Town Topics Newspaper, July 12, 2023

Rules for Outdoor Dining Discussed at Meeting Of Princeton Council

A work session on a proposed ordinance for outdoor dining dominated a meeting of Princeton Council Monday night, July 10.

While no action was taken on how to regulate the tables and chairs, pedestrian passageways, licensing, and other aspects of the practice, which became especially popular on Witherspoon Street during the pandemic, Mayor Mark Freda and Council members heard a report from Assistant Municipal Engineer Jim Purcell, and offered suggestions on how to proceed.

“We have a need in the business community to expand the dining footprint, increase foot traffic, and create a vibrant streetscape and lively sidewalk space,” Purcell said. “The challenges are that one size does not t all. We have wide sidewalks and narrow sidewalks. Pedestrians, motorists, and the businesses themselves all have different needs.”

The town’s current ordinance is labeled “sidewalk café,” and requires that a pedestrian passageway be at least six feet wide, a measurement that all agreed is too narrow. The current ordinance provides for an annual license allowing restaurants to offer outdoor services from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., one row of tables and chairs no wider than six feet, commercial grade wood or metal furniture, litter control, and sidewalk washing “as required.”

“We’re proposing some changes to these,” said Purcell. “We have a mix of uses on the street that pedestrians can’t always nd their way around. We want to make it much more uniform and easy to handle.”

Councilman Leighton Newlin commented that when crafting the ordinance, staff should keep in mind that not all businesses in the downtown are related to food. Councilman David Cohen said the ordinance should be labeled “outdoor commerce” instead of “outdoor dining.”

The meeting also included a report by Purcell on repairs that are underway at the Spring Street Garage. The contractor is currently working on the upper level and will close 100 spaces at a time — 50 on the level where construction is taking place, and 50 on the level beneath it in case any concrete falls from the ceiling. Purcell added that at the end of this month, the current 60 minutes of free

PPS Seeks New PHS Principal by Aug. 31

Princeton Public Schools (PPS) has embarked on an accelerated search for a permanent principal for Princeton High School (PHS), “in an effort to move forward and provide stability for the high school community,” according to a July 7 press release.

Eager to put the Frank Chmiel controversy behind them, PPS is focusing on a comprehensive search process with the hope of hiring a new principal by the end of August. Kathie Foster, who has been serving as interim principal at PHS since April, shortly after Chmiel’s dismissal from the position, will remain in the interim role through August 31.

Chmiel was placed on administrative leave on March 17. Amidst much dispute, with hundreds of parents and students calling for his reinstatement, Chmiel and his lawyers appealed the superintendent’s decision to terminate him. After a ve-hour public hearing in May the PPS Board of Education (BOE) voted 8-2 to uphold the superintendent’s decision not to renew Chmiel’s contract for 2023-24.

Last month Chmiel and his lawyers registered an appeal with the commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Education, and they have put the district on notice of their intention to sue.

In an initial step in the search process, the school district has issued a poll, asking for the community’s input on characteristics that are most critical in the next PHS principal.

“The district will utilize the survey responses during the search process to screen and interview candidates,” the press release states. The survey presents 11 characteristics — including collaborative, community-focused, compassionate, innovative, trustworthy, and

more — that respondents are asked to rank from 0 to 10, from not important to extremely important. There is also a section to provide additional feedback and commentary.

As of July 10 nearly 450 people had responded to the survey, with about 75 percent of the responses coming from current parents and PHS students. The survey was sent to all parents, all district employees, current students, and graduates from the classes of 2023, 2022, and 2021.

With Affirmative Action Gone, University Ponders Other Means to Promote Diversity

On June 29, the U.S. Supreme Court, in two historic decisions, ruled against afrmative action, prohibiting colleges and universities from taking race into account in the admissions process.

Proponents of affirmative action have vowed to nd and pursue other means to promote diversity and equity on college campuses, but the impact of the June 29 decisions will be signi cant, on higher education and the society as a whole.

“While today’s decision will make our work more difficult, we will work vigorously to preserve —and, indeed, grow — the

diversity of our community while fully respecting the law as announced today,” Princeton University President Christopher L. Eisgruber wrote in an email to the University community just hours after the decisions were announced.

Claiming that the Supreme Court had “backed away from more than 50 years of established case law allowing colleges and universities to take race into account as one factor among many in a holistic admission process,” Eisgruber emphasized “principles and commitments fundamental to this University’s mission.”

Continued on Page 10

Residents and visitors share what they do to beat the heat in this week’s Town Talk on page 6. (Photo by Weronika A. Plohn)

POOL TIME: Community Park Pool was busy on Saturday as poolgoers enjoyed some summer fun. The pool is open seven days a week through September 4.

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BACK IN THE DAY: The past will come alive at Ely Field in Lambertville with an historic recreation baseball game played as it was in 1866.

America’s Favorite Pastime As it Used to Be Played

On Saturday, July 29, at Ely Field on North Main Street in Lambertville, an historic recreation baseball game between the Logan Club of Lambertville and the Flemington Neshanock will take place.

Starting at 11 a.m., the game as it was played in 1866 — following rules of the time — will be played in vintage attire. The original match took place 157 years ago.

“Lambertville Historical Society (LHS) is really excited to be hosting this vintage baseball game. The fact that the game is a reenactment of an actual game that took place in Lambertville in 1866 makes the event truly special,” said Jeff Campbell, LHS president. “Baseball played a central role in the social and cultural life of Lambertville during the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the

20th century. This game will take us back 157 years, and perhaps remind us that, at least in some ways, the past is not so different from the present.”

This family-friendly event is sponsored by the LHS with the City of Lambertville. Admission is free but donations to the historical society are welcome. Visit LambertvilleHistoricalSociety.org for more information.

Town Topics Readers’ Choice Awards — Vote Now Town Topics’ popular Readers’ Choice Awards contest is back for 2023!

Let us know which area businesses and services deserve to be recognized as outstanding in our community.

The expanded category list this year includes some highly specific options such as Best Breakfast Sandwich, Best Plant-Based Dish, Best HIIT Class, Best Hair Color/Highlight Stylist, Best Med Spa, Best Granite and

Marble Store, Best Organic Lawn Care, Best Kid-Friendly Restaurant, Best Live Music Venue, and more.

The voting starts now. See the ballot in today’s newspaper, or share your favorites online at towntopics.com. The deadline for entries is September 13. The winners in all Town Topics 2023 Readers’ Choice categories will be announced in the October 4 and October 11 issues.

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Topics In Brief

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Call for Land Stewards: Friends of Princeton Open Space (FOPOS) holds morning or afternoon summer volunteer sessions through August under the guidance of FOPOS’ director of natural resources and stewardship to assist with various conservation projects at Billy Johnson Mountain Lakes Nature Preserve. Weekday and weekend sessions available. Visit fopos.org/getinvolved.

Blood Drive: At MarketFair July 21 and August 18 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Visit RedCrossBlood.org/RapidPass to complete pre-donation screening.

Donate Backpacks and School Supplies: For Princeton children from kindergarten through sixth grade who come from low-income families and attend local public schools. Drop off donations at 1 Monument Drive through August 4. Call (609) 6882055 with questions.

Volunteer Audience Ambassadors Needed: The New Brunswick Performing Arts Center, 11 Livingston Avenue, is looking for volunteers, age 16 and older, to assist the house manager at each performance, scanning tickets and ushering patrons to their seats. Ambassadors see performances for free. Scheduling is flexible. Email housemgr@nbp ac.org.

Audition: Sharim V’Sharot, which sings Jewish music in Hebrew, Yiddish, Ladino, English, French, and Italian, is looking for singers. Rehearsals are held Tuesday evenings in Lambertville. Audition by appointment August through September. Visit sharimvsharot.org for details.

Appellate Court Decision Renews Possibility Of Westminster One Day Returning to Princeton

The reversal last week of a 2020 ruling made in Mercer County Superior Court has given new hope to faculty, students, and alumni of Westminster Choir College intent on returning the

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A unanimous decision by the New Jersey Appellate Division reversed Judge Robert Loughy’s dismissal of a suit seeking to block the closing of the campus by Rider University, which merged with Westminster in 1991, and moving it to Rider’s campus in Lawrence Township.

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to operate as a choir college. That case is currently on hold.

It was in 2018 that Rider announced it was putting the 22-acre choir college campus up for sale to help stem Rider’s financial woes, sparking intense opposition from students, faculty, and alumni. A deal to sell the school and its campus, facilities, and programs to a Chinese company fell through, leading Rider to move Westminster to Lawrence Township in September 2020. Fallout from the relocation has led to the

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“This means we go back to trial court. Our case is still active in the court system,” said Constance Fee, president of the Westminster Foundation, which is among the more than 70 plaintiffs in the suit.

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“Holding that the plaintiffs adequately pleaded ‘bad faith’ and ‘arbitrariness’ against Rider University for its attempts to ‘monetize’ Westminster for Rider’s financial benefit, the threejudge panel reversed Judge Loughy’s dismissal and ordered the case returned to the trial court,” reads a statement from the Foundation.

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The ruling by the appellate court says that the plaintiffs had the right to enforce the merger agreement that resulted in Rider acquiring the music school. That agreement “provided that Rider must respect Westminster’s independent existence and its separate educational program, and could not close Westminster except in extraordinary circumstances,” said attorney Bruce Afran, who represents the plaintiffs. “The court held that the students, faculty, and alumni are the intended beneficiaries of the 1991 agreement, and have the right to go to court to prevent Rider from destroying or closing Westminster.”

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An additional lawsuit was filed against Rider in 2018 by Princeton Theological Seminary, contending that Rider’s attempt to sell Westminster disregards conditions set by the Seminary when it donated the land for Westminster in the 1930s. The donation stipulated that ownership of the land would shift to the Seminary if Westminster ever ceased

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Continued from Preceding Page shrinking of enrollment and damage to the reputation of the choir college, which is over a century old and known as a renowned training ground for music educators and performers, and its choirs which have sung with major orchestras, nationally and internationally.

The Westminster Foundation has been active since that time in efforts to revitalize the choir college and return it to its Walnut Lane campus, where specialized facilities include the $13 million Cullen Center, music studios, and pipe organs. The Foundation and other plaintiffs have been seeking an injunction ordering Rider to either operate Westminster on the Princeton campus or make the college independent again.

Last year, the real estate firm ML7 made an offer to Rider to purchase the campus and return Westminster to that location. That offer still exists.

“We have an offer from a prominent real estate developer who wants to restore the college,” Afran said Monday. “We’re waiting for Rider and the Seminary to come to us and say they are willing to talk.”

Last week’s ruling “absolutely changes everything,” Afran said. “We now go back to where we were when our case was dismissed, and we have the right to enforce the 1991 merger agreement. The court has recognized our right to make that statement.”

Both Afran and Fee acknowledged that returning Westminster to full strength would be a challenge, but one they feel can be met. “Most of the faculty is still there, and more will come back,” said Afran. “Remember, it’s a 400-student school. It can be rebuilt. It’s tragic that Rider’s leadership embarked on this course of action. Westminster could have been a cash cow for Rider, helping them in time of trouble.”

Fee said, “Nothing has changed in our mission since the day this foundation was formed. We’re still here, and are willing to have discussions and negotiate a solution for Westminster to return to its historic campus.”

At press time, Rider University did not respond to a request for comment.

—Anne Levin

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Question of the Week: “Besides the pool, what do you do to beat the heat?”

(Asked at Community Park Pool and in downtown Princeton) (Photos by Weronika A. Plohn)

Saya: “I stay inside as much as I can when it is too hot outside. I watch TV, read books, play the piano, and spend time with my family.”

Naoki: “I like to jump on my trampoline, watch TV, go biking, and play baseball and basketball with my dad. We like to go to movie theaters, too.”

—Saya and Naoki Hidalgo, Princeton

Mila: “I like to ride my bike when I am hot because the wind cools me off and it’s fun. I also read books and play games with my family. We like Monopoly, Spot it!, and Uno.”

Rich: “I put a sprinkler under my trampoline so every time I jump I get wet. I also play with water balloons. When I am thirsty, I eat ice cubes. Bent Spoon ice cream is also a great choice to cool you off.”

—Mila and Rich Cousins, Sydney, Australia

Moussa: “Sometimes inside I play with my Rubik’s Cube. I can actually solve it. I read a lot; I am reading all the Harry Potter books this summer. I like to drink mango strawberry smoothies as well.”

Mariam: “On a hot day I like to walk in downtown Princeton and get some vanilla ice cream at one of the shops. When I am home I like to read books and do string crafts like bracelets.”

—Moussa and Mariam Abou Donia, Skillman

Eric: “We have a shady area on our porch, so we stay there and have a refreshing drink. We live by the Delaware River, so we go rafting or jump in the river for a quick dip to cool us off.”

Natalie: “When it is hot outside I try to stay in the shade as much as I can or go to the beach.”

—Eric Sement and Natalie Gurin, Newtown, Pa.

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PU Grad Student Elizabeth Tsurkov

Kidnapped by Shiite Militants in Iraq

Elizabeth Tsurkov, a Princeton University graduate student who is an Israeli-Russian dual citizen, has been missing in Iraq for several months and is being held by the Iranbacked Shiite militia Kataib Hezbollah, according to an announcement last Wednesday from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office.

A Ph.D. candidate in the Princeton Department of Politics, Tsurkov was in Iraq conducting research for her dissertation when she was abducted in Baghdad in March.

“Elizabeth Tsurkov is still alive and we hold Iraq re sponsible for her safety and well-being,” the Israeli prime minister’s announcement stated. Her whereabouts remain unknown, but the announcement added that she visited Iraq “on her Rus sian passport, at her own initiative pursuant to work on her doctorate and aca demic research on behalf of Princeton University.”

The Iraq government reported on July 7 that it had initiated an investigation into the kidnapping and was awaiting the results of that investigation.

“Elizabeth is a valued member of the Princeton University community,” said University Assistant Vice President for Communications Michael Hotchkiss in a statement. “We are deeply concerned for her safety and well-being, and we are eager for her to be able to rejoin her family and resume her studies.”

He continued, “We don’t have other information to share at this time. It is the University’s general policy to maintain the confidentiality of student records, consistent with applicable student privacy laws such as FERPA, and out of consideration for student privacy and safety.”

Tsurkov is a fellow at the New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy, a Washington, D.C.-based research group, and a contributor to the New Lines Magazine, as well as a research fellow at the Forum for Regional Thinking, an Israeli-Palestinian research organization based in Jerusalem.

Fluent in English, Hebrew, Russian, and Arabic, she has written extensively about Syria, and has also conducted fieldwork in Jordan, Iraq, Turkey, and other countries in the region.

“My research is informed by the desire to understand and convey the points of view and experiences of people in the Middle East, and highlight abuses by powerful actors, whether they are dictatorial regimes, armed groups, or foreign countries intervening in the region,” Tsurkov wrote on her website.

she is deeply passionate about the region and empathetic toward its people,” the article stated.

New Lines’ last contact with Tsurkov was on March 19 when, they reported, she stated that she had finished her fieldwork and was planning to return to Princeton to write her dissertation.

Soon after that, New Lines learned that she had been kidnapped, but “out of respect for her family’s wishes and the chance that this might be resolved with her quick release,” they chose not to publicize the abduction until last week. They have continued to seek more information.

Another Princeton University doctoral student, Xiyue Wang, was held in Iran for three years after his arrest in 2016 on charges of espionage while he was doing research in Iran. Wang returned to the United States in 2019 in a prisoner exchange for an Iranian scientist accused of violating trade sanctions.

“I have over a decade of experience in volunteering and working for human rights organizations in the Middle East fighting for the rights of Palestinians, refugees and migrants, torture survivors, human trafficking victims, and ethnic and religious minorities,” she continued.

A July 5 article in New Lines Magazine called for “America’s every effort to bring her to safety,” noting that Israel, Iran, and Russia were likely to be the major players involved in negotiating her release.

The New Lines article pointed out that “Liz’s research is heavy on political science, and her fieldwork in the Arab world poses no threat to anyone,” but added that her Israel citizenship may have placed her at risk in Iraq. It praised her “drive and empathy,” and her “outstanding” work. “Many who follow her work know that

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In 2021 Wang and his wife Hua Qu sued Princeton University, claiming “reckless, willful, wanton, and grossly negligent acts” before and during his imprisonment and alleging that the University encouraged him to travel to Iran despite safety concerns.

Meanwhile, Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter who grew up in Princeton, remains incarcerated in Moscow’s Lefortovo prison. He was detained in Russia on March 29 of this year on espionage charges.

Gershkovich, a 2010 Princeton High School graduate, has pleaded not guilty to all charges, and the Wall Street Journal has strongly denied all allegations. The White House has confirmed that there have been discussions about a possible prisoner swap, but there has been no specific news of progress in negotiations.

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Architect of New Princeton University Art Museum Won’t Be Removed from Project

Despite recent allegations of sexual misconduct against celebrated Ghanaian/British architect Sir David Adjaye, designer of the reconstructed Princeton University Art Museum, the project is too far into the construction stage — past Adjaye’s involvement — to distance itself from his contribution.

“We find the nature of the accusations enormously troubling,” said James Steward, director of the museum, in a statement. “With construction so far advanced, most of our work with Adjaye is behind us. We have a responsibility to all the people involved in this project and all those who will benefit from it to see it to completion, and we remain committed to shaping a museum that is welcoming, engaging, and educational for all.”

Last week, Adjaye stepped back from numerous roles and projects after London’s Financial Times reported on July 4 that three women, who were previously employed by Adjaye, had accused him of sexual harassment. Knighted in 2017 and awarded the Royal Institute of British Architects’ gold medal in 2021, Adjaye is known as a “starchitect” with a firm of more than 200 employees and offices in London, New York, and Accra.

