Town Topics Newspaper, July 5, 2023

Tips for Reducing Trash After Holiday Parties Offered by Municipality

Since Princeton Council approved a new solid waste management program earlier this year, most residents of the 7,500 households served by the program have adjusted to the new trash collection system.

But according to the town’s Assistant Municipal Engineer Jim Purcell, there is a small percentage of people who complain that the 64-gallon cart provided by the town is not big enough. And they shouldn’t have to pay the annual fee the town requires for a second receptable, they feel, instead of using their old carts.

It is those residents that Purcell targeted with an article he wrote prior to July 4, anticipating that those hosting barbecues and other celebrations on the holiday, and throughout the summer, might generate more trash than usual.

Writing in the voice of those residents, he wrote: “What will I do with all that trash after I hosted my party of the fourth?

Princeton has made it really hard to get rid of any trash that doesn’t t in the municipal 64-gallon cart, and I can’t use any others. Yeah, I know they will let us have a second one, but they charge an annual fee and I don’t think I should pay for that. Why can’t the municipality simply pick up all the trash I put out on the street?”

The change was made to address rising costs and reduce the town’s environmental impact, Purcell explains in the article, noting that the town has seen a 14 percent reduction in waste disposal since the program began four months ago. He also offers tips for generating less trash during the holiday — reusable plates, cups, and atware instead of paper and plastic; providing containers for guests to take leftovers; composting; and asking a neighbor to dispose trash in their cart if there is room.

“The biggest frustration we’ve had [since the program began] is that we get calls all the time from people who feel that we need to take care of their excess trash,” Purcell said in a phone conversation last week. “They feel that the new regulations we put in place, providing them with one 64-gallon can, just isn’t enough. And because they pay taxes, charging them an additional fee is just not acceptable.”

The cans provided to residents allow the hauler to choose to use automated

Zoning Board Rejects Coffee Roasting Proposal

Last March, Princeton’s Zoning Board of Appeals rst considered an application from Sakrid Coffee to open a new coffee shop, with a coffee roasting operation inside, at 300 Witherspoon Street. Following a lengthy meeting on June 28 — the fourth since the proposal — the board voted 4-3 to reject the idea for a coffee roaster. But the application for a coffee shop, minus the roaster, was approved. Sakrid has an existing location at the corner of Nassau and Chambers streets. Owners Jonathan Haley and Serge Picard have been roasting their coffee at a facility in Moonachie, and hoped to consolidate by relocating the operation to

Princeton. Moving the roasting process to 300 Witherspoon Street would not only cut down on the 110-mile round trips between Princeton and Moonachie, but would also allow customers to observe the roasting process in action.

Since the idea was proposed, numerous neighbors of the site have voiced concerns about the possible odors, fumes, and health hazards the operation could bring, especially due to its proximity to Community Park School. Some other residents spoke in favor of the proposal. Sakrid’s owners brought witnesses familiar with the roasting process to testify that the process was safe.

In the end, the decision to deny the roaster proposal was based more on whether the zoning board could allow a manufacturing use in a commercial district, where it was not permitted, than on environmental concerns.

Once the public comment portion of the meeting concluded, Zoning Board member Michael Floyd was the rst to speak. While he was “comfortable” with the testimony that fumes and vapors would not be harmful, he said he was less comfortable with voting in favor of a variance that would change the current zoning code.

Steve Cohen, who chairs the board, spoke up next, voicing a similar opinion.

Continued on Page 7

Opening of “Oppenheimer” Inspires Tours, Talks, Commemorative Events

Local excitement is building for the lm Oppenheimer, set to open on July 21 at the Princeton Garden Theatre and across the nation. It was in Princeton that famed physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer — who was instrumental in creating the atomic bomb — lived with his family while serving as director of the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) from 1947 to 1966.

Christopher Nolan’s movie stars Cillian Murphy in the title role, supported by Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh, and Kenneth Branagh. Portions of the lm were shot last summer at the IAS, at Princeton University, and around town, adding to local anticipation. Some Oppenheimer-themed events are planned around the opening.

This Friday, July 7 at 1 p.m., the Institute is hosting a special virtual roundtable, “What Goes Unseen: Reimagining the Legacy of J. Robert Oppenheimer” with panelists George Dyson, Graham Garmelo, Siobhan Roberts, and Alex Wellerstein. Participation is free, but registration is required; visit ias.edu to sign up.

On July 19 at 7 p.m., the Historical Society of Princeton (HSP) and the Princeton Garden Theatre host a screening of Jean Renoir’s 1937 anti-war lm Grand Illusion, introduced by Eve Mandel, the HSP’s director of programs and outreach. According to various accounts, Oppenheimer was brought to tears when he attended the lm decades ago, at the same theater, with his wife Kitty.

Oppenheimer is the subject of a special walking tour sponsored by the HSP,

Continued on Page 11

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TOWN TOPICS

Princeton’s Weekly Community Newspaper Since 1946

DONALD C. STUART, 1946-1981 DAN D. COYLE, 1946-1973 Founding Editors/Publishers

DONALD C. STUART III, Editor/Publisher, 1981-2001

LAURIE PELLICHERO Editor

BILL ALDEN, Sports Editor

DONALD GILPIN, WENDY GREENBERG, ANNE LEVIN, STUART MITCHNER, NANCY PLUM, DONALD H. SANBORN III, JUSTIN FEIL, JEAN STRATTON, WILLIAM UHL

Contributing Editors

FRANK WOJCIECHOWSKI,

LIGHTING UP THE

A fireworks display on Friday night, August 18, is a highlight of the annual

Hillsborough Rotary Plans Fair and Expo

Beginning Tuesday, August 15, the annual Rotary Fair and Business Expo will return to the Hillsborough Promenade (315 Route 206) with a colorful midway, over 20 amusement rides, games of chance, fireworks, food vendors, and an exposition of local businesses.

“We are very proud to host this annual Hillsborough family tradition,” said Hillsborough Mayor Shawn Lipani, incoming president of the Rotary Club of Hillsborough. “The fair not only offers our community a fun summer event, but it raises the funds that enable our Rotary Club to help support numerous important community service initiatives.

This year, we are grateful to welcome Newark-based Construction Pros, LLC, as this year’s Rotary Fair Gold Sponsor.

The Rotary Fair and Business Expo runs August 1519. Hours are 6–10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, and 6–11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

A fireworks display by Interstate Fireworks will light up Hillsborough skies on Friday evening, August 18, at approximately 10 p.m. (rain date is Saturday, August 19).

The Rotary Fair will once again feature a cashless payment system for all fair rides. Patrons will purchase a special wristband at kiosks available throughout the fairgrounds. The wrist bands are then used in place of tickets to gain entry to the rides. The cost of each ride will be automatically deducted from the amount of money on the wristband. A $35, all-night-long ride access purchase option is available every night, or patrons may choose a

different dollar amount appropriate for only select rides. The food and game vendors will continue to accept only cash.

As in years past, there will be a Giant 50/50 Raffle that has resulted in a multithousand-dollar payout to a single winner. The winning ticket will be selected Saturday evening, August 19, at the fair. The winner need not be present at the time of the drawing. Tickets will be available for purchase throughout the event for $5 each. As always, all proceeds raised at the fair are used to fund a wide variety of contributions and service projects benefiting the local community.

IS ON

Topics In Brief A Community Bulletin

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.

Donate Blood: The American Red Cross seeks blood donors this month at its office at 707 Alexander Road, and also at Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center, as well as locations in Hamilton, Pennington, and Cranbury. Visit RedCrossBlood.org/ June for details.

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 Livingstone Avenue, is looking for volunteers, 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 hou semgr@nbpac.org.

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Rotary Fair and Business Expo presented at the Hillsborough Promenade.

Captivated by PU Campus Carillon, Young Musician Promotes its Charms

Although its

Wake up to better, healthier sleep.

Gustavo Rangel Almirall, a rising senior at West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South, is so captivated by the carillon that he has mounted his own public awareness campaign he calls Project Carillon. Almirall has studied the instrument and its history, and has set up informational tables at events and fairs in the area.

a sense of belonging, and so much more,” he said. “It even gave me a different, yet beautiful culture.”

To “give back,” he has found opportunities to educate whomever he can about the carillon. He has a tent and table that he has taken to area fairs and farmers markets, and he includes a model of a working bell he made out of wood, and a bell he got online.

He particularly likes learning about the history of the instrument — it goes back to 1644, and he notes in his materials that during World War II many bells were dismantled to provide copper.

Almirall describes it as “a cross between organs and bells.” The Princeton University carillon is one of 166 in North America, and one of four in New Jersey, according to the website of the Guild of Carillonneurs of North America.

carillon is the fifth largest in the United States. Dedicated in 1927, it is a gift of The Class of 1892. The 67 bronze bells were cast in England, France, and The Netherlands.

Almirall is learning to play the carillon on a practice carillon in the Princeton Chapel, where he is adapting a Brazillian song and learning to play Bach’s “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring.”

Almirall also pursues his love of music at school, playing piano and percussion in his school’s orchestra and band, and guitar and piano for the jazz band. He is a teacher assistant for the wind ensemble, and served as drum major for the 20222023 marching band season.

Kirk D. Huckel DMD, FAGD

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11

“The Carillon is part of Princeton’s cultural heritage,” he said. “My message is that it is important to keep it alive.”

On his Instagram, @project_carillon, he noted that bells go back to his childhood, when he rang a bell on his grandfather’s farm. “Bells are almost everywhere, and if you look hard enough, you’ll find one just around the corner,” he posted.

Almirall found his bell in the Cleveland Tower on the Princeton campus.

Introduced to the carillon through a Facebook post sent to him by his mother, Almirall attended a Sunday Princeton carillon concert, where the audience sits on the lawn outside the tower. He said that as soon as he heard the carillon play his favorite song, “Walking on the Moon” by The Police, he emailed Princeton carillonneur Lisa Lonie with some questions. “Next thing I knew, without ever being inside a carillon, I was up in the playing room, playing a simple song with her for all of Princeton hear.”

But he also noticed that not many people were listening on the lawn with him. “So I sat there,” he said, “and thought about how much heritage and culture is being lost because the carillon is going more unknown every day. Realizing that, I knew it was my time to give back to the place that gave me everything.”

Lonie said, “I always tell folks that the carillon is the loudest sound on campus that few know about. It’s a community instrument whose sound isn’t confined within four walls of a room, but spreads freely a quarter to a half mile in all directions.”

“If you live within ear shot of the bells, or play golf at Springdale, you know when the carillon is played,” she added. “If not, perhaps someone reads about the instrument in a publication or views a website and is intrigued enough to visit on a Sunday afternoon.”

Lonie adds that it is so important for enthusiasts like Almirall to spread the word about the “gown to town” asset.

Having grown up in Brazil, Almirall said he moved with his family to the Princeton area when he was 10. He considers the carillon part of his Princeton welcome. “It has given me happiness,

He was excited to find a copy of the Princeton Carillon Book (Princeton University Press 1948) by Arthur Lynds Bigelow, who was the carillonneur from 1941 until his death in 1967.

According to the Princeton website, and Almirall’s research, a carillon has 23 or more bells, which are hung stationary with only the clapper moving against the lip of the bell. It is played with fists and feet, activating batons and pedals. It is the carillonneur who controls sound variation. A manual carillon (like Princeton’s) can produce nuanced sound and musical expression.

The largest bell of the Princeton carillon weighs 12,880 pounds and the

He feels he has already made a difference in getting the word out about the carillon. Students at his school and at other schools are interested in hearing the carillon music, but the awareness, he said, “is still not where I want it to be.”

Despite Amirall’s passion for music and carillons, he plans to study psychology in college, as the link between music and mental health is another interest. In the future, he envisions the carillon becoming a UNESCO World Heritage Site. And, he can’t wait to perform a full concert.

He said that anyone who wants to share his interest in the carillon can follow his Instagram at project_carillon, or Facebook at the same name.

And he encourages everyone to hear the carillon. The concerts in the Summer

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Carillon

Continued from Preceding Page Series at Cleveland Tower, 88 College Road West, start at 1 p.m. every Sunday through September 3, and are held rain or shine. Admission is free. For additional information and directions, visit gradschool.princeton.edu/about/carillon.

—Wendy Greenberg

Upcoming 250th Anniversary Is Topic of Chamber Luncheon

At the July monthly membership luncheon of the Princeton Mercer Regional Chamber on Thursday, July 13, Carrie Fellows of Crossroads of the American Revolution will talk about New Jersey’s pivotal role in American history.

New Jersey was the site of more Revolutionary War military action — battles, skirmishes, raids, and acts of war — than any other of the original colonies. George Washington spent one full quarter of the war in the state, where residents experienced eight years of civil war in addition to wider military actions.

The luncheon will be held at the Princeton Marriott at Forrestal, 100 College Road East, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. For information, visit princetonmercer.org.

Italians in Colonial America In Trent House Talk

On Sunday, July 9 at 2 p.m., the Trent House Association presents a talk by Tom Frascella about Italians who came to America between 1600 and 1793 and their role in forming the United States. The free event is in the Trent House Visitor Center at 15 Market Street, Trenton, across from the Hughes Justice Complex.

Many Italians came to the United States during the late 1800s and early 1900s, but they were not the first Italian immigrants to America. Those who came in the colonial period, while not large in numbers, played an important role in the development of what became a new nation.

The Declaration of Independence contains the most powerful and revolutionary proposition in American political history that, “all men are created equal.” However, before the Declaration was approved by the Continental Congress, a version was submitted for review to an Italian immigrant, whose earlier writings in the Virginia Gazette were paraphrased in Jefferson’s draft. Who was this man? Who were his compatriots who had immigrated to the North American colonies? What was their role in the development of the colonies and their pursuit of freedom?

Frascella was born and raised in the Chambersburg section of Trenton in the 1950s, in the fourth generation of an Italian family. He was a practicing attorney and former mayor of West Windsor Township. Currently he is president and historian for the San Felese Society of New Jersey, the oldest Italian American fraternal organization in the state.

This is a free program, but pre-registration is encouraged at https:// tinyurl.com/TalkJuly9.

Plenty of free parking is available at the rear of the Museum property.

TOWN TALK©

A forum for the expression of opinions about local and national issues.

Question of the Week: “How do you like to spend the Fourth of July holiday?”

(Asked Thursday before the Montgomery Township Fireworks) (Photos by Charles R. Plohn)

“I like to have a barbecue with my friends and my family.”

—Norah Sebastian, Belle Mead

Michael: “I love to spend time with my family. We have a barbecue with our family friends and have lots of fun together doing all kinds of stuff.”

Christopher: “In the pool, with a nice hamburger or hot dog, and just enjoying Michael and his little brother.”

—Michael and Christopher Chadderton, Piscataway

Syanash: “Just spending time with my friends. Any excuse to be with them hanging out, I will take it.”

Brinda: “Going to the beach in Seaside Park.”

—Syanash Balyan, Belle Mead with Brinda Bhalla, Skillman

Diptika: “We get together with our friends and go out for a picnic at Skillman Park.”

Rivaan: “I’m going to play outside with my Stomp Rocket and go to the park with my family.”

—Diptika and Rivaan Pileshwar, Montgomery

Samantha: “We go to Long Beach Island with our cousins and walk in the Fourth of July parade in Barnegat Light. We even decorate our bicycles and ride them in the parade.”

Sarah: “Each year, we have a big family reunion in LBI and everybody flies in from all over and it’s a lot of fun. There are about 25 of us!”

Amelia: “We love to go to the beach and make sandcastles and have fun with our whole family.”

—Samantha, Sarah, and Amelia Fallon, Montgomery

Zoning Board

continued from page one

“It is not our place to create a variance for this type of thing,” he said. “It’s the municipality’s place to change the zoning.”

