08071 Pitman | Summer 2024

Christine (Mom) - Amusement park because there’s no cleanup

Bella (daughter)- Amusement park because of the rides

Tayvon- Cookout because I love being around my family and talking and making memories with family and friends.

Jade- Amusement park because I love spending time with friends, family. Spending the whole day outside and enjoying the thrill of all the rides.

Pearl - Cookout .. To enjoy time with family and all variety of food.

Daniel- amusement park, I like the rides and spending time with family.

Dave

Ext. 6920

Cover Photo By Andrea Mendoza

Letter from the Editor:

Hello 08071! Oh summer, you are here! Are you ready for those cookouts and/or amusement parks? I sure am! And I am excited for you to check out our Summer edition magazine dedicated to the lifestyle and community of Pitman.

Kathy Chang EDITOR

We start our issue with a look at the “high priestess of punk poetry,” Patti Smith’s journey from New Jersey to the forefront of the punk rock scene with her debut album release of “Horses” in the 1970s includes Pitman. She is a 1964 graduate of Deptford High School who lived at a time in an apartment building in Pitman Grove and Woodbury Gardens as a youngster. Smith, who is in her late 70s, continues to create through music, poetry and writing books. Her journey has been displayed at Gloucester County Historical Society’s Museum’s “Movers, Shakers, and History Makers” exhibit, which went up in March in celebration of Women’s History Month. Learn all about Smith’s journey starting on page 6.

Next “Splash” at the PaintGround on South Broadway. Have you ever gotten so frustrated that all you wanted to do was throw something at the wall? Well now you can, thanks to the creative genius of Brandie Timmers. The PaintGround encourages kids … and adults, to “get messy and do art,” while

releasing tension and stress and fostering creativity and connection with others. The concept originated as a result of Timmers’ own “ah ha” moment during the pandemic. It began in her basement and has continued in a small storefront on South Broadway. The PaintGround o ers five private splatter suites that people can reserve for their own private groups. Various classes are o ered for kids and families throughout the week, including sensory play groups for kids on the Autism spectrum. Check it all out starting on page 8.

We round out our summer edition with Creative Pitman, which is a community group made of “creatives” dedicated to exploring, enhancing, and enriching the arts and cultural opportunities for the entire community. Since their inception in February 2019, they have come together to do just that from creating a Creative Assets Inventory of Pitman Creatives and hosting Radio Pitman to Pitman Porchfest. The group’s recent mural project at Shertel Park is one example of what they do. Go check out the mural and learn all about the “creatives,” starting on page 11.

Also check out our Planning in Pitman on page 5 for future community events. All of this and more awaits on the pages ahead!

Enjoy!

Kathy Chang Editor

Contributors

Mindy Toran

Andrea Mendoza

Asha Brodie

Planning in Pitman

IT’S ALL IN THE DETAILS. When it comes to your social calendar change is ... not always good. But sometimes it’s inevitable. Check each organization’s website for updated event information.

FOURTH FRIDAY

Uptown Pitman presents Fourth Fridays June 28, July 26, Aug. 23, Sept. 27 – Live music, family fun and games, characters in costume.

THURSDAY, JULY 4

The 43rd annual Pitman Freedom Four Mile Road Race will be held rain or shine.

THE BROADWAY THEATRE OF PITMAN

The historic theatre, which opened in May 1926, is located at 43 S. Broadway. For more information visit www. thebroadwaytheatre.org.

see PLANING page 14

A LOOK AT THE ‘high priestess of punk poetry’

PATTI SMITH HAS TIES TO SOUTH JERSEY

INCLUDING PITMAN

PBy Asha Brodie

atti Smith’s journey from New Jersey to the forefront of the punk rock scene with her debut album release of “Horses” in the 1970s includes Pitman. She is a 1964 graduate of Deptford High School who lived at a time in an apartment building in Pitman Grove and Woodbury Gardens as a youngster.

“This is the era where everybody creates,” she sang proudly in her cover of the Byrds’ song “So You Want to Be a Rock ‘n’ Roll Star.”

