4-24 WWP

Burying the hatchet

WW resident to compete in World Axe Throwing Championships

By Justin Feil

Joe Hovemeyer grew up in Hamilton dreaming about playing a professional sport.

Now, decades later, he’s at the highest level of a sport he never expected. Hovemeyer is headed to the World Axe Throwing Championships for the second straight year.

Tulsa, Oklahoma will host this year’s world championships at the WeStreet Ice Center from April 18-21, and while Hovemeyer has made all the arrangements already, he’s also accepting any financial support for his world championships encore.

“For this year, I’m going to try to be as relaxed as possible and take everything in stride,” Hovemeyer said. “I’ve found that thinking too much about it gets to your head, and then you can kind of play mind games with yourself, and that’s not ideal for anything or for anyone in that position. So I’ll try to be as relaxed and open-minded as possible.”

Hovemeyer, 36, works as senior partner specialist with an IT services and consulting company. He grew up playing traditional sports

like baseball and soccer. He continued with those sports recreationally while attending Steinert High School, where he was a pole vaulter on the Spartan boys track and field team.

“I was subpar or average,” Hovemeyer said of his high school track career.

But when he got into axe throwing, he found a sport in which he has been able to excel, something that has taken a significant spot in his life. He threw an axe for the first time at a friend’s birthday party, and now he’ll be competing against the best in the world.

“I grew up playing baseball, soccer, and I always thought growing up it would be cool to become a professional baseball player or whatever. As I got older, that never materialized,” said Hovemeyer, who now lives in Plainsboro. “I never thought six years later I’d be throwing axes and having fun and making money off it. That’s unheard of. I’m grateful for where I’m at and all the people who I have met and have taught me different things over the years. It’s definitely something I never thought would happen.”

Once Hovemeyer started to get more interested in axe throwing, though, he found himself getting serious fast. He invested in the tools needed, upgrading to better and more expensive axes, and put in the time to improve his throw-

See AXE, Page 13

WW Arts goes on a jazz-filled journey in Space and Time

By ReBeKAH SCHROeDeR

Jazz has distinct origins in blues and ragtime, but the genre’s everevolving melodies change shape across the continuum of music and exert a multidimensional pull unique to each performance.

But every soulful leap into sound finds its groove again at West Windsor Arts, which presents “A Musical Journey in Space and Time,” a live concert experi-

ence featuring John Henry Goldman of StraightJazz Productions and his new band JOSITOBO on Friday, April 5, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the West Windsor Arts building, 952 Alexander Road, in Princeton Junction.

Overseen by Goldman, a jazz trumpeter and West Windsor resident, StraightJazz Productions has been combining musical performance and education in the tristate area for more than 20 years.

Its latest project is JOSITOBO, a quartet composed of Goldman and three other Mercer County musicians, including Sim Cain of Princeton on percussion, Tom Tallitsch of Hopewell on tenor saxophone, and Wilbo Wright of West Windsor on upright bass.

The recently formed group— whose name is an eight-letter acronym of its members’ first names with the “Jo” from John

See JAZZ, Page 5

You have no family history of colon cancer. You still need a colon cancer screening.

Wilbo Wright (left), Tom Tallitsch and John Henry Goldman.

RWJUH Hamilton April Healthy Living / Community Education Programs

SWEET SUCCESS SOCIETY: A DIABETES GROUP

Monday, April 1, May 6; 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Monday, April 8; 5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.

A group for anyone with diabetes or caring for someone living with diabetes. Learn about healthy ways to manage diabetes alongside peers and Taryn Krietzman, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist.

SPRING MINI MEDICAL SCHOOL: “THE SCIENCE OF LONGEVITY”

Tuesdays, April 2, 9, 16, 23, 30; 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Focus on the science of longevity: the extension of human life, and wellbeing. This approach may prevent chronic disease and extend long-term health. Changing your view from “lifespan” to “healthspan”.

Week 1: John DiBiase, MD; orthopedic surgeon, clinical instructor

Week 2: Javier Villota, MD; Medical Director of Occupational Medicine, Corporate Health and Travel Medicine

Week 3: Sara Ali, MD; Geriatrician and Palliative Care Specialist

Week 4: Maureen Stevens, DPT; Senior Physical Therapist

Week 5: Patricia McDougall, BSN, RN; Integrative Therapies Nurse

WHAT’S IN THE BOX?

Tuesday., April 2; 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Learn what wonderful fruits and veggies are up to this time of year and how to make them shine! Enjoy being an in person studio-audience member as Taryn Krietzman, RDN does a live taping or join us from

your home via our live zoom.

KIDS IN THE KITCHEN: SPRING BREAK(FAST)

Thursday, April 4; 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

With the kids having a day off from school, take advantage of a great way to get them out and interested in healthy eating! Empower kids with culinary skills and nutrition knowledge to become their healthiest selves! For children 5 years and older. All children must be accompanied by an adult. Taryn Krietzman, RDN. Fee: $5 per person

DANCE IT OUT!

Friday, April 5; 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

With the kids having a day off from school, take advantage of a great way to get them out and moving in a fun activity for all ages.

Monday, April 15; 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.

When in doubt, dance it out! Find your rhythm and ease the everyday stresses of life with movement.

TAPPING FOR STRESS RELIEF

Monday, April 8: 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Stress creates blockages in the body that impedes healing. “Tapping” uses the same meridian system as used in acupuncture to help restore the body to heal itself. Patti McDougall, BSN, Integrative Therapies Nurse.

UP, UP, AND AWAY: EXPRESSIVE ARTS FOR OUR WISHES AND INTENTIONS

Wednesday, April 10; 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

We make wishes on birthday candles and shooting stars! Let’s take a look at wishes and intentions,

Better Health

learn more.

*Registration and free Membership required to attend the Better Health Programs

and formulate how they could be expressed in this workshop. We will read relevant, heartfelt poetry and create a beautiful collage on canvas of a hot air balloon over our thoughtful journaling. We’ll send those wishes and intentions up, up, and away! Rochelle L. Stern, expressive arts facilitator. $15 DINNER

WITH A DOCTOR: HEALTHY BONES CLUB

Thursday, April 11; 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Internal Medicine Physician, Anjali Bhandarkar, MD will be discussing the diagnosis, risk factors and treatment for osteoporosis. Also included, insight on the treatment of Vitamin D deficiency and when to measure Vitamin D levels. Dinner provided.

CRYSTAL BOWL SOUND IMMERSION

Monday, April 15; 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Sound healing uses instruments like singing bowls, gongs, drums and chimes to create an atmosphere promoting deep rest, nervous system rebalancing, and emotional release. Sit or lay while the practitioner takes you on a sound journey for mind, body and spirit. Bring a yoga mat, blanket, pillow or anything that makes you comfortable. Adriana Hansen, RYT200, SHA1 of the Learning Collaborative. Fee: $15

NUTRITION, FEEDING, AND SWALLOWING AFTER STROKE

Wednesday, April 17; 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Join dietician Taryn, Oc. Therapist Sarah, and Speech-Language

DR. ALI, BREAKFAST AND LEARN, HEALTHY AGING FOR WOMEN

Thursday, April 4; 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Dr. Sara Ali, Board Certified in Geriatrics and Internal Medicine, will lead a focused conversation on concerns for women as we age, such as gynecological cancers, bone health, sexual health and more.

TAI CHI CLASSES

Thursday, April 4 &18; 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

A SENIOR SOCIAL GROUP

Wednesday, April 3, 10, 17, 24; 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

Please join us for our ongoing program “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.

Pathologist Ashley to discuss management of nutrition and eating after stroke. Learn how to adjust food choices throughout the recovery process for optimal nutrition, frequently utilized adaptive equipment for self-feeding, and common strategies to manage swallowing problems after stroke.

HEALTHRHYTHMS® DRUM CIRCLE

Wednesday, April 17; 7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Drum your cares away with our monthly Drum Circle. It’s lots of fun and a great stress reliever. Drums provided. Mauri Tyler, CTRS,CMP $15

BRAIN HEALTH-LEARN PROVEN WAYS TO KEEP YOUR BRAIN YOUNG

Monday, April 22; 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. With so much information out today on brain health what methods really work? Join Dr. Lorraine Sgarlato, Au.D. to learn more about how to keep your brain young.

TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR HEALTH

Thursdays, May 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, June 6; 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Take Control of Your Health/Chronic Disease Management Program is a cost-effective evidence-based health promotion program for people with any ongoing health condition, such as arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, and similar conditions. Participants will learn how to problem solve, set goals, and relaxation techniques to help manage chronic conditions. Participants must attend all 6 classes.

YOGA CLASSES

Tuesday, April 9 and 23; 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

MEDITATION CLASSES

Tuesday, April 9 & 23; 11:15 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.

CHAIR YOGA

Tuesday, April 9 and 23; Noon to 12:45 p.m.

Krystal Loughlin, certified RYT, is introducing Chair Yoga to our Better Health Program. Using a chair for seated poses and also for balancing poses, this class is perfect for those who haven’t moved their bodies for a while are recovering from an injury or have mobility/balancing difficulties. A great place to start practicing yoga to help boost your flexibility, find inner peace, unwind and stretch.

ART THERAPY & HISTORY FEATURING GEORGIA O’KEEFFE, “THE MOTHER OF AMERICAN MODERNISM.”

Thursday, April 11; 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Tapping into your creative side is

a great way to de-stress, improve mental outlook, and simply have some fun. Lisa Bayer from Always Best Care Senior Services, created this program that combines art history with an art project based on the works of artist, Georgia O’Keeffe. Using pastels, you will draw your own oversized flower and learn the techniques to layer and blend the pastels.

HOSPITALS AND OUR AGING COMMUNITY

Tuesday, April 16, 2024; 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Should hospital care change as we age and if so, what does it look like? Join us to delve into this important topic about how hospitals can better serve our aging population. Panel includes: Lisa A. Breza, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, Chief Administrative Officer; Dr. Sara Ali, Board Certified Geriatrics and Internal Medicine; and Dawn Hutchinson, MSN, RN, PCCN-K, NEABC, Chief Nursing Officer

CATCH SOME ZZZZZ’S!

