) – File #BA-17-05 – Applicant GRANTED ‘c’ Bulk Variance for relief from Maximum Impervious Coverage (16.84% approved where 15% permitted) to construct a single family house, paved driveway, and concrete walk on property known as Block 207.01, Lot 107.08 on the Hillsborough Township Tax Maps, located at 21 Jamieson Way in the R District, with conditions.

The above-referenced Resolution has been filed in the Planning and Zoning Office of the Municipal Complex, The Peter J. Biondi Building, 379 South Branch Road, Hillsborough, NJ, and is available for public inspection during the regular business hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

David K. Maski, PP, AICP Board of Adjustment Secretary

HB, 1x, 12/15/17 Fee: $ 32.55

College bound students who have recently identified their top choice college may want to take advantage of approaching Early Decision II deadlines to increase their chances of acceptance. Early Decision II is also beneficial for students who applied to a college Early Decision I, and were either turned down or wait-listed.

Early Decision applicants usually have a considerable advantage over regular applicants because they guarantee the college that they will attend, if accepted.

(Financial strain is the only exception.) Since most high school students typically apply to several colleges, it’s extremely helpful to colleges to identify those students who will definitely enroll - and pay tuition - if accepted.

Students who applied to a college Early Decision I, meeting a November 1 or 15 application deadline, are hearing back right around now - in mid-December - as to whether or not they were accepted. Good news can make the holidays a joyful time as families celebrate that the anxiety-ridden college application process is over.

But often times students who apply Early Decision I are wait-listed, or deferred, by the college. This means that their application has been put in the pool with all applicants and they will be notified by the regular notification date, which is typically April 1. Students who are wait-listed are no longer bound to attend the college, even if accepted later on.

The good news for many students is that many col-

leges offer Early Decision II, with a January application deadline and notification in February - close to two months prior to the typical April 1 college response date.

New Jersey colleges that offer an Early Decision II option are: The College of New Jersey, Stevens Institute of Technology, Ramapo College and Drew University.

Colleges popular with New Jersey students in nearby states that offer Early Decision II include: New York University (NYU), Syracuse, Columbia and Fordham universities in New York, Quinnipiac and Fairfield universities in Connecticut, Johns Hopkins and Loyola universities in Maryland, American and George Washington universities in Washington D.C., and Lehigh, Bucknell, and Drexel universities and Lafayette, Gettysburg and Franklin & Marshall colleges in Pennsylvania.

While it’s great to get good news early, and enticing to get off the college admissions carousel, students should recognize that they are making a binding commitment and only apply Early Decision to a college that is truly the college of their dreams.

Susan Alaimo is the founder and director of SAT Smart in Hillsborough that has been offering PSAT, SAT, and ACT preparation courses, as well as private tutoring by Ivy League educated instructors, for 25 years. Visit www.SATsmart.com.

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Friday, December 15, 2017

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HAPPY HOLIDAYS

From Lewis Voorhees and Family

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5A

6A Hillsborough Beacon

www.hillsboroughbeacon.com

Friday, December 15, 2017

HILLSBOROUGH SENIOR CORNER CHAPTER A

CHAPTER B

At our general meeting on January 4, we will start an exciting new year with Chinese Folk Dancers performing. On February 1, there will be a fashion show.

Trips & Programs We are featuring our wonderful trip to the Golden Isles of Georgia from April 15-21. Guided tour of beautiful and historic sites in Georgia and South Carolina: Jekyll Island tram tour and mansions, Beaufort, St. Simons Island and lighthouse, Savannah with a harbor cruise, theatre show, mansion and museums. Seven days, nine meals. Cost $1,259 double includes gratuities. Depart from the Hillsborough Municipal Building. at 7:30 a.m.

Tues. Jan. 2 - Book Club will meet at 2 p.m. in the Senior Activity Room. Attendees will share a report of their latest reading.

Thurs. Feb. 22 - Sands Casino in Bethlehem, Penn. Bus pickup local at 10 a.m. Five hour stay. Tickets are $30 and come with $35 for slots. Lunch on your own.

Wed. Mar. 7 - Philadelphia Flower Show - “Wonders of the Waters.” Lunch at Spasso Italian Grill, admission to show. Cost $90. Depart 10:30 a.m.; return approximately 9:30 p.m.

Sat. Mar. 17 - Hunterdon Hills “Irish Show,” a musical.

Show, lunch, desserts. Cost $65. Depart Lowes at 10:30 a.m.

Wed., May 16 - Broadway matinee of “A Bronx Tale” with lunch at Casa di Napoli is filled. We are taking waitlist only. Final payment is due by April 5.

Maritime Canada Coastal Wonders - with all its rugged and pristine beauty. Aug. 22 to Sept. 1, 2018. See Halifax, Peggy’s Cove, Cape Breton, Cabot Trail, Prince Edward Island, Anne of Green Gables, Hopewell Rocks, Bay of Fundy and Lunenburg. This Collette trip includes hometown pickup, airfare Newark to/from Halifax, 10 nights in top hotels, 16 meals. Cost - $3,749, double.

For information on any of our upcoming trips, call Diana Reinhardt at 908-369-4362. Â News & Notes All Hillsborough seniors age 60 and older are invited to join Chapter A. Younger spouses of seniors are also eligible for membership. Dues are $5 a year and new members may join at any meeting. Call Dorrie Guarniero at 908-334-8091 with questions.

General meetings are held on the first Thursday of each month unless otherwise announced. Executive Board meetings are held on the fourth Wednesday of every month, unless otherwise noted.

On meeting days, doors open at 11:30 a.m., allowing time to review upcoming events and make reservations. Refreshments are available when doors open and after the meeting.

Help our Food Bank by bringing an item to each meeting. The suggestion box is available at each meeting.

Visit us at www.HillsboroughSeniorsChapterA.webs.com. Â — Gene Reinhardt Publicity Chairperson

The next monthly meeting will be held Jan. 11. At regular meetings, doors open at 10:30 a.m. for members to buy tickets for future trips and other events. You can bring a bag lunch if you want. Coffee and tea will be provided.

At regular meetings, business meetings start at noon.

Doors to the activity room open at 10:45 a.m., while the multi-purpose room will open at 11:30 a.m.

New members will be welcomed at January 11, 2018 meeting.

Tickets for all special events will only be sold at monthly meetings before the event. They include the following: spring luncheon, June celebration, June anniversary (every five years), fall luncheon and holiday party.

The next bingo will be held in February. Doors will open at 11:30. Cost is $3.00 for one double card, $5.00 for two; this includes lunch with two hot dogs, chips, a drink, and a dessert, along with prizes and surprises.

If you have a new email address or want to be added to Club B’s email list, see Ralph Fariello at the next meeting.

Activities and Trips December 29: Stony Hill Inn in Hackensack. Year End Celebration. Tickets are $88. Family style lunch, music, dancing, two drink vouchers and more.

Trips in 2018: Save these dates. Signups will take place in January and February with details to follow: Doolan’s, Spring Lake - March 16 Martin Guitar Factory, Nazareth, Penn. - April 24 Ocean City, Md - May 6-8 If you want to bring a friend on any overnight trip, they do not have to be a club member. If any trips are sold out, you may call to add your name to a waiting list. On all trips, you should bring photo ID and health insurance card(s).

— Chickie Haines Call 908-874-3231 SENIOR ROOM In the Senior Activity Room, shuffleboard, pool table, darts and ping pong are available for all Hillsborough sen-

iors to use in the first and largest area. Cards and games are played in the middle area. Computers are in the third area for your use and enjoyment.

Monday: Knitting, crocheting and needlepoint from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Tuesday: Bridge, pinochle and other card games Wednesday: Mah jongg from noon to 4 p.m. Canasta from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Thursday: Bridge from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Friday: Mah jongg from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

SOMERSET COUNTY SENIOR WELLNESS CENTER

Center schedule: December 15, 22 & 29 - Board Game Gathering, 9:30 a.m. Come join the fun and connect with new friends. A variety of familiar and fun board games are at the center. Join us as we play games, converse and enjoy a good time.

December 15 - The Most Unique Holiday Traditions from Around the World. Have you ever wondered how the rest of the world celebrates the holidays? We will explore some of the most unique traditions from all over the world.

Some will make sense and others will be completely bizarre.

December 18 - “Seasonal Holiday Mocktails” by Samantha Nunzio, Registered Dietitian, ShopRite/Wakefern, 10:30 - 11:30 a.m. Enjoy fun, festive and healthy holiday mocktails with Sam. Sam will show us how to make drinks for the holidays that have tons of flavor using healthy ingredients. Setting a healthy holiday table gets even easier with these tasty options. As always, Sam will bring samples for all.

December 18 - Scrabble Friends, 9:30 a.m. Enjoy a friendly game of scrabble; with sufficient interest, we may plan opportunities for members to compete with other area scrabble clubs.

Policies Continued from Page 1A will be subjected to a second test. If found positive after the second test, they will be reported to the building principal and will be dealt with in accordance with existing substance abuse rules.

Much of the discussion during the more than threehour meeting on Monday between the school board and the parents and community members in attendance

dealt with drug use among the district’s student body. “[These changes] will send a clear message that this will not be tolerated in our schools,” Haas said.

Though the proposed policy changes came after weeks of criticism and push back from parents and community members who questioned whether the district was doing enough to combat drug use among the student body, Schiff said additional changes will be

coming in the near future to take a harder stance on substance abuse.

Some of the changes include altering the district’s code of conduct to change the punishment for possession of a vaping device from a Saturday detention to an in-school suspension.

He also said the district is looking into teaming up with law enforcement to issue tickets for students who bring a vaping device to school, with tickets rang-

ing from $250 for the first offense to $1,000 for third offense.

“What we have found, is when we used to do this years ago for cigarette smoking on campus, we saw a significant decline in those behaviors after we issued summons,” Schiff said. “We hope and we anticipate that that’s what we’re going to see again as well.”

Friday, December 15, 2017

Hillsborough Beacon

www.hillsboroughbeacon.com

7A

AT THE LIBRARY

The Hillsborough Library’s schedule is as follows: Monday through Thursday: 9:30 a.m. - 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday: 9:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Sunday: 1-5 p.m.

The library is looking for reliable teen volunteers to help out at various programs. Community service hours will be awarded to all volunteers at the end of the school year for their attendance and space is limited.

Through the month of December, view the collections of Wayne Mathisen and Judith Snedeker.

SCLSNJ’s Hillsborough Library branch will be closed December 24-25 and December 31-January 1, 2018.

Visit SCLSNJ.org or call 908-369-2200 for information or to register. Program dates and times are subject to change. All programs are free and registration is required unless otherwise indicated.

Adult programs (registration required): • English Conversation Group - Practice speaking English in a friendly setting. Basic English skills required.

Hosted by Literacy Volunteers of Somerset County. Wed. December 13; 10-11:30 a.m. and Mon. December 11, 18, 78:30 p.m.

• Local Author Talk: Rikki Lyn Hauss - Local Hillsborough author Rikki Lyn Hauss discusses her award-nominated book “The Duchess of South Somerville,” chronicling the legacy of Doris Duke and the demolition of her beloved mansion. Mon. December 11, 7-8:30 p.m.

• Red Oak Chamber Organization Holiday Concert: Enjoy Music of the Season - A wide variety of chamber music, including several pieces of classic holiday songs, will be performed by a diverse group of musicians including both vocalists and instrumentalists. Tues. December 12, 7-8 p.m.

• Friends of Hillsborough Library Book Discussion “The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane” by Lisa See. Tues.

December 12, 7:30-8:30 p.m.

• Build Your Website With Wix - Learn how to make a website fast, free, and easy, using Wix. No coding knowledge necessary. Wed. December 13, 7-8:30 p.m.

• Evening Movie - “The Glass Castle” starring Brie Larson, Woody Harrelson, and Naomi Watts. Rated PG-13. Fri. December 15, 7-9 p.m.

• Nonfiction Book Discussion - A discussion about “Wild Things: The Joy of Reading Children’s Literature as an Adult” by Bruce Handy and favorite children’s books.

Tues. December 19, 10-11 a.m.

• Spanish Conversation Group - Native Spanish speakers Rosa Maria Merlo and Alicia Fontana will lead a new Spanish conversation group. Basic knowledge of Spanish is preferable, but all are welcome. Wed. December 20, 6:307:30 p.m.

