June 19, 2024

Talk on Art Depicting Early Battles of American Revolution

The Trent House Association will host an illustrated talk on how the early battles of the American Revolution have been portrayed visually over the past two and a half centuries. Given by Roger Williams, a well-regarded local historian of the Revolution, this free talk will be held on Sunday, June 30 at 2 p.m. at the Trent House Museum Visitor Center and virtually at tinyurl.com/THATalkJune30. The museum is located at 15 Market Street in Trenton, across from the Hughes Justice Complex. Free parking and the museum entrance are at the rear of the property off William Trent Place.

One of the iconic images of the early days of the American Revolution is that of Washington crossing the Delaware on Christmas Eve 1776, portrayed in an 1851 painting by Emanuel Gottlieb Leutz. This painting solidified this crucial event in the public’s mind, and it remains one of the best-known portrayals of the Revolution. Painted in Germany 75 years after the Battle of Trenton, it is not surprising that some of the details are not accurate. This is also true of many of the numerous other artistic interpretations of this and other events of the Battles of Trenton and Princeton. Williams will share many of these interpretations during his talk, pointing out how these images have reinforced certain beliefs about the Revolution and created opportunities for exaggeration and even distortion of the actual events. more

“Cloud Swing” at GFS Receives Innovator Award

“CLOUD SWING”: This wheelchair-accessible public art installation at Grounds For Sculpture (GFS) has received an Innovator Award from the Cultural Access Network Project. Designed by Brooklyn, N.Y.-based Isometric Studio, it will be at GFS through October 5.

Grounds For Sculpture (GFS) in Hamilton recently received an Innovator Award from the Cultural Access Network Project for its public art installation, Cloud Swing, at the Project’s Annual Excellence in Cultural Access Awards.

Recognized for its innovative approach to public art, Cloud Swing, an art installation that features three plank swings and two wheelchair-accessible swings, allows GFS visitors of all abilities the opportunity to “play” on the interactive sculpture. GFS is hosting Cloud Swing, which was designed by Brooklyn, N.Y.-based Isometric Studio, through October 5.  more

Works by Jane Zamost Now at Capital Health

“DANCING WITH NATURE”: Works by artist and healing arts instructor Jane Zamost are featured in “Escapades of My Mind,” on view through August 26 in the Investors Bank Art & Healing Gallery at Capital Health Medical Center — Hopewell.

Artist Jane Zamost started her involvement in the healing arts at Capital Health more than 10 years ago, fascinated at how art transforms life’s most beautiful and challenging moments. She said that these experiences shaped her and impacted the way she makes art, prodding her to be uninhibited and free of judgement. The music playing is often her guide as are sunrise walks, life’s joy, and hardships both grand and small.  more

Earning a Spot on U.S. Field Hockey Team for Olympics, PU Star Yeager Looking to Make an Impact at Paris Games

STICKING WITH IT: Beth Yeager dribbles the ball upfield in action for the U.S. national field hockey team. Yeager, a rising junior for the Princeton University field hockey squad, was named last week to the 16-player roster for the national team that will compete at the Olympic Games in Paris that begin July 27. Yeager, who was the Ivy League Player of the Year in 2021 and 2022, took a year away from school to focus on making the U.S. squad for the Olympics. (Photo provided courtesy of USA Field Hockey)

By Justin Feil

Beth Yeager delayed her junior year at Princeton University for the opportunity to compete for a spot on the United States national field hockey team.

The night before the final team was to be posted on their training team’s app last week, Yeager was understandably nervous.

“It would be a bit strange if I wasn’t,” said Yeager. “I was definitely nervous. Like the night before, I really couldn’t fall asleep, and I woke up early that morning. I think everyone is. No matter if I had my position on the team, I would have been nervous just because it was my first Olympic selection and obviously it’s something that I’ve worked towards my whole field hockey career.”

