8-23 HP

Garden of dreams

Retiree turns ordinary yard into extraordinary green space

By PaTricia A. TayLOr

In what may well be called a magnificent obsession, Brian Sakowski has created a stunning public garden on Arena Drive in Hamilton.

The garden is a public one because there’s no need to make an appointment or to buy a ticket to see this colorful creation, which fills the entire front of the property — even both borders of the sidewalk. Just drive or walk by and should you see Sakowski weeding or watering, stop and have a chat or two with him. Visitors are free, Sakowski says, to walk around the paths he designed to have a closer look at the various plantings.

Until 5 years ago, this garden was a typical green lawn, backed by a few shrubs next to Sakowski’s house. The rear of his property was another matter. There, Sakowski had been slowly transforming a bland back yard into a vibrant display.

See GARDEN, Page 6

Drones play ever greater role in improving public safety

By Sue Ferrara

When a very large bear decided to roam through a Hamilton neighborhood this past May, residents—who could easily see the lumbering mammal on their Ring cameras—called the Hamilton Township Police department.

“The bear sighting occurred on May 8th around 9:30 p.m.,”

Hire learning

Hamilton Township Police Chief Kenneth DeBoskey said in an interview. “We received calls from several residents regarding the bear wandering around.”

The department had to strike a balance between keeping residents and property safe, while making sure the bear didn’t grow aggressive as it ambled across lawns and driveways. The officers also didn’t want

to startle the bear, potentially becoming the object of its scorn.

And, thanks to what is rapidly becoming an important tool for law enforcement agencies and fire departments—a drone— Hamilton police officers were able to safely monitor the bear’s movement through the residential area.

“Officers tracked the bear

See DRONES, Page 10

The best kind of back support is spine care close to home. Do it right. Here.

By JOe EMansKi

Christopher Zara has heard it before: That he has made it. That he is a successful journalist at a national magazine. A respected professional.

“Considering where I started from, it seems that way from the outside,” he says. “I work in journalism, and people know who I am. But to me, it doesn’t feel like I’ve made it.”

Zara is a senior editor, running the news desk for Fast Company, a business magazine and website known for its trendspotting and crisp writing. But unusually for someone in his position, he does not have a college degree — a twist that he explores in depth in his book, Uneducated: A Memoir of Flunking Out, Falling Apart, and Finding My Worth,” published in May by Little, Brown and Co.

“I still feel like I’m one layoff away from being right where I

See UNEDUCATED, Page 8

Drones can help fire inspectors get a close look at hazards like this water tower, smoldering at the former Goodall rubber factory on Whitehead Road after a massive June fire, without risking life and limb. (Photo courtesy of the Hamilton Township Fire Division.)

In his new memoir, “Uneducated,” Christopher Zara asks: what is the true value of a college degree?

This is where you’ll savor life to the fullest. All in an area known for its wealth of cultural offerings, recreational opportunities, dining and shopping. Vintage at Hamilton is in the center of it all, close to I-195 and the New Jersey Turnpike and just minutes from the Hamilton Train with direct service

Steinert grad 1 of 20 to win Dunkin’ scholarship

A Hamilton woman is one of 20 students to receive a scholarship from the Philadelphia Regional Scholarship Program, administered by Dunkin’ and its greater Philadelphia-area franchisees, in partnership with Scholarship America.

Ashley Wisser, a recent graduate of Steinert High School, received the $5,000 academic scholarship to an accredited two- or four-year college, university, or vocational-technical school of her choice for fall 2023.

Dunkin’ and Scholarship America selected the 20 students out of 1,730 applicants. The program was open to current part-time and full-time undergraduate students and high school seniors.

Dunkin’ awarded a total of $100,000 to

the 20 recipients who were selected based on their academic records, demonstrated leadership skills, and overall commitment to their schools and local communities. To date, the Dunkin’ Philadelphia Regional Scholarship Program has awarded $700,000 in scholarships to 340 outstanding high school seniors and college students.

The program was founded in 2009 by Dunkin’s Philadelphia-area franchisees to ease the financial burden of college for students throughout the region.

The 2023 Dunkin’ Regional Scholarship recipients will be honored at an awards ceremony from 1–3 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 5 at Cherry Street Pier in Philadelphia.

Hamilton Post

We are a newsroom of your neighbors. The Hamilton Post is for local people, by local people. As part of the community, the Gazette 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

Joe Emanski (Ext. 120)

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Dan Aubrey, Rich Fisher, Patricia A. Taylor

CONTRIBUTING COLUMNISTS

Peter Dabbene, Thomas Kelly, Robert Sherman Jr.

AD LAYOUT & PRODUCTION

Stacey Micallef (Ext. 131)

SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE

Jennifer Steffen (Ext. 113)

Community News Service

9 Princess Road, Suite M

Lawrenceville, NJ 08648

Phone: (609) 396-1511

News: news@communitynews.org

Events: events@communitynews.org

Sports: sports@communitynews.org

Letters: jemanski@communitynews.org

Website: hamiltonpost.com

Facebook: facebook.com/hamiltonpostnj

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40,000 copies of the Hamilton Post are mailed or bulk-distributed to the residences and businesses of Hamilton 12 times a year.

TO ADVERTISE call (609) 396-1511, ext. 113 or e-mail advertise@communitynews.org

Wisser

RWJUH Hamilton August Healthy Living / Community Education Programs

RAISED BED, FLAT BREAD

Fri., August 4; 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.

Spend your ‘Pizza Friday’ celebrating fresh produce that grows right here in New Jersey! Get hands-on by personalizing your own nutritious flat-tastic masterpiece for take-out! All ages welcome. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Fee: $5 per person. Taryn Krietzman, RDN

THE AARP DRIVING COURSE

Tue., August 8; 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Be a safer, better driver. Bring your NJ or PA driver’s license. Fee: $20 for AARP members presenting a valid AARP card; $25 for nonmembers. Cash or check only to AARP.

OVER THE COUNTER HEARING AIDS-FAQ-WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

Tues., August 8; 10-11 a.m.

Get the facts on the latest in over-thecounter hearing aids. Learn the facts and get your questions answered by Dr. Lorraine Sgarlato, Au.D. A.B.A. a clinical audiologist with over 40 years of experience in the field of hearing science.

DANCE IT OUT!

Tues., August 8; 6 to 7 p.m. When in doubt, dance it out! Have fun and de-stress with this interactive program. No experience required, all ages welcome.

CREATE YOUR OWN VISION BOARD WORKSHOP

Wed., August 9, 6 to 8 p.m.

What is your deepest desire for what you would like to be, do or have? Come create your own vision board to help bring your dreams to life. Please bring scissors, all other materials provided.

OSTEOPOROSIS SCREENING

Thurs., August 10; 10 a.m.-noon

Ultrasound of heel and personalized information. Appointment required.

ASK THE DIETITIAN

Mon., August 14; 3 – 6 p.m.

Do you have a question about diet and nutrition? Join a community education dietitian for a one-on-one Q&A. Registration is required. Taryn Krietzman, RDN

MINDFULNESS MEDITATION FOR BEGINNERS

Wed., August 16; 1 to 2 p.m. Learn how to rest your body and quiet your mind with the simple (although not always easy) practice of meditation. No experience necessary.

TAKE HOME COLORECTAL SCREEN KIT AND LECTURE

COLOR ME HOOPY! FUN AND FITNESS WITH HOOLA HOOPS!

Tues, August 22; 1 to 2:00 p.m. Yes, you can hoola-hoop. It’s much easier to find your rhythm and flow using a “grown up” size hoop. Learn skills and techniques and have a lot of fun. Hoops provided. Fee $15. Angela Ritter, certified Hoop Love Coach and Hoola-Fit instructor.

SUPPORT GROUPS

To learn more about these groups visit www.rwjbh.org/HamiltonPrograms

CAREGIVER SUPPORT GROUP

Wed., August 2; 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS

OF MEDITATION?

Mon, August 14; 6-7:30 p.m.

The practice of focused concentration, known as meditation, brings yourself back to the moment over and over again. Explore the benefits of meditation in this informational session with optional demonstration. Matt Masiello, CCH, founder of Esteem Hypnocounseling, will guide the group through this practice.

PREDIABETES 101

Tue. August 15; 11 to 12 p.m. What you need to know and do if you have been diagnosed with prediabetes.

WHAT’S IN THE BOX? **VIRTUAL**

Tue., August 15th 2023; 12 - 1 p.m.

All things seasonal, all the time! Learn what wonderful fruits and vegetable are up to this time of year and how to make them shine!

Taryn Krietzman, RDN

Wed., August 16; 5 to 6 p.m. Learn how to use a simple take-home test to screen for colorectal cancer and take part in a lecture about how to reduce your risk. Registration required.

DESTROY THE CLOTS: INTERVENTIONS FOR DEEP VEIN THROMBOSIS AND PULMONARY EMBOLISM

Wed., August 16; 6 to7:30 p.m. Lasanta Horana, MD, Emergency Department Chair and a Medical Staff Officer at RWJUH Hamilton will discuss the importance of timely interventions when faced with “blood clots”

HEALTHRYTHMS® DRUMMING CIRCLE

Wed, August 16; 7 to 8 p.m. Join our drumming circle and help drum your cares away. This evidence-based program is shown to reduce blood pressure, calm stress and increase the fun in your life. Drums provided. Fee: $15. Mauri Tyler, CTRS, CMP

MEET LOCAL WRITER JESSICA WILSON, AUTHOR OF HEALING JOURNEY’S.

Tues., August 22; 6 to7 p.m. Join Jessica Wilson, author of “Healing Journeys” for a book talk on toxic relationships, where we’ll delve into the different types of abuse and explore what constitutes a toxic relationship. I’ll share strategies to guide you through these challenging situations and empower you on your healing journey.

FEELING BURNED OUT AT WORK?

Tue., August 22; 6 to 7 p.m. Job burnout can affect your physical and mental health. Learn about signs of burnout and what you can do about it.

PICTURE THIS: CRAFTY CREATIONS

Thurs., August 31; 6 to 7:30 p.m. Bring your favorite summertime memories and a creative spark. Craft the night away with family and friends as the summer dwindles down. Fee: $5 per person

*All programs require registration and are held at the RWJ Fitness & Wellness Center, 3100 Quakerbridge Rd., Hamilton, NJ, unless otherwise noted.

GRIEF & LOSS SUPPORT GROUP

Thu., August 3, August 17; 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.

CARING FOR LOVED ONES WITH CHRONIC CONDITIONS

Mon., August 7, August 21 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.

ADULT CHILDREN CARING FOR PARENTS

Mon., August 7, August 21st 5:30 to 7 p.m.

LETTING GO OF CLUTTER

Tue., August 8; 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.

ALZHEIMER’S SUPPORT GROUP

Wed., August 16; 6 to 7 p.m.

MANAGING STRESS AND DIABETES

Wed., August 23; 3 to 4 p.m.

WISE WOMEN DISCUSSION GROUP

Thu., August 24; 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.

Better Health Programs/Complimentary Membership at 65+ Years Old

LET’S TALK, A SENIOR SOCIAL GROUP

Wed., August 2, 9, 16, 23, & 30; 10 to 11 a.m.

Please join us for our ongoing program “Let’s Talk, a Senior Social Group,” gathering in a collaborative setting to exchange thoughts, feelings and experiences amongst peers. This is a safe-zone designed to be welcoming and understanding of all attendees while exploring this season of our lives – the ups and the challenges. This group is a partnership between RWJUH Hamilton and PyschHealth Associates here in Hamilton. This is a weekly program. Please feel free to attend one or all.

OVER THE COUNTER HEARING AIDSFAQ-WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

Scan the QR code to register and become a member or call 609-584-5900 or email bhprogram@rwjbh.org to learn more

Tues., August 8; 10-11 a.m.

Get the facts on the latest in over-the-counter hearing aids. Learn the facts and get your questions answered by Dr. Lorraine Sgarlato, Au.D. A.B.A. a clinical audiologist with over 40 years of experience in the field of hearing science.

SOCRATES CAFÉ,

Wed., August 9; 2 to 3 p.m.

“Socrates Café” is about discussing a topic, sharing our thoughts, our beliefs, our ideas, and experiences. An unofficial mantra describes that we (people) learn more when we question, and question with others. This is a “safe zone” to share where all views are accepted. Come with an open mind, respect for one another, and a willingness to see where it takes us.

TAI CHI CLASS

Thu., August 10 & 24; 1 to 2 p.m.

Tai Chi is recommended for seniors because it improves balance, strengthens muscles in the legs and increases flexibility and stability in the ankles. It can help reduce falls and back pain. Beginner’s welcome.

GAME TIME

Thurs., August 10; 2 to 3:30 p.m.

Join us for game time, snacks and some wholesome fun. A variety of board games will be available or you are welcome to bring your own

YOGA CLASSES

Tue., August 15 & 29; 10 to 11 a.m.

Krystal Loughlin, certified RYT, will be leading this gentle yoga class using traditional postures and breathing techniques offering modification of the poses for your body so that you can confidently participate. Beginner’s welcome.

MEDITATION CLASSES,

Tue., August 15 and 29; 11:15 to 11:45 a.m.

Krystal Loughlin will lead this meditation class focusing on reducing stress and bringing inner peace. See how you can easily learn to practice meditation whenever you need it most. Beginner’s welcome.

TECHNOLOGY CLASS

Wed., August 16; Noon to 1 p.m.

Frustrated navigating online registration for Better Health Programs? Can’t figure out how to text your grandkids. Back to help us with our technology challenges are our friends from “Camp Fire NJ, Teens on Fire.” Whether you have questions about your

mobile device, a laptop, or iPad, bring your device and learn how to complete simple tasks.

PREDIABETES 101

Tue. August 15; 11 to 12 p.m.

What you need to know and do if you have been diagnosed with prediabetes.

ANTIQUES ON THE ROAD

Thu., August 17; 2 to 3:30 p.m

We ask all attendees to arrive promptly at 2 p.m. and be ready for a fun and informative program. Each attendee can bring only ONE item to have appraised. Together we will learn some history about our treasures and find out what’s hot and what’s not in the antique and collectables market. Thomas Petrino will lead this program. He has been a full-time Personal Property Appraiser and is Certified by the Appraisers Guild of America. He also serves as acting appraiser for the NJ Treasury, consults with banks, attorneys and insurance companies to authenticate and appraise estates.

That transformation began over 30 years ago, when a gardener on his Princeton letter carrier mail route gave him a clump of daffodils with the promise that once planted they would require no care other than cutting a bouquet or two for his wife, Anita. The daffodil bulbs performed as promised.

