Author’s Note: I do my absolute, honest best to write stories that are true and endearing to the human heart. This story is very precious to me, in that it is the story of the love that brought my paternal grandparents together.
From September of 1965 till the late Summer of 1966, my feet never touched the ground as I battled a most serious case of Rheumatic
My grandfather was a very shy man. However, the good Lord graced him with the gift of story telling. Grandpa had this uncanny talent to use his voice flexion, to animate his hands, and to use his facial expressions to hold me spellbound as he spun his yarns of a time, long since past.
One of Grandpa’s favorite stories to tell was about the Valentine’s Day of 1915. Grandpa was 21 years old and Grandma was 18. It is a story unto itself, but Grandma’s parents, David and Catherine Storms, moved to Beavertown, just across the street from the old Mabey Homestead, in 1914. Grandpa was friendly with the Storms family. And, on the Valentine’s Day of 1915, Grandpa finally got the nerve to as Grandma for a date.
From Grandma’s point of view, I had learned that Grandma’s father did not
Fever. Like clockwork, my grandparents, Watson and Bertha Mabey would come to visit me in my bedroom every Tuesday and Thursday. It is during these endearing visits with my grandparents that Grandpa told me many, many stories of his youth and of his remembrances of life along the old Morris Canal. This very story was one of those true-life tales that Grandpa told me, all those years ago.
fully approve of Watson taking his daughter for a date. You see, Grandpa rode his Indian motorcycle across Route 202 and knocked on the door of the Storms Homestead and asked to see Bertha. According to Grandma, it was her father who answered the door and when he saw Grandpa’s motorcycle in the back driveway, he was very concerned about Watson being too wild and reckless for his beloved daughter.
Grandpa often told me, with a big smile on his face, how he remembered sitting on the bench just outside the backdoor of the old Storms Homestead. “I remember your Grandma and her father had a bit of a discussion whether or not your Grandma was going to be allowed to go for a motorcycle ride with me,” Grandpa would tell me. Then Grandma would interrupt Grandpa and say to me, “but I finally convinced Pop to let
me take that motorcycle ride with your Grandpa!”
In May of 1916, my grandfather got the courage to ask his beloved Bertha to marry him. She said yes. They got married the very next month. Together my grandparents had nine children, 15 grandchildren, 19 great grandchildren, and 16 great great grandchildren.
In memory, I return to those wonderful and magical times of watching and listening to Grandpa tell his stories of the remembrances of his life as a young man. I do my best to be true to bring his stories back to life, to honor the beloved patriarch. I loved my grandfather all so very much. In many ways, he taught me a lot about the fine art of storytelling. I dearly miss him.
Richard Mabey Jr. is a freelance writer. He can be reached at richardmabeyjr@ hotmail.com.
This term is widely applied in dentistry and can mean a lot of different things to different people. This article is focusing on dental implants, specifically when all the teeth in the upper jaw, lower jaw, or both are replaced with dental implants.
For some people, there comes a point when they say to themselves, “OK, its time I did something with my teeth.” Reasons
for this epiphany can vary greatly, and might include: frustration with constant pain, bleeding gums, a smile that they are ashamed of, inability to chew and eat, or dentures they just can’t wear.
Dental implants can help with all of these issues. They can provide comfort, stability, increased chewing efficiency, and improved self-esteem. Overall health improvement is another result reported by people soon after implant treatment is completed.
that these are temporary teeth: the final teeth will be fabricated approximately 4 to 6 months later.
Dental implant treatment options can vary greatly: 2 to 6 implants can be placed to stabilize a denture, individual implants can be placed to replace missing teeth, 4 to 6 implants can be utilized to support a removable denture called an overdenture, or permanent teeth can be placed onto these 4 to 6 implants.
This last option goes by many names: Teeth In One Day, All-On-Four®, Same Day Smile, and the list goes on and on. The process includes removal of any remaining teeth, 4 to 6 implants are placed, and teeth are attached to the implants. These 3 steps are performed in one appointment, so the patient is able to leave the dental office with a new smile the same day! It truly can be life-altering for some people: we see it time and time again. It should be noted
These Teeth In A Day processes have revolutionized implant dentistry. Although more expensive than dentures, it is less expensive than traditional full-mouth implant reconstruction. Costly and timeconsuming grafting is usually avoided. Furthermore, pain levels are significantly decreased. The overall number of visits to the dentist is drastically reduced, too.
all treatment is performed in one location: there is no bouncing between offices. In fact, Dr. Goldberg performs so many of these procedures he has built a surgical suite within his practice in order to deliver exceptional implant care to his patients.
Its important to understand not everyone needs this advanced implant procedure. It may be appropriate when all remaining teeth require removal, but oftentimes people leave my office after a consultation with a list of other options that help to save their teeth!
To learn more about Teeth In One Day, please visit the special videos Dr. Goldberg has created. Click on the red tab on the right side of his website at MorrisCountyDentist. com and view as many of these educational videos as you’d like. Feel free to also call his office for a free consultation.
Who should perform dental implant procedures? Only well-qualified dentists who have had extensive training in implant dentistry, and specifically these full-mouth implant procedures. Dr. Goldberg has been performing these procedures for almost 30 years! He also teaches these techniques to other doctors learning to become proficient with dental implants and full mouth procedures.
At Morris County Dental Associates,
About the author: Dr. Ira Goldberg has been performing implant procedures for 28 years. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Oral Implantology / Implant Dentistry, a Diplomate of the International Congress of Oral Implantologists, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Implant Dentistry. He performs all phases of implant dentistry at his office in Succasunna, NJ. He lectures to dentists in the field of implantology. For a free consultation, including a free 3-D scan (if necessary), please call his office at 973-328-1225 or visit his website at www.MorrisCountyDentist. com Dr. Goldberg is a general dentist, and also a Fellow of the Academy of General Dentistry.
Dr. Goldberg is a general dentist with credentials in multiple organizations. Please visit his website
Dr. Goldberg is a leading expert on dental implants. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Oral Implantology/Implant Dentistry, which is a degree held by only 1% of dentists worldwide. Whether you require a single implant or complex full-mouth rehabilitation, a free consultation with Dr. Goldberg should be considered.
Dr. Goldberg treats entire families, from toddlers to seniors. Services include cleanings, check-ups, fillings, Invisalign, dentures, cosmetics, and more! He and his staff enjoy the long-term relationships they build with their patients.
Dr. Goldberg treats entire families, from toddlers to seniors. Services dentures, cosmetics, and more! He and his staff enjoy the long-term
Matthews is pursuing her passion for opera following her 2018 graduation. Her calling as a classical singer was born in New Jersey, fostered on the West Coast, and is being honed in the Rockies, where she is a vocal performance student at Colorado State University.
Amity was initially drawn to Loyola Marymount for the energetic life of the city and the beautiful weather.
