September 18, 2024

New Advocacy Group Seeks Community Input on Civil Rights Issues

By Donald Gilpin

About 35 local residents, seeking to sharpen the community’s focus on civil rights, have founded a new organization called Civil Rights Princeton (CRP).

“Civil Rights Princeton is a citizens advocacy group intending to serve the cause of civil rights in Princeton, as a sounding board and information source, and, when needed, an advocate and mediator for victims of discrimination in our community,” wrote Walter Bliss, a member of the group and a longtime local resident.

So far the committee has been meeting monthly with an agenda generated mostly by questions brought up by members of the group.

“We’re brand new,” said Lew Maltby, CRP chair and chief organizer. “Nobody knows we’re here. We think that once people know we’re here, they’ll bring complaints to us.” Individuals with concerns, questions or complaints should contact CRP at maltbyadr@gmail.com, he added. more

Noom Moves to New Headquarters in Palmer Square Office Building

By Anne Levin

Noom, the digital health and wellness company known for its psychology-based weight loss program, has moved into a 9,000-square-foot space at 1 Palmer Square. The company also has offices at 5 Penn Plaza in New York City.

Last Thursday, September 12, was move-in day for the company, coinciding with its introduction of Noom GLP-1 Rx, which combines an injectable weight loss drug with a way to taper off of it.

The program “addresses the biggest real-world problems with GLP-1s: poor persistence and lean muscle mass loss,” said Chief Executive Officer Geoff Cook in a press release. “Evidence demonstrates the vast majority of people, six out of seven, are not on these medications forever. They lose lean muscle mass and regain the weight, risking conditions like sarcopenic obesity, leaving them potentially worse off than before they started the medication. People need affordable access to these important medications, and then they need an offramp off of them. We designed Noom to be that offramp. Our goal is not to sell more medications; it’s to achieve sustainable, lasting weight loss for our members.” more

Princeton Society of Musical Amateurs Celebrates 90th Anniversary This Season

FOR THE JOY OF SINGING: Members of the Princeton Society of Musical Amateurs gather each month to sing choral works under the batons of area conductors. There are no rehearsals or auditions, and all are welcome to sing or just listen.

By Anne Levin

At its founding in 1935, the Princeton Society of Musical Amateurs (PSMA) was a small club, hosted by Princeton University’s Music Department. At informal Sunday afternoon meetings, about 20 people gathered to sing selections of choral literature. Accompaniment was by a single pianist.

These days, the PSMA boasts 266 members. An invited orchestra accompanies most works, which span the choral repertoire to include requiem masses by Brahms, Mozart, and Faure; Handel’s Messiah; and Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, to name a few. Guest conductors from local choruses and choirs lead each gathering. A programming committee plans each season. more

Four New Signs on Lawrence Hopewell Trail Add to the “Outdoor History Museum”

HISTORY AT ITS HEART: The 17 informational markers along the 20-mile Lawrence Hopewell Trail help tell the story of Mercer County. Four new markers — two in Lawrence, two in Hopewell — were recently added.

By Anne Levin

Whenever the members of the Lawrence Hopewell Trail Corporation’s (LHTC) Saturday Morning Walking Club come upon one of the informational markers placed in key spots along the way, the walk halts for a moment as participants stop to take in the history of the area they are passing.

“The signs are important. People love them,” said David Sandahl, chair of the LHTC’s board of trustees. “They always want to stop and read them, and find out what happened there in the past.”

With four more signs, created by Trenton-based Hunter Research, recently added to the 20-mile trail, the tally is up to 17. More are anticipated for next year.

 more

Princeton University Summer Programs Offer Rich Rewards for Range of Students

By Donald Gilpin

“Access” and “opportunity” are the goals for five different Princeton University summer programs, which this year served about 400 high school, public college, first-generation, lower-income, and transfer students.

Targeting Princeton University students as well as non-Princeton students, the University’s aptly-named Emma Bloomberg Center for Access and Opportunity (EBCAO) this past summer sponsored the following programs: Aspiring Scholars and Professionals (ASAP), Freshman Scholars Institute (FSI), Princeton Summer Journalism Program (PSJP), Princeton University Preparatory Program (PUPP), and Transfer Scholars Initiative (TSI). more

Fields of Dreams: W.E.B. Du Bois, James Earl Jones, and the Library Book Sale

By Stuart Mitchner

So the lawyers suggested going around the globe and get someone completely opposite from J.D. Salinger. Not a novelist but a journalist, not a white guy but a Black guy, and that’s how I lucked out and got the role.