Yeager was thrilled to be named June 12 to the 16-player roster for the national team that will compete at the Olympic Games in Paris that begin July 27.  more

PHS Girls’ Lacrosse Got Back on Winning Track, Posting 12-9 Record, Making Sectional Quarters

STEPPING UP: Princeton High girls’ lacrosse player Joci Lee races upfield in action this spring. Senior defender Lee helped PHS show marked improvement this season as it went 12-9 after going 7-12 in 2023. The Tigers edged Montgomery 9-8 in overtime in the first round of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) North Jersey Group 3 tournament to post their first win in the state tourney since 2021. PHS ended its season by falling 11-5 at Northern Highlands in the quarterfinal round of the state tournament. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Although the Princeton High girls’ lacrosse team ended its 2024 campaign with a tough 11-5 loss at Northern Highlands in the quarterfinal round of the state tournament, that defeat can’t diminish what the program accomplished as it regained its winning ways.

After struggling through a frustrating 7-12 season in 2023, the Tigers posted a 12-9 record this spring.

“Last year was a hard year for all of the girls, but it was a growing year,” said PHS head coach Katie Federico. “It really allowed a lot of them to mature. The seniors really took on that leadership role this year. It was the confidence and trust in each other — they played so well as a unit. That year of rebuilding really did help, as hard as it was.” more

Buoyed by Culture Change Under New Coach Chrisman, Hun Girls’ Lacrosse Produced Winning Campaign

COMING THROUGH: Hun School girls’ lacrosse player Olivia Kim, center, looks to elude two Lawrenceville defenders in the Mercer County Tournament semis. Senior star and Williams College commit Kim enjoyed a big final campaign, talking 57 goals and 11 assist to help the Raiders go 9-8. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Although the Hun School girls’ lacrosse team ended the spring by losing nail-biters to local foes Princeton High and Princeton Day School, Geoff Chrisman appreciated the intensity and skill level displayed in the rivalry clashes.

“It was a lot of fun, it was definitely good Princeton crosstown lacrosse which is always awesome,” said Hun first year head coach Chrisman, a 2003 PHS alum who played lacrosse and football during his high school days. “You want to see it doing well. There is so much on the line, it feels like. Having played in games when I was here and now coaching in them, you get to feel that emotion. You are going to see those kids at Hoagie Haven. The girls are neighbors, they grew up with each other. They play club together.”

In the 14-10 loss to PHS, Hun was tied 6-6 with the Tigers at halftime but couldn’t close the deal in the second half. more

With All Hands on Deck Due to Limited Roster, PDS Girls’ Lax Showed Skill, Grit in Going 15-6

QUICK ON THE DRAW: Princeton Day School girls’ lacrosse players Kelly Christie, left, and Shelby Ruf go after a draw in a game this spring. Senior star Christie and junior standout Ruf starred in the midfield this year for PDS as it went 15-6. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

As Lucia Marcozzi took the helm of the Princeton Day School girls’ lacrosse program this spring, it was all hands on deck.

“It was so much fun, I am lucky with such a good group of girls,” said Marcozzi, a former Bucknell University women’s lax standout who has been coaching in club programs for several years. “It was such a small team that everyone had to do anything.”

That lack of depth hurt the Panthers as the fifth-seeded Panthers fell 14-9 to fourth-seeded to Saddle River Day in the quarterfinal round of the New Jersey Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Non-Public Group B tournament. more

Smoyer Park Field Dedicated in Honor of Tommy Parker As Event Draws Cross Section of Princeton Community

FAMILY AFFAIR: Tommy Parker, center, the longtime manager of the Princeton Post 218 American Legion baseball team, enjoys the moment with members of his family last Thursday afternoon as the baseball field at Barbara Smoyer Park was dedicated in his honor. The dedication was memorialized by the unveiling of a plaque citing Parker’s “hard work and dedication to the lives of Princeton’s youth,” listing his contributions as founder/GM/coach of Post 218 from 1990-2022, a longtime coach of youth baseball and youth football, and a local leader in civil rights, worker rights, and youth athletics. It marks the first time that Princeton has dedicated a field in someone’s honor. (Photo provided courtesy of Princeton Recreation Department)

By Bill Alden

With the sun shining brightly midway through last Thursday afternoon, the soccer fields and baseball diamond at Barbara Smoyer Park were quiet with practices and games hours away.

But there was a buzz around the pavilion building in the center of the park as a crowd of around 100 had gathered to honor Tommy Parker, one of the shining stars of the Princeton community.