Monday, May 6; 1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Insomnia affects your mental as well as physical health, making you prone to heart disease and other serious illnesses. Join Patti McDougall, BSN, Integrative Health Nurse to learn more about how we should spend a third of our life.

ORTHO 101

Monday, May 6; 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Join Orthopedic Program Coordinator

Denise Berdecia, MSN, RN, ONC, as she leads Physical Therapists and Occupational Therapists in an in-depth discussion on total knee replacements. These experts will explain preventative treatment, talking to a surgeon, the decision for surgery, hospital expectations, and recovery with outpatient therapy.

DESIGNER BAG BINGO!

Friday, May 10; Doors open at 5:30 p.m. This popular event is a great way to get out with your friends for a night of fun with many Designer Bags up for grabs. Admission ticket includes 12 rounds of Bingo. Tickets are $45. For more information or to purchase tickets, email CommunityEdHAM@ rwjbh.org.

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

FOR MEN ONLY!

Wednesday, April 24; 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Ashish Desai, LCSW, from VA NJ Health Care System will lead this open discussion with flexible topics that will be suggested by and of interest to you! This group will meet quarterly.

HERBAL MOCKTAIL PARTY

Tuesday, April 30; 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Amanda Crooke, Herbalist and Owner of the Locust Light Farm in New Jersey, will teach us how to craft delicious herbal mocktails (non-alcoholic cocktails) using a variety of infusion and blending techniques. You’ll sip and sample these refreshing drinks as we explore herbal extractions, flavor pairings, and ingredients. You’ll make your own tasty oxymel and receive delicious mocktail recipes to take home.

JAZZ

Henry, “Si” from Sim, “To” from Tom, and “Bo” from Wilbo—plans to record and produce an album together in the future, but has decided to start with a trio of live performances instead.

The upcoming WWA show is the second of three JOSITOBO concerts scheduled for spring, which sounded off with a strong debut on March 16 at Live@Lew’s in Princeton and will wrap up on Saturday, May 11, at Salon 33 in Princeton Junction, both of which are two locally-based home concert venues.

Tickets range in price from $10 for WWA members to $12 for the public. Goldman said that he intentionally arranged the show with WWA so that once the musicians received “modest” compensation, all proceeds from sponsorship and attendance will support the nonprofit arts council. To register in advance, see the page for the event on the WWA website, westwindsorarts.org.

The program features both original compositions and handpicked pieces from the libraries of legendary composers, Goldman said.

Jazz icons Thelonious Monk (“Brilliant Corners”) and Ornette Coleman (“Congeniality”), for example, are recipients of the Pulitzer Prize, while Wayne Shorter (“Witch Hunt”) earned the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, according to the concert materials. Others like Herbie

Hancock (“Dolphin Dance”), he continued, have won 14 Grammy Awards, while Cedar Walton (“I’m Not So Sure”) was honored as a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master.

These figures, Goldman explained, are those whose creative contributions to the craft have catapulted them to stardom with a program “rooted in the genius of the great composers of music.”

To hear the group rehearse “Swaziland” by Jamaican composer and ska pioneer Ernest Ranglin, stay tuned until the end of Goldman’s YouTube video highlighting two decades of StraightJazz Productions performances on his channel, youtube.com/@ johnhenrygoldman1851.

Ranglin notably played guitar in many of the genre’s earliest recordings, and like all the other artists featured in the JOSITOBO concert lineup, these musical contributions earned him considerable acclaim, including an Order of Distinction from the Jamaican government.

JOSITOBO has intentionally included works by masters of the genre that can be “very challenging” to perform, Goldman added, but encourages the audience to “relate” to the quartet during the show, establishing a dialogue unique to the concert experience.

This warm environment is fostered by the

See JAZZ, Page 7

We are a newsroom of your neighbors. The West Windsor and Plainsboro News 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.

SENIOR COMMUNITY EDITOR

Bill Sanservino (Ext. 104)

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ACCOUNT SALES EXECUTIVE

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call (609) 396-1511, ext. 110 or e-mail advertise@communitynews.org

NOTICE TO PERSONS WANTING MAIL-IN BALLOTS

If you are a qualified and registered voter of New Jersey who wants to vote by mail in the Primary Election to be held on June 4, 2024, the following applies:

• You must be registered as a Democrat or Republican by no later than May 28, 2024 to be able to receive a mail-in ballot.

• You must complete the application form below and send it to the county clerk where you reside or write or apply in person to the county clerk where you reside to request a mail-in ballot.

• The name, address, and signature of any person who has assisted you to complete the mail-in ballot application must be provided on the application, and you must sign and date the application.

• No person may serve as an authorized messenger

or bearer for more than three qualified voters in an election but a person may serve as such for up to five qualified voters in an election if those voters are immediate family members residing in the same household as the messenger or bearer.

• No person who is a candidate in the election for which the voter requests a mail-in ballot may provide any assistance in the completion of the ballot or serve as an authorized messenger or bearer.

• A person who applies for a mail-in ballot must submit his or her application so that it is received at least seven days before the election, but such person may request an application in person from the county clerk up to 3 p.m. of the day before the election.

• Voters who want to vote by mail in all future

elections will, after their initial request and without further action on their part, be provided with a mail-in ballot until the voter requests otherwise in writing.

• Application forms may be obtained by applying to the undersigned either in writing or by telephone. Or the application form provided below may be completed and forwarded to the undersigned.

• If you are currently signed up to receive mail-in ballots, but wish to now vote at the polls, either on Election Day or before, in accordance with NJ’s new “Early Voting” law, you must first opt out of vote by mail by notifying the county clerk in writing at the address below. You may find a form for removal from the permanent list on the Mercer County Clerk’s website at https://www.mercercounty.org/ government/county-clerk/elections.

Dated: April 9, 2024, Mercer County Clerk, Paula Sollami Covello, 209 S. Broad St., Election Dept., P.O. Box 8068, Trenton, NJ 08650, 609-989-6495

back-and-forth interaction between the performers and the audience, as Goldman says in a statement on the WWA website, where the two forces share an experience of sonic expression that transcends the physical boundaries between stage and crowd.

“We’ll joke amongst ourselves or make little comments or witticisms, before or after, with the audience,” he said. “It’s relaxed, and it’s playful, and we like to laugh, and we like when the people who are there laugh, and so that type of repartee is typical.”

Audiences can also expect the program’s unorthodox yet free-flowing framework to encompass short stories, prose, and poetry. According to Goldman, this could mean sharing an anecdote about an original song’s name or inspiration, as well as providing context for another work by quoting its famous creator.

As a writer himself, Goldman admitted that he is prone to launching into what he described as “prose-try,” or prose-poetry, which communicates a theme of the concert to introduce the piece.

The band members will also get to showcase their individual talents through improvisational solo stages towards the end of the concert, where the audience “can just concentrate and see one person playing their instrument,” Goldman explained, in a very “intimate” and “direct” experience.

While the section itself is planned as part of the program, Goldman says the performances are always spontaneous, with the artists able to riff off of an existing song or create something new.

The JOSITOBO members’ featured original compositions are Tallitsch’s “Slippery Rock,” “Rain,” “Rust Belt,” and “La Tortuga,” Goldman’s “The Wind River Mountains of Wyoming,” and Wright’s “Scrawl.” For more information and the full set list, visit the StraightJazz Productions website at straight-

jazz.com.

Goldman, who has lived in West Windsor for nearly 50 years, has taken on many roles in the community in addition to being a longtime jazz trumpeter, such as music teacher, basketball coach, and even a Pilates instructor, according to his biography on the WWA website.

Described as a “veteran organizer and producer of concerts,” Goldman’s decision to form a quartet with the members of JOSITOBO, all of whom have ties to Central New Jersey, came from a growing desire to explore new musical territory.

Just as he had worked with these local musicians in various configurations over the course of their careers, Goldman considered how a performance might change without the use of typical chord instruments like the piano or guitar, which, according to his biography on the WWA website, “produce a density of sound by playing many notes at the same time.”

In the absence of other instruments, Goldman could create a project “founded in the art of listening and the creative impulses found in space and time.”

With that openness in mind, Goldman envisioned a concert in which he could actively listen and hear the juxtaposition of instruments onstage, especially the saxophone—and fortunately, having first played with Tallitsch last year in Hopewell bandleader James Popik’s “festival jazz” project, Supernova, Goldman had just the person for the role.

Goldman explained that jazz often uses show tunes and popular music as its foundation, and JOSITOBO plans to embrace that while emphasizing the importance of sharing the members’ original compositions with the crowd.

“Jazz improvisation, to me, represents the highest form of musical application and See JAZZ, Page 8

composition,” Goldman said. “That’s for me, personally, as a musician. But even if I’m just playing something that I’ve played 100 times, every time I’ve played it, it’s as if I’m playing it for the first time. I’m never just letting it roll off unconsciously or automatically; I’m investing everything I have into it. Whether I’m playing somebody else’s music composition note for note or making something up on the spot, that’s entirely my own. The way it feels inside is the same. It’s a complete immersion, and sharing, and opening up of something that comes from the inside. It’s always in the present moment.”

Compositions like the ones featured in the program have “beautiful” melodies and harmonies, Goldman said. “They’re great material to play and to share, and then also to use as a springboard for improvisation— which by definition is spontaneous composition—and the improvisation can and should at times let the listener remember what melodies’ gave birth to it, and the harmonies in and of themselves will give birth to new melodies,” he added.

Relationships between the group vary— some, like Wright and Cain, have played together for 40 years, while others previously crossed paths or ran in similar circles. Yet to achieve this vision of harmonious horns, “the interweaving pulse of bass and drums, gospel, funk, blues, reggae, the cut-

ting edge of jazz, the enchantment of ballads,” according to the program, JOSITOBO relies on each other to forge these connections in rhythm.

Named one of the state’s 12 “greatest drummers” by the Asbury Park Press in 2016, Cain most notably toured with former Black Flag vocalist Henry Rollins as a member of the now-defunct hard rock group the Rollins Band from 1987 to 1997.

The London-born percussionist grew up in Princeton from the age of three, where he and bassist Andrew Weiss attended Princeton High School and first formed the instrumental act “Regressive Aid” with the late guitarist William Tucker.