Adjaye’s previous projects include the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture; the redevelopment of the International Slavery Museum in Liverpool, U.K.; and a museum of west

African art in Benin City, Nigeria. Adjaye Associates also designed 130 William Street, a high-rise residential building in lower Manhattan.

According to the Financial Times article, Adjaye has denied all of the claims against him, which range from sexual assault and harassment to a toxic work culture. But he has resigned from numerous roles, including architectural adviser to the mayor of London. His firm has told the British government that Adjaye will no longer be involved in designing the planned Holocaust memorial in London, for which it had won a competition, until the issues involving him have been addressed.

Last Thursday, The Studio Museum in Harlem relinquished its relationship with Adjaye, who was to design its new home in Manhattan. A library project in Portland, Ore., and the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum in Lincoln, Mass., which was to mount an exhibit of Adjaye’s sculpture, have also cut ties with the architect. The Africa Institute, for which Adjaye was to design a 343,000-square-foot research center in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, has followed suit, according to Art News.

“I absolutely reject any claims of sexual misconduct, abuse, or criminal wrongdoing,” the 56-year-old architect said in a statement.

“These allegations are untrue, distressing for me and my family, and run counter to everything I stand for. I am ashamed to say that I entered into relationships which, though entirely consensual, blurred the boundaries between my professional and personal lives. I am deeply sorry.”

Adjaye went on to say he is seeking professional help “to restore trust and accountability” and “to learn from these mistakes, to ensure they never happen again.”

The reconstructed Princeton University Art Museum is to be an entirely new structure, roughly doubling the square footage of the former building and increasing spaces for display, learning, and visitor amenities. The 144,000-square-foot complex, designed in collaboration with executive architects Cooper Robertson, is planned to open in 2025.

—Anne Levin

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Affirmative Action

continued from page one

Those include, he said: “Talent exists in every sector of American society, and we have an obligation to attract exceptional people of every background and enable them to flourish on our campus. Diversity benefits learning and scholarship by broadening the range of questions, perspectives, and experiences brought to bear on important topics throughout the University. Our multicultural society requires that, in the words of Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, ‘the path to leadership [must] be visibly open to talented and qualified individuals of every race and ethnicity.’”

Eisgruber described the Supreme Court’s ruling as “unwelcome and disappointing,” but “not unexpected.” He added, “Princeton has been preparing for this possibility with assistance and advice from legal counsel.”

Emphasizing the importance of diversity for Princeton, the country, and the world, Eisgruber’s statement concluded, ”Princeton will pursue it with energy, persistence, and a determination to succeed despite the restrictions imposed by the Supreme Court in its regrettable decision today.”

The two affirmative action decisions announced on June 29, Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. (SFAI) v. President and Fellows of Harvard and SFAI v. University of North Carolina (UNC), were both decided in favor of the plaintiffs. SFAI argued in the former case that Harvard’s

admission practices discriminated against Asian Americans and in the latter case that UNC unlawfully considered race in admissions decisions and gave preference to underrepresented minority applicants.

Three of the nine Supreme Court justices are Princeton University graduates: Samuel Alito, class of 1972, who was part of the six-vote majority in the decisions to end affirmative action, as well as Sonia Sotomayor, class of 1976 and Elena Kagan, class of 1981, who both supported Harvard and UNC and their admissions policies.

Writing in her dissenting opinion that “the devastating impact of this decision cannot be overstated,” Sotomayor noted, “Today, this court stands in the way and rolls back decades of precedent and momentous progress.”

She continued, “At its core, today’s decision exacerbates segregation and diminishes the inclusivity of our nation’s institutions in service of superficial neutrality that promotes indifference to inequality and ignores the reality of race.”

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy also weighed in on the Supreme Court decision in a June 29 statement, describing the ruling as “yet another way in which the U.S. Supreme Court is taking our country backwards.”

Asserting that “The Supreme Court’s extreme stance does not reflect the values of New Jersey,” Murphy noted, “Systemic inequities remain stubbornly rooted in our society, yet a college degree has long

offered a path to opportunity and financial success. For generations, equitable access to higher education has meant social mobility for those who come from under-resourced communities. That too has been the heart of the American Dream — that if you work hard, you can achieve your dreams. But today’s decision will make it harder for many institutions to implement admissions policies that promote equitable access to education and that result in a student body whose members can learn from each other’s diverse backgrounds and perspectives.”

The full consequences of the Supreme Court’s June 29 decisions are not clear, but serious concerns emerge from the cases of the University of California and the University of Michigan, which both saw significant drops in the diversity of their student bodies after voters in the states of California in 1996 and Michigan in 2006 banned race-based admissions practices.

“What Comes After Affirmative Action?” was the question addressed in the New York Times in a July 9 series of essays by experts considering where college admissions goes from here.

The writers noted that the recent Supreme Court rulings did not ban colleges from the pursuit of the goal of diverse student bodies. “Shower Money on H.B.C.U.s” (historically Black colleges and universities), one article urged, as a means of helping minority students to achieve justice and a closer approach to equity.

“Focus on Class, Not Race,” another writer said, calling for “using socioeconomic disadvantage, rather than race, as a basis for preferences in competitive college admissions.”

Another essay called on elite colleges to “deepen the applicant pool” by building feeder schools and funding them. “The best way to find bright, disadvantaged minority candidates is to help create them,” the article stated.

Other tools that Princeton and other elite institutions may be considering include targeting recruitment to underserved communities, increasing transfer and veteran student admissions, eliminating standardized testing, and eliminating early action.

One of the most controversial strategies involves legacy admissions, the practice of granting preference to applicants with family ties to the college, a policy that has traditionally favored mostly white students. Legacy admissions have recently faced challenges at several universities with advocacy groups at Harvard petitioning the government to end Harvard University’s legacy admissions preferences.

Princeton University has consistently emphasized its commitment to diversity, frequently citing the need for economic diversity as well as racial diversity, but the specific strategies and policies that will take the place of affirmative action are yet to be revealed.

—Donald Gilpin

Art Historian Joins

Faculty of Institute

Maria Hsiuya Loh, an internationally recognized expert in the field of early modern Italian art, has joined the Institute for Advanced Study as professor in the School of Historical Studies. Loh comes to the Institute from CUNY Hunter College, where she served as professor in art history.

Leon Levy Professor David Nirenberg. “She has offered compelling insights, not only about the work of individual artists, but also about the nature of art itself. I look forward to the many ways her presence will enrich our intellectual community.”

Loh’s first monograph, Titian Remade: Repetition and the Transformation of Early Modern Italian Art (2007), discusses an often-overlooked essay by Erwin Panofsky, past professor (1935–62) and professor emeritus (1962–68) in the School of Historical Studies. She has previously spent time at IAS as a Willis F. Doney Member in the School of Historical Studies (2012–13), where she completed her second book Still Lives: Death, Desire, and the Portrait of the Old Master (2015).

Loh is best known for her work on Venetian art of the 16th and 17th centuries, particularly Titian and the numerous copies and variants that his works have inspired. Through her scholarship, she has developed radical new approaches to key issues in the field of art history, producing groundbreaking work on originality and repetition, and the emergence of the early modern artist.

Loh also writes on contemporary artists and critics, drawing comparisons between 16th-century European painting and the output of modern and conceptual artists and filmmakers such as Sherrie Levine and Alfred Hitchcock.

“Loh is remarkable in her field for her ability to bring together keen observation, sophisticated theory, and historical context, all in the most lapidary and engaging prose,” said IAS Director and

“As the incoming professor of art history, I will be standing on the shoulders of the giants that came before me from Erwin Panofsky to YveAlain Bois,” said Loh. “To think of my name alongside these scholars is an honor and privilege that I could not have imagined possible when I first began my studies. It is at once exhilarating and humbling to be joining one of the most fabled research institutions in the world. I look forward to advocating for the arts and humanities and welcome this opportunity with immense gratitude and wonder.”

In addition to Titian Remade and Still Lives, Loh is the author of Titian’s Touch: Art, Magic, and Philosophy (2019). Her books range widely in topic and intended audience. She is currently completing a book for the general public on the representation of the sky in early modern art.

Maria Hsiuya Loh

Princeton Council

continued from page one parking at the garage will change to 30 minutes, as per the related ordinance.

Municipal Administrator Deanna Stockton told Council that violation notices are being distributed to residents who still have brush and leaves on the street, which is not allowed, per ordinance. Residents have five calendar days to remove the brush from the roadway, after which the Department of Public Works will collect it and issue invoices to the property owners for the disposal.

“We are already getting phone calls from residents,” she said. “Some people are trying to remove the materials, and we do appreciate that. It’s very important from a safety standpoint, as well as in dealing with stormwater and keeping sewers clear.”

Council passed ordinances establishing the property management policy for the Lanwin II property, which will preserve 153 acres of undeveloped land in Princeton, bordering Hopewell Township and Montgomery; and the leasing of 14 Clearview Avenue to the Housing Initiatives of Princeton Charitable Trust, for part of its transitional housing program.

A public hearing on the 2023-24 budget for the Princeton Special Improvement District was postponed until July 24, which is the date of the next Council meeting.

—Anne Levin

PHS Principal continued from page one

The survey will remain open through next week, after which, “We’ll review the responses, identify common themes, and share the fi ndings with the public,” said PPS Superintendent Carol Kelley.

The PHS principal position was posted on July 10 on the district website and will be promoted widely through educator recruitment networks. The district is in the process of forming a search committee of stakeholders including key district administrators, employees, parents, a Board of Education observer, and a representative from Cranbury. The committee will screen and interview qualified candidates.

“While ambitious, the district hopes to hire a new principal by the end of August,” the press release states. Kelley added, in an email, “While we have an ambitious timeline and would like to have a candidate

approved in August, we will not rush the process. Choosing the most qualified candidate who is excited to be in the role and who possesses all of the characteristics our community is looking for remains our focus.”

Kelley expressed her gratitude to Foster for her leadership of the high school over the past months, but noted, “As a retired superintendent [Robbinsville Public School District, 2016-2020], Dr. Foster is not available for permanent long-term employment at this time.” Kelley added that they expected a number of internal and external candidates to apply for the position.

Board of Education President Dafna Kendal added, “We recognize that the search for a new principal is important to our entire community. Our goal is to find an exceptional candidate who will lead Princeton High School for many years to come.”

—Donald Gilpin

REFINED

Ending Climate Crises Is Topic of Webinar

The Coalition for Peace Action (CFPA) is among the presenters of the webinar “Ending Climate and Nuclear Crises for the Next Generations” on Sunday, July 16, from 4-5 p.m. Pre-registration is required to receive a Zoom link to attend.

No Wars, No Warming Campaign and the United Nations of Greater Philadelphia are the additional presenters of the event, which takes place on the anniversary of the Trinity Atomic Test of the weapons that were used to destroy both Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Keynote speaker, Dr. Timmon Milne Wallis, is the executive director of NuclearBan.US and the author of Warheads to Windmills , a call to transition to a new Green Peace Economy. Dr. Joseph Gerson, president of the Campaign for Peace, Disarmament, and Common Security (CPDCS),

Tavern Night Returns to Old Barracks Museum

STREAM STOMP: On Saturday, July 15 from 2-4 p.m. (rain date July 16), join Friends of Princeton Nursery Lands and Stephen Holman II, an AmeriCorps Source Water Protection Ambassador, to learn about the critters that call Heathcote Brook home. Meet at 145 Mapleton Road, Kingston. Using nets, collecting jars, and magnifying glasses, participants will be wading in shallow water and searching under stones. Wear water shoes or sneakers, and proper clothes for a short trail walk. Admission is free; pre-registration is required at fpnl.org. co-chair of the Committee for a Sane U.S.-China Policy, and co-convener of the International Peace and Planet Network, will also speak.

The program will feature an interview by CFPA’s summer intern, Sofia DaCruz, with youth peace activist and STEM inventor Okezue Bell, who will discuss his experience as youth climate a mbassador at last November’s Global Climate Conference in Egypt, as well as his other climate justice-related projects.

Visit peacecoalition.org to register.

33 Princeton-Hightstown Rd Ellsworth’s Center (Near Train Station) 799-8554

Tues-Fri: 10am-6pm; Sat 8:30am-3:30pm

A night of 18th century revelry is returning to Trenton’s Old Barracks Museum on Friday, September 8, when the historic site hosts Tavern Night. Hors d’oeuvres and an open beer and wine bar will be served, as guests immerse themselves in an 18th century tavern. Participants can share drinks, play games, and learn dance steps to the most popular songs with ladies and gentlemen from the period as well as modern guests. This fundraiser supports educational initiatives for thousands of New Jersey students through innovative programs such as “Meet the Past” field trips, virtual tours, Saturday living history programming, and more. Tickets are $70 each ($60 for Old Barracks Association members). Tickets will not be sold at the door. No one under 21 is permitted. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit barracks.org/ tavern-night.html.

The views of the letters do not necessarily reflect the views of Town Topics.

Asking Community to Show Support For Corner House Behavioral Health

To the Editor:

As a former elected official, I truly understand how important it is that the town leaders and administration officials monitor and protect every tax dollar spent. I appreciate the hard work and the fiduciary responsibility that is always placed at the forefront of budgetary decisions. But, I am asking that we do everything in our power to keep Corner House Behavioral Health from being dismantled or simply disappearing.

I have been a proud supporter of Corner House for almost 40 years. I have seen the lives of so many people transformed and getting a new lease on life. In the news, there are daily reports about the negative impacts from drugs, alcohol, and mental health issues. We need Corner House. Our young children, the most precious asset we have, are looking for meaningful ways to give back to society. Through Corner House Leadership programs they are finding a purpose and a mission to succeed.

We need Corner House. Sometimes we cannot measure in dollars and cents the true magnitude of the success Corner House has had on Princeton and the surrounding communities. Consider the drug addict who now owns a successful business and has two lovely children. Think also about the girl that used to cut herself who now is a counselor helping others. I look at my own family member who couldn’t control his temper as a youth who now is a hardworking chef and health care provider.

We need Corner House. We have seen children at risk who would otherwise fail in society, but they get the proper support and coaching from Corner House and are achieving great things. They are accountants, lawyers, teachers, beauticians, military service personnel, police officers, and the list goes on and on.

We need Corner House. I am asking that we all come together as a community and help the town save this institution that has honestly saved so many for years.

LANCE LIVERMAN Witherspoon Street

The writer is a former Princeton Councilman.

Summer Learning Programs Can Play Pivotal Role In Promoting Equity, Bridging Opportunity Gap

To the Editor:

July 10 through July 14 is National Summer Learning Week. Summer break is often seen as a time of relaxation and fun for most children, but it can also be a period of significant learning loss for many students, especially those from historically marginalized communities. Research consistently shows that students from low-income families experience a greater “summer slide” in academic achievement compared to their more affluent peers. This loss of learning can contribute to the persistent achievement gap between students from different socioeconomic backgrounds, in addition to the COVID-19 learning loss that also disproportionately impacted this same group.

To address this issue, it is crucial to provide equitable access to high-quality summer learning programs for children from historically marginalized communities. These programs offer transformative experiences that not only mitigate learning loss, but also foster social and emotional development, build confidence, and enhance critical life skills.

By investing in high-quality summer learning opportunities offered at organizations like the Princeton-Blairstown Center, we can provide children with engaging educational experiences that go beyond the traditional classroom setting. They incorporate hands-on activities, project-based learning, outdoor exploration, and cultural enrichment, promoting holistic development and sparking curiosity among young learners.

These programs can play a pivotal role in promoting

Letters to the Editor Policy

Town Topics welcomes letters to the Editor, preferably on subjects related to Princeton. Letters must have a valid street address (only the street name will be printed with the writer’s name). Priority will be given to letters that are received for publication no later than Monday noon for publication in that week’s Wednesday edition.

Letters must be no longer than 500 words and have no more than four signatures.

All letters are subject to editing and to available space.

At least a month’s time must pass before another letter from the same writer can be considered for publication.

Letters are welcome with views about actions, policies, ordinances, events, performances, buildings, etc. However, we will not publish letters that include content that is, or may be perceived as, negative towards local figures, politicians, or political candidates as individuals.

When necessary, letters with negative content may be shared with the person/group in question in order to allow them the courtesy of a response, with the understanding that the communications end there.

Letters to the Editor may be submitted, preferably by email, to editor@towntopics.com, or by post to Town Topics, PO Box 125, Kingston, N.J. 08528. Letters submitted via mail must have a valid signature.

equity and bridging the opportunity gap. By focusing on historically marginalized communities, we can ensure that children who often lack access to resources and opportunities have the chance to engage in enriching experiences that can set them on a path to success. The PrincetonBlairstown Center has witnessed firsthand the transformative impact such opportunities can have on young people. Through our Summer Bridge and Leader-in-Training Programs, we have seen students gain confidence, develop critical thinking skills, and cultivate a love for learning.

As we celebrate National Summer Learning Week, let us reaffirm our commitment to empowering all children with the resources and support they need to thrive academically and socially. Together, we can create a future where every child has an equal opportunity to reach their full potential, irrespective of their socioeconomic background.

By understanding the importance of and financially supporting high-quality summer learning opportunities for historically marginalized communities, we can collectively work towards a more equitable and inclusive society.

PAM GREGORY President and CEO, Princeton-Blairstown Center Roszel Road

Treaty Banning Chemical Weapons Makes World a Much Safer Place

To the Editor:

I was grateful to learn that the U.S. has just completed destruction of its last chemical weapons stockpile. I was part of strongly lobbying the U.S. Senate to ratify the treaty banning chemical weapons in 1997, and it was approved by more than the necessary two-thirds of senators on a strongly bipartisan basis.