“When I first visited LMU, I immediately fell in love. Aside from being gorgeous, the campus felt like the perfect place for me. I looked around at the students I saw and could really see myself as one of them,” Amity said.
Loyola Marymount’s enrollment, slightly over 6,500 students, was another factor in her college choice. “Coming from a smaller private school, I really valued the small class sizes and wanted to find a university that would treat me the same way, Amity said. “The music department at LMU was very small, but that meant that I had a great relationship with all my professors, always had someone to turn to with questions, and had a much more individualized education.”
Classical singers develop their own career pathways, some begin auditioning for roles immediately after graduating college, and others choose to attend graduate school. “I chose to pursue a master’s in vocal performance at Colorado State University because I knew that I needed more work on all aspects of my technique,” Amity said. “Our singing voices
continue to mature as we age, so my voice right now at 22 won’t sound the same at 32.”
Preparation as a classical singer is multifaceted and encompasses specialized techniques like breathing, knowledge of foreign languages, pronunciations, and physical performance movements, all part of her graduate program. “I knew the extra two years of vocal training would benefit me. In addition, I get to take two more years of different languages, opera history courses, song literature classes, and perform in various operas, all of which allow me to further hone the areas of my skill,” Amity said. “Having two more years of school and a higher education degree will help me feel more confident when I start my performance career.”
The young singer believes an important element to a good performance is a
technique, that pairs with breathing. “Knowing how to properly breathe, support, and sing each piece means I’ll be less likely to strain my voice and injure my vocal cords,” Amity said. “This takes a lot of time, even for someone like me who’s been doing this for a few years.”
Another element of a good performance is the lyrics and their pronunciation. “I also spend lots of time going over the lyrics and their meanings,” Amity said. “ I sing mainly in English, German, Italian, and French but I’m only fluent in one of those, which means I have to spend extra time working on my pronunciations in order to properly sing each word.”
Opera singers also practice acclimating to the proper attire for each role. “I also focus on performance practice, which means continued on page 6
Chronic fatigue immunodeficiency syndrome (CFIS) also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) is a disabling and poorly understood illness that is becoming more widespread in Western countries. CFIS is a term used to describe a myriad of neurological, neuromuscular, and immunological abnormalities. The initial onset of CFIS consists of flu-like symptoms including fever, sore throat, tender lymph nodes, chills and extreme fatigue. The chronic manifestations of CFIS always include disabling fatigue but can also include muscle and joint pain, sleep disorders, headaches, hypo- or hypersensitivities, cognitive disorders, depression, malaise, anxiety, irritability, confusion, weight fluctuations, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, muscle fatigue, worsening PMS, visual disturbances, tachycardia, paresthesias, dry eyes, dry mouth, night sweats, skin rashes and decreased sexual desire.
The etiology of CFIS is still unknown, but the suspected cause is a viral infection. Some researchers believe that CFIS is actually a neurological response to a viral infection. Since there are no absolute markers or lab tests to confirm the illness, chronic fatigue immunodeficiency syndrome is often diagnosed by symptoms alone and by process of elimination. For the same reasons, western medicine has no treatment for chronic
fatigue. Instead, doctors prescribe individual medications to deal with each of the associated symptoms.
As with any illness, traditional Chinese medicine treats the individual on a case- bycase basis. A diagnosis is made based on the individual’s symptoms as well as their tongue and pulse presentations. The patient’s tongue is inspected and 6 pulses are felt on each wrist in order for the Acupuncturist/ Chinese Medical Practitioner to determine the diagnosis. Since chronic fatigue manifests differently in each person, this method of diagnosing is superior. The treatment plan is then formulated based on the individual’s diagnosis. As you can see in the chart- one Acupuncture treatment plan will address all of the individual’s symptoms as well as the illness as a whole. This is known as a root and branch treatment. Addressing the root cause of the chronic fatigue is addressing the illness as a whole while treating the branch aims to relieve all of the symptoms associated with the illness. A single Chinese herbal formula can also be prescribed to treat both the root and branch of the chronic fatigue syndrome.
For more information about Acupuncture and Chronic Fatigue Immunodeficiency Syndrome, call Kearstin R. Tripi, L.Ac at Mt. Olive Acupuncture & Wellness 973-527-7978.
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practicing singing in my heels and dresses,” Amity said. “I work on my entrances, exits, how to carry myself onstage, and how to act during each of my pieces to name a few.”
By enrolling in a graduate program
Amity has an abundance of resources at her disposal. “I spend time each week working with various faculty members, including my voice teacher, however, most of the time I’m practicing on my own,” Amity said. “We have access to individual practice rooms at CSU, so I spend a lot of time just learning my pieces on my own in front of the piano.”
A favorite method of practice for Amity is, “silent practice”, which is practicing without singing. “This is the time I use to study my music, work on my language, listen to accompaniment tracks and mentally follow along in the score, and most importantly work on my memorization,” Amity said. “This practice combination has really been key for me personally, and I love having a solid routine to rely on.”
The feedback she receives allows her to understand there’s always something else to work on and that improvement is a process guided by quality mentors. “My voice teacher is amazing at giving me helpful corrections without making me
feel upset in myself, and on the occasion that I do become dejected, she helps lift me with encouragement,” Amity said. “At my age and in this program, I do have a lot of experience singing classically already so discussions with my voice teacher feel very collaborative; having this type of comfort and respect with my professor has been wonderful for me.”
Her primary collaborators include her voice teacher, the department coach, and her assigned accompanist. “I work with these three on a weekly basis, which really helps solidify me in my learning each week,” Amity said. “I have one voice lesson a week where I work with my amazing voice teacher, one weekly session where I work with a different vocal coach on my language and technique, and one practice session per week with my assigned accompanist,”
Her demanding schedule includes time to work with the faculty when needed. “I go to my diction professor to ask languagerelated questions which in turn help me in my other lessons,” Amity said. “ Having a solid academic support system is crucial to success, and I’m very lucky to have that.”
Amity has three hours per week of practice time built into her class schedule, additional practice time is up to her. “I try
to spend at least an additional five hours a week at the absolute minimum practicing on my own time- this includes silent practice,” Amity said. “I establish a practice schedule around my classes, taking into account what practice sessions I already have built into my schedule and then add on individual practice times.”
She is careful to create balance in her life by taking time away from the hard work she puts into honing her craft. “I practice for however long I can- sometimes I’ll warm
up and sing for an hour straight, other times I’ll take 15 minutes in between classes and study my music,” Amity said. “ It’s really easy to get burned out and start to feel very tired, so properly pacing myself helps keep me feeling good. I also make a point to leave at least one day a week when I don’t sing at all! It all comes back to not feeling burned out and for me, this means taking one day to do whatever I want and not having to worry about singing.”
Valentine’s Day is a bright light in the middle of the winter . Come February 14, sweethearts celebrate their love and affection for one another on this day devoted to happy couples.