Later reborn as “Scornflakes,” the band regularly played at venues like the City Gardens, Trenton’s prime punk rock nightclub that closed in 2001. Regressive Aid paved the way for Weiss and Cain to team up with Black Flag founder Greg Ginn for the punkjazz trio “Gone.”

After Black Flag broke up, Rollins recruited the two, as well as guitarist Chris Haskett, to complete the Rollins Band in 1987. The Grammy-nominated group fused alternative metal, jazz, punk, and funk influences with songs like “Liar” and “Low Self Opinion” before dissolving, then returning with several lineup changes.

The original members, including Cain, reunited briefly in 2006, but the group is now

on an indefinite hiatus. Never wavering in his commitment to rhythm, Cain has continued to play and tour with musical acts such as Hubert Sumlin, the Billy Hector Band, Ween, Golden Smog, and others in the years since.

Tallitsch, a Cleveland native who lived in Hamilton Township for over a decade before moving to Hopewell, is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, and educator. Although he has 11 albums to his name as a performing saxophonist, Tallitsch’s other tools of the trade include woodwinds like clarinet and flute, piano, guitar, and drums.

Tallitsch teaches music both privately and at a multitude of regional institutions, such as Mercer County Community College— where he hosts “The Modern Jazz Radio Show” on the WWFM station JazzOn2—the Westminster Conservatory, and currently at both the Princeton Junior School and the Princeton Child Development Institute.

Described as a “genre-hopping bass player” with skills on both the upright and electric versions of the instrument, Willard “Wilbo” Wright is a bandleader, composer, and teacher who grew up on his family’s tree farm in Dutch Neck, West Windsor, which he continues to operate today.

After attending Princeton High School for one year, Wright transferred to what is now known as West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South and was named the class presi-

dent of the institution’s first graduating class in 1976, according to a U.S. 1 feature story by Richard Skelly in November 2012.

Wright went on to graduate from the Berklee College of Music and moved to Trenton, where he helped organize the Trenton Avant Garde Festival for the experimental arts scene. Wilbo Wright joined the post-rock, funk, and electronica band Ui (pronounced “ooo-ee”) in 1993, and although the group officially disbanded, they recently reunited for a performance at their record label, the Numero Group’s, 20th Anniversary Music Festival in Los Angeles last year.

Wright is also a DJ at WPRB Princeton 103.3 FM, where he has hosted the weekly freeform radio station program “The Clothesline,” which plays on Tuesdays at noon, since 1988.

In the program materials, Goldman reiterates that JOSITOBO “aspires to spin gold out of straw, to make something new and spontaneous, to stand on the unmatchable creativity and lifetimes of work of our predecessors and fill the air with the spirit of sound and beat, consonance and struggle, teamwork and individuality, unbridled originality and exploration.”

But the jazz quartet, no matter the metal spun or mettle used, will take the West Windsor Arts audience on a melodic voyage through the steady beats of bass, horns, and drums bonded in space and time.

West Windsor Township Public Works

70 Southfield Road, West Windsor

IT’S TIME TO CLEAN UP AND CLEAN OUT FOR SPRING!

RECYCLE:

“Spring Clean Up Day”

Saturday, May 4, 2024 8am – 2pm

Propane Tanks, Car Batteries, Scrap Metals, Air Conditioner, Lawn Mowers, Fridge/Freezers, Exercise Equipment, Dehumidifiers, Tires (on/off rims), Used Motor Oil, Anti-Freeze, BBQ Grills, UNBOXED Electronics ; Laptop, Computers, Fax Machine, Copiers, Printers, VCRs, Cell Phones, Keyboards, Cables & Wiring and Televisions.

Open to West Windsor Residents ONLY – Proof of Residency Required

DUMPSTER ITEMS:

Broken Items, Wood Fencing, Outdoor Play Toys, Outdoor Furniture, Small Furniture, Area Rugs

NO Mattresses NO

Donate your unwanted bike.

NJ Bike Exchange will fix it up and give it new life. Let your bike ride on!

WHATNOT TOBRING:

DECLUTTER DONATE DUMPSTER

Hazardous materials (aerosol cans, pesticides & herbicides, paint thinner, oil based paint, stains & varnishes, gasoline, driveway sealer, thermostats/mercury, fluorescent & CFL bulbs, insect repellents) liquids, heating oil, infectious waste, radioactive materials, explosives, munitions, railroad ties, asbestos, acetylene tanks, mattresses, latex paint

Thank you for keeping West Windsor clean! 

Find the “fund” in celebrating a cause with a night out at the Arts Council of Princeton’s Art People Party, then “raise” a glass to the glamor of galas, benefi ts, and more, page 2.

Photos courtesy of Tamara Gillon, above, and Ooika, right.

Get Your Gala On: Parties Pay it Forward for Spring

By Sara Hastings

Sample galas and benefits galore with a look inside the staple event of the nonprofit spring calendar, which previews upcoming parties hosted by the area’s arts and cultural organizations, as well as social service providers, that support programming.

* * *

Arts Council of Princeton

The Arts Council of Princeton hosts its annual Art People Party on Friday, April 5, from 7 to 10 p.m. The evening features food, drink, music, and dancing, as well as a tombola, or Italian-style art lottery. Works of art, each valued at more than $350, have been donated by local artists.

Participating guests will each receive a number and select an artwork to take home with them when their number is called. All entrants are guaranteed to go home with something.

Being honored this year is architect J. Robert Hillier of Witherspoon Streetbased Studio Hillier.

The firm’s many Princeton-area projects include work on private homes as well as faculty housing at the Institute for Advanced Study, an addition to the Lawrenceville School’s Kirby Math and Science Center, and renovations at the Princeton Marriott and YWCA Princeton

Signed copies of “Hillier: Selected Works,” a recently published monograph of projects undertaken by the husband-and-wife team of J. Robert and Barbara A. Hillier during the last 25 years, are for sale as part of registration for the party for $50.

Proceeds from the party benefit the Arts Council’s Anne Reeves Artist in Residence Program and other outreach initiatives.

Tickets are $150, with sponsorship opportunities starting at $500. Tombola entries are $350 each.

Arts Council of Princeton’s “Art People Party” returns on Friday, April 5, from 7 to 10 p.m.

102

Arts Council of Princeton, 102 Witherspoon Street, Princeton. 609-924-8777 or artscouncilofprinceton.org.

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The

at the Paul Robeson Center for the Arts building,

Witherspoon Street, in honor of Studio Hillier architect J. Robert Hillier. Photo of 2023 event courtesy of Tamara Gillon and the Arts Council of Princeton.

Bohren’s (an agent of United Van Lines) Moves Into Its Second Century of Operation

Family-Owned Robbinsville Company Celebrates Its 100th Anniversary

The moving and storage industry has changed dramatically in the last 100 years since Bohren’s Moving & Storage Company opened for business in 1924 with one Model T Ford truck based at a small warehouse on Chambers Street in Princeton. But through four generations of family ownership, the company has demonstrated its resilience, savvy and foresight, looking for new opportunities while also adapting to many changes over the past century.

In this 100th year of operation for Bohren’s United Van Lines, President Denise Hewitt and her father, Chairman of the Board Ted Froehlich, are grateful for their overwhelming success in the moving category. They are also thankful that decisions made over the decades to diversify the brand have allowed them to keep up with the times.

Hewitt, an Allentown, N.J., resident, and Froehlich, a Princeton resident, intend for 2024 to be a year of celebration and sharing with their employees, customers and the public. Over the year they’ll look back over the decades but also keep an eye on the future, an approach that has kept the business successful for so long.

In the beginning, E.L. Bohren delivered baggage for Princeton University students and did small moves with his Model T truck. By the second generation, Bohren’s son-in-law Warren Froehlich expanded the business and in 1955 became an agent of United Van Lines. His grandson Ted began working for Bohren’s every day after school when he was 12. By the time he was 17, he was driving trucks on routes from New York, Boston, or Pittsburgh to Washington D.C. on a regular basis.

When Ted Froehlich was 27, his dad passed away. Ted had three brothers, but none were interested in running the business. Ted was intrigued, even though his experiences at that point were limited to being a dispatcher, a claims adjuster and, of course, a truck driver. Seeing an opportunity to take on and shape the business, he stepped into the CEO role. He immediately hired management consultants to help him make the business more efficient and professional, the first of his many strategic and prescient decisions.

Another important key step to expanding and increasing the profitability of the company was to become a stockholder in United Van Lines (UVL). As a part owner of UVL, Froehlich and his business became eligible to make moves across the 48 states as well as Canada and Mexico. This made Bohren’s a major player in the moving and storage business as the firm moved families and commercial entities across the country. Throughout this period of growth, excellent service was always his top priority. Froehlich said it took 12 service members in a variety of jobs, from customer service, to sales, to crews, to provide outstanding customer service for every single household move.

Over time, he noted, a shortage of long-haul drivers was becoming a major issue for the industry. It forced Bohren’s to re-evaluate some of

the long-distance moving capabilities. Local and tri-state moving and storage still remain a specialty today.

In 1985 and 1989 respectively, Ted’s daughters Denise and Louise joined the business. Louise managed the Human Resources Department and served as Vice President until her departure in 2021 to pursue other interests. Denise worked in virtually every position in the company before she became President in 2002 and Ted became Chairman.

Denise and her father quickly realized the benefits of Bohren’s being a woman-owned and operated business at that time, welcoming the opportunity to become certified as such by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council the following year. That certification gave the company access to hundreds of corporate clients and government agencies providing a percentage of contracts to women- and minority-owned businesses.

Following in her father’s footsteps, Denise focused on increasing efficiency and expanding new opportunities. One example of that came as Bohren’s customers with residences in the Hamptons and Long Island inquired about the transport and storage of their art collections. Denise recognized the unique need for a trusted, reliable vendor and capitalized on the company’s strengths in those areas. Bohren’s Fine Art Transportation & Storage was created to handle the personal collections of their residential clients but quickly grew to service major art galleries and museums.

In the past century, Bohren’s has expanded from its original humble warehouse in Princeton to as many as five locations in New Jersey and Florida. But again, Froehlich’s instincts told him at a certain point that consolidation would make sense, and in 1999 the father-daughter team brought it all into one 12-acre facility at 3 Applegate in Robbinsville, where they operate today.

