7-20 BC by Community News Service

Current Bordentown

JULY 2020 FREE

COMMUNITYNEWS.ORG

Pastor finds new home in City

Amid crisis, local staple re-opens New management, new practices at Town & Country Diner

BY MICHELE ALPERIN

During Kristin Austew’s search for a new position as a Presbyterian pastor, the first thing she noticed about the First Presbyterian Church of Bordentown was its Sunday school curriculum, which was based on Dr. Seuss. She was hooked. “The more I looked at the ministry they had been doing, the ways they felt called to shine God’s light on the world, I thought, ‘This seems like good fit,’” she says. “One of the big reasons I’m here is because this church has a sense of warmth and welcome to it that is not something you can teach.” And even though the church, like most faith communities these days, has been struggling to make ends meet, and people may disagree about the next step, Austew says, “They love each other through all of it. My goal is to show them they deserve to be loved, are loved, and to bring some renewal and new life and reenergize them.” Before looking to any future changes, Austew says, the church must explore “what’s really important to us and what are the key pieces of who we are as a church, and how do we continue to grow into that and grow through that.” The next step is to prioritize and try out new things. “If you really care about something and it’s not working anymore, you find a new way,” she says. She recalls that upon her See AUSTEW, Page 6

BY NICOLE VIVIANO

Artist Marlon Davila starts work on a new mural, located at Bordentown Beach.

Beautifying the beach New mural spiﬀs up shipping container that will hold forrent kayaks, canoes BY NICOLE VIVIANO

There is a new addition to the Bordentown Beach scenery: a mural on a 40-foot shipping container. Local artist Marlon Davila started on the project in late May and plans to complete the mural—his largest yet— by July 4. The container will hold a new fleet of kayaks and canoes managed by the D&R Greenway Land Trust. Residents have been able to go down to the river and see the mural’s progress over the last

month, which Davila describes as being broken into three sections: nature, the river and environmental awareness. Working with acrylic paints outdoors, Davila can be found painting in good weather, blending vibrant colors and bringing the landscape to life. Locals frequently visit him at his workspace to inquire about the mural and see its day-to-day progress. “For the most part, there’s people that just stop by to congratulate me and just to say how beautiful it is and how they’re so happy to see something so bright and cheerful and colorful in the park,” Davila said. Having the river as his office space is a dream come true, he said. This mural—his third—is

Davila’s first foray outside of Mercer County, as his art career began in Princeton. His first mural is located on the corner of John Street and Leigh Avenue, “Journey,” and the other is an untitled mural in the office building of Axiom Healthcare Strategies on Hulfish Street in Princeton. The Bordentown Beach mural is inspired by first and secondgeneration high school students from the Latin American Legal Defense and Education Fund youth program FUTURO. About 30 high school juniors from Trenton, Princeton and Lawrence were involved early on in the process of planning the mural. “The connection with LALDEF…really took it in what I think was a really enthuSee MURAL, Page 5

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The diner at the fork of Routes 130 and 206 in Bordentown has the same name but is a whole new experience. Bordentown landmark Town & Country Diner has undergone major changes, with a focus on higher-quality food and better hospitality, according to the diner’s new owners. The Pamuk family said the move was more than just a business decision. The family has been involved in the food industry for years, bringing with them a wealth of experience. After months of waiting due to the coronavirus pandemic, the family finally gets to show off their changes. The diner reopened June 25, offering outdoor service under a tent and takeout from an adjusted menu. Breakfast, lunch and dinner will be available from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mehmet Pamuk has been in the restaurant business for nearly 40 years. His son, Saban, runs Pandora Diner on Route 206 in Mount Holly, 15 minutes down the road. Pamuk’s three daughters, Nuray, Senay and Gulay, and granddaughter, Ece, are in charge of Town & Country’s daily upkeep and running. HavSee DINER, Page 8

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2  Bordentown Current | July 2020