Smith, who is in her late 70s, continues to create through music, poetry and writing books. She reached the top of the charts in 1978 with her version of “Because the Night,” written by Bruce Springsteen on her album “Easter” and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 12, 2007.

In her induction by Zach De La Rocha of Rage Against The Machine, she was described as the “high priestess of punk poetry.”

“She sings, screams, howls, chants … so attuned to the moment that anticipating

the next [line] is an impossibility,” said De La Rocha of her song “Gloria.”

“The breath between her words is as powerful as the words themselves and by the end of the song a couple of things were made apparent-punk. Punk seeds had been planted … the culture would be changed forever … .”

Smith in her acceptance speech thanked Record producer Clive Davis.

“When I came to Clive, I was really awkward, arrogant, couldn’t really sing, I had pretty clumsy movements, I had a lot of guts, not a whole lotta talent but he had faith in me and let me go out of the gate ... ,” she said.

Her journey has been displayed at Gloucester County Historical Society’s Museum’s “Movers, Shakers, and History Makers” exhibit, which went up in March in celebration of Women’s History Month.

“Patti has cemented herself in history as a woman whose mission in life is to create art that is not only beauty but shares a deep meaning and support to causes she deeply defends,” explained Jordan Orensky, coordinator at the Gloucester County Historical Society’s (GCHS) Museum in Woodbury.

Photos Courtesy of Gloucester County Historical Society

“Ms. Smith was chosen for our exhibit because of her contributions to the music industry, but her drive to make the world a better place.”

Orensky highlighted Smith’s ties to New Jersey, noting her formative years in Pitman and Deptford.

Smith was born in Chicago, Illinois on Dec. 30, 1946.

“She and her family would move to the East Coast when she was 4 years old,” Orensky noted. “She and her family first moved to Germantown in Philadelphia, then made their way to Pitman and finally settled down in Deptford Township.”

Smith honed her passion for music, art, and performance at Deptford High School where she became involved in participating in her school’s plays and musicals.

On an art scholarship, Smith attended the Glassboro State Teachers College which is now known as the Rowan University. She opted out of college after a brief attendance and moved to New York to pursue her music career within the growing punk rock movement.

The positive response from the museum’s guests who attended the exhibit solidified that Smith’s inclusion served as a source of pride for the community.

“Many of our guests who have come to view our ‘Movers, Shakers, and History Makers’ exhibit have been very surprised to learn that Patti is a native of Gloucester County,” Orensky shared. “A few even recounted her early performances while she was in school.

“One guest even reminisced about meeting Ms. Smith when she was invited by Rowan University and awarded an honorary degree in 2008.”

The selection process for the exhibit involved intensive research on over a dozen women who contributed to shaping Gloucester County’s history and legacy.

“These women have stepped up to the plate, with a vision to make the world around them better than when they first found it,” Orensky said. “They are testaments to all women that they can achieve their goals and aspirations but also exceed them as well.

“Here at GCHS, we are proud and honored to share their stories and invite all to learn more about these extraordinary women.”— 08071

info@heathersdogwalkingservices.com

856-716-1159

www.heathersdogwalkingservices.com Pitman, NJ

Spl h!

THE PAINTGROUND OFFERS SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE, FOSTERS CREATIVITY THROUGH CHAOS

Mindy Toran

Spl h!

Have you ever gotten so frustrated that all you wanted to do was throw something at the wall?

Well now you can, thanks to the creative genius of Brandie Timmers, founder of The PaintGround on South Broadway.

The PaintGround encourages kids … and adults, to “get messy and do art,” while releasing tension and stress and fostering creativity and connection with others. The concept originated as a result of Timmers’ own “ah ha” moment during the pandemic.

“I was painting a mural in my basement when I received news that filled me with rage,” she recalls. “I had just painted all of the walls white, and I hurled a can of paint across the room.

SPLASH!

“Color spread all over the wall. I hurled another one. The release felt so good!”