One hundred years in, Bohren’s has morphed from a single-owner shipper to Bohren’s Companies, encompassing three divisions: Bohren’s Moving & Storage, Bohren’s Fine Art Transportation, and Bohren’s Logistics. Their services range from household and commercial moving and storage, to trade shows, to transport and storage of art as well as high-valued electronic and medical equipment. Bohren’s has moved and/ or stored everything from microwaves to Elvis Presley memorabilia, Andy Warhol art to Apache helicopters, and RCA communications satellites to Rothko sculptures.

The company is looking forward to what the leadership of the fifth generation will do to expand the future of Bohren’s into the next century.

More information: www.bohrensmoving.com. See ad, page 16

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Community News Service Ad-high res.pdf 2 3/19/24

Louise Froehlich (left) and Denise Hewitt (right) pictured with Ted Froehlich (seated).

on Saturday, April 6, at 6 p.m.

The evening starts with cocktails and a silent auction, followed by an awards presentation and live entertainment during dinner. Silent auction winners will be announced before the evening concludes at 9 p.m.

This year’s honorees include Maria Richardson, Patron of the Arts Excellence Award; Phillip McConnell, Outstanding Emerging Artisan Award; and Wise Intelligent & Culture Freedom, The Poor Righteous Teachers

Richardson is the City of Trenton director of recreation, natural resources and culture and the acting director of health and human services. A statement from Passage lauds her as “a good friend to the theater, to the arts community in Trenton, and to Trenton youth and families. For over three decades of service, Maria has been a tireless advocate in municipal government, the private sector, and academia.”

Passage materials explain that McConnell is a “multidisciplinary visual artist, filmmaker, writer, and spoken word artist,” with a focus on glitch art, “the aesthetic of digital errors, created by corrupting the data of pictures…Phillip ultimately wants people to see that thinking abstract or dis-

cussing emotions within art should be a normal thing for a black creative and that fellow black creatives shouldn’t have to always discuss trauma within their work.”

Wise Intelligent and Culture Freedom of the Poor Righteous Teachers, a hip hop group originally from Trenton, have been center stage at Passage this season with their music serving as the backdrop for the world premiere of “Ghetto Gods in Divineland” earlier this year.

“Apart from launching his own record label — Intelligent Muzik Group (2007) — for nearly 25 years, Wise Intelligent has leveraged his business sense and recognition as a hip-hop pioneer into social entrepreneurship, activism, youth advocacy, and the development of educational and entrepreneurship programs that train and inspire from the unique vantage point of hip hop culture,” Passage materials state.

A Trenton native, “Culture Freedom, along with his wife, were youth ministry leaders for 15 years.” He “has experience publicly speaking to various groups,” including at-risk students involved in organizations from Trenton to California.

Initiative hosts its “Spring Luncheon” benefitting the

Dreams” children’s

Passage Theater, Trenton’s only community theater, has a stated mission to create and produce “socially relevant plays and arts programming that deeply resonate with and reflect our community. Through professional productions, educational programs, and community engagement, we present diverse voices that inspire audiences and invigorate the art of live theater.” Proceeds from the gala support its continued programming.

The Trenton Country Club is located at 201 Sullivan Way in West Trenton. Tickets are $125. Registration is available online or in person at the box office on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Call ahead at 609-392-0766. HomeFront’s

Passage Theater, Mill Hill Playhouse, 205 East Front Street, Trenton. passagetheatre. org/2024gala.

American Repertory Ballet

American Repertory Ballet celebrates its 70th anniversary with a Platinum Jubilee Gala on Saturday, April 20, at 6:30 p.m. at Jasna Polana in Princeton.

Reporter Dan Aubrey explained the journey that led to the nonprofit dance company’s founding in a 2013 article marking the 50th anniversary of “Nutcracker” productions at McCarter Theater:

“One dreamer was Audree Estey, the Canadian-born founder and director of Princeton Ballet Society that, after a few name variations, became the professional American Repertory Ballet (which maintains the Princeton Ballet School).

“After a typical nomadic dance experience — studying in Winnipeg, performing with a Hollywood dance company, touring the vaudeville circuit, and dancing for Fox Films — Audree Phipps married Lawrenceville School English teacher Wendell ‘Bud’ Estey and moved to the Princeton area in 1933.

“Here she began providing classes at the Lawrenceville School and seemingly any place she could use, including the garage of physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer. She also continued her study, including in the early 1950s with prominent choreographer Antony Tudor at Jacob’s Pillow in Massachusetts. It was then that she began to dream of creating her Princeton company.”

Princeton Ballet School was founded in 1954 to offer dance classes; American Repertory Ballet, the professional dance company, was established in 1963 as the Princeton Ballet Society.

The black tie-optional celebration features dinner and remarks by current ARB trustees Nancy S. MacMillan, Penelope Lattimer, and Susan Croll in honor of the evening’s honorees, the chairs of ARB’s board from 1954 to the present. The festivities also include live music, dancing, and a

silent auction.

Jasna Polana is located at 4519 Province Line Road, Princeton. Individual tickets are $300. Sponsorship opportunities range from $2,000 to $20,000.

American Repertory Ballet, 301 North Harrison Street, Princeton. arballet.org.

HomeFront

Lawrence-based nonprofit HomeFront’s Women’s Initiative holds a celebratory Spring Luncheon that spotlights the goals and impact of HomeFront’s children’s programming as experienced by and expressed through the voices of the families it serves on Sunday, April 21, from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton.

The event includes coffee, cocktails, and mocktails followed by a buffet brunch. Tickets include access to view the sculpture grounds. All proceeds benefit HomeFront’s Joy, Hopes & Dreams educational and cultural enrichment programming.

The mission of HomeFront’s Women’s Initiative, as stated on its website, is “to mobilize a group of 1,000 caring and committed women of all ages who will lend their expertise and support to help alleviate family homelessness in our community.

The Women’s Initiative works in concert with HomeFront’s rich array of programs and services. Through these efforts, we strengthen our community, making it a better place to live, work and raise a family.”

Grounds For Sculpture is located at 80 Sculptors Way, Hamilton. Tickets cost $75 per person or $750 for a table of 10. To register or for more information, call 609989-9417, extension 107, or email PaulaA@ HomeFrontNJ.org.

HomeFront, 1880 Princeton Avenue, Lawrenceville. 609-989-9417 or homefrontnj.org.

United Way of Greater Mercer County

The United Way of Greater Mercer County (UWGMC) board of directors hosts its fourth annual United in Impact Awards on Tuesday, April 30, from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at Grounds For Sculpture.

The annual event celebrates community champions who demonstrate leadership, passion, and a commitment to a thriving and equitable community in their everyday life. This year’s community champions are:

Patrick L. Ryan, president and CEO of First Bank, Live United Corporate Award; Ida Jackson Woods, assistant vice president and chief diversity officer for ETS, Advocate Award; Denise Mariani, civil trial attorney at Stark & Stark, Community Quarterback Award; and Edward W. Bullock, president of the board of trustees for The Trenton Literacy Movement,

Eugene Marsh Community Impact Award. Brenda Ross-Dulan, founder and managing principal of the Ross-Dulan Group, serves as the event’s mistress of ceremony. Proceeds from the event directly provide food, rental assistance, health insurance access, tax preparation services, children’s books, school supplies and other resources to help individuals and families get ahead. There are more than 60,000 families in Mercer County struggling to make ends meet.

Tickets are $150 and sponsorship opportunities are available.

More information: uwgmc.org/ unitedimpactawards. See PARTIES, Page 6

Isles

Trenton-based nonprofit Isles hosts its spring celebration on Saturday, May 4, at 6 p.m. at the Social Profit Center at Mill One in Hamilton.

The event features locally sourced springtime cuisine, fun cocktails, and music at the historic mill that Isles renovated into a community hub for nonprofits, social impact offices, and artists, as well as its own headquarters.

Being honored at the event are U.S. Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman, a Democrat representing the 12 Congressional District, and Stacy Denton, director of TRiO Upward Bound at Mercer County Community College, a program for high school students from low income families in which neither parent holds a bachelor’s degree to encourage completing a high school diploma and pursuing post-secondary education.

Proceeds from the event benefit Isles, the 43-year-old community development and environmental organization with a mission to foster “self-reliant families and healthy, sustainable communities,” according to its website.

Mill One is located at 1 North Johnston Avenue in Hamilton. Tickets for the event are $125. A commemorative Isles tote bag is available for an additional $50. The bags were created by Inspired Threads, a Hamilton-based nonprofit that employs people with disabilities to create ecofriendly, upcycled products from discarded fabric scraps.

More information: isles.org.

The Jewish Center Princeton

The Jewish Center celebrates 75 years — its diamond jubilee — on Saturday, May 4, with a cruise-themed gala.

The event, titled “Sail the Chai Seas!” will turn The Jewish Center’s Nassau Street campus into a cruise ship along with two excursion destinations.

Guests will be welcomed to the event along the “gangplank,” purchase duty free goods from promenade shop vendors in the lobby, enjoy cocktails in the Lido Bar and Lounge, gamble the night away in the Atlantic Deck casino and Sky Deck sports bar, enjoy a delicious buffet dinner and dancing to the tunes of DJ TY in the grand ballroom, lounge in the Empress Deck piano/karaoke bar, be entertained by mentalist Ben Seidman, and take excursions to both Paris and the Islands. The cruise will set sail at 7:30 p.m.

Princeton’s first Jewish congregation emerged in the mid-1920s, and a growing Jewish population led to the formal cre-

ation of the Jewish Center in 1949. In 1958, the congregation moved to its current Nassau Street space, which underwent additional expansions in 1983 and 1990.

Tickets for the event are $175 per person, with raffle tickets available for an additional $100. Sponsorship packages, which include multiple event tickets as well as recognition in print, online, and with a carved brick in the Jewish Center’s courtyard, range from $540 to $75,000. For more information about sponsorship opportunities, contact executive director Joel Berger at jberger@thejewishcenter.org

Jewish Center of Princeton, 435 Nassau Street, Princeton. 609-921-0100. thejewishcenter.org/diamond-jubilee.