• Writers Group - Writers can receive constructive feedback at these sessions, during which participants read their work and members offer suggestions. Thurs. December 28,

7-8 p.m.

• Spanish Conversation Group - Native Spanish speakers Rosa Maria Merlo and Alicia Fontana will lead a new Spanish conversation group. Basic knowledge of Spanish is preferable, but all are welcome. Wed. January 3, 6:30-7:30 p.m.

• Geeky Grown-Ups Group - Geeky Grown-Ups, otherwise known as adults who are enthusiastic about sci-fi, fantasy, and gaming topics, meet at the Hillsborough branch. Wed. January 3, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Youth programs (registration required): • STEM Stories: Ice and Igloos - Discover ice and igloos in nonfiction books and during a hands-on activity. Fri. December 15, 10-10:45 a.m. for ages 3-6, Fri. December 15, 4-4:45 p.m. for grades K-2 • Reading Buddy - Your child will increase their love of reading while reading aloud with a reading buddy volunteer. Grades K-4. Sat. December 16, 2-4 p.m.

• First Roots Music - Ms. Jenni will present an entertaining music class that helps your child develop language, literacy, social and listening skills in a fun, nurturing, family-friendly setting. Ages birth - 36 months. Mon. December 18, 10-10:45 a.m.

• Storytime: Toddler Time - Introduce the pleasure of books to your child through stories, songs, and a simple activity. Ages 18-36 months. Tues. December 19, 9:30-10:15 a.m.

• Storytime: Rhyme Time - Build brain power with twenty minutes of nursery rhyme fun. Ages birth - 24 months. Tues. December 19, 10:30-10:50 a.m.

• Crafts for Kids - Children will create a seasonal craft.

Grades 3-5. Tues. December 19, 4:30-5:15 p.m.

• Storytime: Preschool Book Club - Listen to stories from some of your favorite authors and share book-related activities. Ages 3-6 and parent/caregiver. Wed. December 20, 10-10:45 a.m.

• Neshanic Garden Club: Holiday Centerpiece - Create something fun with the members of the Neshanic Garden Club. Grades 1-4. Wed. December 20, 4-4:45 p.m.

• Art Adventures: Watercolor and Salt Winter Scenes Get those creative juices flowing and take your own masterpiece home. Ages 4-6. Thurs. December 21, 10-10:45 a.m.

• Tail Waggin’ Tutors - Each registered child will get 10 minutes reading to a specially trained dog. Grades K-4. Fri. December 22, 3:45-4:45 p.m.

• littleBits Gadgets and Gizmos: Bitbot - Learn how to create a Bitbot and then remix it. Grades 3-6. Sat. December 23, 10-11 a.m.

• Craft in the Children’s Room: Mittens - Create a craft in the Children’s Room while supplies last. All ages. Wed. December 27, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

• Frozen Sing-Along Movie - Have fun during your

winter break and sing along with the “Frozen” movie on the big screen. Dress as your favorite character. Ages 3+.

Wed. December 27, 2-4 p.m.

• STEAM Lab: Robotics Obstacle Course - Get a handson experience as you explore Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Design, and Math (STEAM) concepts while gaining 21st century skills. Grades 5-8. Sat. December 30, 2-4 p.m.

• Crafts for Kids - Children will create a fun craft.

Grades 3-5. Tues. January 2, 4:30-5:15 p.m.

• Favorite Characters Storytime: 1000 Books Before Kindergarten Kick-Off - Celebrate the launch of 1000 Books Before Kindergarten with songs, a craft, and stories from some of your favorite characters. All ages. Thurs. January 4, 10-11 a.m.

• Storytime: Drop In - Enjoy stories together and build language skills. All ages. Thurs. January 4, 1-1:20 p.m.

Volunteer Opportunities Interested in being a teen volunteer at SCLSNJ’s Hillsborough Library branch? Email hil.teens.scls@gmail.com for an application and additional information. Grades 7-12.

Homework Help Center Mondays and Thursdays, 4-6 p.m.

Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 4-8 p.m.

October 16 - December 14 The homework help center is available to students in grades 3-12 in all subjects. Drop-in only, no registration needed.

Writing Center Get help with informational and creative writing assignments, proofreading, grammar, spelling, college essay peer review, and midterms/finals writing assignments. The writing center is available to students in grades 3-12. Dropin only, no registration needed. Tuesdays - Thursdays, 6-8 p.m.

Library resources Book A Librarian - Get personalized help with the online catalog, databases, research questions, storytime plans, locating materials, library apps and readers’ advisory. Parents, children and teens can request an appointment at the Youth Services desk by filling out a simple form. All ages.

Bag of Books to Go - You can request, at the Children’s Desk, a bag filled with books related to a theme.

Book Discussion Kits - Do you belong to a book discussion group or would you like to start one? Are you looking for a good book to share and have copies for everyone in your group? Our book discussion kits contain ten books that can be checked out for six weeks.

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8A Hillsborough Beacon

www.hillsboroughbeacon.com

Friday, December 15, 2017

December 15-24, 2017

He Really Does Want to Go Home Steven Van Zandt will end his ‘Soulfire’ tour right where it began, at the Count Basie Theatre

By Mike Morsch

teven Van Zandt had been writing songs for five or six years, but wasn’t really happy with anything he had produced. He just couldn’t find his way in the music business.

Despite that, he did score a gig as a guitarist in the early 1970s on what was then informally called an “oldies circuit” — jobs reserved for those successful American artists whose careers had been steamrolled by the British Invasion, led by the Beatles, in the mid-1960s.

The “oldies circuit” featured multiple act arena shows that not only played places like Madison Square Garden, but also Las Vegas casinos and smaller hotels.

“It was a circuit that unless you were on it, it was kind of invisible,” Van Zandt, 67, says. “The artists really resented it being called an ‘oldies circuit.’ Many of them were only in their late 30s and early 40s, the prime of their life. Suddenly they were put out to pasture and it was a real tragedy.”

Although it was a difficult existence for once-famous artists, Van Zandt was having a great time. He was meeting some of the pioneers of the industry, many of them his musical heroes.

“So I said to myself, I gotta go to school in my head as far as writing goes because I’m just not getting anywhere,” Van Zandt says. “And I asked myself, ‘What’s the beginning of rock ’n’ roll songwriting?’”

The answer, he determined, was Leiber and Stoller.

Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller were songwriting and record producing partners who in the 1950s and 1960s penned such hits as “Jailhouse Rock” for Elvis Presley, “Yakety Yak” and “Charlie Brown” for the Coasters, “There Goes My Baby” and “On Broadway” for the Drifters and “Stand By Me” for Ben E. King, the one-time lead singer for the Drifters.

It just so happened that King and the Drifters were among the artists who were on the “oldies circuit” with Van Zandt in the early 1970s and he decided he was going to write a song for them.

The result was a tune titled “I Don’t Want to Go

Steven Van Zandt will wrap up his “Soulfire” tour with a concert at the Count Basie Theatre, Dec. 23.

Home,” but King and the Drifters never saw the song.

“I never quite had the courage to give it to them and it ended up with Southside” Johnny Lyon, Van Zandt says.

A few years later, Van Zandt hooked up with Bruce Springsteen for Springsteen's “Born to Run” tour in 1975 and also with Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes to develop what has come to be known as the Sound of Asbury Park, or the “Jersey Shore sound” — where soulful horns meet rock ’n’ roll guitars.

Van Zandt would produce and offer his song, “I Don’t Want to Go Home,” as the title track to the

A highlight of Steven Van Zandt's “Soulfire” tour came in London when Paul McCartney joined him for a performance of "I Saw Her Standing There."

Asbury Jukes' debut album in 1976.

That song and Van Zandt’s evolution as a producer, songwriter and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee as a member of Springsteen’s E Street Band, have come full circle with the release of his latest solo album, “Soulfire,” which dropped in the spring.

Among the songs on the album is “I Don’t Want to Go Home” in its original sound.

“I produced it a little bit differently for Southside than I originally pictured it because the Jukes didn’t have that kind of harmony,” Van Zandt says. “So for ‘Soulfire,’ I went back to what I originally envisioned, which was the singer sings and the background vocals answer. It was a return to what I had first pictured as a Drifters song.”

Despite what he wrote in the song, it turns out Little Steven does indeed want to go home.

The “Soulfire” tour — with Van Zandt’s band the Disciples of Soul — which kicked off at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank in the spring, will end this run at the Basie with a show titled “Little Steven’s Holiday Homecoming" on Dec. 23.

The Basie is the home field venue for Van Zandt, who grew up in neighboring Middletown in the 1960s and went to the theater — then called the Carlton Theater — to see all the popular films of the day.

“It was my local movie theater when I was growing up. That was like going to the big city, 20 minutes away,” Van Zandt says. “It’s where I saw ‘A Hard Day’s Night,’ ‘The Nutty Professor,’ ‘Bye Bye Birdie,’ all the important movies.”

Van Zandt and his wife, Maureen, have been supporters of the Basie for some time. Van Zandt has played a series of performances that have supported the non-profit theater’s $20 million capital campaign and expansion plan, which broke ground earlier this fall.

Continued on Page 5B

Also Inside: Bob Brown reviews ‘A Christmas Carol’ at McCarter • Your guide to holiday events, live music, art and more

2 TIMEOFF

December 15, 2017

STAGE REVIEW

By Bob Brown

‘A Christmas Carol’ at McCarter The classic is told with breathtaking sets, dazzling effects, and a whole lot of heart

A

s traditions go, Princeton’s annual staging of ‘A Christmas Carol’ is about as fundamental as flaming figgy pudding and just as scrumptious. Over the decades, many Scrooges have humbugged their way across the stage at McCarter Theatre, each with a different twist. The present production, adapted by David Thompson and directed by Adam Immerwahr, continues through New Year’s Eve. This show has always been a spectacle, with breathtaking sets and dazzling effects — not that you need these to make a classic palatable. England’s entire socio-economic spectrum is crammed into this compact morality tale, from the grinding poverty of the Cratchit’s flat to the conspicuous comfort of nephew Fred’s parlor.

You may remember fondly the productions of Christmases past, directed by Michael Unger, with elaborate, looming sets by Ming Cho Lee and music by Michael Starobin. For years, Scrooge was embodied in the person of Graeme Malcom, as Scroogely a Scrooge as Scrooge could be.

Good as these productions were, a fresh-up was needed.

Last year of this version. McCarter still uses Thompson’s adaptation with a few significant differences — some in the story line and others in the production values. Daniel Ostling’s sets are perfect in period detail, but they are much more mobile and modular. Scrooge’s office is a compact one-story affair, and Fezziwig’s is suggested with bolts of cloth and papers on rolling racks Where an entire façade had once represented Scrooge’s house, now a disembodied front door makes do, suggesting the rooms behind it. (The knocker has a little more personality.) Scrooge’s interior walls and staircase, gloomy and foreboding as ever, fly up and away as the spirits of Christmas descend, one by one. Lighting by Lap Chi Chu does much to create the shifting moods. And the marvelous period costumes by Linda Cho transport you right back to London circa 1843.

Music is front and center this year. Before the curtain goes up, the evening begins with a sing-a-long, “In Dulci Jubilo” led by a small chorus holding cue cards (sometimes upside down). And there are songs peppered throughout the production. Music Director Charles Sundquist, the force behind these moments for the past 26 seasons, makes his final bow with this production. The richly evocative musical soundtrack for the production is by the late Michael Friedman. Of course, there’s dancing at every opportunity, choreographed by Lorin Latarro.

As always, the heart of the show is Dickens’ simple tale of transformation, wrapped in a ghost story. The shade of Jacob Marley (Michael Genet, aided by aerial effects) in-

Greg Wood as Scrooge and Mimi B. Francis as the Ghost of Christmas Present in McCarter Theatre’s production of “A Christmas Carol.” terrupts the miserly Scrooge (Michael Wood) in his bedtime ritual, leading to a sleepless night of serial hauntings: The ghosts of Christmas Past (Adeline Edwards, lit up in a sparkling outfit), Christmas Present (Mimi B. Francis, who ebulliently commandeers a mobile staircase), and Christmas Future (Christopher Livingston, silent but on solid ground — no more marionette ghosts).

There are many new faces in major roles, including Jon Norman Schneider and Jessica Beford as the poor but happy Mr. and Mrs. Cratchit and their brood: Peter, Martha and Belinda (Ethan Chang, Ayla Delvalle and Amelia Cutter), along with Tiny Tim (Roman Engel).