Since coffee roasting is considered a manufacturing process, as determined by the town’s Zoning Officer Derek Bridger, a use variance would be necessary for the roaster to be approved. When Bridger was asked why the roaster was considered manufacturing while bakeries are not, he said that roasting is manufacturing while turning flour into bread is baking.

Sakrid’s planning consultant Susan Favate said the roasting should be considered artisanal manufacturing, a “micro-operation,” a designation that other New Jersey towns are using to update their zoning laws.

A motion to approve the application with certain stipulations about hours and times of roasting was introduced by board member George Stein, but failed to get the five votes needed. Board member Eve Coulson commented that this was the hardest application she had worked on during her eight years on the board.

The building at 300 Witherspoon Street was for many years the home of The Princeton Packet. Homestead Princeton and a Capital Health Primary Care are current tenants.

—Anne Levin

101: Fund Awards 25

Scholarships to PHS Grads

The 101: Fund, which has been providing need-based scholarships to Princeton High School (PHS) graduates for over 50 years, awarded $258,000 to 25 PHS 2023 graduates on June 13. The students are headed to Clark Atlanta University, The College of New Jersey, Delaware State University, Harcum College, Howard University, Loyola University Maryland, Marist College, Mercer County Community College, Montclair State, Occidental College, Raritan Valley Community College, Rider University, Rutgers, Temple University, Tulane University, UHartt Music School, and more. The 101: Fund wishes them every success.

The board extends special thanks to the Awards Committee Co-Chairs Alice Kim and Kathleen Kraft and the Awards Committee. They are also saying goodbye to board member Karen Reid. The board is grateful for Karen’s dedication and commitment to the 101: Fund, and wishes her all the best.

If you would like to help a PHS Mercer County Community College-bound student navigate this next phase in their life, the 101: Fund is always seeking caring and compassionate adults to serve as mentors. For more information, email info@101fund.org. For more information about the 101: Fund, visit 101fund.org.

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Collaboration with County Could Connect Biking Trail

The Lawrence Hopewell Trail (LHT) Corporation will join Mercer County to assess the feasibility of a walking and biking route that could one day connect Trenton, Ewing, Lawrence, and Princeton. Connecting the almost-completed 22-mile trail to neighboring communities is a top priority for the Lawrence Hopewell Trail Corporation.

The $175,000 award to Mercer County comes from the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, the Metropolitan Planning Organization for the Greater Philadelphia region that includes Mercer County. It is one of six grants made to New Jersey applicants this year.

The grant will allow Mercer County to hire consultants who will work with its planning

department, the Lawrence Hopewell Trail Corporation, and officials in Trenton, Ewing, Lawrence, and Princeton to assess what is being called the Johnson Trolley Trail Corridor.

Based on the findings of this feasibility study, funding could then be sought to do detailed design and engineering work, followed eventually by construction.

“We are very grateful to the DVRPC, Mercer County, the City of Trenton, Ewing and Lawrence Townships, and the Municipality of Princeton as partners in this endeavor,” said Lawrence Hopewell Trail Corporation Chair David Sandahl. “Working together, we will make the vision of reconnecting our communities a reality.”

“This grant is a crucial step in helping the LHT connect to these communities,” said Lisa Serieyssol, the LHT’s

executive director. “Trails and active transportation networks are essential infrastructure to address equitably the most pressing issues facing our region — from economic development, to climate resiliency, mobility, and bicyclist and pedestrian safety.”

The nonprofit Lawrence Hopewell Trail Corporation has worked for over 20 years with governments and companies, schools, land trusts, and residents to build and maintain the 22-mile LHT multi-use trail in Hopewell and Lawrence Townships. The LHT now hosts over 100,000 user visits every year. Only five short segments totaling about 2.5 miles remain to be made, including a boardwalk section in Lawrence Township’s Maidenhead Meadows that will eliminate the interim route on Princeton Pike.

The Johnson Trolley, named

after Albert Johnson, began operating in 1902 and, in its peak year of 1921, carried 1.6 million fares. A one-way trip between Princeton and Trenton took 35 minutes. The last passengers traveled the line in 1940, but it continued to handle freight for many years. The construction of what was then I-95, now I-295, ended service north of the highway. Today, the Lawrence Hopewell Trail uses a portion of that northern section. A separate section of the Johnson Trolley Line Trail runs from Rider University in Lawrence south to the corner of Irven and Fifth Streets in Ewing.

The LHT and the Johnson Trolley Line are part of the Circuit Trails, a regional network of multi-use trails targeted to total 800 miles by 2040. Visit lhtrail.org for more information.

IT’S TIME TO TAKE THE NEXT STEP WITH A KNEE REPLACEMENT

When you know what to expect, you can move forward with confidence.

If you’ve considered knee replacement surgery, but have concerns about taking the next step, let us ease your mind. At Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center, we provide comprehensive education, so you’ll know exactly what to expect before, during and after surgery, including safe, effective pain management. The expert surgeons at our Center for Joint Replacement offer multiple treatment options, including minimally invasive procedures. Together, we’ll work to choose the best treatment for your unique needs. All this and more –backed by the strength of Penn Medicine. Learn more at PrincetonHCS.org/JointReplacement.

Center for Joint Replacement

101: FUND AWARDS SCHOLARSHIPS: Members of the 101: Fund board include, from left, Christina Walden, Kathleen Kraft, Alexandra Colón, Cheryl McCormick, Susan Kanter, Alex Davis, Jennifer Jang, Tony Klockenbrink, Jeff Lucker, Sharon Litvinsky, Kelly Harrison, Jamie Herring, and Leslie Fabello. Not pictured: Carrie Elwood, Karen Reid, Alice Kim, Jim Beslity, and Bethany Siddiqu.

Vedic Cultural Program Offers Free Meals and Spiritual Nourishment

For more than a decade, a spiritual organization has offered vegetarian meals to the community the last Sunday of each month, and served a side of spiritual nourishment for those who want to partake.

Since 2012 from 20 Nassau Street, and currently from the YMCA at 50 Paul Robeson Place, the Princeton Bhakti Vedanta Institute has been distributing sanctified vegetarian meals, and also offering, for those who desire, the spiritual piece called kirtan (ecstatic mantra meditation).

The free program, next held on Sunday, July 30 from 1 to 3 p.m., is called Vedic Cultural Immersion: Prasadam & Kirtan. Prasadam refers to the sanctified vegetarian meal, and kirtan, to the spiritual aspect, both practiced in the Vedic culture since ancient times in India, according to the Institute. Prasadam is specially prepared food that has been offered to God and then consumed for spiritual purification. Not only is it vegetarian, but it excludes garlic and onions.

The Sunday meal and community engagement have taken place at the Princeton YMCA since 2021. Krishna Keshava Das, speaking for the group, said that since partnering with the Y, there is more visibility both indoors and outdoors when weather permits, especially outdoors in a red tent.

The food distribution has expanded to include the Princeton Food Kindness Project, every Tuesday from 3:45 to 5 p.m. at the Clubhouse at 100 Redding Circle for the Princeton Housing Authority. With the meals offered in both places, the group offers 75 meal trays a month.

The Vedic Cultural Immersion is intended for anyone who would simply like a vegetarian meal, and also for “sincere seekers interested in learning more about the nonsectarian approach to

JULY 6 - Blawenburg Band

JULY 13 - The Eric Mintel Quartet

JULY 20 - School of Rock Princeton

JULY 27 - Danny Tobias & Friends

AUGUST 3 - Michelle Lordi and The Matthew Parrish Trio

AUGUST 10 - The Amazin Grace and GLB

spiritual life that Vedic philosophy and culture offers.”

The full program was initiated during the pandemic to engage with the community.

According to Das, the group has established some positive connections with community members who have attended the program, and some interfaith dialogues have ensued, he said.

The group hopes more people take advantage of the program, he said, with the objective to promote vegetarianism, “which is positive for society,” and for those interested, to learn about spiritual life, and engage in kirtan.

The nonprofit is also seeking donations, as the food is an out-of-pocket expense.

“We look forward to continuing this program and remain grateful to the Princeton YMCA for being an incredible community partner,” he said.

The Bhakti Vedanta Institute of Spiritual Culture and Science (BVISCS) is a nonprofit educational organization with a mission to “disseminate relevant knowledge through multimedia content and educational resources/ programming that encourages and facilitates the practical application of wisdom found in the East from the lineage of Sri Chaitanya-Saraswat and in the West from the lineage of Plato-AristotleHegel, towards contemporary investigations of the origin, purpose, relationship, and organic unity-in-diversity of nature (matter), life, consciousness, and Spirit,” according to its website.

In addition to the meal distribution, the Institute holds a Science & Scientist annual international conference, interdisciplinary discussions between the sciences and humanities, interfaith dialogues, and provides online educational resources.

For more information, visit bviscs.org.

—Wendy

Greenberg

Planned Einstein Museum

Awarded $2,000 Donation

The Princeton-Mercer Regional Convention & Visitors Bureau recently contributed $2,000 towards the creation of the Princeton Einstein Museum of Science (PEMS).

“The PEMS is a wonderful endeavor, and we are pleased to support its mission,” said Warrie Howell, the Bureau’s managing director. “The museum will provide a memorable and thought-provoking learning experience for families when they visit our region.”

The Princeton Einstein Museum of Science is planned to be a place where visitors ages 8 and up can learn about Albert Einstein’s time in Princeton, and get excited about science as they explore hands-on exhibits based on what experts consider to be his four greatest discoveries: relativity, general relativity, the photo electric effect, and observations on the behavior of atoms.

The Museum is expected to open in the Princeton Central Business District in mid 2026.

Find Delicious Invasives On Guided Forage Walk

On Sunday, July 16 at 10 a.m., local experts Matt and Shannon will lead a twohour wineberry forage walk at the Billy Johnson Mountain Lakes Preserve.

Wineberries are one of New Jersey’s most abundant summer brambleberries, but they are also invasive and out-compete native plants. Fortunately, they are delicious, and volunteers can help us curb their spread by eating them.

During the walk, participants will learn about the origins of wineberry, how to identify this invasive plant, and pick some berries to take home. They will also taste some homemade wineberry jam, courtesy of Matt and Shannon. Participants will receive a recipe card to make this unique jam at home.

Register at fopos.org/ events-programs.

Police Blotter

On June 24, at 12:09 a.m., subsequent to a motor vehicle stop on Paul Robeson Place, the driver, a 32-year-old male from Princeton, was placed under arrest for Driving While Intoxicated. He was transported to police headquarters where he was processed, charged, and released.

On June 24, at 1:54 a.m., an individual reported that a 24-year-old from Lawrenceville punched them several times in the face after they engaged in a verbal dispute on Griggs Drive. The accused was issued a summons for the assault.

On June 22, at 10:05 p.m., subsequent to a motor vehicle stop on Wiggins Street, a 53-year-old male from Princeton was placed under arrest for Driving While Intoxicated. He was transported to police headquarters where he was processed, charged, and released.

Unless otherwise noted, individuals arrested were later released.

Swim Club Tries to Keep Afloat Amid Post-Pandemic Challenges

Three years ago, on July 4, 2020, Princeton’s Broadmead Swim Club, which was closed in the pandemic, optimistically posted on social media that it looked forward to 2021. Broadmead did reopen in 2021, but never regained the pre-pandemic level of membership, according to a statement from the club.

This Fourth of July week, the community club, which has been a haven for recreation and relaxation for Princetonians for more than 60 years, is “facing closure,” if it doesn’t add new members.

To attract new members, the club is offering “try it out” day passes for new individuals and families and pro-rated new memberships through Labor Day.

Discounts for 2023 season memberships, in different amounts for families, couples, singles, and University-connected parties, are being offered, with the deadline extended from July 4 to July 10.

“The pandemic hit us hard,” said board member and spokesperson Shelley Krause. “Over the years we have tried to keep membership fees as low as possible, just covering our operating expenses.”

What that means, she said, “is we didn’t have a lot in the coffers when we had a complete fallow season in 2020, followed by a decline in membership during the pandemic.”

The club is at 184 Broadmead, near the University campus. Before the pandemic, there were 115-120 members during a summer, and now there are 90, said Krause.

What the pandemic did was “wipe out the cushion we had to pay the off-season expenses,” she said, citing maintenance and insurance.

The club was totally closed for the 2020 season when COVID-19 first started, she said. The next season was challenging for management, with supply chain issues affecting chemicals, pool pumps, and other supplies.

The club is also weathering a lifeguard shortage, which Krause said “seems to be everyone’s experience.” She cited estimates of “up to 50 percent of public pools facing the very real possibility that they may need to close if they can’t provide required safety measures.”

Lifeguard shortages have been reported in news media, including an Atlantic magazine article, “How lifeguards lost their luster”

(June 9, 2023), which attributes the shortage to stringent requirements, pay, and the rise of summer internships. The article states, “According to the American Lifeguard Association, about half of the nation’s public pools will have to close or reduce their hours this summer because of a lack of staff.”

Broadmead’s comeback depends on acquiring new members. The landscaped grounds boast a tree-lined 25-yard swimming pool with dedicated lap lanes and diving board, and a popular wading pool. It also features Wi-Fi and room to lounge, picnic, and play.

In Broadmead’s statement, member Suzin Green called it “welcoming” and “so easy to walk or ride my bike over. It would be a huge loss for the community,” she said, if it closed.

Said Krause, “Dinner at the pool is part of a lot of people’s lives. You can act as if it is your pool. But you don’t have to take care of it. It’s a sweet little summer oasis.”

To see Broadmead Swim Club’s membership options, visit broadmeadswimclub. com or call (609) 759-0272.

—Wendy Greenberg

pandemic. (Courtesy of Broadmead Swim Club)

HISTORIC HAVEN: Broadmead Swim Club, a part of Princeton summers for 60 years, is seeking new members to avoid closure from challenges that have added up since the

Reducing Trash

continued from page one equipment for trash collection in much of Princeton. Automated collections typically require less labor and result in fewer injuries to workers.

Purcell wants residents unhappy with the system to know that the cost of solid waste management is “very, very high,” he said. “It is made up of two things: the collection contract and the cost of disposal, or tipping fee, that we pay to the Mercer County Improvement Association. People don’t understand the impact that the budget line item has on everyone’s taxes. We’re trying to save everybody taxes and keep increases to a minimum.”

The annual fee of $150 for a 32-gallon cart or $300 for a second, 64-gallon cart was implemented because “it is unfair for families that generate more than average trash to expect the rest of the community to pay for their excess trash,” Purcell said. “That’s why we charge the fee. And there is a ton of data on how we determined what that method was.”

In the article, Purcell reminds residents that trash pickup that falls on a holiday is scheduled for pickup the following day. On occasion, the hauler might not get to pick up everyone’s trash until the day after that. Residents should leave that trash at the curb, and report it to the town if it hasn’t been collected two days after the holiday with the following information: name, address, email address, phone number, date of the scheduled collection, time left at the curb, and number of containers at the curb.

Grant for Green Fair Awarded to Lambertville

The City of Lambertville has received a $2,000 Sustainable Jersey grant funded by the PSEG Foundation to hold a Green Fair on Saturday, September 30, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Ely Park.

With the theme “We are the Solution,” the fair will focus on the City’s current and future efforts to improve resiliency as well as on ways residents can help mitigate flooding, air and water pollution, reduce air temperatures, and provide habitat for threatened wildlife, especially pollinators. Lambertville Goes Wild and the Lambertville Environmental Commission are partnering to organize the event.

“In Lambertville we are all acutely aware of our city’s vulnerability to the effects of weather extremes that are the new normal and of the growing threats to insects, birds, and other species,” said Lambertville Mayor Andrew J. Nowick.