Housing Initiatives of Princeton

Housing Initiatives of Princeton holds its spring garden party and fundraiser on Sunday, May 5, from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Princeton home of Tibbie and Greg Samios. The event includes light fare, drinks, and a presentation by John N. Robinson III

Robinson is associate faculty in American studies and assistant professor of sociology at Princeton University. He studies the racial underpinnings of money and markets, with emphasis on housing and credit policies. Robinson’s current book project explores the ongoing rise of the affordable housing industry in the U.S. and its intersections with racial and economic inequality.

The event benefits the nonprofit founded in 2001 to assist local individuals and families experiencing housing insecurity build toward a sustainable future via stable housing, better employment, and a network of support services.

HIP provides services including transitional housing and temporary rental assistance and engages in advocacy efforts to raise awareness of insufficient housing options and challenges facing the working poor.

Individual tickets are $90. Sponsorship opportunities range from $150 to $1,000.

More information: housinginitiativesofprinceton.org

Capital Harmony Works

Capital Harmony Works, the Tren-

The evening of music and

Capital Harmony Works, the Trenton nonprofit behind the Trenton Children’s Chorus, Trenton Music Makers, and Music for the Very Young, holds its “One Voice Many Sounds” gala on Tuesday, May 7, at 5:30 p.m. at Cooper’s Riverview in Trenton. Photo courtesy of Capital Harmony Works staff.

hosted by Bradd Marquis, a Trentonborn singer, songwriter, and producer. The evening starts with cocktails and appetizers, followed by dinner and live entertainment from the Trenton Children’s Chorus and Trenton Music Makers.

Proceeds from the gala benefit the organization’s decades-long history of providing free music education to children and families in Trenton.

The Trenton Children’s Chorus, founded in 1989, is a nationally recognized group that has performed at the White House and the United Nations. In addition to choral music education, the program provides instruction in drumming and keyboard, music theory, and assistance with school work, standardized tests, and college admissions.

The Trenton Music Makers, part of the El Sistema program, teaches the values of leadership and teamwork through instruction in violin, viola, cello and bass instruments, as well as musicianship and composition.

Music for the Very Young is a program that incorporates music education into Pre-K classrooms in Trenton.

Cooper’s Riverview is located at 50 Riverview Plaza, Trenton. Tickets for the gala start at $150 per person. Sponsorships are available at levels ranging from $1,000 to $25,000.

Capital Harmony Works, The Social Profit Center at Mill One, 1 North Johnston Avenue, Suite A209, Trenton. 609-3948700 or capitalharmony.works.

McCarter Theatre Center

The biggest party of the year at Princeton’s McCarter Theater is its annual gala, taking place Saturday, May 11, at the theater and under the stars.

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The centerpiece of the evening is a cabaret performance by Tony Award-winning Broadway star Laura Benanti. Prior to the show, guests enjoy a cocktail reception and three-course dinner featuring topshelf wines. Drinks and dancing follow the performance.

Benanti first rose to fame as a teenager playing the role of Maria in Broadway’s “The Sound of Music.” She has starred in 10 subsequent shows, including a Tony Award-winning performance in “Gypsy.”

Her latest film roles include Sony Pictures’ “No Hard Feelings” and Netflix’s “Worth.” She can also be seen in Max’s “The Gilded Age” and Hulu’s “Life & Beth.”

PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHY

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Most recently, she created, wrote, and starred in “Nobody Cares,” an original musical comedy show for Audible.

Proceeds from the gala benefit the nonprofit theater’s programming, arts education initiatives, and community engagement activities.

Tickets start at $300, which excludes dinner service. Individual tickets including dinner range from $600 to $2,000.

McCarter Theater, 91 University Place, Princeton. 609-258-2787 or mccarter.org.

Morven Museum & Garden

Morven Museum & Garden’s annual Morven in May spring garden party takes on special significance this year as it also launches anniversary celebrations for Morven’s 20th year as a museum.

The party is happening rain or shine on Friday, May 17, from 7 to 9 p.m. on the museum grounds.

Peonies will be in full bloom for the party, which also includes food, drinks,

See PARTIES, Page 8

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Mercer Eats

Ooika Matcha ‘Teas’ Up for Lawrenceville Opening

By George Point

Matcha, the finely ground powder of specially grown, uniquely flavored green tea leaves that are at the heart of “chanoyu” —the traditional Japanese tea ceremony— is now available at Ooika, a cozy tea house on Lawrenceville’s Main Street dedicated to offering high-quality matcha in its many forms.

Ooika opened its doors on February 27.

“Ooika” is a Japanese word that represents the aroma from the high-quality, shaded matcha offered at owner Joann Lui’s establishment.

According to the Ooika website, Lui “grew up in a family of tea enthusiasts.” Her father is from Chaozhou, China, a city “renowned for Gongfu cha,” described as “the skillful art of tea brewing.”

She eventually met Marc Alexandre, Ooika’s miller, who had apprenticed under tea expert Shunan Teng before his journey led him to Japan, where he discovered heritage matcha.

As continued on its website, Ooika invites its customers to savor “...the unique experience of single-origin heritage matcha from the most celebrated multigenerational family farms across Japan in Uji, Yame, Hoshinomura, Shizuoka, Kagoshima, and more, freshly ground inhouse with traditional Japanese Ishi-Usu stone mills.”

Lui wrote the following on her Facebook page:

“Ooika’s commitment to traditional matcha cultivation and production techniques helps to preserve this ancient art form for future generations to enjoy, while also making matcha more accessible to a Western audience.”

“If you’ve ever had bitter, yellow matcha here in the U.S., that’s because most matcha sold here are months, if not years old.”

“But matcha is meant to be consumed fresh, just like coffee, with a vibrantly green color,” she continued. “That’s why we’re obsessed with stone-milled singlecultivar matcha to bring you the unparalleled freshness that we can’t find here in the U.S.”

A rotating selection of hot and cold matcha-based beverages are available, ranging in price from $3.45 for hot Binchotan Hojicha—a charcoal roasted green tea that is absent matcha’s vegetal green flavor and is caffeine free—to $9.95 for a strawberry matcha parfait.

Patrons are invited to specify the desired level of sweetness; this reporter enjoyed a sugar-free hot matcha latte ($6.85) made with freshly ground matcha and steamed Oatly oat milk.

Ooika also offers a selection of matcha and teaware available for purchase from its website, ooika.co

Membership in their Matcha Mill Club is also available, giving subscribers the opportunity to “explore Japan’s rare, sin-

Joann Lui is the owner of Ooika Matcha, the new tea house now open at 2661 Main Street in Lawrenceville, which grinds the green tea into fresh powder using in-house Japanese stone mills. Photos courtesy of Ooika.

gle-origin matcha shipped to you within 24 hours of stone-milling every month.”

In one of the bolder mission statements put out by any establishment, Ooika promises “to preserve heritage Matcha across the historic terroirs of Japan by making uncompromised matcha accessible to the U.S.”

Why not drop by and decide for yourself?

From PARTIES, Page 7

music, and the chance to see the special exhibit “Morven Revealed,” showcasing rarely exhibited objects and photographs of the mansion and its notable residents through the years.

Morven was built by Declaration of Independence signer Richard Stockton in the 1750s on property granted to his family by William Penn in 1701. After a fire, it was rebuilt and named Morven in 1758.

Four subsequent generations of Stocktons lived in the home before it was leased to General Robert Wood Johnson in 1928.

From 1945 to 1981, it was home to five governors as New Jersey’s first governor’s mansion. The property was restored and

reopened as a museum and garden in 2004.

Proceeds from the garden party support the continued upkeep of the property and the museum’s exhibitions.

In addition to celebrating its 20th anniversary, Morven is also preparing for special programming in honor of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026.

Tickets for the garden party range from $250 to $20,000.

Morven Museum & Garden, 55 Stockton Street, Princeton. 609-924-8144 or www. morven.org. * * *

And guess what? You’re invited.

* * *

Ooika, 2661 Main Street, Lawrenceville. Currently open Tuesdays through Saturdays, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sundays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. www.ooika.co

Hours are subject to change during the soft opening period, with a formal opening planned in early June.

Morven Museum & Garden’s “Morven in May” spring garden party blossoms in recognition of the museum’s 20 years in operation on Friday, May 17, from 7 to 9 p.m. on the its grounds in Princeton. Photo courtesy of Morven Museum & Garden.

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Blend Bar & Bistro

Bringing Together Food, Cocktails, and People

When Antonio Carannante, coowner of Hamilton’s BLEND Bar & Bistro, is asked how his team came up with the name Blend, he explains, “Blend is all about bringing it together, whether it’s people or ingredients, to share something creative with each other. Pick up a bottle of your favorite wine, beer, or spirit and more often then not you see the word blend or they will list ingredients they use to Blend together. There’s Blended whiskeys, beers, vodkas, wines and more. It’s a word you can’t get away from. But also mainly just the idea of the word has a positive vibe. We like the idea of blend to bring food, cocktails, and people together.”

Indeed, “blend” is something this establishment does very well. In addition to a modern American cuisine concept, the restaurant also offers dishes that represent other global influences. “We have chicken pot

You’re Invited

dumplings and Ahi Poke Bowl, but we also have nachos, quesadillas, and empanadas, as well as gnocchi. Some popular grilled items are our Bone-in Ribeye, Porkchop and handmade never frozen angus burgers served with our very popular handcut fries ,” explains Carannante.

“So we offer a good mix of different flavors and flair to make sure everyone is happy while providing a fun environment and a family friendly dining experience.

In additional to offering both large and small seasonal dishes, more than 100 spirits, 20 draft lines, and a variety of wines, the restauranteur also offers catering, for both on and off-premises. Blend caters at multiple venues in the area including but not limited to Sayen Gardens, Grafton House, Nottingham Ballroom, and also has a dining room for private events that can seat 50 people. They have curbside dining with their outdoor patio, featuring heaters throughout.

Our events include weddings, rehearsal dinners, baby and bridal showers, bachelor parties, retirement

dinners, and much more.

Many of our off premises events are branded under a branch we call, New Jersey Weddings and Events, a catering and event planning company, that we target the more formal events off premise . “We are one-stop service in that way. If a customer chooses to, we can coordinate their entire event, with flowers, music, whatever they desire. We are always happy to make recommendations for what vendors to use as well.”