Uptown is Scrooge’s nephew Fred with his wife, Lilly (John Hudson Odom and Jamila Sabarres-Klemm — both of whom double in other roles). They, like Mr. and Mrs. Fezziwig (Thom Sesma and Anne L. Nathan), enjoy a good party, providing occasion for dancing and parlor games.

The central role of Scrooge links it all together, and Wood makes the character his own. Fiercely anti-Christmas, he gradually melts with each visitation. By the end, he’s virtually a kid who’s having his first Christmas. Wood

is purely giddy as the reformed Scrooge. Even Mrs. Dilber (Sue Jin Song) breaks down in tears at the sight of her miserly master now reborn.

Unlike most of his countrymen, Dickens had lived in two worlds. As a boy, he was thrown to work in a factory when his father was cast into a debtor’s prison. As an adult, he endured the pleasures and the pressures of his fame. One can’t help feeling that Scrooge’s comeuppance is a projection of Dickens’ guilt for having risen above what others couldn’t.

Dickens reminds us that if we are comfortable, we should be blessed by our generosity rather than our privilege — this season and all year long. Sentimental as it is, this production of A Christmas Carol under, Immerwahr’s unerring direction, is no less dazzling and a bit more sprightly in the telling than those before. It’s a holiday essential. You’ll exit the theater singing.

“A Christmas Carol” continues at McCarter Theatre, 91 University Place, Princeton, through Dec. 31. For tickets and information, go to www.mccarter.org; 609-258-2787.

December 15, 2017

TIMEOFF 3

IN CONCERT

By Anthony Stoeckert

Have Yourself a Jazzy Little Christmas Richie Cole and his quartet will play holiday faves at Randy Now’s Man Cave Looking to get jazzed up over the holiday season? Then Randy Now’s Man Cave is the place to be.

The record store in Bordentown will present a Christmas concert by Richie Cole, a Trenton-born jazz musician whose career spans 40 years. Along with his quartet, Cole will perform a “Holiday Madness” concert at the Man Cave, Dec. 22.

The concert follows Cole’s Christmas album, “Have Yourself an Alto Madness Christmas,” which he released last year.

“At this time of the year, I do my jazz Christmas show,” Cole says. “I’ll be playing some Christmas stuff, it’s not ‘Jingle Bells,’ it’s jazz.”

He says the concert will feature a lot of Christmas favorites performed in Cole’s style, along with some original tunes.

“It’s mostly songs you’re familiar with, done my own way,” he says. “I wrote a couple of original songs, too. I do a version of “Bad Santa” that I sing, that’s an original song.

It’s swinging Christmas music.”

Cole says creating arrangements for well known holiday songs begins with him thinking of a concept.

“Half the record is with my Alto Madness orchestra, with four horns, like a little big band sound,” he says. “I

also have a vocal group on there and then I have some quartet things, so it’s a combination of instrumentation. I just hear it a certain way and write it down.”

It would seem Cole was destined for a life in music.

Born in Trenton, his father owned jazz clubs in the city in the 1950s and ‘60s. Cole started at a young age, playing a saxophone that was in his house.

“Somehow I grew up with a saxophone all my life,” he says. “Either somebody hocked it, or left it, or sold it to my father.”

In 1969, he was studying at the Berklee College of Music in Boston when a friend told him legendary drummer Buddy Rich was looking for an alto sax player. That led to Cole’s first professional music job, playing for Rich until 1971.

“I was with him for two and a half years, it was a fabulous time in my life,” Cole says. “I’ve been very fortunate in my life. I had a lot of good breaks and I was ready to take them when it came time. My first big break was Buddy Rich, you can’t get any bigger than that. He was wonderful. I did my job, I minded my own business and I treated him with the respect that he deserved, so we got a long just fine.”

He also played in Doc Severinsen’s band, including

playing on “The Tonight Show” on occasion when the Johnny Carson-hosted version of the show was based in New York City. After Carson left for California in 1972, Cole stayed in New York, working with singer Eddie Jefferson in the 1970s before focusing on his own music.

Cole lives in Pittsburgh these days, and is making the Bordentown stop as part of a tour that also will include gigs at Frddie’s Tavern in Ewing, Dec. 20, and the 1868 Sanctuary arts and Cultural Center in Ewing, Dec. 23.

Cole says he likes living in Pittsburgh, in part because the people there are similar to people from his home state.

“I feel very comfortable here, very at home because the people here are like Jersey people, they’re for real,” Cole says. “I lived down in L.A. for a while and they’re a bunch of bull——ers, you can’t believe a word they say. But here it’s like being in Jersey, what you see is what you get.”

piece brings the famous story to life, through Dec. 30; www.shakespearenj.org; 973-408-5600.

“A Christmas Carol,” McCarter Theatre, 91 University Place, Princeton. David Thompson’s adaptation of Charles Dickens’ story of the miserly Scrooge and the spirits who change his life on Christmas Eve, through Dec. 31; www.mccarter.org; 609-258-2787.

“Ebenezer Scrooge’s Big Playhouse Christmas Show,” Bucks County Playhouse, 70 S. Main St., New Hope, Pennsylvania. Comedic take on classic story with five actors, three ladders and lots of music, Dec. 8-31; bcptheater.org; 215-862-2121.

Monster, and Santa and Mrs. Claus, Dec. 18, 3, 6 p.m., $35$55; www.stnj.org; 732-246-7469.

Richie Cole will perform at Randy Now’s Man Cave, 134 Farnsworth Ave., Bordentown, Dec. 22, 8 p.m. Tickets cost $15; www.mancavenj.com; 609-424-3766. For information on Cole’s music and performances, go to www.richiecole.com.

THINGS TO DO

HOLIDAYS STAGE “A Christmas Carol,” Music Mountain Theatre, 1483 Route 179 Lambertville. Musical adaptation of Charles Dickens holiday story about Scrooge and the spirits who change his fate, through Dec. 17, $22; www.musicmountaintheatre.org; 609-397-3337.

“The Charitable Sisterhood Christmas Spectacular,” ActorsNET of Bucks County’s Heritage Center theater, 635 N. Delmorr Ave., Morrisville, Pennsylvania. The ladies of the Charitable Second Trinity Victory Church have a mystery on their hands after their Baby Jesus is stolen, through Dec. 17, $20, $17 seniors (62 and up), $10 children 12 and under; www.actorsnetbucks.org; 215-295-3694.

“It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play,” Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey’s F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre on the Drew University campus, 36 Madison Ave., Madison. A group of actors and technicians gather in a 1940s radio station at holiday time to perform a live broadcast of It’s a Wonderful Life. Replete with Foley sound effects, commercials from the era, and sprinkled throughout with a generous dose of humor and music, this charming

CHILDREN’S THEATRE “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” Music Mountain Theatre, 1483 Route 179 Lambertville. Stage version of the “Peanuts” special in which Charlie Brown searched for the true meaning of Christmas, through Dec. 17, $22; www.musicmountaintheatre.org; 609-397-3337.

“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer The Musical,” State Theatre, 15 Livingston Ave., New Brunswick. Musical based on the classic TV special featuring Rudolph, Yukon Cornelius, Hermey the Elf, the Abominable Snow

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BALLET “Nutcracker” for kids,” Kelsey Theatre on the campus of Mercer County Community College, 1200 Old Trenton Road, West Windsor. Abridged, narrated version of the classic ballet, Dec. 15-17; www.kelseyatmccc.org; 609570-3333.

American Repertory Ballet’s “The Nutcracker,” American Repertory Ballet’s production of Tchaikovsky’s ballet featuring professional dancers and students from the Princeton Ballet School: State Theatre of New Jersey, 15 Livingston Ave., New Brunswick, Dec. 15, 7:30 p.m. www.arballet.org.

CLASSICAL MUSIC “Handel’s Messiah,” Richardson Auditorium on the Princeton University campus. Performed by members of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, Xian Zhang, conductor.

Featuring Erin Wall, soprano; Nancy Maultsby, mezzo-soprano; Miles Mykkanen, tenor; Michael Sumuel, bass-baritone; and the Montclair State University Singers, Heather

4 TIMEOFF

December 15, 2017

CROSSWORD PUZZLE “TWO FOR ONE” By JIM HOLLAND ACROSS 1 “Don’t panic” 7 Lincoln who was the first screen adult Tarzan 11 Adlai’s 1956 running mate 16 Japanese theater form 19 Astronomy Muse 20 “King __” 21 Lacking company 22 “What have we here?!”

23 Athlete Jackson discusses immunization options?

26 Put an end to 27 Bit of porch furniture, perhaps 28 Beauty pageant band 29 Cruise purpose 31 Seville : Sra. :: Seattle : __ 33 Wee amount 35 Quick, as service 36 Spring spelling event could face cancellation?

44 __ Sea 45 Rotting results 46 General Bradley 47 Writer Bagnold 49 Places with courts 52 NBA nickname since the ’70s 53 Actress Gaye of “Ali” 54 Former Renault 56 “Could be trouble” 57 Forgers of a sort 59 Roof rack items 61 Basic French infinitive 62 Greiner of “Shark Tank” 63 Brief moments 65 Denver-to-Omaha dir.

66 What “it takes,” at the start of many macho mantras 68 Nile biter 71 Seaman’s complete canvas expense?

75 Tarzan player Ron 76 How rural areas are populated 78 “More than I wanted to know” 79 Garden invader 81 Actor Diggs 82 Rover’s turf 84 Chooses 86 Checked (out)

90 91 93 95 96 97 98 99 100 103 106 109 110 111 113 116 121 122 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

10 11 12 13 14 15 16

Dadaist collection Clapton et al.

Offer of help Rodeo accessory Borscht veggie Phobia beginning Islamic branch Bean in Hollywood “Friends” friend “2 + 2 = 5” problem?

Draw CEO’s credential LAX inspection org.

Like serious errors Pizazz Slowly Tease Writer anticipates a vacation?

Key for Debussy?

Thin porridge Approval indicator Aerial mission Two above an eagle Lamb piece Spot Fighting ender DOWN Pal Cupid, to Plato Actress Blanchett Med school subj.

Easy rhythm Arms-folded response Brother of Peyton Camera component Subject of clothed and nude Goya portraits Handel opera written in Italian Absorb, as a loss Unintended revelation Kit set Set of nine Bun choice Situation when a frat room is empty?

17 18 24 25 30 32 34 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 48 50 51 55 58 60 64 67 68 69 70 72 73 74 77

Tara surname 80 Darling Weekly inspiration for many No. 5 maker 83 Shore squawker 85 Island birthplace of Pythagoras 87 Gift recipient 88 Grandmas, earlier 89 Podcaster Carolla 92 “Pic-a-nic” basket-seeking 94 toon, familiarly 101 The Beatles, e.g.

Avoids like the plague Pinstripes wearer Smarts Certs competitor 1925 Bryan foe Aesopian ending Reflective Big name in candy Plot Defense gp. dissolved in 1977 Toyota Camry model Was humbled Take __ at Success on the second roll Average salary on a Detroit team?

Ira Gershwin’s forte Mischievous Chinese evergreen Bring back to a former state

Anthony __, Pulitzer winner for “All the Light We Cannot See” Rugby action Leslie Charteris hero, with “The” El __, Texas Harrow competitor Mild oath Gloomy Bugs Brutal

102 Searches all over 104 “Unto the Sons” memoirist 105 Word derived from a marquis 106 “Get __!”: “Control yourself!”

107 Refrain syllables 108 Ballet outfits 112 Where the Mets played 114 Motion passers 115 Tide type 117 2-Down, to Cato 118 “Chicago” star

119 Meager amount 120 “What __?”

123 Beer originally brewed near a Northwest capital, briefly 124 Foxy 125 Poehler “Weekend Update” co-host on “SNL”

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

THINGS TO DO J. Buchanan, conductor, Dec. 15, 7:30 p.m., $30-$80; www.mccarter.org; 609-258-2787.

Hopewell Valley Chorus holiday concert, St. James Church, 115 E. Delaware Ave., Pennington. Concert titled “Deck the Halls” will feature music, sacred, secular, classical and contemporary by composers including Mozart, Busto, and PDQ Bach, Jerry Herman and LeRoy Anderson.

Before and after the concert, the audience is invited to shop at a jewelry sale and bid on a handmade quilt or a set of Lenox dinnerware, Dec. 15, 7:30 p.m. $15, $10 seniors/students; www.hopewellvalleychorus.org; 609-737-3177.