At the time, Timmers’ kids were struggling with their own mental health issues, due to being isolated from their peers, trying to navigate school online and other challenges that arose during the pandemic.

“I decided to create a space in the basement where my kids could decompress and get their frustrations out in a safe way,” she said. “They could throw paint at the wall

and get messy and get everything out of their system. Eventually, they began taking their friends down there and we started calling it the paint ground, like a playground with paint for the kids.”

Like her children’s friends, Timmers’ friends began coming over as well and soon they were having black light painting parties with glow-in-the dark paint that everyone loved. It was then that the light bulb went o and she thought, why not expand the concept beyond her basement.

“I decided to invest in myself,” she said. “I believed I had something good here that would benefit others and began meditating on what a business would look like if I built out my basement for the public to experience. I knew there were other splatter paint businesses that existed, but I wanted to give people the opportunity to have a family connection in a more private space.”

Timmers found the perfect location in a small storefront on South Broadway in Pitman that now o ers five private splatter suites that people can reserve for their own private groups. Various classes are o ered for kids and families throughout the week, in addition to date nights and adult painting parties, kids’ birthday parties, corporate events, and sensory play groups for kids on the Autism spectrum.

“WE TRY TO TAKE EVERYTHING INTO CONSIDERATION AND CREATE A WORLD THAT SUPPORTS WHATEVER THE KIDS NEED”

Photos by Andrea Mendoza

The PaintGround offers something for everyone. It creates a safe space for sensory seeking kids on the Autism spectrum.

Pitman ‘creatives’ making art more attainable to everyone

MURAL PROJECT AT SHERTEL PARK IS ONE EXAMPLE

By Kathy Chang

Creative Pitman is a community group made of “creatives” dedicated to exploring, enhancing, and enriching the arts and cultural opportunities for the entire community.

And boy have they come together to do just that since their inception in February 2019. Look at these highlights o ered by Jeannette Shainline, chair of the community group.

• Created a Creative Assets Inventory of Pitman Creatives, 2019;

• Radio Pitman: Virtual Concerts during COVID, Spring 2020;

• Donated over 400 “art supply kits” to Pitman students during remote learning, December 2021;

• Collaborated with Words Matter Bookstore to provide an assortment of new art books and materials to McCowan Memorial Library, January 2021;

• Assisted at Pitman School’s Arts Fest 2023;

• Interactive Painting at Pride in Pitman 2021-2023;

• Write to Rhythm, Drum Circle - a collaboration with Pitman Writers Guild and the Lighthouse Community Center, June 2023; and

• Pitman Porchfest, November 2023.

Creative Pitman has about 15 members give or take that volunteer their time throughout the year.

“There is a strong group of about four to five members who have been clutch in making the events that we have done run smoothly,” Shainline said.

Creative Pitman was formed out of the Sustainable New Jersey certification initiatives. The Creative Assets Inventory of Pitman began as a project assigned to Dani

Cooke and Michael Shaw at a Green Team meeting.

“It quickly became apparent it was going to require an entire focused team of local creatives to fulfill each aspect of the very detailed, and amazing, program put forth by Sustainable New Jersey,” Shainline recalled.

“Creative Pitman first met at the former Pitman Gallery and Art Center, a much beloved hub for the arts in Pitman that sadly closed in the early days of the COVID pandemic.”

A Creative Assets Inventory, or CAI, typically includes information on local artists, cultural activities and events, buildings/venues, and arts and community organizations, but can also include resources like parks, local historic buildings, and restaurants that fit within the greater cultural context of the community, according to Sustainable Jersey.

Inventorying creative assets involves a process of collecting, recording, analyzing and synthesizing information in order to describe the cultural resources, networks, links and cultural patterns of usage of a given community or group. A more comprehensive creative asset mapping initiative can provide a deep understanding of the key networks and cultural attitudes that shape the community and indicate gaps that require further investment.

NEXT UP – COMMUNITY MURAL PROJECT

Shainline was recruited at the infancy of Creative Pitman by Cooke, one of the founding members.