Banning these heinous weapons of mass destruction makes the world much safer from them being used to kill or harm unthinkable numbers of innocent victims. Iraq used them in its war against Iran from 1980-1988.

Now people of good will around the world need to actively support a global ban on nuclear weapons. So far, activists have played a major role in reducing the global nuclear warhead arsenal by over 80 percent.

However, the last treaty toward that end, New START, was in 2010, and Russia and the U.S. recently suspended verification of it due to tensions in the Ukraine War.

I urge all readers of good will to support the U.N.’s Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, approved by 122 nations in 2017. For further information, visit peacecoalition.org and click on the Abolish Nuclear Weapons icon on the right, and the first item in Take Action.

THE REV. ROBERT MOORE Executive Director, Coalition for Peace Action Witherspoon Street

Books

Country — the realm of the gods and the birthplace of magic — before the weakening Middlemist, the boundary dividing the two worlds, disappears forever. Each book in Legrand’s “Middlemist Trilogy” is inspired by a different classic romantic ballet : Giselle, The Firebird, and Swan Lake Library Journal calls it “full of high stakes for her characters and detailed fantasy worldbuilding with interesting mythology for readers.”

Legrand, a former musician, is the New York Times bestselling author of 11 novels, most notably the Empirium Trilogy, the Edgar Award-nominated Some Kind of Happiness, and

Sawkill Girls , which was nominated for both a Bram Stoker Award and a Lambda Literary Award. She is also one of the four authors behind The Cabinet of Curiosities, a critically-acclaimed anthology of short stories for young readers.

Rissi is the award-winning author of more than a dozen books for youths and teens, including picture books, chapter books, middle grade, and young adult. Her essays have been published by The Writer and the New York Times, and she plays fiddle in and writes lyrics for the band Owen Lake and the Tragic Loves. She was an editor in children’s book publishing and lives in New Jersey.

Multigenerational Saga of Family Is Topic of Book Event at Morven

Author R. Isabela Morales will share the poignant, multigenerational saga of the Townsend family as explored in her new book, Happy Dreams of Liberty: An American Family in Slavery and Freedom , on Thursday, July 13, at 6:30 p.m. in a hybrid program held both live and online. Doors open for the in-person event at 6 p.m. in Morven’s Stockton Education Center. The Zoom event opens at 6 p.m. A Q & A for both the live and virtual programs will follow the talk.

Copies of the book, which is winner of the 2023 Shapiro Book Prize, will be available for purchase and signing at the program. Morven’s online shop also has copies to purchase in advance. A Zoom webinar link will be shared with virtual ticket-holders upon registration. A recording of the event will be provided following the program.

Author Legrand in Library Dialogue About New Fantasy-Romance Series

Author Claire Legrand is joined by Anica Mrose Rissi to discuss Legrand’s novel, A Crown of Ivy and Glass, at the Princeton Public Library Community Room on Sunday, July 30, at 11 a.m. Doors open at 10:45 a.m. for coffee and pastries, followed by a book signing.

Legrand makes her adult hardcover debut with A Crown of Ivy and Glass (Sourcebook Casablanca, $25.99) , the first in a new fantasy-romance series centering around three sisters in a noble magic family that must fight to protect their home from invasion by the creatures of the Old

Morales is an award-winning author and historian of slavery and emancipation. She is the education and exhibits manager at the Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum and the editor of the Princeton &

Slavery Project at Princeton University. She received her Ph.D. in history from Princeton University in 2019. As Morven Museum and Garden works to uncover stories of enslaved and free Black families connected to the site, Morales’ book is a detailed look into the life of another family deeply impacted by slavery, the Civil War, and the rise of Jim Crow.

When Samuel Townsend died at his home in Madison County, Ala., in November 1856, the 52-year-old white planter left behind hundreds of slaves, thousands of acres of rich cotton land, and a net worth of approximately $200,000, leaving almost the entirety of his fortune to his five sons, four daughters, and two nieces: all of them his slaves.

In this deeply researched portrait of the extended Townsend family, Morales reconstructs the migration of this mixed-race family across the American West and South over the second half of the 19th century.

For more information and tickets, which range from $5 to $20, visit morven.org.

VOTE NOW FOR YOUR FAVORITES!

What’s your favorite area restaurant? Do you have a landscaper that you love? Town Topics Newspaper is happy to announce that its 2023 Readers’ Choice Awards is now open for VOTING FOR THE BEST:

DINING

Al Fresco

Appetizers

Bagel

Bakery

Bar

Burger

Breakfast Sandwich

Caterer

Cheese

Chocolatier

Deli

Farmers Market

Gluten-Free Option

Happy Hour

Ice Cream

Italian Restaurant

Lunch Break

Mexican Restaurant

Pizza

Plant-Based Dish

Seafood Restaurant

Soup

Sushi

Takeout Meals

Vegetarian Restaurant

Wings

FITNESS

Gym

HIIT Class

Physical Therapist

Pilates

Spin Class

Trainer

Yoga

Zumba

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Acupuncture

Barber Shop

Chiropractor

Cosmetic Dentistry

Dentist/Prosthodontist

Dermatologist

ENT Hair Salon

Hair Color/Highlight Stylist

Hospital

Massage

Med Spa/Botox

Nail Salon

Ob/Gyn

Optometrist/Opthalmologist

Orthodontist

Orthopedist

Pharmacy

Plastic Surgeon

Podiatrist

Spa

Senior Care

Speciality Medicine

HOME & REAL ESTATE

Electrician

Furniture Store

Granite & Marble Store

Home Stager

HVAC

Interior Designer

Kitchen/Bath Designer

Landscape Designer

Nursery/Garden Center

Organic Lawn Care

Outdoor Furnishing Store

Painter

Plumber

Pool Services

Realtor

Roofing

Senior Living

Tree Service

KIDS

After-School Program

Camp

Child Care/Preschool

Children’s Gym

Children’s Dance Lessons

Children’s Martial Arts

Children’s Party Place

Children’s Photographer

Children’s Swim Lessons

Kid-Friendly Restaurant

Pediatrician

Toy Store

Tutoring

RETAIL

Antique Shop

Florist

Bike Shop

Men’s Shop

Pet Supply

Shoe Store

Speciality/Gift Store

Women’s Boutique

SERVICES

Accountant

Animal Boarding/Daycare

Attorney-Lawyer

Auto Detailing

Auto Shop/Mechanic

Car Service/Limo

Cleaners

Financial Advisor/Planner

Grocery Store

Pet Groomer

Pet Sitter/Dog Walker

Pet Training

Veterinarian

MISC.

Adult Classes

Arts Festival

Group Outing

Hidden Gem

Live Music Venue

New Business

Night Out

Parking Lot

Summer Day Trip

DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES IS SEPTEMBER 13

The winners will be announced in the October 4 and 11 editions of Town Topics Newspaper. Don’t miss your chance to vote for your favorite businesses or services!

The Readers’ Choice Awards is open for online voting now at towntopics.com, or mail to 4438 Route 27, P.O. Box 125, Kingston, NJ 08528. NO PHOTOCOPIES ACCEPTED. Must be on original newsprint.

Do you have a suggestion for Town Topics or Princeton Magazine? Submit your response here:

Would you like to sign up for a one-time reader survey? Y/N

If yes, submit your email address here:

TOWN TOPICS, PRINCETON, N.J., WEDNESDAY,

THEATER REVIEW

Ghost Quartet

A “Ghost Quartet” Sings Labyrinthine Stories Spanning Several Centuries; Princeton Summer Theater Shows Versatility with Dave Malloy’s Song Cycle

Composer, lyricist, and performer

Dave Malloy memorably describes his Ghost Quartet (2014) as a “song cycle about love, death, and whiskey. A camera breaks and four friends drink in an interwoven tale spanning seven centuries, with a murderous sister, a tree house astronomer, a bear, a subway, and the ghost of Thelonious Monk.”

Princeton Summer Theater is presenting Ghost Quartet. The offbeat, macabre song cycle demands formidable musical versatility from its performers. Fortunately, the talented cast — made up of three recent alumni and one current Princeton University student — provides this versatility, singing and playing an eclectic variety of instruments.

In addition to singing, soprano Kate Short variously plays banjo, guitar, mandolin, accordion, kazoo, and kalimba. Alto Grace Zhao plays guitar, accordion, piano, autoharp, and waterphone. Tenor (and music director) Sam Melton plays piano, while bass Radon Belarmino plays cello. All four performers play various percussion instruments, including Melton on drum and Short on tambourine.

In a program note, director BT Hayes articulately and poetically describes Ghost Quartet as a work that “moves through doubt, fear, grief, wonder, connection, memory, and more, folding four souls together across several lifetimes and incarnations. Their memories play out on our stage at the end of the world.”

Audiences may or may not be able to glean this overarching theme from one hearing. Indeed, Ghost Quartet often seems to resist such a tidy summary. Its libretto revels in labyrinthine opaqueness, juxtaposing multiple, seemingly random elements against a sense of pre-ordained order.

Jeffrey Van Velsor’s set reinforces this. Upon entering, we see a stage that looks like it belongs in a Greenwich Village nightspot. At the back is a blackboard covered in writing. A telescope is off to the side, sitting near a guitar that hangs on the wall. A large box sits at the center of the stage, inviting us to wonder about its contents.

There are overt textual references to works such as Arabian Nights and “The Fall of the House of Usher,” among many other sources. The equally eclectic score evokes — among other idioms — folk (including American and Chinese) music, cabaret, doo-wop, and composers such as Stephen Sondheim.

Malloy divides Ghost Quartet not into acts or scenes, but rather into “sides” and “tracks” that are announced by the performers. The use of a term connected with vinyl, rather than later formats, is striking. It can be interpreted as celebrating the preservation of stories in a tangible (rather than digital) format.

A single piano key is played; this is the cue for a brisk a cappella piece that borrows a four-note melodic motif from “When the Saints Go Marching In,” and uses harmonies that evoke a 1940s big band singing group. The performers’ voices blend exquisitely, and this immediately is on display. An oscillating cello note signals an abrupt change in musical language to a percussion-laced, steady rock sound.

“I don’t even know how to begin … where is the ghost in the mirror? I want one too,” the performers sing enigmatically. Hinting at multiple Scheherazade references, they add, “I’ve got a thousand and one stories; every single one of them is a lie.”

A chromatic cello solo (smoothly performed by Belarmino) underscores a brief dialogue scene in which “Rose” (Zhao) seeks to replace a broken camera (“the pieces are lost”), and “Pearl” (Short) offers her some whiskey.

This leads to “The Camera Shop,” an expressive, lilting cabaret ballad in which Pearl describes her great-grandmother and great-great-aunt — also named, respectively, Rose and Pearl. We discover that the unscrupulous editor of an astronomy journal stole a poem she wrote, so she “asked a bear to maul the astronomer.”

The modern Rose probably speaks for multiple audience members when she admits, “I’m a little confused.”

Echoing the Witch in Into the Woods , the Bear (Belarmino) demands a list of

items in return for mauling the astronomer: “one pot of honey, one piece of stardust, one secret baptism, and a photo of a ghost.”

We learn that (the great-grandmother) Rose performed the baptism on a baby she abducted from a teenage mother; the baby was named Starchild. Notably, Zhao often clutches her instruments — which include a zither-like autoharp — to her as though they were small children.

Zhao’s voice and musical phrasing are particularly lovely in “Starchild,” in which the titular character describes memories of the baptism, and her determination to be all that she can be. Melton accompanies Zhao on piano, adding gentle arpeggios to Belarmino’s expressive cello notes.

This is followed by a foreboding quartet, “Subway,” which tells of a victim being pushed onto the tracks, and a photographer who neglected to help. Here, the (more agitated) arpeggios are given to the cello.

Memorable moments include “Tango Dancer,” a duet for Short and Zhao in which features the latter playing an ocarina (a flutelike instrument); “Any Kind of Dead Person,” a brisk, up-tempo quartet that highlights Zhao’s skills as an accordionist; and the contrastingly introspective, a cappella chorale, “Prayer.”

Hayes’ direction generally ensures that the pace is steady, and that the movement on stage — which includes frequent changing of instruments and characters

— flows smoothly. The running time is less than two hours, but the show gives audiences quite a bit to process, and might benefit from an intermission.

Sound Designer Minjae Kim adds reverb at strategic moments, giving the performers’ voices, and some astute blending of instruments, an otherworldly — ghostly — sound. At its best, Alex Slisher’s lighting is striking, enhancing the mood and themes of the piece. It often looks as though stars envelop the stage, underlining the astronomy motif.

The opening of the second half is titled “Lights Out.” Fittingly, that piece is performed in a darkened theater. Unfortunately, a decision has been made to have minimal to no lighting not just for that number, but for a sizeable segment of the third “side.”

According to a performance note in the published score, this also was done in the original production. At the Hamilton Murray, at least, what might have been a striking and effective device for a shorter period of time becomes something of an annoyance, as the audience starts to wish they could see what is happening.

Costume Designer Clara Bloom avoids styles that are conspicuously of a specific time period. Belarmino and Melton are given slacks and vests. Zhao is given a dress whose delicate fabric suggests an (unspecified) earlier period, while Short’s dress is more modern black outfit.

The final few songs unify some of the wildly varying thematic elements. In the pensive, impassioned — and still very stream-of-consciousness — “Hero,” (which, like “Starchild,” greatly benefits from Zhao’s delivery), Rose sings, “I want to take a picture at the end of the world … I’m not a monk, I’m not special.”

For the finale, “The Wind & Rain,” the audience is offered instruments (including a child’s xylophone) and asked to join in the singing. The lyrics, adapted from a traditional folk song, describe “two sisters who lived by the sea,” echoing the saga of Rose and Pearl.

The audience participation element is intriguing when juxtaposed against the plot point of the photographer failing to help a victim who is pushed onto train tracks. The photographer is at fault for being a passive viewer of events, rather than actively helping.

Our invitation to join in the finale signals to us that we should be active participants, rather than passive listeners. This interactivity, along with the scope this show affords its actor-musician storytellers to give performances full of versatility and high energy, ultimately are what make Ghost Quartet come to life.

—Donald H. Sanborn III

“Ghost Quartet” will play at the Hamilton Murray Theater in Murray Dodge Hall, Princeton University, through July 16. For tickets, show times, and further information visit princetonsummertheater.org/ghost-quartet.

“GHOST QUARTET”: Performances are underway for Princeton Summer Theater’s production of “Ghost Quartet.” Written by Dave Malloy, and directed by BT Hayes, the song cycle runs through July 16 at Princeton University’s Hamilton Murray Theater. Above, from left, are actor-musician storytellers Radon Belarmino, Sam Melton, Grace Zhao, and Kate Short.

(Photo by Faith Wangermann)

Performing Arts

“THE NEXT FOREVER”: An early production of the climate change musical, “The Great Immensity,” presented by The Civilians, the Lewis Center for the Arts’ Princeton Atelier, and Princeton University’s High Meadows Environmental Institute. (Photo by Denise Applewhite)

Unique Partnership Creates

Art About Climate Change

The Civilians, Princeton University’s High Meadows Environmental Institute (HMEI), and the Lewis Center for the Arts announce The Next Forever, a oneof-a-kind partnership that will create new stories for a changing planet. This threeyear initiative will explore how dynamic storytelling can engage vital environmental subjects and provide the vision and inspiration society needs to navigate the challenges of our planet’s future — the “next forever.”

“What stories can we tell to find our way out of the

planetary crisis we’re in?”

This is the question that The Civilians, a professional New York City-based theater company, and Princeton University are putting to students, scientists, and theater-makers vis-à-vis The Next Forever. The crisis is environmental — climate change, biodiversity loss, ecological collapse, food insecurity. But it’s also a crisis of imagination.

The Next Forever provides forward-thinking artists access to a cross-disciplinary range of knowledge and ideas — of scientists, conservation psychologists, historians, policy and com

munications experts, and others. The intention is to support artists as they pursue inquiry into their subject matter alongside some of Princeton University’s greatest thinkers.

This multifaceted initiative comprises a competitive commission and residency program for theater makers, an ongoing series of public events and performances, and an undergraduate course on narrative and the environment. It will fund two commissions of theatrical work that offer new visions for how we relate to the world around us. Additionally, The Next Forever

ANNIVERSARY PERFORMANCE: The Poulenc Trio marks its 20th year with a concert at Nassau Presbyterian Church on Wednesday, July 19 at 7:30 p.m.

provides artists with the opportunity to engage over a semester with Princeton faculty working in relevant fields.

“I believe that the scope and complexity of the present environmental crises ask all of us to think beyond business as usual,” said Steve Cosson, artistic director of The Civilians. “The Next Forever is an invitation to artists who are eager to break out of the writing studio or the rehearsal room and develop new work in conversation with leading scholars and thinkers. I’m grateful to Princeton University’s High Meadows Environmental Institute and Lewis Center for the Arts for their generous support and vision.”

As part of The Next Forever, two commissions will be awarded annually to theater makers to create original works that engage environmental subject matter. The initiative will also provide commissioned artists with the opportunity to engage with Princeton faculty, researchers, and students working in fields relevant to their projects. Following the completion of the commission, further development of the new work with The Civilians is possible.

The Next Forever builds on a partnership between The Civilians and Princeton University that began in 2009 with the development of The Great Immensity , one of the first American plays to address climate change. Prior to its 2012 world premiere at Kansas City Repertory Theatre and New York premiere at The Public Theater, The Great Immensity was developed in collaboration with High Meadows Environmental Institute (formerly Princeton Environmental Institute) over two years. The play also received a work-in-progress showing in a collaboration between the Lewis Center’s Princeton Atelier and the Princeton Environmental Institute in 2010 at the Berlind Theatre at the McCarter Theatre Center at Princeton University.