Confronting what scares us SAM SCIARROTTA FROM THE EDITOR

town Township Mayor Steve Benowitz did in a June 8 statement (see Page 4). We can all do better when it comes to addressing race issues in town, whether it’s reflecting on our own conscious and subconscious beliefs or having a conversation with a friend when they make a racist joke. It’s important to approach the pandemic with a similar mindset, too. Coronavirus is real, and while numbers in New Jersey are on a steady decline, that doesn’t mean it’s over. We can’t ignore COVID-19 just because we’re bored or because we miss watching baseball at a bar. The reality is that we’re living through the catastrophic spread of a new disease that doesn’t have a cure or a vaccine and that has killed nearly half a million people worldwide. For now, it’s here to stay, and we have to alter our way of life, not go back to normal. Confront it head-on by listening to what health officials say. This country is transforming. It might be scary, difficult or annoying to face these realities, but the time for fragility is long gone. Racism kills, and it exists, even here. Black lives matter. Wear a mask. Keep your neighbors safe.

Sometimes it can be easier to ignore, rather than face, our problems or difficult situations. I know I’m certainly guilty of doing that. It can be hard to confront head-on something that makes us uncomfortable, or that makes us think critically about people, places and things we love. But it’s time to discard that way of thinking. We’ve watched as racism and racist policies have pervaded—and helped build—this nation’s foundation and history. And, not for the first time, that was challenged over the last month. Protesters took to the streets in defiance of police brutality against Black men and women. Thousands marched down Broad Street in Philadelphia, in New York City, in Minneapolis, in San Francisco and Washington, D.C.—massive demonstrations were held all over the world in some of our biggest cities. But they were also held here in Burlington County because, as difficult as it might be for some to admit, racism is just as pervasive here as it is any- Contact SAM SCIARROTTA: ssciarrotta@ where else. It’s important for us all to communitynews.org, (609) 396-1511, ext. acknowledge that fact, like Borden- 121, facebook.com/samsciarrotta1

Current Bordentown

we are a newsroom of your neighbors. The Current is for local people, by local people. As part of the community, the Bordentown Current does more than just report the news—it connects businesses with their customers, organizations with their members and neighbors with one another. As such, our staﬀ sets out to make our town a closer place by giving readers a reliable source to turn to when they want to know what’s going on in their neighborhood.

EDITOR Samantha Sciarrotta (Ext. 121) STAFF WRITER Nicole Viviano CONTRIBUTING WRITER Michele Alperin SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Jennifer Steﬀen (Ext. 113) AD LAYOUT AND PRODUCTION Stacey Micallef (Ext. 131)

Community News Service 15 Princess Road, Suite K Lawrence, NJ 08648 Phone: (609) 396-1511 News: news@communitynews.org Events: events@communitynews.org Sports: sports@communitynews.org Letters: ssciarrotta@communitynews.org Website: bordentowncurrent.com Facebook: facebook.com/bordentowncurrent Twitter: twitter.com/mercerspace 9,000 copies of the Bordentown Current are mailed or bulk-distributed to the residences and businesses of Bordentown 12 times a year.

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around town Mayor issues statement on race, police

Bordentown Township Mayor Stephen Benowitz issues a statement on racism last month. It is printed in full below: Like many of you, I have watched the nation’s voices rise up against racism, police brutality, and inequality. A significant part of those very moving messages concerned the importance of local municipalities, Police Departments, and Mayors in taking an honest look at what was happening in our own communities. On behalf of the Bordentown Township Committee, we join in the movement to stomp out racism, police brutality, and social inequality in our community and in this country. Black Lives Matter. Here in Bordentown, we were directly faced with this. When the specifics of the civil rights charges against a former Chief of Police in 2017 came to light, we held an open public meeting to listen to our residents. The Township acknowledged that words alone are hollow, and that we would forever be judged by our actions moving forward. Led by our current Chief of Police Brian Pesce, we immediately underwent the necessary changes to our Police Department. I cannot be more proud of the actions that Chief Brian Pesce has taken since he took over in 2017. Chief Pesce adopted and enforced the “Six Pillars of Twenty First Century Policing” as recommended by the president’s task force on policing in 2014. Specifically, every member of the police department was outfitted with body cameras, underwent de-escalation training and was issued non-lethal force devices. Our internal affairs processes were studied and revamped to include maximum transparency. The police department’s move toward community outreach and policing has slowly built the trust back with our community. Chief Pesce has made it clear from the beginning of his tenure that the police department now has a “guardian” mindset versus the previously promoted “warrior” mindset. Like the rest of America, we have a long way to go, and we will not let up or turn a blind eye to what is happening around us. The changes cannot be limited to our police department. We need to look at our entire municipal operation to ensure that all voices are heard and represented. Just as we did in 2017, we will continueto evaluate and monitor all procedures, specifically surrounding use of force, on a regular basis. But those are just words. I implore all of our residents, businesses, and visitors to get actively involved in this community. The township and the police department are ready, willing, and able to listen andlearn from you. We are reminded, again, of the inherent racial biases of our criminal justice and policing systems nation-