—James Earl Jones (1931-2024)

The feature attraction at this weekend’s Friends and Foundation Princeton Public Library Book Sale is a collection of rare African American literature donated by Rutgers Professor Donald Gibson, who died at 90 on January 3. During his four decades as a teacher, Gibson helped establish the study of Black literature as a legitimate university course. Among his numerous books, essays, and lectures is the introduction to The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Du Bois, which is available among the titles in the library’s non-fiction book group.

The Common Factor

Gibson presents Du Bois’s book as “a very personal document” in which the soul is “a common factor, exclusive of considerations of race, class, or religious affiliation, education or social status.” Gibson suggests that the “I am a person and you are a person” principle underlying The Souls of Black Folk shares the “whatever belongs to me as well belongs to you” spirit of Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass.

Whitman’s famous mantra also expresses the foundational spirit behind secondhand books and the sales that keep them moving from reader to reader. That said, book sale patrons will still have to pay the stated cost for each volume, as well as the admission charges at Friday’s 9 a.m.-noon Preview Sale. As a longtime Princeton resident, Gibson no doubt attended his share of these sales, presumably finding treasures like those that will be on view in the Community Room from Friday, September 20 through half-price day on Sunday, September 22.  more

Princeton Symphony Orchestra Opens Season with Towering 19th-Century Masterpieces

By Nancy Plum

Princeton Symphony Orchestra opened its 2024-25 classical series this past weekend with two performances at Richardson Auditorium. Led by Orchestra Music Director Rossen Milanov, the ensemble presented music of two 19th-century compositional giants, as well as a contemporary piece with a Princeton connection.

Saturday night’s performance (the concert was repeated Sunday afternoon) opened with an unusual work by New Zealand composer Gemma Peacocke, currently a Ph.D. fellow in composition at Princeton University. Peacocke has been commissioned by ensembles worldwide, including New Zealand’s Orchestra Wellington and Arohanui Strings. These two organizations commissioned Peacocke in 2023 to create the one-movement Manta, a musical description of the oceanic manta rays which migrate to the seas around Peacocke’s native Aotearoa region. Perceived as solitary creatures, manta rays are in reality quite active, demonstrating acrobatic movements which would translate well to musical composition.  more

Premiere of “Empire Records: The Musical” Succeeds at McCarter; Energetic Script, Score, and Production Deliver a Fun, Heartfelt Story

“EMPIRE RECORDS: THE MUSICAL”: Performances are underway for “Empire Records: The Musical.” Presented by McCarter Theatre Center, by special arrangement with Bill Weiner, and directed by Trip Cullman, the musical runs through October 6 at McCarter’s Berlind Theatre. Above: Temporarily unaware of the record store’s financial problems, the employees relish the relaxed atmosphere that their workplace offers. (Photo by Daniel Rader)

By Donald H. Sanborn III

McCarter Theatre is presenting the world premiere of Empire Records: The Musical. Directed by Trip Cullman, the exuberant production begins with a high energy level that it steadily maintains, even as it breathes to allow for character development that is by turns comic and poignant.

Adapted from the 1995 coming-of-age comedy film, the show follows the exploits of the titular record store’s idiosyncratic but fiercely loyal employees, who form a tightly knit community. The employees’ determination to preserve their community leads them to take extreme, at times comically ill-conceived and dangerous, steps to prevent the store from entering into a franchise agreement with a corporation. more

‘Groundhog Day The Musical” Is Based on Film Comedy

SAME DAY, DIFFERENT VERSE: The full cast of “Groundhog Day The Musical,” which comes to Kelsey Theatre at Mercer County Community College from September 20-29.

It’s a case of “déjà vu all over again” — with a comedic, musical twist — when Playful Theatre Productions opens the 2024-25 Kelsey Theatre season with Groundhog Day The Musical, September 20-29, on Mercer County Community College’s (MCCC) West Windsor Campus.

Based on the 1993 movie starring Bill Murray,  Groundhog Day follows a day in the life of arrogant big-city weatherman Phil Conners, who is dreading the annual trip to Punxsutawney, Pa., to report on the town’s Groundhog Day ceremony. But his frustration with the event can’t compare to what follows, when a storm keeps him in town and he finds himself reliving the same day over and over again. Stuck in an endless loop of arrogance and cynicism amongst the quirky townsfolk, Phil must learn to take advantage of his second, third, and fourth chances to break the cycle and transform his life. more

Cécile McLorin Salvant Presents Diverse Program

BACK AT RICHARDSON: Jazz singer Cécile McLorin Salvant premieres her latest project at a performance sponsored by Princeton University Concerts on Wednesday, October 9 at 7:30 p.m.