“They still flower every spring,” Sakowski says.

Soon, Sakowski was accepting donations from other gardeners on his mail route. It should be noted that such generosity masks a practical motive. When a gardener offers something to you, it means he or she will have more space for other plants. But gardeners do love to share and get other people excited about this activity. While the Princeton gardeners passed on growing advice with their plant gifts, Sakowski decided to get a more formal horticultural education, and enrolled as a Master Gardener. Today, with that background and decades of

experience, he is always happy to pass on gardening wisdom to others. And, after viewing his front yard garden, it is obvious that he has a lot to report.

In 2016, a friend suggested he submit his backyard garden to the annual Gardening Contest held by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. This competition celebrates the greater Philadelphia area’s collective gardening effort and has been known to drawn close to 1,000 entries. Sakowski gave his backyard a try and he, or rather his garden, won a Blue Ribbon, the highest prize.

Two things then happened to spur Sakowski on to display greater, public creativity.

First he was featured in the national Country Gardens magazine (now defunct as a result of circulation drop during the COVID-19 pandemic). That 2018 article reached almost 1 million readers. Many of these were located along Sakowski’s mail route as he made sure everyone knew about it.

Others were fellow members

of St. Raphael-Holy Angels Parish in Hamilton. There, Father Gene announced one Sunday that Sakowski’s garden was featured in a national magazine, an honor that not many can claim.

By that time, Sakowski had pretty much run out of space in his backyard. There were still lots more bulbs, perennials, and shrubs he wanted to grow. And since most people could not see his back garden, he felt it time to show everyone what he could create in a more public space.

As one gets into gardening, which can be viewed as a living art form, design is crucial to a successful garden’s appearance. Through visits to other gardens throughout New England and the mid-Atlantic area and annual visits to the Pennyslvania Horticultural Society’s flower show, Sakowski had learned to appreciate and to harmonize plant texture, color, and height. Over the years, he has acquired some favorites. “Perennial geraniums are my old time favorite,” he says.

$699,900 UNDER

$349,000 UNDER

The view of Brian Sakowski’s front yard from the street. (Photo by Brian Sakowski.)

Of these, Biokovo stands out. This exceptionally easy care ground cover is evergreen, covered in white flowers for weeks in late spring, and boasts red and orange tinged foliage in fall and even into winter.

“Deer and rabbits leave it alone,” Sakowski notes, “and it thrives in shade to part sun. Native coneflowers are a close second. These perennial sun lovers have been bred to produce flowers in purple, orange, white, yellow, and red and they create an extravant display throughout summer. “They are super in cut flower arrangements too,” he adds.

All that history went into the creation of his front yard display. That plus a greater appreciation for the environment. He chooses plants that do not need excessive chemicals to survive and creates his own fertilizer that also works as a mulch to smother weeds.

This is a mixture of licorice root, compost from his vegetable garden, and leaves that he gathers and shreds. Second, he retired as a letter carrier last year.

Now with national coverage behind him and additional free time in front of him, Sakowski could not only fine tune his front garden but also more fully appreciate it. He calls it “a pollinator’s

Disney World” as various bees busily hum about.

On an individual level he is combating the dramatic bee population decline that Rutgers scientists have documented this year.

It has also meant that he could almost get rid of the last remaining bit of lawn that needed to be cut. Sakowski is not a devotee of lawn cutting and even less of the loud, annoying noise of gas lawn cutters. Where the strip between the street and sidewalk was formerly all grass, it now features pockets of colorful bulbs in spring and perennials in summer.

So as the American slang expression introduced a century or more ago, states, “Come on by.” This public garden is easy to spot when you are on Arena Drive, and Sakowski encourages all to walk along the pathways and appreciate the rolling artistic display.

There is even a bench for those who would like to sit a minute or two. He urges visitors to return throughout the growing season, since the display is forever changing as flowers and their colors emerge and then fade only to be replaced by others.

“It’s never static,” he says, “and it’s wonderful to see how it develops week by week, month by month.”

was, and if I were in the job market now, without that degree, it would still be a huge strike against me,” he says. “It’s that big question that other people don’t have to answer because they did it the ‘right way’” — i.e., they have a degree.

But Zara, who grew up in Hamilton, makes it clear that his goal with Uneducated is not to suggest that there is no value in going to college. As he writes in his prologue:

“Education is a net good for society. It lifts people out of poverty and provides opportunity. It’s valued because it’s necessary. I realize that, and it is probably the thing I find most painful about not having a degree.”

He often regrets the fact that he did not have the college experience.

“There are things that you miss out on: the bonding experience of college, the basic experience of being on the campus and absorbing information from your fellow students and teachers. Not having had that experience, I assume that I missed out on something great,” he says. He also rues missing out on the networking opportunities that colleges and universities can offer. “We get a lot of interns here from working with colleges directly,” he says. “Those experiences are so crucial when you’re starting out. They set you on a path, and I missed out on that as well. I feel a lot of regret about that. Maybe I shouldn’t feel regret, but I do.”

Zara was born at St. Francis Hospital in Trenton in 1970. His family lived in Trenton, where he attended Holy Family Grammar School and St. Anthony’s. When he was 7 or 8, the family moved to Hamilton, and in fifth grade, he started attending Lalor Elementary School.

It was while he was a student at Hamilton High School West that things started

to go south for him academically. “What I remember was it was it felt like a place without a lot of hope. There were a lot of people who didn’t seem like they thought they had options,” he says.

He wonders how things might be different today if he had gotten more support from the school system in his youth. As a freshman, he was a straight D student, and he wonders why no one seemed to notice.

But his parents, he writes, had stopped speaking to each other, their marriage on the rocks. By 11th grade, he was regularly getting called to the vice principals’ offices for acts of rebellion. One too many of those led to his expulsion.

A self-harming incident followed that, and he spent four days in a behavioral health center. He was classified as “emotionally disturbed” and sent to a “special school.” One day, instead of boarding the bus for that school, he just kept on walking.

“Would it have killed me to suck it up on that chilly fall morning in 1987 and ride the stupid short bus?” he writes now.

Zara went on to pass the General Educational Development test, or GED, roughly around the time he would have graduated from high school. But he knew it would never be the same as having a diploma. In his 20s, he spent a number of years working menial jobs and struggling with drug use and addiction.

He moved to Orlando to get clean, then on to Seattle. “I was on a track to being a retail worker for the rest of my life — scooping ice cream, working in picture frame shops,” he says. “I was in my 30s, thinking, this is what my life is going to

be. I think I started at that point trying to figure out what I was going to do with my life.”

He had been told by a number of people over the years that he was a good writer. He decided to find out if he could make a living at it. He pitched a story idea to MovieMaker magazine, which was accepted. That led to other freelance writing assignments, including some for Seattle Magazine.

He set his sights then on the center of the publishing world. New York.

“I decided, sort of naively, after I had a handful of clips that I would just come to New York and see what I could get into, see if I could find a job here. People come here after going through masters programs and working internships and whatever, and I came here with none of that,” he says.

He nevertheless scored an internship with a struggling trade publication, Show Business Weekly, that unexpectedly turned into a full-time editor’s job. After the magazine folded, he was able to get another job, this time with the International Business Times. And that, eventually, led him to Fast Company.

Zara says that writing the book gave him a new perspective on some of the turning points in his life, like the four days he spent in the mental hospital.

“I had always thought of that experience as somewhat inconsequential and amusing,” he says. “It had never struck me as being a central part of my life, but it ended up being that for a few reasons. The patients that were there that I bonded with, I don’t know their names, but I still remember them fondly. It was somewhat

similar to a dorm experience, I suppose. I didn’t realize that was so profound until I started writing about it.”

He also learned in the course of writing the book that he had been given a diagnosis during that time that he was never told about: schizotypal personality disorder.

“I don’t know if I have it, but when I looked it up, some of the things I learned about it made it sound like it would have been helpful to me to learn about that 35 years ago,” he says.

Today, Zara lives on the Upper West side with his wife, Christina D’Angelo, a graphic designer. The seed to write a memoir was planted sometime after the 2012 election, when he noticed lot of media coverage of the white working class and broad presumptions being made about people who didn’t have college degrees.

“I don’t even really have a high school diploma, and that conversation is still uncomfortable to have,” he says. “And I thought I had to talk about it at some point, and I thought, if I’m going to talk about it, I might as well write about it.”

He pitched the story to a number of book publishers, eventually getting a deal with Little, Brown. “There are lots of books about the value of college education, but a lot of them are written by college graduates,” Zara says.

He wanted to write a book from the perspective of a person who has navigated the waters of professional life without a degree. He hopes he can help people see that there is a power of education that society values, and those who have that power must use it wisely. “The big issue is that we’ve created a system where there’s only this one way to succeed,” he says.

Uneducated by Christopher Zara. Published by Little, Brown and Co. Available online at Amazon.com. Christopher Zara’s website is christopherzara.com.

Zara

RISTORANTE & PIZZA

DINE & DONATE DAY

1973

YEARS

In honor of our 50th Anniversary, Brother's Pizza on Rt. 33 will host a "Dine and Donate Day" for a local charity. We have chosen one Sunday per month to donate 50% of our sales to a featured 501c organization. Please support our cause to give back to our community!

RISTORANTE & PIZZA

UPCOMING CHARITABLE EVENTS:

2023

SEPTEMBER 10: Ryans Quest

OCTOBER 8: I Believe in Pink

NOVEMBER 12: Shine & Inspire

DECEMBER 10: OneProjectNJ & Mobile Meals of Hamilton

1973

DOUGH RAISED:

197 3

JAN. 15: Sea Girt Polar Plunge $4,733.56

FEB.19: Deborah Heart & Lung $3,680.33

MAR.12: The Hamilton YMCA $4,398.07

Apr.16: Police Unity Tour 2023 $3,596.30

YEARS

May 21: The Miracle League $4,860.53

June 11: Autism New Jersey $3,871.84

JULY 9: Joeys Little Angels $4503.94

2023

Please consider visiting the websites of these organizations for additional donation opportunities!

on foot with the use of the drone,” the chief said, “and the bear eventually made its way south. The drone allowed the responding officers to keep their distance.”

DeBoskey, who stepped into the role of chief on June 1 of this year, credited his predecessor, former Chief James Stevens, with the idea of bringing drones to the force in 2019.

“Chief Stevens did his homework,” DeBoskey said. “And he convinced the administration that drones would be a positive asset for the police department.”

The department’s UAV Unit (UAV stands for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) has three drones, and six officers licensed to use those drones. But it’s not just the police department that has the potential to put eyes in the sky. The Hamilton Township Fire Department has two drones and two licensed pilots — Hamilton Fire Chief Chris Tozzi being one of those pilots.

Drones have been available for hobbyists since 2010, according to a report from The Brookings Institution in Washington, DC, in 2016, when the Federal Aviation Administration established a drone licensing system, called Part 107, that change allowed people to secure drone pilot licenses in order to use the technology for commercial endeavors.

It was then drones became viable tools to assist police officers and firefighters in their jobs.

By May 31, 2022, the Federal Aviation Administration, the U.S. department which controls the nation’s airspace, issued a report noting that 865,505 drones had been registered in the U.S. Most of those drones, approximately seventy percent, are run and operated by law enforcement departments.

CJ Smith, a category marketing manager for drones with NYC-based Adorama Business Solutions, told a reporter for “Police Chief” magazine: “Drones are revolutionizing search and rescue, disaster response, crime scene mapping and modeling, [and] tactical overwatch.” Smith

added, “in many cases, drone operators have found useful ways to increase public safety.”

And increased safety resulting from drone use has also been evident here in Hamilton.

Strict rules apply to the commercial flying of drones. There are altitude limits, usually 400 feet; but those limits can vary depending on location. There are restricted flying areas—for example, air space constraints exist for drone pilots around the Trenton-Robbinsville Airport on Sharon Road.

For safety reasons, the drone operator must always keep the drone within a line of sight. Drone pilots are assisted by apps; which, like flight instruments in a plane or helicopter, provide information about the location of the drone vis-a-vis the flight activity in an area.

Hamilton Police Sgt. Ed Lugo, the Supervisor of the police department’s Tech Services Unit, said the department’s drones played important roles at the scene of the May 18 warehouse fire on Whitehead Road. That fire, as described in a Hamilton Township Fire Department press release, was, “at its peak . . . operating at four alarms with 26 fire fighting units from 14 municipalities on scene.”

Lugo said the warehouse fire was the first time the township police drone unit had worked alongside the township fire department. ”We were out there together,” Lugo said. And his team launched drones to assist firefighters battling the blaze on rooftops.

Fire Chief Tozzi said having drone eyes in the sky was an amazing asset for all the units. One of Tozzi’s major concerns, he said, became the steel water tower on top of the former factory. His colleagues were battling flames under that tower, and Tozzi knew the intense heat from the flames could potentially bring the water tower crashing down. The cameras in the drones–one regular camera, and one which could monitor the heat intensity–were hovering over the roof.

Tozzi said, “once you put the drone up

DRONES continued from Page 1

and see the video, it’s a different visual advantage.” And with that advantage, Tozzi said his crews could be directed where they were needed at any given moment. He could also continue to monitor the temperature of the water tower, and thus, keep tabs on its integrity. The drones, he said, enhanced the ability to fight that fire more carefully.

DeBoskey, Tozzi and Lugo agreed that using drones in many situations only enhances timely responses and increases safety measures for personnel.

For example, while drone officers watch unfolding incidents from the ground, the video can be live-streamed back to police department headquarters. According to Lugo, sending pictures back to shift commanders “allows them to make decisions on resource management.” Are there enough people on the scene? Does someone at headquarters see something on a larger monitor, in a well-lit room, that drone operators and colleagues might not see on smaller mon-

itors in the dark?

Using drones, the three leaders indicated, requires good team work.

Sgt. Lugo talked about using drones to locate missing people, including children. He said in those cases, a drone saves valuable time. “If you get the drone operator there first,” Lugo said, “we can lock the [lost person] into a grid.” The drone pilot can then fly the drone back and forth to scan the gridded area where the missing person was last seen. The drone gives a big picture view from above. Putting the drone up instantly also allows other responding officers time to drive safely to a location.

Chief DeBoskey noted: “the drone gives us the same capability as calling in the State Police helicopter. Except, the drones are readily available and can be put up quickly.” He added that flying drones is economical compared to a helicopter; the drones run on rechargeable batteries.