Poulenc Trio Performs at Summer Chamber Series

The Poulenc Trio (piano, oboe, and bassoon) appears Wednesday, July 19 at 7:30 p.m. as part of the Princeton University Summer Chamber Concerts series at Nassau Presbyterian Church, 61 Nassau Street.

The program includes works by Fauré, Françaix, Cuong, Seo, Poulenc, and Rossini.

Due to repairs in Richardson Auditorium this summer, the remainder of the series will be held at Nassau Presbyterian Church, 61 Nassau Street in Princeton. No tickets are needed The series’ last concert will be the Dali Quartet on Friday, July 28.

The Poulenc Trio is comprised of Irina Kaplan Lande on piano, Alexander Vvedenskiy on oboe, and Bryan Young on bassoon. With over 25 commissioned pieces written or arranged for the ensemble, they have significantly expanded the repertoire for oboe, bassoon, and piano. The group’s most recent commissions include Explain Yourself by favorite composer Viet Cuong, two works by Juri Seo, Melodie de Poulenc, and Breathing Light, a collaboration with accordionist Hanzhi Wang. Also new for the group are arrangements of Francis Poulenc’s songs, performed as trios, or with optional guest singers.

The trio launched a concert series called Music at the Museum, in which musical performances are paired with museum exhibitions, with special appearances from guest artists and curators. As part of the series, the trio has collaborated with the National Gallery in Washington, the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore Museum of Art, and the Hermitage State Museum in Russia.

The trio is engaged in musical and educational outreach programs, including Poulenc & Snacks, an informal performance and residency series for younger audiences around the country. The ensemble regularly conducts master classes, with recent engagements at the University of Ohio, San Francisco State University, Florida State University, and the University of Colima in Mexico.

Visit princetonsummerchamberconcerts.org for more information.

McCarter’s “A Christmas Carol”

To Star Joel McKinnon Miller

McCarter Theatre Center’s production of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol will return in December with actor Joel McKinnon Miller in the title role of Ebenezer Scrooge. Dates are December 6-24. Tickets go on sale Friday, July 14 at Mccarter.org.

Miller is a stage and screen actor best known for his role of Scully in the cop comedy Brooklyn Nine-Nine New this year will be activities in the theater lobby, where holiday shopping will be available to support community service organizations. A Tree of Giving, themed drinks, photo opportunities, and caroling by local schools and choirs are also scheduled.

Miller made his television debut in 1991 on the show Murphy Brown . His additional credits include Curb Your Enthusiasm, Everybody Loves Raymond, The X-Files, ER, Glee, Longmore, Bones, American Horror Story, Las Vegas , and Station 19. He played Don Embry on HBO’s Big Love for five seasons, and recently starred in the HBO miniseries The Staircase Movies include Men in Black II, The Truman Show, and The Family Man

Joel McKinnon Miller

Art

co-sponsorship of the Mercer County Education Association. Educator Linda McRae, a Trenton Museum Society trustee, is the coordinator of the annual program, which also involves many museum volunteers who lead the activities.

The museum-based fun and exploration for kids and their families starts with a continental breakfast and continues with a guided museum tour, scavenger hunt, stories about the history of Ellarslie Mansion and Cadwalader Park, and art and craft projects led by a rotating roster of guest teacherartists. Breakfast, snacks, and T-shirts are provided for each participant along with the programs and craft workshops.

LETTING LOOSE: The Arts Council of Princeton (ACP) will host an all-ages Dance Party on Friday, July 28. The first of a series of monthly parties, the July event will be held outdoors in the ACP’s parking lot.

Arts Council to Host

Monthly Dance Parties

The first of the Arts Council of Princeton’s monthly Outdoor Dance Parties for all ages will be held on Friday, July 28 from 8-9:30 p.m. in the building’s parking lot at 102 Witherspoon Street. The gatherings are held the last Friday of the month, from July to September.

In the cooler months, or in the event of rain, the dances will move into the Solley Theater. Admission is a suggested donation of $5.

Last month, the artists on staff at the Arts Council transformed their parking lot with a colorful asphalt

mural, providing outdoor events with a dance floor.

What had started as a necessary outdoor space during COVID-19 has become a frequent spot for festive community gathering, energized with color as evident by attendance at the Arts Council’s Pride Dance this past June.

“At our last dance party, we looked around and saw so many neighbors, friends, ACP members, and new faces coming together to move and enjoy the music,” said Artistic Director Maria Evans. “We decided that people love and need this in our community, so let’s make it a regular once-a-month event. Now we have two dance

venues to choose from, our outdoor ‘art space’ or our Solley Theater when the weather takes us indoors.” For more information, visit artscouncilofprinceton.org.

Free Saturday Programs at Trenton City Museum

Trenton City Museum invites families to sign their kids up for its second annual July family programming series, Saturdays in July, offered for free. Trenton City Museum is located in historic Ellarslie Mansion in Cadwalader Park.

This offering is a part of the museum’s arts education programming for youth and families and is made possible this year with the

The Saturday morning programs are on July 15, 22, and 29 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and are for children ages 5 to 13, accompanied by an adult. For more information and to register, visit ellarslie.org/ July-family-program, call (609) 989-1191, or email tms@ellarslie.org.

Area Exhibits

Art@Bainbridge, 158 Nassau Street, has “Victor Ekpuk: Language and Lineage” July 22 through October 8. artmuseum.princeton. edu.

Artists’ Gallery, 18 Bridge Street, Lambertville, has “A World Reimagined” through August 6. A reception is on July 15 from 4 to 7 p.m. Gallery hours are Thursday through Sunday,

11 a.m. to 6 p.m. lambertvillearts.com.

Art on Hulfish, 11 Hulfish Street, has “Traces on the Landscape” through August 6. artmuseum.princeton.edu.

Arts Council of Princeton, 102 Witherspoon Street, has “Family Recollections” through July 22. artscouncilofprinceton.org.

D&R Greenway Land Trust Johnson Education Center, 1 Preservation Place, has “Migration: Movement for Survival” through September 24. drgreenway.org.

Gallery 14 Fine Art Photography, 14 Mercer Street, Hopewell, has “Out There” through July 16. gallery14. org.

Gourgaud Gallery, 23-A North Main Street, Cranbury, has “Creative Collective Summer Exhibition” through July 28. cranburyartscouncil.org.

Grounds For Sculpture, 80 Sculptors Way, Hamilton, has “Local Voices: Memories, Stories, and Portraits” and “Spiral Q: The Parade” through January 7 and “That’s Worth Celebrating: The Life and Work of the Johnson Family” through the end of 2024, among other exhibits. groundsforsculpture.org.

Historical Society of Princeton, Updike Farmstead, 354 Quaker Road, has “Einstein Salon and Innovator’s Gallery,” “Princeton’s Portrait,” and other exhibits. Museum hours are Wednesday through Sunday, 12 to 4 p.m., Thursday to 7 p.m. princetonhistory.org

Michener Art Museum, 138 South Pine Street, Doylestown, Pa., has “MidCentury to Manga: The

Modern Japanese Print in America” through July 30, “Alan Goldstein: Elemental” through September 4, and “Sarah Kaizar: Rare Air” through November 5. michenerartmuseum.org

Morven Museum & Garden, 55 Stockton Street, has “Striking Beauty” through February 18 and the online exhibits “Slavery at Morven,” “Portrait of Place: Paintings, Drawings, and Prints of New Jersey, 1761–1898,” and others. morven.org.

Princeton Public Library, 65 Witherspoon Street, has “Albert Einstein: Champion of Racial Justice and Equality” through August 1. princetonlibrary.org.

Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library, Princeton University, has “Nobody Turn Us Around: The Freedom Rides and Selma to Montgomery Marches: Selections from the John Doar Papers” through March 31. Library. princeton.edu.

Small World Coffee, 14 Witherspoon Street, has photographs by Alyson LeCroy through August 1. Works by Jill Mudge are at the 254 Nassau Street location through August 1. smallworldcoffee. com.

Trenton City Museum at Ellarslie, Cadwalader Park, Trenton, has “Ellarslie Open 40” through September 30. ellarslie.org.

Trenton Free Public Library, 120 Academy Street, Trenton, has “First Friday Curators” through July 29. (609) 392-7188.

West Windsor Arts Center, 952 Alexander Road, West Windsor, has “Faculty and Student Show” through July 15. westwindsorarts.org.

Victor Ekpuk: Language and Lineage

Saturday, July 22, 1–4 p.m.

Gal-

Join Victor Ekpuk and Annabelle Priestley, curatorial assistant, to celebrate the opening of Victor Ekpuk: Language and Lineage. In paintings, sculptures, and works on paper, the artist Victor Ekpuk unfolds his vibrant visual repertoire inspired by Nsibidi, an ancient system of communication from southern Nigeria and northwest Cameroon. Ekpuk’s artworks celebrate our multicultural societies’ syncretism and comment on sociopolitical issues.

“DELEVAN STREET”: Watercolor and pen and ink paintings by Mark Oliver are featured in “Lambertville Locations,” on view through the end of August at Bell’s Tavern, 183 North Union Street, Lambertville.  Oliver is a practicing architect with a passion for the built environment, and his paintings examine the urban landscape of everyday places. Lambertville provides him with unique and colorful subjects for his compositions.  He is a member artist at Artists’

lery, 18 Bridge Street, Lambertville, where his work is always on display.

Victor Ekpuk, Mask Series 1, 2018. Courtesy of the artist and Morton Fine Art. ©Victor Ekpuk, courtesy of Morton Fine Art, Washington, D.C.

Mark Your Calendar Town Topics

Wednesday, July 12

11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: Leighton Listens : Councilman Leighton Newlin invites residents to voice their concerns, air their opinions, and have a one-on-one conversation about anything related to the town. At Homestead Princeton, 300 Witherspoon Street.

4 p.m : Meeting of the Princeton Special Improvement District (Experience Princeton) Board of Directors, at the Nassau Inn, Palmer Square.

4-5 p.m.: Mad Science

Fluttering Birds Workshop at Hopewell Train Station, 2 Railroad Place, Hopewell. Children 3-5 learn about birds and take home a bird warbler to practice bird songs at home. Redlibrary.org.

Thursday, July 13

10 a.m.-3 p.m : Princeton Farmers’ Market is at Hinds Plaza. Organic produce, pasture-raised meat and eggs, bread, empanadas, pickles, flowers, and more. SNAP/EBT accepted on eligible purchases. Free parking for one hour in Spring Street Garage. Princetonfarmersmarket.com.

6 p.m : ETS and YWCA host the annual Firecracker Run, starting on the ETS

Princeton campus. Featuring a 3K, DJ, yard games, prizes, and food trucks. $15-$20. Ywcaprinceton. org/funrun.

6-8 p.m.: Dueling Pi ano Night on the Palmer Square Green. Palm ersquare.com.

6-8 p.m : The Eric Mintel Quartet performs at Prince ton Shopping Center as part of the Summer Concert Se ries. Free, bring a blanket or lawn chair. Princetonshop pingcenter.org.

6:30 p.m : Discussion of the book Happy Dreams of Liberty with historian R. Isabela Morales, at Mor ven, 55 Stockton Street. Morales will sign copies of the book, which will be for sale. Morven.org.

7:15 p.m : Black Voices Book Group discusses Cloud Rising by David Wright Falade, via Google Meet, presented by Princ eton Public Library. Princ etonlibrary.org.

8 p.m.: The film of the Rings : The Fellow ship of the Ring is screened at Blaire-Joline Courtyard, Mathey College, Princeton University. Free; bring a blanket or chair. Popcorn provided. Sponsored by the University Art Museum. Art museum.princeton.edu.

Friday, July 14

2-4 p.m . : Friends of Princeton Open Space (FO POS) leads a nature walk around Mountain Lake, and its wetland ecosystem. Reg ister at fopos.org/eventsprograms

5-8 p.m.: Sunset Sips and Sounds at Terhune Or chards Vineyard and Winery, 330 Cold Soil Road. Music by Mark Miklos. Terhuneorchards.com.

7 p.m Dancing Under the Stars at Hinds Plaza (or Princeton Public Library’s Community Room in bad weather), with members of Central Jersey Dance demonstrating basic steps. Princetonlibrary.org.

8:15-10 p.m.: Movie Nights on the Palmer Square Green — Freaky Friday. Palmersquare.org.

Saturday, July 15

9 a.m.-1 p.m.: West Windsor Farmers Market, Vaughn lot of the Princeton Junction train station. Fresh produce, seafood, poultry, pastured eggs, cheese, baked goods, and more. Entertainment by Darla Rich Jazz. Westwindsorfarmersmarket.org.

12-2 p.m.: Summer Music Series on the Palmer Square Green, with music by KickStart. Palmersquare.com.

12-5 p.m.: Winery Weekend Music Series at Terhune Orchards, 330 Cold Soil Road. Music by Brian Bortnick from 2-5 p.m. Light fare available, no outside food or pets. Terhuneorchards.com.

“Midsummer Music in the Woods,” at Herrontown Woods, near the Veblen House. Acoustic music by Crown Acoustic and the Ragtime Relics; poetry read by Vivia Font. Princetonlibrary.org.

5-8 p.m : Farmer’s Choice at Howell Living History Farm, 70 Woodens Lane, Hopewell Township. Howellfarm.org.

8 p.m : Flamenco guitarist Juan Carmona performs at Pettoranello Gardens Amphitheater, Route 206 and Mountain Avenue. Free. In case of rain or extreme heat, the show is at Princeton High School Performing Arts Center. Email info@bluecurtain. org for information.

Sunday, July 16

10 a.m.: “Delicious Invasives Removal : Foraging for Wineberries,” at Billy Johnson Mountain Lakes Nature Preserve, Mountain Avenue. Walk led by local experts Matt and Shannon. Help curb the spread of these invasives by eating them. Register at fopos.org.

12-3 p.m.: Alliance Francaise of Princeton Bastille Day picnic at Community Park South pavilion. Bring your own picnic; beverages provided. Door prizes, French conversation, boules. $15 for members, $20 non-members. Allianceprinceton.com.

12-5 p.m.: Winery Weekend Music Series at Terhune Orchards, 330 Cold Soil Road. Music by Kara & Corey from 2-5 p.m. Light fare available, no outside food or pets. Terhuneorchards.com.

1 p.m.: Annie Gao plays the Princeton University Carillon at the Graduate School, 88 College Road West. Listen from outside, rain or shine. Free. Arts.princeton.edu.

2-5 p.m . : Family Picnic held by Central New Jersey Conservative Union, at Montgomery Veterans Park Pavilion, 235 Harlingen Road, Belle Mead. Burgers and hot dogs provided; attendees are encouraged to bring a side dish or dessert, with recipe cards. $10 suggested donation. Visit cjcu-nj.org.

3 p.m.: Einstein Alley Musicians Collaborative hosts an open mic event at Hinds Plaza. Princetonlibrary.org.

Monday, July 17

Recycling

3 p.m.: The Maltese Falcon is screened in the Community Room of Princeton Public Library, 65 Witherspoon Street. Free. Princeton Library.org.

Wednesday, July 19

9:30 a.m.-1 p.m.: Meet the Human Services Department, in the lobby of Princeton Public Library, 65 Witherspoon Street. Princetonlibrary.org.

11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: Leighton Listens : Councilman Leighton Newlin invites residents to voice their concerns, air their opinions, and have a one-on-one conversation about anything related to the town. At D’Angelo’s Italian Market, 35 Spring Street.

6 p.m.: Princeton Public Library Board of Trustees meeting, in the Community Room unless otherwise noted. Princetonlibrary.org.

7 p.m : The Historical Society of Princeton presents the film Grand Illusion at the Garden Theatre, 160 Nassau Street. $7.75-$13.50. Princetonhistory.org.

7:30 p.m.: Princeton University Summer Chamber

Concerts presents the Poulenc Trio performing music for piano, oboe, and bassoon by Françaix, Fauré, Cuong, and Poulenc at Nassau Presbyterian Church, 61 Nassau Street. Free. Princetonsummerchamberconcerts.org.

Thursday, July 20

7:30-10 a.m.: Princeton Mercer Chamber presents the Trenton Economic Development Series : Arts, Entertainment, and Hospitality in the City of Trenton, at Cooper’s Riverview, 50 Riverview Executive Park, Route 29, Trenton. Panel discussion with representatives of arts and culture. Princetonmercer.org.

10 a.m.-3 p.m : Princeton

Farmers’ Market is at Hinds Plaza. Organic produce, pasture-raised meat and eggs, bread, empanadas, pickles, flowers, and more. SNAP/ EBT accepted on eligible purchases. Free parking for one hour in Spring Street Garage. Princetonfarmersmarket.com.

4-5 p.m.: Cooking with Friends, at Hopewell Train Station, 2 Railroad Place. Sara Schoonover leads kids 4-8 and their grown-ups making fruit pizzas. Redlibrary.org.

JULY

6:30 p.m : “Princeton, the Nation’s Capital 1783.” Barry Singer gives at talk at the Lawrence Headquarters branch of Mercer County Libraries, 2751 Brunswick Pike. Free but advance registration appreciated. (609) 883-8292.

6:30 p.m : Story & Verse : A Poetry, Storytelling, and Spoken Word Open Mic, at Pettoranello Gardens ampitheater, 20 Mountain Avenue. Artscouncilofprinceton.org/events/.

7:30 p.m : Phillips’ Mill

Premiere Showcase presents Voices : A History of the VIA of Doylestown, at 2619 River Road, New Hope, Pa. $25-$75. Phillipsmill.org.