wide. Our country, as great as it is, has failed to address racism, both institutionally andpractically. Many honest, uncomfortable, and painful discussions need to be held on this subject. However, those discussions will not be useful if we don’t truly listen to those who have been andcontinue to be affected by the scourge of racism. As Mayor of Bordentown Township, I can affect what happens in my community, and I and the rest of the township committee are committed to being part of the solution.

Raccoon found in township tests for rabies

A raccoon found on Hinkle Drive near Hunt Avenue has tested positive for the rabies virus, Bordentown Township Animal Control said. Rabies is a fatal disease found in warm-blooded mammals caused by a virus. An infected animal carries the rabies virus in its saliva and infects other animals or people through bites, scratches and contact with the saliva. Once infected animals become ill, they may bite or attack other animals or people. Some signs of rabies in wild animals may include strange vocalization, staggering and lethargy along with some appearing to be overly friendly. Common carriers of the virus are raccoons, skunks, foxes, woodchucks, bats and feral cats. Residents should not feed or attempt to domesticate wild animals. Those with pets should be certain that animals are properly vaccinated and up to date with their rabies vaccination. If you know of any stray cats, dogs or any other animal in the area acting strangely, please contact Bordentown Township Animal Control at (609) 298-4300, ext. 2126. Keep garbage in a container with a tight fitting lid to prevent attracting animals. Clean up spilled bird seed, garden debris and do not leave pet food out for extended periods of time. If you are bitten or scratched by any suspected animal, act promptly. Immediately wash the wound with soap and water and call your physician and the Burlington County Health Department. If your pet is bitten or in an fight with a wild animal, contact Bordentown Township Animal Control and follow up with your veterinarian for direction. Please not that animals observed during the day are not necessarily rabid, but may be mothers foraging for food or juvenile animals that are exploring. WHAT DID WE MISS? What are you noticing in your community? What stories do you think we should tell? Do you have news to share? We want to hear from you. Send your news or tips to news@communitynews.org.

MURAL continued from Page 1 siastic and community-building direction that went even further than I ever imagined,” CEO and president of D&R Greenway Linda Mead said. The collaboration between D&R Greenway’s project and LALDEF was orchestrated by Nadeem Demian, who worked a year-long fellowship with D&R Greenway since last July. The community conservation fellow took charge on the project and moved forward with the connection with LALDEF by setting up workshops for the students and mural artist to interact. Before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the students were able to meet with Davila and D&R Greenway once in person. The children were presented with information about the Delaware River and its resources. The water activities and educational programs that D&R Greenway purposed the shipping container and watercraft for were discussed as ways of bringing people closer to the natural environment. Students were asked to create artwork that described their interpretation of the river and sharing awareness about its environmental resources. “It really took on a whole new dimension above and beyond just talking about water quality but talking about culture as well,” Mead said. “And how does culture have an impact on how you look at things and which things interests you, as you look at a new place.” Along with the one in-person meeting, two virtual meetings were held over Zoom in April and May. “Once the kids submitted their projects, I went ahead and I printed them out and I cut them out individually,” Davila said. “So I basically started out as, ‘OK, this is their drawings and I’m going to create a collage.’” FUTURO program manager Tulia Jimenez-Vergara said Davila, who is a first-generation American from Guatemala, is a wonderful role model for the students. Working on the mural and presenting their individual art projects, during the middle of a pandemic, was a learning moment for all the students, Jimenez-Vergara said. “I think it is important that we expose them a little bit more and make it part of their understanding that they come to a community and that they