The origin of Valentine’s Day has generated much speculation over the years. Most early accounts do not point to heart-shaped boxes filled with chocolates. Rather, a few distinctive tales may paint the picture of early Valentine’s Day, and they have nothing to do with stuffed animals or romantic dinners.
Roman festival
One of the earliest records of the term Valentine’s Day is traced to the Roman festival of Lupercalia, which was a fertility festival. This annual event held on February 15 included animal sacrifices and priests called the Luperci who would take pieces of animal hide and touch it to the foreheads of women in the hopes it would make them more fertile. Fortunately for the squeamish (and the sacrificial animals), Pope Gelasius I ended Lupercalia and replaced it with St. Valentine’s Day by the end of the fifth century.
Two or three St. Valentines?
Most people attribute the origins of Valentine’s Day to the holiday’s namesake, St. Valentine. But it seems that Valentine was the surname of a few different
individuals. According to History.com, the Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus. One Valentine was a priest during the reign of Emperor Claudius II, who decided that single men made better soldiers than those with families or wives. Claudius outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine disagreed with the decree and would perform marriages in secret. Others believe it was St. Valentine of Terni, a bishop beheaded by Claudius II outside of Rome, who was the true namesake.
Yet another Valentine may have been jailed and fell in love with a jailer’s daughter while in prison. He purportedly wrote to her, beginning the first Valentine card or letter tradition. Other stories say the imprisoned Valentine actually was writing to a blind woman he purportedly healed, and signed the note “from your Valentine.”
It is hard to know who is who in regard to the name Valentine, as the stories and the people behind them are used interchangeably. Some historians believe they actually are the same person rather than several Valentines, while others insist there were multiple martyred individuals. However you slice it, the defiant actions of one or more people named “Valentine” set the course for centuries of romance to follow.
For Those Guys, the local Long Valley Robotics Team; Jeffrey Jiang, Bailor Tumminelli, Tyler Kometani, Jack Sciortino, Rameen Iftikhar and Gabby Flynn — participating in FIRST is not just a passion but a way of life.
“It’s a cool community, uplifting; Gracious Professionalism is part of the ethos of FIRST that encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value of others and respects individuals,” says Tyler Kometani.
They are all students at West Morris Central except for Iftikhar, who attends Denville’s Morris County School of Technology. And Team 10096 are the best of friends.
According to Jeffrey Jiang, being at the forefront of robotics and this type of technology early on makes a real difference.
The FIRST program makes an impact.
“It provides an opportunity to showcase your STEM abilities that you can’t do in school,” Jiang says. “Helps with the college admissions process — to have more experience when we look for a job.”
Rameen Iftikhar knew she had an interest in STEM and getting involved with FIRST allowed her a firsthand look and to meet new people.
“I was able to go to these competitions and expand my creativity when it comes to creating our robot. It also helped me adapt to different situations. It’s exciting,” the 17-yearold says it inspired her to join the organization.
Another way Iftikhar says she could connect the next generation with STEM is as a competition judge, and girls in STEM (another branch of FTC) have monthly STEM girls meetings.
“I think I’m breaking barriers because when I joined FIRST
I was the only girl on the robotics team. Even when I went to competitions, there weren’t many girls in FTC,” says Iftikhar. “As I progressed I saw more girls join and when I went to our summer boot camps young girls came up to me and felt like they could do this as well.”
Although the team is a little smaller and their robot may not always look the best, Kometani says it always performs well and catches people off guard. “It’s interesting to see how people react.”
The most rewarding part of this journey, according to Jack Sciortino, is it coming together — and playing out.
“The hard work we put into it and at the competitions scored pretty high on the leaderboard,” says Kometani. “We’re proud of that and it’s fulfilling (to think) we built this good robot, saw everything come together and had good results from it.”
That’s even after overcoming obstacles, he says, including the robot breaking in the middle of competitions.
“During outreach we’ve had the robot break,” the 17-year-old says. “It’s fixing the robot as quickly as we can. And (handling) being on our feet all the time and ready.”
And Jiang says the lift breaks a lot — it’s pretty complicated.
“There’s a string and it lifts up this apparatus that can grab the cones,” he says they spend so much time on it; it’s a passion.
Kometani says at the beginning of each season they sketch what they want to do and all happen to have the same vision.
“We wanted something to lift it up. We decided to use a pulley because it was the quickest, and cheaper compared to other options,” the 17-year-old says their decision came down to the efficiency and how easy it was to put together.
“It ended up working the best.”
This year they ended up building the drivetrain with mecanum wheels, sizing it so it would be smaller and it was a unique design, according to Kometani.
A lot goes into building and conceptualizing this.
The team says they meet two or three times a week,
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and are constantly building and coding — improving the robot in every way they can.
“That way we’re able to add a lot of precision into the robot,” says Kometani. “We also have two functions to drive the robot with the controllers and manually lower and raise the lift to be more precise.”
Team 10096’s greatest accomplishment is outreach and Jack Sciortino says they are proud of what they’ve been able to do for the community.
They toured Magna-Power and their facility, heard how they create their product and robotics is active in their industry.
“It was good to have perspective because it helped us learn more. And we went to a number of camps,” Sciortino says that’s where they would promote STEM to young thinkers and inspire them to pursue the field.
The team is sponsored by Picatinny Arsenal and Long Valley Junior Women’s Club.
With several graduating seniors on the team, Jiang says they’re probably going to need to take over the team next year and they prefer to keep things small.
“It’s better to have division of labor more effectively with a smaller group,” he says.
Adds Iftikhar: “With hard work and passion from the mentor and dedicated
students; it can go pretty far. Maybe in the future we could make it to Worlds, which would be a huge achievement.”
The gifted group is already looking down the road.
Sciortino is interested in computer programming; maybe cybersecurity and enjoys robotics.
Iftikhar plans on majoring in biology and following a pre-med track. “I want to be a physician, possibly a pediatrician. It’s not super related to robotics but plays a huge role in the healthcare industry.”
Jiang has his eye on STEM (aerospace engineering). “It would be cool to make robots go into space and do stuff on their own,” he says. “That would be my dream job after college.”
Kometani is also applying for aerospace engineering, as well as electrical engineering because he says aerospace is a competitive field. “I want to see what’s out there and maybe intern.”
According to Tracy Kometani, she is impressed with all they have accomplished.
“They’re smart kids, mature for their age and capable of handling themselves in ways I didn’t see teens do when I was younger,” says Tyler’s mom. “And great teammates who pitch in, help each other out. I’m proud of the entire team.”
NAME: Mike Lateiner, DMD, MS
NAME: Ami Dhaduk, DMD
NAME: Denise Kitay, DDS, MMSc
5 members, representing nine clubs in the highlands district of the New Jersey State Federation of Women’s clubs (NJSFWC), participated in a Martin Luther Jr., Day of Service.
Clubs that participated included Boonton, DenvilleRockaway, Hopatcong, Long Valley, Madison, Roxbury, Parsippany, and Washington.