See STORY, Page 12

Hamilton Township Police officers at a law enforcement career job fair at The College of New Jersey, April 2023, with a drone.

DRONES continued from Page 11

The Hamilton UAV unit has also received mutual aid calls. Recently, Hamilton drone officers were called to assist in finding a missing kayaker. Drones have been used to monitor traffic flow on streets or highways while accidents are being cleared away.

But there are plenty of other uses for drones beyond emergencies. Tozzi said, the fire department, for example, as part of the township’s Emergency Management Team, will use drones to take photos of all the government buildings. This will allow the township to get a look at the condition of roofs, water towers, and other structures; but, the photos will also become a digital archive. Should these structures be damaged during a hurricane, for example, the township would have before photos to compare with after photos. Having that kind of photo evidence could speed up insurance or FEMA reimbursements.

Prior to drone technology, the township would have had to rent planes, or helicopters to accomplish that kind of documentation. Checking roofs has usually been done by people climbing ladders and walking around. Drones have changed that dynamic.

Mayor Jeff Martin fully supports this new technology and the opportunities it

offers the township government, while providing increased security for township residents. “I think residents can see the investment the township has made to keep our community safe, thanks to former and current chiefs thinking outside of the box.”

DeBoskey, Tozzi and Lugo seem to know they probably haven’t yet figured out all the possible uses for drones. An online article in the eMagazine “SlateTech” noted: “Increasingly, drones will be able to operate autonomously, executing preplanned flight patterns without the control of operators.” Tozzi thinks it would be amazing to send a drone to the scene of an incident using geographic coordinates, allowing his emergency personnel to monitor and assess a potential fire, or other incident, while driving to get there.

“Drones,” Tozzi mused, “can cover so much area.”

If you want to get in on the drone buzz–and they do buzz–you can see them in action during Hamilton’s National Night Out, scheduled for Tuesday, August 1, 2023 from 5-8PM at Hamilton Township Veterans Park, South Side (2206 Kuser Rd, Hamilton NJ 08690). This event is Rain or Shine.

No bears allowed (Teddies are okay); but if the real ones show up, the drones will be ready.

Capital Health Regional Medical Center Earns National Awards for Excellence

Capital Health Regional Medical Center (RMC) recently received the American Heart Association’s Gold Plus Get With The Guidelines® – Stroke Quality Achievement Award. This award recognizes the hospital’s commitment and success in ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence.

The American Heart Association also awarded Capital Health Regional Medical Center its Target: StrokeSM Honor Roll Elite award. To qualify for this recognition, hospitals must meet quality measures developed to reduce the time between a patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with the clot-buster tissue plasminogen activator, or tPA, the only drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat ischemic stroke.

Capital Health Regional Medical Center earned these awards by meeting specific quality achievement measures for the diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients at a set level for a designated period. These measures include evaluation of the proper use of medications and other stroke treatments aligned with the most up-to-date, evidence-based guidelines with the goal of speeding recovery and reducing death and disability for stroke patients. Before discharge, patients also receive education on managing their health and have a follow-up visit scheduled, as well as other care transition interventions.

“For many years now, our community has come to rely on Capital Health to provide the most advanced stroke care possible,” said Dr. Dustin Rochestie, director of the Stroke Program and director of Neurology and Neuro Critical Care at Capital Institute for Neurosciences. “By meeting and exceeding the standards established by the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines initiative at RMC—which is home to Capital Institute for Neurosciences and our Stroke and Cerebrovascular Center—we demonstrate our ongoing commitment to ensuring more stroke patients in Central New Jersey and Lower Bucks County can experience longer, healthier lives.”

in Stroke Care

Additionally, Capital Health Regional Medical Center received the Association’s Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll award. Hospitals that qualify for this recognition ensure patients with Type 2 diabetes, who might be at higher risk for complications, receive the most up-to-date, evidence-based care when hospitalized due to stroke.

Stroke is a time-sensitive emergency. If you suspect you or a loved one is experiencing a stroke, B-E F-A-S-T to know the signs of a stroke and call 911 immediately.

— Balance

Is the person experiencing a sudden loss of balance? B

— Eyes

Has the person lost vision in one or both eyes? E

— Face Drooping

Does one side of the face droop, or is it numb? F

A— Arm Weakness

Is one arm weak or numb? Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?

S— Speech Difficulty

Is speech slurred? Is the person is unable to speak or hard to understand? As the person to repeat a simple sentence, like “The sky is blue.” Is the sentence repeated correctly?

T

— Time to call 911

If someone shows any of these symptoms, even if the symptoms go away, call 911 and get the person to the hospital immediately. Check the time so you’ll know when the first symptom appeared.

UNDERSTANDING CLINICAL TRIALS

In the medical field, researchers are constantly looking for new information to prevent and cure diseases, treat symptoms, and provide a better quality of life to those who are suffering. One way of gathering this information is through conducting clinical trials.

Capital Health Medical Center – Hopewell is now an NCI Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP) affiliate site. As a participating site, Capital Health Cancer Center now offers residents in the greater Mercer and Bucks County region access to new and innovative NCI-sponsored clinical trials in the cancer prevention and control, screening, care delivery, and treatment areas. DR. CATALDO DORIA, medical director of Capital Health Cancer Center, leads a team that is dedicated to working with patient volunteers in order to achieve the best outcomes of the studies.

“I think the best way that we achieve the goal is to be one hundred percent honest with the patient and to describe the important details,” said Dr. Doria. “One session might not be enough. One single conversation might not be enough. Sometimes you have to give the patient the time to digest the information. You have to be in the position of giving the patient some materials that he or she can read. And then sometimes you have to follow up with another phone call or with another visit.”

People participate in clinical trials for different reasons. Patients with cancer may want to have access to the latest drugs or treatments. By doing so, they receive added care and attention by the physician and care team. Others may want to help researchers and help patients with the same disease in the future.

After a promising drug has been tested in the lab, it needs to be tested in a clinical trial. As an NCORP participating site, Capital

Health Cancer Center’s team of providers and researchers help patients gain access to clinical trials across a broad range of cancer care benchmarks, including symptom management, prevention, screening, surveillance, care delivery and quality of life.

When participants volunteer for a study, they are informed about the risks and benefits of the study. To best understand the potential risks, it’s important for participants to have a conversation with the researchers or points of contact in the study. These professionals are always open to communicating and begin by sharing what is known as clinical trial protocol, which includes:

… The goal of the study

Who qualifies to take part in the trial

… Details about tests, procedures, and treatments

… The expected length of the trial

What information will be gathered

In addition to the clinical trial protocol, it’s crucial for volunteers to always ask questions so they have a full understanding of the study and can determine if it is a good fit for them.

To learn more about open clinical trials at Capital Health Cancer Center, visit capitalhealthcancer.org/ncorp to sign-up for email updates or call 609.537.6363 to schedule a consultation with a Cancer Center physician.

Gynecologic (GYN) Cancer Support Group

Second Tuesday of Every Month | 10 − 11 a.m. | Location: Zoom Meeting

Our newest support group is designed specifically for women diagnosed with gynecologic cancers (ovarian, uterine, cervical, vulvar, vaginal). Our support group offers a safe space to share experiences, learn from one another and obtain the social support needed to develop a healthy sense of well-being. This group is open to all from diagnosis to survivorship regardless of where you are receiving your treatment. Meetings will be held virtually via Zoom.

There is no cost to participate, but pre-registration is required. To register, scan the QR code or visit capitalhealth.org/events.

@capitalhealthnj

capitalhealthcancer.org

CAPITAL HEALTH MEDICAL CENTER – HOPEWELL REDESIGNATED AS A BABY-FRIENDLY HOSPITAL

ONE OF 13 BABY-FRIENDLY HOSPITALS IN NEW JERSEY

Capital Health Medical Center – Hopewell in Pennington, New Jersey has again achieved the international Baby-Friendly designation after a rigorous review process conducted by Baby-Friendly USA, the organization responsible for bestowing this certification in the United States.

Being Baby-Friendly means Capital Health meets the highest standards of care for breastfeeding parents and their babies. These standards are built on the “Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding,” a set of evidence-based practices recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) for optimal infant feeding support in the precious first days of a newborn’s life.

“I would like to congratulate our entire team for their extraordinary commitment to our patient community. This third Baby-Friendly® designation ranks us among a select group of facilities that demonstrate an abiding commitment to ensuring every parent feels confident and comfortable feeding their new baby,” said Alexandra Nelson, divisional director of Maternal Child Health Services, Capital Health.

“From the prenatal setting, to inpatient care, and into our pediatric clinic, our teams are wholly committed to providing excellent clinical care grounded in compassion and responsiveness to each family’s unique goals,” said Melanie Miller, manager of Lactation Services at Capital Health. “We are proud to have maintained this designation throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and to have grown our services to include expanded in-house lactation support and increased access to human donor milk.”

The positive health effects of breastfeeding are well documented and widely recognized by health authorities throughout the world. According to the Surgeon General’s 2011 Call to Action to Support

Breastfeeding, “breast milk is uniquely suited to the human infant’s nutritional needs and is a live substance with unparalleled immunological and anti-inflammatory properties that protect against a host of illnesses and diseases for both mothers and children.”

Maternity Services at Capital Health Medical Center – Hopewell is the most comprehensive maternity program in the area. From routine deliveries to high-risk needs, services at the Josephine Plumeri Birthing Center provide a full range of prenatal, obstetrical, postpartum, and neonatal care options so newborns have the greatest chance for a healthy start. In addition, the Regional Perinatal Center at Capital Health Medical Center - Hopewell provides neonatal care, including Mercer County’s only Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for at-risk births. To learn more, visit capitalhealth.org/maternity.

FREE UPCOMING CHILDBIRTH AND PARENT EDUCATION CLASSES

For more information, or to register, visit capitalhealth.org/childbirth.

NEW PARENT SUPPORT GROUP

Capital Health Medical Center – Hopewell

One Capital Way

Pennington, NJ 08534

August 7, 2023 | 1:15 p.m.

August 14, 2023 | 1:15 p.m.

BABY CARE BASICS CLASS

Capital Health Medical Center – Hopewell

One Capital Way

Pennington, NJ 08534

August 8, 2023 | 6 p.m.

August 22, 2023 | 6 p.m.

September 12, 2023 | 6 p.m.

UNDERSTANDING BIRTH ONE-DAY CONDENSED PREPARED CHILDBIRTH CLASS

Capital Health Medical Center – Hopewell

One Capital Way

Pennington, NJ 08534

August 12, 2023 | 9:30 a.m.

August 26, 2023 | 9:30 a.m.

September 9, 2023 | 9:30 a.m.

UNDERSTANDING BREASTFEEDING CLASS

Zoom

August 7, 2023 | 6 p.m.

August 16, 2023 | 6 p.m.

August 21, 2023 | 6 p.m.

FIND A CAPITAL HEALTH MEDICAL GROUP PRIMARY CARE OFFICE NEAR YOU

1. Capital Health Primary Care – Bordentown 100 K Johnson Boulevard N., Suite 101, Bordentown, NJ 08505 609.298.2005 | capitalhealth.org/bordentown

2. Capital Health Primary Care – Browns Mills 6 Earlin Avenue, Suite 290, Browns Mills, NJ 08015 609.303.4560 | capitalhealth.org/brownsmills

3. Capital Health Primary Care – Brunswick Avenue 832 Brunswick Avenue, Trenton, NJ 08638 609.815.7400 | capitalhealth.org/brunswickavenue

4. Capital Health Primary Care – Columbus 23203 Columbus Road, Suite I, Columbus, NJ 08022 609.303.4450 | capitalhealth.org/columbus

5. Capital Health Primary Care – East Windsor 557 US Highway 130 North, East Windsor, NJ 08520 609.303.4480 | capitalhealth.org/eastwindsor

6. Capital Health Primary Care – Ewing 51 Scotch Road, Ewing, NJ 08628 609.883.5454 | capitalhealth.org/ewing

7. Capital Health Primary Care – Hamilton 1445 Whitehorse-Mercerville Road, Suite 103, Hamilton, NJ 08619 609.587.6661 | capitalhealth.org/hamilton 1401 Whitehorse-Mercerville Road, Suite 218, Hamilton, NJ 08619 609.689.5760

8. Capital Health Primary Care – Hopewell Two Capital Way, Suite 359, Pennington, NJ 08534 609.303.4440 | capitalhealth.org/primarycarehopewell

9. Capital Health Primary Care – Lawrenceville 133 Franklin Corner Road, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648 609.815.7270 | capitalhealth.org/lawrenceville

10. Capital Health Primary Care – Levittown 4533 New Falls Road, Levittown, PA 19056 267.540.8220 | capitalhealth.org/levittown

11. Capital Health Primary Care – Mountain View 850 Bear Tavern Road, Suite 309, Ewing, NJ 08628 609.656.8844 | capitalhealth.org/mountainview

12. Capital Health Primary Care – Newtown 3 Penns Trail Road, Newtown, PA 18940 215.504.1761 | capitalhealth.org/primarycarenewtown

13. Capital Health Primary Care – Nottingham 1700 Nottingham Way, Suite 18, Hamilton, NJ 08619 609.303.4870 | capitalhealth.org/nottingham

14. Capital Health Primary Care – Princeton 300 Witherspoon Street, Princeton, NJ 08540 609.303.4600 | capitalhealth.org/princeton

15. Capital Health Primary Care – Quakerbridge 4056 Quakerbridge Road, Suite 101, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648 609.528.9150 | capitalhealth.org/quakerbridge

16. Capital Health Primary Care – Robbinsville 2330 Route 33, Suite 107, Robbinsville, NJ 08691 609.303.4400 | capitalhealth.org/robbinsville

17. Capital Health Primary Care – Washington Crossing 1240 General Washington Memorial Boulevard, Suite 3 Washington Crossing, PA 18977 267.573.0670 | capitalhealth.org/washingtoncrossing

18. Capital Health Primary Care – West Windsor 352 Princeton-Hightstown Road, Suite A6 West Windsor, NJ 08550

609.537.7400 | capitalhealth.org/westwindsor

19. Capital Health Primary Care – Yardley 1690 Big Oak Road, Yardley, PA 19067 215.736.9362 | capitalhealth.org/yardley

Cultivating regional beauty, one iris at a time

By Dan Aubrey

There is a small, easy-to-miss house in a quiet post-World War II Hamilton development that is the home of an unexpected beauty — one that has spread both regionally and nationally.

Meet George Hilton, one of the region’s active practitioners of the quiet art of hybridizing irises — an ancient practice with roots leading back to circa 1800 B.C. Syria.