The throng was on hand for a ceremony dedicating the park’s baseball field in the honor of Parker, the longtime manager of the Post 218 American Legion baseball team and a community activist. The dedication was memorialized by the unveiling of a plaque citing Thomas A. Parker’s “hard work and dedication to the lives of Princeton’s youth,” listing his contributions as founder/general manager/coach of Post 218 from 1990-2022, longtime coach of youth baseball and youth football, and local leader in civil rights, worker rights, and youth athletics. more

Kane Stars For Princeton Supply in Summer Hoops As Defending Champs Top Lob City in Season Opener

IRON MIKE: Mike Kane of Princeton Supply looks to unload the ball during a 2023 game in the Princeton Recreation Department Men’s Summer Basketball League. Last Friday night, Kane tallied 14 points to help Princeton Supply defeat Lob City 61-52 in its season opener. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Mike Kane enjoyed a superb career with the Drew University men’s basketball team and a memorable graduate season this winter for Widener.

Former Notre Dame High standout Kane totaled 698 points in his four seasons at Drew and then averaged 7.5 points and 3.3 rebounds a game this winter as he helped Widener go 24-5 and advance to the Round of 32 in the NCAA Division III tournament.

But while Kane produced many highlight moments in his college career, taking the court last Friday night for Princeton Supply as it faced Lob City to open its campaign in the Princeton Recreation Department Men’s Summer Basketball League held a special meaning for him. more

Princeton Post 218 Baseball Gets Off to Rough Start, But Squad Staying Upbeat as it Deals with Adversity

SWINGING AWAY: Princeton Post 218 American Legion baseball player Travis Petrone follows through on a swing in recent action. Last Monday, Petrone, a rising Princeton High senior, had a hit in a losing cause as Post 218 fell 7-1 to Hamilton Post 31. Princeton, which moved to 0-9 with the defeat, hosts Bordentown Post 26 on June 19, plays at North Hamilton on June 21, hosts Lawrence Post 414 on June 22, plays at Broad Street Park Post 313 on June 23, and at Allentown on June 25. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Having lost its first six games this summer, the Princeton Post 218 American Legion baseball team was primed for a breakthrough as it hosted Broad Street Park Post 313 last Thursday evening at Smoyer Park.

“It has been a tough stretch coming into this game,” said Post 218 manager Peter Nielsen. “I see the hunger in these kids. They are ready to get that first win.”

Post 218 built a 2-1 lead heading into the fourth inning on run-scoring hits by Mike Prete and Gavin Lauer. more

June 12, 2024

Please Touch

Kid-friendly activities including an instrument petting zoo, musical crafts, a large toe-tap piano, and more were featured at Family Fun Day at the Princeton Festival, held Sunday afternoon on the Colonial Lawn at Morven Museum & Garden. Princeton Festival events continue through June 22. (Photo by Sarah Teo)

Princeton, County Plan Juneteenth Events

“LET FREEDOM RING”: From left, Human Services Commission member Larry Spruill, Civil Rights Commission Chair Fern Spruill, and Councilman Leighton Newlin raise the Juneteenth flag at Monument Hall to commemorate Juneteenth 2023. (Princeton Symphony Orchestra staff photo)

By Donald Gilpin

Juneteenth, commemorating the end of slavery in the U.S. after the Civil War, is next Wednesday, June 19, and celebrations will be taking place at Monument Plaza and Morven Museum & Garden in Princeton, at various other venues in Central Jersey, and across the nation.

Events are also scheduled in the area for Saturday, June 15, with additional celebrations over the weekend of June 22-23.

It was on June 19, 1865, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation, that enslaved African Americans in Texas were told they were free. African Americans have celebrated that day since the late 1800s, and in 2021 Juneteenth, on June 19, officially became a national holiday. The holiday is also called Juneteenth Independence Day, Freedom Day, or Emancipation Day. more

Johnson Trolley Corridor is Subject of Study at Information Session

By Anne Levin

Nearly a century ago, it was possible to travel by trolley between Trenton and Princeton. The trip cost 10 cents and took 35 minutes.

The Johnson Trolley, also known as the Princeton-Lawrenceville-Trenton Fast Line, took travelers between Witherspoon Street near Nassau Street and North Willow Street in Trenton. The Trenton-Princeton Traction Company ran the trolley through this corridor from 1902 to 1940.