Princeton Ringers Holiday Handbell Concert, Miller Chapel at Princeton Theological Seminary, 64 Mercer St., Princeton. Concert titled “Ring and Sing Glory to the Newborn King!” will feature a musical celebration of Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany. There will be an opportunity for the audience to sing along to a selection of popular carols while the Princeton Ringers provide accompaniment. Under the direction of James Klotz, the Princeton Ringers are comprised of Seminary students, spouses, staff, and friends from churches across the community, Dec. 16, 2 p.m. Free; www.ptsem.edu.

Princeton Symphony Orchestra Holiday POPS! concert, Richardson Auditorium on the Princeton University campus. Concert featuring holiday arrangements of carols performed by the PSO and the Princeton High School Choir, Dec. 16, 4 p.m., 7 p.m. www.princetonsymphony.com; 609-497-0020.

Princeton Society of Musical Amateurs, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Princeton, Route 206 at Cherry Hill Road, Princeton. Choral reading of Handel’s “Messiah.” Choral singers welcome. No auditions, no rehearsal. Scores will be provided if needed, Dec. 17, 4 p.m. $10; www.princetonol.com/groups/psma.

Bach’s Brandenburgs, Richard Auditorium on the Princeton University campus. This Princeton holiday tradition brings together the 20-plus resident members of The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center plus guest artists in an all-star lineup performing one of music’s most enduring masterpieces all in one evening, Dec. 18, 7:30 p.m., $25-$92.50; www.mccarter.org; 609-258-2787.

JAZZ/POP/ROCK, ETC. Ernie White Band and Friends Best of Christmas Benefit Concert, The Grand Ballroom at Cedar Gardens Banquet, 661 Route 33, Hamilton. For over 16 years Trenton guitarist Ernie White and his Band have spearheaded a rock Christmas concert with the help of area musicians. This year’s concert will feature “Best Of” performances selected from previous shows and will benefit The Hamilton Elks Handicapped Children’s Fund who help our neighbors, Dec. 17, 7 p.m. $25; www.erniewhite.com.

Phil Vassar and Kellie Pickler, State Theatre, 15 Livingston Ave., New Brunswick. Country Christmas concert featuring hits by Vassar and Pickler, and holiday favorites, Dec. 20, 8 p.m., $35-$75; www.stnj.org; 732-246-7469.

“It’s a Fruitcake” The Rrazz Room, 6426 Lower York Road, New Hope, Pennsylvania. Tom Orr and Meagan Hill, host and co-host of the former Bucks County Cabaret, will present an evening of merry musical moments and crazy yuletide parodies, Dec. 22, 7:30 p.m., $20; www.therrazzroom.com; 1-888-596-1027.

The Richie Cole Quartet, “Holiday Madness,” Randy Now’s Man Cave, 134 Farnsworth Ave., Bordentown. Holiday concert by jazz saxophonist, Dec. 22, 8 p.m. $15; www.mancavenj.com; 609-424-3766.

nesses, garden clubs, and non-profit organizations, through Jan. 7. Hours: Wed.-Sun. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. $10, $8 seniors/students; www.morven.org; 609-924-8144.

Trenton’s Christmas Past, Trenton City Museum at Ellarslie, 199 Parkside Ave., Trenton. Exhibit featuring historical photos of downtown Trenton during the holiday shopping period. From Trenton Magazine, Curator Karl Flesch has compiled images of advertisements from dozens of Trenton stores with their suggested gift ideas, through Jan. 15; www.ellarslie.org; 609-989-3632.

STAGE “An Act of God,” George Street Playhouse, 103 College Farm Road, New Brunswick. Comedy in which the Almighty (played by Kathleen Turner) attempts to correct people’s misconceptions of her, through Dec. 23; www.georgestplayhouse.org; 732-846-2895.

MUSIC CLASSICAL MUSIC Mercer County Symphonic Band Winter Concert, Kelsey Theatre on the campus of Mercer County Community College, 1200 Old Trenton Road, West Windsor. Program will include a wide range of music, including a 19th-century opera overture, contemporary composers, pops favorite, traditional marches and seasonal selections.

The performance concludes with the band’s traditional holiday sing-along and a rendition of John Philip Sousa’s “The Stars and Stripes Forever,” Dec. 20, 7:30 p.m. Admission is free; www.mercerband.org.

JAZZ, CABARET, ROCK, FOLK, ETC. Listen Local Coffee House, Princeton Public Library, 65 Witherspoon St., Princeton. Garry Pearsall and his band So It Goes, featuring Drew Turock, John Mazzeo, and Eric Heller perform. Also appearing will be guitarist/singer Tommy Abousselman and friends, Dec. 15, 7 p.m. Free; www.princetonlibrary.org; 609-924-9529.

Michael Smith, Christ Congregation Church, 50 Walnut Lane, Princeton. Singer-songwriter whose song “The Dutchman” has been covered by Steve Goodman, The Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem, John Gorka, Suzy Bogguss, The New Kingston Trio, and Celtic Thunder. He has set poetry to music, creating programs such as “And the Poet Sang,” based on the poetry of Federico Garcia Lorca, Pablo Neruda, and others, Dec. 15, 8:15 p.m. Admission costs $20, $10 students under 22, $5 children; www.princetonfolk.org; 609-799-0944.

Soraia, Randy Now’s Man Cave, 134 Farnsworth Ave., Bordentown. Full band acoustic concert by rock group led by lead singer Soraia. The band’s songs have been selected as “The Coolest Song in the World” on Little Steven’s Underground Garage, Dec. 15, 8 p.m. $10; www.mancavenj.com; 609-424-3766.

Marin Mazzie and Jason Danieley, McCarter Theatre, 91 University Place, Princeton. Concert featuring “Broadway’s Golden Couple” Marin Mazzie (“The King and I,” “Ragtime”) and husband Jason Danieley (“Candide,” “The Full Monty,” “The Visit”) celebrating love and marriage on the Great White Way, Dec. 16, 8 p.m. Tickets cost $72; www.mccarter.org; 609-258-2787.

Daniela Cotton, Hopewell Theater, 5 S. Greenwood Ave., Hopewell. New York City-based singer-songwriter originally from Hopewell, Dec. 16, 8 p.m. www.hopewelltheater.com; 609-466-1964.

FILM “Miracle on 34th Street,” Princeton Garden Theatre, 160 Nassau St., Princeton. Classic 1947 about a skeptical girl who meets a very convincing Macy’s Santa Claus, Dec. Historical Society of Princeton at Updike Farmstead, 16, 10:30 a.m. $5; www.thegardentheatre.com; 609-279- 354 Quaker Road. Frank Lloyd Wright at 150: The Archi1999. tect in Princeton. The exhibition features architectural drawings by Wright from the Historical Society’s collection, MUSEUMS telling the story of Wright’s sole Princeton clients and the Festival of Trees, Morven Museum & Garden, 55 Stock- Frank Lloyd Wright house that could have been, through ton St., Princeton. The holiday tradition sees the museum’s Dec. 31. Hours: Wed.-Sun. noon to 4 p.m. $4; princetongalleries, hallways and porches decorated by local busi- history.org.

MUSEUMS

Princeton University Art Museum, on the campus of Princeton University, Princeton. “Clarence H. White and His World: The Art and Craft of Photography, 1895-1925,” The first retrospective devoted to the photographer in over a generation, the exhibit surveys White’s career from his beginnings in 1895 in Ohio to his death in Mexico in 1925, through Jan. 7; “Making History Visible: Of American Myths and National Heroes,” artists whose work is featured include Titus Kaphar, Thomas Hart Benton, Elizabeth Catlett, Glenn Ligon, Sally Mann, William Ranney, Faith Ringgold, William Rush, Kara Walker, Carrie Mae Weems, Charles White, John Wilson, and Hale Woodruff, through Jan. 14; “Hold: A Meditation on Black Aesthetics,” During the 1960s, black artists and intellectuals embraced the idea of a black aesthetic as an ideological alternative to Eurocentric notions of beauty and taste. Since then, black aesthetics has served more broadly as a site of convergence across the African diaspora, weaving a history of placelessness and belonging, support and constraint, holding and being held. The works in this exhibition, ranging from the 1950s to the present, embody various ways the aesthetic realm has enabled re-imaginings of blackness, through Feb. 11. Hours: Tues.-Wed., Fri.-Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Thurs.

10 a.m.-10 p.m., Sun. 1-5 p.m. Admission is free; artmuseum.princeton.edu; 609-258-3788.

Trenton City Museum at Ellarslie Mansion, Cadwalader Park, Trenton. Bruce Katsiff at Ellarslie. “DrawCutShootPrintAssemble.” Exhibit featuring six artists who created works on paper through collagraphs and digital prints watercolor collages, graphite drawings, etching, and mixed media, through Jan. 14. Hours: Wed.-Sat. noon to 4 p.m. www.ellarslie.org; 609-989-3632.

Morven Museum & Garden, 55 Stockton St., Princeton. “Newark and the Culture of Art: 1900-1960.” The exhibit explores the unique combination of art and industry that made Newark a magnet for modern artists in the early 20th century. Morven’s exhibition celebrates the culture of creativity that flourished alongside John Cotton Dana, the visionary figure in the organization of the Newark Library and Newark Museum. Through his efforts art, industry and society were brought together to inspire the everyday Newark citizen through accessible and beautiful exhibitions, through Jan. 28, 2018. Hours: Wed.-Sun. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. $10, $8 seniors/students; morven.org; 609-924-8144.

COMEDY

Stress Factory, 90 Church St., New Brunswick. Billy Gardell from “Mike and Molly,” Dec. 15-16, 7:30 p.m., 9:45 p.m., $37; Joey Kola, Dec. 21, 7:30 p.m., Dec.22-23, 7:30, 9:45 p.m., $20;www.stressfactory.com; 732-545-4242.

Princeton Catch a Rising Star, 102 Carnegie Center, West Windsor. Johnny Mac, Dec. 15-16; Buddy Fitzpatrick, Dec. 22-23; catcharisingstar.com; 609-987-8018.

DANCE

Dancing and Dessert, Plainsboro Recreation Department, 641 Plainsboro Road, Plainsboro. Candace Woodward-Clough will teach a variety of dances to beginners and intermediate dancers. Homemade desserts, coffee and tea will be served, Dec. 16, 7-8:30 p.m. $15, $10 Plainsboro residents. Register at www.plainsboronj.com or 609-7990909, ext. 1719, or pay at the door.

Princeton Country Dancers, Suzanne Patterson Center, 1 Monument Drive, Princeton. Weekly Wednesday Contra Dance, Dec. 20, 8-10:30 p.m. (Instruction at 7:30 p.m.), $10; www.princetoncountrydancers.org.

Friday Night Folk Dancing, Suzanne Patterson Center, 45 Stockton St., Princeton. One-hour instruction most weeks, followed by request dancing. Fridays, 8-11 p.m. $5; 609-912-1272.

M R Square Dance Club, Saint Luke’s (Episcopal) Church, 1620 Prospect St. Ewing. Weekly progressive dances. No prior experience is needed. Please be prompt.

Tuesdays 7:30 p.m. $10 suggested donation; richd1squarerounddancer@msn.com; 609-844-1140.

LIFESTYLE 1B

A Packet Publication

Friday, December 15, 2017

PACKET PICKS Dec. 16 Christmas crossing talk at Washington Crossing State Park Washington Crossing State Park in Titusville will host a lecture on the Christmas night crossing, beginning at 2 p.m. at the park’s Visitor Center Museum.

Mark Sirak, resource interpretive specialist for the park, will use diaries and letters written by participants to illustrate the significance of the crossing and the Battle of Trenton.

The park is located at 355 Washington Crossing Pennington Road in Titusville.

For more information, call 609-737-0623.

Winter Wonderland at Princeton library The Princeton Public Library will host a “Winter Wonderland,” beginning at 3 p.m. The library’s community room will be decorated by Teen Advisory Board members who will lead games and other winter-themed activities. This fun-filled afternoon will also feature a cocoa bar and other tasty treats.

The library is located at 65 Witherspoon St., Princeton.

For more information, go to www.princetonlibrary.org or call 609-924-9529.

Symphony concert in Skillman The Eastern Wind Symphony will perform its holiday concert, beginning at 8 p.m. at the Performing Arts Center at Montgomery High School in Skillman.