The Carannante Family originally started and still includes, Brother’s Pizza on Route 33, allows them to offer a variety of pizza-themed parties for customers, including wood-burning pizza ovens for backyard parties and cocktail hours for any special event. Blend consistently holds special events at the restaurant, like wine pairing dinners and happy hours, as well as fundraiser events and holiday parties, but one of its biggest events is the Mercer County Central Jersey Beer and Wine Festival. At the next festival, on Saturday, September 28, from noon to 6 p.m., guests can taste hundreds of different beers and wines

while listening to live music, meeting brewers, and enjoying food vendors. Find tickets at www.cjbeerfest.com, Use Code: CJBEERFEST Antonio Carannante is the event coordinator that executes this production which it attracts thousands of people together for live music, food and drink.”

Now that spring is here, Carannante notes, “it’s time to start thinking about your upcoming special events through summer and fall. It’s always good to pencil in your dates ahead of time!”

Blend Bar & Bistro, 911 Route 33, Hamilton. 609-245-8887. drinks@blendbar.com. planner@ NJweddingsandevents.com. See ad, page 12

K’s Event Decorations and Rentals

Let Our Passion Create Your Memorable Experience

At K’s Event Decorations and Rentals, we understand that every occasion is unique and deserves personalized attention. Our team of experienced designers will work closely with you to understand your style, preferences, and budget. Whether you envision a romantic and elegant wedding or a fun and vibrant birthday party, we have the expertise to bring your vision to life. Our wedding and event design services encompass every aspect of your special day. From selecting the perfect color palette and theme to creating stunning floral arrangements and tablescapes, we pay attention to every detail to ensure a cohesive and visually stunning event. Our team will work closely with you to create a design concept that

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reflects your personality and creates a memorable experience for you and your guests. In addition to our design services, we also offer a wide range of event rentals to enhance your occasion. From elegant table linens and chair covers to stylish centerpieces and lighting options, we have everything you need to create a truly unforgettable event. Our extensive inventory ensures that we can accommodate events of any size and style.

At K’s Event Decorations and Rentals, we understand the importance of quality and reliability and that is why we only work with trusted vendors who share our commitment to excellence. Our team will coordinate with these vendors to ensure seamless execution of your event, allowing you to relax and enjoy your special day. We take pride in our exceptional customer service and strive to exceed your expectations.

Our team is dedicated to providing prompt and professional assistance throughout the planning process and on the day of your event. Antonia James is the CEO and creative

designer who found her purpose designing and creating memorable experiences through life’s momentous celebrations. Antonia has worked in the service industry for more than 22 years and her belief that customer service is the number one priority carries over into everything K’s does. She prides herself in providing the best service with integrity and hard work, starting with an initial consultation that sets clients on the right path to turning their dream event into reality.

We believe that every client deserves personalized attention and we are committed to making your experience with us enjoyable and stress-free. Whether you are planning an intimate gathering or a grand celebration, K’s Event Decorations and Rentals is here to make your occasion truly unforgettable.

Contact us today to schedule a complimentary consultation and let us help you bring your vision to life. Allow our enthusiasm and expertise to craft your unforgettable occasion.

K’s Event Decorations and Rentals, LLC, 966 Kuser Road, Hamilton. 609-341-8724 www. kseventdecorations.com. See ad, page 11

You’re Invited . . . to Camp

Ewing Recreation Department

Camps & Pools

The Ewing Community Pools System offers two pools for seasonal members and daily patrons. The pools have shaded areas, pool furniture, changing rooms and shower facilities and ESCC has a snack bar. The Hollowbrook Pool located at 320 Hollowbrook Drive, is scheduled to open on weekends & Memorial Day on Sunday, May 26. Operating hours are Sunday to Friday, noon to 8 p.m. Saturdays can be rented for private events, email Raquel at rince@ ewingnj.org to schedule an event. The ESCC pool will open on weekends & Memorial Day starting Saturday, May 25, and both pools will open full time starting on Monday, June 17, from noon to 8 p.m. Swim lessons start with evaluations on Saturday, June 15, and space is limited. Senior Swim and Senior Water Aerobics start on Monday, June 17; seniors needing assistance registering can register at the Senior

Office for these programs. Online registration for seasonal memberships, swim lessons and Senior Swim/ Water Aerobics is required at communitypass.net. Labor Day is the last day that the pools will be open.

The Ewing Recreation Summer Camp will run from June 24 – August 23 for grades K – 5 and is held on the grounds of the Fisher School and Ewing Senior & Community Center (ESCC). The hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday – Friday. Early hours are from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. and late hours are from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Online registration is required at communitypass.net. Teen Travel will be for grades 6 – 8 and will run from July 1 – August 16. The camp will travel four days a week and stay in Ewing the other day. Campers can participate in day camp on weeks Teen Travel is not being held. Camp also offers a Counselor in Training program for children entering 9th grade.

For more information on these programs call the Ewing Recreation Office at 609-883-1776 x6203. You can also go to ewingnj.org, Community Affairs. See ad, page 10.

Gra on House

Once home to the First Sheri of Mercer County, NJ, the recently renovated Grafton House can accommodate a variety of functions and special gatherings. This historic jewel quietly hides behind the Hamilton Marketplace in rural, south-east Hamilton Township, just minutes from the New Jersey Turnpike, Interstate 195 and State Highway 130. The house was bestowed the name “Grafton” after a historic plantation located near where the home sits today!

110 Edgebrook Road Hamilton, NJ 08691

quisite and memorable…

The Sayen House & Gardens is available for a variety of functions and gatherings. The House serves as an elegant, out-of-the ordinary setting for wedding receptions, showers, holiday parties and much more. The Sayen House is nestled amongst 30 acres and serves as the perfect backdrop for your outdoor ceremony and photos!

155 Hughes Drive Hamilton, NJ 08690

Program Coordinator at (609) 890-3874 or PKrzywulak@hamiltonnj.com

HELP WANTED

$2K or More A Month

Commission. Work from Home. Flexible. Set your own hours. P/T or F/T. Sales, Managers, Customer Service Reps needed. 24 hr. recording: 1-800-6706540

SERVICES

F,D,Mason Contractor, Over 30 years of experience. Brick, Block, Stone, Concrete. No job too large or small. Fully Insured and Licensed. Free Estimates 908-385-5701 Lic#13VH05475900.

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Senior Companion

WE’RE BACK! Let me be your helper. In the home or on the road. Part-time/Day or evening. Very good references. Call Mary Ann, 609-298-4456. View thistimebesttime. wordpress.com.

LEGAL SERVICES

Wills, Power of Attorney, Real Estate, Federal and NJ Taxes, Education Law. House calls available. Bruce Cooke, Esq. 609-799-4674, 609721-4358.

FOR SALE

Don’t miss out on our spectacular estate and garage sale! Join us on April 6th & 7th for amazing deals on

household items and furniture. Discover treasures for every room in your home and patio, elegant furniture pieces to kitchenware, decor, costume jewelry, clothes, shoes, electronics and more. Whether you’re furnishing your first home or looking for unique finds to complement your space, we have something for everyone. Mark your calendars and be sure to stop by! 8am3pm No early birds. 3 Cottonwood Court in Plainsboro.

Home Contents Sale

Furniture, Lamps & Oddities. Bordentown City old items and very old items. Saturday, April 13th Starting 8 am. Do not bring change. 11 E Church St. Call 609-298-4456.Email mak1kieffer@aol.com for partial list.

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Wanted: Baseball, football, basketball, hockey. Cards, autographs, photos, memorabilia. Highest cash prices paid! Licensed corporation, will travel. 4theloveofcards, 908596-0976. allstar115@ verizon.net.

Cash paid for World War II Military Items. Helmets, swords, medals, etc. Call: 609-581-8290, E-mail: lenny1944x@gmail.com

Happy Heroes used books looking to buy

old Mysteries, Science Fiction, Children’s Illustrated, kids series books (old Hardy boys-Nancy Drew-Judy Bolton- Dana girls, WITH DUSTJACKETS in good shape), Dell Mapbacks - Good Girl Art PULPS - non-sports cards, good conditioned pre 1975 paperbacks old COLLIER’S. Call 609-619-3480 or email happyheroes@gmail. com.

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BI-MONTHLY NEWS FROM CAPITAL HEALTH

U.S. News & World Report Recognizes Capital Health on Best Hospitals for Maternity List

Capital Health Medical Center – Hopewell, home to the most complete maternity facility in the Greater Mercer County, New Jersey area, was named among the best in the nation for maternity services, according to the latest U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals for Maternity list. Capital Health is one of 19 hospitals in New Jersey and the only hospital in the Greater Mercer County area to earn this recognition.

To be recognized among the Best Hospitals for Maternity, Capital Health’s Maternity Services Program excelled on multiple quality metrics that matter to expectant families, including complication rates, C-sections, whether births are scheduled too early in pregnancy, how successfully each hospital supports breastfeeding, and transparency on racial/ethnic disparities, among other measures. “High Performing” status, the highest ranking U.S. News awards for that type of care.

For the very first time, U.S. News’ Best Hospitals for Maternity Care evaluation recognized “Maternity Care Access Hospitals” across the nation. Capital Health Medical Center – Hopewell was one of 73 essential hospitals to earn this designation by providing quality care to expectant parents who wouldn’t otherwise have access to maternity care and serve communities that would otherwise be maternity care deserts. This new category is based on a number of measures including geographic isolation, number of obstetric providers per 10,000 births and hospital quality.

“We’re extremely proud to have earned two important designations from U.S. News & World Report for our Maternity

Services Program,” said Kira Przybylko, medical director of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Capital Health. “For the outstanding teams at our Josephine Plumeri Birthing Center, being named a high performing hospital validates their commitment to providing the highest level of care to expectant mothers. On an organizational level, the ‘Maternity Care Access’ recognition goes a long way to demonstrate our broader commitment to the community by assuring growing families in Trenton and other nearby underserved neighborhoods that we’re here to help them get off to the healthiest and safest start possible.”

“Hospitals that receive a High Performing designation as part of Best Hospitals for Maternity Care meet a high standard in caring for parents with uncomplicated pregnancies,” said Jennifer Winston, health data scientist at U.S. News. “These hospitals have C-section rates that are 26% lower, and newborn complication rates that are 37% lower than unrecognized hospitals. Parents-to-be can research their local hospitals’ performance metrics for free at health.usnews.com to help them choose where to have their baby.”