In recent years, it has been known as the Johnson Trolley Trail, part of the vast regional network of Circuit Trails used for biking, walking, and running. It is the subject of a public Zoom session being held Wednesday, June 12 from 6-8 p.m. by Mercer County and the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission.

The purpose is to introduce the study and share preliminary routes to be considered that would extend the northern and southern sections of the Johnson Trolley Trail Corridor. Soliciting feedback from the public is a goal of the session. more

Beech Leaf Disease Poses Threat to Town’s Beleaguered Trees

BEAUTIFUL AND BESIEGED: Princeton’s beech trees are being threatened with a new beech leaf disease caused by tiny worms called nematodes, which can destroy a tree in less than 10 years. Local arborists and residents are seeking the best ways to combat beech leaf disease. (Shutterstock)

By Donald Gilpin

Just 10 years since the emerald ash borer was first detected in New Jersey, and then proceeded to decimate many thousands of the state’s ash trees, a new threat, beech leaf disease, caused by tiny worms called nematodes spread by birds or the wind, has arrived and is likely to take a devastating toll on the area’s beech trees.

Princeton Municipal Arborist Taylor Sapudar reports sightings on private properties throughout Princeton and in Princeton Open Space. He has heard from private tree care companies that are trying to manage and treat the disease, but he cautions that “it’s still in the early stages,” and a number of questions about the origins and the most effective countermeasures remain unanswered.

“Staff will be monitoring the disease in the open space areas,” Sapudar said. more

Longtime Photographer of University is Subject of Retrospective at Mudd Library

CAMPUS CHRONICLER: This photo of workers sorting books at Princeton University is among those on display at “Credit Line, Please,” an exhibit of photos by Elizabeth Menzies, on view at the Seeley Mudd Library through April 2025.

By Anne Levin

From 1936 until the late 1960s, it was rare to find an issue of the Princeton Alumni Weekly (PAW) that didn’t feature a photo — usually on the cover — by Elizabeth Menzies. The photographer’s contributions, a selection of which are on display at the University’s Seeley Mudd Library starting Thursday, June 13, represent a visual chronicle of Princeton University through the decades.

“Credit Line, Please” features photos on Mudd Library’s walls and display cases. Curators Phoebe Nobles, Emma Paradies, and Rosalba Varallo Recchia, who work at Princeton University Library, wanted to celebrate the woman whom Princeton history professor Julian Boyd said had “the intellect of a scholar, the heart of a concerned citizen, and the hand of an artist.” more

Last Week’s Primary Elections Set Stage for November Contests

By Donald Gilpin

With the wrap-up of the June primary, New Jersey voters and candidates are setting their sights on the November general election.

The national races, with Congress, the Senate and the U.S. presidency on the line, appear to be more hotly contested than the local contests.

Democrat Mark Freda is running unopposed for reelection as Princeton mayor, while in their bids for two Princeton Council seats in November, new candidate Brian McDonald and incumbent Leighton Newlin are so far facing no competition.

In the primary race to represent the Democratic Party in the fall election for the New Jersey U.S. Senate seat currently held by Robert Menendez, Andy Kim handily defeated two other candidates, receiving 75 percent of the vote to 15.9 percent for labor organizer and political leader Patricia Campos-Medina, and 9.1 percent for Lawrence Hamm, human rights activist and leader of Bernie Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign in New Jersey. Tammy Murphy, wife of Gov. Phil Murphy, entered the primary race for Senate, but ended her campaign in March. more

Titusville Native Takes Starring Role in Princeton Festival’s “Cosi fan Tutte”

By Anne Levin

Alexis Peart
(photo by Stephen Laschever)

When Mozart’s comic opera Cosi fan tutte is staged by the Princeton Festival this coming weekend, there is likely to be a substantial cheering section for the mezzo soprano taking the role of Dorabella.

She is Alexis Peart, and her artistic roots in the local area run deep. In fact, the accomplished 26-year-old opera singer cites her first operatic experience as a member of the children’s chorus at the Princeton Festival — in Carmen one year, and La Boheme the next.