This year’s program will feature a performance by the South Brunswick High School concert band, as well as performances of many favorite holiday songs, including “Sleigh Ride.”

Tickets cost $20 at the door. Advanced tickets cost $15 and are available at easternwindsymphony.org.

Dec. 18 Bach’s Brandenburgs at Richardson The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center will continue its Princeton holiday tradition with a performance of Bach’s Brandenburgs, beginning at 7:30 p.m. at Richardson Auditorium in Alexander Hall on the Princeton University campus. The Chamber Music Society will be joined by guest artists for a concert of one of music’s most enduring masterpieces all in one evening.

Tickets cost $25-$92.50 and are available at mccarter.org, by phone at 609258-2787 or in-person at the McCarter ticket office at 91 University Place in Princeton.

Dec. 19 J. Seward Johnson book signing in Hopewell Sculptor and philanthropist, J. Seward Johnson will sign copies of his book,”Midnight Snack Art,” 5-7 p.m. at Twine, located at 8 Somerset St., Hopewell.

The book is a catalogue of Johnson’s painted trays featuring images of Nantucket, Key West and Hopewell.

Books will be available for purchase. For more information, call 609-466-2425.

Yes we CAN! got its start with a group of volunteers campaigning for Barack Obama during the 2008 election. Today, its efforts include raising fresh produce at the West Windsor Farmers Market, including indoor markets held during the winter.

A fresh approach to helping the hungry Yes We CAN! is continuing its efforts for Arm in Arm at winter farmers markets in West Windsor Yes We CAN! is continuing its efforts for Arm in Arm at winter farmers markets in West Windsor

By Anthony Stoeckert For the past nine years, a group of volunteers has been helping to raise food for needy families in Mercer County. Among the relationships the groups has formed is with the West Windsor Farmers Market, creating a partnership that brings fresh produce to families dealing with food crises, both short and long term. And this year, the effort is continuing through the winter.

Yes We CAN! Food Drives got its start during the 2008 election, when volunteers campaigning for Barack Obama collected donations of nonperishable foods at the Democratic office in Princeton. Those donations were sent to Crisis Ministry, which in 2016 switched its name to Arm in Arm. Arm in Arm is a Trenton-based organization that offers food, housing and job support to people in need, people who are unemployed, underemployed and homeless in Mercer County. They also help veterans and deliver foods to senior citizens. It was founded 37 years ago by Trinity Church and Nassau Presbyterian Church.

“We partner with our community to achieve stability for our neighbors in need,” said Carolyn Biondi, executive director for Arm in Arm. “We do so by providing food, housing assistance and job support to low-income people in Mercer County. Our largest service is food distribution through our food pantries, so we’re helping to fight hunger and promote food security for families in Mercer County.”

People using the food pantry may be going through a rough stretch because of an unexpected expense, or loss of income, and may use the pantry just once. Others are in need of the pantry’s service on a longer basis.

The pantry is set up like a supermarket so that people take things home to prepare meals.

Fran Engler, one of Yes We CAN’s founders, said the volunteers wanted to continue their food-raising efforts after the election.

“So our group got together, we never called ourselves a board, or an organization with rules and bylaws and all of that,” Engler said. “We’re really just a group of volunteers.”

Those volunteers continue their mission through food drives at McCaffrey’s in Princeton and Pennington Quality Market. A drive at the ShopRite in Lawrenceville before Easter collected 1,500 pounds of food, according to Engler. Volunteers ask shoppers for a donation, or provide a list of things Arm in Arm needs. Engler said that over the years, Yes We CAN! has collected 150 tons of food.

Biondi said Arm In Arm receives donations from throughout the community via partnerships with schools,

congregations, civic groups, small businesses and food drives held by larger corporations.

“Yes We CAN! is one of our strongest supporters in terms of collecting food for us throughout the year,” she said.

Yes We CAN! also has a special relationship with the West Windsor Farmers Market. The outdoor market is held weekly from April up until Thanksgiving, and Yes We CAN! is there every other week. The market also holds indoor markets at the Windsor Athletic Club, 99 Clarksville Road in West Windsor.

This year, the indoor markets are taking place twice a month (past years saw one a month), on the first and third Saturdays of each month, and Yes We Can will be at markets held Dec. 16, Jan. 20, Feb. 17, March 17 and April 21.

The system used for donations at the markets connects shoppers, farmers and Arm in Arm. People can make donations at Yes We CAN’s booth, and that money is then spent at tables run by farmers. Or shoppers can buy food from farmers and vendors and donate what they purchased to Yes We CAN! “We let people know we’re collecting food or cash so that we can help people with hunger emergencies,” Engler said. “They’ve been extremely generous.”

Biondi said Yes We CAN’s work is helping Arm in Arm fulfill an important part of its mission in helping people.

“Fresh food is just so welcome in their diet and for their recipes they’re making at home,” she said. “We feel incredibly lucky that they have chosen us to benefit so that we often have a wonderful offering of fresh food for the people who come to us. Hunger is a real hardship, it’s painful to be hungry and it’s a hardship to not be able to eat healthily. Getting this donated produce is such a benefit to us.”

For the 2017 spring and summer markets, Yes We CAN! raised more than 10,000 pounds of food, plus $7,700 in cash that was used to buy food.

Engler said the farms also help.

“At the end of the market day, which is about 1 o’clock, many of the farmers will bring us their produce that they can’t sell because they’re not going to have another market day,” Engler said. “We get very generous donations of tomatoes, apples, collard greens, onions, all sorts of things.”

Chris Cirkus, manager of the West Windsor Farmers Market, said the model used by Yes We CAN! allows the farmers and vendors to contribute without losing money.

“For us the reason that it really works is that we never ask our farmers for handouts, people give cash donations as they’re shopping,” Cirkus said. “You’ll walk by and put a couple of dollars in the can and then the volunteers go and shop from the farmers. So they’re spending money, there’s commerce at the market.

That’s a big difference from a lot of different models in that they’re specifically asking farmers for donations at the end of the market day. So the farmers, in turn, have become extremely generous in their pricing and are selling wholesale or less, so at least they’re covering their cost. What we find is that they’re even more generous in that they do end up giving produce.”

Farmers know in advance which markets yes We CAN! will be at through newsletters and text updates, so that they bring more food when the volunteers are there. At the market’s closing, a truck is loaded, and the food is brought to the pantry in Trenton.

Yes We CAN! purchases food that has a shelf life, avoiding foods that rot fairly quickly. It also asks Arm in Arm which vegetables people tend to use and which tend to get ignored.

Cirkus said other vendors aside

from the farmers have gotten involved as well. LoRe’ Pasta, which makes pasta with locally sourced grain, vegetables and eggs, allowed customers to add $1 to the cost of the purchase, and for every dollar, owners Mario and Richard Zeck donated a pound of pasta to Arm in Arm. Cirkus said that brought a food to the pantry that otherwise wouldn’t get there because the pasta is high end, and not the type of item people buy to donate. The Zecks’ efforts led to 30 pounds of their pasta being donated after the first indoor market of the winter.

Another aspect of Yes We CAN’s mission is educating people about the need to help people who don’t have enough food — families sitting at empty tables or kids who aren’t getting enough fresh fruits and vegetables. Engler said that during markets, she’ll ask children whose parents made a donation if they’d like to go to the farmers’ tables and see what their money can buy.

“And most of them say yes,” she said. “Last time we were there, I took a child with me, their parents come with us of course, and I told the farmer that we had $5, and what could we get. The child wanted to get apples and he wanted to get gala apples, he knew very specifically what he wanted. So she gave him a whole basket of apples, much more than the $5 would have bought. it was a wonderful lesson and then I said, ‘Who’s going to get this?’ And he said, ‘Children who don’t have enough to eat,’ and I said, ‘Can you think about what that would be like?’ And so we had a dialogue about that.”

Another way to help is to become a volunteer. Engler said volunteers can participate in just one drive a year, or weekly during the summer markets.

Information about volunteering for Yes We Can is available at the Arm In Arm website: www.arminarm.org.

2B A Packet Publication

The Week of Friday, December 15, 2017

HEALTH MATTERS

Dr. John A. Heim

Lung Cancer Screening in High Risk Patients Improves Survivorship While lung cancer is one of the deadliest forms of cancer, catching lung cancer early through screening can save lives.

That’s why people with a history of smoking should talk to their doctor about screening for lung cancer, using a low-dose CT scan.

Screening can help detect lung cancer at its earliest stages, when treatments are most effective.

At University Medical Center of Princeton (UMCP), the Lung Cancer Screening Program is a collaborative effort involving radiologists, surgeons, pulmonologists and oncologists who work together to detect and treat lung cancer.

Leading cancer killer Lung cancer is the lead-

ing cancer killer for men and women in the United States, causing more deaths then the next three most common cancers — colon, breast and prostate — combined, according to the American Lung Association.

The most common risk factor for lung cancer is smoking, which contributes to between 80 and 90 percent of lung cancer cases.

If lung cancer is caught before it spreads, the likelihood of surviving improves from 11 percent to 55 percent, according to the American Lung Association.

Criteria for screening The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends annual screening for lung cancer for people be-

tween the ages of 55 and 80 as well as the following: • People who have a tobacco smoking history of at least 30 pack-years (the number of packs per day, multiplied by the number of years) • Anyone who is a current smoker or has quit smoking within the last 15 years Low-dose screening uses X-Rays to create cross-sectional views of the lungs to identify abnormalities.

As the American Lung Association notes, if you and your doctor determine you should be screened for lung cancer, it is important that you receive a low-dose CT scan at a facility with staff who have expertise in lung cancer screening.

Chest X-rays are not recom-

ADVIS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization comprised of 132 independent schools in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland and Delaware.

Abington Friends School Academy of Notre Dame de Namur The Academy of the New Church The Agnes Irwin School AIM Academy Ancillae-Assumpta Academy Archmere Academy ATG Learning Academy The Baldwin School Benchmark School Bryn Athyn Church School Buckingham Friends School Cambridge School Center School Centreville Layton School Christina Seix Academy Church Farm School Community Partnership School Cornerstone Christian Academy The Crefeld School Delaware County Christian School Delaware Valley Friends School Devon Preparatory School Doane Academy Dock Mennonite Academy The Episcopal Academy Frankford Friends School French International School of Philadelphia Friends’ Central School Friends School Haverford Friends School Mullica Hill Friends Select School George School Germantown Academy

Germantown Friends School Gesu School Girard College Gladwyne Montessori Goshen Friends School The Grayson School Greene Street Friends School Greene Towne Montessori School Grey Nun Academy Gwynedd Mercy Academy High School Gwynedd-Mercy Academy Elementary Harrisburg Academy The Haverford School The Hill School Hill Top Preparatory School The Hillside School The Hockessin Montessori School Holy Child Academy Holy Child School at Rosemont Holy Ghost Preparatory School The Hun School of Princeton The Independence School Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy The Janus School The Jefferson School Kimberton Waldorf School Kohelet Yeshiva High School La Salle College High School Lancaster Country Day School Lansdowne Friends School The Lawrenceville School Linden Hall Malvern Preparatory School The Meadowbrook School Media-Providence Friends School

mended for lung cancer screening.

A physician’s order is required for the scan at UMCP, ensuring that the results, and any necessary follow-up care, are discussed with your physician and, if appropriate, a specialist who treats pulmonary nodules.

To help make lung cancer screenings more affordable and accessible, PHCS makes these screenings available at no cost to patients who meet the eligibility criteria to have lung cancer screening.

The scans are available at UMCP and Princeton Radiology locations in Princeton, Monroe, and Mercerville.

If a lung nodule is found during screening, doctors may decide to monitor it with additional tests throughout the year, biopsy it to determine if it is cancer, or surgically remove it right away.

Treatment depends on the nature of the nodule, including its size and its location. Surgery for lung nodules can often be performed using a minimally invasive approach. At UMCP surgeons are using the da Vinci Xi System to perform robotic surgery for complex lung procedures including: • Thoracoscopy (biopsy and nodule removal) • Wedge resection (the removal of a small wedgeshaped piece of lung that contains cancer) • Lobectomy (the removal of an entire lobe in the lung that contains cancer) • Lymph gland removal Because surgery is performed through a few tiny incisions between the ribs,

patients avoid both a large incision and the possibility of having their ribs spread.

In addition, patients often benefit from fewer complications, less blood loss, shorter hospital stay, less pain and faster return to normal activities.