But for Hilton, 78, his devotion to the flower connected with deities and a world of color is pretty much an everyday thing.

“I always liked irises because my mother had them,” he says referencing the garden his housewife mother tended in Wilmington, Delaware.

That’s where he grew up and spent some early years working with his cabinet-maker father.

Hilton says he started growing irises after some personal journeying: studying biology at colleges in North Dakota and Delaware, moving from cabinet making to being a teaching assistant in Pennsylvania, and eventually becoming an employee with the Mercer County

TRADE program. He has since retired.

A personal relationship brought him to Hamilton Township, where he and his partner have lived for 37 years.

It is also where he renewed his interest in gardening and irises in a plot of land where it would be difficult to accommodate a built in swimming pool.

As he tells it, a friend moved to Lawrenceville and told him that she had discovered irises on her property.

Used to the common type of blue irises known as flags, he says he was astonished when he went over and saw “modern day” irises that were “so beautiful. These were multiple colors. I was just fascinated by them.”

He soon began working with these “bearded” irises — the variety whose with a bit of fuzz on the petals — at both his friend’s place and at home, where he plants the flowers in plain and tidy rows.

“It became an obsession,” he says, adding that in 1999 he moved into hybridization and “made my first cross” — as in cross-pollinating.

And while he reached out for information from the American Iris Society and its New Jersey affiliate, the Garden State Iris Society, he sums up the process with simply transferring pollen from one plant to the pistil of the other “to see what happens.”

That includes seeing what was in the plants’ family history. For example, he says he crossed two samples of yellow irises only to find that one of its seeds produced a lavender iris.

He then consulted the genealogy of the specimens — keeping his own records in a handy brown volume — and found that one of them had a lavender-hued parent.

“You never know what you’re going to get,” he says about the slow moving and

mysterious process. “That’s what makes it exciting.”

Hilton also admits that it is exciting when his hybrids get recognized. As in the case of having his hybrids receiving AIS awards. That includes the Contemporary Award-for Best New Iris for “a divine new offering from a new hybridizer from New Jersey” and “not just another white — it has flawless plant qualities and a very sophisticated flower.”

His irises have also gained him a mention on the GSIS’s list of prominent active state hybridizers and is proud that one influential Iris Society member said one of Hilton’s hybrids was one of “the most beautiful irises he had seen.”

“That’s all it takes,” he says about being satisfied.

Hilton says he slowly emerged to become one of the only iris hybridizers in a region where it was once prominent — thanks in part to the internationally known iris breeder Frank Carr in Bordentown.

“I am, to them my knowledge, the only individual in a 20-mile radius who grows (hybrid irises) to this extent.

See IRISES, Page 18

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Hilton is proud that an influential Iris Society member said one of his hybrids was ‘one of the most beautiful irises he had seen.’

“We used to have a regional iris group here up to about eight years ago, but a lot of the old-timers passed away and the young people didn’t keep it up. The chapter merged with a chapter in Philadelphia.”

He says that change has disrupted some past practices, including members involved with the Carr Iris Garden in Bordentown’s Hill Top Park.

There are, he adds, several iris farms and companies in New Jersey. Among those mentioned are the Grinder Family Farm in Crosswicks and Lambertville Iris Patch.

Hilton also has a little toe in the iris trade: selling to cover the costs of ads placed in state and national publications to let the public know that his new “introductions” are available — at $55 per bulb.

And while it isn’t a business, it does have some regional product appeal. His neighbors, friends around the region, and

Kuser Farm Mansion Presents:

But what about the do-it-yourselfers who don’t want to drop $50 for a new iris?

“Go buy an iris for $2.50 or $3. It is really inexpensive. There’s really not that much needed: ground, good drain soil,

Wedding & Victorian Dresses From the Past

Beginning July 1st, 2023 through August 27th, 2023, the Kuser Mansion will be displaying Wedding and Victorian dresses through the ages along with wedding related items. Please join us during these months for this extraordinary display of the past!

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Time: 11:00am - 3:00pm Location: Kuser Farm Mansion 390 Newkirk Avenue Hamilton, NJ 08610

For additional information, please contact Patti Krzywulak, Program Coordinator at 609-890-3630 or email: PKrzywulak@hamiltonnj.com www.hamiltonnj.com/KuserMansion

and the love of flowers. You put it in and they grow. They’re an easy plant to grow.”

And for those who want to venture into hybridization, he says, “All you need are two irises, a pair of tweezers, garden tags, and a pen. You pull the stamen off one flower and wipe the pollen on the stigma of the other.”

Then start looking for the signs that the fertilization has taken place. “When the flower dies back, the ovary will swell and will continue to grow and grow and looks like a little watermelon. Then you keep that on the stalk until it dries. When it does, there is a split on the top and you dump the seeds out. The seeds are a deep reddish color and they have a pyramid

or triangle shape. Then you put them in the ground in November or before the ground freezes. If they germinate then (you’ll see them) in April. But sometimes they will germinate in two or four years. It is very easy.”

That said, there are things that the novice iris-grower should know. The plants need sandy soil and sun: a full day is optimal but a half-day works.

Also, too much water and their rhizomes — or part of the stem — will rot. So plant the bulb half-in and half-out of the soil.

Other things to look out for include fungal growth, such the non-deadly but ugly Leaf Spot, and Iris Bores. And if you have the tall variety of irises, “you have to use a stake,” he says.

Although the iris flower season has peaked, Hilton says he is preparing for July when seeds will be ready for shipment to those looking to add to variety to their gardens.

But no matter the level of entry or interest, Hilton says iris growing appeals to “everyone across the board: men, women, children of all nationalities. People who are rich and poor people who enjoy beautiful flowers.

“Iris was the goddess of the rainbow, and irises come in every color. There is so much variety that attracts people.”

And for himself?

“When I go out there, my mind is clear. I am thinking about the iris and pulling weeds and all my trouble pass away.”

“You plant a flower and it grows and it gives you a sense of peace and calm” and “an appreciation of nature. This is what god created and what is more beautiful than that?” he asks on the porch of his small, unassuming Hamilton home.

To find out more about Hilton’s irises, contact him at gahjr46@aol.com.

George Hilton, a prominent and active iris hybridizer, grows the flowers in his

Kelly Yaede MAYOR

Storytelling and Voice Sound Loud at Grounds for Sculpture

BY REBEKAH SCHROEDER

If you concentrate on a story, staying mindful of its nature as a living, breathing vessel for keeping traditions alive or unpacking trauma, then you might be able to hear when the speaker, once given the chance to share without judgment and forge interpersonal connections, exhales in relief. The words used still have meaning but no longer bear their heavy weight alone, newly empowered by a mutual sense of community and revitalized by human interaction.

Everyone has the right to express themselves in their own syntax, but only a few people have the opportunity to amplify that point of view with complete control over the language used.

Reaching that loud volume, like any tale worth telling, is always better with company.

The Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton presents this platform to members of New Jersey’s Indian diasporic community for “Local Voices: Memories, Stories, and Portraits,” a living exhibit that opened on the ground floor of the Domestic Arts Building on April 23, 2023, and runs

through January 7, 2024.

This project, along with “Spiral Q: The Parade” on the upper level, are the first to debut in GFS’ new “Perspectives” series, which draws from the creative practices of the artists at its helm as well as the accounts of the people who bring it to life.

Madhusmita “Madhu” Bora, a folk and traditional artist, journalist, educator, writer, and dancer, organized the exhibit in partnership with co-curators Kathleen Ogilvie Greene, the chief audience officer at GFS, and Quentin Williams, the founder and CEO of Dragon Tree Media Group, to ensure personal autonomy and authenticity.

The 15 subjects actively participated in and led the process of chronicling their lived experiences, doing so through video interviews, photography, and by choosing objects that held significance to them.

This range of deep, emotive stories maintains the vulnerabilities that make them unique without being exploited, and the exhibit leaders hope to bridge the conversational gap between individuals of different backgrounds and demonstrate the importance of dialogue.

Upstairs, “Spiral Q” conveys the creativSee Local Voices, Page 4

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From Local Voices, Page 2

ity behind activism via puppets and protests, with the Philadelphia-based group organizing processions on social issues from transgender rights to affordable housing.

Virtual walkthroughs of both exhibits are available online, with the “Local Voices”

“Local Voices: Memories, Stories, and Portraits,” on display in the Domestic Arts Building at the Grouds for Sculpture, left, is co-curated by artist Madhusmita “Madhu” Bora, a journalist and dancer, right, and runs through January 7, 2024. Installation view courtesy of Bruce M. White. Bora, pictured at the storytelling retreat, courtesy of Monica Herndon.

page on the GFS website, groundsforsculpture.org/exhibitions/local-voices-memories-stoaries-and-portraits, linking to the YouTube videos and audio-only interview segments for each storyteller.

According to the exhibit materials, Grounds for Sculpture developed this project in response to the museum’s 2021 audience demographic census, which revealed a correlation between its attendees and the

JimManfredoniaSingsSinatra

United States Census for those who selfidentified as Asian.

To interact and engage with a specific community from that group, GFS collaborated on an exhibit in which people could

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share their stories as a look at the Indian community in New Jersey, described as “the largest ethnic group among the Asian diaspora” in the state.

According to the Indian American Impact Project, an organization that was founded to promote the voices of Indian Americans and South Asian Americans in politics, “nearly 5% of New Jersey’s population is South Asian, more than any other state in the nation.”

The website continues that “over 1 million Asians live in New Jersey, with Indian Americans making up the largest ethnic group,” particularly concentrated in Middlesex County—Edison and Iselin’s Oak Tree Road, known as “Little India,” is a bustling shopping district at the cultural center of the community.

According to a May 2022 Washington Post analysis of Census Bureau data from 2020 in “An American life: How Asian migrants built unique communities,” Mercer County itself recorded a 48.2% growth of Asian American and Pacific Islander, or AAPI, populations since 2010.

The four storytellers from the Mercer County area are Shazard Mohammed, Hamilton/Ewing; Shivani Patel, Princeton Junction/West Windsor; Yogesh Sharma, Lawrenceville; and Shoba Panoli, Pennington.

“My whole intention was to uplift and celebrate the diverse tapestry of India,” Bora said in an interview, noting that she worked alongside the GFS team, especially Greene, to identify demographic “lenses” such as age, language, religion, economic status, immigration, ability, region, caste, and sexual orientation to incorporate a wide spectrum of storytellers.

Each subject was then liberated from these labels, symbolically unchecking the boxes, as the exhibit materials explain, and prompted to recount a story that affected their life.

“Local Voices” expanded as Bora began to see the emerging pattern of personal agency in each narrative, creating a colorful mosaic of people with roots across India and the globe who collectively followed at least seven religions and spoke more than 10 languages.

After seven months of planning, the group gathered at the Grounds for Sculpture for an all-day retreat in February that included storytelling workshops and training, as well as individual photography sessions in which the subjects “were asked to arrive in clothing [that] made them feel powerful and celebrated,” according to the GFS exhibit page.

The speakers then collaborated with female BIPOC (Black Indigenous People of Color) photographers to envision portraits capturing their most authentic selves, selecting which image would be on display.

At the end of the retreat, many of the storytellers left behind objects of significance and scheduled their respective video sessions.

Although the subjects spoke for hours at a time with Bora and photojournalist Danese Kenon, the managing editor of visuals for the Philadelphia Inquirer, the exhibit could only feature a single three- to five-minute story from each person.

Bora disclosed that the full versions would be preserved in a personal copy for the participants as well as in the archives of the exhibit partner, the South Asian American Digital Archive, or SAADA, to document the comprehensive oral histories.

“Local Voices” is a “living exhibit” focused on cultivating relationships over the program itself, but the theme of art with a pulse is familiar to Bora and a natural extension of her own craft.

Inquirer to the Tampa Bay Times

She lived in places like Washington, D.C., Iowa, and Indiana, even settling in Cape May for a three-year period where she wrote for the Press of Atlantic City.

But in 2008, Bora relocated from Florida to Philadelphia, where she has resided ever since.

While she would continue to freelance, Bora decided to experiment with her artistic inclinations and co-founded the Sattriya Dance Company with her sister-inlaw, Prerona Bhuyan, in 2009.

Sattriya is a living dance tradition that originated in the Hindu monasteries of Assam over 500 years ago.

Although the art form had been traditionally practiced by celibate monks, the Indian government recognized Sattriya as a major Indian classical dance in 2000, which led to more women “embracing” the art form, Bora said.

Now, Bora is currently an adjunct instructor at Lincoln University and has since returned to the newsroom as the managing editor of suburban coverage for WHYY, a Philadelphia public radio station.

in this world. As a trained journalist, I’m always curious about the world around me. I was raised in a household of storytellers and disruptors,” she added.

“I grew up with my grandparents in a very rural Indian town, surrounded by art and culture and discussions of politics. Both my grandfathers were freedom fighters, and so I was raised in this atmosphere where culture and stories were always part of my education in this world.”

“Then, as an immigrant living in diaspora, I’m always thinking about what it is like to be an immigrant, how important our stories are, how important identity is, [and] how important stories are in terms of also passing our experiences and wisdom to the next generation and connecting us to our habitat. Stories connect us in very, very deep ways as humans.”

“When somebody’s sharing a story with you, it has a very spiritual overtone, because it’s something very sacred that somebody’s trusting you with their vulnerabilities and their experiences,” Bora said.

“Especially when people who do not have a chance to tell their story are invited to share their story. They are transformed, and we are transformed from listening to their experiences.”

The response has been “overwhelming” from both local and Indian media, according to Bora, with the exhibit having attracted about 500 or so attendees on opening night alone.

Bora said that because of her initial focus on the practical, behind-the-scenes aspects of the project, she rarely had the time to consider the tremendous “impact and outcome” the stories might carry.

But seeing the subjects take “collective ownership” over their stories and embrace the empowerment that comes with that, she added, deeply impacted her as well.

Now, Bora noted that she takes comfort in knowing there is this extended family of people to support each other, and the resilience she has personally learned from them has been invaluable.

Originally from the Northeastern Indian state of Assam, Bora finished her undergraduate and a master’s degree at two institutions in New Delhi before continuing her studies at the Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism in Illinois, where she graduated with another master’s degree.

Bora has worked in newsrooms around the country, tackling business and technology at papers from the Philadelphia

“As a practitioner of this art form, I am drawn to stories. I’m also deeply aware of what it means to not be represented in mainstream art tapestries; it is so specific and nuanced. I guess it makes me a lot more sensitive to folks who are in the margins, because I feel like I operate from the margins, too, with my art form. My journalism is a sense of inquiry and curiosity, and that training of being objective, listening to people, and asking questions is what informed and drove this project,” she explained.

