BY Georgette Gilmore | Monday, Apr 30, 2012 7:20pm | COMMENTS (2)
Dr. Turnamian at Blue Ribbon School award ceremony.
Dr. Peter Turnamian, principal of Montclair’s Watchung Elementary School, has announced he is leaving Montclair for an Assistant Superintendent position with the Newark Public Schools. Turnamian took on the position of Watchung principal in March 2010, after the resignation of Principal Marcus Rhaney.
BY Georgette Gilmore | Monday, Apr 30, 2012 1:56pm | COMMENTS (0)
On Saturday, April 28, kids in Montclair decorated storefront windows with beautiful artwork promoting the Montclair Film Festival which premieres tomorrow, May 1 and runs through Sunday, May 6. The event was sponsored by Montclair Film Festival, the Montclair Art Museum, Amanti Vino, South End Paint and Hardware, and Saunders Hardware. Business Association Partners Include: Montclair Center Business Improvement District, the South End Business Association, the Upper Montclair Business Association, and the Watchung Plaza Merchants Association.
The Gilmore Girls decorated Oritani Bank on Valley Road in the Upper Montclair Business district, and it looks great. Okay, I may be a little biased, they are my girls, but they really did a nice job. You’ll see all the other great works of art throughout Montclair. We’ve captured some, but there are so many more. Get out and see!
BY Georgette Gilmore | Monday, Apr 30, 2012 11:30am | COMMENTS (2)
Montclair dads, Adam Lippin and Thad Hayes, have a son in Cub Scouts Troop 7. While they haven’t faced discrimination from their son’s Troop, they are asking that the community join with others to sign a petition started by Jennifer Tyrrel, a mom in Ohio who was recently removed from the volunteer position of Tiger Cub den leader of her son’s Boy Scout Troop. Jennifer says she “received notice that my membership had been revoked, based on my sexual orientation.” Jennifer is a lesbian.
This from Adam and Thad:
BY Georgette Gilmore | Monday, Apr 30, 2012 9:30am | COMMENTS (0)
The Montclair Historical Society will hold its annual Herb Sale an Family Day this weekend! The Herb Sale is a Montclair tradition and is eagerly anticipated by local gardeners who know that they can find unusual varieties of herbs for their gardens and their kitchens. On Saturday, May 5, Annual Herb Sale and Family Day at the Montclair Historical Society will offer a bee keeper, crafts, kids’ activities (make a gift for Mom), museum tours, master gardeners and more!
Annual Herb Sale and Family Day at the Montclair Historical Society
Who: All ages.
What: Buy your herbs, and spend an extra few minutes touring the Israel Crane House and checking out some of our family activities.
Where: Montclair Historical Society, Israel Crane House, 108 Orange Road, Montclair, NJ 07042.
When: Saturday, May 5 from 9 am – 3 pm
Cost: $8/adult; $5 per child/site or $15/adult and $8/child for a combination ticket. Maximum of $25 per family. Members are free.
BY Georgette Gilmore | Monday, Apr 30, 2012 7:00am | COMMENTS (51)
WINNER: Congratulations to cheesewhiz, the randomly chosen winner of the Mother’s Day geteaway at The Westminster Hotel!
Years ago, after my second and last child turned one, I decided to treat myself to an overnight getaway. In the past five years, I had been pregnant twice, a SAHM mom for four years, breastfeeding two babies for a year each and I had never spent a night away. It was purely my own doing. I wasn’t ready until that point. So when I finally needed it, I booked a room and a massage appointment in the spa, kissed my family goodbye and went to The Westminster Hotel in Livingston.
The spa at The Westminster Hotel
The Westminster Hotel was a perfect getaway. It was super close, so my separation anxiety was practically zero, it’s really beautifully designed and there is a small spa on site. I got a one hour massage, ordered room service (a big juicy steak, baked potato and green beans–The adjoining restaurant is Strip House) a glass of wine, rented Sex and The City 2, and settled into bed with a book (Twilight: Breaking Dawn). It was a night of pure bliss. The next morning, I had breakfast and was picked up around noon by my family. My girls were thrilled to see me and my husband greeted me with flowers. I was thrilled to see them and was refreshed.
So when thinking of a great Mother’s Day giveaway for all of you deserving moms out there, I thought of my special night. Mother’s Day is only less than two weeks away after all.