VISITING THEIR NAMESAKE:

One-Year Subscription: $20

Two-Year Subscription: $25 Subscription Information: 609.924.5400 ext. 30 or subscriptions@ witherspoonmediagroup.com princetonmagazine.com

“Municipal trash collection programs are governed by state law,” Purcell said. “Contracting with a trash hauler requires preparing detailed big specifications using the state’s Uniform Bid Specification, soliciting and receiving bids, analyzing those bids, and then awarding the contract to the lowest acceptable bidder. There are no negotiations beyond this process — the municipality sets the collection parameters, and the bidder must meet them.”

For more information on municipal trash regulations, visit princetonnj.gov/1359/ Trash-Collection.

—Anne Levin

“The fair is an opportunity for residents to learn about the c ity’s plans to further strengthen our resiliency as well as get updates on the steps we have already taken, such as planting 20 trees and hundreds of perennials at our North Union Street Park in 2022, financed by Sustainable Jersey and the PSEG Foundation.”

He continued, “We are inviting a diverse group of organizations to participate in the fair, to offer ideas for actions that residents can take to reduce their carbon footprint, air temperatures, and waste, to manage stormwater, and to provide wildlife habitat. Our ‘We are the

Solution’ fair will enable Lambertville residents and neighboring municipalities to exchange ideas and information about how we can all work together to strengthen our communities. We are honored to receive this grant, and we thank Sustainable Jersey for this wonderful opportunity and for their continued partnership.”

Sustainable Jersey provides tools, training, and financial incentives, with over $7.4 million in grants to date, to help municipalities and schools make progress on their sustainability programs, and specifically toward Sustainable Jersey and Sustainable Jersey for Schools certification.

Lambertville maintains a Silver Certification, partly based on its status as a Community Wildlife Habitat certified by the National Wildlife Federation.

Annual Backpack Drive For School Supplies

Princeton’s Human Services Department is seeking donors for its 14th annual Backpack and School Supplies Drive. The drive benefits Princeton children who are low-income and in need of school supplies and new backpacks.

For the past 13 years, the Princeton Human Services Commission, Princeton University, municipal employees, local businesses, organizations, and residents have

donated book bags and school supplies that have benefited more than 200 Princeton children who attend Princeton Public Schools and are entering kindergarten through sixth grade. To participate, drop off donations at the Princeton Human Services on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The office is at 1 Monument Drive. The deadline for donations is Friday, August 4. Items that can be donated include book bags, notebooks, binders, folders, loose leaf paper, pencils, pens, crayons, markers, scissors, glue sticks, and other school supplies. Call (609) 688-2055 or email humanservices@princetonnj. gov with questions.

Twenty sailors, assigned to Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser USS Princeton (CG59), visited Princeton June 6-8 to engage with the community, share the Navy’s story, and learn more about the historical connection to their vessel’s namesake. The crew met with Mayor Mark Freda (shown at far left), local officials, and public figures; toured the campus of Princeton University with NROTC representatives; visited key landmarks; and gave presentations at local schools.

“Oppenheimer”

continued from page one being held at Oppenheimerrelated sites on July 28, August 6, and August 13. Guiding the tours is Steve Yacik, familiar to participants from previous excursions he had led for the organization.

“We’re waiting until after the movie comes out so we can see which locations they actually use,” Yacik said. “We know we can’t go to his home and the Institute, since they are too far to walk from the Garden Theatre, where the tour begins. But we’ll be using the campus of Princeton University.”

Before hitting the pavement, participants will hear Yacik talk about the film director Nolan. “He came to Princeton University at the students’ request a few years ago,” Yacik said. Nolan was guest speaker at Class Day in 2015. “He basically said, ‘Follow your reality’ as his theme. I use that to say, ‘Yes, there is a movie, but we’re going to step into the reality of these actual people.’ There is such a connection with Princeton.”

Yacik is considering assigning roles to the tour participants — Oppenheimer, Albert Einstein, Niels Bohr, General Leslie Groves, and others. “These are all people who have connections not just with The Manhattan Project [to create the atomic bomb], but with Princeton itself,” he said. “For example, what is now the Frist Campus Center was originally the Palmer Physical Laboratory, which is engraved over the doorway. And 75 percent of Princeton’s physics department left the University to work on The Manhattan Project.”

The Frist Center is on the tour, along with the exterior of Alexander Hall, where Oppenheimer’s funeral was held. “Two of the three eulogies at the funeral were given by people connected to Princeton,” Yacik said. A shady bench in the back of Prospect Garden will likely be included because of a connection to Bohr.

Yacik said he will tell stories about Oppenheimer and his family, who spent their last years, before his death in 1967, at the Institute. “It was very much a sanctuary for him,” he said.

After holding a test tour a few weeks ago, Yacik got some helpful, constructive comments from participants. “The task is to realize that the range of people’s understanding when they arrive at the tour varies considerably,” he said. “Given that it’s Princeton, you can have a nuclear physicist and someone who has no idea who Oppenheimer was. That’s the challenge.”

Tickets for the walking tour are $15. Visit princetonhistory.org.

—Anne Levin

Arts Ed NJ Gets Grant From Arts Endowment

Arts Ed NJ has been approved for a $100,000 Grant for the Arts Projects Award from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).

The grant was awarded to expand statewide support for arts education by publicly sharing information about arts education and its benefits in New Jersey, including data about student access to, and participation in, arts education.

Stakeholder meetings and professional learning offerings will address the importance of the arts in helping students and educators cope with postpandemic trauma, leveraging the learnings from the 2021 Arts Education Census data, and newly released Interactive Arts Education Dashboard, to educate about the need to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in arts education. In addition, a school board candidate survey about candidates’ stances on arts education aims to help voters make informed decisions at the polls this November.

“The National Endowment for the Arts is pleased to support a wide range of projects, including Arts Ed NJ’s Arts Ed Now initiative, demonstrating the many ways the arts enrich our lives and contribute to healthy and thriving communities,” said NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson. “These organizations play an important role in advancing the creative vitality of our nation and helping to ensure that all people can benefit from arts, culture, and design.”

Arts Ed Now is among 1,130 projects across the country, totaling more than $31 million, that were selected during this second round of Grants for Arts Projects fiscal year 2023 funding. Visit ArtsEdNow.org for more information.

Summer STEM Events For Kids at MarketFair

Beginning July 18 and continuing every Tuesday through August 22, Princeton MarketFair is hosting free Summer STEM activities for kids ages 6-12 from 10 to 11 a.m. Limited spots are available.

The first event on July 18 is “MOVIE FX,” in which kids can learn first-hand how advances in science and technology make special effects possible. Participants will take home a cartoon creator they’ve

made themselves. On July 25, the program is “NASA Space Phenomena.” Kids can take a voyage of discovery into the atmosphere and beyond, exploring planets, moons, and space phenomena. The August 1 session is “Slime Time.” Kids will explore polymers, the most useful molecule known to science, and discover their many shapes and forms.

The August 8 program is “Detective Science,” in which participants will decode messages and experiment with metal detectors, night vision, and step into the shoes of a detective. August 15 is “Dry Ice,” an exploration of states of matter and unique properties of dry ice, complete with bubbling potions. The final program on August 22 is “Matter of Fact,” a look at molecules and the forces that hold atoms together.

For more information, visit marketfairshoppes.com/ events.

Community Options Names New Executive Recruiter Community Options, a Princeton-based, national nonprofit providing housing and employment support to people with disabilities, has appointed Jason Iadisernia as executive recruiter. In his new role, Iadisernia will ensure that Community Options attracts dedicated, skilled and high performing leaders.

Iadisernia has a Bachelor of Science in marketing from Sacred Heart University, and has worked in recruitment for five years, most recently at Aston Carter. Reporting directly to Chief Human Resources Officer Courtney Eidel, he will be based in Princeton.

“Community Options embraces its leadership staff through training programs, executive coaching, and recognition because we understand how attracting and retaining the best people in the industry translates to the best quality of support for people with disabilities,” said Robert Stack, Community Options’ president and CEO. “Jason will contribute to this paradigm by bringing top talent through our doors.”

“I love what I do as a recruiter,” said Iadisernia. “By working in this function at a not-for-profit that provides high quality supports to people with disabilities across the country, my professional skills and passion for social good are joined.”

799-8554

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

Artwork by Nicole Steacy

Sharing Thanks and Appreciation for Supporters of 2023 Princeton Festival

To the Editor:

Seventeen days of performing arts events flew by during June’s 2023 Princeton Festival. Many thanks to the thousands who turned out in droves to take in our opera, dance, musical theater, chamber, pops, and orchestral concerts at beautiful Morven Museum & Garden.

It takes the cooperation of multiple organizations and administrators to make an endeavor on the scale of the Princeton Festival possible. We are incredibly thankful to the following organizations and their dedicated staff members for their help in ensuring the success of this year’s Festival: Morven Museum & Garden, Trinity Church, Princeton Mayor Mark Freda, the Municipality of Princeton, and the Princeton Festival Guild.

We’d also like to express our appreciation for the buzzabout-town generated by Experience Princeton, the Princeton Public Library, McCarter Theatre Center, American Repertory Ballet, the Princeton University Office of Community and Regional Affairs, and local businesses.

Multiple shops and restaurants showed support by displaying our banner, posters, and Festival restaurant maps, and by sharing event information via email and social media. A special thank you to all of the restaurants that offered prix fixe menus throughout the Festival, and to those businesses that partnered with us on site to create such a welcoming atmosphere.

Above all, we’re thankful to be holding our annual performing arts Festival at Morven Museum & Garden, in the arts-loving town of Princeton!

MARC UYS

Executive Director, Princeton Symphony Orchestra Ewing Street

Corner House Behavioral Health Deserves Community Support, Admiration, and Thanks

To the Editor:

For over 50 years, Corner House, now known as Corner House Behavioral Health, has been a beacon of hope for adolescents, young people, and their families who struggle with substance use and substance abuse issues. Begun in 1972 by a group of Princeton residents who were increasingly concerned with rising drug and alcohol problems, Corner House has proven its worth as an established presence in the greater Princeton area. It has been a shining example of the best in treatment, prevention, leadership, and outreach. Corner House has always been open to community input, transparent about finances, inclusive of underserved community members, all-encompassing in treatment and use of best practices, and extremely successful in its programs and leadership opportunities. Governed by the Municipality of Princeton, Corner

House receives funding from the Municipality of Princeton, the State of New Jersey, Mercer County, Princeton Regional Schools, area corporations, foundations, and private donors through the Corner House Foundation. The Foundation raises monies from the Princeton community through a direct mail campaign and an annual benefit.

The Corner House Board, established in 2006, provides recommendations to the town Council concerning operation and administration.

In recent months, Corner House has faced a number of changes which have made it very difficult for staff members to conduct business as usual. The resignation of the last executive director and office manager have created a disruption to day- to-day operations. At the present time, there are no plans to hire a new executive director or office manager. There is talk of “restructuring” or “reorganizing,” but so far this has not happened. Corner House is presently in a holding pattern in many ways.

There is an old adage that states, “Don’t fix it if it ain’t broke.” Staff, board members, and community volunteers who have been affiliated with Corner House over the years would agree that it is not broken. A prime example of the way Corner House has been a role model for excellence in care can be found in its heroic response to the COVID 19 pandemic. Corner House was presented with a unique and unprecedented challenge as the demand for counseling services increased dramatically. Thanks to a swift and effective response by the dedicated staff, Corner House not only met the challenge but exceeded expectations. Although it was done remotely, there was no disruption in services provided, and no one was turned away. The many clients who came to Corner House with substance abuse and other family crisis issues received the help they so desperately needed.

It would be a travesty to lose sight of how important Corner House is to the Princeton community, and how lucky we are to have such a valuable resource in our midst. Corner House has reached thousands of young people, literally saved countless lives, and provided a safe haven for our young people. It deserves our support, our admiration, and our thanks.

Housing Initiatives of Princeton Thanks All Who Supported Fundraiser at Ivy Inn

To the Editor:

All of us at Housing Initiatives of Princeton would like to thank everyone who showed up at the Ivy Inn last week to support our work. We’re especially grateful to East Coast Ambush for supplying the music, Andy Golden for pouring the drinks, and Richey Ryan and the team at the Ivy Inn for providing a terrific venue for the community to come together. All the money raised in tips that night will be going to support a family new to our transitional housing program.

This summer, three new families will be moving into HIP transitional housing. Some have spent months couchsurfing in cramped quarters; others have struggled to pay unsustainably high rents for substandard living conditions. With HIP, they’ll have a safe, secure place to live and a network of support to help with individualized needs, including finishing college degrees; securing higher paying jobs; building savings and credit; obtaining mental health treatment; obtaining educational enrichment, academic, and other support for their children; and qualifying for permanent affordable housing.

We at HIP know that stronger, healthier, and happier families make our community stronger, too. In order to continue our work in building a strong, equitable community, we need your help. Please consider making a contribution to help cover the costs of moving and furnishing an apartment for an incoming family. Our website (housinginitiativesofprinceton.org) has information about donating and volunteering.

Also, please mark your calendars for our Fall Fundraiser on Saturday, October 21 at 7 p.m. at the Watershed Institute in Hopewell. This year we’re honoring former Councilman Lance Liverman, longtime friend and supporter of HIP, for his commitment to make Princeton an inclusive community.

LIZ LEMPERT Board Chair Housing Initiatives of Princeton Mercer Street

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.

Newsstand Town Topics

Can be purchased Wednesday mor nings at the following locations: Princeton

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Kiosk Palmer Square

Speedy Mar t (State Road)

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Hopewell Village Express

Rocky Hill Wawa (Rt 518) Pennington Pennington Market

Young Adult Protection Plan

Young Adult Protection Plan

A client shared that she was on a trip with a group of college students. As one of the students fainted, my client was prohibited by law from contacting the student’s parents. Fortunately, one of the other students reached the parents as their daughter waited for the EMTs to arrive.

A client shared that she was on a trip with a group of college students. As one of the students fainted, my client was prohibited by law from contacting the student’s parents. Fortunately, one of the other students reached the parents as their daughter waited for the EMTs to arrive.

This story caused me to realize the importance of having the proper documents for our children before we send them off to college or to work. All young adults over the age of 18 should have a HIPAA Authorization, Health Care Power of Attorney, Durable General Power of Attorney and Digital Authorization.

This story caused me to realize the importance of having the proper documents for our children before we send them off to college or to work. All young adults over the age of 18 should have a HIPAA Authorization, Health Care Power of Attorney, Durable General Power of Attorney and Digital Authorization.

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a Federal Law that protects the privacy of a young adult patient’s health care information. The HIPAA

Authorization allows parents to have access to their child’s health care information without consent of the patient. A Health Care Power of Attorney allows the representative (agent) of choice to act on behalf of the young adult if he or she becomes incapacitated. The Durable General Power of Attorney immediately allows the agent to act on behalf of the young adult. Finally, a Digital Authorization allows the agent to have access to any digital devices. This authorization may prove extremely valuable.

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a Federal Law that protects the privacy of a young adult patient’s health care information. The HIPAA Authorization allows parents to have access to their child’s health care information without consent of the patient. A Health Care Power of Attorney allows the representative (agent) of choice to act on behalf of the young adult if he or she becomes incapacitated. The Durable General Power of Attorney immediately allows the agent to act on behalf of the young adult. Finally, a Digital Authorization allows the agent to have access to any digital devices. This authorization may prove extremely valuable.

Please call Mary Ann Pidgeon at (609) 520-1010 or email her at mpidgeon@pidgeonlaw.com to prepare these documents for you and your young adults.

Please call Mary Ann Pidgeon at (609) 520-1010 or email her at mpidgeon@pidgeonlaw.com to prepare these documents for you and your young adults.