Friday, July 21

5-8 p.m.: Sunset Sips and Sounds at Terhune Orchards Vineyard and Winery, 330 Cold Soil Road. Music by Catmoondaddy. Terhuneorchards.com.

7:30 p.m : Phillips’ Mill Premiere Showcase presents Voices : A History of the VIA of Doylestown, at 2619 River Road, New Hope, Pa. $25-$75. Phillipsmill.org.

Saturday, July 22

9 a.m.-1 p.m.: West Windsor Farmers Market, Vaughn lot of the Princeton Junction train station. Fresh produce, seafood, poultry, pastured eggs, cheese, baked goods, and more. Entertainment by Anker. Westwindsorfarmersmarket.org.

12-5 p.m.: Winery Weekend Music Series at Terhune Orchards, 330 Cold Soil Road. Music by Allan Wilkinson from 2-5 p.m. Light fare available, no outside food or pets. Terhuneorchards.com.

4-7 p.m.: Summer Music Series at Nassau Park Pavilion, behind Panera Bread in Nassau Park Shopping Center, West Windsor, features Dan Kassel and alternative artist Jakeya Limitless. Free art activities for children and adults. Free. Westwindsorarts.org.

5-8 p.m : Evening Animal Chores at Howell Living History Farm, 70 Woodens Lane, Hopewell Township. Howellfarm.org.

7:30 p.m : Phillips’ Mill Premiere Showcase presents Voices : A History of the VIA of Doylestown, at 2619 River Road, New Hope, Pa. $25-$75. Phillipsmill.org.

Winery: Summer

Music

4 p.m : Blue Jersey Band plays a mix of swing, jazz, and bluegrass at Princeton Makes artist co-op, Princeton Shopping Center. Princetonmakes.com.

4-5:30 p.m : “Ending Climate and Nuclear Crises for the Next Generation,” presented by the Coalition for Peace Action and other organizations. Free via Zoom. Keynote speaker is Timmon Milne Wallis, executive director of NuclearBan.US; other speakers. Peacecoalition.org.

6 p.m : Build a Bouquet Workshop at Morven, 55 Stockton Street. Florists from Vaseful Flowers and Gifts will help people create bouquets; bring your own vase. Flowers and refreshments provided. $65-$75. Morven.org.

6-8 p.m.: Dueling Piano Night on the Palmer Square Green. Palmersquare.com.

6-8 p.m : School of Rock Princeton performs at Princeton Shopping Center as part of the Summer Concert Series. Free, bring a blanket or lawn chair. Princetonshoppingcenter.org.

8 p.m : Rufus Reid & Expedition perform at Pettoranello Gardens Amphitheater, Route 206 and Mountain Avenue. Free. In case of rain or extreme heat, the show is at Princeton High School Performing Arts Center. Email info@bluecurtain. org for information.

Sunday, July 23

8:30-9:45 p.m.: Eastern Screech Owl Walk. Friends of Princeton Open Space and South Jersey Wildlife Tours lead this tour. Register at fopos.org/eventsprograms.

History, Adventure, and Lifetime Learning Come Together at Hopewell Public Library

The love of learning, the sequestered nooks, And all the sweet serenity of books.”

—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

“Sequestered nooks” provides an apt description of what one finds at the Hopewell Public Library at 13 East Broad Street.

IT’S NEW To Us

It offers a more intimate setting than many modern libraries today, and is filled with many nooks and crannies, offering surprises, and indeed, the “sweet serenity of books.”

However, it is much more.

Libraries open up new worlds — and the books within, opportunities for great adventures.

Old Harness Shop

The Hopewell Public Library itself has a history all its own. It was founded in 1914 when members of the Roundabout Club, an organization dedicated to social and intellectual pursuits, invested $200 to open a borough library in the old harness shop on West Broad Street at Mercer Street. A year later, it moved to the second floor of Fireman’s Hall on Seminary Avenue. In 1917, the library became a municipal library through a public referendum, and began receiving funding from the Hopewell Borough Council.

The library was immediately popular, and according to its mission statement, “As of October 1916, with a Borough population of 1,200, the library had 680 active patrons, owned more than 1,300 books, and had circulated 10,127 books during the past year. The library quickly outgrew its new space, moved to 28 East Broad Street in 1924, and shared this new space with the Hopewell Museum. In 1965, it moved to its current location in the former National Bank building.”

Keeping up-to-date with the technological advances, the library “automated” in 2009, continues the statement. “Patrons were issued HPL bar-coded library cards, and all items now have HPL (Hopewell Public Library) bar-coded labels. An online catalog replaced the physical card catalog, and the online catalog can be searched by patrons in the library and from home.

“We believe HPL was the last public library in New Jersey to automate, but one of the first in the state to use an integrated library system that is ‘open source’ (Koha) — a new direction for libraries.”

Special Place

HPL is a special place in the community, points out Director Barbara Merry, who first joined the library in 2019 as a volunteer, becoming director in 2022. Her background in literature, including a doctorate in French literature, gave her a valuable rich engagement with books and a unique experience to bring to the library.

“I knew about books and reading habits,” she explains. “This is a very interactive library. The staff is very involved with the patrons. We know what people are reading. We are always there with advice about books, new and old, as well as the technology we have available. We offer access to copier, scanner, and fax machines, and a community bulletin board.

“We are really a community gathering place, almost like an old-fashioned general store. Many of the patrons know each other, and enjoy our relaxed, welcoming environment. Some people spend time looking for books, others work on the computers, and others are doing research. Many people spend an hour or more here, and some come every week, and even every day!”

About 1,800 people currently have cards, which are free to Hopewell residents. Cards are also available to those outside the area for $20.

Books may be kept for two weeks, and there are no overdue fines. Typically, 600 books circulate per month, equally divided among adult and children’s titles. The library has an inter-library loan program with other libraries and also a borrowing arrangement with Princeton and Rutgers universities. Books, newspapers, magazines, e-books, CDs, and DVDs are all popular, with a wide range of categories of interest to readers, reports Merry. “We have a comprehensive database, and people can go to our website for information.”

New Books

As director, Merry oversees a staff of five employees and four to 10 volunteers. With the help of the staff, she administers the operation, including obtaining books and materials.

“Due to our size, we have limited space for books,” she points out. “We follow the New York Times Book Review, and we work with the Baker & Taylor company, which orders books from publishers for libraries. We typically get 25 to 30 new books per month, and we have sales for older ones, which aren’t circulating, to make room for new ones.

Thirteen thousand books are currently available.”

The library is funded primarily by the municipality, but also by support from foundations, individual donors, bake sales, and other events. “We have an annual fundraiser,” says Merry, “and this year it is the Hidden Gardens of Hopewell Valley tour, to be held August 19.”

Children’s Department

Readers come in for books of all kinds, she reports. Fiction, non-fiction, history, biographies, memoirs, those about gardening, space, animals, and more.

“Mysteries are always popular, and really, books on all subjects, including short stories, essays, and reference books. Regarding the Lindbergh collection, it is of added interest that the headquarters for the

reporters covering the trial was in the building next door to us. A new restaurant is being built there now.”

The library has a thriving children’s books department, including a wideranging program of events and activities. Many children visit the upstairs where small tables and chairs are available for them to spend time with a new book or activity.

The children’s room has recently been repainted and refurbished, offering a bright new look. It will be completed in August, ready for the children to enjoy the special opportunities there.

“Kids love to come here,” says Children’s Librarian Julie Johnson. “We have everything from picture books for the youngest kids to those for beginning readers, as well as choices for teens and young adults.”

Classics like Winnie the Pooh are still favorites, she reports, as are the popular Mo Willems books and the Harry Potter selection. They also like animal stories, such as the Elephant and Piggie series.

“Books about space, the ocean, and biographies are also popular with the kids,” adds Johnson.

The library encourages children to read, and that they are responding is immensely satisfying for the staff. Watching kids becoming inspired, excited, and entertained by a book instead of an electronic device is evidence of a major achievement!

Programs and Events

The library also offers many programs and events for children. Pre-Story Time, Cooking with Friends, Mad Science, Be Kind to Bees, Eyes of the Wild, and All Together Now are just some of the activities.

“We have activities for kids every month,” points out Johnson. “For example, our Mother Goose program included reading the book and then creating drawings about it. The Flutter By event teaches kids about birds, and they make bird whistles to take home.

“Our summer reading program, All Together Now, was launched with an ice cream social this month, with the idea of getting the kids to read during the summer.”

The idea is that the kids can set their own goal, she explains. They sign a pledge to read a certain number of books according to their age category, and then at the end of the summer, report their progress. The library will provide a variety of prizes, honoring their achievement.

Numerous programs, activities, and classes are also available for adults. Book clubs, cook book clubs (involving the preparation and sharing of a recipe they have read about), felting and quilting classes, and drum circle, among others, are all offered.

Some of the events and classes are held at the library, while others are in other locations, including the railroad station/community center, the gazebo, and the Presbyterian Church.

Welcoming Center

“We have events once or twice a week, and some once a month,” says Merry. “They are all popular. It is another way for people to interact with each other, face-to-face. This is so important now. After COVID, people very much wanted to get together, be involved, communicate, and share interests.”

HPL is a special place, she emphasizes. “It is the cultural heart of the community. Through its collections, programs, and services, the library is a welcoming center for information, discovery, enrichment, and lifelong learning for people of all ages. Also, we build on the strength of the previous generation, while we are aware that new people are interested in new things.”

She enjoys being able to help patrons with their reading choices, and increasing their reading opportunities.

“I enjoy matching a person with a book,” she explains. “Some people ask us for advice and help looking for a particular title. I also like deciding what books to bring in. This is a chance to add to the enrichment and reading pleasure of our patrons. And in such a special place!”

The library is open Monday and Tuesday 12 to 8 p.m., Wednesday through Friday 12 to 5 p.m., and Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, call (609) 466-1625 and visit the website at redlibrary.org.

—Jean Stratton

RECIPE FOR READING: “We are set apart by our size. We are small, and offer a very friendly and welcoming atmosphere. At the same time, we are an up-to-date modern library with the technology of today and the latest books in all areas, as well as local history and genealogical records of Hopewell and an extensive collection of Lindbergh material, all offering interesting research opportunities.” Hopewell Public Library Director Barbara Merry is shown in front of the library’s historic building.

S ports

Skipping his Senior Season for PU Men’s Soccer to Go Pro, Midfielder Pinto Making Impact for FC Cincinnati of MLS

Malik Pinto will be missing from the Princeton University men’s soccer lineup when the team opens the season on September 1 against Rutgers.

Pinto, though, does have a game the next day in Cincinnati but it will be a Major League Soccer (MLS) contest. Following his junior season with the Tigers in 2022, Pinto’s collegiate career ended and his professional career began when he signed a deal with FC Cincinnati of MLS in January.

“I’ve gotten a lot of interest in terms of people letting me know when I was younger, that the potential to play professionally was there,” said Pinto. “The most important thing was maybe waiting for what was the right time.”

Pinto is unique as a Princeton player turning professional before finishing his college career. He played the last two seasons for the Tigers after his freshman year, 2020-21, when the Ivy League canceled all sports. He’ll bypass his senior season for the chance to take his shot professionally.

“This was a right time before this season, and I’m happy with my decision to leave with the back-up option knowing that I’m going to be all right whether my soccer career goes amazing or if it doesn’t go as well,”

said Pinto. “That’s one of the reasons that you go to Princeton, for the education and the relationships that you make and the people you meet.”

Pinto was named All-Ivy League in both seasons that he played for the Tigers. In 2021, Pinto played in all 18 matches with 14 starts, tallying two goals and two assists as Princeton won the Ivy championship. Last fall, he had four assists while starting all 16 games for the Tigers.

“Malik is such a talented passer,” said Princeton head coach Jim Barlow. “He delivers the ball at the right time with the right pace. His comfort on the ball and his vision make him well-prepared for the increase in speed of play and decrease in space and time when you have the ball at the next level. He also covers ground and understands the importance of solid and responsible defending. He’s already shown that he can handle the demands of professional soccer, and he has confidence and a strong mentality to continue to improve.”

Pinto sees leaving Princeton for the MLS as a first step and first opportunity at his biggest goals. Pinto, who won’t turn 21 until August, would like to play on a bigger stage.

“My ultimate goal, and it

always has been, is to play in Europe,” said Pinto. “Right now I just want to focus on how I can get as good as possible, especially in this league and focus on helping the team win and continuing to get more minutes. My goal has always been to be a part of the national team and play in Europe. Just by continuing to work hard, I’ll do my best to attain those goals, and I believe I can make that happen. Right now, it’s just about starting small but not forgetting the bigger picture and how far I want to take this thing.”

Getting a jumpstart on his professional career is an important step. While his early departure is unique to the Princeton program, it is not unique to the Pinto family. His older sister, Brianna, left North Carolina after her junior year to play professionally.

“I saw her do it,” said Pinto. “She graduated in 2022 so she graduated on time. It made it seem like if you wanted to do it, it wasn’t necessarily going to be easy, but if you tried your best to make it happen then you could do both.”

Pinto’s older brother also played professionally. Hassan Pinto began his career at Elon before transferring to Duke. After finishing a year in graduate school, he had professional stints with the

MAJOR SHOWDOWN: FC Cincinnati midfielder Malik Pinto, right, races past Kevin O’Toole of NYCFC as the two former Princeton University men’s soccer teammates met in the U.S. Open Cup on May 10 in Cincinnati. Pinto, who bypassed his senior season this fall for Princeton, to join the Major League Soccer club, has emerged as a key performer for FC Cincinnati. The 5’11, 155-pound native of Durham, N.C., has made 17 appearances with one start for the club, which is currently in first place in the Eastern Conference standings with 45 points (13 wins, 6 draws, 2 losses). (Photo provided courtesy of Princeton Athletics)

Richmond Kickers, Loudon United, and DC United before returning to earn an MBA at Duke’s Fuqua School of Business.

“That’s a different pathway than myself, but we both played professional soccer,” said Pinto. “It’s a case-by-case basis just in terms of the timing. Seeing the pathways of my siblings, my parents were understanding this was an opportunity, and even with the growth of the MLS this opportunity doesn’t come to everybody. They were totally behind me in whatever decision I made, whether it was to stay at school or play in the MLS.”

Pinto’s parents, too, were athletes. His father played soccer at North Carolina while his mother played softball there.

“One of their values is doing well academically,” said Pinto. “The biggest thing for them is for myself and my siblings, putting us in a position where we were going to be fine regardless of how soccer goes is the most important thing. They were very happy for me to be able to take the opportunity at Princeton. They knew this had been my dream to be a professional soccer player. Everybody’s timing is different, but they felt this timing was right to be able to take this jump. Everybody’s situation is different.”

Pinto’s situation was indeed unique. Not only did he have a family with a history of professional soccer players, but he was able to establish an early connection to the professional level. Before he enrolled

at Princeton, several clubs, FC Cincinnati among them, had inquired about his willingness to take a gap year and train for their academy teams.

When the Ivy League canceled its 2020 fall season and Princeton kept students off campus, Pinto saw an opportunity. He reached back out to professional clubs about training with them, and ultimately connected with FC Cincinnati. He played with their U-19 Academy team through the fall while training with the club. In the spring, when the MLS season began, he continued to train with the club and it gave him a head start as a rookie player after he signed a professional deal less than two years later.

“While it’s a different roster, there are still some of those same people,” said Pinto. “It’s been easy to adjust because I’ve already had that groundwork of getting to know people on the team. I think that made them and the staff super comfortable with me. You still have to do your rookie duties, it’s the same thing as school, but it’s cool. You’re meeting different people, you’re playing with different players. It’s interesting being a younger guy on the team for sure.”

Pinto has worked his way into getting minutes for FC Cincinnati. After not playing the first three games of the season, he made his first start in the fourth game of the year. He’s been adjusting to the lifestyle of the professional player and what it takes to succeed at this level.

“It’s been interesting, but it’s been great just how much time you can put into focusing on getting better whether that’s getting stronger, getting better technically, or getting better tactically,” said Pinto. “I think I’ve had a huge jump in my positioning on the field for example. Just the fact that I’ve been able to receive and take on information, which I feel like I got better at through my time at Princeton, has allowed the (Cincinnati) coaching staff to have trust in me and put me in difficult situations. My first appearance for the club was on the road at Nashville, which was a team second or third in the conference right now in front of 28,000. Being able to take on information and be ready for whenever my number is called has been a huge part of the experience. You never know when your number will be called, but you have to ready for whatever scenario.”

The unknown is one of the biggest changes for Pinto. At Princeton, he started nearly every game of his career and averaged 75 minutes per game. His time has varied with FC Cincinnati, from playing the final minute of a 2-2 tie against New England on July 1 up to 64 minutes in his first start, plus 83and 89-minute efforts in US Open Cup games.

“At school, one of the things I was learning was how to bring it every day,” said Pinto. “I’m still working on trying to be consistent and bring the same attitude and same mentality every

Malik Pinto

day to training every time, and to the game, and just try to be more consistent. When you become consistent, you become more reliable, whether it’s at school or at FC Cincinnati. Building every day towards ‘I want to get better at this,’ ‘I want to stay after and work on this’ — that’s enabled me to be ready whenever my number is called.”

Pinto falls back on some of the lessons that he learned in his time at Princeton as he improved from his time under Barlow’s direction.

“His experience to help me and guide me with things that he wanted me to do, things that I could get better with, ultimately it’s what set me up,” said Pinto. “My first playing year, which was my sophomore year, we were able to have an Ivy League championship. That was something that bonded me and this unique group of people. We can always share that bond of winning an Ivy League championship. Learning how to win and grind out games in a short span of time is something I won’t take for granted. Going into my second year, which was my junior year of school, learning to take on more of a leadership role — we lost a lot of seniors the year before — just seeing how I could help the team, help the younger guys was definitely something that helped me build my charisma.”