After her Princeton University Concerts (PUC) debut celebrating Toni Morrison in 2023, jazz vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant returns on Wednesday, October 9, at 7:30 p.m. to Richardson Auditorium, to premiere Book of Ayres, her latest project combining Baroque music, vaudeville, Sappho, and folkloric material of Europe and the Americas.

She will be joined by her musical collaborator Sullivan Fortner on harpsichord, keyboards, and piano, along with flutist Emi Ferguson, theorborist/lutist Dusan Balarin, bassist Yasushi Nakamura, and percussionist Keita Ogawa — all renowned improvisers from genres spanning early music, jazz, folk, and electronic music. more

Garden Theatre Marks the Spooky Season

This October, the Princeton Garden Theatre will present a series of films to mark the spookiest time of the year.

The Garden’s programmers have scheduled a new restoration of Tim Burton’s eerie Sleepy Hollow; the screwball comedy I Married a Witch, with Veronica Lake as an immortal sorceress; the musical comedy Little Shop of Horrors preceded by a carnivorous plant presentation; the David Bowie vampire flick The Hunger as part of the Garden’s Fashion in Film series; and a documentary on Norwegian painter Edvard Munch.

For young viewers, the October $5 Family Matinee title is the animated creature feature, Hotel Transylvania.

The Garden’s Retrograde series will offer two films this October: the teen-vampire phenomenon Twilight, and the parody comic book film, The People’s Joker. The end of the month will see the return of Not So Silent Cinema providing live accompaniment to F.W. Murnau’s iconic Nosferatu, and on Halloween night the theater will present Dario Argento’s Suspiria.

The Garden Theatre is at 160 Nassau Street. Tickets are available at the box office or online at princetongardentheatre.org/specials.

Welcoming With Music

A “Mid-Autumn Moon Festival Concert” on Saturday, September 14 at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Princeton was hosted by the Princeton Active Circle and Chinese Musicians Association as part of Princeton’s Welcoming Week activities. Works by Guggenheim Fellow composers and musicians from well-known orchestras, Broadway, and the Silk Road Ensemble took part.

Delaware River Harmony at Johnson Education Center

“SERENADE OF THE WETLANDS”: Delaware River Harmony, an event featuring music, poetry, and visual art that showcases the talent of artists inspired by the Delaware River including TingTing Hsu, whose work is shown here, is on September 19 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at D&R Greenway’s Johnson Education Center.

Join D&R Greenway and the Artful Deposit Gallery on Thursday, September 19 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Johnson Education Center, 1 Preservation Place, for Delaware River Harmony, an evening where nature and art converge with the vibrant spirit of the community. It will be blend of music, poetry, and visual art as they showcase the talent of artists inspired by the Delaware River. Tickets are $35 per person with proceeds benefiting the Discovery Center at Point Breeze. RSVP by calling (609) 924.4646 or at drgreenway.org.

Guests will experience a relaxing coffeehouse atmosphere while enjoying refreshments courtesy of Under the Moon Café. “Along the Delaware River & Crosswicks Creek” exhibiting artists Shawn Campbell, Kate Graves, Pat Proniewski, and Alan Fetterman will give presentations about how the Delaware River inspired their art. Inspirational readings from published poets Dan Aubrey, Alan Fetterman, Lois Harrod, Derrick Owens, and Maxine Sussman will reflect the beauty of the natural environment.  more

Princeton Makes to Host Art at Night on Sept. 21

“CELEBRATION”: Jessie Krause is among the artists at Princeton Makes, celebrating its third anniversary with an art making party on Saturday, September 21 from 6:30 to 11 p.m. in the Princeton Shop[ping Center.

Princeton Makes, a Princeton-based artist cooperative, will celebrate its third anniversary by hosting Art at Night, an evening art making party, on Saturday, September 21 from 6:30 to 11 p.m. The party will take place at its artist studios and art market in the Princeton Shopping Center.

Art at Night will be a fun evening of creativity and community. The event will feature live model drawing sessions (with supplies provided), a collaborative community art project, hands-on creative activities for all ages, live music by the Mark Carson Trio, a raffle of Princeton Makes Artists’ work, and more. Refreshments will be served. The event is free. more

“When They Were Here” at Trent House Museum

“WHEN THEY WERE HERE”: An immersive exhibition featuring works by local artist Beverly Keese-Kelley is in the William Trent House Museum’s Visitor Center in Trenton September 21 through September 29.