have to learn about it,” she said. “And they are part of the future decisions about preserving certain areas and taking care of our resources.” Getting the students deeply involved with the outcome of the mural was a task Demian took very seriously— patiently working with LALDEF in coordinating through the pandemic. He saw the mural as an opportunity to increase the access to green spaces for the Latinx community. “I’m over the moon with all the things that we’ve accomplished over the past few months through the pandemic, and making these connections, that I think D&R Greenway will really value in the future,” Demian said. The kayaks and canoes are part of an educational program that D&R Greenway sought grant funding for. Through a $20,000 grant from the William Penn Foundation, in Philadelphia, D&R Greenway moved forward with its plans to bring water sports to the Delaware River access point at the foot of Park Street in Bordentown. The coming Kayak Education Program left a decision to be made on where to keep the new water sport supplies. This opened up an opportunity for creativity and collaboration with the City of Bordentown, the Latin American Legal Defense and Education Fund and local fine artist, Marlon Davila. With no other kayak or canoe livery in Bordentown or nearby, Bordentown Beach provided an advantageous place for the new fleet. The watercraft will allow for up to 18 people out on the water at once. The grant funding purchased the watercraft, shipping container and hired the mural artist. Looking towards the end of the pandemic, D&R Greenway intends to use its funding to hire teachers for their educational program from local organizations, one being the SPLASH Steamboat Floating Classroom. The first excursion out on the water has been planned for the LALDEF students who were involved with the mural, which has been safely planned for a later date in late August or September. Contact staff writer NICOLE VIVIANO: nviviano@communitynews.org, (609) 3961511, ext. 118, twitter.com/nicoleviviano, facebook.com/nicoleviviano609.

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AUSTEW continued from Page 1 arrival in February 2019 people kept telling her, “We are lot of older people, we need younger people.” Turns out there were “youngish adults” in the congregation, so Austew started a group specifically for the 20s, 30s, and 40s crowd. “It brought new life and energy and ways to connect and get to know each other outside of worship and meetings,” she says, which aligns with her biggest goal: building community and deepening “that feeling of family.” In a similar vein she is trying to connect generations. For Ash Wednesday, she held an intergenerational dinner with a worship service whose participants ranged in age from a year and a half to ninety. People sat around tables, and to ensure that people didn’t sit with people they already knew, she had them number off. She also structured the evening so that participants at each table would have to interact. Austew’s path to becoming the pastor of a small church in Bordentown twisted and turned as she gained experience in different ways of serving other people. Austew grew up near Dallas-Fort Worth. After her parents split up, she and her sister lived with her father. Although from small-town Texas in the Bible Belt, she says, “I’m not your typical Bible Belt Christian,” and she describes her family back then as “cultural Christians” when she was young. But at age 13 Austew started to feel like something was missing and pressed her father and sister to try out some churches with her.

They tried out a bunch of differ- to other people. That was the first little ent churches but at first were disap- inkling of maybe I feel called to the pointed. But then they found a tiny ministry,” Austew says. Because she had always felt called to Presbyterian Church that was very welcoming and helped them find be a nurse, she was part of the health scitheir way. “They showed us how to ence technology program in high school. go through the service, where the During her senior year, she did an internprayers were that weren’t in the bulle- ship at a hospice house and loved it. “It tin and everybody knew by heart, and wasn’t so much the medical side,” she how to use the hymnal,” Austew said. recalls. “It was more sitting down with The three of them started attend- people and hearing their stories, helping ing church regularly, and eventually patients and family process through what her father was elected as a church they were experiencing and their grief, praying with them if they elder, and she and her wanted to, and providing sister were involved in spiritual care.” the youth group. AusAustew continued tew also participated in her religious involveyouth events organized ment at Austin College by the presbytery. She in Sherman, Texas. But spent her summers on it was also important mission trips around the to her that her campus country. had students from many During her first misfaith traditions, and the sion trip, reflections director of religious life on her own misbehavmade sure they had the ior and how others resources they needed. responded to it, taught “While my faith is her an important life lesAustew important to me, I don’t son. “Girls that age can think it’s the only way; I be pretty rotten, and I was one of those kids,” she recalls. think the interfaith dialogues that are “But the people on that trip and the starting to become a little more frequent leader on the trip loved me in spite of are really important and really enrichthat, and maybe because of that. I kind ing to our society,” she says. The summer after her freshman year of experienced that unconditional love that I was hearing preached about and in college, Austew went on a six-week mission trip to Uganda, where she lived taught in my tiny little church.” “That was kind of the turning point: and worked in an orphanage. Her team it doesn’t matter how I act, I’m worthy spent their days in the baby house with of the love, and maybe I can show that the infants and toddlers. Then in the eve-

