With the Graduate College’s Cleveland Tower in the background, the snowy scene of kids and sleds might be taking place in England. In fact, it’s happening on the Springdale Golf Course. See this week’s Town Talk for some first-hand reports. (Photo by Emily Reeves)
That’s how the Historical Society of Princeton envisioned the Updike Farmstead when it was opened two years ago, according to HSP Executive Director Erin Dougherty. “We want people to come out, have a picnic, sit, and watch the sunset.” At Saturday’s fundraiser, “Concert Under the Stars,” people could also enjoy food from Main Street and music by the Marshall Tucker Band. (Photo by Emily Reeves)
Downtown Princeton was the big top as Stone Soup Circus performed near Fitzrandolph Gate, the Nassau Street entrance to the Princeton University campus. The stilt walker is Iona Binnie. Founded in Princeton in 2008, Princeton’s Community Circus is gearing up for a trip to the American Youth Circus in August 2013. (Photo by Emily Reeves)
In the month that celebrates Shakespeare’s birth and poetry in general here’s a line on spring from, of all places, “The Winter’s Tale,” now playing through April 21 at McCarter. It would take a Shakespeare to find words worthy of the spring wonder of pear trees in bloom on Witherspoon. (Photo by Emily Reeves)
Whatever Albert Einstein might think of Princeton’s carnival-style birthday embrace of him, how could he resist this scene? Mayor Liz Lempert (on left) is obviously enjoying the moment, too, as Co-Founder of Pi Day Mimi Omiecinski of the Princeton Tour Company hands a $314.15 check to the winner of the Einstein Look-a-Like contest, 19 month old Lusia Bonner, who also won a bike from Kopp’s Cycle Shop that she may have to save for later. Other contestants are in the background. (Photo by Emily Reeves)
She knows if you feed them, the gulls will come. She’s happy, the gulls are happy, the geese are geese, the others wish spring would hurry up, and it’s all happening at Lake Carnegie on the last Sunday in February. (Photo by Emily Reeves)
Zoe and Mia Al-Zubaidy share a moment at the Arts Council of Princeton’s president’s Day workshop Monday. That’s Zoe with Lincoln and Mia with Washington. (Photo by Emily Reeves)
Or will we have another Currier and Ives image like this one before winter takes its last bow? The setting for this winter scene is the Springdale Golf Course. (Photo by Emily Reeves)
Fairy tale princesses surround the beauteous Cinderella at the YWCA of Princeton’s Cinderella Ballet Ball. Snow White and Sleeping Beauty were also in attendance. (Photo by Emily Reeves)
Trees and buildings form an archway of sorts for strollers in this Nassau Street wintertime scene. (Photo by emily Reeves)
Seated front row and center at the Municipal Building of the newly consolidated Princeton, Liz Lempert had reason to smile on January 1, 2013, the day she became mayor of all Princeton. She was sworn in by her recent opponent, former Township Mayor Richard Woodbridge. Next to her is Council member Jenny Crumiller. (Photo by Emily Reeves)
Shoppers and strollers on Nassau Street were undaunted by the rainy, snowy mix of precipitation on Boxing Day.
This scene of re-enactors taking the roles of British and American units, practicing drill, field maneuvers, and fieldcraft on an April day, could have been a tableau from more than two centuries ago. Princeton Battlefield Park was the subject of new skirmishes this year as the Institute for Advanced Study encountered fierce opposition from the Battlefield Society over its plans to build faculty housing on the edge of the park. (Photo by Emily Reeves)
Life on Nassau Street was back to normal Saturday following Friday’s closing of a portion of this block to permit Justin Timberlake and a film crew to do location filming for the crime thriller “Runner, Runner.” Not all local merchants were happy. See story on page 7. (Photo by Emily Reeves)
Santa’s listening to the sweet nothings offered by Caroline Kinney, whose charms could melt a thousand snowmen. Children under 12 were invited to whisper holiday wishes in Santa’s ear at Morven Museum’s Cookies and Milk with Santa gathering. (Photo by Emily Reeves)
Princetonians gathered in thankfully mild weather Monday at the All Wars Monument for the Spirit of Princeton’s Veterans Day observance. The non-partisan community committee bears a name that has special resonance given the community spirit inspired by the devastation of Superstorm Sandy, which lends the trees in the background a special survivor’s presence of their own. (Photo by Emily Reeves)
HOME AWAY FROM HOME: The Princeton Public Library more than lived up to its role as the “Community’s Living Room” for power-starved residents during Sandy’s aftermath. (Photo by Emily Reeves)
As if we didn’t know it already, Princeton Public Library proved, once again, that it is truly this community’s “living room” by serving as a haven for many during Hurricane Sandy.