“Everything I do informs how I move

“To be on this journey with them, in sharing their joy and their sorrow and their trauma and then how they overcame so many of life’s hurdles, I was on all those journeys with them, and so it’s been really, really beautiful,” she said.

“It’s important to tell your story. It’s very crucial for each one of us to record the stories of our families, of our elderly people, [and] of our own stories. Stories are magical; stories are transformative; stories help form community and allow us to really be better people,” she said, adding that everyone should tell and claim their stories, as well as place that same value on actively listening to what others share.

See Local Voices, Page 6

At its core, Bora emphasized, “Local Voices” is a “connective project.”

The 15 subjects first met at the museum retreat in February, where they took part in a series of workshops and individual photography sessions. Photo by Monica Herndon, above, from left to right: Kiran Rajagopalan, Farzana Rahman, Asha Lata Devi, and Shoba Panoli.

At its core, Bora emphasized, “Local Voices” is a “connective project.”

“It is owned by the community; it is driven by the community; and again, it’s an offering that speaks to love, loss, and resilience that connects us all as humanity,” she said. ***

Shazard Mohammed Ewing/Hamilton

Born in the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago, Shazard Mohammed, better known by his nicknames “Todd” or “Toddy,” immigrated with his family from the town of San Juan to the Mercer County area in

Mohammed lives in Ewing but owns Roti Plus Caribbean Restaurant at 1147 South Olden Avenue in Hamilton, which he opened in 2021 after helping his uncle, Ramesh Hayban—the then-owner of Trenton’s Hot on D Spot, now under new ownership and the name of Annie’s Hot on D-Spot Roti Shop—run the Trinidadian restaurant.

In his “Local Voices” interview, Mohammed explained that he had never previously traveled outside his country before deciding to take “a page out of history” and follow in the footsteps of his “forefathers who left India to come to Trinidad to become something better and make a better life for their family. They had a 90-day journey, and I was only getting on a plane for five hours.”

As a high school dropout, Mohammed shared that he was unsure about his future in America, but after landing on a Wednes-

day, by that Monday, he “started working at a factory for eight bucks an hour.”

“By the time I left in 2009, I was making almost triple digits,” he said, but the “pressure” of the workplace began to weigh on him, with the “insults” negatively affecting his state of mind.

“Being called ‘highly paid morons’ and having to do dirty work that no one else wanted to do, I felt like I was in slavery. It was taking away from my mental health, so I decided this [was] no longer going to work for me, so I left that and had no idea what I was going to do to support my family.”

After learning through reading his trusty Home Depot books and watching videos, Mohammed took up a job as a handyman, eventually becoming a self-taught licensed contractor in the construction business.

Mohammed then expanded on the troubles of his economic situation, which included veering into the restaurant industry after making an ultimately ill-fated agreement with a family member and having to pick up the pieces himself when it fell apart.

Without this person in the picture, Mohammed “was a housing inspector for hotels and multiple dwellings,” forced to “juggle both jobs, working full-time, and coming to the restaurant afterwards,” he said, starting to get visibly upset from speaking about the toll it took on him.

“There [were] days I drove home and didn’t even know how I got home. It was just all muscle memory,” he continued, breaking again with emotion. “I told my

wife, ‘I have to choose. Either we sell the business or I give up the state job.’”

In the end, Mohammed had to forfeit his retirement plan with the state and continue investing in the business, but as Bora said in her interview for Six09, he was able to create “a place that’s home away from home for so many people,” not just the local Trinbagonian population.

“At times I want to quit. I want to give up, but then I see people come in sometimes— and I’m a humanist, and I also struggle with depression—and some days I see sadness walking in the door, and I just say a few kind words, I serve them with a smile, I ask them how their day [is] going, how’s their family, is everything okay, and by the time they leave, most of them [have] a smile on their face,” Mohammed said.

“That brings joy to me to know that I’m not just running a business; I’m running a business where someone can feel safe when they come in here.”

Some speakers in “Local Voices” were asked additional questions, such as the meaning of their names and why they chose their objects.

Shazard, for example, means “prince” in Arabic, a suggestion from his mother’s best friend, who assumed a grandmotherly role for Mohammed and remarked that he “looked like a prince” at birth.

Meanwhile, his nickname, “Toddy,” came from his older brother, who gave him the title after a young Shazard would ask for a milkshake of the same name.

“Coming to America, people just started calling me Todd. Because I was intimidated

Shazard “Todd” Mohammed, left, the owner of Roti Plus Caribbean Restaurant in Hamilton, and Shivani Patel, right, from West Windsor’s Princeton Junction district, shared what resilience means to them. Photos by Sahar Coston-Hardy and Erica Lee.

or shy to let people know my true name, which is Shazard Mohammed, after 9/11, I just carried the name Todd, so most people thought I was American when they [spoke] to me over the phone, not knowing that I was of an immigrant culture,” he said.

Mohammed’s object is a hoodie with the coat of arms of Trinidad and Tobago, which bears the motto “Together we aspire, together we achieve.”

When people ask what it means to him, Mohammed says that he encourages them, again, to be humanists and to tackle greater challenges as a community.

“I take that to heart, because my interpretation of it is, ‘If we unite, we can conquer; if we come together as people, we can overcome any obstacles in our way,’ so I do wear that hoodie with pride,” he said.

Shivani Patel

Princeton Junction/West Windsor

Shivani Patel, also known as “Shivu,” was born in New Jersey and spoke about her experiences as a young person with autism and epilepsy, as well as the difficulty of managing both conditions while grieving the death of her beloved “late dada” or “dadaji,” which means paternal grandfather.

“When he died, it was so tragic, and it was so sad,” Patel said, adding that it also felt “humiliating” for her because her grandmother “knew nothing” about her autism.

Without his comforting presence, Patel found it “really hard to understand everything after losing dadaji and being with only her” during visits to her grandparents’ house in London.

“But after losing him, I have learned— thank God—how to control myself, etc., how to even control my own medical issues when having a super moment, like [an] unspeakable, un-breathable type of episode

See Local Voices, Page 8

Mohammed chose to display a sweatshirt with the coat of arms of his home country, Trinidad and Tobago, because he follows the “humanist” motto of the nation he immigrated from in 2000: “Together we aspire, together we achieve.”

The red khartal, a wooden clapper consisting of blocks and jingles, above, is an ancient musical instrument that resonates with Patel.

of high blood pressure issue when something doesn’t make me feel like, ‘Okay, I’m not comfortable in this position. I need to run away,’ or ‘I need to scream my head off, and I’m about to feel like I’m going to faint.’”

“Thanks to God and Grandpa, remembering all that and praying all that, I know how to handle those issues, because Dada used to tell me when I was younger that, ‘If you don’t calm down, you’re going to have a heart attack or a seizure, try to calm down,’ and I would manage it, I would calm down,” Patel explained, adding that in the time since his passing, she has worked on remembering the techniques he taught her to cope with stressful situations.

To Six09, Bora described Patel as “a beautiful spirit” who arrived at the retreat in “her full, glorious self,” eager to embody that strength for others.

Patel’s object is the khartal, a two-piece percussion instrument from Rajasthan, India, where a pair of “wooden blocks with small dimples are held in each hand,” then “clapped together when devotional and folk songs are performed,” she said.

The sound comes from the meeting of the cymbals, typically brass plates, adorning the two parts.

Yogesh Sharma

Lawrenceville

Yogesh Sharma founded Lawrenceville’s Radha Krishna Temple, “one of the oldest Hindu religious and cultural centers in Central New Jersey,” in 2002, according to its website.

Located at 357 Lawrence Station Road, the temple provides “Hindu and Vedic services, poojas, and ceremonies,” having expanded from one room to four buildings as the years progressed.

Sharma details that while she started the sacred space to assist priests and others in need, the temple only came to be because another living being close to her needed help—after neighborhood complaints about her dog’s barking reached the courtroom, a judge ordered its euthanization.

“I started going to another temple to pray for his life,” she recalled. “There, I met a priest who was in trouble in that temple. He asked me to help him out, and after a few days, he asked me to start a new temple where he [could] get his green card or visa, but I said, ‘Well, we don’t know anything about the temple, and so therefore we cannot do it,’” she explained.

“But he tried to convince me that, no, he will ‘take care of everything’ and ‘it will be a great thing for [the community].’”

Sharma shared that she and her husband did not have the background to run a temple, but the priest insisted, beginning a pattern of broken promises from people she assumed to be “very honest and honorable people” due to their religious backgrounds.

Although they were initially shocked to encounter the opposite, the Sharmas built the place of worship together and recruited those of the faith who kept their word.

In addition to having grown the Radha Krishna Temple from these uncertain beginnings, Bora commented that Sharma “is just a force of nature and has also overcome so many challenges in her life.”

“My dog was saved with my prayers, and [the] community is very happy with that

little temple,” Sharma reflected, noting that now, “We are like one big, huge family. We all love each other in that temple and try to do the best for the community.”

Sharma stated that in the future, she hopes to bring in even more priests, particularly Indian women—a new addition for most temples—as part of her mission to keep growing the community at Radha Krishna.

Sharma’s objects are “a silk sari and figurines of Rama and Sita,” the latter being two figures from the Sanskrit epic poem “Ramayana” who are incarnations of the Hindu gods Vishnu and Lakshmi

As the most common adaptation of the story goes, Rama rescued his wife, Sita,

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Both Yogesh Sharma of Lawrenceville, above, the founder of the Radha Krishna Temple, and Shoba Panoli of Pennington, opposite page right, reflected on the transformative power of religion and love. Speaker photos by Roshni Khatari and Erica Lee.

Sharma loaned GFS a pair of figurines depicting Rama and Sita, the avatars of Hindu deities Vishnu and Lakshmi, above, while Panoli chose her prayer book and photo card of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, a “central figure” in her Baha’i faith and the son of its founder, Bahá’u’lláh, pictured on the following page.

The tale is a classic testament to the triumph of light over darkness, or good over evil, as conveyed through holiday legend.

Shoba Panoli Pennington

In her interview, Shoba Panoli introduces herself as “a Malaysian American of Sri Lankan and Indian heritage” who dreamed of settling down in Australia like her aunts but would end up in the United States as the result of an unexpected romance.

“But life sometimes has surprising twists, and you end up in a different place,” she said, sharing how their paths first crossed. “One day I was bored, and I was surfing the web, trying to look up the place that my dad was visiting in India. As I was reading up on Kerala, I stumbled upon a chat room, and there were only a handful of individuals in that room.”

“A guy said hello to me, and we started a small conversation, and he was attracted to my Sri Lankan Malayali background, and he found that a bit unique since he hasn’t met anyone with that background; little did I know that this would be the guy that I would one day get married to.”

Even when Panoli moved to Switzerland, she “continued chatting every day” with him, exchanging “hundreds of emails” that the two never deleted and still treasure

See Local Voices, Page 10

today.

“After finally chatting for about two years, we decided to meet face-to-face, so I flew to New York to meet him, and as the plane was touching down, I was feeling very nervous, and I was thinking to myself, ‘What if everything that he’s told me was a big lie?’ ‘What if he was a fake?’” Panoli said. This worry escalated as she spent over an hour searching for his face among the airport crowd, unable to find the man she was supposed to meet until Panoli spotted him—dressed in the exact outfit he had described to her—and immediately recognized her future husband.

“I was in the United States for only a week, and he took me places; we saw a lot of things, and he took me to the top of the Empire State Building and asked me to

marry him,” she remembered fondly.

“I believe this was fate. If my dad wasn’t visiting India, I wouldn’t have gone online that day trying to look up the place that he was visiting, and we’ve been married for 23 years and have two wonderful boys.”

Panoli, characterized by Bora as a mother with “a very tender, sweet family,” received her name, meaning “light,” from her great-grandfather.

Panoli’s object is a prayer book and photo card of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, an important figure to her as a lifelong member of the Baha’i Faith.

“‘Abdu’l-Bahá is the master of the Baha’i faith, and he showed us how a Baha’i should live his life. I always carry that picture with me to remind myself of how a Baha’i should act,” Panoli explained in the audio interview.

Panoli added that prayer has always been an “important component” of her life, connecting her with God and guidance, and she has had this book for at least 15 to 20 years, which contains prayers for a variety of purposes and applications.

On the exhibit page for “Local Voices,” Panoli said that the following quote from the founder of the Baha’i Faith, Bahá’u’lláh, is always an inspiration for her:

“Do not be content with showing friendship in words alone; let your heart burn with loving kindness for all who may cross your path.”

***

“Local Voices: Memories, Stories, and Portraits” runs through January 7, 2024, in the Domestic Arts Building at the Grounds for Sculpture, 80 Sculptors Way, Hamilton.

For more information, call 609-586-0616 or visit www.groundsforsculpture.org

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Kean’s Rivera helps Post 31 reach state championship

By Rich Fisher

When Noah Rivera returned to Hamilton Post 31 for his final American Legion season this summer, he did so in a hurry.

After pitching for Kean University in the spring, Rivera learned to adhere to the pitch clock, which is a practice he brought back home even though Legion ball does not put hurlers on a timer.

“I felt good this year. It’s good to be back,” the Steinert grad said. “Going to college for a year definitely changes your perspective on the game with the pitch clock now. And just speeding up the game. I’m on the mound speeding everything up, I’m going 20 seconds between each pitch and I think I’m working faster in Legion. Sometimes it will be 2-0 or 3-0 and I’ll take a breather behind the mound, which I couldn’t do in college.

“But I like the quicker pace. I think it helps you block out everything more and just focus on the batter and not let you mope about previous pitches.”

Rivera had little mope about this sum-

mer, as he helped pitch Post 31 to the New Jersey state championship game, where he and Hamilton fell to Brooklawn, 5-0. Prior to that game, Rivera went 6-1 with a 1.26 earned run average, 50 strikeouts and just 12 walks. His only regularseason loss was a 4-3 setback in which his defense collapsed in a three-run sixth inning at Bordentown.

In the State Tournament District 2 opener, Rivera allowed just one earned run and struck out six in a 10-3 win over Rochelle Park. In the first round of the State Final 8, Noah surrendered just two runs in 7 2⁄3 innings and kept Hamilton in the game long enough that it was able to pull out a 4-3 win over Lawrence.