ning, they would visit different groups, where a few children lived with an auntie and an uncle, sleeping in the same house, having all their meals together, and doing everything a family would do. Evenings after the family visits the students had a lot of time to themselves. “Most of the time the electricity was out, and I would just sit outside with a candle or flashlight and journal and read Scripture and pray,” she said. “I remember one evening sitting outside and hearing this voice tell me, ‘You’re going to seminary. Stop fighting it.’ I thought, no, why would I do that?” But she quickly realized she needed to stop kidding herself. To train to be a pastor, Austew went to Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, where she received a master of divinity degree in 2011. In the summer after her first year in the seminary she served as assistant director of programs for camps. The second summer she worked and then went on a backpacking trip in Colorado’s Weminuche Wilderness led by one of her professors. Focusing on wilderness spirituality, they read the works of spiritualists and theologians connected with the desert. All electronics, clocks, and music were banned. After seminary, Austew decided she wanted to do a full-time, year-long internship that would focus on vulnerable people in an urban setting. As an urban ministry intern at Government Street Presbyterian Church in Mobile, Alabama, she hosted week-

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long urban mission camps during the summer. “They would go with me to be able to see that these people who live in our backyards are just like us— they are people too,” she says. Her goal was to help young people see beyond oft-repeated questions—Why are these people are homeless and why they won’t they get a job?— to see the complexity of a system that is hard to maneuver. When her year in Mobile was done, she moved to Kansas City, Missouri, where she became a chaplain resident at Saint Luke’s Health System. Chaplain residencies are very intense; you eat, breathe, and sleep in that hospital for that year,” she says. Her call to the chaplaincy grew in part out of her own experience when her grandmother was dying in a hospital. “Human beings have a really hard time facing the fact that we are mortal, and the role of the chaplain is to rest into that space with patients and their families and help them recognize the sacredness of that space and find the ability to process through what it means to be in that space,” she says. As a chaplain, Austew says, she learned a lot about herself and her relationship

with God. “I did a lot of wrestling with my faith and really refining my own theology and my own understanding of who God is and how God is in this world, and I loved on as many people as I could by helping them process the struggles they were going through.” When her residency ended, Austew had fallen in love with Kansas City and also realized that she felt called to the chaplaincy, so she took a job for the next five years as chaplain for Kansas City Hospice and Palliative Care, where patients mostly received care in their homes. Austew says she actually found hospice work to be easier on some level than being a hospital chaplain, Austew says, “because they know they are on hospice.” When she visited people, she says, “they were inviting me into their space and telling me the stories of their lives— what brings them the most meaning in their lives and where they have regrets.” By processing through those memories, some found the strength “to be able, in some situations, to make amends and reconcile things that have been going on for years or decades.” Austew has come to believe that people who are dying have some degree

Kristin Austew feels a strong pull toward small churches because ‘there is more of that family feel.’

