About this column:
Stories of what's happening in Basking Ridge, as told through photos.
The Front & Center Performing Arts Studio, from Springfield, this weekend presented two very different shows geared to different audiences at the Ridge High School Performing Arts Center in Basking Ridge. “13 The Musical” is a family, kid-centric musical, which debuted on Saturday night and was scheduled to be repeated at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 23. "Wild Party," staged on Friday night and Saturday afternoon, was geared primarily for adults. The Ridge High Performing Arts Center is at Ridge High School at 268 S. Finley Ave., 3 p.m. Musical Theatre, 1:30 p.m. Tickets $20-$25. Front & Center …
The coming of the New Year traditionally is a time to celebrate, in the company of family and friends, the achievements of years past and the hope of a bright future ahead. It is also a time of reflection, a time to whip out the pen and paper to make a list of New Year's Resolutions — the notorious set of goals that are usually forgotten by the time February comes around. According to a study conducted in 2007, approximately 40 to 45 percent of American adults make a New Year's Resolution each year. Only 46 percent of that percentage manage to keep these resolutions, and at the end of the …
Weather forecasters and other official-types may portray a snowstorm to be a natural disaster, but for those who love the white stuff, it doesn't get any better than this.Blue skies and powdery snow turned the hill behind St James Roman Catholic Church into a winter wonderland as children of all ages engaged in snowboarding and sledding down the hill.Sleds of all kinds, colors and shapes (some undoubtedly new gifts) were given a tryout on the snow-covered hill behind the church as riders enjoyed a day of winter fun. The crowd included locals as well as visitors who wanted to check out a …
Frost Fest continues through the month at the Environmental Education Center off Lord Stirling Road. All through December, the EEC's exhibit hall will be transformed into a Winter Wonderland portraying what it is like for wildlife to live through a local winter. The five outdoor scenes replicate area's various ecosystems during the winter months, according to information from the EEC. Each scene includes animals, birds, trees, and other nature-related items. On display is a beaver with a tree that formerly stood on EEC property until it was taken down by a beaver. Frost Fest activities are …
Older adults and others left last Friday's free self-defense demonstration at the Somerset County Senior Wellness Center armed with some ideas of how to better defend themselves and avoid trouble situations. Bernards Township Patrol Officer Hank Werner and Timothy Franks, a police officer and martial arts instructor in Somerville, martial arts instructor presented simple self-defense mechanisms such as where to pinch, flick or poke an assailant to escape his grasp.The officers discussed the importance of being aware of one's surroundings and ways to stay safe in parking lots and other public…
The Environmental Education Center (EEC) this weekend kicks off Frost Fest, a month-long celebration of winter, with special events set for both Saturday and Sunday. A highlight is a dog sled demonstration from the New Jersey Sled Dog Club, which was presented on Saturday and will be repeated Sunday at 1 p.m. Other events on Sunday include a morning hike with an EEC naturalist, "Critters in Crisis" and live music. The Sunday schedule includes: Noon to 1 p.m.—Hike with a Naturalist 1 to 2 p.m.—Dog sled demonstration: sled and live dogs 2 to 3 p.m.—Critters in crisis: coyote program 3:30 to 4…
A family party, a magician's performance and a friendly gathering preceded the real reason for Wednesday evening's get-together at the Chabad Jewish Center at Basking Ridge: the lighting of the first candle to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah.The first candle was lit on a giant menorah, or candle holder, outdoors at the center off Valley Road. The holiday will continue for eight days, until all of the candles are lit. A giant dreidel, a reproduction of the spinning top used in a traditional children's game played at Hanukkah, is reconstructed each year outside the Jewish Center. The 18-…
The gracious house that is now home to the United States Golf Association Museum and Arnold Palmer Center for Golf History was once a private residence where people lived, laughed and celebrated around the holidays.Decorations from four area designers, including one apiece from Basking Ridge and Bedminster, will be on display at the museum building through Jan. 9. The 1919 structure, built by John Russell Pope, is at 77 Liberty Corner Road in the township. "We want to take people back in time," said Kim Gianetti, assistant manager of marketing outreach. Starting in 2008, she said she decided…