“He’s been huge for us coming back from college,” Post 31 manager Rick Freeman said during the regular season. “You see the growth and maturity from pitching at the level he pitched at. He appeared in 18 games. That’s a lot of pitching, and that’s helped him a great deal. He’s brought that experience back to our younger guys and I think they’re

learning from him.”

Rivera first came on the scene as a Spartan junior when he went 2-0 with 1.94 ERA. He had 14 strikeouts and allowed five walks in 18 innings pitched. As a senior he blossomed into one of Mercer County’s top pitchers, going 8-2 with one save and a 1.77 ERA and 1.045 WHIP in 59-1/3 innings. He struck out 69 and walked just 16. Over his two varsity seasons he forged a 1.81 ERA.

He had a strong legion campaign in 2022, winning Pitcher of the Year, and also pitched for the South Jersey Kings in the Atlantic Coast Baseball League.

“It was a wooden bat league,” he said. “That was fun, that was different. I’d never done that before.”

Rivera then embarked on his collegiate career under the tutelage of Neil Ioviero, one of the nation’s top NCAA Division III coaches.

“I was mainly a reliever this season,” he said. “My ERA wasn’t too great, it was around a seven (7.39 to be exact). It was all relieving so it was different after being a starter. But I didn’t just go in for blowouts. I pitched in some pretty crucial games.”

Noah allowed 23 earned runs in 28 innings. He did not record a decision but did pick up two saves, including one against rival Montclair in a New Jersey Athletic Conference Tournament game. The right-hander struck out 23 and walked 18, and actually hit 11 batters, which led the team.

His improvement was apparent toward the end of the season, as in his final four games Rivera pitched five innings and allowed just three hits, two walks and no runs while striking out five. His overall stats were inflated due to three rough outings, but he was fairly solid in his other 15 appearances and did not allow a run in eight of them.

More than anything, however, it was a learning year for Rivera. And he learned his lessons well, as witnessed by his Post 31 campaign.

“He throws a little harder than he did, and his breaking ball’s a little sharper,” Freeman said. “He’s always had a great change-up. He knows how to move the ball around and that’s what happens when you have to get better hitters out.”

Rivera credited Ioviero for helping fine-tune some of his repertoire and his approach to pitching.

“He taught me different things in terms of pitching-wise and mechanics-wise and

I think I’ve incorporated that to add more velo to certain pitches and take something off on other ones,” he said. “He taught me how to actually pitch and not just blow by everybody with fastballs.”

Along with that, Rivera began to understand things on a larger scale.

“Yeah, the game within the game,” he said. “The little stuff really matters. All the travel coaches discourage bunting, they want the big flies, the home runs, the doubles. But it’s the little things that really win you the game. Bunting, sacrifices, hitting a single when a guy is on second. It all really matters.”

Rivera served notice of what kind of summer it would be on opening day for Post 31, when he pitched a three-hitter with five strikeouts in a 3-1 win over defending state champion Allentown. He went the distance again with seven Ks in a 7-3 win over North Hamilton and was brilliant in his third game while pitching a three-hitter with eight strikeouts in a 1-0 decision over Allentown.

Noah threw another shutout against Hightstown and won a 3-2 decision over Lawrence before embarking on his state playoff heroics. Freeman, who served as Rivera’s pitching coach at Steinert, has watched with justifiable pride as his pupil has grown.

“I just think he embraced the role he

Kean University pitcher Noah Rivera returned to Hamilton Post 31 this summer to go 6-2 with an ERA under 2.

(Photo by Rich Fisher.)

was given as a junior at Steinert and that carried over into that summer,” he said. “As a senior he was one of the leaders of that staff and that carried over into last summer. I don’t know if it was one thing where you could say he grew, but he was a breaking ball-change-up guy and now his fastball is coming into play more.”

Rivera enjoyed playing the game as much as ever this summer. He is another example of how legion baseball can be of value to players, and should serve as a symbol as to why it is still a viable option for competitive baseball.

“It definitely can serve a purpose,” he said, just prior to the state playoffs. “This is the most innings I’ve thrown since legion last year. I had 28 innings at Kean and I have 41 innings this year, which is a big jump. And my arm feels great and it’s getting better. The first few starts it was a little iffy but after that I started to feel good. I hadn’t thrown over 70 pitches in a game since last year.”

Thus, he had no interest in opting for a college league over legion. He got to play with his old Steinert buddies and got the necessary work.

“I like the kids on the team,” Rivera said. “They’re all great. I just wanted to come back and be close to home. I just wanted to pitch as much as possible and get as many innings as possible. Those

college leagues, it’s like two innings here, three innings there. I wanted to get as many innings as possible because I want to be a starter at Kean next year.”

Rivera’s arm helped Hamilton to a strong run over the second half of the season, as Post 31 finished the regular season 16-6 after a 5-4 start. Hamilton advanced to the Final 8 by winning two straight District 2 games. It then won its first two state games, both by one run, fell to Montgomery, then came back to beat Montgomery and earn a spot in the final.

Asked what turned things around after a three-game losing streak in mid-June, Rivera said “I don’t really know. I think we’ve been pitching really well this season with the short amount of pitchers we have; and the hitting has been coming alive. I think it was a culmination of us hitting our stride at the right time.”

Rivera was the anchor of a standout staff that also included Joe Loreti, Joey Ditta and Andrew Wolak. Whenever possible, he would impart the wisdom he gained from playing at the next level.

“I try to teach everybody stuff that I learned my first year of college; or what I learned just throughout my life,” he said. “I try to be a leader.”

With the knowledge he soaked in over the past year, he certainly has the credentials to lead.

Dickerson commits to Springfield

FindYourADVENTURE!

Nottingham High School senior J.P. Dickerson has committed to attend and play basketball at Springfield College in Springfield, Massachusetts. Seated: brother Ethan Dickerson, mother Ericka Dickerson, J.P. Dickerson, father John Paul Dickerson Sr. Standing left to right: grandfather James Smith, Nottingham head basketball coach Chris Raba, principal Frank Ragazzo. (Photo by Wes Kirkpatrick.)

Babkowski gets hot to help Hibernians reach playoffs

By Rich Fisher

Chris Babkowski may have stopped hitting at one point this year, but he never stopped learning. Which is why he began hitting again.

“I don’t think I ever know enough about the game,” the North Hamilton Hibernians catcher said. “I always try to be a student of the game and learn anything I can from anybody. Whether it’s (Nottingham) coach (Charlie) Iacono or travel coaches or college coaches at prospect camps.”

And through his learning process, Babkowski figured out how to turn a sub-par high school season into an impressive Mercer County American Legion League campaign.

During his junior year with Nottingham, Babkowski hit just .222 batting in the third and fourth holes. He led the team with 21 walks, but figured part of his problem was watching too many offerings go by.

“I was taking a lot more pitches earlier in the count and then getting down two strikes,” he said. “I feel like I’m a great two-strike hitter but sometimes guys just make good pitches. I was just being too selective of a hitter instead of trusting my natural instincts and abilities.”

He also began to climb into his own head.

“Going into the season I was hoping for a really good season and that’s not how it turned out,” Babkowski said. “After the first five games, I got really down on myself and kind of started pressing about it a lot more than I should have. Instead of taking deep breaths and relaxing and saying ‘I’m a great ballplayer, I can do anything.’”

Iacono felt that, “He just got unlucky for us and put too much pressure on himself. I had him in the meat of the lineup, I

think he just needed to adjust a little more within the count and learn the game.”

North Hamilton manager Eric Struble was an Iacono assistant and watched Babkowski’s struggles first hand.

“Honestly, I think he was hitting the ball just as hard,” Struble said. “There were a few more strikeouts, and we kind of worked on that. But I just think he struggled early and it got in his head a little bit. The mental part of the game is something where he was feeling the pressure. I know he’d been getting interest from different schools. It’s a lot of pressure for a high school kid. I think he just got into a funk.”

* * *

Once the season ended, Babkowski went into a reflection period to un-funkify himself. He took the final few weeks of May to figure things out with that sharp baseball mind.

“I kind of just sat there after the last game of the season and said ‘Something’s gotta change,’” Babkowski said. “My whole goal is to play college baseball, and you can’t play college baseball if you can’t hit the fastball early in the count. So I spent a lot of time in that period we had off between high school and legion, and I just went away and worked on myself and my approach and swinging a lot earlier in the count.”

It worked.

“This was probably the most comfortable I’ve felt playing the game in a long time,” he said.

His statistics would reinforce that statement. Babkowski hoisted his average to .434 with a .556 OBP and .566 slugging percentage for a 1.122 OPS. He had five doubles, a triple and 20 RBI, including 10 two-out RBI hits. His efforts helped North Hamilton to a 14-8 regular-season record and a berth in the state district playoffs.

It was the kind of season Struble was expecting.

“I don’t think that was him during high school,” the manager said. “Last year he hit .400 for us in legion. The kid just lives, eats and breathes baseball. He’s on those CenterCourt travel teams (in Lawrence). He’s going to games during the weekend and coming back and playing for us.

“He’s just a hard worker. I know in the winter he’s at CenterCourt working on his craft. The kid can hit the ball to all fields, which is great. And he has power as well. He put some balls out to the scoreboard in right center that have one-hopped the fence. He hit the ball to all fields.”

Iacono kept tabs on the Hibos during the summer and noticed a more laid back player.

“I think now he’s a little looser,” he said. “He made some adjustments from the high school season. We talked a lot about shortening the swing a little, hitting all fields, he looks like he’s doing that.”

It’s not surprising Babkowski figured things out. He is an honors student in the classroom and “as smart as they come” according to Struble. “He has a quiet confidence. He’s not someone out there saying ‘Look at me, look at me.’ But he’s as confident as anyone.”

That confidence stays with him behind the plate, as Babkowski is also a talented

defensive catcher.

“He’s great,” Struble said. “He calls a great game. He’s thrown a lot of guys out for us this season. In high school it seemed like anyone who tried to steal

was getting thrown out. He hasn’t had as many opportunities in the summer but he’s a brick wall back there usually.”

Babkowski has been a catcher for as long as he has played baseball. While

playing for the HTRBA 7-year-old AllStars, the coaches asked who wanted to put on the gear, and Babkowski didn’t hesitate.

“I said, ‘Well I’ll do it,’ and from there I kind of fell in love with it right away,” he said. “I fell in love with every aspect of the game.”

He continues to work on his defensive skills as well as his hitting, putting long hours into being a better catcher.

“I take a lot of care for my arm, and in the off season I work on my arm and footwork and stuff like that,” he said. “I don’t believe it’s truly just my arm, I feel like my legs are also a very key part with how I throw the baseball.”

Although he plays a natural leadership position as catcher, Babkowski is more of a lead-by-example guy according to Struble.

“He’s not our most outspoken guy,” the skipper said. “But the kid knows baseball better than anyone. His baseball IQ is off the charts.”

That intelligence stems from a pure passion for the game.

“Baseball is all I can think about most of the time. I love everything about it. The competition. The game within the game. Each pitch is a competition for me.”

And when spring turned to summer, he competed quite successfully.

Chris Babkowski followed up a high school season in which he hit .222 with an American Legion season in which he hit .434. (Photo by Rich Fisher.)

August Events

Notary Oath Night

Thursday, August 3rd, 3:00 – 7:00 PM

Mull takes over for Adams as new Nottingham A.D.

By Rich Fisher

To meet Jessie Mull is to like her. To know her is to respect her.

To trust her to oversee an athletic department is to do the right thing.

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Brian M. Hughes, County Executive 957 Highway 33 at Paxson Avenue, Hamilton

At least it is for Nottingham High School Principal Frank Ragazzo.

Ragazzo has named the former Northstar athlete and coach, who began her freshman year at NHS in 1999, as Jon “Big Dawg” Adams’ successor as the Northstars new athletic director.

“This truly is a dream come true,” Mull said. “I didn’t think it would happen this quickly but the timing worked out. This means the world. I graduated here, came back after playing college ball, started coaching here, so my passion has always been Nottingham.”

Ragazzo will quickly support that statement.

“She bleeds blue and gold,” the principal said. “It’s obvious this is where she wants to be. Throughout all of her interviews, everything she brought in to give us was blue and gold. That’s her personality. She has a vested interest in this school. She lived here. She loves this community and she definitely loves athletics.”

Mull was a standout softball and field hockey performer for the Northstars, and her senior year was an omen of things to come.

“I was in the VIP program, and in ninth period I was (former AD) Pete Leonard’s assistant, so I’d help in the AD’s office that period,” she recalled. “I didn’t know it was a pre-warning that I’d be getting the job.”

Mull’s foray onto the athletic field took a while. While attending Kuser Elementary School, she would play with her brother in the neighborhood pickup games on Connecticut Avenue, but spent five nights a week dancing. In middle school, the Reynolds 6th-grader was attending a fall baseball game and her brother’s team was short a man.

“The coach said ‘We’re gonna put you in!’” Mull said. “I ended up being phenomenal and the coach said, ‘You gotta put this kid in softball.’”

Jessie always played up in age once

she started, and was a 13-year-old on the Hamilton Little Lads 13-to-15-year-old World Series team. Linda Hamilton, who has a lengthy coaching resume in the area, told Nottingham coaches Dee Taylor and Peggy Howell about Mull’s athleticism, and Taylor got her to join Alyson Setzer’s PAL field hockey program in 8th grade.

Taylor wasted little time snatching Jessie up for field hockey at Nottingham, and Howell did likewise in softball. Her freshman year in softball, second baseman Mull was paired with standout shortstop Kate Garland.

That could mean some pressure as Garland is an NHS Hall of Famer who’s now an assistant for Salisbury State, which just finished second in the NCAA Division III national tournament. But Jessie was good enough to handle it.

During her four years, Mull was a two-sport All-Conference performer. And prior to graduating she got her first inkling of what it’s like to be an AD by working with Leonard.

“That was fun,” Mull said. “Pete was on the ball, he had everything to a tee. I learned a lot of organizational skills from him. I got to see how he approached other coaches and his rapport with the students. It was nice.”

It also planted a seed.

“That was the very beginning of my administrative career,” Mull said. “But I could see myself eventually — since athletics was such a huge part of my life — getting involved and truly holding kids accountable in sports. I thought, ‘This is the way to go.’”

But first, north Jersey was the trail to travel. After graduation in 2003, Mull took her sharp mind and slick athletic skills to William Paterson, where she was a softball and field hockey standout and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English.

“That became my life,” she said. “In college it was academics and sports. Field hockey ended and I was training for softball. I think playing multiple sports helps me with time management, organization and life skills.”