For patients who may not be candidates for surgery because of marginal lung function or other health complications, UMCP also offers Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT), which delivers radiation with pinpoint precision to tumors using only a few treatments.

Never too late to quit The best way to prevent lung cancer is to never smoke or to stop smoking now. If you do smoke, talk with your doctor about resources to help you quit. No matter how old you are or how much you smoke, quitting can improve your health almost immediately.

It’s true, however, that quitting is hard. To that end, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers these helpful tips: Make a quit plan. A quit plan combines strategies to keep you focused, confident and motivated to quit. It also helps you identify challenges to quitting and ways to overcome.

Set a quit date. Sooner is better than later. Avoid choosing a day when you know you will be busy, stressed or tempted to smoke. Circle the day on you calendar.

Let loved ones know you are quitting. Quitting smoking is easier with support from other people in your life.

Remove reminders of smoking. Throw away all cigarettes, lighters, matches, ashtrays and any other items that remind you of smoking.

Identify your reasons to quit smoking. Whether you want to be healthier, save money or be around to see your children and grandchildren grow up, identify your reasons for quitting and remind yourself of them every day.

Identify your smoking triggers. Certain activities, feelings and people may be linked to your smoking.

Identify these triggers and develop healthy ways to address them, such as going for a walk or a jog, taking slow deep breaths, or distracting yourself by doing something else and staying busy.

Consider medication.

There are several FDA-approved medications like nicotine patches or gum that can help people quit. Talk to your doctor about what may be right for you.

Visit the Princeton Health on Demand UStream channel at www.ustream.tv/princetonhealth to watch a prerecorded video to learn more about lung cancer screening.

To schedule an appointment with UMCP’s Lung Cancer Screening Program, call 609-853-7070. To find a physician with Princeton HealthCare call 888-7427496 or visit www.princetonhcs.org.

John A. Heim, M.D., is board certified in general and thoracic surgery and is the chairman of the Department of Surgery at University Medical Center of Princeton.

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The Week of Friday, December 15, 2017

Pam Hersh

She’s tougher than life

Inspired by her mother and her daughters, Jill Christen refuses to let cancer control her

I see all sorts of people and behavior at the gym, providing fodder for a television series that could be watched while working out on the elliptical. Some individuals socialize in full makeup and sexy workout clothes, others work out with several layers of shabby clothing and talk to no one. Some attack the machines in such a frenzy that I fear for the life of the machine, others have the gentle, barely exercising approach, fulfilling a half-hearted resolution to “go” to the gym.

And this past Saturday, a chubby Santa Claus — looking wistfully at the machines with the knowledge that he should be riding the exercise bike, instead of his reindeer — wandered around the gym in search of someone who would pay attention to him.

I was one of the Grinches who cared less about sad Santa, because from my perspective, the gym already had yielded a holiday present that would stay with me forever. It’s called perspective, a gift from longtime Princetonian and exercise aficionado Jill Christen.

Three weeks ago, my path crossed with Christen’s at the check-in desk, and I asked her about the orthopedic boot on her ankle. My question concerned the cause of her injury and how she still managed to do her energetic workout. She cheerfully announced that she had two hairline fractures, sustained when she tripped over a tree root while walking her dog in the woods.

She said she felt fine, but added that her exercise on the elliptical that morning was nothing compared to the workout she endured Nov. 5, when she ran the New York City Marathon with her brother, her sister — and her two bone fractures. It took the trio more than six hours to finish, but they finished and ran it as a team on behalf of “STOMP the Monster,” an organization to which she and her siblings feel particularly connected. STOMP The Monster provides financial and other support to cancer patients, their families, and caregivers when they need it most, during their fight with the disease.

I gave Christen a “you have got to be kidding” look, and she gave me back that thing called perspective. “You can call me crazy, but that is OK, because it is good crazy, the kind that pushes me forward,” she said. “If you looked up ‘crazy’ in the dictionary, my name would be next to it.”

I smiled and looked at her more intently and saw a bandage peeking out of her workout top. I recognized the bandage as a cover for a chemotherapy port and gasped a rather un-profound “Oh, geez.”

“Yes, I am getting treated for Stage 4 metastatic breast cancer, but I refuse to let the cancer define my life,” said the 52-year-old

Pictured from left: Jill Christen, with her daughters, Julia and Simone.

Christen, who prefers to be defined by the C word ‘crazy’ rather than the C-word ‘cancer.’ Clearly the only definitions applicable to Jill Christen are all the synonyms for remarkable, as she goes forward and provides perspective to those of us mired in our far less dramatic complaints about our lives.

More than 10 years ago, Christen, the mother of two grown daughters, ran the New York Marathon in three and a half hours.

She had taken up running after her daughter at the age of 12 became a highly competitive swimmer, which required a regimen of frequent and intense workouts.

“I started running to train empathetically with how hard my daughter and her training group all trained,” Christen said. “I had never even participated in a 5K, when I signed up to run the NJ Marathon. Finishing that race qualified me for the NYC Marathon and the Boston Marathon. It was three weeks after running the NYC Marathon that I felt a small mass in my right breast. I went to my gynecologist telling him that ‘I can’t have breast cancer, I just ran the NYC Marathon’ to which he asked, ‘are they mutually exclusive?’ and I replied ‘I believe so.’”

She was wrong about how running the New York Marathon could prevent the onset of cancer, but has been right about how

maintaining a rigid workout schedule of five hours per day divided into two workout sessions, one at the beginning and one at end of each day, has helped her deal with the overwhelming emotional, physical, and mental challenges of the disease.

During the past 10 years, Christen has run three more marathons and endured setbacks with her cancer, but stubbornly has refused to let the medical issues define her. “I need to make my days about others — not about myself,” she said.

She focuses on her other roles. She is the wife of Joe Christen (well known in the community as the third-generation owner of Lahiere’s, the now defunct landmark restaurant that formerly defined Princeton); mother of two “amazing” daughters — one in graduate school on her way to a career as a prosecutor and the other graduating from college this June. Christen is an alumna of Notre Dame; a financial services professional (Merrill Lynch and Johnson & Johnson); a volunteer for community non-profits that particularly benefit from her financial and fund-raising expertise; and “persistent“ athlete.

More than a year ago, Christen had to give up her full-time job because the medical treatment schedule interfered with her professional obligations. Since the time of her self-imposed unemployment, she has put heartfelt energy into another defining role, that of daughter. She was caring for her mother who died 10 days before her 89th birthday, a few months before the New York Marathon.

Christen’s behavior and approach to life is inspired by her mother Joan Kenny, who also was diagnosed with breast cancer more than three decades ago — two years after the death of Jill’s father. Defying a very pessimistic prognosis, Joan Kenny, who worked for a decade in Princeton University’s Annual Giving Office, continued to push herself to attend to her job, her health, and her six children.

“I tell my daughters ‘life’s tough, you have to be tougher,’” Christen says. “Some days are easier than others but even a bad day is just that, one bad day, it’s only 24 hours long and then it will be over. My mom had it so much harder and never complained, daily I think of what she went through and how afraid she must have felt. She was the strongest person I have ever known.”

Much to my regret, I never knew Christen’s mom. Much to my good fortune, I do know Jill, and I doubt that ‘strong’ is a strong enough word to define Jill. The next time I see Santa Claus, wandering in a gym or sitting in a mall, I am going to ask him for the gift of good health for Jill, so she can go forward and give her gift of perspective and strength to everyone she meets.

MOVIE TIMES Movie and times for the week of Dec. 15-21. Schedules are subject to change.

HILLSBOROUGH CINEMAS (908-874-8181): Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (luxury recliners, reserved seating) (PG13) Wed.-Thurs. 1:30, 4:15, 7. The Greatest Showman (luxury recliners, reserved seating) (PG) Wed.Thurs. 2:45, 5:15, 7:45. Ferdinand (PG) Fri.-Sat. 12, 2:35, 5:10, 7:45, 10:20; Sun. 12, 2:35, 5:10, 7:45; Mon.-Thurs.

2:35, 5:10, 7:45. Ferdinand (luxury recliners, reserved seating) (PG) Fri.-Tues. 1, 3:35, 6:10. Star Wars: The Last Jedi (Real 3D) Fri.-Sat. 12, 3:20, 6:40, 10; Sun. 12, 3:20,

6:40; Mon.-Thurs. 3:20, 6:40. Star Wars: The Last Jedi (luxury recliners, reserved seating) Fri.-Sat. 12:45, 2:15, 4:05, 5:35, 7:25, 8:45, 8:55, 10:45; Sun. 12:45, 2:15, 4:05, 5:35, 7:25; Mon.-Thurs. 2:15, 4:05, 5:35, 7:25. Star Wars: The Last Jedi (PG13) Fri.-Sat. 12:20, 1:30, 3:40, 4:50, 7, 8:10, 10:20; Sun. 12:20, 1:30, 3:40, 4:50, 7; Mon.-Thurs.

1:30, 3:40, 4:50, 7. Coco (PG) Fri.-Sat. 12:05, 2:40, 5:15, 7:50, 10:25; Sun. 12:05, 2:40, 5:15, 7:50; Mon.-Thurs. 2:40, 5:15, 7:50. Wonder (PG) Fri.-Sat. 12, 2:40, 5:20, 8, 10:40; Sun. 12, 2:40, 5:20, 8; Mon.-Thurs. 2:40, 5:20, 8. Justice League (luxury recliners) (PG13) Fri.-Sat. 1:30, 4:15, 7, 9:45; Sun.-Thurs. 1:30, 4:15, 7.

MONTGOMERY CINEMAS (609-924-7444): Call Me By Your Name (R) Fri.-Sat. 1:15, 4:05, 6:55, 9:45; Sun.Thurs. 1:15, 4:05, 6:55. The Shape of Water (R) Fri.-Sat. 1:30, 2:05, 4:15, 7, 9:25, 9:45; Sun.-Thurs. 1:30, 2:05, 4:15, 7. Wonder Wheel (PG13) Fri.-Sat. 2:25, 4:50, 7:15, 9:40; Sun.-Thurs. 2:25, 4:50, 7:15. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (R) Fri.-Sat. 2, 4:40, 7:20, 10; Sun. 2, 4:40, 7:20. Lady Bird (R) Fri.-Sat. 3:15, 5;30, 7:45, 10; Sun.-Thurs. 3:15, 5;30, 7:45. 1945 (NR) Fri.-Thurs. 4:55, 7:10.

PRINCETON GARDEN THEATRE (609-279-1999): Lady Bird (R) Fri. 4:30, 7:15, 9:30; Sat. 1:30, 4:30, 7:15, 9:30; Sun. 1:30, 4:30, 7:15; Mon.-Tues. 5:30, 8; Wed. 2:30 5, 8; Thurs. 2:30, 8. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri (R) Fri. 4, 7, 9:30; Sat. 1, 4, 7, 9:30; Sun. 4, 7; MonTues. 5:15, 8; Wed. 2:30. 5:15; Tues. 2:30, 5:15, 8. National Theatre Live: Follies (NR) Sun. 12:30 p.m. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) (NR) Wed. 7:30 p.m. Art on Screen: Canaletto and the Art of Venice (NR) Thurs. 5:45 p.m.

Miracle on 34th Street (1947) (NR) Sat. 10:30 a.m.

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COVER STORY

Van Zandt Continued from TimeOFF Page 1

He also lends his expertise and talent to the Rockit Live Foundation, a nonprofit group where young musicians between the ages of 8 and 18 join in a premiere rock ‘n’ roll band experience by auditioning, learning a specific repertoire of songs supplemented with private instruction and then performing a concert on the Basie stage.

Van Zandt says that when he was putting together the songs for “Soulfire,” he was a little bit surprised by how well the songs had held up over the years.

“I think I took the songs for granted when I wrote them back in the 1980s. I don’t think I fully appreciated them until now,” he says. “It’s fun having that kind of distance from your own material as well as the fact that most of it was written for other people. It’s almost like a brand new acquaintance. There is a newness and freshness to it that I’ve really enjoyed performing.”

Steven Van Zandt is wrapping up his One highlight of the “Soulfire” tour hap- tour with a show at the Count Basie pened in London, when Paul McCartney Theatre. joined Van Zandt on stage Nov. 4 for a spirAnd then there is always The Boss. ited rendition of the Beatles’ “I Saw Her “I got to see what Bruce wants to do.

Standing There.”