Peart grew up in Titusville, in the house where her mother still lives. She studied voice, cello, flute, and violin at Westminster Conservatory of Music. She took classes at Princeton Ballet School. Her family attended Witherspoon Street Presbyterian Church.

“Coming back here to perform is a very ‘kismet’ journey, and I’m so excited about it,” Peart said during a telephone interview last week. “With all that I have been doing, I haven’t been able to perform in proximity to where I grew up. I understand that a huge group from the church are coming. And of course, my mom is coming to all three shows.” more

Celebrating John Wetton’s “Extraordinary Life”

By Stuart Mitchner

Go, seize the day
Wake up and say
This is an extraordinary life ….

Less than a week before Father’s Day, my son and I are talking about the time he fell off the sofa dancing around to Asia’s “Heat of the Moment.” It was mid-May 1983; he was 7. “But it wasn’t the sofa,” he tells me; he’s 48 now. “It was a bunch of cushions I’d piled onto a chair. I didn’t cry, I yelled, I kept jumping around. John Wetton was singing.”

Wetton’s Power

I italicized “John Wetton” to show the 7-year-old’s excitement still alive in the 48-year-old’s voice. In fact, when Wetton sings, the whole world is italicized, there’s no such thing as was; his is the power of is, is, forever is, and the first time I heard him singing Asia’s anthemic “An Extraordinary Life” on the 2008 “come back” album Phoenix, I had to know more about the musician my son had been mourning for the better part of five years. When Wetton sang “Go seize the day, wake up and say this is an extraordinary life,” he had less than a decade to live, after surviving 20 years of heavy drinking and smoking, plus triple-bypass surgery. He died of cancer on January 31, 2017, at 67, same age as my heavy drinking and smoking mother, who also died of cancer and was very much on my mind as Wetton sang of “the smiles and frowns, the ups and downs, of fortune turning … the twists and turns, the lessons learned.”

Asia’s first single, “Heat of the Moment” was a huge hit, spending 26 weeks on the charts while the group’s debut LP was the No. 1 album in the U.S. for 1982, according to Billboard and Cashbox. As Wetton puts it in a 2014 HuffPost interview, “We got let out of the elevator at the penthouse instead of the ground floor.” In a 2011 interview about “Heat of the Moment,” he says that he and keyboardist Geoff Downes wrote the song in an afternoon: “The lyrics are an abject apology for my dreadful behavior towards a particular woman (the woman I would eventually marry, but divorce 10 years later), the chorus began its life as a 6/8 country song, but when Geoff and I started writing together, we moved the time signatures around, and ‘Heat of the Moment’ emerged.” more

New Jersey Symphony Closes Season with Musical Old Friends

By Nancy Plum

New Jersey Symphony ended its 2023-24 Princeton series with a concert of American works featuring two longtime collaborators. Led by Music Director Xian Zhang, Friday night’s performance in Richardson Auditorium included George Gershwin’s immortal Porgy and Bess, as encapsulated into a symphonic suite by noted arranger Robert Russell Bennett, along with Gershwin’s towering Concerto in F Major for Piano and Orchestra with guest piano soloist Daniil Trifonov. Complementing these two American classics was a world premiere of Daniel Bernard Roumain’s orchestral concerto Autumn Days and Nights, which Roumain, the Symphony’s resident artistic catalyst, had dedicated to Zhang.  more

Tickets on Sale for Next McCarter Season

CASHING IN: Rosanne Cash is among the musical artists appearing at McCarter Theatre in the coming cultural season.

McCarter Theatre is now selling tickets for new and returning programs in its 2024-25 season.

Among the events on the schedule are “An Evening with David Sedaris” on October 3; “Encanto: The Sing-Along Film Concert” on October 4; Rosanne Cash with John Leventhal on October 18; The Hot Sardines on November 8; The Moth on November 23; and A Christmas Carol December 3-28.

Empire Records, Ballet Hispanico, and “Duel Reality” are also being presented, among other works. Visit Mccarter.org for specific dates and ticket prices. McCarter Theatre Center is located at 91 University Place.

Black Choral Music for Juneteenth Celebration

Vinroy D. Brown Jr.

The Princeton Festival salutes Juneteenth with a “Celebration Honoring Black Choral Music” on Wednesday, June 19 at 7 p.m. on the grounds of Morven Museum & Garden with free community events offered beforehand in partnership with the Municipality of Princeton.