of choice about when it will happen, she had quickly logged on to the Presdepending on their diagnosis and what byterian Church’s online database that they are processing. Often a person matched up what churches were lookwould die not long after a visit from a sig- ing for with the skills of potential pasnificant other, but others, she says, would tors. “I am a more progressive pastor, stick around because they were afraid to a little more liberal, and I started learndie. In all cases, though, spiritual care is ing the language used in these different important at this life stage. “It’s not just profiles so I would know what kind of about the medication you take; our spirits church would fit with me,” she says. Although she ended up finding a posiand minds have a lot of control over what tion without the help of the database, happens to us physically too.” While she was at the hospice, Aus- she found her match in Bordentown. tew also had a very part-time gig as parish associate at the Central Presbyterian Church in Kansas City. At this YOUR HOMETOWN AGENT YOUR HOMETOWN AGENT church, where half the members are LBGTQ, she developed a young adult ministry program, led bible study, and revived fellowship opportunities. “They all loved each other,” she says, adding that she feels a strong pull toward small churches because “there is more of that family feel.” Despite all the pluses of being a Insurance Insurance Counselor Insurance Counselor Coun hospice chaplain, after five years and one month Austew had had enough. “I couldn’t do it anymore; it was wearing me out,” she says. She and her spouse, Matthew Aus1260 Route South Route 33 South tew, a software engineer, decided that 1260 1260 Route3333 South she would just quit, which she did. But Hamilton, Hamilton, NJ 08690 NJ 08690 Hamilton, NJ 08690 at exactly that moment their landlady Ph: (609) (609) 631-4286 (609)631-4286 631-4286 put up for sale the house they were rent- Ph: Ph: Cell: (609) Cell: (609) 337-2366 Cell: (609)337-2366 337-2366 ing, and after it sold in 24 hours, she told them they had to be out in three weeks. jwoloszyn@aaamidatlantic.com They moved in with Austew’s father and jwoloszyn@aaamidatlantic.com jwoloszyn@aaamidatlantic.com stepmother for two months, but at that http://midatlantic.aaa.com/ point Austew was already in conversa- http://midatlantic.aaa.com/ http://midatlantic.aaa.com/ Agent/jenniferwoloszyn Agent/jenniferwoloszyn tion with First Presbyterian Church in Agent/jenniferwoloszyn Bordentown.After leaving the hospice,

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DINER continued from Page 1 ing been at the location for little over a year, the family has come to settle in and learn the ins and outs of the established diner. “We just wanted to get everybody together, a big family all working together,” said manager Senay Pamuk. The family has lived in Mount Holly for over 30 years. Senay’s parents originally immigrated from Turkey close to 40 years ago. The Pamuks managed a small restaurant in Philadelphia before taking over Town & Country. Mehmet wanted to do something for the girls, Senay said. Although the managerial work and decisions are left to the Pamuk daughters, Mehmet comes in nearly every afternoon to greet and speak to customers and see how everything is going. His dedication to the diner goes beyond getting to know the clientele. He’ll come around to shake customers’ hands frequently, and then other times he’ll be out cutting the grass. The family decided to keep the well-known name and plans on updating the interior as time goes on. From changing out rugs, to landscaping and cleaning, the diner continues to inch along with its alterations. Tidying the place up and then focusing on what people really come in for —the food. “Slowly but surely we’re going to do cosmetics…but that’s going to take a little time of course. It’s learning the place, learning how everything is going, that’s what we’re doing first,” Senay said. Although the change in hands may not be visible by the décor yet, other significant changes had been noticed by customers before Gov. Murphy’s executive order in mid-March mandated that restaurants close for dine-in service. “We get great service, we really do, and the food has totally changed…for the better,” long-time patron Judi Pollard said March 3. Other than sticking with the diner’s name, Town & Country decided to keep the original staff allowing them to uphold a rapport with the location’s regulars. With the addition of the accommodating Pamuk family and upped quality of food, the friendly wait staff remains a staple at the diner. “We’re more alert,” Senay said. “We care more. We make sure that they’re getting the best service that there is.” A switch of distributor and the fact that most of the menu items are made on the premises have allowed the diner to increase its quality of food, enough to draw the attention of other locals who had previously written the place off as a dud. Bordentown resident Glenn Sherman and his wife have been all over their area in search of a diner. Having previously settled on one that was relatively far, Sherman decided to give Town & Country one more try when he noticed an “under new management” sign. Sherman said they had been let down before by the diner over the years but