He’s doing [his Broadway show] until Van Zandt was aware McCartney was in June,” Van Zandt says. “We’ll see if he the audience that evening and had a conwants to go out on tour or if he wants to versation with the former Beatle before the make another E Street Band record. I want show. Van Zandt said he told McCartney not to make sure I’ll be there for that.” to feel any pressure to come up on stage that As for keeping pace with the now-faevening, to relax, take a night off and enjoy mous Springsteen stamina during his threethe show. to four-hour live shows, Van Zandt says he “I did not expect him to come up at all is still keeping up. and suddenly he was there for the encore.

“I’ll tell you the truth, the answer is the What a thrill,” Van Zandt says. “You don’t music,” he says. “That’s the simple answer get any better validation than Paul McCartand I’m not trying to be glib. That’s a fact. ney coming on stage with you. Him coming You might feel tired, you might feel sick, on stage with Bruce is one thing, which is you might be feeling worn out before a already fantastic and great for Bruce and the show or in the middle of a show, but the E Street Band, but coming on my stage and music just lifts you up, man, and that’s what endorsing me and what I’m doing was rekeeps you going.

That’s the greatest and ally, really meaningful.” most wonderful gift about what we do.”

As for what’s next, Van Zandt says he wishes he knew. This year’s “Soulfire” tour was dependent on having Citibank as its Steven Van Zandt will perform “Little sponsor and Van Zandt does not yet know Steven’s Holiday Homecoming” at the Count Basie Theatre, 99 Monmouth St., Red if that will continue into 2018.

In addition, he has written five television Bank, Dec. 23, 8 p.m. For tickets and inforscripts and plans to talk with TV executives mation, go to www.countbasietheatre.org or call 732-842-9000. about those possibilities.

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Holiday Gift Guide

Take in a holiday show this weekend

By Anthony Stoeckert Features Editor

It may be hard to believe, but the final countdown to Christmas has begun, and that also means time is running out on being able to take in one of the many holiday-themed events taking place in the area.

The good news is that lots of shows and cone are taking place this weekend, making it the perfect time to see a show, enjoy a concert, or even see an exhibit that will get you in the holiday spirit.

The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey is marking the season with an adaptation of a treasured holiday film, “It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play,” on stage through Dec. 31.

A group of actors and technicians gather in a 1940s radio station at holiday time to perform a live broadcast of “It’s a

Wonderful Life.” The show includes an actor making sound effects, as well as commercials from the Golden Age of radio, music and humor, all while telling the story of George Bailey and the angel who shows him that life is special.

Performances are at the F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre, 36 Madison Ave., Madison.

For tickets and information, go to www.shakespearenj.org or call 973-4085600.

Princeton Symphony Orchestra is continuing its annual holiday tradition with its Holiday POPS! concert, Dec. 16.

The festive program will include music by John Williams from “Home Alone,” Franz Waxman‘s 1938 Suite from “A Christmas Carol,” waltzes by Johann Strauss Jr., and more. Another traditions includes a sing-along, with the audience invited to join in on carols arranged by Leroy An-

derson.

The 4 p.m. concert is sold out. Tickets for the 7 p.m. show were available at press time.

For tickets and more information, go to princetonsymphony.org or call 609-497-0020.

The Trenton City Museum at Ellarslie is hosting an exhibit “Trenton’s Christmas Past,” showcasing photos of downtown Trenton at holiday time from the 1940s to the ‘60s.

The exhibit brings back memories of the Christmas decorations put up by the city in the 1940s, ‘50s and ‘60s and the many department and other stores that people came from all over to visit and shop in for the holidays.

Gift boxes found under many an area Christmas tree are included in the display from stores such as R.A. Donnelly, Mason’s, Dunham’s, Lit Brothers, Nevius Voorhees, Arnold

The Shakespeare Theatre is staging “It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play,” through Dec. 31.

Constable and others.

The exhibit also features a ventriloquist doll made by Trenton doll manufacturer Horsman and a 60th anniversary edition Slinky that was

made originally with Roebling wire. Also featured are vintage Christmas decoration. On the first floor a Boehm Nativity set is on display along with one of the original boxes.

The exhibit is on view through Jan. 15. Museum hours are Wed.-Sat. noon to 5 p.m., Sun. 1-4 p.m. For more information, go to www.ellarslie.org or call 609-989-3632,

How to cut back on holiday waste

The holiday season is a joyful time of year. But the weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day also tend to be very wasteful. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that household waste increases by more than 25 percent during the holiday season.

Reducing waste come the holiday season does not mean celebrants have to forgo big family meals or beautifully wrapped gifts. In

fact, there are several ways to reduce waste without spoiling the spirit of the season.

Give eco-conscious gifts. The environment may not be the first thing that comes to mind when holiday shoppers are looking for gifts for their loved ones.

But giving reusable gifts can have a positive, longterm impact on the planet.

Reusable coffee mugs or water bottles can dramatically reduce waste over

time, and such items make great stocking stuffers.

Shoppers also can look for items made from recycled materials, which run the gamut from home furnishings to calendars to clothing, as eco-friendly alternatives to gifts produced without the environment in mind.

Reuse holiday-specific items. Gift wrap, gift boxes and gift bags are oftentimes discarded after Christmas morning. But these items

can be reused to cut back on holiday waste. Reusing wrapping paper from year to year can be especially beneficial to the environment.

That’s because wrapping paper tends to be dyed or laminated, and many wrapping papers contain nonpaper additives that cannot be recycled. Reusing wrapping paper, purchasing only recyclable paper or wrapping gifts in old newspapers or magazines can help holiday celebrants reduce their carbon footprints.

Prepare less food and donate any leftovers. The

Worldwatch Institute notes that, during the holiday season, celebrants generate three times as much food waste as they do during other times of the year.

Large family meals are a tradition of the holiday season, but hosts who routinely find themselves discarding leftovers can plan on preparing less food this year. Consider how much guests are likely to eat and plan meals accordingly instead of buying enough food to feed a small army.

Donate leftovers to nearby shelters so nothing goes to

waste.

Recycle live Christmas trees. According to the National Christmas Tree Association, 25.9 million real trees were sold in the United States in 2015. Trees put out on the curb for collection after the holiday season typically end up in landfills, but some communities recycle Christmas trees each year.

Real tree enthusiasts can contact community officials to determine if they can recycle rather than discard their trees. — Metro Creative Connection

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The Week of Friday, December 15, 2017

Holiday Gift Guide

Revisit lesser-known Christmas tradition

Christmas celebrants participate in many different traditions year after year, but some may not fully understand the meaning behind such activities.

A Christian holiday, Christmas did not originate with all activities centralized to the church.

In fact, many of the traditions people hold dear have pagan roots, which were adapted as Christmas celebrations evolved.

People who hang mistletoe in doorways may be surprised to learn that this tradition dates back to the ancient Druids. The Druids believed mistletoe possessed mystical powers that brought good luck to the household and warded off evil spirits.

Evergreen trees are now associated with Christmas trees, but evergreen boughs were once used to decorate homes during the winter solstice to help people envision the spring to come. Christians often look

at evergreen trees as a sign of everlasting life and their relationship with God. However, while many Christmas traditions continue to be an integral part of annual celebrations, there are some customs that have fallen out of favor. Although these traditions may no longer be widely practiced, anyone can revive them and make them part of their holiday celebrations.

Wassailing is a custom that has ancient origins and is not as popular today as it once was.

“Wassail” comes from the Ango-Saxon phrase “waes hael,” which means, “good health.” Wassail is a drink made of mulled ale, spices and other ingredients. To go wassailing meant to travel door-todoor singing and offering a drink from a wassail bowl in exchange for gifts. Wassailing has been mentioned in certain Christmas carols, including

Wassail is an ancient spirited beverage that was brought house-to-house with the goal of spreading Christmas cheer.

“We Wish You a Merry Christmas.”

Largely an English tradition, wassailing was brought to America by British settlers.

Jan. 17, the old Twelfth Night, is the traditional date for wassailing. Although wassailing

has largely fallen by the wayside, increased interest in ales and craft brewing may help revitalize this Christmas tradition, which can inspire community spirit.

Terhune Orchards hosts an annual wassailing the apple

trees event, with this season’s event scheduled for Jan. 28, 14 p.m. During the event, Terhune will honor the trees that provide apples. Activities include singing, dancing and playing of primitive instruments, toasts of hot cider and placing gifts of cider-soaked bread in the tree branches while chanting the lively words of praise and New Year. For more information, go to www.terhuneorchards.com or call 609924-2310.

Gifting with fruit cake is another tradition that has been much maligned and does not enjoy the same popularity that it once did. Fruit cake is a cake made with chopped candied fruit, nuts and spices and is occasionally soaked in spirits.

Fruit cakes have been enjoyed all over the world, but Americans may never have embraced the Christmas fruit cake tradi-

tion as much as those from other countries. However, with the right recipe and an open mind, it may be possible to resurrect the fruit cake tradition once again.

Mummers plays are another British tradition that arrived in North America with settlers but has largely fallen by the wayside. Mummers plays involved miming folk dramas, and the plays were commonplace around the holiday season. Celebrants may want to research such dramas and include them in this year’s festivities.

Traditions passed on through the years help make Christmas a favorite time of celebration. People may want to explore the less popular traditions today and once again make them interesting parts of this year’s festivities. — Metro Creative Connection

All about Boxing Day

For much of the world, Dec. 26 represents just another day. However, in Canada, the United Kingdom and other former and current British colonies, its’ Boxing Day. Boxing Day is a significant holiday for people with ties to Great Britain. The holiday began more than 800 years ago during the Middle Ages and gets its name from alms boxes, which were collection boxes that were kept in churches to collect money for the poor. On Boxing Day, the boxes are traditionally opened so that contents can be distributed to needy people.

Boxing Day also references a time when servants of affluent individuals were given a

day off so they could spend time with their families. The servants normally would have to work on Christmas, and Boxing Day was their respite.

These servants may have been given small gifts and boxes of leftovers to take home. Dec. 26 also marked a day when postal workers, butchers, milkmen, and other people who plied their trades might collect their Christmas box or tip.

Boxing Day celebrations in modern times are quite different from those of the past.

Today, Boxing Day provides a chance to shop sales and exchange gifts received on Christmas. However, people can put their own unique spins on the Boxing Day festivities.

Go horseback riding. Dec.

26 is also the feast day of St. Stephen, who is the patron saint of horses. Celebrants can enjoy a stroll on horseback, watch a horse race, visit a farm to interact with equines, or engage in other horse-related activities.

Donate to charity. To pay homage to the early traditions of Boxing Day, individuals can spend time filling boxes with nonperishable foods or belongings before donating them to charity. People also can volunteer for church functions that involve helping the needy.

Tip service providers. Use Boxing Day as a chance to tip doormen, postal workers, favorite delivery persons, salon employees, or other service workers with whom you rou-

tinely interact.

Celebrate Wren’s Day. Wren’s Day also takes place on Dec. 26. This is a Christmastime tradition with Celtic roots.

While the traditions surrounding Wren’s Day vary in different parts of Europe, the myth most widely told in Ireland is that God wanted to know which bird was the king of all birds, ultimately noting the one who flew the highest and longest would earn the distinction. The birds took to the air, with the eagle outlasting all other birds until it began to drop. When the eagle began its descent, a wren appeared from under its wing and soared higher and further than all other birds.

Avoid holiday medical mishaps The holiday season might not be the most hazardous time of the year, but there is an uptick in safety concerns during this season of festivity and fun.

Components of the holiday season such as decorating, shopping, celebrating, and traveling, carry some risk. The National Fire Protection Association says 30 percent of all home fires occur during the months of December, January and February. Christmas trees and decorative holiday lighting displays contribute to the uptick in fires and other accidents. But fire is not the only concern during the holiday season. Revelers who cele-

brate a bit too much can pose a threat, as can road weary travelers or overnight guests who unknowingly put loved ones in harm’s way during their stays.

Thankfully, many accidents that occur during the holiday season are avoidable if holiday celebrants focus on safe ways to celebrate.

• Choking: All of that entertaining and partying means more food is consumed. To keep up with the hustle and bustle of the season, many people must eat on the go. The National Safety Council says nearly 3,000 people in the United States die each year from choking. Taking small bites

438 US HWY 206 South, Suite 4 Hillsborough, NJ 08844 än nÓ ÎÓÇ£ÊUÊÜÜÜ°« à `i °V

and chewing completely, while also avoiding talking while chewing, can help.