The Maternity Services Program at Capital Health Medical Center – Hopewell makes up the most complete maternity facility in the area. From routine deliveries to high-risk needs, staff 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. The designated Regional Perinatal Center 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.

While you can’t completely avoid allergens, being aware of these facts can help you prepare:

… Tree, grass, and ragweed pollen surges during seasons of warm days and cold nights.

APRIL SHOWERS BRING MAY FLOWERS… AND ALLERGY SEASON

… Pollen counts are higher on warm, windy days, and in the spring, they are generally highest during evening. Rainfall offers temporary relief, but pollen counts often soar afterward.

… Molds thrive in high heat and humidity.

While it’s exciting to see trees, lawns, and flowers begin to stir, spring fever can give way to “hay fever,” or what is commonly known as seasonal allergies. The itchy eyes, runny noses, and coughing that come with seasonal allergies can stop the most enthusiastic optimists in their tracks.

The main cause of seasonal allergies is pollen from plants, the yellowish, powdery grains released by male plants as part of their reproductive process. “There is a lot of pollen in the air this time of year, and if you’re allergic, your body’s immune system releases histamine to fight it,” said DR. KATHRYN HAMILTON, a board certified family medicine physician with Capital Health – Virtual Primary Care. “This can cause inflammation, overproduction of mucous and other common symptoms of allergies. Allergens like pollen, mold, and dust mites are everywhere, but the severity of symptoms can vary, depending on the person and the location.”

… Look to local news and weather outlets for daily pollen counts.

… Keeping windows and doors shut at home and in your car on high pollen count days can help reduce exposure.

“Millions of adults and children live with seasonal allergies, so you’re not alone,” said Dr. Hamilton. “If you’re not sure what’s causing your allergies, schedule a visit with your doctor to identify your triggers and develop a plan for treatment.” Nasal sprays or rinses can ease symptoms, but your doctor might suggest anti-histamines or steroids. For more long-term relief, allergy shots, also known as immunotherapy, may be recommended. Spring is a season for new beginnings, so don’t let seasonal allergies hold you back. Contact your primary care provider to develop a plan that will help you spring forward to better health. Capital Health Virtual Primary Care is a team of more than 35 primary care providers who can address a wide range of health conditions, including (but not limited to) seasonal allergies, the common cold, flu, symptoms of COVID-19, upper respiratory infection, and more. For details, or to request an appointment, visit capitalvirtualcare.org.

Wednesday, April 10 to May 29, 2024 | 4 – 5 p.m.

Location: Capital Health – Behavioral Health Specialists

100 K Johnson Boulevard N., Suite 201, Bordentown, NJ 08505

Connecting with others who have also experienced a loss can be comforting and helpful. Join Licensed Clinical Social Worker Meredith Kudrick as she leads you through an in-person eight week support and psychotherapy group.

To sign up, call 609.689.5725. This group therapy program will be billed to your health insurance.

Understanding Atrial Fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation (AFib) is one of the most common forms of cardiac arrhythmia, a range of cardiac conditions in which the heart beats in an irregular way (either too fast or too slow). AFib is indicated by a rapid heart rate due to uncoordinated electrical signals in the upper chambers of the heart. While a normal heart rate is around 60 to 100 beats per minute, a person with AFib can have a heart rate that ranges from normal to extremely rapid.

AFib can be caused by many different issues including heart conditions or other contributing causes such as high blood pressure, pneumonia, obstructive sleep apnea, infections from viruses, thyroid problems, high alcohol intake or other drug use, and age. AFib symptoms can include fatigue, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, and chest pain.

“In addition to its underlying causes, AFib also increases the risk of stroke, heart failure and other complications,” said DR. SCOTT BURKE, medical director of Cardiac Electrophysiology and a board certified, fellowship trained cardiac electrophysiologist at Capital Health Cardiology Specialists. “Anyone having any symptoms of atrial fibrillation should make an appointment with a cardiologist to get a diagnosis and learn more about which treatment option is right for them. Medication is typically the first line of therapy, but the highly trained physicians in our Cardiac Electrophysiology Program also offer the latest minimally invasive options when more advanced care is needed that result in less pain, shorter hospital stays, and less risk for complications.”

The Watchman device is an option for people with atrial fibrillation not caused by a heart valve problem, which can lead to blood pooling and forming a clot in a part of the heart called the left atrial appendage (LAA). In a minimally invasive procedure, the Watchman device is guided through a narrow tube inserted into a vein in the patient’s leg and implanted into the LAA to permanently close it. During recovery, the patient’s own heart tissue grows over the Watchman device to prevent clots from developing in the heart and dramatically reduce the risk of stroke for certain AFib patients.

A pacemaker is a small device usually implanted in the chest with thin wires (or leads) that connect to the heart through blood vessels to monitor and deliver electrical impulses that stabilize the heart’s electrical system. Capital Health cardiac

electrophysiologists offer leadless pacing options, which eliminate the wires and allow a miniaturized device to be placed directly into the heart and perform like a traditional pacemaker. Catheter ablation is the elimination of electrically active abnormal tissue that uses recording, imaging, and mapping tools guided through thin catheters into the bloodstream to allow physicians to localize the sources of cardiac arrhythmias like AFib. After the specific location is revealed, the area triggering the arrhythmia can usually be treated with radiofrequency ablation (heat energy) or cryoablation (cold energy).

To make an appointment with one of the cardiac arrhythmia specialists at Capital Health, call 215-860-3344 or visit capitalhealthcardiology.org for more information.

Mindful Yoga

FREE UPCOMING HEALTH EDUCATION EVENTS

Register by calling 609.394.4153 or register online at capitalhealth.org/events and be sure to include your email address. Please register early. Class size is limited. Registration ends 24 hours before the program date.

Wednesday, April 10, 2024 | 6 p.m.

Location: Capital Health Medical Center – Hopewell

NJ PURE Conference Center, One Capital Way, Pennington, NJ 08534

Join certified yoga instructor Marsha Rudolph to experience a gentle, slow yoga practice that links breath and body awareness to increase calm, promote peace of mind, and lift your mood along with many other health benefits. Please wear comfortable clothing and bring a yoga mat or large towel and two yoga blocks (if you have them) for additional bliss.

Fitness Options for Aging Well

Monday, April 15, 2024 | 6 p.m.

Location: Capital Health Medical Center – Hopewell

NJ PURE Conference Center, One Capital Way, Pennington, NJ 08534

There are many exercise options available as we age. The important thing is to learn how to do them safely and to find out what type works best for you. Cheryl Ann McGinnis, manager of Rehabilitation Services at Capital Health, will demonstrate how to properly stretch and review options for fitness programs that are individualized to each person’s needs.

ADDITIONAL UPCOMING HEALTH EDUCATION EVENTS:

THE SHOULDER: DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT

Thursday, May 2, 2024 | 6 p.m. Zoom Meeting

NUTRITION TIPS FOR THRIVING AS YOU AGE

Wednesday, May 8, 2024 | 6 p.m. Zoom Meeting

STROKE: PREVENTABLE, TREATABLE, BEATABLE

Thursday, May 16, 2024 | 6 p.m. Zoom Meeting

TREATMENT OPTIONS FOR KNEE AND HIP PAIN

Monday, June 3, 2024 | 6 p.m. Zoom Meeting

ing while training frequently out of his home venue, Jersey Axe House in Nutley.

“For me, it’s all about practice,” Hovemeyer said. “Practice is huge for me. If I can’t go up to Nutley to get practice in, I’ll go to the local Bury the Hatchet and ask the coaches there can I get a couple hours in there during the week.”

Hovemeyer typically practices one or two hours three times a week to stay sharp. “A lot of people can just show up and throw, but for me it’s all about practice,” he said. “Those repetitive motions, making sure that I’m getting my technique into top shape. Anything to help me go that extra mile.”

Hovemeyer was introduced to axe throwing with heavy estwing hatchets. Not long after, he bought a more manageable hatchet and started to practice.

“As time went on, I evolved my throw from a step to no step,” Hovemeyer said. “I ended up buying my first Ace of Spades hatchet from the World Axe Throwing League, which is the organization I throw with. I started throwing the Ace of Spades, and from there I’ve probably changed up my throw about 100 times, always trying to find the type of throw that will feel comfortable for me.”

It has taken time and experimentation to get to that point. There is a big range of styles, though many of the top throwers

use a similar technique, and Hovemeyer has worked tirelessly to find his style, going from a baseball throwing technique early to his current style.

“Long story short, it’s been a developed throw,” he said. “It’s developing the mind and body, one step at a time.”

Hovemeyer looked online for pointers, and he has studied other throwers. When he joined a Facebook group for axe throwing, one of his first questions to the group was: Where to find the sharp-looking jerseys that some wore in pictures. The answer?

“You have to qualify to earn a bid to go to Worlds,” Hovemeyer remembered the answer he got back. “I was like, ‘Game on, I’ll try my best throughout the year to gain enough circuit points to get to that point.’”

Hovemeyer travels to tournaments on the circuit to build qualifying points. The Jersey Axe House in Nutley held a rules preparation tournament on Mar. 24 to help those going to Worlds, and Hovemeyer was in Pennsylvania for another competition just two days earlier. Competitions have taken him near and far, going around the country.

“Last summer in June, I drove all the way out to Iowa — 17 hours one way, 17 hours back,” Hovemeyer said. “It was a tier-one tournament, but I was also part of a team at that point. In order for us to go to our team worlds, we had to take part in two different tier one tournaments, and my second one

was there. I couldn’t fly because the prices were outrageous. But I’ll probably never do that again, because that drive was too long.”

There are four disciplines in axe throwing. Hovemeyer is qualified to compete in hatchet and big axe, not in duals or knives this year. Worsening carpel tunnel syndrome makes the flicking motion used for knives difficult, and Hovemeyer and his partner didn’t qualify in time for duals.

Now, he’s putting his focus into the hatchet and big axe, for which he feels best suited. Hovemeyer is calling on his previous big tournament experience to help his second time through the worlds. His first time was surreal.

“I get out there and I’m around the champions from the past years, and it was a great experience to get out there and be around people that care about throwing,” Hovemeyer said. “The community is a great community of throwers, spectators, competitors. Everyone wants to see you do better, everyone wants to see you take your game to the next level.”