After graduation Jessie got a teaching job at Yardville Heights in 2007 and

See MULL, Page 26

Mull

MULL continued

from Page

served as field hockey goalkeeper coach at Robbinsville High. After one year she was assisting Taylor with the Northstars, and in 2013 she took a special education teaching job at Nottingham to make her coaching situation easier. Along the way Mull earned a Master of Arts with Distinction in Special Education from Rider University and a Master of Education in Educational Leadership from American College of Education.”

After serving as an assistant for Taylor and Jen Cicale, Mull became head field hockey coach in 2019. When Adams announced he was stepping down, the 38-year-old knew she was ready.

So did Ragazzo.

“I felt she was one of the best coaches and best teachers we’ve had in the building,” Ragazzo said. “When you put those two things together, and what she already brought to Nottingham, it just made sense.

“I’m very excited to see what she’s going to do with the athletic program. We see a good coach; someone who can work with the kids; is great with the parents; can motivate. She could probably do that with any

of the programs, and as AD I think she will.”

Mull’s official starting date was July 1, and Adams has helped her transition over the past few months. It is ironic in a way, that someone who “bleeds blue and gold” is replacing what Ragazzo calls “The face of Nottingham athletics even before he became athletic director.”

“Jon was a tremendous part of the Nottingham athletic community,” the principal said. “We’re obviously gonna be sad to see him go. I can’t say enough about Jon Adams. Him leaving is a loss, but Jess can fill those shoes.”

And her predecessor agrees.

“When I told Jon about the choice of Jessie, he felt the same as me, he couldn’t have picked a better successor if he had done it himself,” Ragazzo said. “To have the endorsement of someone who has been around the department for 33 years is huge.”

Mull has tapped into the minds of Taylor and Adams — who both left coaching to become Nottingham ADs – as to how to do the job.

“I learned a lot from Dee, because she was my field hockey coach, I saw her in that atmosphere,” Mull

said. “She was always on the ball. You knew when she was upset and you knew when you had crossed the line, but she was always approachable. She always solved the problem. She was very organized. She’s been a solid mentor in my life since I first started.

“Jon’s approach is different from Dee’s. I’ve learned different skills from him. His rapport with coaches is more hands-on, so I got to see that type of atmosphere.”

She also credits fifth-year athletic secretary Mary Brower for helping with various nuances of the job, and will be interrogating numerous other ADs. They include Bordentown’s Jen Cicale, who she coached under in field field hockey, several Shore Conference connections, and former Hightstown AD Gary Bushelli, the father of one of her good friends.

One of the biggest — and most necessary — assets Mull brings to the job is patience. Having a specialed background should be a plus.

proactive, thinking of things prior to, can help ease the fire. It helps that I like to be very involved and busy. I think special-ed has allowed that. I teach multiple subjects and so many levels, and here I have to network with so many people.”

She is now dealing with athletes, parents, coaches and administrators, which takes a lot of deftness.

“Luckily for me, I have good rapport with all of the coaches. I’m gonna use that to my advantage. I’m hoping they see the effort I put into this job, and because if I’m putting in the effort, they’re gonna work that much harder,” she said.

Mull feels that her job is not just hiring coaches to produce winning teams. She vows to stay on top of the studentathletes’ academics and eligibility, and wants to work as a team with the guidance office.

“I am a huge piece because I can hold them accountable through sports so (guidance) should use me,” Mull said. “I’m very visible now in the hallways, a lot of the students know me so I still expect that to happen. I would like them to feel comfortable enough to be able to come to me.

“When I was a student here, as an athlete you were a role model in the building. That’s what I want to bring back. I want them to be accepted, I want them to be

known, I want it to be a successful environment for them.”

It is no secret that many of the girls programs at Nottingham have not done well in recent years. Mull hopes to rectify that by partnering with the middle schools and have them promote athletics in order to get more developed and experienced athletes into Nottingham.

Mull first got the urge to become an AD around three years ago when she started working closely with Ragazzo’s administrative team. She insisted this is not a quick fix interest in which she stays for two years then looks to become a vice principal.

“This is long term,” she said. “I want to be an AD. I want to make sure it’s in the direction I want it to be in. I want them to feel the same thing I felt here as a student athlete. I want the same type of environment and culture. Depending on how long that takes is how long I’ll be here.”

Ragazzo is hoping it is for quite a while, as he empties his “superlative cabinet” when discussing his new hire.

“She is very smart, motivated, passionate and she has that easy-going way that’s needed for this position,” he said. “I think she’s going to be great. I’m very confident in her. I’m really happy she’s with us.”

She’s been with them all along. Now it’s just at a higher level.

10 questions with young artist Sami Panfili

Sami Panfili is an aspiring artist, full of energy and ideas, with deep roots in Hamilton on both sides of the family. She graduated from the Pennington School this spring and is headed to art school this fall. An unintended injury while training in competitive gymnastics changed her path to the arts. It is interesting to see artists starting out: what their focus is now, and where it can all lead.

When and how did you gain an interest in the arts?

My interest truly hit my freshman high school year. I attended Doane Academy, a very small K-12 school with an art program I’ve never seen before.

Doane brought in professional artists from the Philadelphia art school, Studio Incamminati, which was founded by well-known portrait artist Nelson Shanks, who has painted presidents, the Pope and Princess Diana. This is where I met Mr. Jarred Fisher, who would be my teacher for freshman and sophomore year, both in person and online due to Covid. Mr. Fisher taught me some of the most crucial techniques for young artists, which started as basic gestures transforming into finished still life drawings.

Which media is your favorite to work in?

This is a tough question for me to answer, as currently I’ve been experimenting not only in the 2D world of art but also the 3D world of fashion design.

I started my journey mainly with pencil till I found macron markers. Then I found a love for realism with graphite pencils. Charcoal drawing, however, is something I always gravitate back to. I love how quickly you can create with charcoal in simple strokes.

Most recently, I’ve found a love for photography. Working with pinholes cameras is a newfound obsession I have acquired.

What program will you be studying at Savannah College of Art and Design, this fall?

Currently, I am undecided for a major at SCAD. I plan to take my freshman year as a time to experience all genres of art.

I want to take classes in various fields, some of which I have never stepped foot in before. Also, with my interests within the business of art I would love to wait and see what I will end up pursuing.

Which artists are some of your inspirations or influences?

I like British artist Stephen Mackey, who is a self-taught realist who paints realist absurd portraits. I also like Dylan Carr, who is a fine line tattoo artist at Crown and Feather Tattoo, not too far from here in Philadelphia.

How does the portfolio review process work with SCAD?

While applying to SCAD it is not mandatory to submit a portfolio. And for me, who is not subject into studying strictly Studio Arts it was not something I felt necessary in my enrollment. I submitted some drawings initially, was accepted, and awarded some academic and artist scholarships.

Were your parents supportive when you decided to study in the arts field?

While it was quite a turn from my older brother’s path who is graduating their doctorate this summer in Neuropsychology. They have been nothing but supportive, my parents have a strong grasp that every child is different, as I’m sure many parents know

as well. For my brother and me, they would never force him into the world of arts and me into the world of psychology, because it’s simply not what makes us happy.

What fight/struggle do you have regarding your art?

My biggest struggle regarding my art is time and motivation. While being a high school boarding student, finding the time to create was almost impossible, and the time I did have to create I would spend trying to catch up on sleep.

After graduating in June, I have found that this summer has given me more time than ever to create, and I’ve already begun working on new projects.

Tell us about your recent internship with a local gallery. Would you ever pursue directing a gallery yourself?

This past May I was given the opportunity to be an intern under C.J. Mugavero at the Artful Deposit Gallery in Bordentown City. The Pennington School has a program called Horizon that is mandatory for the senior class. It has students go off and find internships in fields they may pursue.

After this internship I have many newfound appreciations, not only for C.J. allowing me to shadow her but for any gallery and any artist. Owning a gallery takes a lot of time, and a lot of people

skills and there are so many nitpick factors that the common person would never even think of.

This opened my eyes to realize gallery owning may be a path for me, however, it will have to wait till I’m much older. My experience at the Artful Deposit was nothing but wonders, I even got the chance to sit down and interview a couple of artists who are represented there!

What is a dream project of yours?

Relating back to my internship at Artful Deposit, a dream project of mine would be owning a gallery. I would like to have a gallery which is also a venue hall that hosts events from fashion shows, to exhibits, to even weddings. I mean who wouldn’t want to get married surrounded by fine art?

What is on the horizon? What else are you looking forward to?

The next step for me is college, I’m attending Savannah College of Art and Design, which I’m looking forward to. This summer, time is what I’m most excited for, the right amount of boredom creates the best ideas!

Instagram: samipan.art.

Left: “She Catches Angels,” charcoal on paper by Sami Panfili. Right: the artist.

Thomas Kelly is a Hamilton-based artist and member of the Hamilton Arts Council. His work can be found at thomaskellyart.com.

Firefighters help deliver baby on South Broad

Bob Sherman, Jr.

June 1 at 9:12 a.m. Squad 1 dispatched to Kuser Road and Yardville Hamilton Square Road for a motor vehicle collision with injuries.

June 1 at 1:31 p.m. Engine 1 dispatched to 1300 block of Whitehorse Hamilton Square Road for a mulch fire.

June 2 at 3:05 a.m. Truck 2 dispatched as EMS to the 4200 block of S. Broad St. for a pregnancy, baby born.

June 2 at 11;04 a.m. Engine 2, Truck 2 and on duty Battalion Chief dispatched to first block of Magnolia Ln to assist police.

June 2 at 2:27 p.m. Engine 1 dispatched to Route 33 Nissan for a mulch fire.

June 2 at 4:33 p.m. Hamilton Fire Police dispatched to assist Robbinsville Police at State Hwy 33 and County Route 526, Town Center. All traffic lights out.

June 3 at 1:02 a.m. Truck 1, Squad 1 dispatched to 3300 block of Route 1, Lawrence. Mulch fire with exposure to building.

June 3 at 5:27 p.m. Engine 1, Rescue 1, Squad 1, Trucks 1, 2, Engines 3,4, and on

duty Battalion Chief dispatched to RWJ Barnabas University Hospital for an interior odor of smoke.

June 4 at 1:17 a.m. Engine 3 dispatched as EMS to first block of 6th Street for a male shot in the leg. Colonial Special Services 18 dispatched to assist Hamilton Police with lighting of the area.

June 4 at 3:17 a.m. Engine 3, Truck 1 and on duty Battalion chief dispatched to first block of 6th Street to assist police.

June 5 at 7:50 p.m. Engines 1,2. 3. Trucks 1, 2, Rescue 1, Squad 1 and on duty Battalion Chief dispatched to 100 block of Richland Ave. Appliance fire.

June 6 at 2:28 p.m. Engine 2 dispatched to 300 block of Rowan Ave. Rubbish fire.

June 6 at 6:29 p.m. Hamilton dispatch started to receive numerous calls for heavy smoke throughout the township from the Canadian wildfires. Units were dispatched to Fairlawn Ave, Regina Ave, Klockner Road, Jenicho Dr, Woodlawn Ave, and E. Park Ave.

June 7 at 8:41 p.m. Engine 2 dispatched to 1300 block of Kuser Road. Rubbish fire.

June 7 at 10:59 p.m. Engine 4, Truck 1 dispatched to Rosehill Assisted Living, Robbinsville for a commercial fire alarm.

June 8 at 6:53 a.m. Squad 1, Truck 2

and on duty Battalion Chief dispatched to 3100 block of Quakerbridge Road for a motor vehicle fire.

June 9 at 1:52 a.m. Engine 4, Squad 1, Truck 1 dispatched to Amberfield Rd, Robbinsville. Interior odor of smoke.

June 9 at 4:33 p.m. Engine 4 requested as an extra engine for a brush fire across from Drews Farm, Upper Freehold.

June 10 at 10:22 Engine 1 was dispatched to the 700 block of Route 33 for a dumpster fire with exposure.

June 11 at 8:05 p.m. Engine 3, Rescue 1, Squad 1 and on duty Battalion Chief dispatched to 700 block of Sloan Ave for a motor vehicle accident rescue assignment, vehicle overturned.

June 12 at 4:07 p.m. Engine 4, Trucks 1 and 2 dispatched to Newtown Blvd, Robbinsville for a reported building fire.

June 13 at 7:10 p.m. Engine 4, Truck 2 and on duty Battalion Chief dispatched to Martins Ln for a vehicle fire.

June 14 at 7:02 a.m. Truck 2 dispatched to Amazon Warehouse of Robbinsville for a water flow fire alarm.

June 14 at 8:37 a.m. Engines 2, 3, Trucks 1, 2, Rescue 1, Squad 1 and on duty Battalion Chief dispatched to Versilles Ct for a reported dwelling fire,

June 14 at 3:31 p.m. Engine 4, Truck 1 dispatched to Robbinsville Township Senior Center for a air conditioner on fire with exposure to the building.

June 14 at 7:48 p.m. Rescue 1 dispatched to Quakerbridge Rd and Sloan Ave for a motor vehicle collision.

June 15 at 6:28 a.m. Squad 1, Truck 2 and on duty Battalion Chief dispatched to Scenic Overlook North I-295N for a vehicle fire.

June 16 at 11:42 a.m. Rescue 1, Engines 1,2,3, Trucks 1,2, Squad 1 and on duty Battalion Chief dispatched to Nami Ln for an interior odor of smoke.

June 17 at 7:51 p.m. Truck 1 and Squad 1 dispatched to Oneill Ct., Lawrence, for

an interior odor of smoke.

June 19 at 6:28 p.m. Engines 1, 2, 3, Trucks 1, Rescue 1, Squad 1 and on duty Battalion Chief dispatched to Jed Ct for an appliance fire, contained to the oven.

June 20 at 2:11 a.m. Rescue 1, Trucks 1, 2, Engines 1, 2, 3, Squad 1 and on duty battalion chief dispatched to Princeton BMW of Hamilton. Reported building fire.

June 21 at 11:35 a.m. Engine 3 dispatched to cover Station 30, Ewing Twp Fire Department.

June 21 at 1:36 p.m. Truck 2 was dispatched to 100 block of West Manor Way for a water flow fire alarm.

June 22 at 11:58 a.m. Engine 1 and Truck 1 dispatched to North Commerce Sq., Robbinsville.

for a fire alarm in a 4 story, wood frame, multi family dwelling.

June 22 at 10:20 p.m. Truck 2 was dispatched to the 100 block of west Manor Way for a commercial fire alarm.

June 23 at 3:34 p.m. Engine 1 dispatched to Washington Blvd., Robbinsville for an elevator rescue.