“They knew I had experience with doing murals and I am an art educator,” she said, noting that although she is not a founding member, she has been with Creative Pitman

see CREATIVES page 12

Photos Courtesy of Creative Pitman

CREATIVES 08071 from page 11 for “most of the journey so far.” “I have a passion for the arts and am excited to help make the arts more accessible for the community and to bring together Pitman Creatives.”

One of Creative Pitman’s goals is to bring more public arts into town.

“We also want to bring the community together and make the arts more attainable to everyone,” Shainline said.

The organization is working on a community mural project, which “has been in the works for quite some time.”

On Sunday, May 26, community members of all ages signed up to add to the mural at Shertel Park at Lincoln and Laurel avenues.

“Some parts of the mural were already outlined but painters were also able to use a template or freehand their own contribution based on their comfort level,” Shainline said.

Creative Pitman had artists and art educators as well as the Mural artist, Dave Knauer, assisting the painters, which kept everything running smoothly and kept it organized.

Knauer is a local painter and tattoo artist at Mythic Ink Tattoo & Body Piercing. He did a collaboration mural last year behind Chloe’s Crème Pu s during the Halloween season.

As painters worked on the mural, they were able to enjoy music, games and there was sidewalk chalk for the kids. Donations from local businesses, PaintGround, MAJ Painting and Alaura Kitchen Homemade Ice Cream helped make the event a success.

“We hope to continue to host these types of community events in the future,” Shainline said.

Along with the community mural, Creative Pitman presented “Unplugged” musical performances at the Spring Craft Show in Ballard Park and participated in Pitman School’s Art Fest in May.

On June 8, Creative Pitman will present interactive painting at Pride in Pitman and a date for the Fall Porchfest is yet to be determined. — 08071

For more information about Creative Pitman’s Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/creativepitman

SPLASH 08071 from page 13

“My son is autistic and is a sensory seeker,” she said. “Sensory seeking children are often told ‘no, stop and don’t’ because they make messes in our lives and it becomes uncomfortable to us. They often want to experience things with their senses that aren’t healthy for them.

“The PaintGround gives them a safe, non-toxic place to do that, with very little control from us. They can get paint on the floor, the walls, the tables, and have control over what they’re doing, which is really important to them.”

The PaintGround is designed to o er an inclusive and accessible experience for all. All the tables and bathrooms are handicap accessible, doors are wide enough to accommodate wheelchairs and mobile scooters, and noise levels and lighting can be adjusted as needed.

“We’re very accommodating,” says Timmers. “If a parent tells me their kid is noise sensitive, we’ll schedule them at a time when nobody else is here so they don’t have to listen to the blow dryers that we use to dry the paint. Our rooms can go from being black-lit to having the lights turned on with the flick of a switch.

“We try to take everything into consideration and create a world that supports whatever the kids need,” she continued. “We tend to focus a lot on the autistic kids because they need a place to be, but we also o er a really cool space for kids and adults to be creative and get out some of their frustrations.”

The studio o ers weekly Paint N Play groups, where kids can get together and make new friends while creating art; a Paint N Sensory Play group for kids ages 3 and under; a Homeschool Art Club for kids of all ages; a Paint N Sensory Play group with glow paint for older kids; and an ARTism Play Group for sensory seeking kids on the Autism spectrum.

“Our ARTism Play Group tries to match kids up with other peers so they can make friends, which they don’t often have the opportunity to do in less inclusive environments,” says Timmers. “Parents bring their kids back over and over again because they feel supported here.”

In April, The PaintGround held its first ARTism Show, an open mic night and

art show for kids on the spectrum, which it plans to continue in the future. In addition, it holds open mic nights for anyone to attend on the first Saturday and the last Thursday of every month.

“The reception to this concept has been fantastic so far,” says Timmers. “I couldn’t have done this without the help of my partner, Michael O’Leary, who did all of the work in the background and assisted in getting our operations up and running.