Playing at Princeton also gave him a small model of the sort of collaboration that he now sees at the professional level. Pinto was able to fit in quickly with the Tigers and contribute to their Ivy title season, and was a key player this year with a new dynamic to Princeton.

“The main reason I went there was just how cool it is to play with a group of guys who all chose Princeton for different reasons and all came from different backgrounds,” said Pinto. “That was super cool. Being able to associate with different backgrounds helps me in the professional level because everybody is from different counties or different areas of the United States, and just being able to communicate with them in English, Spanish, whatever, is important.”

Pinto has found his way on to a team off to a good start. After the first 21 games, Cincinnati is first in the Eastern Conference with 45 points (13 wins, 6 draws, 2 losses), even after their 10-game home winning streak was snapped with the tie July 1.

“It’s definitely been a great team to be a part of,” said Pinto. “As soon I got here in preseason and we got together you could see the winning culture that was being built in the group. I think that’s a testament to the staff, the players who are bought in to our culture, and the fans especially. The winning streak at home, they’ve been amazing. They’ve brought it every game and we’ve had so many sellouts. It’s been great to be part of.”

Pinto has had the chance to play in some memorable games. He’s been to Washington, D.C., where he spent plenty of time early in his life with his grandmother.

On July 8, he returned to his home state of North

Carolina to take on Charlotte, a team that didn’t exist for him growing up. Pinto played eight minutes off the bench in a homecoming as the squad played to a 2-2 draw. An early game in St. Louis, albeit a lopsided loss (5-1 on April 15), gave him perspective on the growing enthusiasm in new MLS cities. Then there was the U.S. Open Cup game against NYCFC on May 10 in Cincinnati, which has former Princeton teammate Kevin O’Toole on its roster.

“When Kevin and I played versus each other, a lot of my teammates were able to come,” said Pinto. “That was the game where they stuck around a little after school and reunions ended and they were able to come to the game. Trying to find little times like that when I can see them is a great thing.”

Pinto has plans to return to see his former Princeton teammates play this fall and to reconnect with the coaching staff. They remain an important part of his life.

“The people in my class are seniors now so they’ll be taking the field for the last time this fall in a Princeton uniform,” said Pinto. “Being there for them, getting to see the coaching staff and Jim, Steve [Totten], and Sam [Maira] and Tom [Moffat], it will be huge to see them and experience campus. Although I’m doing adult stuff, I’m still a student at heart and I want to see the people that I’ve been going to school with.”

Pinto also has to sort out an academic schedule as he eyes progressing toward graduation with two semesters to go. Nothing is firmly in place for graduation plans as Pinto focuses on advancing his professional career. He has several areas in which he feels he can grow.

“One of the goals for myself is, “Can I earn more minutes in the second half of the season than the first half of the season?” said Pinto. “Even if it’s by one minute, that’s a goal I want to achieve. I’ve been really good in terms of shielding off the defense, and helping defensively, progressing the ball, moving forward on the pass. The next goal is how can I contribute to the attack more and contribute with the guys going forward and help the team score more goals. I think that’s the next step for me. Those are things I’m going to be working on after practice and trying to get better at.”

Pinto is looking forward to the next steps. His journey is unique for a Princeton player, but his decision to leave the Tigers early puts him on the path to attain his lifelong goals. Twenty-one games into his professional career, it looks like he picked the right time.

“I think I’m just trying to build on what’s been a great start to season,” said Pinto. “The second part will more difficult and more things are going to be asked of you with how many games are coming up and how important these games are. The biggest thing is how much the fans have welcomed me and the city has been welcoming and how good it has been to adjust to a new city and play for a really good team. We’re doing super well, and I hope we can continue to do that.”

—Justin Feil

PU Sports Roundup

Princeton Baseball’s Bandura

Picked by Giants in MLB Draft

Princeton University baseball star Scott Bandura was selected this week in the seventh round of the 2023 Major League Baseball Draft by the San Francisco Giants.

Outfielder Bandura was taken with the 210th pick of the draft becoming the first Princeton baseball player selected since Ben Gross was chosen by Houston Astros in 2018. (Gross did not sign and was picked by the Minnesota Twins in 2019 after a graduate season at Duke.)

Bandura, a 6’4, 190-pound native of Philadelphia, is the 50th Princeton baseball player to get selected in the MLB Draft and was the highest Princeton pick since Will Venable in 2005 (seventh round, 218th overall by the San Diego Padres). Only eight players in Princeton history have been taken higher than Bandura.

The rising senior had alltime great season for the Tigers in 2013, batting .363 with a .454 on-base percentage and .665 slugging percentage line in 47 games for the Tigers, adding 12 home runs and 45 RBIs. He led the team in runs (46), triples (three), slugging percentage, stolen bases (15), total bases (121), and onbase percentage.

He set the Princeton program single-season record in total bases with 121 while his 46 runs are tied for the second most in program history. His 28 extra base hits are second most all-time in a season while his slugging percentage is third and RBI are seventh.

Tiger Baseball Alum Ford Starring for Seattle Mariners

Former Princeton University baseball player Mike Ford ’15 has been making a big impact for the Seattle Mariners since being called up from the minors in early June.

Ford, who batted .302 with 13 homers and 56 RBIs for Triple-A Tacoma Rainers in 49 games, joined the Mariners on June 2. In 31 games, left-handed batter Ford has given Seattle plenty of punch from the DH spot. Through action last Sunday, Ford has hit .277 with eight homers, 17 RBIs, and an OPS of .944.

The 6’0, 225-pound Ford, 31, a former Hun School standout, has taken a tortuous route to his current success, having played for the New York Yankees from 2021 before making stops with the San Francisco Giants, Seattle, Atlanta Braves, and LA Angels last season.

3 Princeton Rowing Alums

Competing for U.S. at Worlds Princeton University rowing has three alumni named

to the US Rowing’s Team for the 2023 World Rowing Championships.

The women’s four will include Kelsey Reelick ’14 and Claire Collins ’19 from the women’s open rowing team along with Molly Bruggeman and Madeleine Wanamaker. That boat won gold at the World Rowing Cup II last month in Varese, Italy, with a time 6:17.55 over the 2,000-meter course, more than two seconds ahead of runner-up Great Britain.

Nick Mead ’17 of the men’s heavyweight rowing team is a part of the men’s four boat that earned bronze at the World Rowing Cup II with Michael Grady, Chris Carlson, and Liam Corrigan.

The 2023 World Rowing Championships will run from September 3-10 in Belgrade, Serbia, and will be the first opportunity for countries to qualify boats for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Tiger Men’s Hockey

Sending 3 to NHL Camps

A trio of Princeton University men’s ice hockey players are competing this week at NHL Development camps as they continue to work towards their professional careers.

Rising senior forward Ian Murphy will attend camp with the St. Louis Blue, while rising sophomore forward Brendan Gorman will skate with the Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights. Star defenseman Pito Walton ’23, a tri-captain this past season, has been invited to camp with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Murphy, a 5’11, 176-pound native of Scituate, Mass., is attending a NHL Development Camp for the second time after spending the 2022 summer with the Vancouver Canucks. This past season, Murphy led the Tigers in scoring with 30 points, scoring 15 goals and dishing out 15 assists. Over his 56 career games, Murphy has tallied 49 points (24 goals, 25 assists).

Gorman, a 6’0, 175-pound native of Arlington. Mass., will be attending his first NHL Development Camp when he heads to Vegas. This past season, he was fourth on the team and led all Princeton rookies in points with 20. He scored five times, and tied Murphy for the team lead in assists with 15.

Walton, who will be playing a graduate year this coming season at Northeastern, had 21 points in his senior campaign with the Tigers on seven goals and 14 assists. The 6’2, 192-pound Walton, who hails from Peapack, led all Princeton defensemen in scoring for the second season in a row. Walton totaled 37 points in his Tiger career (12 goals and 25 assists) in 88 appearances.

X-MAN: Princeton University men’s basketball player Xavian Lee puts up a shot in action last winter. Last week, rising sophomore guard Lee starred for Canada at the FIBA U19 World Cup, ending up as the team’s leader in points and assists in the tourney. Lee, a 6’3, 167-pound native of Toronto, Ontario, averaged 14.1 points per game along with 3.1 assists and 3.3 rebounds. Overall, Lee ranked 14th in scoring at the FIBA U19 World Cup. Lee tallied his tournament-best 21 points against Argentina and also scored 17 points in games against China and Slovakia. He wrapped up the tournament with 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals in a 107-58 triumph over Japan in the seventh-place game. In his freshman campaign for Princeton, Lee averaged 4.8 points and 1.8 rebounds a game in 32 appearances as the Tigers won the Ivy League postseason tournament and advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Princeton’s First Tradition Worship Service Sundays at 10am

Preaching Sunday, July 16, 2023, at 10am is Jennifer Karsner, Pastor of Asbury United Methodist Church in Arnold, MD. Special musical program with University organist, Eric Plutz and the Senior Choir of First Presbyterian Church, Metuchen, and led by Jordan Klotz

PHS Sprinter Della Rocca, PDS Girls’ Lax Star Caputo Get the Nod as Town Topics’ Leading Spring Performers

Zach Della Rocca couldn’t do any sprint training for more than six months over the fall and winter due to a leg injury, but made the most of his last two months with the Princeton High boys’ track team when he could finally run this spring.

While senior star Della Rocca was limited to upper body weight lifting during his hiatus from the track, he made a strong statement when he got back in action.

Competing in the 100 and 200 meters rather than in the 400, his main event in the 2022 spring campaign, Della Rocca proved to be dominant.

In the Mercer County Championships in late May, he took first in the 200 and second in the 100, helping PHS win the boys’ team title.

Two weeks later at the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association

NJSIAA Central Jersey Group 4 Sectional meet, Della Rocca produced a title double, winning the 100 and the 200.

At the Group 4 state meet, Della Rocca placed first in the 100 in 10.86 seconds and set a new personal record of 21.62 to finish second in the 200 meters.

“I felt great,” said Della

I was injured. It meant a lot to me that I could get first in the 100 and second in the 200.”

Over the course of the spring, Della Rocca lowered his own 100 or 200 school record five times. He set the 100-meter best when he won sectionals in 10.64. His improvements have kept him satisfied with his progress.

“Every time I get a PR, that’s great, that’s the direction I want to be heading,” said Della Rocca. “With the 100, it wasn’t quite my PR but I’m happy with it because the 100 is such a technical race. It’s all about the start, and there are so many factors that go into it. I’m happy with that time, but I know I can definitely get it better.”

It wasn’t easy for Della Rocca to deal with his hiatus from the track.

“It was definitely hard in the winter when I was injured because I put so much time in training in the fall,” said Della Rocca, who has committed to continue his track career at Princeton University. “It’s really frustrating when you get injured and then you can’t compete. I put the work in at physical therapy and recovered and so far this spring I’ve felt great and had no problems. I’ve felt no pain, which has

“The thing about this year is that I can actually help my team members through meets and help them with their starts because I now know somewhat what I’m doing,” said Della Rocca. “And in the weight room, I’m able to help them because I’ve been through the program for a year. I have a lot more experience in those ways. And navigating through meets because they can be confusing where to check in and everything. Then I can help with competition mentality and with form. Competition can be really anxiety producing for a lot of people — so helping them through that and helping them keep their form during races.”

Della Rocca is excited about getting opportunity to compete at the next level across town with the Princeton men’s track program.

“It’s a dream come true,” said Della Rocca. “I’ve looked up to those runners for so long. Now realizing that I’m going to be a part of that team, it’s a dream come true. That team is so exceptional. With the exception of the spring, they’ve won Ivies the last eight years. They placed seventh at nationals last year. They’re one of best track teams in the country and one of best academic

PHS track team as a junior after focusing on soccer before that means that Della Rocca has a higher ceiling for improvement, and he has heard only good things about Tiger sprints coach Robert Abdullah’s work.

“He’s great at developing sprinters and getting them faster,” said Della Rocca. “He’s almost like a magician — they don’t know how he does it. That’s something I was excited about. All of the coaches I have talked to during the process, none of them had a reputation like that. That’s exciting for me, especially because I am playing catch-up in a way. Having him and his skill set will benefit me greatly and I’m excited to what I can do when I start getting coached by him.”

PHS head coach Ben Samara credits Della Rocca’s success this spring coming back from injury as forcing him to rethink his approach to training.

“Zach’s return has caused me to do a deep dive on coaching philosophy and training philosophy,” said Samara, whose father, Fred, recently retired as the head coach of the Princeton University men’s program after a storied 46-year tenure. “I’ve been researching and trying to make it something I’m focusing on. His return defies all logic in terms of training, injury, how you come back from those things. For him to sit out eight months and be able to come back and do what he’s doing speaks to what sort of athlete he is. He’s a once-ina-generation talent.”

For bouncing back from injury to producing a oncein-a-generation season for the PHS track squad, Della Rocca is the choice as the top male performer of the spring high school season.

Top Female Performer hen the Princeton Day School girls’ lacrosse team hosted the Hun School in early April, Tess Caputo took matters into her hands for PDS.

Junior star Caputo scored a pair of goals in the first 2:03 of the contest to help spark the Panthers as they went on to a 16-14 win and avenged a tough 10-6 defeat in 2022 to their cross-town

“Losing that game last year and watching that happen was devastating and I think that really fueled us today,” said Caputo, who tallied seven points on five goals and two assists in the “We were so excited for this game, we really wanted it. In the end, it came down to who wanted it more and I think we really wanted it.”

With the Panthers clinging to a 15-14 lead in the waning moments of the contest, Caputo fired in an insurance goal to end the scoring.

“Having a one-goal lead with four minutes left in the game wasn’t enough,” said Caputo, whose final tally came with 1:37 left in regulation. “I had that opportunity, I feel confident with that shot, I do that every day in practice. I felt like that was a sure one so

PDS head coach Tracy Young credited Caputo with sparking the Panthers against Hun.

“Tess is not normally a midfielder for us,” said Young. “Paige [Gardner] and Sophie [Jaffe] have been playing much more of our mid. Since they were two that were not feeling great, I had to go with Tess which benefited us in the long run. She came out hot really quick.”

Caputo saw the win over Hun as a confidence builder for a Panther squad that began the season by falling 18-17 to Blair Academy and 12-9 to Shore.

“We had a pretty rough start to the season,” said Caputo. “We just needed a couple of wins under our belt and I think it is really going to be good.”

Caputo, who tallied 27 goals and 17 assists in the first six games of the season, kept firing away as the Panthers went on to advance to the Prep B state final, MCT semifinals, and New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Non-Public Group B semis.

Utilizing her skill and versatility, Caputo ended up leading PDS in points (126), goals (81), and assists (45) as the squad posted a final record of 13-8.

“I have definitely been stepping up to play some more mid and I am taking the draw this year,” said Caputo, who has committed to attend Fairfield University and play for its Division I women’s lax program. “I am normally a low attacker, so being able to do that is really awesome.”

Over the years, Caputo has formed a special partnership with senior standout Gardner, a fellow Fairfield commit.

“It is awesome working with Paige,” said Caputo of Gardner, who allied 65 goals and 40 assists this spring. “I am going to be playing with Paige in college; I would say her being committed there was a pretty big factor in me committing there. Fairfield is such an amazing school and to be able to have another four years with my best friend is awesome.”

Young credited the pair of Caputo and Gardner with making PDS hard to stop.

“Tessa and Paige are just phenomenal in the way that they were feeding it in,” said Young after PDS topped Notre Dame 12-11 in early May. “When you have a Paige and a Tessa that we know they are trying to double-team every single time, we have got to rely on those other people like Sophie [Jaffe] and Jess [Hollander] coming up big.”

For coming up big all season long in triggering a high-powered Panther offense, Caputo is the choice as the top female performer this spring.

Top Newcomers

After opting to not play for the Princeton Day School boys’ tennis team as a freshman in a 2022, Heyang Li joined the squad this spring.

“One of my private coaches, Glenn Michibata, helped convince me to play high school tennis because he thought it was really fun,” said Li, explaining his decision. “It is really fun playing

with all of these guys.”

Starring at first singles, sophomore Li ended up having a lot of fun in his debut campaign.

At the Mercer County Tournament in April, Li won the first singles title, posting a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 win over defending county and state singles champion Jonathan Gu of Princeton High in the final.

In facing the formidable senior star Gu before a big crowd at the stadium court at the Mercer County Park tennis complex, sophomore Li kept things simple.

“It was staying solid and being positive the whole time, playing my game, getting to the net, and hitting to his backhand,” said Li, reflecting on taking the first set. “I was taking my time, creating space and finding an opportunity to win the point.

In May, Li won the first singles title at the Prep B state tournament, helping the Panthers to win their second straight crown at the competition.

Weeks later, Li pulled out a 4-6, 6-4, (11-9) win over Braden Chavez as PDS topped Ranney 5-0 to win the Non-Public South sectional final.

In the Non-Public final against perennial powerhouse Newark Academy, Li topped Andrew Kotzen 6-3, 6-4, to earn the only win for the Panthers as they fell 4-1 to end the spring with an 115-1 record.

It didn’t take long for PDS head coach Michael Augsberger to realize that he had something special on his hands in newcomer Li.

“Heyang has the mindset of a professional, that is the way he trains,” said Augsberger. “He just saw the fun that they guys have. He loves the group of guys that we have; that helped him warm up to the idea of playing team tennis. He knows those other guys look to him and he wants to be seen doing the right thing, making sure that the guys see him committed in practice.”