He had to win a regional competition to gain entry into the big axe category. “I went in there with an open mind. I knew I wasn’t going to go far, but I surprised myself in big axe going a lot further than I thought I was. And it just opened my eyes to how welcoming everyone is,” he said.

Hovemeyer continues to improve with

his practice and dedication. He competed in the U.S. Pro-Am in Appleton, Wisconsin, in November. Appleton also hosted last year’s world championships.

Hovemeyer finished in the top 16 at the pro-am out of field of more than 200 throwers. “The top four guys got onto ESPN2 for the filming,” he said. “I was that close, but I didn’t quite hit the mark.”

Hovemeyer is looking to be on target at the world championships. Qualifying again is affirmation that his dedication and practice are paying off. Axe throwing has become a big part of his life. He is looking for sponsors to continue to support his competition trips, and he is so invested that he is exploring possibly opening his own axe throwing venue in Mercer County so he can share his passion for the sport even more.

“It all depends on interest from the community and interest from other people as well,” Hovemeyer said. “It’s tough. It’s a growing sport, but at the same time you have to get that interest from people in the community. I coach at Stumpy’s Hatchet House in Princeton every once in a while, so I’m able to coach people, let them know about my techniques. As long as they’re having fun and it’s putting a smile on their face, I think my job’s done.”

Anyone wishing to support Hovemeyer’s axe throwing career can send email to jhovemeyer11@gmail.com.

travel talk with Caryn and Aron savor the moment

Delve Deeper Into Every destination: While fast-paced, whirlwind travel is exciting (and exhausting!), more and more travelers are opting for a slower, more immersive experience that delves deeper into the cultures and traditions of their favorite destinations. Embracing the slower pace means taking longer trips, opting for more leisurely itineraries and choosing accommodations that cater to relaxation and mindfulness.

Four tips for an immersive adventure:

• Reduce your daily itineraries to just a few landmarks or sites, leaving gaps for exploring lesser-known parts of town and wandering into shops and cafés. You never know what you might find!

• Instead of hustling from one city to the next, try booking multiple nights in the same place and get to know your destination more intimately.

• Give back to your favorite places by taking part in a community program, like Trafalgar’s Make Travel Matter experiences which support sustainable development goals around the world.

• Get up early and avoid standing in long lines. It’s impossible to see EVERYTHING, so be realistic and make your experience more about quality than quantity.

Tour companies like Collette and Tauck feature amazing itineraries that focus on hyper-local activities and multi-night stays in the same place, allowing you to build deeper connections with the cities, towns, islands and hidden gems you love most. From the vibrant coast of Morocco to the elegant beaches of the French Riviera, get to know your destination like never before. Contact us at cberla@cruiseplanners.com or 609.750.0807 when you are ready

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Around town Hu has high hopes for herself and WW-P softball

By Justin Feil

Deana Hu is hopeful that the West Windsor-Plainsboro softball team and she can do more this year. Those goals will be easier for the team than Hu, the sophomore center fielder who had an outstanding first high school season.

“She had an incredible season for a freshman, or any stage of high school,” said WW-P head coach Mark Lee.

Hu hit .541 with 40 hits, 24 runs and 27 stolen bases last spring. She was named team Most Valuable Player and named to the Carpenter Cup all-star team that represented Mercer County. WW-P finished 10-14 with only one senior starter.

Hu said: “I’m hoping to do even better this year, but I thought it was really fun. I’m looking to improve.”

An encore to last year’s eye-opening debut could be tough for Hu. She was nominated for New Jersey Freshman of the Year, and was a second-team All-Colonial Valley Conference selection in a league that boasts Notre Dame, Steinert and Robbinsville— three of the best programs in the state. WW-P opens the season April 2 against Robbinsville, an early test for Hu and the team.

“I could always hit harder, run faster, just do whatever I can to help my team,” Hu said. “We’re trying to get more wins this year. I’ll try to do whatever I can to get that goal.”

Hu is humble about her accomplishments, but she’s also driven. She’s seen her statistics, but she tries not to dwell on them. She is motivated to strive for her potential. “I feel like everyone around you is getting better, so you can’t just slack off. I try to put in as much work as possible so I’m not left behind.”

Hu gives WW-P a good starting point for the returning players. She can help in multiple areas both with her offense and defense.

“She’s been in center field predominantly, and she’s every bit as good defensively as she is offensively,” Lee said. “And just a great teammate. Having tryouts, you hear her encouraging the other girls. You can’t teach that. She does it naturally. It’s been great having her in the field and at the top of our lineup. She sets our offense up and really she sets the defense up, up the middle as well.”

For the third year in a row, the WW-P team is playing United with players from both high schools North and South pooling together to get the numbers to play. Lee says the best measure of how well the players mesh is that he can’t tell who goes to which school.

“I go to South but a lot of North kids I

grew up playing with,” Hu said. “It’s definitely good to get to play with them again.”

Ruby Madia, who graduated and is playing for Babson College, is the lone starter gone. With a larger and deeper group than they’ve had in the last three years, optimism is high that the United squad will be even more competitive.

“We didn’t lose that many seniors,” Hu said. “We have a lot of returning seniors and they’re a really great group of kids. And we also have a big freshman class incoming so we have a lot more kids this year than we did last year.”

Hu has an infectious excitement about the game. She plays year-round travel softball for the NJ Ruthless Hersh U18, but also plays soccer and basketball for High School South. She is an outstanding student as well who balances school with her sports. As the spring approaches, though, she can’t help but look forward to her top sport.

“I try to enjoy each sport and each season,” Hu said. “But by the time it hits January/February, I’m waiting and the excitement is really building.”

Hu showed up to last year’s tryouts beaming with excitement. It showed in her play as well and even how she conducted herself with the team as a freshman.

“She came in from Day One and has an innate ability of leadership and smiling the whole time,” Lee said. “Just to start off, you know this is a special player and a special talent.”

Hu has confidence in her abilities, but she wasn’t sure what to expect from the high school league. There is a wide range of talent in the CVC, and she showed that she could play with anyone.

“I’ve looked back a few times and I wasn’t too confident and I wasn’t too surprised,” Hu said. “I was trying to play and let whatever happened happen. I think if I put in the work and do my best I’ll see some good results.”

Hu put together plenty of good results last spring. A slap hitter, she put a lot of pressure on defenses with her ability to make contact and her speed. She finished among the top hitters in the CVC. She was third in hits in the conference and tops in stolen bases.

“I like where my batting average was at the end of the season,” she said. “That might be very statistics based and make me sound kind of bad, but I didn’t really know what to expect coming into high school. I didn’t know how I would do. I was really nervous, but I was happy with the way it ended.”

Following the season, Hu was selected for the Carpenter Cup team. She joined the allstar group of young Mercer County players.

“I was really honored,” she said. “I’ve seen the stats and I know the other girls in the conference who are my age who are also insane. I was really grateful to get the chance to play with them.”

The Mercer County team won all three of its bracket play games in the Carpenter Cup. In the semifinals, they held the lead on TriCape before the eventual champions rallied to knock them out of the tournament.

“I thought it was a great experience,” Hu said. “The fun-est thing I think was I got to meet a lot of the girls from the conference that I had looked at their stats on paper, but I never met them personally. I got to meet all these girls from different schools that are also at the highest level.”

Being named to the Mercer all-star group acknowledged her level of play. It affirmed just how good she has gotten, even if she tries not to think that way.

“That really showed me that I could compete with them and I could be at that level,” Hu said. “But every time I get too cocky, the game of softball likes to humble me.”

Her big debut season sets the stage for high expectations for this year, and every CVC will be trying to counter her strengths. That pressure could be an obstacle, but Hu approaches the game looking to have as much fun playing as possible.

“I always find that I perform better when try not to think about all the pressure,” she said. “When I’m just trying to have fun is when I always do best. And then I’m actually having fun.”

Lee isn’t worried about a sophomore slump. Hu fits the bill of other top talents that he has seen manage just fine.

“I’ve seen players that are pretty special over the years, and one of the things about is they’re resilient,” Lee said. “Her makeup is resilient. Even if she had a slump, she would excel in other areas. I anticipate another great season out of her and taking it to another level.”

Hu is looking at continuing to play at a higher level after WW-P. She has spent parts of the offseason at college clinics, and she has started to explore the opportunity to play beyond high school.

“I would love to play in college,” she said. “I’m looking to go to a high academic. I’m trying not to focus too much on that and focus on the season. Hopefully I’ll think about college later on after the season ends.”

She started to consider the college option last year. She talked to Madia a little about that step, and then she started to hear more about college prospects. It seemed like a real possibility.

“As you get to high school, my teammates on my travel team, they’re talking about colleges,” Hu said. “It seemed like something that would be really cool. I’m just going with the flow and trusting the process.”

Her top priority for now is helping WW-P win more games. She is confident that the United team has a chance to be better, and they are approaching this spring with higher expectations.

Said Hu: “We had our first practice and we talked about how this year we’re going to try to be more competitive. We have so many returners, we have some good freshmen coming up, and we didn’t lose too many pitchers or anything, so I think we have the potential to make a better run this year.”

Having a player of Hu’s caliber helps. She has a contagious enthusiasm for the game and her balanced approach between fun and driving to be the best is healthy for all.

“Her play alone helps elevate everyone else’s game,” Lee said. “They see how good she is and the potential that she has to excel at this sport. And she’s a better person than a player, which says a lot about her. She is the consummate teammate.”

Weare Engaged

Mr. and Mrs. Kevin C. Donovan are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter, Virginia Hoye Donovan, formerly of West Windsor, New Jersey to Mr. Brandon Croarkin of Ashburn, Virginia. Ms. Donovan is a graduate of The Pennsylvania State University, Health and Human Sciences School, later earning a Master’s Degree in Education and Human Development from The George Washington University. Ms. Donovan is a licensed clinical therapist.

Mr. Croarkin is the son of Ana and Paul Croarkin. Mr. Croarkin graduated from the University of Virginia, College of Liberal Arts & Science, with a B.A. degree in Economics and following that a Master’s Degree in Data Science from Syracuse University. Mr. Croarkin is a senior data engineer. The couple will make their home in Northern Virginia. A 2025 wedding is planned.

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