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WENDY JOLLEY Past Corner House Board Chair Gallup Road

Onslaught — Cormac McCarthy’s “Blood Meridian”

Oh my god, said the sergeant —from Blood Meridian, Chapter 4

Iimagine Ishmael peering from the crow’s nest of Herman Melville’s Pequod , having just sighted the White Whale. Except this is dry land, the Texas-Mexico border, 1849, two years before the publication of Moby-Dick , and the crew is a rogue band of scalp-hunting soldiers. Peering through his “old brass cavalry telescope,” Captain White spies the thunderous approach of “a hell of a herd of something.”

Steady on, reader, the massive force bearing down upon you is Cormac McCarthy, armed with the first onslaught of sustained virtuoso prose in the novel, a single all but breathless sentence running a page and a half long that opens with “A legion of horribles, hundreds in number, half naked or clad in costumes attic or biblical or wardrobed out of a fevered dream with the skins of animals and silk finery and pieces of uniform still tracked with the blood of previous owners” and closes with “all the horsemen’s faces gaudy and grotesque with daubings like a company of mounted clowns, death hilarious, all howling in a barbarous tongue and riding down upon them like a horde from a hell more horrible yet than the brimstone land of Christian reckoning, screeching and yammering and clothed in smoke like those vaporous beings in regions beyond right knowing where the eye wanders and the lip jerks and drools.”

ing carnage,” which begins on “the novel’s second page, when the fifteen-year-old Kid is shot” and “continues almost with no respite until the end, thirty years later, when Judge Holden, the most frightening figure in all of American literature, murders the Kid in an outhouse” (McCarthy chooses to lowercase “the kid” and “the judge” throughout the novel according to his characteristic disregard of conventional points of style like capitalization, quotation marks, and semicolons.)

Heaped by Moby Dick

After 340-plus pages of graphic violence, McCarthy never reveals exactly what happened to the kid in the outhouse after “the naked judge rose up smiling and gathered him in his immense and terrible flesh and shot the wooden barlatch home behind him.” All the reader knows is that another man opening the door to the outhouse shouts “Good God almighty” when he sees what’s inside.

No doubt “not knowing” what atrocities the judge inflicted upon the kid fits with Bloom’s notion that he’s a supremely “frightening figure.”

with natural terror, as that unexampled, intelligent malignity which, according to specific accounts, he had over and over again evinced in his assaults.”

No wonder Bloom refers to “figure” rather than “character” when he makes his claim about “the most frightening figure in all of American literature.” The judge would have to be superhuman, part-Ahab, part-whale, to match the power and magnitude of the white whale’s “unexampled, intelligent malignity.” And presumably only someone with superhuman power could commit an act of murder so horrific that it defies description.

“Terrifying Art”

RedefiningDesign

There’s hardly time to say another Oh my God before we’re attacked with images of the carnage, “men lanced and caught up by the hair and scalped standing ... naked riders with clusters of arrows clenched in their jaws ... leaping from their mounts with knives and running about on the ground with a peculiar bandylegged trot like creatures riven to alien forms of locomotion.” The second onslaught concludes with the “naked heads of the scalped who with the fringe of hair below their wounds and tonsured to the bone now lay like maimed and naked monks in the bloodslaked dust and everywhere the dying groaned and gibbered and horses lay screaming.”

Overwhelming Carnage

In his introduction to the Modern Library edition of Blood Meridian Or The Evening Redness in the West (Random House 1985), Harold Bloom calls it “the authentic American apocalyptic novel, more relevant even in 2000 than it was fifteen years ago. The fulfilled renown of Moby-Dick and of As I Lay Dying is augmented by Blood Meridian, since Cormac McCarthy is the worthy disciple both of Melville and Faulkner.”

Bloom confesses that his first two attempts to read Blood Meridian failed because he “flinched from the overwhelm-

Bloom’s earlier reference to Moby-Dick inevitably brings to mind Melville’s Captain Ahab, and in fact there are hints of Melville’s masterpiece scattered throughout Blood Meridian, even in the landscape (“a lone albino ridge ... like the back of some pale sea beast”). The first time we see the “albino” judge he’s “as bald as a stone,” with “no trace of beard” and “no brows to his eyes or lashes to them.” And he’s “close on to seven feet in height.” In a later chapter, his “pleated brow” is “not unlike a dolphin’s,” and, as Bloom suggests, “the albino Judge, like the albino whale, cannot be slain.” But as a “frightening figure” Melville’s whale “heaps” the judge as it heaps Ahab, whose leg Moby Dick “had reaped away ... as a mower a blade of grass in the field,” and “there was enough in the earthly make and incontestable character of the monster to strike the imagination with unwonted power.... Nor was it his unwonted magnitude, nor his remarkable hue, nor yet his deformed lower jaw, that so much invested the whale

It’s thanks to Harold Bloom that I fi nally read Blood Meridian. Whenever I go back to Shakespeare, I read Bloom’s Invention of the Human And when Bloom urges the reader to “persevere, because Blood Meridian is a canonical imaginative achievement, both an American and a universal tragedy of blood,” I persevere, even though I differ with Bloom when he says “none of the carnage is gratuitous or redundant.”

McCarthy Dancing

McCarthy is clearly aware that the judge has much in common with an author. Besides being the most murderous of scholars, he always has a ledger book handy in which he enters notes and sketches that are admired in one scene by a character who says “them pictures is like enough the things themselves. But no man can put the world in a book.” The judge smiles at this accurate if flawed recognition of his mission. After the character says “I don’t want to be in your book,” the judge tells him, “Whether in my books or not, every man is tabernacled in every other ... and so on in an endless complexity of being and witness to the uttermost edge of the world.” Later the judge makes a more definitive statement: “Whatever in creation exists without my knowledge exists without my consent.” It may sound like sublime arrogance, but isn’t this essentially the mind-set of every author who takes his creation seriously?

DISTINCTIVE SELECTIONS OF WOODS, FINISHES AND STYLES

INSPIRING CUSTOM DESIGNS

PROJECT MANAGEMENT FROM CONCEPT TO COMPLETION

It’s also true that hearing McCarthy spoken of in the same breath with Shakespeare and Melville, not to mention Faulkner, makes me uneasy, but having finished the book, I have no doubt that “Judge Holden is a villain worthy of Shakespeare, Iago-like and demoniac, a theoretician of war everlasting.”

And that “the book’s magnifi cence — its language, landscape, persons, conceptions” ultimately “transcends the violence.”

But I’m not convinced that it converts “goriness into terrifying art, an art comparable to Melville’s and to Faulkner’s.”

Ultimately, it’s McCarthy’s creation of the judge in a book published in the fifth year of Ronald Reagan’s saber-rattling presidency that lifts Blood Meridian to another level. After mentioning the judge first among the novel’s “three glories,” along with “the landscape, and (dreadful to say this) the slaughters,” Bloom has to qualify the third glory with the unconvincing claim that the slaughters are “aesthetically distanced by McCarthy in a number of complex ways.”

In the closing pages the judge appears animated if not actually transported by the overflow of McCarthy’s creative passion, thus his manic exuberance after whatever dreadful abomination he has inflicted on the kid, he’s “naked dancing ... huge and pale and hairless like an enormous infant.... He bows to the fiddlers and sashays backwards and throws back his head and laughs deep in his throat and he is a great favorite, the judge. He wafts his hat and the lunar dome of his skull passes palely under the lamps and he swings about and takes possession of one of the fiddles and he pirouettes and makes a pass, two passes, dancing and fiddling at once. His feet are light and nimble.”

It’s not merely the judge who’s dancing at the end, it’s the author putting the final touch on his creation, perhaps feeling as Melville did when he finished his “evil book” and felt “as spotless as a lamb.” The deed’s done and the author’s dancing side by side with his creature, his feet “light and nimble. He never sleeps. He says that he will never die. He dances in light and shadow and he is a great favorite. He never sleeps, the judge. He is dancing, dancing. He says that he will never die.”

And when McCarthy died last month it seemed the passing of the last great literary hero. Such at least was my wishful thinker’s view of his stature. We needed a hero and his last work The Passenger/Stella Maris , published less than a year ago, was a joy to read because in it he seemed to be giving all his love and his knowledge and his art, as if opening up and enjoying the dance for all time, fancy free. And it’s only fitting to celebrate his greatest and bloodiest novel on July 4, 2023.

—Stuart Mitchner

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PART OF THE JIMMY BOSCH TRIBUTE WORLD TOUR, CELEBRATING 50 YEARS IN SALSA AND LATIN JAZZ

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INFORMATION: info@bluecurtain.org bluecurtainconcerts@gmail.com facebook.com/BlueCurtainConcerts

Sundays at 10am

Co-sponsored by the Princeton Recreation Department

MUSIC REVIEW

New International Summer Music Festival Opens with Acclaimed Pianist in Recital

Anew music festival has set down roots in Princeton this summer.

The John Perry Academy of Music, previously based in Los Angeles, has relocated to this area and launched its summer activities this past weekend. Bracketing 12 days of master classes, lectures, and private lessons for musicians are two piano recitals, the first of which took place this past Sunday evening. Russian pianist Mikhail Voskresensky, who left his homeland in 2022 in protest of the invasion of Ukraine, opened the festival with a concert of 18th- and 19th-century piano music at Mayo Hall on the campus of The College of New Jersey.

Voskresensky’s concert Sunday evening began with two musical gumdrops from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Like others of Mozart’s works, Fantasy in d minor for piano was unfinished at the time of his death. In a type of musical fan fiction, Mozart’s widow turned to colleagues and friends to finish a number of these pieces. The last 10 measures of the Fantasy were thought to be written by German composer and organist August Müller, and his added fugal coda fit well with Mozart’s baroque intents in this short piece. Voskresensky paired this work with Mozart’s Fantasy in c minor, also left unfinished at the time of the composer’s death. The 28-bar original fragment was completed by composer and priest Abbé Maximilian Stadler, who titled the piece a fantasia and maintained the same baroque flavor that Mozart had begun.

From the outset, Voskresensky was an unassuming pianist, clearly old-school without a lot of flash but a commanding presence onstage. The piano in Mayo Hall was a rich and resonant instrument in a very live space, and seemed to be more suited to the more romantic music on the program, but Voskresensky found clarity and drama in both the Mozart Fantasys

He took his time on the languid opening “Adagio” passages on Fantasy in d minor, playing each repetition of the thematic material with more intensity. In both pieces, Voskresensky drew out phrases to create drama, and in the second in particular found the musical humor which Mozart later incorporated into The Magic Flute.

In 1802, the same year Mozart’s baroque-infused keyboard music was being published posthumously, Ludwig van Beethoven was creating some of his most dramatic works. Beethoven composed piano music for a more advanced instrument than Mozart, with an aim toward performance in a concert hall, rather than a private salon. His Piano Sonata in d minor was the second of the Op. 31 trio of sonatas, and was a centerpiece of power, earning it the nickname of the “Tempest” sonata.

Throughout his sonatas, Beethoven took a conventional classical form and turned it into a multi-stage drama, aided in the case of this work by his own despair over impending deafness. Voskresensky began the opening “Largo” with fire, moving through the nonstop musical action with

each phrase repetition more intense. This piece was particularly well-suited for the instrument in Mayo Hall, as Voskresensky took his time bringing out the majesty and reverence of the second movement “Adagio.” He found a great deal of contrast in the closing movement, infusing the music with a sense of urgency and particularly fast and furious episodes foreshadowing the composer’s Symphony No. 9

Nineteenth-century Polish composer Frédéric Chopin looked to his homeland for inspiration for his piano works, creating small pieces to be performed in small spaces. Among Chopin’s piano repertory were 57 mazurkas — dance miniatures capturing the folk culture of his native Poland. In Sunday’s concert, Voskresensky played three mazurkas , which Chopin had combined as Op. 63, the last set published during his lifetime.

Voskresensky played all three of these mazurkas with lightness and humor, bringing out the sauciness of No. 1 and its mazur theme, the pensiveness of No. 2, and the rhythm-bending triple-meter kujuwiak dance flavor of No. 3. Voskresensky followed the trio of mazurkas with Chopin’s 1841 Polonaise in F# minor, Op. 44, another tribute to the composer’s homeland. He opened the Polonaise with dark and mysterious passages and fiery octaves and a particularly striking upper register on the keyboard. This piece marked a beginning of Chopin’s diversion from the polonaise dance form into a more improvisatory and fantasy-like work, and Voskresensky built intensity through repetition of the motives and maintaining the distinctive polonaise rhythm in the bass register.

Sergei Prokofiev’s Visions Fugitives was a cycle of 20 short (many less than a minute) piano miniatures written over the course of two years for the composer’s own friends and colleagues. Despite their brevity, these vignettes contained passages of technical difficulty and quick tempi. Based on this collection, Prokofiev had a wide circle of diverse friends, and Voskresensky conveyed well the range of characters in the music, from relaxed impressionism to fast and driving rhythms reminiscent of Bartók. Voskresensky closed the program with a spirited performance of a piano transcription of the “March” from Prokofiev’s 1921 opera The Love for Three Oranges

In its summer workshop, The John Perry Academy seeks not only to guide the next generation of musicians, but also to demonstrate the power of music to unite. The academy has taken a cue from the 1942 siege of Leningrad, when amidst the worst of wartime circumstances, music was still created. With classic style and performance technique, Voskresensky is a perfect master teacher from which the academy’s young students can learn, fitting well into the academy’s mission of utilizing music to show how to appreciate the beauty of life.

—Nancy Plum

The John Perry Academy of Music will present a second piano recital on Saturday, July 8 at 7 p.m. in Mayo Hall on the campus of The College of New Jersey. Featured in this concert will be pianist Ann Schein performing music of Chopin and Elliott Carter. Information about this recital and all of the Academy’s summer festival activities can be found at johnperryacademy.org.

Princeton University Chapel

Open to all.

Preaching Sunday, July 9, 2023, at 10am is Denise Carrell, Pastor of the Christ Congregation here in Princeton. Music performed by University organist, Eric Plutz.

Featuring products that are distinctly Princeton

UNIQUE GIFTS!

Artwork by Nicole Steacy

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Performing Arts

First-Ever Opera Series at Kelsey Theatre This Summer

Mercer County Community College’s (MCCC) Kelsey Theatre and New Jersey Lyric Opera (NJLO) have a weekend of opera in store on MCCC’s West Windsor campus, July 7-9. Verdi’s La Traviata and Puccini’s Madama Butterfly are featured in the first-ever opera summer series on the Kelsey stage.

La Traviata (July 7 and 8 at 7:30 p.m.) is a timeless tale of love starring a double cast that includes international soprano Holly Gash, tenor John Villemaire, and Verdi baritone, Chaka Allen. Madama Butterfly (July 8 and 9 at 2 p.m.) tells a lasting story of passion, culture, unrequited love, and tragedy that also stars a double cast. It is one of opera’s most enduring tales of unrequited love that follows the tragic tale of Cio Cio San, a young Japanese girl who falls in love with American naval officer Pinkerton, with devastating consequences.

“It really is the juxtaposition of culture set to music that makes this story feel real when performed,” said John Calkins, the artistic director for NJLO. “Puccini was great at setting the ambience for the human condition that is breath-taking. Love and honor are a major part of this story and Butterfly is just that. You’ll also find iconic themes like the ‘Star-Spangled Banner’ and ‘Sakura’ that are songs still

being taught in our schools today.”

Visit Kelseytheatre.org for tickets.

Phillips’ Mill Presents New Historical Drama

From July 20-23, Phillips’ Mill Premiere Showcase presents Voices: A History of the VIA of Doylestown in partnership with the Village Improvement Association (VIA), at 2619 River Road in New Hope, Pa. This historical drama, written by Joy Nash of Doylestown, Pa., and directed by Griffin Horn of Philadelphia and New Hope, is a celebration of Doylestown Hospital and the women of the VIA who founded it 100 years ago.