109 pre-designed Kits: Dinner-in-a-Bag, Healthy-LifestyleMeal-Kit, Snow-Day-Meal-Bag, and College-Meal-Kit were
assembled, and an additional 426 extra food items were donated to the Morris County Interfaith food pantry.
Each year, all eight NJSFWC districts in the state participate in the same Day of Service project. Past day of service projects include Covenant House, Embrella and NJ Veteran’s homes.
New Jersey State Federation of Women’s Clubs, founded in 1894, has its Headquarters on the Douglass Residential Campus, in New Brunswick. The college, formerly Douglass
College, was established by NJSFWC in 1918. To learn more about NJSFWC and membership in a local club, visit www. NJSFWC.org or call 732-249-5474.
For more information regarding the General Federation of Women’s Clubs, contact www.GFWC.org. Opportunities are provided for women in education, leadership training, and community service projects through participation in local clubs, enabling members “to make a difference in the lives of others, one project at a time”.
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U.S. Navy
Chen, from Washington, N.J., stands the phone talker watch on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) during a replenishment-at-sea. Nimitz is in U.S. 7th Fleet conducting routine operations.
7th Fleet is the U.S. Navy’s largest forward-
deployed numbered fleet, and routinely interacts and operates with Allies and partners in preserving a free and open IndoPacific region. (U.S. Navy
By Chip M. O’Brien
Howie Liebmann still remembers the moment that changed his view of hiking trails forever.
He was hiking the White Mountains of New Hampshire, a demanding trek in the best conditions, and springtime snowmelt had swallowed many stream crossings. In order to cross, he had to remove his socks and boots, wade through the frigid water, and dry off on the other side before continuing. It was arduous and exhausting.
“And then you come to a spot where there was a bridge built,” Liebmann says. “And you go: wow. Thank God for this bridge. I don’t know who built this bridge, but God bless ‘em.”
It’s a familiar sentiment for the 24 staff members and 2,500 volunteers who power the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference. “They know bridges don’t happen on their own,” says Liebmann, who now leads volunteers in maintaining 75 miles of trails as the NYNJTC’s Northwest New Jersey Trail Chair. “And they want to pay it forward.”
The New York-New Jersey Trail Conference is a nonprofit organization that builds, maintains, and protects about 2,175 total miles of hiking trails from the Delaware Water Gap in northern New Jersey to just north of the Catskills in New York. About 760 of those miles fall within New Jersey, almost all north of Interstate 80.
“Basically, we do work to make sure that the natural areas and trails in our region are accessible and sustainable for another century, for generations to come,” says Ashley Nester, Community Outreach Coordinator for the Trail Conference.
The Trail Conference knows something about sustaining wilderness trails for generations: in 1923, after changing its name from the Palisades Interstate Trail Conference, the organization built the first completed mile of the Appalachian Trail near Bear Mountain, NY.
While the Trail Conference remains focused on building and maintaining hiking trails, as well as publishing famously authoritative trail maps by Sussex County, NJ cartographer Jeremy Apgar, it has also expanded to include conservation and stewardship work that ties to its mission. “It’s great if we have someone building a trail, but what about the natural areas around those trails?” Nester says. “You can’t really have a healthy trail system without a healthy forest for it to thrive in.”
On the local level, the Trail Conference’s work in NJ focuses primarily on three tasks: erosion mitigation, management of invasive plants, and trail upkeep and signage. All three have increased in importance as more people have turned to local trails for recreation and relaxation since COVID: Nester notes that the Conference’s most popular trailheads each saw about 20,000 users in 2022 alone.
The battle against erosion has become increasingly challenging thanks to changing conditions: more intense summertime heat, followed by intense storms with heavy, eroding rain. “It has forced the Conference, particularly our trail builders, to think a lot more creatively about what a sustainable trail looks like,” says Zachary Cole, Long Distance Trail Coordinator for the Conference. Trail crews can deploy an arsenal of tools to control water flow and erosion: water
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bars, check dams, puncheon (a low plank bridge), and puncheon’s big brother: the much-beloved bridge.
Though erosion presents a constant challenge, many parks suffer from an even more aggressive enemy. “The biggest problem here is probably the proliferation of invasive botanical species,” says Bob Jonas, currently CoSupervisor of Morristown National Historical Park alongside his wife, Estelle Anderson. Invasives choked the trails when they first arrived as Co-Chairs of the Central North Jersey Committee in 2008. A three-year concerted effort helped fight back the worst of it, ensuring wider trails and reduced regrowth. “They’re very prolific,” he says. “So it’s a constant job, really.”
The Conference focuses on about a dozen particularly aggressive invasive species in NJ, including barberry, Japanese stiltgrass, and multiflora rose.
Training is also a major component of the Conference’s work: they offer rigorous apprenticeship programs for their certified sawyers as well as practical training and experience for their Conservation Corps members. “We’re really training the next generation of environmental conservationists and leaders,” Nester, the Community Outreach Coordinator, says.
All of this work is accomplished in partnership with federal, state, local, and private entities, as the Trail Conference doesn’t own any land itself and must seek permission from land managers in order to service the trails.
In the case of long distance trails, this might require conversation with literally dozens of land owners. The
Conference serves three long-distance trails: the NYNJ section of the Appalachian Trail, which it maintains alongside the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, and two trails that it designs and leads: the 358-mile Long Path and the 180-mile Highlands Trail.
The Highlands Trail is of particular importance to NJ because it passes through the federally recognized Highlands Region, which occupies less than 15% of the state while providing over 70% of its population with drinking water. By connecting separately owned pieces of the Highlands Region into one landscape, says Cole, the Long Distance Trail Coordinator, the Highlands Trail helps preserve NJ’s water and air quality while offering opportunities for recreation, as well as justification for preserving individual parcels of natural land.
If certain land is considered historically significant, several entities must approve major maintenance projects before the Conference can proceed. Anderson, CoSupervisor of Morristown National Historical Park, notes the historical importance of the land she maintains: over 7,000 of George Washington’s troops were stationed at Jockey Hollow throughout the terrible winter of 1779-80 during the Revolutionary War. Every pile of rocks “could have been an encampment,” she says. “It could have been a fireplace, it could have been a foundation.”
The result: digging and moving rocks is not permitted in the park without approval from the State Historic Preservation Office, the Tribal Historic Preservation Office, and the Northeast Region Archeology Program. But Anderson and Jonas are undeterred. They’ve made a list of twenty trail signposts that they’d like to replace or service,
as soon as approval and warmer weather arrive.
The Trail Conference enjoys a harmonious relationship with land managers and park staff. As a volunteer-run organization, the conference can perform necessary trail work that parks don’t have the time, personnel, or resources to do themselves. Liebmann, the Northwest NJ Trail Chair, recalls asking one park superintendent for her input about a tricky trail maintenance challenge. Her response: “Why are you asking me? You know the trails better than I do. What do you think?”