So it’s with great excitement that I offer you this giveaway. Thanks to the generosity of The Westminster Hotel, one very lucky mama will win a complimentary weekend stay in a one bedroom suite and a 60 minute spa service of her choice (massage or facial)! That’s even better than my night away!
Here’s how to enter…
BY Georgette Gilmore | Sunday, Apr 29, 2012 11:00am | COMMENTS (0)
A variety of exciting original artwork by Montclair’s Mt. Hebron Middle School students, parents, and faculty will be shown at the school’s Spring Art Show on May 3. The exhibit highlights works from the visual arts, digital photography and architecture departments. Select artwork for sale with proceeds to benefit the arts program at Mt. Hebron. Go an check out the talent!
Here’s a preview of what you’ll see. The nest piece was done by a Mt. Hebron art teacher, Arin Leard, and the rest were done by students:
BY Georgette Gilmore | Sunday, Apr 29, 2012 9:00am | COMMENTS (0)
Verona Park was filled with families celebrating health, fun and community yesterday for the Montclair YMCA’s Healthy Kids Day. The Y promised it would be a carnival-like event and it was, but it was much more than that. There was an infectious energy in the air and people young and old joined in with hula hoop fitness, Zumba, fitness contests, Conga lines and joining together to attempt to break a Guinness World Record.
After all the festivities were done, including pottery making with MAM, face painting, Take Back the Kitchen’s delicious dip tasting (Alma really does deserve the win she had for her Edamame dip!) and more, everyone was asked to Conga out of the center of the area so that the Y staff could set up for the record attempt.
BY Joy Yagid | Sunday, Apr 29, 2012 7:00am | COMMENTS (0)
Maplewood’s fifth annual Green Day took place on Saturday, April 28 in Memorial Park. Over 3,000 people came to see, do and eat “Green!”
“Maplewood is Green is the largest green fair in New Jersey and probable one of the largest in the nation.” said Tracy Woods, the event’s coordinator.
All attendees had their choice of local food vendors such as The Blue Plate Special, Sono and at The Able Baker there were special green day cookies shaped as maple leafs. Adults had their pick of various vendors showing off green windows, insulation, solar energy set ups and other non-kid centric stuff. There were members from many local ‘green’ groups manning booths offering more information on going green. From the Maplewood Community Garden and the Maplewood Garden Clube where you could learn about gardening. From bookBgone how to recycle your used books to communities that need them. At the Maplewood Library booth you could make a bracelet out of old t-shirts and pick up a free book. Into biking? High Gear Cyclery and Complete Streets were there to help you get back into the groove.
But for kids, there was plenty.
BY Announcement | Saturday, Apr 28, 2012 12:30pm | COMMENTS (0)
Mayor McCarthy visited Brookdale School on Wednesday, April 25, to issue a proclamation in honor of two fourth grade students. Both Juliana Cianciotta and Camille Aquino participated in the Celebrate New Jersey contest. The students had to research topics about New Jersey and write newspaper articles about their topic. Both girls were chosen to have their articles published in the New Jersey Scoop as “The Best of the Best.”
Well done girls!
BY Alison Bermack | Saturday, Apr 28, 2012 8:30am | COMMENTS (4)
I’m on a roll with Flavor Excursions, finding unique and tasty Jersey spots to explore new culinary horizons. So if you know some places I haven’t hit yet, feel free to let me know so I can add them to my list.
This time I got a tip from a friend who was interested in my last outing to Wallington for Polish fare. While agreeing how fun it is to venture to ethnic neighborhoods, she mentioned her husband’s favorite outing to Kearny, a trip which connects him with his family’s Scottish roots. Of course my ears perked up, not knowing of a Scottish pocket so close to Montclair (or even one at all!). So I did a bit of research and headed East on Rt. 3 to Kearny. My friend Debbie, who is hooked on these outings and describes them as a much needed break from her mundane drives shuttling her kids to and from various sports, was once again my travel mate. This time, instead of pierogi and sausage, we were on a quest for traditional meat pies, shortbread and fish and chips.
And boy did we did find a pot of gold at the end of our drive, which proved to be a vestige of days long gone in “Soccer Town USA,” a name given to this Scottish settlement in New Jersey after an influx of Scottish and Irish immigrants arrived with the opening of two Scottish factories in the mid 1870’s.