The annual premiere showcase is a selected, fully-staged mounting of an original, fulllength play, performed for the first time in front of a live audience on the stage at Phillips’ Mill, and produced by the Phillips’ Mill Community Association drama program.

The play is set in 1895, when a social phenomenon is sweeping the country. American women of all ages, classes, and races are organizing. Not for social purposes, but for social causes: women’s suffrage, child welfare, the needs of working women, racial equality, and the health of their communities.

With Doylestown Hospital’s centennial year celebrations coming up, Nash and other members of the VIA of Doylestown were looking for ways to honor the pioneering

women who founded their civic organization in 1895 and Doylestown Hospital 28 years later.

“The women of the VIA hired a visiting nurse in 1916 because there was no public healthcare in Doylestown,” she said. “The citizens of Doylestown had to travel to the new hospital in Abington for anything other than routine maternal care or minor illness and injuries. From day one, the ladies kept very detailed minutes of meetings and important happenings — all in incredible penmanship.

I was so impressed by their professionalism. Twenty-five years before they gained the vote, these Victorian women essentially started a profitable business. They bought property, founded and operated a hospital, hired nurses and other employees — and it’s all recorded in the VIA minutes.”

“The women of the VIA never gave up, and because of them, we have Doylestown Hospital,” said Valerie Eastburn, chair of the Phillips’ Mill Drama Committee and longtime Doylestown resident. “This is a story of what can happen when women take charge. Women are still struggling to be listened to. Through these live performances, we tell stories of our past while addressing the issues of today.”

Performances are July 2022 at 7:30 p.m., and July 23 at 3 p.m. Tickets are $25$75. Visit phillipsmill.org.

Local Artists and Dancers

At Daylong Hopewell Event

Glenmoore Farm of Hopewell, NakedFeet Events of Princeton, and EcstaticDanceJersey of Princeton, present their third annual grassrootsorganized, outdoor summer no-alcohol event of the year at Glenmoore Farm in Hopewell on July 8, from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Celebrating local-area and regional musicians, artists and artisans, holistic teachers and merchants traveling from the Jersey shore, Philadelphia, upstate New York, California, and Mexico, the festival has a family carnival vibe with face painting, roaming hula hoopers, slinky spinning on a PEV (personal electric vehicle), jugglers, stilt walkers, acrobats, aerialists, bamboo staff twirling, and acro yogis, with live music, song circles, wellness activities, workshops, unique

merchandise and food vendors.

The RainbowMoon Fest offers a Vendor Village and multiple stages with music, performers and immersive educational wellness workshops as well as a kids waterpark area to stay cool. The Thompson Preserve nature trail is directly accessible from the property.

Food trucks and vendors include vegan options; this year features local foodtruck favorites like Nomad Pizza, the Australian cuisine of G’Day Gourmet, ice-cold treats from Owowcow, and others. The growing national trend of sober events with non-alcoholic mixed drinks and elixirs comes to Hopewell with a wide range of offerings of blended kava drinks, prepared by Jaya Kava from Philadelphia. One of the festival sponsors is Trenton Community A-TEAM, which will have local artists present their art

on exhibit and for sale, while other vendors include glass blowing artisans demonstrating their craft, plus woodwork, paintings, clothing and jewelry, aromatherapy and CBD ointments, drums and musical instruments, reiki and massage treatments, yoga accessories,and various unique gifts.

At 4:30 p.m., native Aztec people and members of DANZA AZTECA del ANAHUAC will lead a dance ceremony. An evening program follows with additional performers and experiences. Ticket Prices range from $15 for admission for the daytime portion of the event and $22 tickets for the evening concert, dance and light-spinning acrobatics show. Full day tickets are $35 with family ticketing options available, children ages 17 and under are free. Visit rainbowmoon2023. eventbrite.com.

ALCOHOL-FREE FUN: The arts are the focus of the third annual RainbowMoon Fest, taking place July 8 at Glenmoore Farm in Hopewell. This is a family-friendly celebration of the arts and wellness.

VERDI AND PUCCINI: Two famous operas are on stage this summer at Kelsey Theatre, on the campus of Mercer County Community College. Shown here is a scene from Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly.”

WOMEN IN ACTION: Scenes like this one, of a VIA (Village Improvement Association) float at an Old Home Week Celebration in Doylestown, Pa., circa 1912, are the inspiration for “Voices: A History of the VIA of Doylestown,” a play produced by Phillips’ Mill Premiere Showcase. (Photo courtesy of the VIA of Doylestown)

and queer — communities through collective storytelling, resulting in the creation of memorial tributes, banners, and puppets. Spiral Q will host workshops, gallery talks, and panel talks at GFS. Through a July residency at ArtWorks Trenton, Spiral Q will lead conversations around personal and communal agency while guiding community members to share their stories through puppet and banner making, culminating in a procession on July 29. There will also be a Family Open Studios maker workshop at GFS on July 8, where everyone can create items from recycled materials that they can then use in the procession.

“THE WORK PARTY: BIPLANE AND BLUE TRUCK IN GREEN”: This painting by David Orban of Hamilton was named Best in Show for the “Ellarslie Open 40.” The annual juried exhibition, featuring 150 works by 109 artists, is on view through September 30 at Trenton City Museum at Ellarslie and at ellarslie.org/eo40.

“Ellarslie Open 40” Awards

Prizes to Exhibiting Artists

Seventeen of 109 exhibiting artists received awards during the June 24 Artists and Members Reception for the “Ellarslie Open 40” at Trenton City Museum at Ellarslie. This year’s edition of the annual juried exhibition showcases 150 artworks by artists from the greater Trenton area and throughout New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York. All of the artwork is available for purchase in the museum or online through September 30.

From the veranda of the museum, Trenton Museum Society’s Joan Perkes, Deborah Oliver, and Sarah Unger; Juror Reggie Browne; and Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora and City Council Vice President Crystal Feliciano delivered welcoming remarks and announced awards. The top winner was David Orban of Hamilton, whose painting The Work Party: Biplane and Blue Truck in Green was named Best in Show.

Category award recipients were Abigail Johnson of Princeton for Digital Art; Patricia Hutchinson of Belmar for Painting; John Slavin of Holland, Pa,, for Photography; Carol Magner of Yardley, Pa., for Sculpture; and Bill Donnelly of Southampton, Pa., for Works on Paper. A complete list of award winners is posted at ellarslie.org/eo40.

“I am a fan of a wide range of objects of art,” said Browne. “Over my continued period of observation and collecting art, my interest spans the range

of abstraction, figurative, landscapes, and sculpture. I was impressed by the large number of landscapes introduced by the artists for inclusion in the ‘Ellarslie Open 40.’ Clearly, some artists are as moved as I am by the beauty of the Central New Jersey and Southeastern Pennsylvania areas.”

Mary Yess, who conceived of and coordinated the first “Ellarslie Open” in 1982, said in exhibition materials, “When I cooked up the idea for the ‘Ellarslie Open,’ I had hoped it would turn into an annual event, but little did I think it would turn into the incredible show it has become.”

“Ellarslie Open 40” will remain on view in the museum and in an online gallery and store through September 30, with a related juror’s talk to take place in September, date to be announced.

Trenton City Museum at Ellarslie, located in Cadwalader Park, is open Fridays and Saturdays, 12 to 4 p.m., and Sundays, 1 to 4 p.m. While there is no admission charge, donations in support of the museum’s mission and programs are welcomed. For more information, call (609) 989-1191 or visit ellarslie.org.

GFS Receives Funding

For “Perspectives” Series

Grounds For Sculpture Receives Funding from the NJ Council for the Humanities to support its “Perspectives” series programming

Grounds For Sculpture

(GFS) in Hamilton recently announced that it has been awarded funding from the New Jersey Council for the

Humanities (NJCH) to help support several programs in conjunction with GFS’ “Perspectives” exhibition series, including panel talks, storytelling workshops, and a community procession. NJCH supports public humanities events, programs, and opportunities that help institutions serving the people of New Jersey explore the public humanities in their lives.

GFS is currently presenting two exhibitions as part of the “Perspectives” series. To create “Local Voices: Stories, Memories, and Portraits,” GFS partnered with Madhusmita Bora, a folk and traditional artist, teacher, and trained journalist, to gather 15 members of New Jersey’s Indian community to tell their personal stories. These stories highlight the universal themes of love, loss, and resilience. This fall, there will be panel talks and workshops exploring individual storytelling. A panel discussion with Bora and select storytellers from the exhibition will discuss their experience creating the exhibition and the effect it has had on their lives, with a focus on cross-cultural stories and the importance of understanding legacy. Storytellers and communications professionals Paul Best and Meera Nair will hold public workshops that focus on different approaches to and of the healing power of personal storytelling.

“Spiral Q: The Parade” is a showcase of the Philadelphia-based organization’s rich history of working in collaboration with marginalized — Black, brown,

seconds, materials, and old work taking up room in your workspace.”

Artists and crafters are encouraged to apply to sell their wares at this pop-up market held in the ACP’s newly painted parking lot and terrace at 102 Witherspoon Street. There is an application fee of $10 and tabling fee of $25, if accepted.

Download applications at artscouncilofprinceton. org. The deadline for submissions is Friday, July 7 at 11:59 p.m.

Paintings in Plainsboro Library

Show Depict “Precious Memories”

Gallery 14 Fine Art Photography, 14 Mercer Street, Hopewell, has “Out There” through July 16. A reception is on July 8 from 1 to 3 p.m. gallery14.org.

Gourgaud Gallery, 23-A North Main Street, Cranbury, has “Creative Collective Summer Exhibition” through July 28. A reception is on July 9 from 1 to 3 p.m. cranburyartscouncil.org.

“Local

from the NJ

with its “Perspectives” series,

and

and

The Spiral Q: The Parade procession will take place on Saturday, July 29 at 11 a.m. with a rain date of August 5. After building puppets, banners, protest signs at Artworks Trenton with local community partners and the GFS community, makers will gather to celebrate with a walk from Hamilton Township’s Farmingdale Park to GFS.

“Our partnership with Spiral Q and Artworks Trenton for the July 29th procession will be about breaking boundaries — inviting the communities of Hamilton and Trenton to explore GFS, taking ownership of the grounds as a place of belonging, and building relationships.,” said Julio Badel, GFS’ director of education and community engagement.

Community members of all ages and abilities are encouraged to participate in the procession, including families, youth groups, community groups, cultural institutions, and activist groups.

For more information on maker meetups, visit artworkstrenton.org or groundsforsculpture.org.

This event is familyfriendly and will include free access to GFS on July 29 for procession participants.

To register for “Perspectives” programs, visit groundsforsculpture.org/ calendar.

ACP Accepting Vendor Applications for yART Sale

The Arts Council of Princeton (ACP) is now accepting vendor applications for its first yART sale to be held on Saturday, August 5 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The yART sale is an outdoor, fleamarket style opportunity for attendees to shop affordable work from local artists cleaning out their studios.

“For almost 30 years, we’ve had the pleasure of coordinating art markets showing off the best of the best of our creative region,” said ACP Artistic Director Maria Evans, who has run the 29-years-and-running Sauce for the Goose Outdoor Art Market and this May’s Princeton Art Bazaar. “We love these events, and the public has come to know us as the go-to place for high-quality art and gifts around Mother’s Day and the winter holidays. But for the first time, we’re shaking things up a bit for the down and dirty dog days of August. Consider this message your invitation to get into your studio and clean out what you no longer need to hold onto. Prints, paintings, pottery, supplies … our yART sale is the perfect venue to sell your good-quality

Monroe artist Roberta Neutuch, now exhibiting “Precious Memories” in the Plainsboro Public Library gallery through August 26, will be featured in a Meet the Artist gallery talk on July 8 at 12 p.m.

Neubuch works in various media, but strongly favors oils. Her work in “Precious Memories” is based on her own photos. “Each painting,” she said, “is a reflection of a memory from my travels.” There are street scenes from around the world, as well as the U.S., along with still lifes and market scenes from Europe and America.

Although primarily selftaught, Neubuch has taken a number of art classes. Her style, she said, has evolved over time from realism to impressionism, with the use of expressive brush strokes.

Neubuch has shown her work in a number of local galleries, including Monroe Township Library; Farnsworth Gallery, Bordentown; Mile Square Frame, Hoboken; Suburban Artists Guild, East Brunswick; the Gourgaud Gallery, Cranbury; and others.

She has also appeared in juried art shows, including currently at the Gallery at Thompson Park, Holmdel; the Monroe Township Cultural Arts Commission; the South Brunswick Arts Commission; and the Lakefront Gallery at Robert Wood Johnson Hospital, Hamilton.

The Plainsboro Library gallery is located at 9 Van Doren Street, Plainsboro. For more information, call (609) 275-2897.

Area Exhibits

Art@Bainbridge, 158 Nassau Street, has “Cycle of Creativity: Allison Saar and the Toni Morrison Papers” through July 9. artmuseum. princeton.edu.

Artists’ Gallery, 18 Bridge Street, Lambertville, has “A World Reimagined” July 6 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.

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. Timed tickets required. 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. www.towntopics.com

“SPIRAL Q: THE PARADE”: Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton has received funding

Council for the Humanities to support programs in conjunction

which includes the current exhibits

Voices: Stories, Memories,

Portraits”

“Spiral Q: The Parade.” Both exhibitions are on view through January 7.

Mark Your Calendar

Town Topics

Wednesday, July 5

4-5 p.m.: “All Together

Now” Ice Cream Social at Hopewell Train Station, 2 Railroad Place, Hopewell. Bring a nonperishable pantry item to support The Chubby’s Project. Open to all.

Thursday, July 6 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.

5-8 p.m.: Evening Blacksmithing at Howell Farm, 70 Woodens Lane, Hopewell Township. Howellfarm.org.

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

7:30 p.m.: Princeton University Summer Chamber Concerts presents the Newman & Oltman Guitar Duo performing music by De Falla, Albeniz, Brouwer, and others at Nassau Presbyterian Church, 61 Nassau Street. Free. Princetonsummerchamberconcerts.org.

Friday, July 7

1 p.m.: “What Goes

Unseen: Reimagining the Legacy of J. Robert Oppenheimer,” virtual roundtable with speakers George Dyson, Graham Farmelo, Siobhan Roberts, and Alex Wellerstein, sponsored by the Institute for Advanced Study. Free. Registration required. Ias.edu.

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

6-8:30 p.m.: First Fridays in Palmer Square. Jazz on the Green with the Erik Daab Trio, complimentary caricature drawings with Daniel Perez, watercolor with Lisa Walsh, live aerosol painting with Leon Rainbow. Palmersquare.com.

Saturday, July 8

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 Tanglewood. Westwindsorfarmersmarket.org.

10 a.m.-5 p.m.: Blueberry Bash at Terhune Orchards, 330 Cold Soil Road. Pick blueberries, see puppet shows, hear country music, children’s activities, homemade blueberry treats, and more. Terhuneorchards.com.

11 a.m.-10 p.m.: 3rd Annual RainbowMoon Fest at Glenmoore Farm, 105 Pennington-Hopewell Road, Hopewell. Family-friendly, no-alcohol festival celebrating art, music, dance, and wellness, with food

trucks, vendors, and workshops. $15-$100. Rainbowmoon2023.eventbrite.com.

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

8 p.m.: Jimmy Bosch Salsa Masters perform at Pettoranello Gardens Am phitheater, Route 206 and Mountain Avenue. Free. In case of rain or extreme heat, the show is at Princeton High School Performing Arts Cen ter. Email info@bluecurtain. org for information.