“And she’s right,” Liebmann says. “We’re on the trails all the time.”
This speaks to the especially vital role that the NY-NJ Trail Conference fills in NJ: our state allocates insufficient funds to its parks, leading to a lack of resources and park staff that many fear is unsustainable. In April 2022, ecologist Michael Van Clef, Ph.D. released the New Jersey State Lands Management Report assessing NJ’s public lands and resources. Clef depicts a dire picture of NJ’s state parks: the state’s operating budget for parks is one third of Pennsylvania’s and one sixth of New York’s, even as NJ state lands face more environmental pressures due to greater population density. Park staffing has been slashed to bare bone, with only fifteen Park Superintendents assigned to supervise fifty parks, and “invasive species control is virtually absent on park lands” due to a lack of personnel to tackle the job.
In short, NJ parks don’t have enough staff to do the work required to keep trails usable– and without the Trail Conference’s legion of volunteers, there would be no one continued on next page
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to do the work at all. “They probably would just say, okay, close the trail,” Anderson says. “And not just our park… all through the state, if they’re not taken care of. They don’t have the staff to do it.”
Even the Trail Conference’s work is hamstrung in NJ due to a lack of partner funding. Though volunteer-run, the conference’s work depends on lumber and other equipment and materials that must be regularly replaced. Many programs run by the New York side of the Trail Conference, specifically those that hire Americorps volunteers, naturalists, conservation workers, and other professional contractors, rely on state grants that are unavailable in NJ.
One solution presented itself to Anderson and Jonas at Morristown National Historical Park. In April, the Friends of Jockey Hollow formed under its first Executive Director, Leslie Bensley. Its purpose: to help fund maintenance, restoration, and other upgrades for the park’s Jockey Hollow and New Jersey Brigade Areas, including historical structures and trails. With the nation’s 250th anniversary approaching, the task is particularly timely for this heritage site.
“We want to promote the park. We want to protect the environmental... and cultural resources,” says Bensley. “We couldn’t be more pleased to have Bob and Estelle as our leaders because they are some of the most qualified and passionate trail leaders… How lucky are we that this is their park and we get to work with them?”
In his State Lands Management Report, Van Clef recommends creating a similar organization at the statewide level: a nonprofit friends group that could fund public lands projects across NJ. Such a proposal is already in motion. Bill A-594 proposes the creation of the NJ State Parks and Open Space Foundation, an organization that would fulfill this exact purpose. “[NJ parks] are precious jewels in the most densely populated state in the nation, and they must be maintained and protected at all costs,” writes Assemblywoman Shama Haider of District 37, who sponsored the bill. “The entity created with the passing of A-594 would make it easier for private citizens to support our public spaces, something that we should have done a long time ago.”
Assemblyman Alex Sauickie of District 12, a co-sponsor of the bill, agrees. “Parks play a critical role in quality of life and
getting people outdoors, especially postpandemic,” he says. He looks forward to lobbying for the bill and getting more cosponsors, mentioning the nation’s upcoming semiquincentennial as well: “There’s no better time than now, in my opinion, to be really focused on this.”
Bill A-594 currently awaits approval by committee before it can be referred to the state assembly. If the bill passes, the new organization would tie in well with the work of the Trail Conference. “What I think this bill speaks to is that the ones that are getting it done really well, right now, tend to be volunteers,” Sauickie says. The organization’s support would allow the Trail Conference to fund more ambitious projects throughout northern NJ.
In the meantime, as they have for the past hundred years, the volunteers of the Trail Conference continue caring for New Jersey’s trails, their presence largely invisible. “Before I started at the Trail Conference, I truly thought that the parks were the ones that were maintaining trails,” Nester, the Community Outreach Coordinator, says. “And that’s where I get chills because I think it’s so cool that we’re doing that work, and that there’s people out there who are willing to dedicate their
time to keeping our public spaces accessible for us to use.”
“It’s the community looking after community assets,” says Cole, the Long Distance Trail Coordinator. “They have a vision and a creative ability that is just unparalleled… it’s impressive, and it’s incredible.”
“If you saw these guys work…” says Liebmann, the Northwest New Jersey Trail Chair. “These people love doing what they’re doing.”
He remembers one particular project: building a 40-foot pedestrian bridge in Stokes Forest. He watched a crew of volunteer trail maintainers move Class 1 poles, essentially treated telephone poles, into the forest and set them up to form the bridge. “I was utterly in marvel,” he says. “We had thirty people standing on that bridge. You didn’t see that bridge drop an inch. They put a 40-foot bridge up in a day and a half.”
The next day, hikers enjoying Stokes Forest did not need to hop a precarious path across wet stones or wade across a swollen, muddy creek. Someone had built a bridge.
Jillian Risberg
Local author Amy Jensen’s love for her chocolate lab Chuckie spills over into her fourth book, Chuckie Becomes A Big Brother, featuring Bernie the black lab, who she rescued from Cold Nose Warm Heart in Succasunna.
“I had been begging my husband forever to get another dog because Chucky was very social and I felt like he wanted a friend, and my husband was reluctant,” says Jensen. “When Chucky was 13 we got Bernie (from Alabama) and that’s the focus of this book.”
And readers can include a photo of their pet for ‘Friends of Chuckie,’ in the Pawsome Pages on the back of every book, with 20 percent of proceeds ($850 already raised) benefiting Cold Nose Warm Heart.
Jensen lost Chuckie at age 14 in April and decided to write this book after his passing. Her passion for animal rescue runs deep.
“I think it’s changed our lives for the better, especially since Chuckie’s passed now we have Bernie and Norvin and Jovi; so much love in my heart for them. We got Norvin a month before Chuckie passed and they bonded. If Chucky could whisper in his ear — he does so many Chuckie
kinds of things.”
The author hopes her new book gives rescue dogs a chance. Jensen says people tend to shy away because they think they’re going to have problems, but she’s only had wonderful experiences and these dogs deserve a second chance.
According to Jensen, you don’t have to read her books in order, they are stand-alone. Chuckie references his sister’s passing in Chuckie Says Goodbye — but she is no longer a character in the new book.
Chuckie had such a transformative impact on the author’s life.
“He taught me to live in the moment, appreciate everything and speak up for yourself,” Jensen says. “He definitely let me know if there was something he needed.”
Internet sensation Chuckie has 11,000+ followers on Instagram, 4,500 Facebook fans, and 2,800 global TikTok followers.
With all his fame, Jensen says she would also love if Chuckie becomes a cartoon someday. And she wants to connect with school kids to tell them about the process of being an author.
continued from previous page
After creating Chuckie’s social media accounts, she realized just how much he was resonating with people who thought he was hilarious. And it took on a life of its own.
“People all over the world, including the military (stationed in South Africa) said that seeing Chuckie’s page made them smile when they’re away from their family,” Jensen says she feels like it’s helped people. “It was so much bigger than just me sharing my dog’s pictures and videos. I’ve always loved kids, so let me write books that deal with social, emotional issues with kids.”