After 14 years, what could be the world's largest dreidel, placed each year prior to Hanukkah outdoors at the Chabad Jewish Center at Basking Ridge, has become a local landmark for those living in the township and beyond.Rabbi Yitzchok Moully, youth and program director at the Chabad Center, collected some helpers last week to hammer together the 18-foot-high red dreidel.The dreidel is a replica of the spinning top that is used in the traditional Hanukkah game played by children worldwide. This dreidel, which Moully said he believes is unmatched in size anywhere else, was created 14 years ago…
The Educational Environmental Education Center this weekend offered a class in origami open to participants of all ages. The class was taught by naturalist Christa Wood, who said the session covered Japanese origami and a little experimenting with a origami turkey made from paper. The EEC is part of the Somerset County Park Commission. Origami is the traditional Japanese folk art of folding paper, which started in the 17th century and was popularized in the mid-1900s. It has since then evolved into a modern art form. The goal of this art is to transform a flat sheet of material into a …
Children and parents from Basking Ridge don't need to travel very far to find Santa just when they need him most. The Bridgewater Commons Mall last Friday welcomed the famous and popular St. Nick to his courtyard in the regional mall off Route 202/206. Santa brought joy and excitement to all the families who gathered to greet his return, and he's planning to stick around until he needs to pack up his sled to deliver toys to all good little boys and girls. The event featured music from Radio Disney, as the DJs got the children up and dancing, played games and gave prizes to the eagerly …
The Friends of the Adult Day Center of the Visiting Nurse Association of Somerset Hills on Sunday hosted the 13th annual A Taste of the Hills to benefit the VNA's Adult Day Center. Those who attended were able to sample such treats as pumpkin gnocchi, a scaled back-version of a Thanksgiving feast, scallops with rice noodles, a variety of wines, coffee, Japanese cuisine, chocolate truffles, coconut snowballs and much more. This year marks the 13th annual fundraiser, which brought together more than 35 restaurants, caterers, bakeries and wine and coffee providers who donated the evening's food …
Marie Fosket, of Basking Ridge, performed the National Anthem to open Saturday's 90th annual Far Hills Race Meeting at Moorland Farms in Far Hills. Fosket, a classically trained soprano, sang before a crowd of about 50,000 for the area's social event of the year, which also is a fundraiser for the Somerset Medical Center in Somerville. Fosket was among the finalists who auditioned on Sept. 16 in front of a panel of judges at the Steeplechase Cancer Center in Somerville, a major beneficiary of the race. Fosket is a classically trained soprano, who has studied singing with notable teachers in …
It couldn't have been a warmer welcome to Basking Ridge. The family of Jacob George, a nine-year-old who was severely injured when he fell from a Halloween hayride two years ago, got a boost in both funding and morale on Sunday when the little boy was the beneficiary of a Home Run Derby last weekend. The Home Run Derby for Jacob was the idea of 10-year-old James Catapano and his best friend, Danny Gattoni, both fifth graders at the township's Cedar Hill School. Counting some previous donations, the boys and Sunday's derby have raised $7,500 to help Jacob's family, new residents who recently …
The colors of October may be the most flattering palette of the year for Basking Ridge. The town's trees burst into shades of red, orange and yellow. The downtown looks like a New England village. Meanwhile, local trails through the township's parks, including some wooded lands in the Liberty Corner area just opened for public access within the last year, beckon walkers to enjoy the season up close. Local businesses and homes also put on fall finery to show off the township at its best.
A gift for an entire neighborhood of children at Society Hill at Bernards II was officially opened for play on Saturday. Mayor Scott Spitzer conducted the ribbon cutting before a group of local children and the adults who had spent about a year planning the recreational project on Irving Place in the Society Hill development. The equipment is designed for children ages 2 to 12, said Joanne Bopp, president of the neighborhood association that provided the equipment. About 380 families are within walking distance of the playground, Bopp said. "There was definitely a need for this playground," …
The Ridge High School freshman, JV and varsity boys soccer teams didn't mind getting a little wet (and soapy) last weekend while holding a car wash in front of the school. Their reward: About $1,500 to help pay for an end-of-season banquet and other team expenses. The occasion also built further camaraderie among the team members, and resulted in some cleaner cars around town. Team captains' mothers organized the event, freshman coach Derek Boudreau said. Photos by Terry Boudreau (Derek Boudreau's father) help tell the story.