Sunday, July 9

10 a.m.-5 p.m.: berry Bash at Terhune Or chards, 330 Cold Soil Road. Pick blueberries, see puppet shows, hear country music, children’s activities, home made blueberry treats, and more. Terhuneorchards.com.

10:45 a.m.: Book Brunch with Lisa Belkin, author of Genealogy of a Murder: Four Generations, Three Families, One Fateful Night at Princeton Public Library. Free. Princetonlibrary.org.

1 p.m.: The DeWarrdt Family of Carilloneurs play the Princeton University Carillon at the Graduate School, 88 College Road West. Listen from outside, rain or shine. Free. Arts. princeton.edu.

2 p.m.: Thomas Frascella delivers a talk on Italians in Colonial America at the Trent House, 15 Market Street, Trenton. Free. Reserve at tinyurl.com/TalkJuly9.

4 p.m.: Love? Said the Commander presents indie folk music at Hinds Plaza. Princetonlibrary.org.

Monday, July 10

3 p.m.: The movie An American in Paris is screened in the Community Room of Princeton Public Library, 65 Witherspoon Street. Free. Princetonlibrary.org.

Tuesday, July 11

9:30 and 11 a.m.: Read & Pick: Blueberries, at Terhune Orchards, 330 Cold Soil Road. Hands-on farm activity for kids from preschool to age 8, with stories highlighting the fruit or farm. $12 per child including a container of berries. Terhuneorchards.com.

6-7 p.m.: Author Neil King discusses his book American Ramble: A Walk of Memory and Renewal, at Princeton Public Library, 65 Witherspoon Street. Free. Princetonhistory.org.

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.: eton 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 Piano Night on the Palmer Square Green. Palmersquare.com.

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

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

8 p.m.: The film The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship 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. Artmuseum.princeton.edu.

Friday, July 14

2-4 p.m.: Friends of Princeton Open Space (FOPOS) leads a nature walk around Mountain Lake, and its wetland ecosystem. Register at fopos.org/events-programs

5-8 p.m.: Sunset Sips and Sounds at Terhune Orchards 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.

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 movie 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

JULY 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 oneon-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.

Fun and Festive twine. Shop in Hopewell Opens Second Store in Quaker Bridge Mall

Colorful and cool, eclectic, entertaining and energetic! This is the new twine. shop, now open in the Quaker Bridge Mall.

Following in the footsteps of the flagship twine. in Hopewell, this new shop offers the signature aesthetic of the original, but with an added sensibility of color, activism, and popular culture.

IT’S NEW To Us

Owner Bailey Cookman, daughter of twine. founder Melissa Cookman, joined the original store in 2017, and became owner in 2021. When the opportunity to open a second location in the Quaker Bridge Mall came along, she looked upon it as both a new adventure and a natural progression.

“It was a very smooth transition, and it’s a really good location with lots of foot traffic and many people coming in,” she reports. “We are on the first floor right by the Apple Store and J.C. Penney. It’s a very different setting from Hopewell, but we have many of the same items as well as new surprises. Many of our longtime Hopewell customers are coming to see us here too.”

Browsing and Buying

Enthusiasm pervades the new store. Cookman, customers, and staff alike are all excited about twine. Its wide-ranging selection and friendly atmosphere invite both browsing and buying.

“It really is a fun place and also a very welcoming place,” says Cookman. “We want everyone to be comfortable here, and we are very LGBTQ inclusive. We are all about people here and creating a safe space for everyone.”

The senses are fully engaged at twine. It is visually intriguing, with a wonderfully eclectic display. Customers will find an amazing array of choices, both for adults and children.

Oh — and the name. At

first glance, there is no sign of any actual twine in the store, but purchases are indeed tied with twine. Thus the signature sobriquet is nicely in place.

The name was the choice of founder Melissa Cookman, who pointed out, “I wanted to name the store something that wouldn’t identify what it is. I wanted people to be surprised. I wanted something really different and unusual for the name. I simply like the word twine.”

So do the many customers, and they like everything in the shop.

Unique Experience

Offering a unique shopping experience is also a priority at twine., points out new owner Bailey Cookman. “The whole concept is that you can shop anywhere, but if people really want a unique experience, you can have that with us here at twine.”

No question, customers can certainly have special shopping moments at twine. Enjoy “lifestyle” ideas that one can use or just have fun with. An abbreviated list includes, glassware, vintagestyle pens and pencils, dog and cat motif trinket trays, a “Sock Tree” featuring colorful and intriguing socks, some with snarky sentiments, a sticker wall, “Sleuth & Solve” mystery books, cookbooks, theme tote bags, distinctive greeting cards, and much, much more.

“Little twine.” offers a section filled with items for babies and toddlers. Onesies, little dresses and outfits, bibs, toys, and adorable stuffed animals, including the popular Jellycats, are all available.

While their parents browse the overflowing selection, children can enjoy the special Kids’ Corner featuring a table for drawing and coloring. Some of the “artists” have left their renderings to be enjoyed by Cookman and the staff.

“We also have a fun scavenger hunt for kids to find things in the store,” adds Cookman.

“Surprize” Balls

Other items sure to appeal to the younger set are puzzles, “Memory and Matching” games, bean bags, fun “Surprize” balls, which hide little charms and toys within to be found when the colorful outer wrapping is unwound. Also, sparkling birthday candles and novelty stickers and jars filled with gummy bears area all favorites.

Adults will find hostess gifts to gardening tips. Seed Pops, looking just like lollipops, can be planted, and will soon provide an array of flowering plants.

Authentic baseball memorabilia offers items made from actual bats and gloves from popular baseball teams, repurposed as bottle openers, cufflinks, wallets, etc.

Stemless wine glasses are displayed near spirit infusion kits, with flavors such as orange hibiscus and passion peach. Just add the favored alcohol to make six to eight libations.

Fun paper products, wrapping paper and gift bags, candles with unusual scents and in very varied containers, dog- and cat-related items of all kinds (pencils, trays, mugs, tote bags, puzzles, etc.), tea towels, handcrafted soap, the very popular adult coloring books — the list goes on.

To be enjoyed fully, twine. must be experienced in person. There is simply a neverending cornucopia of items displayed colorfully and conveniently for the customers’ benefit.

Important Causes

Cookman also makes an effort to support vendors, organizations, and causes which help the environment, those with special needs, Doctors Without Walls, hunger relief, and others.

“We try to include products from vendors who are fair trade, who give back to their communities, and support important causes,” she explains.

Prices at the shop cover a very wide range, everywhere from $3.50, $7, $12, $25, and up — something for everyone’s budget.

CREATIVE CHOICES: “There is no other store in the mall like us. Our vibe is different from anything here, and we really fill a need. Customers will find a great eclectic selection — cards, candles, coloring books, candy, kids’ items, and much more. Our motto is ‘Everything you want … and didn’t know you need!’” Bailey Cookman, owner of twine., is shown in the store’s new location in the Quaker Bridge Mall. She is holding Scrabble coasters, made locally by Yardsale Press.

Something for everyone is the idea, emphasizes Cookman. “The theme is that you will find things at all prices that you don’t see everywhere else. I think we are set apart by the items we carry, the feel of the store, and the atmosphere we offer.

“I love spending time with all the customers, and we also have a great staff. Everyone is friendly and helpful. We really go the extra mile for people. We truly want to give them a special shopping experience in a fun, attractive setting. And once they visit us, they are sure to come back. We look forward to seeing you here!”

twine. is open Monday through Thursday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, call (609) 378-0375, and visit the website at twinehopewell.com.

—Jean Stratton

“Where

S ports

Making an Indelible Impact on PU Men’s Track Athletes, Legendary Coach Samara Retiring After 46-Year Run

Princeton University

men’s track and field head coach Fred Samara could be found any weekday around lunchtime not in his office, but working out on his own.

He might be throwing the medicine ball, doing hurdle walkovers, running stadium stairs, lifting, or running sprints.

“You never lose being a decathlete,” said Samara, who competed for the United States in the 1976 Olympics in decathlon. “It’s just part of my life. You can’t leave it.”

For decades, the same was true of coaching for Samara. But after 46 years at Princeton of coaching, of accruing a mind-blowing amount of wins, of mentoring both athletes and coaches, and of creating and fostering a competitive and loving culture, the 73-year-old Hall of Fame coach is retiring.

“I think I went through a lot of back and forth thinking about it and why I coach,” said Samara. “I thoroughly love being with the guys. I just think after 46 years of coaching at Princeton, it was just time for a change and to do something different.”

Samara had been considering retirement, and after reading The Big Five for Life by John Strelecky, a book recommended to him by Princeton athletics director John Mack, he declared himself ready to start a new phase of his life. It will start with having time to himself and the chance to travel. He and his wife, Lorraine, intend to stay in Florida for a month over the winter, possibly reconnecting with a former Princeton assistant track coach, Marc Anderson. He’s already missing many of the aspects of coaching Princeton.

“I love coaching and I’m extremely enthusiastic still, particularly with the team we have,” said Samara. “We still have a phenomenal team. It’s a very young team. We have a great recruiting class coming in. I think I could have coached for a number of years more. It had nothing to do with enthusiasm or drive or energy. It was just a change.”

Mack may regret suggesting Strelecky’s book, but he’s thankful for the opportunities that he enjoyed with Samara. Mack was an All-Ivy League sprinter for the Tigers in the late 1990s, then returned to Princeton as athletics director two years ago.

“I really wanted to be selfish and try to convince him to stick around,” said Mack. “It makes my life a million times easier if he’s here, and plus I like walking down the hallway and seeing him. I’m so grateful for what he’s done for me and hundreds, if not thousands, of other Princeton student-athletes and students. I don’t think we’ll see anyone ever like him to have the kind of impact over the course of five decades like he has.”

Samara leaves as one of the most decorated coaches in Princeton history, stands out among his Ivy League

peers, and carries national cachet. His Tiger teams won 51 Heptagonal championships, including 10 “Triple Crowns” — winning the Ivy League title in cross country, indoor track and field, and outdoor track and field in the same calendar year. Nobody else in the Ivies has done it even once in the last 35 years.

“The most momentous occasions competing for Coach Samara were not the big individual titles that I won,” said Donn Cabral, the 2012 NCAA steeplechase champion. “It was the times that we pulled it together as the full track team — distance runners, throwers, jumpers, sprinters — and were able to put something together impressively at Heps. In my four years there, we really dominated the league. We won the Triple Crown two years straight. Many of those years we absolutely destroyed everyone else in the league, and just seeing him beam with pride as we would put together fire competition after fire competition was the kind of thing that made us really happy to be on his team.”

Cabral was one of the 502 individual Heptagonal champions, one of 101 NCAA All-Americans, one of 10 NCAA champions and one of six Olympians from Samara’s tenure. Cabral is just one of the former Tigers who thrived under the example set by Samara.

“What I remember most about being on the team under Coach Samara was just his fire for competition and how after decades and decades and through all sorts of different people he cared so much about winning and competing hard and getting everything out of ourselves,” said Cabral. “It always felt like it was OK to care a lot and it was OK to lay it all on the line.”

Samara’s drive led Princeton to historic success and it carried from early in his career right through what would end up being some of his final seasons. The 2021-22 indoor track and field team finished fifth nationally and that spring the Tigers were seventh, their best finishes in each season in school history.

“I think coach is the most competitive person I’ve ever met,” said Mack. “He does it in such a way that it’s not offensive or off-putting. It’s almost like you have no other option but to rise to the level of competitiveness when it comes to not just Heps, but every meet. You wanted to perform well. The second part that goes with that is he was such a strong leader and set such a high standard that you knew every day that your best was required.”

Samara was inducted into the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2017, 40 years after bringing his competitive spirit to Princeton in 1977. It was one year after a rare disappointment in his athletic life. His own sporting achievements began as the best

high school decathlete in the country in 1969 before going on to be a two-time All-American at Penn and Olympian in 1976.

“The only thing that’s disappointing to me is I got hurt during the Olympic year,” said Samara. “It ruined my place at the Olympic Games. I wanted to be ranked in the Top 10, so that would have had me ranked three years in a row in the Top 10. I would have been in the Top 10 if I wasn’t hurt, but I got through it and I was an Olympian, which is the ultimate goal of everybody.”

Samara thrived at Penn under coach Irving “Moon” Mondschein. Mondschein cautioned Samara when he got into coaching at Princeton to recognize that not every athlete would match his intensity and passion. Samara individualized his coaching for each athlete to draw out their best, relying on experience and new knowledge.

“I’ve learned from all the athletes and coaches that I’ve competed against or worked with as mentors,” said Samara. “I’m a huge believer in mentorship. So I’ve had great coaches in my time from when I was competing when I was younger to even now. You take things from everybody. You’re crazy if you don’t do that, and it’s your own ego if you don’t.”

When Samara came to Princeton, he teamed up with the Tigers’ longtime coach Larry Ellis. Samara was fresh off training for the Olympics and didn’t consider coaching at Princeton a long-term plan.

“I never thought I would last three or four years,” said Samara. “We always wanted to get back to California, but I just never wanted to leave. Princeton is a wonderful place, a great place to raise a family, very supportive, and I was coaching the type of athlete that I wanted to coach. I was an Ivy League lifer, and I believe in the Ivy League and what it stands for and the kids are just fantastic to work with.”

One of his earliest studentathletes was Augie Wolf. Wolf remembers throwing the shot put 43 feet in his first meet at Princeton in 1979. Under Samara over the next five years, he improved 28 feet from that throw, became an All-American, and eventual Olympian.

“Fred just had us doing the right stuff on a regular basis, and Fred also was a creative person and thought outside the box at times,” said Wolf.

“I transitioned from the glide technique to the spin in junior year in a very unique way, and that was Fred’s idea, which was doing what’s called a half-spin first. I got second place at the indoor NCAAs doing a half-spin. No one could believe what I was doing, but it was Fred’s idea.”

Later in that decade, Samara’s commitment was enough to convince Peter Hunt to quit playing football at Princeton to focus on the decathlon. Hunt posted a school record 7,232 points

FINAL INSTRUCTIONS: Princeton University men’s track and field head coach Fred Samara makes a point to one of his athletes. Last week, U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Hall of Famer Samara announced his retirement after 46 years at the helm of the program. During his storied tenure, Samara coached the Tigers to 51 Ivy League Heptagonal team and 502 individual championships. He also coached 10 different athletes to nine NCAA championships and guided six of his athletes to the Olympics. (Photo provided courtesy of Princeton Athletics)

and earned All-America honors in decathlon in 1988.

“Samara was a mentor for me,” said Hunt in an interview for the Friends of Princeton Track. “He was very influential. Seeing how committed he is to the team and the guys through the years is a constant reminder to me of how I should live my life. How I should be committed to what I do, and do the best at what you do. It wasn’t about the winning, it was about pulling as much out of each athlete as he could.”

Tora Harris came to Princeton as a good prospect, and the high jumper improved every year under Samara. He won the indoor and outdoor NCAA championships in 2002 before going on to make the U.S. Olympic team.

“He could coach a very broad range — few coaches could do that,” said Harris. “Also navigating the Ivy League’s unique recruiting situation has its special qualities. I came in very rough as far as technique and understanding of the jumps. I don’t really know what his special sauce was, but he molded my approach and got me to a very high level. The other thing is, as an Olympian himself, he knows the path to get to the top at big meets.”

Samara transformed the culture of Princeton track early on. It went from being an individual sport in which teammates sometimes griped about each other at year-end team banquets to an environment where graduates often cry about leaving the program and their teammates. Mack calls Samara’s ability to bring the team together his true superpower, a sentiment echoed by many past Tigers.

