Volume LXXV, Number 24
www.towntopics.com
Block Party, Bike Rides Among Commemorations Of Juneteenth Emancipation
Hidden Gardens of Hopewell Tour . . . . . . . . 5 Local Primary Election Results . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Community to Weigh in On Future of Cannabis in Princeton . . . . . . . . . . 10 Ordinances Adopted by Council for Redevelopment Properties . . . . . . . . . . 11 Sister Cities — Celebrating Bloomsday in Princeton . . . . . . . . . . 14 Princeton Festival Continues Season with Baroque Music . . . . . . . 15 Sanchez Helps Women’s Lightweights to IRA Crown . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Woodside Sees Dream Come True as PDS Starts Track Club . . . . . . . . 27
Davon Black Aiming for Another Title as Summer Men’s Hoops Returns . . . 28 Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 21 Classified Ads . . . . . . 31 Mailbox . . . . . . . . . . . 12 New To Us . . . . . . . . . 22 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . 30 Performing Arts . . . . . 16 Real Estate . . . . . . . . 31 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Topics of the Town . . . . 5 Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . 6
This past Monday, Princeton Council passed a resolution “officially commemorating Juneteenth of Each Year as an Annual Celebration of Black Emancipation.” The unanimous vote by the governing body couldn’t have been more timely. In Princeton and its environs, events recognizing the June 19 commemoration of the ending of slavery in America are in the final planning stages. Options throughout the weekend include a block party, a screening, a bike ride, a Shabbat service, and a three-day, city-wide celebration in Trenton. Juneteenth marks the date in 1865 when Union soldiers landed in Galveston, Texas, with news that the Civil War had ended, and the enslaved were free. According to the Smithsonian website, “On ‘Freedom’s Eve,’ or the eve of January 1, 1863, the first Watch Night services took place. On that night, enslaved and free African Americans gathered in churches and private homes all across the country awaiting news that the Emancipation Proclamation had taken effect. “At the stroke of midnight, prayers were answered as all enslaved people in Confederate States were declared legally free. Union soldiers, many of whom were Black, marched onto plantations and across cities in the south reading small copies of the Emancipation Proclamation spreading the news of freedom in Confederate States. Only through the Thirteenth Amendment did emancipation end slavery throughout the United States. “But not everyone in Confederate territory would immediately be free. Even though the Emancipation Proclamation was made effective in 1863, it could not be implemented in places still under Confederate control. As a result, in the westernmost Confederate state of Texas, enslaved people would not be free until much later. Freedom finally came on June 19, 1865, when some 2,000 Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas. The army announced that the more than 250,000 enslaved Black people in the state were free by executive decree. This day came to be known as ‘Juneteenth,’ by the newly freed people in Texas.” Local commemorations begin on Friday, June 18 at 8 p.m. with a special Shabbat service at Temple Beth Chaim, Continued on Page 8
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Wednesday, June 16, 2021
Cicadas Peak Before Disappearing Until 2038 The millions of cicadas that have emerged in Princeton over the past few weeks have filled the trees, covered sidewalks and yards, and steadily increased the volume of their chant. With few still emerging from the ground, however, their visit, the first in 17 years, will soon come to an end as the remaining adults die off and the larvae return to earth to begin the next cycle. Commonly viewed as noise pollution, creators of a rancid odor, a threat to young trees, a mess of broken wings and exoskeletons, or a flying menace, the Brood X Magicicada is nothing short of a miraculous gift in some people’s estimation. The emergence of the cicadas over the past month was described by Princeton High School (PHS) junior Mulin Huan as “an absolute wonder and the stunning result of natural choice.” A member of PHS science teacher Mark Eastburn’s cicada research team, Huan, who is co-leader of the school’s Insect-Eating Club, sees the cicadas as an ecological blessing, a badge of honor for Princeton, an unparalleled opportunity for research, and a nutritious, tasty treat for animals and humans. “These cicadas invested all of their evolutionary points to increase their numbers to ensure the survival of their kind,” said Huan. “I am absolutely floored by the
emergence of so many cicadas.” Huan noted that in his former home in Beijing, the cicadas came out in large numbers and loud volume every summer, “but that is nothing compared to the huge emergence in Princeton in 2021.” Marveling that these insects are almost as old as he is, Huan pointed out, “With their emergence, they are bringing previously inaccessible nutrients from deep underground to the surface of the earth, which is great for the ecosystem all around.
They feed animals and after they die, their bodies fertilize the ground.” Whichever side you’re on, by July 1 this controversy is likely to go underground with the cicadas until their next emergence in 2038. “We’re probably right around the peak right now,” said Eastburn on Monday, June 14. “I’m not seeing many more emerging, and the adults live only about three weeks after emerging, so by the beginning of July, the newborns will have hatched and burrowed and they’ll be gone.” Continued on Page 9
Middle School to Receive New Name, As Board Wraps Up 10-Month Process The Princeton Public Schools Board of Education (BOE) was expected to choose a permanent name for the middle school at its June 15 Board meeting, which took place last night after press time. The 10-month name-choosing process involved extensive research and discussions by students, community forums, and polls of middle school students, staff, and community members. A petition to change the name from John Witherspoon, a slave owner and opponent of abolition, was presented to the BOE last August, at which time the name Princeton Unified Middle School
was selected as a temporary name. The leading choice for the school’s new name was Princeton Middle School, which was the most popular among students in student polls, and the second most popular for the middle school staff, which favored Princeton Community Middle School. Other names on the short list included Princeton United Middle School, the Princeton Middle School, and Walnut Lane Middle School. At the June 15 meeting the BOE was also expected to direct building Continued on Page 8
FACE OFF: One of Princeton’s Brood X cicadas, which recently emerged from the ground for the first time in 17 years, meets a wasp . This year’s massive invasion of cicadas has many fans, as well as detractors . See this week’s Town Talk on page 6 . (Photo by Weronika A. Plohn)
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