Children should be kept away from small decorations, as even pine needles can be a choking hazard.

• Toxic plants: Oh by gosh by golly, that mistletoe and holly can be toxic to pets and young children whose smaller bodies may be more vulnerable than adult bodies.

When decorating, consider decorating with artificial plants instead of live, potentially poisonous plants.

• Alcohol-related incidents: Holiday fun frequently involves alcoholic beverages.

Law enforcement officials point out that the rate of driv-

*Expires 1/31/18*

ing while intoxicated tends to increase during the holidays.

Implementing strict “designated driver” rules and making contact information for taxi or ridesharing services readily available to holiday guests can prevent tragedies.

• Medicine mishaps: Relatives visiting for Christmas may bring their prescription medications along when staying overnight. Curious children may encounter the drugs and think they’re candy, so encourage guests to place their medications in childproof bottles or containers. — Metro Creative Connection

Montgomery Shopping Center 609-924-8282 West Windsor 609-897-0032 (lessons only)

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MERCER COUNTY TOP PRODUCERS ASSOCIATION WISHES YOU AND YOURS HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

THANK YOU!!

2017 was another very successful year. Call on us for our expert guidance in 2018!

O

ver the past year, the members of the Mercer County Top Producers Association sold more than 2,200 homes with over $925 million in total sales volume.

a Top Producer you are also tapping into the experience of 82 agents. Their monthly meetings give them an opportunity to share their expertise and techniques with each other, announce new listings and listen to real estate related professionals who keep them educated on the latest laws, practices, new products, market trends and new technology. This ultimately makes their clients home buying and selling process a satisfying experience. There are many steps in the home buying and selling process. Working together, they can make this process seamless for both the buyer and seller. At monthly meetings, your agent will be telling 82 agents about your new listing sometimes before it even hits the market. This gives your home a head start by making these agents aware of the property so they can already be thinking of a buyer who might be the perfect fit for your home.

The MCTPA is comprised of the best agents from many of the local real estate firms. All of them are recipients of the prestigious NJ REALTORS® Circle of Excellence Sales Award®. Their commitment to professionalism, performance, dedication and service to the customer is top priority.

Their purpose is to offer home buyers and sellers the highest level of service available. When hiring

At the end of each year, the Mercer County Top Producers donate money to local charities, such as Homefront, Housing Initiatives of Princeton, Toys for Tots and the Mercer Street Friends Food Bank.

If you are looking to buy or sell a home, be sure to call one of these top agents in your area.

The Members of the Mercer County Top Producers Association are committed to supporting the communities in which they work and are strong supporters of local charities.

featured homes FRANKLIN TWP.

$729,900

A NEW HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS..AT A PRICE THAT IS “A GIFT!!” NEW CONSTRUCTION-QUICK DELIVERYCustom built 3450 SF home on over an acre partially wooded lot with a Princeton mailing address. Perfect flrplan for home business, entertaining or multi-generational situation. Quality home features full walkout bsmnt (above grade) w/full size windows & patio door-private entrance. Front & back staircases-5 BRs, 4 full baths, princess suite, Jack and Jill bathroom grand 2 story foyer, great room w/gas fireplace, 2 story ceiling, bay windows overlooking wooded yard. Unbelievable kitchen!!

Custom mixed wood cabinetry, granite counters, upgraded appliance package & much more. Truly a place to call home!!

SKILLMAN

$950,000

CHARMING FARMHOUSE -- Presently a 2 family but can be converted back to single family. Many possibilities: Equestrian center, organic farming, livestock or vineyard to name a few. Farmhouse sits on 1 acre. 11.5 acres Farm assessed as Q-Farm. In the past it was a Dairy farm w/2 Large barns and garage. Can be subdivided!! 5 acre zoning.

Great opportunity!!

08540

609-951-8600

Cell: 732-501-0686

253 Nassau Street Princeton, NJ 08540

08540

609-951-8600

Each Office is Independently Owned and Operated.

Listed by Donna M. Murray Sales Associate, ReALtoR®

dawn@housesbydawn.com

Cell: 732-501-0686

Each Office is Independently Owned and Operated.

$639,000

Beautifully maintained, custom-built 8-yr-old home on private, scenic 2 acre lot in the desirable Sourland Mountains. 4 BR, 2.5 BA colonial w/first flr master, luxurious master BA, hdwd flrs, state-of-the-art kit w/high end appl’s & FR w/cathedral ceiling.

Full bsmt w/13-ft ceilings can be easily finished. eco-friendly & energy-efficient upgrades throughout. Convenient to major hwys, historic Rocky Hill Borough, downtown Princeton, & 10 mins or less to top-rated Montgomery schools.

Listed by Dawn Petrozzini Broker-Owner

Listed by Dawn Petrozzini Broker-Owner

dawn@housesbydawn.com

montgomery tWP.

Cell: 908-391-8396 donna.murray@foxroach.com

609-924-1600

A member of the franchise system of BHH Affiliates, LLC.

real estate news Sales Begin for Second Section of Homes at The Gateway in Cranbury With connection between Cranbury’s downtown and residential neighborhoods taking shape at The Gateway, community of 54 townhomes experiences rapid sales pace Following the private, VIP grand opening of the first section of homes at The Gateway, High Point Development today announced the launch of pre-construction sales for the next phase of the new luxury townhome community in Cranbury Township. Preconstruction incentives are being offered on the homes, which are now available for purchase by the general public.

and second-floor master suite options.

In addition to providing generous square footage and twocar garages, all home layouts include upscale design details and transitional spaces, including wide staircases, large windows, 10-foot ceilings on the first floor and nine-foot ceilings on the second floor.

Also offered are structural options that allow customization of each A cross-section of buyers in search of a convenient and maintenance- home to include a master-bedroom sitting room, loft or study, and free lifestyle have purchased homes at The Gateway, which offers attic storage. four distinct floor plans to choose from, including both first-floor Continued on next page.

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Call the ROCCO D’ARMIENTO TEAM today for more details!

RESIDENTIAL Princeton

$5,799,000

8 Players Lane. Enter through an automatic gated entrance to a private enclave of 6 homes, in the most prestigious Jasna Polana Estates & a stone’s throw from the 230 acres Jasna Polana Golf Course, includes FREE membership. 7BR, 7BA & two 1/2BAs home to call your own private luxurious retreat that sits at the top of the cul-de-sac with custom built-in pool. So much to see.

Princeton

$2,699,999

3735 Lawrence Rd. This English estate features country-like gardens, arbors, gazebos & water features.

This unique 6 BR, 4.5 bath home borders the prestigious Jasna Polana Golf Course and features a coffered study/ cigar room w/exotic woods & floors, a roman indoor pool and an elegant sunroom. Indoor movie theater w/full size popcorn machine. Outdoor gourmet kit w/full size outdr frplc great for entertaining in the warmer seasons. Fully upgraded kit featuring Crystallo Granite countertops, 2 ovens, a chef’s dream! So much to see.

“The remarkable response that The Gateway has received validates our belief that there’s extremely strong demand for spacious, welldesigned homes in desirable Cranbury Township,” said Paul Schneier, founder of High Point Development. “As an increasing number of people enter the market for a home, the new communities that will prosper are those with low taxes, great schools, and proximity to walkable business districts with shopping and dining options. As such, we expect the homes at The Gateway to continue to sell at a rapid pace.”

COMMERCIAL Lawrenceville

$325,000

24 Gordon Ave. Located in downtown Lawrenceville, close to shops and Lawrenceville Prep. This 3 bedroom house has been recently renovated. Hardwood floors, updated kitchen & C A/C to name a few features. Driveway parking for 5-6 cars (plus on street parking). NC zoning allows for office or contractor use. Perfect for attorney, accountant, contractor & other small businesses. High visibility & exposure right off of Main St. Across the street from Starbuck’s. Lots of foot & car traffic.

Ewing Twp.

$619,000

1871 Pennington Rd. Prime location & great opportunity to own a commercial property w/good income potential. Located directly across from The College of New Jersey, this recently renovated building is ready for a new owner. Owner has clear C/O. Part of the building is currently being used for a successful doctor’s practice. Doctor will stay in office space with a 1 year lease if agreed upon. The second section of the building, 2852 sq ft, has recently been renovated for a legal seven unit rental to include a large common area, 4.5 baths, DR, full kit w/appliances plus washer & dryer. Excellent exposure w/good access to public transp. Plenty of parking, too. Lots of vehicle traffic.

Walk to the college, new shops & restaurants. Mins to Rt 95 & easy commute to Philadelphia and New york.

Cranbury

$699,000 55 N.Main St. Great building in the heart of Historic Cranbury. Charming town w/ great mix of Retail stores & restaurants.

3,000 sq ft of retail. There are 2 additional flrs that could be converted to 2 nice size apartments. Property has 5 parking spots attached to an off street additional parking lot. Owner is retiring & willing to sell business for an additional amount TBD. Business has been operating for 25 plus years. Seller has township approvals for restaurant & apartments.

ROCCO D’ARMIENTO REALTOR®, e-Pro, SRES Five Star REALTOR award since 2010.

Selling Residential & Commercial • Licensed in NJ & PA NJ REALTORS® Circle of Excellence Award® Winner - Gold 2012

Cell: 267-980-8546 Office: 609-924-1600 ext. 7601

Rocco.DArmiento@FoxRoach.com www.roccodarmiento.foxroach.com

253 Nassau Street Princeton, NJ 08540

A member of the franchise system of BHHS Affiliates, LLC.

609-924-1600

Located at the intersection of South Main Street and Old Trenton Road, the community of 54 townhomes represents the culmination of a years-long process of transforming an underutilized tract of land – three adjacent parcels that had been deemed by the Township of Cranbury as an “area in need of redevelopment” because of obsolete uses – into an aesthetically pleasing residential enclave that serves as a connection between Cranbury’s downtown and its outlying neighborhoods. As a result, the community presents a rare opportunity for buyers who appreciate the rare combination of product, location and value.

Home exteriors, which feature brick and fiber cement siding, reflect the desire of Township residents and officials to create a community that fits seamlessly into the existing landscape of Cranbury Township.

Conveniently located near Interstate 95 and Route 130, midway between New York City and Philadelphia, The Gateway is approximately 40 miles southwest of NYC and can be reached via Princeton Junction train station. To schedule a private tour, visit www.gatewaycranbury.com or call 732-406-5680.

commercial real estate Availabilities GREAT LOCATION

. Lawrence, NJ. A 3,600± SF former restaurant available for lease. Offers easy access to I-95, I-295 and Route 206.

GREAT OPPORTUNITY

. Hamilton, NJ. A 21,440± SF warehouse/office available for sale. Well-constructed building in a highly accessible location. Rare find in today’s market.

Richardson Commercial Realtors, LLC 52 State Highway #33 • Hamilton, NJ 08619 richardsoncommercial.com

AVAILABLE FOR SALE

HIGHLY DESIRABLE

. Hamilton, NJ. Established tavern & liquor store with full liquor license. Also includes an eat in/take out restaurant as well as two apartments for additional rental income

. Mansfield Twp., NJ. A 1,544 ± SF office suite, presently used for a medical practice, available for lease. This is a great space for one of many medical disciplines.

609.586.1000

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Many thanks to my Family, Friends, Clients and Amazing Team at Coldwell Banker Princeton lead by Susan Norman for an exceptional year!

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BOOKKEEPER Part time bookkeeper for small office in Princeton.

QuickBooks. Approximately 2 - 4 hours per week. Send cover letter and resume to: aco@orgonomy.org.

Newspaper Media Group, publisher of over 45 local community publications both in print and online, is seeking creative, analytical and outgoing individuals to join our team of Account Managers.

Who are you?

You are a people person who likes conversation and investing in the success of others. You have a positive attitude and can balance your own success with that of helping the team. You have a strong work ethic and desire to see the job through to completion. With at least two years of experience in a client-facing job – through customer service, marketing, advertising, communications, retail or other capacity, you will help round out our team.

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Pay is commensurate with experience including base salary, incentive compensation and bonuses. We offer a competitive benefits program and a great group of people with whom to work! EOE

Howell/Hamilton Assistant Job Posting PERSONAL ASSISTANT/DRIVER Howell/Hamilton, NJ Personal Assistant/Driver wanted for disabled professional from Monday through Friday from approximately 8:30 AM to 6 PM (must be flexible with hours).

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