“Everyone felt like their event was super important, and the highest thing we could do as a Princeton athlete was score points for the team at Heps,” said Cabral. “It came from the top that we all started to care about each of the event groups and care about each other as people too. It was really unique and special and nice to be a part of a team that was huge but still felt like a team.”

Fostering a strong team atmosphere was a staple of Samara. There were other aspects of his coaching that evolved through his years. He never rested on his laurels in the midst of years of winning.

“If you allow yourself and you ask questions you grow not only as a person but you grow as a coach,” said Samara. “I’m a way better coach than I was when I started, even than the middle years. You learn certain things — how to push guys in certain times and not and different ways to train people.”

Samara erred on the side of undertraining athletes if it meant they would show up to meets healthy. Finding out how much each athlete could handle is particularly tricky, but Samara used his experience to try to bring out the best in each athlete.

“Coaching in track, there’s a scientific part of it, but there’s a huge art part,” said Samara. “And you have to learn that art part and humanistic part of it. Certain guys can do certain things and certain guys can’t. That’s the real beauty of putting a team together.”

He grew more comfortable with finding the best questions to ask recruits and how to build a balanced team, something that was an important starting point to team success. Samara appreciated being a part of the journey of so many of his athletes. He tried to give similar attention to those that were All-American and those that didn’t score, often checking in with athletes late at night if he was worried about them or their performance. It wasn’t uncommon to see a line of student-athletes waiting to talk to him outside of his office throughout a day. Regardless of talent level, the adjustment to college in the first year is always a challenge, and he helped student-athletes navigate it and find out more about themselves in their Princeton careers.

“I think that development is really important, and I’m really proud of it,” said Samara. “When they get to be juniors and seniors, they’re different people. I think that’s a tribute to the University, the way they teach and

what goes on, but I also think it’s a tribute to our program and the athletic department in general. We’ve had good athletic directors and good leaders who obviously, because they’re at Princeton, have the right mindset how to have an athletic department and what it means to be a student-athlete.”

Samara has been one of the pillar coaches at the University. His energy and enthusiasm were palpable to all on staff.

“I haven’t and I’m sure most people in college sports or in general haven’t seen anything like it,” said Mack. “Not just the energy that he has for it, but his ability to continue to inspire not only his team, but honestly Coach is a mentor to so many coaches in our department. He has impacted so many other programs. You don’t see someone who has been around as long as he has not just sustain the level of success, but to continue getting better.”

Those lunchtime workouts helped Samara maintain his boundless energy. They kept him healthy and gave him time to balance his energy and focus.

“I tell the younger coaches at Princeton or the people that want to listen to me, ‘Take time at lunchtime no matter what you’re doing to get out for a walk, get out, do something because you need to get out of the office,’” said Samara. “I call it getting air in your brain. You need it because it’ll make you a better coach in the afternoon. If you’re just working all the time, you just can’t do it. Working out is paramount to me.”

Samara’s passion and commitment was evident in all that he did. Just as he put his best efforts into his workouts, he dedicated himself to being fully committed to every aspect of the Princeton track and field program.

“One of the reasons that he’s been so successful is not only was he a decathlete in the track and field world, but he was a decathlete as a coach, administrator, recruiter, friend, solicitor of financial support, you name it,” said Wolf. “He had everything down. He was, in

Coach Samara

my era, the Daley Thompson of track coaches. He could do everything and that’s why he had the success he had.”

Now Samara is stepping away from what has been a huge piece of his life. It’s hard to imagine Princeton without Samara, and just as hard to think of Samara not coaching.

“There will be a void that has to be filled, and I can’t work out 24 hours a day,” said Samara. “I’m sure I can work out in the morning and then again in the afternoon. I’ll have to fill my time doing something. I might sooner or later get back into coaching, whether it’s with my son (at Princeton High) or maybe back at Princeton or wherever. I just felt that I needed to have more time to myself.”

Fred Samara is looking forward to a change in his life and what opportunities retirement brings after 46 years of guiding the Tigers. Princeton, which has had just six track and field head coaches in the last 100 years, will conduct a national search for his replacement.

“I don’t think it’ll really hit me until I walk down the hallway and there’s somebody else sitting there,” said Mack. “You always get excited for a new era in a program, but it’s obviously just going to be so, so different for all of us who are a part of the track program, and for all of us who are a part of the department and University. I’m really happy for Coach and his family that he gets to go out on his own terms. He’s healthy, he has all his faculties, and really gets to enjoy this next phase of his life.”

—Justin Feil

PU Sports Roundup

Tiger Football Star Johnson

Named Preseason All-American Princeton University star linebacker Liam Johnson has been named to The Bluebloods 2023 FCS Preseason All-America Third Team, the organization said recently.

Johnson was the co-winner of the Bushnell Cup for Ivy Defensive Player of the Year in 2022 along with Harvard defensive lineman Truman Jones. The rising senior led Princeton and ranked fourth in the Ivy League in tackles (90). Johnson averaged 13 tackles per game over the final two weeks of the season and scored two touchdowns during the year, including a 92-yard fumble return against Penn. He averaged 9.9 tackles in Ivy contests, the thirdbest mark in the league.

Johnson, a 6’0, 220-pound native of Moorestown, is the 14th Princeton winner of the Bushnell Cup in program history and gave the Tigers back-to-back defensive honorees as Jeremiah Tyler won it in 2021. He’s the eighth Princeton player since 2012 to earn the conference’s highest accolade.

Princeton Rowers Excel at Henley Regatta

Competing at the storied Henley Royal Regatta last week on the Thames River outside of London, England, Princeton University rowers produced some superb performances.

The Tigers’ 4- boat reached the semifinals of the Visitors’ Challenge Cup. The group of men’s heavyweights Floyd Benedikter, Stephane Pienaar, Nick Taylor, and James Quinlan lost to the Leander Club (6:43) by 1 1/4 lengths in the semis.

The Princeton men’s lightweight 8+ boat of Lazlo Wenk, John High, George Middleton, Charlie Miller, Robert Powell, Keelan Good, Patrick Shaw, Jelmer Bennema, and Laney Gold-Rappe reached the quarterfinals of the Temple Challenge Cup where they were defeated by Oxford Brookes University ‘B’ by 2/3 of a length (6:41).

Princeton’s A 8+ boat advanced to quarterfinals of the Temple Challenge Cup after defeating Cambridge narrowly by 3/4 lengths (6:39).

The boat of Tim Scheuritzel, William Olson, Reuben Cook, Noah Klemmer Domonkos, Peter Skinner, George Dickinson, Ethan Abraham, Nick Aronow and Adam Casler ended up falling to fell to Oxford Brookes’ A by 1 1/4 lengths in the quarters.

A Tiger women’s 8+ A boat of Hannah Diaz, Lucy

Koven, Anne du Croo de Jongh, Katharine Kalap, Zoe Scheske, Camille VanderMeer, Margot LeRoux, Cordelia Mahony, and Ella Barry fell to The Leander Club by 1 1/4 lengths in the Remenham Challenge.

Princeton Athletics

26th

in Directors’ Cup

Princeton University athletics has once again ranked among the nation’s top overall Division I athletic programs, finishing the 2022-23 academic year ranked No. 26 in the LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup.

The LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup is a joint effort between the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and USA Today. Points are awarded based on each institution’s finish in NCAA Championships.

With a total of 799.00 points, Princeton was again the highest-finishing FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) program and led all Ivy League schools.

Overall, 19 sports are counted in the final D-I standings, four of which must be women’s volleyball and basketball and men’s basketball and baseball. The next highest (15 maximum) sports scored for each institution, regardless of gender, are used in the standings.

Of the four mandatory sports, Princeton received points from both men’s basketball and women’s basketball who not only reached the NCAA Tournament but made Ivy League history when both teams won a game — making Princeton the first Ivy school to win games in both tournaments in the same year.

In addition to the two basketball teams, Princeton received points from (in order of NCAA finish) fencing, women’s rowing, women’s water polo, men’s water polo, field hockey, men’s lacrosse, wrestling, women’s tennis, men’s indoor track and field, men’s swimming and diving, men’s cross country, women’s cross country, men’s outdoor track and field, and men’s golf.

Princeton tallied 290.00 points this past spring, following a winter where the Tigers scored 361.00 points and a fall where Princeton opened with 148.00 points.

The Tigers’ 26th place finish was one point behind Oklahoma State which finished 25th overall. Texas A&M was 24th, with Oklahoma (23rd), California (22nd), Washington (21st), and Notre Dame (20th) also just ahead of Princeton in the overall standings.

Princeton was ahead of Wisconsin (27th), Utah (28th), Nebraska (29th) and Northwestern (30th) in the overall standings. Stanford placed first overall with 1412.00 points.

GOLD STANDARD: Michael Sowers eludes a defender during his career with the Princeton University men’s lacrosse team. Last Saturday, Sowers ’20 tallied two goals to help the U.S. defeat Canada 10-7 in the gold medal game at the 2023 World Lacrosse Men’s Championship in San Diego, Calif. It marked the second straight world title for Team USA. Sowers, who tallied 12 goals and five assists in the tournament, was named to the All-World team as a midfielder. In addition to Sowers, another Princeton alum, Tom Schreiber ’14, also starred for the U.S., scoring a goal in the gold medal game and totaling three goals and two assists in the tourney despite being hampered by injury. A third former Tiger, Zach Currier ‘17, competed for Canada and picked up an assist in the final.

(Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

With Young Players Getting Better as Season Unfolded, PHS Softball Made State Tourney, Excited for Future

When the Princeton High softball team started this spring by losing eight of its first nine games, getting outscored 98-25 in the process, it looked like the squad was headed to a dismal season.

But with its core of young players learning from the setbacks and developing confidence, PHS went 5-6 in its last 11 games, earning a spot in the state tournament.

“We were very young, so the beginning for us was a little bit of a challenge, especially with the first couple of games being over spring break,” said Tiger head coach Marissa Soprano. “As they progressed, they were able to figure out what it means to play at the varsity level and to play well together.”

PHS displayed that progress as it rolled to a 16-3 win over Rutgers Prep in its regular season finale.

“We had talked to them beforehand about that. It was our ticket into the state tournament so they knew the stakes going in and they performed well,” said Soprano. “They took advantage of some of the errors the other team made and we were able to make the state tournament.”

While the 16th-seeded Tigers fell 14-3 to top-seeded powerhouse Jackson Memorial to end he season at 6-14, Soprano saw the setback as a valuable experience for her players.

“They knew we were a bottom seed playing a one seed. We just talked to them about doing their best,” said Soprano, whose team scored three runs in the top of the fifth inning with Delaney Keegan getting two RBIs. “We were able to score a few runs and to get some more at-bats. When I asked the seniors what they were proud of at the end of

the season, all of them said making states. It was a good opportunity for all of them.”

One of those seniors, catcher Clare Johnson (.244 this spring with 9 runs and 4 RBIs), did her best over the past three years.

“Clare has been the rock for us; catching is important even when we didn’t have someone who pitched yearround,” said Soprano. “In the last couple of years, we had people filling in for us because nobody else could pitch. Her presence behind the plate saved so many runs, her blocking skills were so good. We will definitely miss her behind the plate next year.”

The squad’s two other seniors, Jessica Zimet (.197, 4 runs, 2 RBIs) and Anika Simons (2 runs), also made valuable contributions.

“Jess was in right field this year. This was the only season she played for us, which makes me a little sad,” said Soprano, noting that Zimet also plays hockey. “Her speed and athleticism were a nice addition to the program, both in the field and on the base paths. Anika played whatever we asked her to, she filled in both the infield and the outfield. She was also one of the cocaptains. She is really great at setting expectations and sportsmanship and helping the new girls figure out what we wanted from the program.”

PHS boasted a number of important new girls, led by freshman pitcher Erin Pilicer.

“We asked a lot of her. She pitched every single inning,” said Soprano of Pilicer, who also contributed offensively, hitting .209 with four runs and six RBIs. “She did a wonderful job. She is just so composed, even when we were facing tough teams. I

think very few freshmen would be able to handle that challenge. I thought she met it beautifully.”

Freshman transfer Natalie Hester gave the Tiger batting attack a big jolt, hitting .333 with 11 runs and seven RBIs

“She is very competitive; I think she was helping the other girls to see what it means to be competitive and to be in games,” said Soprano. “There were a couple of games where her bat was the deciding factor of us staying in games or making it close. She did a wonderful job.”

At second base, another freshman, Ani Betancourt (.152, 4 runs, 2 RBIs), made a nice debut.

“Ani played a pretty good second base; she has a really good arm which is important for the outfield relays,” said Soprano. “We are excited to see what she can do the next couple of years.”

A pair of junior newcomers, Keegan (.364, 7 runs, 4 RBIs) and Yeahna Lee (.400, 4 runs, 2 RBIs), produced some exciting moments this spring.

“We are really glad that Delaney decided to play softball this year,” said Soprano of Keegan, a PHS field hockey standout. “Yeahna just moved to New Jersey as well. We were figuring out her role as the season went on and her bat really came along so we ended up getting her in more games. She did a great job. She is also a good presence on the team, she is loud and encouraging.”

Junior veterans Ellie van der Schaar (.143, 12 runs, 3 RBIs) and Maddie Castillo (.233, 3 runs, 2 RBIs) also made their presence felt this spring.

“Ellie played the infield for us in her first few years because we needed solid defense,” said Soprano. “We were able to move her back; she is an outfielder for her club team. She is willing to put it on the line. She made quite a few diving plays that were really spectacular. Without us having a fence, her speed is really important. Maddie has just been so consistent at third base. That is a hard position to field because you are so close to the batter. She does a great job. She struggled a little bit at bat, but she started to turn it around at the end of the season. We are hopeful it will continue into next year.”

With Soprano’s efforts to develop a pipeline of talent starting to pay off, PHS is bringing a lot of hope into next spring.

FOLLOWING THROUGH: Princeton High softball player Ellie van der Schaar grits her teeth as she takes a swing in a game this spring. Junior standout van der Schaar helped PHS show progress down the street as it went 5-6 in its last 11 games to go 6-14 and made an appearance in the state tournament.

PDS Softball Ends Season on a High Note After Dealing with Numbers Issues this Spring

While the Princeton Day School softball team went through an up-and-down spring as it dealt with numbers issues, it ended the spring on a high note.

Trailing Trenton High 15-8 heading into the bottom of the last inning of its final game, PDS exploded for eight runs in the frame to pull out a dramatic 16-15 victory.

“That was good because, we were losing for the first five innings, we came back in the seventh,” said PDS head coach Angela Adams, who guided the Panthers to a 3-8 record. “It was an exciting way to end the season for sure.”

Unfortunately for Adams, much of the excitement this season dealt with her efforts to put a team on the field as PDS started the season with just nine players and then lost a player due to injury. The team was able to recruit three members of the school’s figure skating team in order to have enough players to compete.

“It was definitely a challenge because the figure skaters had to do both at the same time; figure skating didn’t end until mid-May so they had to go to practice in figure skating and they would come to practice and games whenever they could,” said Adams of the trio of Jessica Salguero, Skye Schlenker, and Aerin Bruno. “They would be jumping into games with very little practice at all. They managed. Between the three of them, they helped keep us going. With the little practice that they had, they helped with the success that we had.”

Junior stalwarts Adriana Salzano and Colleen Mayer deserve much of the credit for keeping things going this spring for the Panthers. Salzano batted .703 with 15 runs and 15 RBIs while Mayer hit .444 with 13 runs and five RBIs. In addition, they shared the pitching duties.

“That kid is amazing, softball is not even her No. 1 sport; she is going to play D-I soccer at Monmouth,” said Adams of Salzano. “She is probably one of the best athletes I have ever seen play the game. She is dedicated. Colleen’s sport is softball, she wants to play softball in college. They have been captains since their freshman year and they were captains again this year along with our lone senior Nora Appleby.”

hit .286 this spring. “She mainly played third, she was also back-up catcher if I needed her. She did have a pretty strong bat this year. It took her a little while to get going. She is going to have to step up for me next year and catch.”