The Trent House Association hosts an exhibition by local artist Beverly Keese-Kelley in the Museum’s Visitor Center, premiering on Art All Day, September 21, and continuing through September 29. The exhibit, “When They Were Here,” complements the mission of the William Trent House Museum to share authentic stories of U.S. history. 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.

“When They Were Here” is an immersive exhibit presenting a snapshot of those whose stories may not have been told. Keese-Kelley preserves their forgotten tales through an installation of artifacts, providing a visual journey into the past. With flashes of historical moments of untold and abandoned stories about the African American experience during enslavement and beyond, these stories are preserved and the contributions of those who lived them are celebrated.  more

Hobart Art Show Returns to Steinbeiser Farm

HOBART ART SHOW: A sculpture by Steven Snyder is shown in the meadow at Steinbeiser Farm in Fenchtown. Works by contemporary artists from the Delaware River region will be on view in the event running September 28 and 29 and October 5 and 6 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.

The Hobart Art Show will return for its seventh consecutive year on September 28 and 29 and October 5 and 6 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. The event showcases works by more than 25 of the region’s leading contemporary artists from the Delaware River region.

It is held on Steinbeiser Farm, a 26-acre property owned by Paul Steinbeiser, a prominent landscape designer and stone mason who has worked in the Hunterdon and Bucks County, Pa., communities for decades.  more

Downsize, Declutter, Discard, Move Forward With Walsh Senior Solutions Services

SERVICES AND SOLUTIONS: “The goal of Walsh Senior Solutions is to provide families with helpful solutions during downsizing and stressful moving situations. Our team is very efficient. We are professional organizers, helping people clean up, move out, and move into their new home,” says John Walsh, founder of Walsh Senior Solutions. Shown from left are employees Jack Sander, John McCollum, and Celeste Twamley.

By Jean Stratton

John Walsh

“Keep the memory, not the item.”

This suggestion by John Walsh is helpful to many of his clients as he assists them to transition from one living locale to another. The founder and owner of Walsh Senior Solutions in Princeton, he helps families with the often challenging and stressful decision to leave a home of many years and settle in a new location.

One of the most difficult aspects of this move is the dilemma of “excess possessions.” Parting with prized and meaningful items accumulated over the years is extremely hard for many people, and Walsh is cognizant of and compassionate about this major concern.

“Certainly one of the hardest things for people is to get rid of things,” he points out. “Books, memorabilia, childhood toys, all kinds of things. There can be a real emotional attachment, and we are careful to deal with that compassionately. Sometimes, I will suggest that they take a picture of something instead of keeping the item.” more

After PU Football Endured Series of Near Misses in 2023, Tigers Focusing on Detail in Girding for Opener at Lehigh

POSITIVE OUTLOOK: Princeton University football head coach Bob Surace is all smiles as he fields a question at the program’s media day last month. With Princeton returning starters at 19 positions, Surace is confident that the Tigers can take a leap forward after going 5-5 overall and 4-3 Ivy League last fall. Princeton starts its 2024 campaign by playing at Lehigh (2-1) this Saturday. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Reflecting its rich history, the Princeton University football program will be commemorating the anniversary of three of its greatest teams this fall — the legendary undefeated 1964 Ivy League champions along with the 1969 and 1989 league winners.

Princeton head coach Bob Surace, a star center on the 1989 squad who bonded with members of the 1964 team while working their 25th reunion, is hoping that his battle-tested 2024 crew will join the pantheon of Tiger champions.  more

Adding to PU Football’s Tradition of Stellar Receivers, Colella Primed to Produce Big Senior Season For Tigers

COOL HAND LUKE: Princeton University star receiver Luke Colella heads upfield in a game last fall. Coming off a season where he made 47 catches for 620 yards and six touchdowns, earning All-Ivy League Honorable Mention recognition, Colella is primed for a big senior campaign. The Tigers kick off their 2024 season by playing at Lehigh on September 21. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

After making just three receptions in the first two seasons with the Princeton University football team, Luke Colella produced a breakout season last fall in emerging as one of the top receivers in the Ivy League.

Colella hauled in 47 catches for 620 yards and six touchdowns, earning All-Ivy League Honorable Mention recognition in the process. more

PU Women’s Soccer Edged 1-0 by Georgetown As Goalie McCamey Keeps Tigers in the Game

COMING UP BIG: Princeton University women’s soccer goalie Tyler McCamey dives to make a save in 2023 action. Last Sunday, senior star McCamey recorded seven saves in a losing cause as Princeton fell 1-0 to visiting Georgetown. The Tigers, now 4-2, play at Fairfield on September 18. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Tyler McCamey had a hectic day in her office in goal for the Princeton University women’s soccer team as it hosted Georgetown last Sunday evening.