Choral conductor Vinroy D. Brown Jr. of Westminster Choir College leads a choir drawn from the community and anchored by the Capital Singers of Trenton. The program includes remarks by Union Baptist Church’s the Rev. Simeon Spencer and features Robert Ray’s Gospel Mass, with additional choral selections highlighting the spirit of Black music.

In addition to Robert Ray’s Gospel Mass, the program includes Mark Miller’s “I Believe,” Marques L. A. Garrett’s “Sing Out, My Soul,” traditional spirituals, and James Weldon Johnson and John Rosamond Johnson’s “Lift Every Voice & Sing.” For more information, visit princetonsymphony.org/festival or call (609) 497-0020.

Opening Weekend

Vocalists LaKisha Jones, Nova Y. Payton, and Matthew Johnson premiered “The Music of Tina Turner” in front of a full house at the Princeton Festival on Saturday, June 8, with Lucas Waldin conducting the Princeton Symphony Orchestra. The concert was part of the first weekend of the annual music festival, in a performance tent at Morven, which also included performances by opera star Angel Blue with the orchestra, and Sonia De Los Santos. The activities continue through June 22. (Photo by Princeton Symphony Orchestra staff)

New Take on Shakespeare on Kelsey Theatre Stage

MODERN TAKE ON “MIDSUMMER”: Lysander and Hermia (Jawan Julian of Trenton and Tara Eve Mershon of Lambertville), and Helena and Demetrius (Maggie Gronenthal of Lawrenceville and Zach Caruso of Bordentown) in a modern retelling of the Shakespeare classic “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” June 14-23 at the Kelsey Theatre on Mercer County Community College’s West Windsor Campus.

Shakespeare 70 presents William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream June 14-23 at the Kelsey Theatre on Mercer County Community College’s (MCCC) West Windsor Campus.

In this updated version of the classic comedy, it’s the 1960s in a college town called Athens, somewhere in America, where Hermia loves Lysander, but her father wants her to marry Demetrius. Helena loves Demetrius, but he seems to have forgotten all about her. The young lovers all run away to the woods outside of Athens, and get caught up in the disputes and trickery of supernatural fairies – who look an awful lot like hippies.   more

“Capture the Rhythm” at Ficus Bon Vivant

“KENTUCKY DERBY HORSE RACING”: This oil painting by Christine Seo is featured in “Capture the Rhythm, her exhibition with Matt DeProspero and Daniel Michael Sierechio, on view through January 12 at Ficus Bon Vivant on Nassau Street.

“Capture the Rhythm,” on view through January 12 at Ficus Bon Vivant, showcases distinctive artworks by Matt DeProspero, Christine Seo, and Daniel Michael Sierechio.

By delving into their personal interpretations of rhythm, these artists open a gateway for viewers to connect with the art on an intimate level — almost as if they are immersed in a dance of colors and shapes themselves. Each stroke tells a story, each hue sings a tune, inviting viewers to experience the essence of rhythm in a visual symphony. more

Girl Scouts Create Murals at Community Park North

AWARD-WINNING PROJECT: Members of Princeton Girl Scout Junior Troop 71829 are shown with one of their “Sidewalk Murals for our Community” at Community Park North.

The efforts of Princeton Girl Scout Junior Troop 71829 have culminated in the recent unveiling of their Bronze Award project, “Sidewalk Murals for our Community,” at Community Park North, located between Pettoranello Gardens and Princeton First Aid & Rescue Squad. The troop, consisting of 12 fifth-grade girls, brought their vision to life through four sidewalk murals adorned with imagery of bees donning Girl Scout uniforms and uplifting messages inspired by the Girl Scout Law.

The Bronze Award represents the pinnacle of achievement for Girl Scout Juniors, and Troop 71829’s dedication and creativity shine through in their endeavor. Under the guidance of troop leaders Alexia Salinas and Bethany Sierra, the girls embarked, devised, and executed a project aimed at fostering positive change in their community. With the support of the Princeton Recreation Department, along with paint material donations from Home Depot stores in West Windsor, South Brunswick, and Ewing, the troop brought their vision to fruition.

 more