In the view of Adams, the team’s strong unity helped it stick together as it dealt with the challenges it faced this spring.

“The core group of girls this year got along really well, the chemistry was great,” said Adams. “This was a really cohesive team. Sometimes they have their own groups but this year we

didn’t seem to have any of that, like a group here or a group there. It was good in that aspect. We were able to do things outside of softball and become close.”

Looking ahead to next spring, Adams is hoping that chemistry will carry over with her core group.

“We have a good foundation with Colleen and Dre being seniors,” said Adams. “Brigid is going to be senior next year. Sara Appleby is going to be a senior next year. I am just losing Nora. The new players we had this year will hopefully come back and play again next year. I am hoping that I gain at least a few more with any freshmen coming in.”

—Bill Alden

“I have been working with the Princeton Little League since the current freshmen were in the fifth grade,” said Soprano, noting that five or six players will be playing travel ball this summer. “We are starting to see the dividends of that coming through with the help of the parents. It is just getting more girls interested in softball at a young age. We think that some incoming freshmen from the middle school are going to help. We are just very proud of them and excited to see what is coming.”

—Bill Alden

Appleby, for her part, batted .265 in her final campaign with nine runs and nine RBIs while handling the catching duties.

“Nora caught pretty much every single game, her hitting was around .300,” said Adams. “The one thing I mentioned at Senior Day about her was that she didn’t have a freshman season in 2020 because of COVID and she ended up catching every single year she was with me. She continues to grow in that position. It was something that she did really well.”

Adams is confident that junior Brigid Milligan can grow into a star for PDS.

“Brigid will have to fill in Nora’s shoes next year,” said Adams of Adams who

(Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

LEVEL BEST: Princeton Day School softball player Adriana Salzano displays her level swing in a game this spring. Junior star Salzano batted .703 with 15 runs and 15 RBIs to help PDS go 3-8 this spring. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

New Players Showed Growth, Veterans Lifted Their Game

As Stuart Lacrosse Improved Throughout the Spring

For the Stuart Country Day School lacrosse team, its two games against Steinert this spring reflected the growth of the squad.

On April 26, Stuart fought hard against the Spartans but fell 11-8. Ten days later, the Tartans turned the tables on Steinert, rolling to an 18-7 win.

“It was not so much about the score, but I think that the kids made progress all year long,” said Stuart head coach Missy Bruvik, whose team went 5-10 this spring.

“The new kids to the game just continued to be eager to learn and were super receptive to learning about the

game either from me or from their teammates. They took whatever they learned and put it into game situations. As the season went on that helped us grow as a team. Everybody was so willing to step up and be versatile.”

In Bruvik’s view, both her veterans and new faces made strides this spring.

“For the kids who were experienced, they had a really good year,” said Bruvik.

“They continued to up their game, which was important to them. I also think having the new kids playing with them is only going to help the program in the future. The chemistry part was

really something that was one of the high points of the season. Communication can be a tough thing and these kids communicated well with each other.”

One Stuart player who stepped up in particular was sophomore Allison Lee, who scored a team-record 13 goals in the win over Steinert and ended the spring with a program single-season best of 100 goals.

“Those goals were timely, they were momentum builders for the team,” said Bruvik of Lee, who also had a teamhigh 15 assists. “They were just timely goals to keep us in games. She worked on her

shot all of the time in practice. Her speed and agility was recognized not only by her own teammates but by the other coaches and officials.”

Senior star Emily Ix (49 goals, 12 assists in 2023) made an impact that went beyond the lacrosse squad.

“Emily was really the heart and soul of the Stuart athletic program all four years,” said Bruvik. “She continued to encourage anybody in our upper school to come out for the team because she was so passionate for the game. She was also passionate for team sports, encouraging girls to give something a chance they have never done. She also has everybody’s back. If you come out, we are still going to support you all the way through whether you

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like it or are new to it and whatever happens. She is going to be missed.”

Another senior, Sydney Amato (11 goals, 1 assist), showed a lot of heart this spring.

“Sydney’s game got better throughout the course of the season,” said Bruvik. “When we needed her back on defense, to be the extra player on defense, she would do it. If we needed her at midfield, she would do that. We had her swinging from midfield to attack and often starting back on defense. She really just kept everybody focused and upbeat, that was one of her gifts.”

The squad’s two other seniors, Abby Snyder and Margaret Lesinsky, did whatever was needed for the Tartans.

“Abby stepped in when we did not have a goalie at the start of the season and said ‘I would like to give it a try because I know we need one,’” said Bruvik. “Abby was so selfless. When she was able to come back from an injury, we were able to either to put her back in goal or attack. Margaret was brand new to the game but was very coachable. She was most comfortable on defense so that is where we tried to focus with her and give her an opportunity to learn the game and hopefully have some fun.”

Sophomore Maya Dev was brand new to the goalie position and developed nicely as the spring went on.

“Maya stepped in at goal when Abby got hurt,” said Bruvik. “She made some great progress. She likes it, she is willing to do the work. It is great when you have an athlete who is willing to do the work. She is extremely selfless and will play anywhere you need her on the field for her teammates.”

Several other young players made a lot of progress this spring for Stuart, including freshman Abby Chirik (4 goals, 2 assists), sophomore Emily Harlan (6

goals, 8 assists), junior Elise Price (2 assists), junior Leila Washington, and freshman Taylor States.

“Abby was awesome; she played midfield and is a good athlete and I think she got better and better every game,” said Bruvik. “Emily worked on her shooting and at the end of the season — she was taking good shots and scored some important goals for us. You can’t ever beat Elise’s intensity on the field. She gives everything she has got, whether it is a ground ball or carrying the ball up the field. I was thrilled that we were able to get Leila and Taylor on the team. They were on defense, they had great game instincts. They also learned the game and worked hard to improve their individual skills every single day.”

Bruvik also cited the efforts of sophomore Annarose Bourgoin, sophomore Elise Hwang, and freshman Najma Tahiri.

“Annarose was a rock on defense; she was willing to be that back line of defense but also challenge in the midfield,” said Bruvik. “Elise was brand new to the game. She played attack and by the end of the season she was switching hands and really showing that she understands game concepts. Najma came out and she was eager to learn. She also played field hockey. These sports are new to her and she is getting better and better.”

Looking ahead, Bruvik is confident that her returning players will keep getting better and better.

“They should all be back,” said Bruvik, noting that she was starting six newcomers to the game through most of the season. “This was a really important year to learn those skills because they had those seniors there. There was never a lack of effort and intensity on the field, no matter what the score was.”

—Bill Alden

X-FACTOR: Stuart Country Day School lacrosse player Emily Ix displays her focus on the defensive end in a game this spring. Senior star Ix’s excellence at both ends of the field sparked Stuart as it posted a final record of 5-10 in 2023.

by Frank Wojciechowski)

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Princeton Little League Wins District 12 Intermediate Title Displaying Resilience, Focus to Edge Ewing in Final

With the championship round of the District 12 Intermediate 50/70 tournament delayed by two days due to rainouts, the Princeton Little League squad was out of sync as it took the Farmview Fields last Thursday evening against Ewing.

Needing one win in the double-elimination competition to earn its second straight District 12 title, PLL couldn’t get its bats going as it fell 6-2 to Ewing to face a winner-take-all finale on Friday.

Princeton manager Rick Babich acknowledged that his players seemed sluggish as they played this first game since the previous Sunday.

“What really caught our attention was a lack of energy on the field; the body language on the field was disappointing,” said Babich, crediting the Ewing pitchers with hitting their spots as they held Princeton hitless. “The tempo was off; we kept harping on that. At the end of the game, we said, ‘Boys, you need to be locked in.’ These teams are gunning for you, these guys know we sit at the high seed and they are bringing their A-game.”

Babich left his players with a message, urging them to turn the page from the setback.

“The last thing I said to them was think about this loss and think about what didn’t work for us and what we could have done better,” recalled Babich. “You wake up tomorrow guys, it is a new day.”

As the players went through their pregame paces on Friday, Babich sensed a workmanlike mood around the squad as it got ready for the winner-take-all finale.

“In the batting cage there was no joking around, it was all business,” said Babich.

“They knew they had a game ahead of them. We preached the whole time that ‘we need to focus, and we need you to lock in.’ From the minute they got to the batting cages, they were locked in.”

PLL needed that focus as the contest turned into a back-and-forth thriller which saw Princeton fall behind 2-0 in the top of the first inning and trail 4-3, 5-4, and 8-7 before scoring three runs in the bottom of the sixth to go up 10-8 and then hang on for a 10-9 win.

With Princeton having struggled offensively on Thursday, it was critical to answer back in the bottom of the first as Babich’s son, Grayson, smacked a two-run single to knot the game at 2-2.

“He was struggling earlier on in this tournament; it was so big because we needed that momentum,” said Babich. “We didn’t want to end the first inning down 2-0. Grayson coming in and getting that clutch hit getting those two RBIs — you saw the spark plug that we needed.”

PLL got a number of clutch hits to stay in the contest as Adam Schwartz-Manocchio slammed two doubles with one RBI, Noah Prete

smacked a two-run double in the fifth, and James Powers got the biggest hit of all, lining a three-run single in the sixth that gave Princeton the margin of victory.

“One through 11 contributed to this win,” said Babich. “Powers was close all game. All tournament he has been making good contact. It was a beautiful single to score three runs. Adam had two big doubles. Noah had a big hit. Roy Bellace had a big hit.”

Princeton starting pitcher Matthew Brophy didn’t have his best stuff, but he battled into the sixth inning, working through some jams.

“Matthew has been that workhorse that we have needed, we talk about being locked in and he sets that tone,” said Babich. “He was zoned in and locked in from the first moment. What I loved about it was that he bailed us out every time, he kept us competitive. He gave us 95 pitches, which is the max you can do at this age. This time, the team had his back. It is always about having your pitcher’s back.”

A pair of relievers came on for Princeton with Salvatore Taibi finishing up the sixth inning and Aiden Davidson closing the deal in the seventh.

“Aiden hadn’t seen the mound since we started the tournament,” said Babich. “We knew he was going to come in and we knew we wanted him late in the game. Salvo did what we needed;

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he is our set-up guy. I was proud of Aiden, eight of his first nine pitches were balls. We went out to him and said, ‘How do you feel, and do you think you’ve got this?’ He looked the coach in the eye and said, ‘I’ve got this.’ He got the next three guys.”

After recording the final out to earn its second straight District 12 Intermediate title, the Princeton players were elated and celebrated by mobbing Davidson and later raced around the diamond holding their championship banner.

“I am proud of the boys, they have worked so hard,” said Babich. “After yesterday, I was worried; it was who is going to show up and they all showed up. The communication, the cheering on the side; it was the full-on intensity that we needed and that lifts your players when

you are trying to battle. I have been coaching these kids since tee-ball. It makes it extra sweet to be able to see them running around the field with the banner.”

With Princeton headed to the Section 3 tournament in Middletown with its first game slated for July 5, Babich believes that outlasting Ewing will steel his squad for that competition.

“I think the kids wanted

this badly, they want to face the best,” said Babich. “I think Ewing showed us a lot of good stuff; playing Ewing twice has put us in a better position to compete. Our pitchers are going to be fresh. We are going to work hard. I said to the kids, ‘The good news is that we play, and the bad news is that we have got to practice this weekend.’”

—Bill Alden

you to our customers for voting us Best Pizza

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.

We could not have reached these accomplishment without our dedicated employees and customers.

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BANNER DAY: Members of the Princeton Little League squad are all smiles after they defeated Ewing 10-9 last Friday evening to win the District 12 Intermediate 50/70 tournament. Princeton will now compete in the Section 3 tournament in Middletown with its first game slated for July 5.

With Kelly Bringing Extra Motivation to Court, AEI Knocks Off YSU in Summer Men’s Hoops

Sean Kelly and his teammates on the AEI squad are bringing some extra motivation to the court as they compete this season in the Princeton Recreation Department Men’s Summer Basketball League.

Last summer, Kelly helped AEI advance to the

league’s best-of-three championship series where they dropped a heartbreaker to Majeski Foundation in the decisive third game, falling in overtime.

“We have unfinished business, that one hurt,” said Kelly. “It really came down to a botched hand-off. I will

never forget that.”

Last Wednesday, as AEI faced YSU, which entered the evening as the only undefeated team in the league this summer, Kelly saw keeping things simple as the best way to take care of business.

“We wanted to stop them

in transition and limit our turnovers,” said Kelly.

Although dragging a little bit, AEI hit YSU with an opening salvo, jumping out to a 12-2 lead.

“We all came in tired, we all said to that to each other,” said Kelly. “It was a long day for us.”

Kelly had six points in the first half as AEI took a 31-22 lead into intermission.

“I was trying not to do too much, just fit into a role and play as hard as I can,” said Kelly.

In the second half, AEI kept playing hard collectively as it held off a YSU squad determined to remain undefeated, prevailing 49-41 and improving to 2-1.

“It is chemistry and conditioning,” said Kelly, reflecting on the keys to victory.

“That is why TCNJ (the Majeski Foundation team) beat us in the first game (5952 on June 19). We shared the ball tonight.”

Making several hard drives to the hoop, Kelly ended up with a game-high 13 points.

“I am working on being a leader and just trying to be physical out there and finish,” said Kelly, who starred at Notre Dame High before going on to play at Mercer County Community College.

Kelly and his AEI teammates are hoping to produce a big finish this summer.

“We have all of our guys returning for the most part — we just got a new addition or two so that is really going to help,” said Kelly. “We have experience playing together.”

—Bill Alden

Post 218 Legion Baseball Falls to North Hamilton

Unable to get its bats going, the Princeton Post 218 American Legion baseball team fell 5-0 to North Hamilton last Thursday.

Post 218 managed just four hits in the loss as it fell to 2-12. In upcoming action, Princeton plays Trenton Post 93/182 on July 5, hosts Broad Street Park Post 313 on July 6, hosts Hightstown Post 148 on July 7, hosts Lawrence Post 414 on July 8, plays at Hamilton Post 31 on July 9, and hosts Allentown on July 11.

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 courts.

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 WitherspoonJackson 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

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, NJ 08690.

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.

BOUNCING BACK: Sean Kelly of AEI, right, dribbles the ball in recent action in the Princeton Recreation Department Men’s Summer Basketball League. Last Wednesday, Kelly tallied a game-high 13 points to help AEI defeat previously undefeated YSU 49-41 and improve to 2-1.

(Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

When it comes to purchasing a property, it's essential for buyers to be fully informed about the condition and potential issues of the property they are interested in. This is where seller disclosures play a vital role. A seller disclosure is a legal document provided by the property seller that discloses important information about the property's condition, history, and any known defects.

Typically, seller disclosures cover various aspects of the property, including structural integrity, past renovations, presence of pests, plumbing and electrical systems, environmental hazards, and more. This information empowers buyers to make informed decisions and helps prevent surprises or disputes down the line.

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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

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The ideal candidate will:

• Establish new sales leads and manage existing sales accounts for both publications

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

• 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

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This prime Princeton, NJ Cape Cod-style home boasts four bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms, offering convenient living with bedrooms and a full bathroom on each floor. Designed by renowned architect Rafi Segal, the house features hardwood floors, a modern kitchen with stainless steel appliances, and a cozy living room with a wood-burning oven and insulated stainless steel chimney. The meticulously landscaped fenced-in backyard showcases vibrant flowers, trees, and sheds for storage. With walkable access to shopping centers, parks, and prestigious schools, this move-in ready gem presents an ideal New Jersey home.