Senior keeper McCamey recorded seven saves, knocked aside several crosses, and faced a penalty kick as Georgetown put the heat on all game long, outshooting Princeton 13-5 overall and 8-2 in attempts on goal on the way to a hard-earned 1-0 victory. more

With Senior Matsukawa Setting Up Powerful Hitters, PHS Girls’ Volleyball Tops Southern in Clash of Champs

SKILL SET: Princeton High girls’ volleyball player Lois Matsukawa sets up a hit in a 2023 game. Last Wednesday, senior star Matsukawa contributed 34 assists, 14 digs, and six service points as PHS defeated Southern 3-1 (25-18, 25-14, 26-28, 25-17) in a clash of defending state champions. The Tigers, who improved to 6-0 with a 2-0 (25-13, 25-17) win over Notre Dame last Monday, host WW/P-South on September 18, Westfield on September 20, and Hopewell Valley on September 23. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Lois Matsukawa and her teammates on the Princeton High girls’ volleyball team were primed for the challenge as they hosted Southern High last Thursday evening in a rare clash of defending state champions.

Coming off a New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Group 3 state title run in 2023 with a core of five stars returning, the Tigers have brought plenty of self-belief into this fall. more

Ramirez Beginning Her Senior Season with a Bang, Providing a Spark as PHS Field Hockey Falls to 0-2

GOAL-ORIENTED: Princeton High field hockey player Mia Ramirez dribbles the ball last Friday as PHS hosted Notre Dame in its season opener. Senior star Ramirez scored all three goals for PHS as it fell 5-3 to the Irish. The Tigers, who lost 8-1 to Agnes Irwin (Pa.) last Monday as Ramirez scored the lone goal for the Tigers, play at Princeton Day School on September 18, at Robbinsville on September 21, and at Hightstown on September 23. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Mia Ramirez started her senior season for the Princeton High field hockey team with a bang last Friday.

With PHS hosting Notre Dame in its season opener, star forward/midfielder and co-captain Ramirez blasted in a goal three minutes into the contest. more

Featuring Offensive Balance, Clutch Plays on Defense, PHS Football Defeats Ewing 20-13 to Notch First Win

IN HINDSIGHT: Princeton High football player Ellington Hinds surveys the scene in a game earlier this season. Last Friday, junior star Hinds made five catches for 112 yards and one TD and a 17-yard run on a sweep as PHS topped Ewing 20-13 to notch its first win of the season. The Tigers, now 1-2, play at Hamilton West on September 21. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

With the Princeton High football team having started 0-2, Charlie Gallagher decided that it was time for some trickery as the Tigers played at Ewing last Friday night in their West Jersey Football League (WJFL) Valley Division opener.

“We started with a little bit of dazzle dazzle, and it paid off,” said PHS head coach Gallagher.  more

Waiting His Turn to be Starting QB for Hun Football, Moran Producing Prolific Passing Stats for 3-0 Raiders

By Justin Feil

Jack Moran limped off the turf with a leg cramp in the final minutes of the Hun School football team’s opening game this season as it played at Mount Carmel (Ill.).

But nothing was keeping him on the sidelines for the ending.

The senior had waited three years for his shot at being the main quarterback for the Raiders.

Moran returned one play later and moved Hun down the field before throwing a 31-yard touchdown pass to Bryce Kania with exactly one minute to play to give Hun a 42-38 win over Mount Carmel on August 29. Moran finished the day with 517 yards passing and five touchdowns. more

Junior Standout Brodel Displaying Finishing Touch But PDS Girls’ Soccer Struggling as it Starts 0-2-1

MAC ATTACK: Princeton Day School girls’ soccer player Mackenzie Brodel (No. 7) controls the ball last Thursday against Robbinsville. Junior forward Brodel scored a goal in the game but it was not enough as PDS fell 2-1 to the Ravens. The Panthers, who moved to 0-2-1 with the setback, play at Lawrence High on September 19 before hosting Steinert High on September 21 and Princeton High on September 24. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Things looked bleak for the Princeton Day School girls’ soccer team as it trailed Robbinsville 2-0 late in the second half last Thursday but Mackenzie Brodel was not throwing in the towel.

With just over five minutes left in regulation, PDS junior forward Brodel got free on a breakaway and slotted the ball into the back of the net. more