Augsberger had fun watching Li’s game. “I have seen really quick hands and he is lightning quick,” added Augsberger. “I love the way he volleys the ball and his touch. He is really fast and he gets to things too.”

Li’s assessment of the impact of his win over Gu in the MCT proved to be a preview of things to come.

“It is mentality, it has made me a lot stronger,” said Li, who went out to make the Round of 16 at the NJSIAA state singles tournament before getting knocked out. “I feel great.”

For joining the PDS boys’ tennis program and emerging as one of the top singles players in the state, Li is the choice as the top male newcomer.

Coming into this spring, Kathy Quirk was hoping that freshman Sam Jolly would be up to the challenge of batting leadoff for a veteran-laden Hun School softball squad.

Jolly didn’t waste any time showing that she could be a catalyst at the top of the batting order. In a season-opening doubleheader sweep of Mercersburg Academy, Jolly went 6 for 7 with five runs and eight RBIs.

ROCK AND ROLL: Princeton High boys’ track star Zach Della Rocca displays his form in a 2022 race. Senior and Princeton University-bound Della Rocca enjoyed a big spring. He finished first in the 100 meters and second in the 200 at the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSI AA) Group 4 state championship meet on June 10. A week earlier, Della Rocca took first in the both the 100 and 200 at the Central Jersey Group 4 sectional. At the Mercer County championship meet in late May, Della Rocca won the 200 and took second in the 100. (Photo provided by Ben Samara)

Spring Review

Continued from Preceding Page

As Hun got off to a 13-0 start, Quirk credited her precocious freshman second baseman with being a key to the team’s success.

“Jolly is doing a great job, she has that slap and she is patient,” said Quirk. “She will draw the walk and she will hit the ball.”

Jolly kept producing as the spring went on, batting an eye-popping team best of .672 with team-highs in hits (43) and runs (32) as Hun went 18-2, winning its second straight Prep A state title and repeated as Mid-Atlantic Prep League (MAPL) champions.

In reflecting on Hun’s championship season, Quirk cited Jolly as making a big difference for the Raiders.

“Jolly is just such smart player; she is a left-handed slapper but she will look at where the girls are and will place the ball over the third basemen’s head or will hit a power hit,” said Quirk. “She just knows what to do to get on base. I can’t say enough about her as a freshman and what she contributed to the team.”

Jolly’s amazing production from the lead-off spot in her debut campaign as Hun enjoyed another big season makes her the pick as the top female newcomer.

Top Coaches

With the Princeton Day School boys’ lacrosse team coming off a disappointing 6-11 season in 2022, Joe Moore believed his squad was hungry to get back on the winning track this spring.

“We are all playing and coaching with a chip on our shoulder,” said PDS head coach Moore. “We had a salty taste in our mouth at the end of last year and we are taking that with us this year.”

For Moore, there was extra incentive to guide the Panthers to a big season as he had announced that 2023 would be his last year at the helm of program, having decided to step back to devote more time to his job at Centercourt and his young family.

The Panthers served notice early in that they were going to be a force in 2023, getting off to a sizzling 5-1 start.

“We have nine of our 10 starters returning this year,” said Moore, reflecting on the team’s early success.

“We are very mature on both sides of the ball, which is helpful.”

That maturity showed in the Prep B state final on May 1 as PDS overcame an early 4-1 deficit against Gill St. Bernard’s to pull out a 9-6 win and earn its first Prep crown since 2017.

“It is amazing; ultimately we are going to use this to give us confidence,” said Moore of the Prep B crown.

“We know we can win a championship now. We just have to continue to prove it and get better every day in our own way. I know we really wanted to get this one. It is nice to have a championship at this stage of the season where you can use it to build momentum.”

After falling to Allentown in the Mercer County Tournament semis, the Panthers ended the season by playing for a championship as they advanced to the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Non-Public Group B final on June 10 against Gill St. Bernard’s. In its march to the title game,PDS topped Gloucester Catholic 23-4, Holy Spirit 16-14, and Rutgers Prep 8-5.

PDS came up short in the title game, falling 10-8 after having defeated Gill in a regular season meeting (8-7 on April 11) before topping the Knights in the Prep B final, leaving Moore with a bittersweet goodbye.

“It is really hard, I have been dreading this day, win or lose,” said Moore, who guided the Panthers to a 15-7 record in his final season. “If we win, it was still going to be a hard day for me. On an individual level, I am so proud of this team. I just told them, ‘I have been in this sport for 25 years as a player or a coach and this is easily one of my favorite teams to be with because of who these guys are. I am

going out exactly how I hoped to.’”

In reflecting on what will stand out about his PDS tenure, Moore pointed to the feeling of brotherhood among the guys that has been cultivated around the squad from year to year.

“We have had really talented players but more than that we have had guys who just have great hearts and take something away from this program,” said Moore, whose players and coaches hugged each other one by one after the postgame talk. “I think the coolest part is to see them come back to our practice field or to our games and give me a big hug. You can tell that they feel welcome into this program and I have always wanted to build that culture.

It is a big piece of it.”

For nurturing that brotherhood over the years and leading PDS to a Prep title in his final year at the helm, Moore gets the nod as the top coach of a boys’ team.

Lois Szeliga doesn’t have a lot of resources to work with as a coach of the Wilberforce School track program.

The upper school has around 100 students and there is no track on campus. The team trains by running around a soccer field at the school or heading to the nearby towpath when the pitch is in use.

Despite those challenges, the Wolverine girls’ squad emerged as a force this spring.

After taking third in the Mercer County Championships in late May, Wilberforce headed into the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Non-Public B championship meet with their eyes on a title.

“You can see the rankings and where you can score points,” said Szeliga. “I knew that we had a chance to win and the girls all knew that.”

In order be a title contender, Szeliga had to maximize the talent at her disposal.

“We had to switch some people around and ask people to do different events,” said Szeliga, who guides

the team along with Kristen Yonkman, the sprints and field coach. “We were trying to steal points in so many different events. You try to see realistically where they can end up.”

Wilberforce ended up piling up a lot of points in the June 10 meet held at Delsea High, taking first with 83 points as Montclair Kimberley Academy scored 59 to come in second. It marked the first-ever NonPublic team track title for the program.

Five days later, the Wilberforce girls made more history at the NJSIAA Meet of Champions as their 4x800 relay of Laura Sallade, Sophia Park, Adeline Edwards, and Gwen Mersereau placed first, establishing another program milestone.

Watching her runners pull away from the competition at the MOC triggered some deep emotions for Szeliga.

“I was so thrilled for them; knowing from the beginning of the season when they started seeing what a great team they were as they qualified for the Penn Relays and to see each one develop as individuals into a terrific 800 meter runner,” said Szeliga. “They all dropped their times by 10 seconds from last year; each of them became such elite runners this year individually. It was so thrilling to see them achieve that in the space of one season. When the girls finished, it was like they were swarmed by the paparazzi. We had never had anything like that before it was great. It is so amazing.”

Culminating their stellar spring, the Wolverine girls produced another thrilling performance as they placed first in the Rising Stars Distance Medley Relay at the New Balance Outdoor Nationals at Franklin Field in Philadelphia in mid-June.

“Everybody at school is just thrilled, nobody can believe it; the parents who come to support us at all of these long meets are so thrilled and the social media is blowing up,” said Szeliga, reflecting on the team’s

success. “With the success, you did see a camaraderie. The other area teams are so supportive. Even when we went to nationals, the Union Catholic coach came over and congratulated us. You just see the embrace of the running community and the support. It is really nice. You go and coaches say, ‘Wow Wilberforce, Princeton, New Jersey.’ Even when we were at nationals, it was, ‘there is one of the Wilberforce girls.’ It is different, we used to get where is that but now people know us.”

In Szeliga’s view, those girls represented the school with a special spirit.

“There is a quote we have all over our school, “We are

too young to realize that certain things are impossible … so we will do them anyway,” from William Wilberforce, who our school is named after,” said Szeliga. “All season, these girls didn’t think things were impossible for them so they just went out and tried to do them. It is a theme of the school and I really felt that the girls embodied that. It is part of the mission of the school to get out there and accomplish what you can.”

The efforts of Szeliga and Yonkman in getting their intrepid band of athletes to accomplish great things make them the top coaches of a girls’ team this spring.

— Bill Alden

THE FORCE IS WITH THEM: Wilberforce School girls’ track coaches Lois Szeliga, far left, and Kristen Yonkman, far right, enjoy the moment with their athletes after the squad won the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Non-Public B state title for the first time in program history. The team’s 4x800 relay went on to place first at the Meet of Champions, making more history for the program. (Photo provided by Lois Szeliga)

HARD TO STOP: Princeton Day School girls’ lacrosse player Tessa Caputo, left, looks to unload the ball run a game this spring. Junior star Caputo led PDS in points (126), goals (81), and assists (45) as the Panthers advanced to the Prep B state final and the semis of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Non-Public Group B tourney and Mercer County Tournament in going 13-8. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Grinding to Improve His Game for 2nd College Season,

Young Starring for YSU in Men’s Summer Hoops

It was sweltering last Wednesday evening with the temperature hovering in the high 80s and the air thick with humidity and Freddie Young Jr. had to push through some fatigue as well as the heat when he hit the Community Park courts for YSU (Young Sports Unlimited) in the Princeton Recreation Department Men’s Summer Basketball League.

Having gone through a series of workouts earlier in the day in preparing for his second season with the Lincoln University hoops program, former Princeton Day School/Trenton Catholic Academy standout Young grinded his way to 11 points as YSU jumped out to a 30-17 halftime lead over Majeski Foundation, a squad comprised of players from The College of New Jersey men’s hoops team.

Young acknowledged that his legs were little bit heavy from his busy day of training.

“I know I could do so much more, I was feeling it a little bit but we did three workouts,” said Young who was training with YSU teammate and former TCA and college star Charles Cooke. “It was riding bikes, getting our shots up, and ball handling so that is three workouts.”

With YSU coming off a 4941 loss to AEI on June 28, its first defeat this season after four straight wins, Young and his teammates were feeling hungry to get back on the winning track.

“It was, ‘Don’t come back and make any of the same mistakes that we made last week,’” said Young. “We are

way better of a team than the way we played — we weren’t making shots. It was really ‘just don’t sell yourself short anymore.’”

In the second half, YSU kept making shots as it pulled away to a 62-42 victory.

“We got a pretty good lead and then in the second half, we just had to keep them where they were,” said Young who ended up with 15 points in the win. “We were playing good defense. We weren’t letting them do whatever they wanted to do and then everything else came together on offense.”

Young has formed a productive partnership on the perimeter with Pat Higgins, a former TCNJ standout.

“I love playing with Pat, being two guards in the backcourt,” said Young of Higgins, who scored a team-high 19 points against Majeski. “I think we play well together as twos.”

The two combined for a highlight reel play late in the game as Higgins lofted an alley-oop pass that Young converted into a one-handed slam dunk.

“It felt good,” said a smiling Young. “I have been working on my bounce this summer.”

The YSU squad has developed a good groove this summer as its players have been reunited from their high school days.

“YSU is basically my dad’s AAU team, most of us all came through the program and now we are out in college and some guys play pro,” said Young of YSU which fell 48-

41 to LoyalTees last Monday in moving to 5-2. “We are just coming back and playing together as grown men. It feels like the same thing when we were playing AAU.”

Last winter, Young showed a lot of growth in his debut campaign for Lincoln, making 27 appearances with 15 starts, averaging 6.1 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.4 assists a game.

“Coming off the redshirt freshman season, I had to come in and reintroduce myself as a basketball player in general,” said Young, whose freshman campaign was derailed by a preseason injury. “I had to gain my own confidence back — I had to gain the confidence of the school. That is what came through this past year. This next year is when I get to show the world who I really am and that I can really hoop.”

For Young, hooping this summer for YSU is a key part of that process.

“This is my fourth workout — everything that I am doing this summer is preparing me to be a great player next season,” said Young.

—Bill Alden

JUNCTION BARBER SHOP

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YOUNG AND STRONG: Freddie Young Jr. looks to unload the ball for the YSU (Young Sports Unlimited) squad last week in Princeton Recreation Department Men’s Summer Basketball League action. Last Wednesday, former Princeton Day School/Trenton Catholic standout and current Lincoln University player Young scored 15 points to help YSU defeat Majeski Foundation 62-42. On Monday night, YSU fell 48-41 to LoyalTees as it dropped to 5-2. In other action on Monday, SpeedPro topped Jefferson Plumbing 56-51 and PATH Academy defeated Planet Fitness 51-45.

Since [1950] Conte’s has become a Princeton destination; a great old-school bar that also happens to serve some of New Jersey’s best pizza, thin-crusted and bubbly. The restaurant hasn’t changed much since then; even the tables are the same. It’s a simple, no-frills space, but if you visit during peak times, be prepared to wait well over an hour for a table.

We could not have reached this accomplishment without our dedicated employees and customers. Thank you from the owners of Conte’s Serving the Princeton community for over 80 years, and we will continue to serve you another 80 years and more.

(Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Developing Skills, Character in Taking its Lumps, Post 218 Baseball Laying Foundation for the Future

Peter Nielsen has emphasized two character traits in taking the helm of the Princeton Post 218 American Legion baseball team this summer.

“What I have said to the team is that my two things are attitude and effort, that is all I ask for,” said Nielsen. “It is keeping your heads up when things don’t go right.”

Last Saturday, Post 218 demonstrated those traits as it hosted Lawrence Post 414. Princeton was trailing 5-0 heading into the bottom of the second inning and was able to draw three straight

walks and then scratch out two runs on groundouts by Roman Howe and Anders Hedin.

“It is all about stringing runs together, stringing good at-bats together and having good approaches at the plate,” said Nielsen.

“Sometimes things go your way, sometimes they don’t go your way, it is what it is.

Stringing those couple of runs together that one time is something we just have to keep doing for each inning as well.”

Post 218, though, couldn’t string anything together the

rest of the game as it fell 13-2 and was held hitless on the day.

“We got bats on the ball, it was just unlucky that it was hit at people,” said Nelson. “Nate [Nydick] had a couple of good line drives there; unfortunately they were just right at people.”

On Sunday, Post 218 couldn’t get its bats going as it lost 18-1 to Hamilton Post 31 in moving to 3-17.

“We have got to play a complete game, having both offense and defense working together,” said Nielsen.

“We have got to have good

approaches at the plate as well as playing sharp in the field. When your pitcher makes a pitch to get an out you have to get that out. When a fly ball drops between a couple of guys or we boot a ball on a routine ground ball or have a miscue in the field, that is when you get into trouble. My message this whole year has been, ‘you make the routine plays, you have good approaches at the plate good things are going to happen. You can compete and win against any team in this league.’”

The Post 218 players have been showing improvement even as the losses have piled up.

“I see a lot of progress with everyone on this team,” said Nielsen. “It is more of a collective thing. Throughout the whole entire roster, there has been an uptick in skill set and the mental part of it too. I have seen a lot of improvement from a lot of guys.”

The young squad is developing character in addition to skill as it has taken its lumps this summer.

“How you face adversity is what really defines you as a ballplayer and as a team,” said Nielsen, whose team was slated to wrap up regular season action by hosting Allentown on July 11 and hosting North Hamilton a day later to finish a game that was suspended on Sunday due to the rain that hit the area late in the afternoon. “The kids are getting more mature as the season goes on which I like to see because it is not only going to make them better ballplayers, but it is also going to make them better men going out into the real world.”

In Nielsen’s view, that maturing process on and off the field should pay dividends in the future for Post 218.

Local Sports

Princeton Little League Falls in Section 3 Tourney

Competing in the Section 3 Intermediate 50/70 tournament at Middletown, the Princeton Little League (PLL) squad got knocked out in its first day of action in the double-elimination competition.

Princeton fell 20-3 to Toms River East last Wednesday as it started play in the event and then lost 12-2 to Lincroft later that day to get eliminated.

Princeton Little League 10s

Go 0-2 in District 12 Tourney

Playing in the District 12 10-year-old tournament last week, the Princeton Little League (PLL) team fell 12-2 to host Lawrence in its opener on July 1.

Two days later, PLL lost 12-8 to Sunnybrae to get knocked out of the doubleelimination event.

Joint Effort Safe Streets Program

Holding Hoops Clinic, Games

The Joint Effort Princeton Safe Streets Summer Program, in conjunction with the Princeton Recreation Department, Princeton Police Department, Princeton Public Schools, Bailey Basketball Academy (BBA), and PBA No. 130, is sponsoring a free youth basketball clinic on August 12 from 10 a.m.12 p.m. at the Community Park basketball c ourts.

NJ Wrestling Organization Holding Golf Event July 26

The New Jersey Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame is holding its 20th golf outing, a shotgun/ scramble, on July 26.

The event will take place, rain or shine, at Mercer Oaks Golf Club at 725 Village Road, West Windsor.

The goal of the chapter outing is to seek and raise contributions, donations, and gifts to provide wrestling camp and clinic scholarships to deserving youth who seek to improve and enhance their skills and love for the sport of amateur wrestling. As a result of those efforts, the chapter will also make contributions to selected veterans and relief organizations, as well as children’s hospitals.

The golf package includes brunch and registration (89:30 a.m.), green fees, cart, practice range, putting contest, locker, giveaways, prizes, and silent auction as well as dinner.

The cost for foursomes is $620, individuals $160, dinner-only $65, and raffles $20. Players 18 and under must be accompanied by an adult player. Singles and pairs have to contact the golf chairman for arrangements. Foursomes are not required to do so. For more information, contact golf chairman Ken Bernabe at bernabekenjb@aol.com

Tee, flag, and meal sponsorships are as follows: $300 brunch; $500 dinner; $20 flag; $100 tee. Send sponsorships to Ed Glassheim, 1802 Kuser Road, Apt. 1, Hamilton, N.J. 08690.