Senay Pamuk and her niece, Ece, help manage daily operations at the diner. (Staff photo by Nicole Vivano.) weren’t willing to give up on the close-by establishment. The couple was welcomed by friendly staff and greeted by the owner at one point during their visit. The food was so much better that they have frequented the location nearly every week for lunch since revisiting it. “The people there…they make the place too,” Sherman said. “They’re great. Like everyone who waits on you, they can’t be friendlier.” It’s not only customers that have experienced a difference. Server and hostess Katie Burdge has worked at Town & Country for almost 10 years, and has appreciated the new owners’ efforts to better the establishment. When they first came in, she could tell that the Pamuks were “diner people” and “knew how to run a restaurant.” Burdge said the Pamuk daughters have shown an immense dedication to the restaurant. “You can tell they really care,” she said. The new managers have expressed that they have received positive feedback from their customers and hope to continue to provide a heightened level of hospitality. The owner’s granddaughter, Ece, works as a hostess, at the cashier and helps design the welcome board and cake counter. Ece likes to put her creative touch on the dessert case and more, bringing yet another layer of attention to detail. The Pamuk’s friendly and accommodating ways have added a new allure to the diner. That along with the quality of food has certainly put the diner back on the map. “I think they [customers] really like us,” Ece said. “I think they know that the quality has went up. I really like hospitality. It’s something that I actually genuinely enjoy.” Contact staff writer NICOLE VIVIANO: nviviano@communitynews.org, (609) 3961511, ext. 118, twitter.com/nicoleviviano, facebook.com/nicoleviviano609.

The Puzzle page Crossword

Community News Service - Trenton/Lawrence/Robbinsville Crossword - 7/20

Across

1 13

I’m helping my family plan a meaningful gathering followed by cremation.

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1 Tolkien 17 18 19 16 creatures 5 Insect stage 22 23 20 21 9 Face-off 24 25 26 27 28 13 Sulk 29 30 31 32 14 Formerly, once 15 Pitch-black 37 38 39 40 33 34 35 36 16 Wrinkly fruit 42 43 41 17 Bored 19 Foil’s kin 45 46 44 20 Magnificent 49 50 47 48 22 Musically 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 connected 24 Supporter of 59 60 61 62 the arts? 65 66 67 63 64 25 Crèche trio 69 70 68 26 Popular cooking spray 72 73 71 29 Shriner’s topper ©2020 PuzzleJunction.com 31 Attraction 33 Browning’s 68 Bell sound 10 Like some 43 Carrot family Ben Ezra, e.g. 69 Candidate’s songs or people 45 Flax family 37 Finito goal 11 Barely get, with 48 Back muscle, 40 Burn soother 70 Lunkhead “out” for short 41 “Snowy” bird 71 Medea rode on 12 Soapmaker’s 50 Owner's real 42 Beyond tipsy need it estate value 43 “Halt!” to a 18 Actress 72 “Iliad” city 53 Believe in salt Samantha 73 Pianist DameDan and Dee 54 Surmise Pracht 44 Donnybrook 21 Equip again Myra 56 Period in 45 Dalai ___ 23 Be bedridden history 46 Skins 27 Emerged Down 57 Move Dan and Dee Pracht 47 Mixture of 28 Track events crabwise soluble salts 30 “J’accuse” 58 Chamber 1 Sonata, e.g. 49 Floral ring author 2 Scalawag groups 51 Born 32 Kind of lamp 60 “Cogito, ___ 3 Mea ___ 52 Dead against 4 Pigpens 33 Broadcasted sum” When it comes to cremation, there are many options to consider – from 55 Mission again 62 Brings to a 5 Little rock traditional services to contemporary celebrations. Regardless of your choice, 59 Yield 6 Dot-com’s 34 Like a gymnast close 61 Strike caller we will help you and your family ensure that your ceremony is a reﬂection of 35 Negotiating address 63 Bake sale 63 husband’s Poker holding 7 Sacred ___ Kappa “My personality washymn reflected36in Phi participated in org. a meaningful tribute and you are and the life you’ve lived. To learn more, please contact us. the person 65 Civilian 38 High spirits 64 Ventilate 8 Bewildered everything to the artwork procession highlighted by hundreds of clothesfrom his clothing 9 Losing 39 And others 66 Way of the Norse god on67hishusband’s bike.warWhen he died unexpectedly, bikes. It was ina day dedicated totribute Dan. and For proposition? East “My personality was reflected in (Abbr.) participated a meaningful

our funeral helped plan a procession me, it was an event that by brought comfort everything fromdirector his clothing to the artwork highlighted hundreds of Puzzle solution on Page 11 celebration that symbolized just who Dan during tragedy. Our funeral director knew on his bike. When he died unexpectedly, bikes. It was a day dedicated to Dan. For was. Family, and even the community exactly whatanweevent needed.” our funeralfriends director helped plan a me, it was that brought comfort celebration that symbolized just who Dan during tragedy. Our funeral director knew OPEN FOR Contact your local NFDA member, who knows the value of creating a meaningful funeral service. DINING! was. Family, friends and even the community OUTDOOR exactly what we needed.” By reservation only

