Keeping Cool in the Somerset Hills as Heat Builds This Week

Air conditioning on the fritz? Need a place to stop and chill when you're out and about during your day?

Or just tired of cabin fever from being stuck in the house/office even with air conditioning? The week is just beginning, and the National Weather Service is predicting baking temperatures for this area through the week.

Along with business places such as restaurants, shops and supermarkets — all good places to time excursions during the hottest times of days — there also are public spots where people can go for free to relax and keep themselves cool during the day.

Senior citizens from throughout the Somerset Hills area can head to the Senior Wellness Center at 202 Mount Airy Road in Basking Ridge.
The center generally is open from about 8 a.m. or 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. on weekdays. Lunch is served, although reservations are requested. The center can be reached at 908-204-3435.

Here are some programs scheduled for this week at the wellness center:

Tuesday, July 16 — “Keeping Your Mind Sharp” by Cynthia Kusorgbor, MPH, Certified Health Education Specialist, Somerset County Department of Health, at 10:30 a.m. Kusorgbor will discuss what attendees can all do to keep their minds engaged and sharp.)

Wednesday — The Total Brain Workout: Reasoning, 10:30 a.m. This is the 4th session in the center's new series of interactive brain exercises. Reasoning involves the ability to analyze the best way to do something such as arranging or organizing.  The puzzles in this chapter require participants to activate reasoning skills.

Thursday — “How to Get Yourself Published” — Lunch & Learn Opportunity by Alice DiNizio, Accomplished Author and Speaker, noon to 2 p.m. DiNizo writes under the pen name J.B. DiNizo and is an accomplished author and speaker. She is making a special guest appearance to discuss the steps to getting published.  There is a $10 fee for the program. When calling to make reservation, please select choice of either an egg salad sandwich or a grilled chicken sandwich.

Friday — “What is Unclaimed Property?” by Linda Henderson, State of New Jersey Treasury Department, 10:30 a.m.

Residents may visit the temporary cooling center designated at the Bernards Township Library. 

The Bernards Township Library at 32 S. Maple Ave. is open Monday through Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. and on Fridays, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. A message from the library staff of this week’s activities: 

The movie "Celebrate With Clifford" be shown from 2 to 3:30 p.m. on Monday in Program Room B on the lower level. Clifford, the big and big-heart red dog stars in seven stories well worth celebrating. Running time 70 minutes. No registration required. All ages are welcome. 

There will be a Live animal show! in both Program Rooms on Tuesday, July 16, from 7 to 7:45 p.m. “Outragehisss Pets” will be here with some amazing creatures from all over the world! This program is sponsored by The Friends of BTL. Free tickets have been distributed but additional spectators of all ages are welcome. 

Books, magazines, computers and Wi-Fi are available at the Library to all, with comfy seats to relax in and tables to work at. An ideal spot to get away from the heat for a while, reminds Bernards Township Library Director Ruth Lufkin.

Bernardsville Public Library also open

The Bernardsville Public Library is open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. "While it is not an official cooling center supported by Office of Emergency Management, it is open and the air conditioners are on," said Bernardsville Police Chief Kevin Valentine.

Bernardsville officials are monitoring the situation to see if any other action is warranted, Valentine said.

Clarence Dillon Public Library in Bedminster has cafe

Don't want to sit in a coffee shop for hours feeling like you have to keep eating or consuming caffeine? 

The Clarence Dillon Public Library in Bedminster, at 2336 Lamington Road, reportedly draws a bigger crowd in the heat, even if it's not an official cooling center. 

And if you do want your coffee while reading or using your computer, there's always the Friend's Cafe coffee shop, which has both hot and iced beverages. 

The library is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Mondays through Thursdays, and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday. Saturday library hours are from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in July and August, and the library is closed on Sundays during those summer months.

What are your tips for staying cool?

Around here, we eat light, avoid prolonged cooking or boiling and drink plenty of cool liquids to feel our best during hot weather. During trips down South in the summer, we learned to slow down and stay in the shade to relax even outdoors.

Even walking alongside or dipping your toes in cool water helps. Hacklebarney State Park at 119 Hacklebarney Road, off Route 24 in Chester, always seems to provide a breath of fresh air with a walk by (or in) the Black River, with some splashing, even on the hottest of days.

What are some of your best ways of staying cool on very hot days? Please let us know in the comments section below.

Here are some important heat management safety reminders from the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management, especially for those who are heading outdoors, or who have limited cooling capacity in their homes: 

1. If possible, stay out of the sun. When in the sun, wear sunscreen (at least SPF 15) and a hat to protect your face and head.
2. Use an air conditioner if you have one. Set the thermostat no lower than 78 degrees.
3. If you do not have an air conditioner, keep rooms well-ventilated with open windows and fans. Consider going to a public pool, air-conditioned store, mall, movie theater, or cooling center—the local public library branches provide relief until about 9 p.m. Monday through Friday.
4. Fans work best at night, when they can bring in cooler air from outside.
5. Make a special effort to check on your neighbors during a heat wave, especially if they are seniors, young children, and people with special needs. Many older people live alone and could suffer unnecessarily in the heat because they are isolated from friends and family.
6. Seniors and others who may be sensitive to extreme heat should contact friends, neighbors, or relatives at least twice a day during a heat wave.
7. Drink fluids particularly water even if you do not feel thirsty. Avoid beverages containing alcohol, caffeine, or high amounts of sugar.
8. Wear lightweight, light-colored, loose clothing that covers as much of your skin as possible.
9. Never, ever leave children, pets, or those who require special care in a parked car during periods of intense summer heat.
10. Avoid strenuous activity, especially during the sun’s peak hours 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. If you must engage in strenuous activity, do it during the coolest part of the day, usually in the morning between 4 a.m. and 7 a.m.
11. Cool showers or baths may be helpful, but avoid extreme temperature changes. Never take a shower immediately after becoming overheated extreme temperature changes may make you ill, nauseated, or dizzy.
12. The Bernards Township police advice against use of salt tablets unless advised to do so for medical reasons.