June 24 at 7:42 a.m. Engine 1 dispatched to Chamberlin Ct., Lawrence for a water flow fire alarm.

June 25 at 1:443 a.m. Engines 1, 2, 4, Truck 2, Squad 1, Rescue1, and on duty Battalion Chief dispatched to Pilgrim Way for an appliance fire.

June 25 at 1:52 a.m. Engines 2,3,4, Trucks 1,2, Squad 1, Rescue1 and nonduty Battalion Chief dispatched to 500 block of East Park Ave for an interior smoke condition, Homeowner reported the house was struck by lightning and then filled with smoke.

June 25 at 11:56 p.m. Rescue 1, Squad 1, Engine 2 and on duty battalion Chief dispatched to Interstate 295N for a motor vehicle accident/rescue assignment. NJSP reported a Mercedes-Benz ran off the road to the right, overturned and struck a sign support. As a result of the

Our

Hamilton

crash, the driver sustained fatal injuries

June 26 at 2:20 p.m. Rescue 1, Squad 1, Engines 1,2,3, Trucks 1, 2 and on duty

Battalion Chief dispatched to 1600 block of Klockner Road for an appliance fire. Fire was confined to the oven.

June 27 at 12:08 a.m. Engines 1,3,4, Truck 1, Rescue 1, Squad 1 and on duty Battalion Chief dispatched to 100 block of Joan Ter for an interior odor of smoke, 9-1-1 caller smells fire, doesn’t see a fire.

June 27 at 1:27 p.m. Truck 2, Engines 1, 2, Rescue 1, Squad 1, and on duty Battalion Chief dispatched to 1300 block of Whitehorse Hamilton Square Rd for a commercial fire alarm. Arriving unit found burnt popcorn,

June 27 at 3:59 p.m. Engine 4 was dispatched to 200 block of Nassau St., Princeton for a dwelling fire. Smoke coming from a house.

June 27 at 6:19 p.m. Squad 1 was dispatched to Sunnybrae Blvd and Hasting Rd for power line down in the street and pole smoking. Hamilton Fire Police responded for traffic control.

June 27 at 6:44 p.m. Burlington E3222, Truck 2 and on duty Battalion Chief dispatched to Twin Pond Development for an uncontrolled water leak.

June 27 at 8:26 p.m. Engines 1,2,4, Trucks 1,2, Rescue 1, Squad 1 and on duty battalion chief dispatched to Homewood Suites By Hilton, US 130 for an interior smoke condition.

June 28 at 10:31 a.m. Engine 4 dispatched to Dunkin Donuts of Robbinsville for an exterior gas leak called in by PSEG.

June 28 at 5:58 p.m. Squad 1 dispatched to Oscar Way for wires on fire.

June 29 at 9:59 p.m. Truck 1 dispatched to Brandywine Senior Living, Princeton. Interior odor of smoke.

June 30 at 4:54 p.m. Reserve Engine 5, Colonial Special Services 18 dispatched for special assignment, Veterans Park for Hamilton Township 4th of July fireworks.

Fire Division, Station 19, Engine Co. 4 “C” Platoon. Capt. Christopher Headley, firefighters Stephanie Kolibas, Jason Brenner. (Photo by Bob Sherman Jr. )

Peter Dabbene

Until recently, my knowledge of Portugal was limited. I remember hearing about Vasco Da Gama when I was in elementary school, but if you asked me as an adult what he discovered, I’d have been hard-pressed to answer (correct response: a sea route to India).

Geographically, I always thought of Portugal as “that small country near Spain.” And while I knew that Portugal once controlled a vast empire, it now seemed like just another also-ran in the contest for global hegemony.

I gained a better appreciation for Portugal last month when, at the invitation of a friend with ties to the country, we visited for a week and took in the sights.

Our itinerary was ambitious, and a car was necessary to make it happen. Manual transmissions are standard in Europe, and I never learned how to drive stick shift, so I was removed from the driving solution.

My wife, who hadn’t driven stick in 25 years, took on a share of the driving duties and did an admirable job, though with the bumps, sudden turns, and near misses of European traffic, it sometimes felt like we’d signed up for the Jason Bourne Automobile Tour of Portugal.

The first highlights we saw in Almada, just outside of Lisbon, seemed strangely familiar—the longest suspension bridge in Europe, which is the same color

(“International orange”) as the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, and similar in design to the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge; also, a giant statue of Christ the King, inspired by the Christ the Redeemer statue that overlooks Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.

We recovered from jetlag with an easy day at the Costa de Caparica beaches, and got to watch up close as the local fishermen pulled in their nets of sardines and mackerel.

From there, we traveled north to Porto, known for its port wine. Bowing to the relaxed standards of European drinking traditions, my wife and I allowed our kids to participate in a port wine tasting and basically watched them get tipsy for the first time sitting across a table from their parents. My “Father of the Year” award will arrive shortly, I expect.

We stayed at Pousada Mosteiro Guimaraes, a former monastery that’s now a hotel, where our kids got locked out after a late-night swimming session, and we caused enough noise and commotion to make up for centuries of silence.

Next it was on to Coimbra, famous for its university, which was founded in 1290. We toured the school, and between the black capes provided to students and the ornate, bat-monitored library, along with Porto’s distinctive Livraria Lello bookstore, it’s easy to see how J.K. Rowling found visual inspiration for the Harry Potter series when she lived in Portugal in the early 1990s.

The Castle and Convent of the Knights

Templar in the city of Tomar, and Obidos, a medieval town surrounded by castle walls, were amazing, but so were the Palace of Mafra, the Castle of Moors and Palacio de Pena in Sintra, and our tuktuk tour of Lisbon. English is spoken in most of the tourist areas, but traveling with someone who spoke Portuguese smoothed out any potential stumbling blocks.

The food was fantastic, a combination of restaurants and home-cooked meals by our friend’s family. I learned that wine comes not just in red or white, but also green. My kids learned, through hardearned experience, that bidets are not just “toilets for short people.”

There were also happy accidents, like coming upon a free pipe organ concert at the Clerigos Church in Porto, or getting to see some of Tomar’s “Festa dos Tabuleiros,” which happens for one week every four years and covers the town in colorful paper flowers.

I tried to be humble, appreciative, and respectful, and thankfully my mutterings of “Oh my God” and “Jesus Christ.” upon entering the exquisite interiors of churches, or a museum area filled with dozens of crucifixes, seemed to be taken as expressions of religious awe, rather than mere astonishment at the scale and beauty of the place, or an utterance of exasperation, respectively—I mean, after 10 or 20 crucifixes, you get the point already, right?

Portugal isn’t perfect, a fact most obvious in its inexplicable tolerance for graffiti, even on the walls of some of its most beautiful places. But it was an incredible place to visit. Everyone we met said we needed more time in Portugal to truly experience everything it had to offer, and I believe them.

Our flight back to New Jersey effectively drained some of the magic from the traveling experience, thoughtfully preparing us to resume life as usual. The last time I flew to and from Europe, 20 years ago, you were granted an actual can of soda; now you’re provided a half-filled paper cup, and you’d better hope there’s no turbulence. When it comes to airline food, choosing a dinner option is still like picking what kind of coal you’ll get at Christmas. I did think it wise, however, that while the maps displayed on our seat-back screens marked the locations of famous shipwrecks—Lexington (1840), Titanic (1912), Thresher (1963)—they refrained from doing the same with the sites of comparable air disasters. Approaching Newark at night, we spotted the flashing lights of police activity across the city, a stark contrast to the welcoming daylit views of terracotta rooftops that greeted our arrival in Lisbon. Within a few minutes of landing, we were dealing with a moody taxi dispatcher who helped to fully consign the trip to the category of a pleasant, unforgettable memory.

Peter Dabbene’s website is peterdabbene.com, and his previous Hamilton Post columns can be read at www.communitynews.org. His essay, “The U.S. Needs to Tax Religions” can be viewed at morningmoot.com, and his story, “The Mysterious Origin of ‘Marco Polo’” can be read at pikerpress. com. His book, Complex Simplicity, collects the first 101 editions of this column, along with essays and material published elsewhere. It is available at Amazon.com or Lulu.com for $25 (print) or $4.99 (ebook).

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The Hamilton Senior Center Annual Picnic

Mark your calendars! The Hamilton Senior Center invites you to join us for our Annual Picnic!

Enjoy live music by: Dennis, Rick & Kenny. Catering by: NJ Wedding and Events.

Date: Wednesday - September 20, 2023

Raindate: 9/21/23

Time: 10:00am - 2:00pm (No entry after 12:15pm)

Price: $12.00 - Cash Only, Members Only

Tickets are Non-Refundable/Non-Transferable

Alcoholic Beverages Prohibited

See Front Desk of Senior Center for Tickets. Please have your Senior Center ID with you when purchasing tickets.

Did you get enough sleep last night?

Ask The Doctor

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about one in three American adults do not get enough sleep on a regular basis.

A lack of sleep or poor quality sleep has been linked to chronic diseases and conditions, such as Type 2 Diabetes, obesity, depression, and heart disease.

From preventing minor mistakes at work to an increased risk of injury, good sleep is important to your health. Kevin Law, MD, RWJBarnabas Health Medical Group, who specializes in pulmonology, critical care and sleep medicine, answers some key questions regarding sleep disorders and the first steps in determining the cause of

sleep disturbance.

What are the most common types of sleep disorders? The most common sleep disorder is sleep apnea, which affects as many as 18 million Americans. Sleep apnea is a breathing disorder that disrupts a person’s sleep and usually is accompanied by snoring. Men and people who are obese are at greatest risk. Restless leg syndrome is often referred to as “the most common problem you have never heard of.” It is a neurological movement disorder characterized by an uncomfortable sensation in the legs. Because it occurs most frequently late in the day or at night, especially when lying down, restless leg syndrome is a leading cause of sleep problems.

Narcolepsy, another prevalent sleep disorder, is a chronic neurological disorder that is characterized by involuntary sleep attacks at inappropriate times, such as falling asleep at your desk or during a business meeting.

How can sleep disorders impact

your health?

If untreated, sleep disorders can increase a person’s risk for heart attacks, stroke, hypertension, diabetes, heartburn and depression. Lack of sleep also can lead to “drowsy driving,” which is a dangerous situation for everyone on the road. In addition, sleep disorders can impact your work productivity and personal relationships.

What should I do if I suspect that I have a sleep disorder?

Talk to your doctor. “Snoring, insomnia, sleep apnea and other sleep disorders are more common than you think. They can be a sign of a serious health condition and put you at risk for high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke and the inability to maintain a healthy weight,” says Dr. Law. An overnight sleep study may be needed to pinpoint the cause of your sleep disturbance. RWJUH Hamilton ‘s Sleep Center is an accredited Medical Center by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) and offers a full range of services used in the evaluation, diagnosis and management of many sleep-related disorders in adults and children. The Center offers customized scheduling for your convenience and is located at 1 Union Street, West Lake Building, in Robbinsville.

To learn more about Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton, visit rwjbh.org/Hamilton or call 609-586-7900.

Coming up this month at RWJU Hospital Hamilton

For more information, call (609) 584-5900. To register for a program or for schedule changes go to rwjbh.org/ events.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 8

Dance It Out! 6 to 7 p.m. When in doubt, dance it out! Have fun and destress with this interactive program. No experience required, all ages welcome.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 9

Create Your Own Vision Board Workshop. 6 to 8 p.m. What is your deepest desire for what you would like to be, do or have? Come create your own vision board to help bring your dreams to life. Please bring scissors, all other materials provided.

MONDAY, AUGUST 14

Ask the Dietitian. 3 to 6 p.m. Do you have a question about diet and nutrition? Join a community education dietitian for a one-onone Q&A. Registration is required. Taryn Krietzman, RDN

What Are The Benefits Of Meditation? 6 to 7:30 p.m. The practice of focused concentration, known as meditation, brings yourself back to the moment over and over again. Explore

the benefits of meditation in this informational session with optional demonstration. Matt Masiello, CCH, founder of Esteem Hypnocounseling, will guide the group through this practice.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 16

Prediabetes 101. 4 to 5 p.m. What you need to know and do if you have been diagnosed with prediabetes.

Destroy The Clots: Interventions For Deep Vein Thrombosis and Pulmonary Embolism. 6 to7:30 p.m. Lasanta Horana, MD, FACEP, Director of Emergency Medicine, will discuss the importance of timely interventions when faced with “blood clots”

TUESDAY, AUGUST 22

Healing Journeys: Discussion with Author Jessica Wilson. 6 to 7 p.m. Join Jessica Wilson, author of “Healing Journeys” for a book talk on toxic relationships, where we’ll delve into the different types of abuse and explore what constitutes a toxic relationship. I’ll share strategies to guide you through these challenging situations and empower you on your healing journey. Feel free to ask any questions in a safe and supportive environment. Let’s unravel the complexities of toxic relationships together. Free.

Feeling Burned Out at Work? 6 to 7 p.m. Job burnout can affect your physical and mental health. Learn about signs of burnout and what you can do about it.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 31

Picture This: Crafty Creations. 6 to 7:30 p.m. Bring your favorite summertime memories and a creative spark. Craft the night away with family and friends as the summer dwindles down. Fee: $5 per person.

Better Health Programs

Registration required for all programs. Must be a Better Health Member. Call (609) 584-5900 or go to rwjbh.org/events.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 8

Over the Counter Hearing Aids-FAQ-What You Should Know. 10 to 11 a.m. Get the facts on the latest in over-the-counter hearing aids. Learn the facts and get your questions answered by Dr. Lorraine Sgarlato, Au.D. A.B.A. a clinical audiologist with over 40 years of experience in the field of hearing science.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 16

Technology Class. Noon to 1 p.m. Frustrated navigating online registration for Better Health Programs? Can’t figure out how to text your grandkids. Back to help us with our technology challenges are our friends from “Camp Fire NJ, Teens on Fire.” Whether you have questions about your mobile device, a laptop, or iPad, bring your device and learn how to complete simple tasks.

Dr. Kevin Law

This summer, kick back with your crew—you’re covered with the Credit Union of New Jersey loan suite.

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Each lifestyle loan closed during this promotional period will make no payments for 90 days. Accepting the terms of “no payment for 90 days offer” will extend the maturity of your loan for at least 90 days but less than 110 days. If accepting the delayed first payment, you will not be eligible for any other skipping/delaying your payment during this calendar year. Interest will accrue during this period. Loan amounts of up to $25,000 are available. Processing fee of $35 will apply. All loans are subject to credit approval.

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