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July 2020 | Bordentown Current9

The Borden family and the winds of dissension DOUG KIOVSKY

safer and more leisurely alternative to the deplorable conditions of the terTHE BEND IN THE RIVER rain, there were many delays caused by changing tides and wind currents. By 1765, the Bordentown stage line In essence, the worst way to travel was was well patronized among individu- considered the best way. Joseph Borden, now a town elder, als crossing the terrain of New Jersey. From the days when it took four days maintained several businesses from to travel from Bordentown to Perth Market Street (currently Park Street) Amboy, now took the same amount of to the river, including a general store, a time from Philadelphia to New York brewery, horse stables, an iron forge, City. The small town presented its and a cooper shop. He and his wife, Trenton/Lawrence/Robbinsville Crossword - 7/20with pride as Ann, beamed travelers with a fine array of stabled Susannah horses that complimented overnight the loving parents of one son and six accommodations that featured food daughters, who were now adults. One and drink. Although packet boats of the daughters, Rebecca, was maralong the Delaware River offered a ried to Dr. Joseph Brown, the owner

PuzzleSolution Solution Puzzle on Page 9

O P U S

R E R A N

R O G U E A G I L E

C U L P A

B R O K E R P A I T I N A R G

S P E T I B E R B S E L F E B I E T L T A L I A N E T U M R G O

U P A R S T L A S E L E G M A G Z A O V E R L I T A M A L E T I Q R N U U F T I S E A T T R O Y

D I E A T I L L A A V P A I U E M P O C H

U N P O P U L A R

E L K Y E E A R O S E

M E E T S

S I D L E

T R I O S

E N D S

of the tavern where a young Benjamin Franklin stayed. Joseph Borden, Jr., Rebecca’s brother, made a name for himself in his own right by assuming responsibilities that his father held and expanding the family’s business interests. As his prominence rose within the community, it allowed him the opportunity to seek a number of noteworthy positions, including an appointment as a judge. In 1761, he was elected to PuzzleJunction.com the New Jersey Assembly. Married in 1743 to Elizabeth Rogers, they infused strict virtues of tolerance in their six children as passionately as their religious beliefs. By the time that their children became young adults, the turbulent winds of dissension were blowing from Great Britain to the shores of its colonies over a taxation plan implemented by Parliament. Known as the Stamp Act, it required that all businesses must be taxed for using stamped or printed paper in the production of newspapers, pamphlets, documents, and other paper items. In addition, fees were imposed on the purchase of playing cards and dice. Outraged, in October of 1765, twenty seven delegates from nine colonies met at Federal Hall in New York to protest that the rule of “taxation without representation” didn’t contain any relevance of legitimacy and needed to be repealed. Joseph Borden, Jr. was selected as one of three individuals to represent New Jersey in what came to be known as the

Stamp Act Congress. His son-in-law, Thomas McKean, who had married his daughter, Mary, in 1763, represented Delaware. It marked the first time that a sitting body of the Continental Congress rebelled against the English Crown. However, two weeks prior to the gathering, Joseph Borden, Jr., had to cope with another crisis. His father, the well-respected citizen of the town that bore his name, had succumbed from a long illness. His memory must have weighed heavily on the mind of his son as he and other delegates vocally discussed and then formally issued a Declaration of Rights and Grievances against the Stamp Act. Although one light in Borden’s life had been extinguished with the passing of his father, another was about to ignite a fuse of unimaginable scale. The defiance against Parliament was the fuse of a larger and more dangerous conflict yet to come. Reaching across the bountiful farm fields, wooded mountains, and meandering waterways that formed the rich tapestry of our colonies, nobody was spared immunity from the ravages of war. Even in villages like Bordentown where the names of Paine, Hopkinson, Kirkbride, Hoagland, Carman, Borden, and those forgotten to the pages of history did not hesitate to carry the banner of patriotism.

The winds of dissension were blowing from Great Britain to its colonies.

Doug Kiovsky is the co-president of the Bordentown Historical Society.

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