“The Pitman community has been so welcoming, including the Chamber of Commerce, Creative Pitman and the many other local business owners who have been so supportive,” she added. “We’re so grateful that we picked Pitman for our location and look forward to continuing to serve families in the Pitman community and beyond.” — 08071

For more information on The PaintGround visit www.paintground.art or email paintgroundarts@gmail.com

Dr. Joseph P. DiRenzo Jr. | Dr. Marc Matozzo | Kimberly English NP

Ray Kratz Kratz Financial Services

PLANNING 08071 from page 5

Main Stage:

July 5-28 – The Prom The Musical

Sept. 6-29 – 9 TO 5 The Musical Oct. 25 to Nov. 17 – Kinky Boots

Upcoming Shows: Through June 2 – The Calamari Sisters Sausagefest

June 15 – Van Halen Nation

June 20 – Italian Comedy Night with Mike Marino from The Tonight Show

June 22 – Let’s Hang ON Aug. 8 – Ladies Comedy Night with Kira Soltanovich from The Tonight Show

Aug. 10 – The British Invasion Experience LIVE!

Aug. 17 – Separate Ways, a Tribute to Journey

Oct. 6 – The Rat Pack Together Again!

Oct. 10 – Psychic Standup with Karen Rontowski from Comedy Central

Oct. 11 – 4 Foreigner Tribute and Peace of Mind Boston Tribute

Oct. 12 – Winslow, An Evening of the Eagles

Oct. 13 – An Afternoon with The Duprees

Nov. 29 to Dec. 1 – The Bronx Wanderers Returns to Broadway!

SATURDAY, SEPT. 21

The Lori Poisker Memorial Pitman Fall Craft Show will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Rain date is Sunday, Sept. 22.

a Pitman for Everybody.

A BRIEF CONVERSATION WITH DEBBY GUARNI & CHRIS MOROZIN

The Pitman Democratic Party recently announced that Debby Guarni and Chris Morozin are running for Pitman Borough Council. Learn a little more about them and why they’re running to make 08071 a Pitman for Everybody in this brief interview.

Q: What can you tell readers of 08071 about yourselves?

Debby: My late husband, Bob, and I proudly raised our children Rob (PHS 2006) and Megan (PHS 2009) on Crafton Avenue here in Pitman. I know firsthand how special Pitman is when raising a family.

A graduate of Pitman High School (PHS 1977), myself, I’m now retired after many years of working with children at both Weekday Nursery School and in our Pitman School District.

Chris: There is a magic about Pitman that everyone who visits can sense. Six years ago, during the Pitman Potter Festival, I asked my best friend to marry me in front of McCowan Memorial Library in Ballard Park We chose to set our roots in Pitman and started our family here.

We’re now the proud parents of two boys. It’s important to me that they grow up appreciating all of the things that make Pitman a special place. Hopefully they’ll choose to raise their families here as well. My brother and parents also live in Pitman, and there's nothing quite like gathering for Sunday dinners at my mom ' s house on Lake Avenue to make new memories every week

Q: What is your “this is my hometown moment” when thinking about Pitman?

Debby: I’ve had many “my hometown” moments and memories here in Pitman, but I’m going to choose the most recent one.

Last year’s first annual Porch Fest was one of those beautiful sunny days that encompass everything I love about my Pitman. As I wandered about town listening to great music and greeting so many friends on front lawns, in backyard beer gardens, and on beautiful wrap around porches, I was reminded just how special it is to live in Pitman!

Chris: I am fortunate enough to experience this moment every year at the end of the Santa Parade. There is nothing quite like the experience of coming together with hundreds of Pitman families in the center of Ballard Park to count down and light the Christmas Tree at the end of the parade. It feels like a movie!

Over the course of the next several months, Debby & Chris are excited to meet their Pitman neighbors - discussing why they’re running for Pitman Borough Council, talking about their qualifications for office, and sharing their vision of a Pitman for Everybody!

For more information about Debby and Chris or to get in touch with them, visit www.PitmanDemocraticParty.com