OUT AT HOME: Princeton Post 218 American

catcher Peter Hare tags out a Lawrence Post 414 runner in action last Saturday. Despite Hare’s heroics, Princeton ended up losing 13-2 to Lawrence. Post 218, which moved to 3-17 with an 18-1 loss to Hamilton Post 31 on Sunday, was slated to wrap up its season by hosting Allentown on July 11 and hosting North Hamilton a day later to finish a game that was suspended on Sunday due to rain that hit the area late in the afternoon.

“We have a young team, we have almost everyone coming back next year,” said Nielsen. “It is developmental stage of building them this year, to lay a foundation now and build what we can do next year when we come back out here for summer ball. Also what you are taught and learn here will go into your high school season, so we will come back better and stronger next year and then we go from there.”

—Bill Alden

This program is a player development skills clinic for boys and girls age 8 and up. All clinic attendees should bring their own ball. The clinic will be led by Kamau Bailey, the director of BBA, a Philadelphia 76ers camp clinic, and former head coach of the Princeton Day School girls’ basketball team. It will be staffed by community volunteers and members of the Princeton Police Department.

In addition, on August 13, the Joint Effort Safe Streets will sponsor the Pete Young Sr. Memorial Games for Princeton and area youth. These annual games are held each year in the memory of Pete Young Sr., a Princeton businessman, community advocate, sports enthusiast, and supporter of youth and community programs who was beloved in the Witherspoon-Jackson Community. The nine games start at 10 a.m. and end at 7 p.m. and will include contests featuring youth players, high school boys and girls, and men.

The Joint Effort Clinic and Games are free and open to the public. There will be bags provided for clinic participants and shirts will be provided for those playing in the games. The rain sites for both programs will be the Princeton Middle School.

For more information on Joint Effort Safe streets clinic or games, contact John Bailey at (720) 629-0964 or email johnbailey062@ gmail.com or Kamau Bailey at (917) 626-5785 or at kamau.bailey@gmail.com

Golf registration forms must be completed and mailed along with check made payable to NWHFNJ Golf to Ed Glassheim at his Hamilton address. One can also contact Glassheim at (609) 947-5885 or at glassheim@yahoo.com

Bailey Basketball Academy

Offering Summer Programs

The Bailey Basketball Academy (BBA) is offering a week-long basketball camp this summer along with other specialty hoops programs.

BBA is led by former Princeton Day School girls’ hoops coach and Philadelphia 76ers camp director and clinician Kamau Bailey.

The camp is slated for July 24-28 at the Princeton Middle School.

There are full day camps for ages 9-14 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and half day camps from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

In addition, there will be “First Hoops” options for ages 5-8 (9 a.m.-11:45 a.m.). BBA will also offer (by reservation only) Shot King shooting instruction and small group player development daily sessions for players getting ready for middle school, high school, or club participation.

All players will be required to bring their own water, snacks, and/or lunch for the applicable programs.

For more information, contact Kamau Bailey at (917) 626-5785 or at kamau.bailey@gmail.com . There are multiple player/sibling discounts available.

Legion

(Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Eleanor Young

Eleanor Mary Parke

Young, of Rocky Hill, NJ, passed away peacefully on July 4, 2023 in Hunterdon Medical Center, Flemington, NJ, at that grand age of 96. Born December 30, 1926, she was daughter to Myrtle and William V. Parke of Princeton, NJ. Eleanor was the second oldest of five children.

A longtime resident of both Princeton, NJ, and Rocky Hill, NJ, Eleanor Young enjoyed her last 12 years residing in Irvington, VA, Elkridge, MD, and Ringoes, NJ, with loved ones.

While attending Princeton High School during the height of WWII, she began working as a Switchboard Operator on Nassau Street at Bell Telephone Company. On April 11, 1947, at the age of 20, Eleanor Parke married Otto T. Young Jr., her hometown sweetheart. Together, they shared a beautiful marriage of nearly 30 years before Otto’s

untimely passing.They were blessed with their three daughters and continued to reside in Rocky Hill.

Eleanor was an avid dancer. The family cherished her story of auditioning for the Radio City Rockettes, but she realized city life was not for her. Eleanor carried her talent for dance through life, quickly finding the dance floor to jitterbug, tap dancing in her basement, and in later years becoming a Philadelphia Mummer with The Happy Days String Band. She graced parades with elaborate feathered costumes and white gloved hands. She entertained with the best of them, and kept everyone on their toes with her endless energy. Given the opportunity when asked, Eleanor would always “Rather Be Dancing.”

While keeping an impeccable home, Eleanor dedicated much of her professional life to Mid Atlantic Hospital Association, as assistant convention manager, and to Church World Service CROP, where she managed the Rocky Hill office.She retired in 1997 and remained in her hometown of Rocky Hill, enjoying and maintaining her spectacular peony garden and beloved koi pond. She enjoyed winter trips to Florida, and “tootling” to Ringoes, Baltimore, and Phoenix to visit family.

Eleanor was a member of the Rocky Hill Reformed Church, Rocky Hill Fire Department Auxiliary, Eastern Star, Red Hat Society, and The Princeton Soroptimists Club. While living in Irvington, VA, Eleanor volunteered at the local food pantry and thrift shop. She took pride

in the level of support she and her colleagues provided to the local community. She was a gifted letter writer and enjoyed putting pen to paper and sharing her heartfelt thoughts. She always remembered everyone’s birthday and prided herself by sending musical greeting cards to great-grandchildren and loved ones. She scripted beautiful letters adorned with a rose sticker by her signature making everyone feel loved. Christmas morning was not complete without her annual Christmas poem and lovingly decorated envelopes nestled in the Christmas tree.

Eleanor’s grandchildren have fond memories of playing dress up at her vanity, and enjoying sweet Lipton iced tea and Entenmann’s chocolate cake on her patio. It became a tradition for her to take grandchildren for their driver’s tests in her blue Buick Skylark, and give personalized handmade photo albums on their 18th birthdays. Eleanor’s sweet tooth was legendary. She perfected the peanut butter and jelly bean sandwich, always had Juicy Fruit gum in her handbag, taught her great-grandchildren to expect Dove chocolate on her bedside stand, and never turned down a piece of cake.

Eleanor is survived by her daughters Carolyn (Benjamin) Embrey-Foose of Show Low, AZ, Deborah (late Theodore) Cook of Elkridge, MD, and Beverly (Robert) Cramer of Ringoes, NJ; and grandchildren Larry (Leslie) Embrey of Tacoma, WA, Peter (Cathy) Cook of Frankfort, IL, Melissa (Aaron) Fetterolf of Millers, MD, David (Kellie) Cramer of Hopewell, NJ, and Kristin (Adam) Boozer of Elkridge, MD. She also leaves 14 great-grandchildren: Jackson, Bowen, Hannah, Eleanor, Rebecca, Tadd, Whitaker, Temperance, David, Austin, Koal, Declan, Liam, Kaitlyn; and great-greatgrandchild Oliver.She was reunited in Heaven with her loving husband, Otto; grandson, Scott; brothers, William, Garrett, Allen; sister, Ruth; and son-in-law, Theodore Cook.

Eleanor wore many hats and adorned many titles. She was lovingly referred to as Mom, Mom-mom, Gigi, and Aunt Elle. She never closed a written letter or shared a personal greeting without a heartfelt hug and, “I love you a bushel and a peck.”It was Eleanor’s signature. She was truly a spectacular woman, and lived a beautiful, rewarding life.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests a gift or donation be given to a charity of your choice.

Funeral services will be held Saturday, July 15, 2023, at 11 a.m. in the Kimble Funeral Home, 1 Hamilton Avenue, Princeton, NJ. Calling hours will be held, preceding the service, beginning at 10 a.m. Burial at Rocky Hill Cemetery, Montgomery Avenue, Rocky Hill, NJ, immediately following.

Extend condolences and share memories at The KimbleFuneralHome.com.

George W. Johnson

George W. Johnson, 78, of Princeton died Monday, July 3, 2023 at home. Born in Princeton, he was a lifelong Princeton resident. George was a graduate of St. Paul’s School, the Hun School of Princeton, and was a proud student at Lehigh University and was a member of the Theta Delta Chi Fraternity. George was an electrical contractor in the Princeton area his whole life. He was a lifelong member of St. Paul’s Church, a life member of the Mercer Engine Company No. 3 Princeton Hook and Ladder, the Squatters Club, the Lion’s Club of Princeton, and the Harrison Athletic Club. George loved and was very active in flag football.

Son of the late Reuben and Cecelia (McCloskey) Johnson, brother of the late Thomas H. Johnson, brother-in-law of the late Martin F. Nestor, friend and brother-in-law of the late Jeff Lowe, he is survived by his wife of 57 years Catherine (Nestor) Johnson; a son George W. Johnson Jr.; a daughter Brooke A. Johnson; a sister and brother-inlaw Margaret “Peggy” and Flavio Fener; three sistersin-law Josephine Johnson, Lee Nestor, Marta Lowe; three cousins Missy Bruvik, Caroline Clancy, Sue Bruswitz; and several nieces and nephews. He is also survived by dear friends Noel Sabatino and Doug Hoffman.

A celebration of his life will be held in the spring of 2024.

In lieu of flowers, condolence cards can be sent to PO Box 288, Princeton, NJ 08540.

the Liturgical Institute of Paris. In 1969, he was appointed Director of Daily Chapel Worship and taught worship and liturgical studies in Princeton Theological Seminary. In 1982 he was called to be the Professor of Worship in the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary where he was also the Dean. He was active in the North American Academy of Liturgy, Societas Liturgica, and the Association for Reformed & Liturgical Worship. Dr. Duba’s works continue to guide and renew the practice of worship and give voice to scripture in congregational singing.

Arlo is survived by his wife of 69 years, Doreen E. Duba; his children Paul (Karen) Duba, Bruce (Susan) Duba, John (Carrie) Duba, and Anne (Steven) DubaMaack, and seven grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, Frank and Alvera Duba, and his siblings Ralph Duba and Eldora Duba Beeman. He donated his body to the CO State Anatomical Board.

Memorial contributions may be made toward the Arlo Duba Fund at Princeton Theological Seminary at giving.ptsem.edu or PO Box 821, 64 Mercer Street, Princeton, NJ 08542.

After his circus experience, he worked as a management consultant for his father’s company, R.A. Lasley Inc., in the Chrysler Building in NYC. There, John met Katharine Parker, of Onancock, Virginia, who was smitten because “his tie was askew.” They married and had four children: Janet, Martha, David, and Tom. During the early fifties, John commuted to NYC, returning home every night to build his house on Cherry Valley Road in Princeton. He and Katharine worked well past dusk many nights. The completed house was where John and Katharine lived for most of the 59 years of their marriage. It was where their children grew up and where BBJ passed away.

In 1956 John went to work for Opinion Research Corporation in Princeton and retired as senior vice-president 29 years later. At that point he opened an office in Princeton for the Wirthlin Group. Finally, in 1994 John really retired.

Through the years John was very active in the community, serving as Executive Director of the Princeton AllStar Fishing Team, Chairman of the Board of Nassau Savings and Loan, Nassau Club President, Rotary Club President, Executive Director of the Jaycee Football Classic, a Director of the Medical Center at Princeton, Chairman of the Princeton Borough Transportation Committee, member of the Elmo’s Eels, and much more. The Princeton Chamber of Commerce once named him Man of the Year. John enjoyed fishing, gardening, Dixieland jazz, fireworks, and cooking.

John Ross Lasley

John Ross Lasley, aka “Big Bad John,” longtime resident of Princeton, NJ, passed away peacefully on June 30, 2023 at his home surrounded by his family. John had a long, happy, adventurous, and eventful life. His nickname BBJ was a result of his lifelong journey filled with endless humor and pranks amidst his deep love for his friends and family. He was a motorcyclist, a pilot, a skier, a scuba diver, a fisherman, and an avid reader of the New York Times. John had endless stories about his many adventures, some true.

Arlo Dean Duba

Arlo Dean Duba died in Gunnison, CO, June 27, 2023, at the age of 93. He was born in 1929 in Platte, a Czech community in rural South Dakota.

Arlo met Doreen at the University of Dubuque where they were both studying. They were married in 1954. He was ordained as a Presbyterian minister in 1955. After completing his Ph.D. at Princeton Theological Seminary in 1960, he took a position at Westminster Choir College as Chaplain and Associate Professor of Religion. In 1968, he did post-doctoral research at

Here are the facts: John was born in New Haven, CT, on April 15, 1927, the fi rst child of Ross Art Lasley and Harriet May Kingsley Lasley. During his childhood, he lived in Boston, New York City, Westport, CT, and Pelham, NY. He attended Pelham Memorial High School before moving with his family to a Flemington, NJ, farm where John became proficient at milking the cows. That was a job he performed each morning before taking the bus to Somerville High School. After two years, he transferred to Valley Forge Military Academy, graduating in 1945. John then joined the Navy and served at Great Lakes and Corpus Christie, TX. Following his discharge from the Navy, he enrolled at Yale University, leaving after two years to join Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus as a roustabout. According to John, his parents were delighted that he left Yale to join a circus. Such was the sarcasm of Big Bad John.

After Katharine died, John (at the age of 84!) went on match.com. That led to meeting Dottie Batho whom he married in 2013. They found much happiness and love together, and enjoyed entertaining and traveling, taking over 20 trips and cruises, along with many other adventures.

John outlived his first wife Katharine, his daughter Janet, his brothers, Bob and Jerry, and his sister-in-law, Anna. He is survived by his wife Dottie; his children Martha, David, and Tom (Meg); his son-in-law Marc (Sue); his stepchildren Emily, Peter, and John; his grandchildren Jake, Cory (Mike), Woody (Brittany), Caylin (Steve), Charlie, Q, Ever, Cage, and Tru; his great-grandchildren Edward, Archer, Serenity, and Ivy; his step-grandchildren Christina, Victoria, Amanda, and Lilly; his nieces and nephews Johnny, Sue, Roberta, Kate, Dan, Barbara, Susan, Alison, Beth, and Ross; his sisters-in-law Joan, Judy, and Elizabeth; his brother-in-law John; special friend Sam DeTuro; and many other great friends.

Facts are only part of BBJ’s story. It was his engaging personality, amazing adventures and deep relationships that tell the rest of the story.

If you want to share a story about John or post a tribute, please go to aloiafuneral.com. When a date is determined, that website will announce the details for a Celebration of John’s Life. We hope you will join us.

If you wish to make a contribution in memory of John, please contribute to NAMI Mercer in Hamilton, NJ, namimercer.org, an organization which meant a great deal to John and his first wife Katharine.

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Knowing When to Move On from House Hunting

House hunting can be an exciting journey, but there comes a time when it's crucial to recognize when to give up. Here are signs that it may be time to reassess:

1. Unrealistic Expectations: If your wish list seems unattainable within your budget or desired location, it's essential to prioritize and adjust your expectations.

2. Exhausted Options: If you've explored the market extensively without finding a suitable home, it might be an indication that the current inventory doesn't align with your needs.

3. Financial Constraints: If compromises compromise your financial stability, it's wise to reconsider your efforts and reassess your financial goals.

4. Emotional Toll: If house hunting affects your mental health or quality of life, it's crucial to take a break and reevaluate your priorities.

Remember, giving up on house hunting doesn't mean giving up on homeownership. Take a step back, regroup, and consider alternative options. By knowing when to move on, you can ap- proach your search with renewed energy and focus.

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SCIENTIST POSITIONS

@ARREPATH, INC.

Wrk in Princeton, NJ. Perform microbio & phenotypic screen’g; conduct microbio experiments; assist w/ lab ops; strain engineer’g; utiliz’g mol bio techniques. Need Master’s + 3 yrs exp. in work’g in biosafety level 2 lab; utiltiz’g microbio techniques; handl’g bacterial cultures; perform’g strain engineer’g; using synthetic bio techniques; using mol & recombinant DNA techniques. Must live w/in commut’g distance. Telecommut’g not allowd. Travel not req’d. Annual comp range $85k-$110k. Resumes to info@arrepath.com w/ “Scientist” in subj.line. 07-12

Witherspoon Media Group

ADVERTISING SALES

Witherspoon Media Group is looking for an Advertising Account Manager, based out of our Kingston, NJ office, to generate sales for Town Topics Newspaper and Princeton Magazine

The ideal candidate will:

For additional info contact: melissa.bilyeu@ witherspoonmediagroup.com

• Establish new sales leads and manage existing sales accounts for both publications Develop industry-based knowledge and understanding, including circulation, audience, readership, and more.

• Collaborate with the advertising director and sales team to develop growth opportunities for both publications

Track record of developing successful sales strategies and knowledge of print and digital media is a plus.

Fantastic benefits and a great work environment.

Please submit cover letter and resume to: charles.plohn@witherspoonmediagroup.com

Set in one of Princeton's most prestigious neighborhoods, within a short walk to town, the University and other cultural venues, this classic Federalist home embodies the community's history of sophistication A grand, inviting hallway with a fireplace opens to the spacious living and dining rooms suitable for the most elegant entertaining Built in a period of skilled craftsmanship, these well-proportioned rooms have high ceilings, deep moldings and other sought after details First floor rooms flow seamlessly into one another and onto a large porch, facilitating warm weather entertaining This important home has a circular driveway and is located on almost an acre of land with a three car garage and is waiting for a new owner to make it their own

Offered at $2,450,000

MARKETED BY

Judith Stier Sales Associate Direct Line:

609.240.1232