Jensen is in her 25th year teaching elementary music, now middle school chorus. It all started when the school guidance counselor suggested she write a musical and the kids could perform it. And
the rest is history…
She penned a children’s anti-bullying musical, What’s Your Favorite Color and a comedy play Guess Who’s Coming to Christmas. Amy received the Excellence in Education Recognition Award in 2012.
“But then I’ve always loved dogs, the kind of person that when you ask how I am I’d just talk about my dog,” says the author. “With the Internet you can talk in your dog’s voice and create a whole world around your dog and people will follow you.”
The playwright and music educator has written three children’s books collaborating with illustrator Ulana Zahajkewycz: Chuckie Makes Mistakes (Sometimes), Chuckie Has A Bellyache, and Chuckie Says Goodbye.
For more information, visit chuckiebook. com.
Staying healthy is important yearround, but especially in the cooler months when temperatures drop, people spend more time inside and germs can spread easily. What you eat and the lifestyle you embrace are critical components of staying healthy.
Nourishing meals full of fruits, vegetables, protein-rich foods and whole grains help provide the body’s immune system with the nutrients it needs. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle by getting enough sleep, being physically active every day, having enough fluids and reducing stress also help keep the immune system in shape.
As a nutritious food to include on your grocery list, grapes of all colors – red, green and black – contain more than 1,600 natural plant compounds such as antioxidants and other polyphenols that help protect the health of cells throughout the body. They also contain about 82% water, so they provide important fluids for hydration, which is also critical to a healthy
immune system.
Grapes can be enjoyed as a healthy snack or an immune-boosting ingredient in recipes like Chicken, Spinach and Grape Pita sandwiches and Grape and Salmon Power Salad. Each provides a mix of immune-supporting nutrients, including zinc in chicken, vitamins A and C in kale, polyphenols in grapes and other important nutrients in the salmon, walnuts and barley.
Find these recipes and more in “Eating for Immune Health” along with additional ways to eat healthy and stay well at grapesfromcalifornia.com
Chicken, Spinach and Grape Pita
Servings: 4
2 tablespoons pine nuts
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons minced shallot
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1pinch red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon ground sumac
salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 package (5-6 ounces) fresh baby spinach, washed and dried 1 1/2 cups shredded, cooked chicken (about 8 ounces)
1 cup red California grapes, sliced 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
4 whole-wheat pita breads (6 1/2 inches each), warmed and halved
In small skillet over medium-high heat, toast pine nuts, stirring constantly until toasted, about 5 minutes. Transfer to bowl
continued on next page
continued from previous page
and let cool. In large bowl, whisk lemon juice, shallot, olive oil, red pepper flakes, sumac, salt and pepper. Add spinach, chicken, grapes, feta and pine nuts; toss to mix. Stuff into pita breads and serve.
Nutritional information per serving: 445 calories; 24 g protein; 46 g carbohydrates; 20 g fat (39% calories from fat); 5 g saturated fat (10% calories from saturated fat); 57 mg cholesterol; 658 mg sodium; 6 g fiber.
Grape and Salmon Power Salad
Servings: 6
3/4 cup pearled barley
3 cups firmly packed kale leaves, torn and sliced into ribbons
1 cup halved red or black seedless California grapes
8 ounces cold, cooked salmon, skin and bones removed
1/2 cup walnuts, lightly toasted and coarsely chopped
Dressing:
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 clove garlic, mashed 1/2teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Cook barley according to package directions. Drain and cool.
Tenderize kale by blanching in boiling water 2-3 seconds or microwaving 1 minute. Rinse pieces in cold water to stop cooking; squeeze dry. Fluff and uncrimp dry kale pieces with fingers. In medium bowl, mix barley, kale, grapes, salmon and walnuts.
To make dressing: In small bowl, whisk lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper and cayenne. Gradually mix in olive oil. Pour onto salad and fold gently to combine.
Nutritional information per serving: 413 calories; 15 g protein; 30 g carbohydrates; 16 g fat (47% calories from fat); 3 g saturated fat (8% calories from saturated fat); 22 mg cholesterol; 232 mg sodium; 500 mg potassium; 4 g fiber. (Family Features)
What’s the point of storytelling?
What are stories for?
In early 2020, these questions held dire importance for the nonprofit organization Storytelling Arts, Inc. Before 2020, it had focused on bringing programs about folk tales to schools throughout NJ. Now the pandemic had shut down schools across the state.
Faced with an existential threat, Storytelling Arts questioned its core mission. “We had to ask ourselves, in times of Black Lives Matter and COVID-19, are folktales the most relevant way to use storytelling?” remembers Linda
Helm Krapf, Executive Director
of Storytelling Arts. “Or is it time for us to begin thinking about personal stories?”
The idea for a new direction came from an unexpected source. Krapf’s last flight before the COVID shutdown took her through the Denver Airport, where she spied a Desmond Tutu quote on a poster. It read, “My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together.”
Krapf immediately recognized its relevance. “That told me we all have to get together and listen to one another,” she says. “Because the answers are with all of us together, not separate.”
The idea turned into an online storytelling event conducted over Zoom. Krapf describes the events as tentative, an experiment. Both storytellers and audiences enjoyed the personal stories program. When shutdown regulations receded, the concept reached its full incarnation as the Untold Stories of a Storied People project.
Phase One of the project began last year. A total of eight storytellers gathered from four NJ communities, Jersey City, Morristown, New Brunswick, and Trenton, to prepare for in-person performances. The project focused on people with profound life experiences whose stories had not been heard so those stories could be elevated and amplified.
One of those storytellers was Ron Ritzie,
a lifelong resident of Morristown who has watched his childhood community change over the years. An accomplished artist, painter, and muralist, Ritzie had not yet committed his own story to words. The Untold Stories project and its training workshops gave him the opportunity to craft his story creatively, during a summer when many of his childhood haunts were being destroyed for new construction.
“It became a cathartic process,” Ritzie remembers. “I went into a search of going back to my childhood, childhood trauma. And it was very difficult because I thought, I’m 64 years old. I felt that I had dealt with it all. And I had. But there were certain things that needed truth to be told to it, because there were two sides to a story. And I wanted to know the truth.”
As the storytellers worked together in workshops, many of their stories became more vulnerable and personal. For Ritzie, as for many of the storytellers, facing the truth of their stories activated emotions that they had buried for years. But allowing their buried stories to be seen, heard, and validated also proved liberating. “To tell you the truth, that last summer, I did nothing but cry,” Ritzie says, comparing the process to peeling the layers off an onion or a scab off a wound. “It was like that. And when I finally got to the root of the truth, I was okay.”
After completing their training, the storytellers performed in each of their four communities. For Ritzie, the Morristown venue held particular symbolic importance: the event took place at Grow It Green Urban Farm, across from his former junior high school.
