New Jersey Baby Boomer

Here are more Christmas events to enjoy in New Jersey…continuing the theme of the previous post.

Cape May, all the way at the opposite end of NJ from where we live has a lot to offer:

Dec. 12, 19-20 Enjoy the Lamplighter Christmas Tour – Self-guided, tour 5 beautiful B&B’s and Inns. They are beautiful, too! Adults – $15, Children – $7.50 Tickets at the booth at Washington Street Mall.

Dec. 11-12 Cape May Candlelight Hospitality Nights – Merchants offer treats to holiday shoppers throughout Town. For more information, call 609-884-9565

Dec. 13 Cape May Christmas Candlelight House Tour – Another self-guided tour of Victorian Inns, homes, churches and more all decorated in beautiful holiday splendor. $22 for adults, and $11 for children. There is a free shuttle service. Call 609-884-5508 for more information.

Dec. 13 – Ocean City will have it’s Christmas Parade on Asbury Ave, complete with Santa Claus. This will be at 7:30 pm. from 6th to 11th Street.

For a complete list of Cape May events, visit this link.

I’ll be back with more with some places closer to home…if you live in Northern NJ

Hope you’re enjoying the holiday season!

New Jersey has a lot of fun things to do around Christmas time.  I should have started this a week ago, because I’ve already missed the opportunity to tell you about the Cathedral Choir’s annual performance of the Messiah at Hawthorn Gospel Church, and how could I forget to tell you about the Holiday Open House at the New Jersey Botanical Gardens (NJBG), they were this past weekend, with the beautiful Ringwood Manor (pictured) decorated in Victorian Christmas splendor, especially since I was there for their wreath-making event, making a wreath for our home and another to decorate the botanical gardens.

Well never fear, there are a lot more things happening in New Jersey, I’ll try to post them as I stumble on them.  Here’s things that will be happening this week, and this is not a complete list by far:

12/11/08 in Clinton, New Jersey:

Don’t miss CANDLELIGHT NIGHT when luminaries line the streets, there are horse-drawn carriages, and the shops are open later than usual. This takes place from 6 – 9 pm on Main Street. For more information, call the Clinton Guild at 908/735-8614

12/11/08 in Morristown, NJ:

VIENNA BOYS CHOIR will be performing their holiday show at The Community Theatre at Mayo Center for the Performing Arts from 8pm – 10pm. The price ranges from $32-$47. Theatre located at 100 South Street. Call 973/539-8008 for more information.

12/12/08 in Morristown, New Jersey:

THE DRIFTERS AND THE MARVELETTES will be celebrating Christmas from 8pm – 10pm at a price ranging from $27-47 at 100 South Street, the location of The Community Theatre at Mayo Center for the Performing Arts  Call 973-539-8008
I’ll be back with more dates for you later…have to go get some lunch!  Oh, please, if you have an event coming up in NJ, please add it in a comment!

I haven’t spent much time introducing you to some of the finer places to spend time in New Jersey.

One of these places is the 30+ year old New Philharmonic of New Jersey, the picture is borrowed from their website. Their 2008-2009 season began last month at the fully accessible Dolan Performance Hall on the campus of the College of Saint Elizabeth close to the center of Morristown, NJ.

Along with the concerts scheduled this year, the New Philharmonic of New Jersey “is proud to honor two local champions of the arts. At [their] November 23 concert, [they] will honor Judith Wharton for her support of fine music and her work to foster a love of music in people of all ages. At [the] March 15 concert, [NPNJ] will honor the late Jerry Ben-Asher for his lifelong devotion to classical music”.

If you love classical music, and are local to, or will be visiting, the New Jersey area over the next several months, visit New Philharmonic of New Jersey’s website for schedules, cost and directions. Read the interesting link to their history.

Today I received an email from someone who is sponsoring a race for Breast Cancer in the South Jersey area at Six Flags Great Adventure  I checked out the links, and went to the main site for the organization, and it appears to be a great cause, here’s the information…you may want to contact Robin before donating if you have any questions:

One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime and I am making a difference. I recently accepted the challenge to participate in the Race for the Cure at Six Flags Great Adventure on Sunday October 5, 2008. I hope you will join me in the in the fight against breast cancer. The more the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Central and South Jersey Affiliate can give back to fund vital breast cancer education and screening programs in our own community and support the national search for a cure.

Please join me in the fight by pledging in support of my participation in the Race or contributing generously to the New Jersey Race for the Cure Your tax-deductible contribution will fund innovative outreach and awareness programs for medically under-served communities in Central and South Jersey and national breast cancer research. It is faster and easier than ever to support this great cause – you can make a donation online by simply clicking on the link at the bottom of this message. If you would prefer, you can also send your tax-deductible contribution to the address listed below.

Whatever you can give will help! I truly appreciate your support and will keep you posted on my progress. Thank you so much for your time and support in the fight against breast cancer! Every step counts!

Click here to visit my personal page.
If the text above does not appear as a click-able link, you can visit the web address:

http://events.komencsnj.org/site/TR/Events/General?px=1199875&pg=personal&fr_id=1020&et=0l88HOY1yJIA-LBExRP65w..&s_tafId=4002

Every year, one county to the west of us, the New Jersey State Fair takes place. It’s also known as the Sussex County Farm and Horse Show. This brings out for all to see the “Country” part of our State, highlighting the farming industry that still exists in many parts of the Garden State.  This includes our agriculture, (what better corn is there than Jersey Corn, and Jersey tomatoes are great as well) and farm animals. There are 4H Club exhibits with farm animals, horse shows, concerts, carnivals, lots of vendors, and so much more. It’s a great thing to do with your family. This has been going on annually for years, I remember taking my own children.

I’d suggest you take a look at the calendar of events (starts August 1st) as it develops over the coming weeks, there’s already a lot posted, and plan your day around the events you want to see. During times when there are no events, there are plenty of vendors, and if you and your children like rides, there’s the carnival. It’s a busy place, so chose your times to visit to suit your likes and dislikes. You can find out more by visiting the official website for the New Jersey State Fair.

Comment if you’ve ever been to the fair and let us know what your favorite attraction was.

We just got home from our local commemoration of this great day in the center of our town of West Milford at our war memorial. I am sure, at least hope, this is being repeated in many towns across the USA. Sitting in front of me was a frail but wonderful WWII Veteran. Sitting front and center were 2 families of our most recent casualties…I don’t like that word, I mean our most recent heroes to give their lives in Iraq. It was special to simply be able to shake a hand, give a hug to a tearful family member, to say “thank you” knowing that there were no words that could take away the pain. We thank those who have served our Nation and paid the ultimate price. Also remembered were local heroes who died in the attack on 911, names that many know nationwide from our area, like Father Mychael F. Judge who left our local catholic church to be a Chaplain for the NY City Fire Department, the image of his body being carried from the World Trade Center ruins now impressed in the minds of many, among the first if not the first victim we heard about after the attack. And Jeremy Glick, a hero of United Airlines Flight 93. So many more names that we must never forget. My son took a few pictures, one shown above.

Now, what has become my favorite patriotic song with wonderful images to stir the heart to remember, and thank you not just to NJ heroes, but all of our heroes all over the USA:

GOD BLESS AMERICA!