“We had more than 29,360 customers last week, including the day before the storm, October 28,” reported Communications Director Tim Quinn. “That averages to about 4,200 per day.”
The library conceded to the storm by closing on Monday, October 29, but reopened around 11 a.m. on Tuesday, October 30, remaining open until 9 p.m. Some 4,788 visitors came to the library in a nine-hour period that day.
Instead of waiting until the usual 9 a.m. opening on Thursday, November 1, the library provided a warming station by opening doors to the front of the library, lobby, and community room at 7 a.m. That day saw the largest attendance of the period, with 8,028 visitors in the 14 hours between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. On Friday, November 2, 6,539 people came to the library during roughly the same period.
Mr. Quinn reported that the three-day total number of visitors to the library during the peak of the power outage was 19,355. “By comparison, our average daily door count is 2,500,” he added. Circulation of library materials during this time doubled, and “all computers were in use pretty much every hour we were open,” said Mr. Quinn. “Our Wi-Fi was operating at the maximum capacity throughout,” and intense Wi-FI use prompted frequent announcements asking visitors to turn off the Wi-Fi on 3G and 4G devices, so others could get on the internet. Other announcements kept people up-to-date on school closings, and encouraged them to attend screenings of family-friendly movies like Penguins of Madagascar in the Community Room.
When available seats ran out, library visitors took to sitting side-by-side on the floor. In addition to the usual library activities, there were card games, and impromptu meetings. At least one couple came to see what the latest issue of Consumer Reports had to say about a badly-needed appliance.
Another bright spot for area residents during the storm was McCaffrey’s Market at the Princeton Shopping Center, where a generator kept food fresh and operations humming. People stood patiently in a long line for coffee, often bringing it to the upstairs seating area where they could drink it, eat Halloween-themed pastries, and recharge electrical appliances.
Internet service at McCaffrey’s was spotty, but the lights, warmth, good smells, and happiness at seeing familiar faces more than made up for it. It didn’t feel at all surprising, at one point, to hear the theme from Cheers emanating from McCaffrey’s large screen TV.
Another bright spot was Princeton United Methodist Church (PUMC), where Pastor Jana Purkis-Brash and Music Director Hyosang Park plugged in the coffee pot and posted a sign on the lawn reading, “Come in! Get warm! Charge up and use our Wi-Fi!” On Wednesday two dozen passersby sought brief refuge from the cold, plus nearly 100 people who spent the day, charging their phones and logging onto PUMC’s Wi-Fi. On Wednesdays, PUMC usually serves free meals to all, in partnership with the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen, and this last week was no exception. At 4 p.m. the Cornerstone Community Kitchen team converted the space into a dining room, where 73 people enjoyed salad, roast pork and mashed potatoes.
“Where are the songs of spring?” Keats asks. “Think not of them, thou hast thy music too.” In this campus scene the music is in the shadows. (Photo by Emily Reeves)
(Photo by Emily Reeves)
Visitors to the Princeton Farmer’s Market sat under umbrellas in Hinds Square enjoying fruit juice, crepes, cheesecake, and more last week. The market continues every Thursday, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., through November 15. On September 6, Max McGuire returns, playing from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m.
(Photo by Emily Reeves)
Defying rumblings about rain from the weather gurus, Saturday’s Communiversity 2012 was fresh, cool, and reasonably bright.
(Photo by Emily Reeves)
She’s supposed to be done up as a chicken, but Keira Cheeseman of Princeton could just as easily be a human blossom dancing through Terhune’s flowering apple orchard during last weekend’s bunny chase and treasure hunt. She was there with her brother, Lukas, and her parents, Ken and Maureen.
(Photo by Emily Reeves)
In case anyone wants to make a bloom time comparison with previous or future years, this view of the elegantly-lined walkway leading to the Princeton Battle Monument was taken on March 26, 2012.
photo by Emily Reeves
The annual hunt brought color and chaos to the front lawn of Drumthwacket Saturday as kids scrambled to find Easter egg treats. (Photo by Emily Reeves)
(Photo by Emily Reeves)
It’s about a whole lot more than selling cookies, for instance Saturday’s explosion of Zumba Fever, courtesy of the New York Sports Club, as the Princeton Shopping Center hosts the Girl Scouts’ 100th Birthday Celebration.