About sixty people attended the Morristown performance. In the talkback after the event, one audience member addressed Ritzie specifically. Ritzie had told a story about a painful and highly unusual childhood experience; the man in the audience had lived through the exact same thing.
“That’s when it came full circle for me,”
Ritzie says. “After everything was done on the last performance, I knew I had done what I needed to do. And the healing started.”
It’s an experience that happened more than once. “Every single audience reflected back to us that they too felt seen and heard, because the storyteller stories were often their stories,” says Krapf. Sharing stories not
only healed the storytellers, but helped their audiences heal, too.
Ritzie is still performing with the Untold Stories of a Storied People project, but his stories will most likely turn aside from childhood trauma. “I did it,” he says, “I dug up those bones. I buried them so many times. continued on page 22
By Steve Sears
New Jersey’s National Guard Militia Museum has two locations. The main location is in Sea Girt, and the second is in Lawrenceville.
The museum is an offshoot of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. Staff Sgt. Andrew Walker is the Director/Curator of the 501 c 3 non-profit organization that (courtesy of the museum website), “supports the collections, exhibitions and educational programs of the museum through volunteerism, advocacy, and fundraising.”
Walker, who is in Sea Girt (LTC (Ret) William Kale is Volunteer Co-Curator in Lawrenceville), is an informative, eager guide. He has a wealth of knowledge of military history. When you visit the Sea Girt location which is located a shell’s toss from the beach, you can visit display cases and see artifacts throughout the one-room facility. The museum details the Garden State’s Militia and National Guard history starting with the Dutch and Swedish, who arrived in the late 15th century, up through the Revolutionary War to the Civil War, World Wars I and II, to the present day. “We’re basically tracing the citizen soldier
really since New Jersey’s inception,” Walker says. “There are different players at that point. We do trace our lineage and our heritage through the British colonization, but we do recognize the other nations that were called on in New Jersey at the time.”
Founded in 1980, the National Guard Militia Museum was the fourth state National Guard Museum at that time. Rapid growth and expansion encouraged the opening of the Lawrenceville Museum in 1998. Walker says, “We do rely on private donations mostly, so you’re able to reach out to us and inquire about whether or not we want a certain artifact.” Uniforms, medals, several types of equipment, and handwritten notes relating to New Jersey militia can be viewed here, as well as federal artifacts. One especially fascinating aspect of the museum is that, with so much emphasis placed on New Jersey’s role in the American Revolution – and rightly so - the museum also has a deep focus on our state’s involvement in the Civil War. Copies of articles, diaries, letters, memoirs, newspaper clippings, and regimental histories are part of one of the largest collections of New Jersey related Civil War research material in the
United States.
“National Guardsmen are, and still are viewed, as citizen soldiers,” Walker explains. “Civilians during peace, and then soldiers during war. That is really what the militia is: citizens leaving their normal, everyday lives and being called into service. That is the National Guardyou are just supposed to protect your state and your country, and so that’s where citizen soldier comes from.”
The museum relies heavily on inperson visits, and if you enter the doors in Sea Girt, you will see displayed an 18th century powder horn, the oldest artifact on-site, and the 28’, 4,000 pound “Intelligent Whale.” Built in 1864, the submarine, mammal-like vessel was tested in the Long Island Sound, but the Navy was not interested in using it. There are also quite a few replications of period militia uniforms.
Walker has tried to bring into the museum a narrative, downhome connection, and resident historian Joseph Bilby has delivered. “He crafted all of our narratives, and it really makes sure that it’s pointing to those human connections, those kind of personal stories on those citizen soldiers from New Jersey.” The museum’s Oral History Program is run by Assistant Curator, Ms. Carol Fowler, who has over 20 years of interviews that need to be summarized from audio logs. Volunteers and especially interns value the effort. “It’s a great learning tool for them to see all the work that goes into keeping history,” Walker says.
The Sea Girt location is located at 100 Camp Drive, and the Lawrenceville museum is at Lawrenceville Armory, 151 Eggert Crossing Road. Admission is free, but donations are accepted. Visit www. njmilitiamuseum.org for more information.
becomes wise to their ruse … and there is only one way to keep the old lady quiet.Centuries of guarding New Jersey (courtesy if the National Guard Militia Museum)
When was the first time, through the art of fiction, an individual genuinely felt that one good scare? When was the first moment where they felt a cold shiver of fear running through their body, causing them to crawl up into a ball on the floor?
In the case of an operatic soprano, it was her mysterious angel of music. A guide toward glory. The unseen genius.
After 35 years, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s: The Phantom of the Opera will close it’s record run at Broadway’s Majestic Theater on April 16th, 2023. A timeless classic that not only set the bar high for musical storytelling, but also set the bar for theatrical productions as a whole. As was the Winter Garden Theatre with the original run of Cats, the Majestic Theater has evolved to Broadway what Augusta National Course has become to the sport of golf. An equivalence of what Williamsport, Pennsylvania has become to the sport of baseball. What the Rose Bowl is to NCAA Division I football, and what the city of Indianapolis is to openwheel automobile racing.
While New York City will move on and keep going, the closing of this record run is something no one thought they would ever see. The musical has become a staple for the city. A timeless classic, the musical has spanned the globe having evolved into a phenomenon. Relatable, the power within emotionally connects viewers in mannerisms reminiscent of what led them toward their love for a particular craft.
The gifts of the title character engulfed in a tragic love story by a path of fantasy.
An evolution, it is a story that began through the writings of a journalist. Upon retirement, the journalist took inspiration
through in-depth investigation of the Paris Opera House, and it’s basement cell that housed prisoners of the Paris Commune. Gaston Leroux. His inspiration told a story of both fear and irrelevance. A horror story of underlying meaning. Fear, not due to the story or subject matter, nor because of the closed-minded onlooker and their reaction to the title character. A fear of the individual taking the next step forward due to internal fear placed in them by society. Shamed into solitude. Shunned by the multitude.
Irrelevance, because the story serves as a reminder that talent is profound irregardless of what one looks like. While the story’s main theme is surrounded by romance, it’s underlining focus is a title character and their gift of music. It was a gift discovered on their own. The music, there. The passion, undeniable. They had no way of sharing this gift with the world until they heard the voice of Christine Daaé. A voice imagined by the Gods. A reason and platform to share his gift with the world.
And a gift the world received.
When the final curtain falls inside the Majestic Theatre on April 16th, the chapter may fade, but the story will live on. An ending that may be scary. Fear of the unknown.
Yet, if the title character’s fear is felt, it is a fearful wonderment of what will happen next. An individual cannot simply hop aboard César and set a course for Coney Island. Though, if the individual’s gift lives within them, they will find further inspiration to make their song take flight.
The power of the music of the night.
The Phantom of the Opera runs until April 16th, 2023 at the Majestic Theatre on 44th Street in New York City. Tickets Available through: mtc.telecharge.com
continued from page 20
And now it’s time for me to continue to do what I need to do as an artist, as somebody that’s going to live a healthy life for years to come.”
After the success of Phase One, the project itself will change and expand, too. If funding is secured, a hoped-for Phase Two will grow Untold Stories of a Storied People to include a monthly storytelling lab in Madison and the ability to bring aboard more storytellers with untold stories from immigrants, veterans, especially female veterans, essential workers during COVID, and all others who feel unseen and unheard.
Krapf hopes that the empathy created by storytelling can offer better solutions.
“Our humanity needs to be elevated,” she says. “We need to respond to these times in a different way than the way that we’re responding.”
That’s one answer to our original question: what are stories for?
The Untold Stories project / program shows that stories can be for healing, catharsis, connection, and liberation.
Or, as Micah Bournes writes in the poem “Humming Fools” linked on Storytelling Arts’ website, stories can be for creating hope–hope that by witnessing each other’s stories, we can all become more human.
For more information about Untold Stories of a Storied People, visit www. storytellingartsinc.org/
resident Paul Partridge
The Palio di Siena is an insane horse race that’s been held since the Middle Ages and continues today. Here’s a view from inside the ropes.
by Paul PartridgeTen wild-eyed stallions are sprinting straight at us. The rumble of their hooves and violent power of their strides augurs a frightening determination. Hours earlier these horses were blessed at church, and it looks like they may need it. There’s a hairpin turn ahead and surely there’s no way all can make it through without incident.
Welcome to the Palio
I’ve been lucky enough to attend the World Series, the U.S. Open, the Indianapolis 500, the America’s Cup, Army vs. Navy, and the Tall Ships parading down the Hudson during the Statue of Liberty’s Centennial celebration.
Nothing compares to the spectacle, the pageantry, and the pandemonium unleashed by a bareback horse race involving three death-defying laps around the Piazza del Campo in Siena Italy.
All that’s delightful and charming about Italy is on display – food, wine, art, architecture, fashion, passion, it’s all here
– compressed into a single, unforgettable day.
Neighbor vs. Neighbor
Siena is divided into 17 neighborhood districts or wards called Contrade. Each contrada has its own colors and flag, and takes the name of a spirit animal or object. For example, Leone (lion), Lupa (she-wolf) and Drago (dragon).
The rivalry between neighborhoods is fierce. The greatest outcome is for your contrada to win. The second-best outcome is for your rival neighborhood to lose.
Some contrade have resorted to bribery to get their horses to perform better, while others have employed drugs. Jockeys have been kidnapped, seduced, and threatened. Heavy objects have been placed under saddles to slow down competing horses.
The preparations that take place leading up to race day are enormous. Think Halloween, Mardi Gras, and the Rose Bowl parade, rolled into one. The festivities culminate with the pre-race dinner.
My family is invited to dinner with the Aquila (eagle) contrada. The setting, in the
shadow of the Duomo, is so spectacular I get goosebumps. It feels as if we’re dining at Hogwarts.
Up at the main dais, the jockey is serenaded by hymns, chants, children’s poems and vino-fortified toasts. Some vestal virgins may have been offered but I can’t be sure from my seat. Our jockey seems surprisingly subdued, as if hoping for the fete to end.
Perhaps he’s not confident in his steed because horses are not chosen; they’re assigned by lottery. Or maybe he’s recalling the unfortunate history of Aquila, as Eagle holds the record for fewest race victories. Or he could be contemplating the plight of previous riders – heroes turned goats following inglorious defeat. For a Palio jockey, adoration can turn to contempt –or worse – in under 90 seconds.
For three days prior to race day, a watchman has been sleeping with Eagle’s stallion to guard against tampering. This morning he’s walked to the Duomo and blessed by the local priest.
Piazza del Campo starts to fill around 3 pm. The festivities officially begin when the Italian cavalry enter the square. Impressively, majestically, they parade in, salute the dignitaries, and then lead a series of charges, swords drawn. Half mesmerizing, half terrifying, it jolts the crowd to attention.
Next comes the parade, a two-hour feast for the eyes featuring archers, horsemen, flag wavers, drummers, trumpeters, noblemen (and women) – all dressed in Medieval and Renaissance era costumes. Every neighborhood is represented.
By 7 pm it’s race time. An entire Shakespearian play takes place in the leadup to the start. Nine horses are chosen randomly to enter the starting line. They take their position rather casually, Italian style. There are no gates; only a singular rope holds the ensemble (loosely) in place. It’s more like a moving scrum of unruly kindergarteners then a starting line.
The Puppet Master
The 10th horse, called the Rincorsa, stands alone, surveying the scene. He
Morristown
has been building a travel bucket list for years. Now he’s diving in – near and far – and shares his adventures in this column.
can enter when its jockey so decides. In this way he’s the puppet master, because the race begins only when the Rincorsa crosses the starting line.
The dance between the Rincorsa and the other horses is called the Mossa. There’s lots of banging and bumping and fidgeting. Jockeys are tense. Horses twitch and snort. The crowd, 40,000 strong, crescendos into a fevered roar – shouting, gesturing, imploring, cursing (and that’s the women).
Then, a moment of calm, a second of quiet. All eyes turn to the Rincorsa. Suddenly a horse rears, squealing and kicking. The other mounts scatter. Race organizers scramble to get the horses calmed and realigned. This happens several more times. Mossa can take two minutes or over an hour. Seven centuries of grudges and paybacks play out in the scrum activities.
Heads of the contrade make secret backroom deals, so if their horse is the Rincorsa, they might be rewarded if they enter when their horse is in a good position, or their enemy is in a bad position. The jockeys also make deals, so you don’t know if they are trying to win
or just block another rider. Perhaps this explains why the Sienese name for jockeys is assassini (assassins).
Without warning the Rincorsa bolts across the starting line and a cannon fires to signal the race is on. Our Aquila jockey hasn’t recovered from last night and is late off the line.
The racetrack is not a perfect oval. Walls jut out at crazy, dangerous angles, especially in Turn 2 where we’re sitting. The walls are padded to protect the horses, but that doesn’t prevent collisions.
Jockeys are sometimes separated from their mounts (remember, they’re riding bareback). A riderless horse is not disqualified. The first horse to cross the finish line – with or without a jockey –wins.
The lead changes constantly – and suddenly. Which fuels the excitement. And the delirium of the crowd. One minute your horse is at the back of the pack. Two breaths later, he’s charging to the lead.
Going into the final lap, it looks to be a two-horse race between Nicchio (Seashell) and Oca (Goose). Meanwhile the Eagle has landed, crashing in Turn 2 and never finishing the race.
The crowd is on its feet. It’s a photo
finish. The winner is . . .
Goose! The Oca neighborhood faithful rush onto the racetrack, flags waving, tears of joy overflowing. They hug and kiss the
jockey and hoist him onto their shoulders, singing songs of joy. The winning horse is marched into church and down the aisle for a blessing.
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