County of Union, New Jersey

Union County, NJ — The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders invites everyone to come out to Union County’s Watchung Stable, located in the Watchung Reservation in Mountainside, and enjoy the 86th Annual Spring Troop Show beginning on Friday, May 24.

“The equestrian arts have been a Union County tradition since 1933, and the Freeholder Board is very proud to continue Watchung Stable as an affordable, inclusive resource for residents of all skill levels,” said Freeholder Chair Bette Jane Kowalski.

The Spring Troop Show features riding competition events throughout the weekend, with trophies awarded to the best in a number of equestrian categories. Competition will take place for pre-teens, teenagers and adults.

This year’s events begin on Friday, May 24 from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and continue through Saturday May 25 and Sunday May 26, from 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. both days.

On Saturday, there will also be a special drill team performance at approximately 11:15 a.m.

Admission to the Spring Troop Show is free, however, please note that no dogs will be allowed on the premises during the show.

Watchung Stable is located at 1160 Summit Lane in Mountainside. The facility is run by the Union County Department of Parks and Recreation.

One of the few public riding stables remaining in New Jersey, Watchung Stable offers both indoor and outdoor riding, including 26 miles of bridle paths in the Watchung Stables.

Visitors are welcome to tour the facility any time during regular business hours. Scheduled guided tours and programs are also available for Scouts, pre-schools, senior citizens, and organizations serving people with disabilities, and birthday party bookings are available for children under age 9.

For more information about riding lessons, equestrian programs, or visiting the stable complex, call Watchung Stable at 908-789-3665, e-mail stablequestions@ucnj.org, or visit online at  ucnj.org/parks-recreation/watchung-stable.

 

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For all Union County programs and services visit ucnj.org, call the Public Info Line, 877-424-1234, email info@ucnj.org or use the online Contact Form.

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Union County, NJ – The Union County Women Mean Business annual skill building seminar and networking event has brought hundreds of women business owners, managers and entrepreneurs together since launching in 2012. This year’s event will be held on Wednesday, May 22 at the Clubhouse at Union County’s Galloping Hill Golf Course in Kenilworth, from 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Registration is required online at ucnj.org/ucmb, and is open until Tuesday, May 21.

“The Freeholder Board is very proud to host this event each year, in support of women who make a difference in the economic life of our community and in our social fabric as well,” said Freeholder Chair Bette Jane Kowalski.

The keynote speaker this year is Linda Wellbrock, founder of Leading Women Entrepreneurs, and Secretary of the Climate Reality Action Fund.

The 2019 sponsors are JCT Solutions as Diamond Sponsor, along with KemperSports, Winning Strategies Washington, Suplee, Clooney & Company, Tropic Tinting and Southwest.

This year’s event partners Union County with the organization Period, which works nationally to collect and distribute menstrual products for women in need. Attendees who bring a box of tampons or pads for donation will receive an extra raffle ticket and have their donation matched by ShopRite of Clark.

ShopRite of Clark has generously donated 300 items, ensuring that every attendee contribution is matched.

A modest fee of $40 includes breakfast, lunch, networking time, breakout sessions lead by experts in brand building and personal development, giveaways, and chances to win prizes.

More details about Union County Women Mean Business are available online at ucnj.org/ucmb.

For all Union County programs and services visit ucnj.org, call the Public Info Line, 877-424-1234, email info@ucnj.org or use the online Contact Form.

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Union County, NJ – Union County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi announces that sample ballots for the June 4 Primary Election are now available on the Union County Votes mobile app for Apple and Android devices, and on the County Clerk’s election website at unioncountyvotes.com.

“My office will begin mailing sample ballots by U.S. Mail on Tuesday, May 21st to each voter. The online posting is an additional service that enables each voter to obtain the same information through the convenience of their desktop or mobile devices,” explained Ms. Rajoppi.

Ms. Rajoppi also reminded Union County residents that any registered voter can cast their vote early for any reason, by using a Vote-By-Mail ballot.

Voters should allow 3-5 business days to mail their ballot back in time to be counted on Primary Day.

Voters can also use the County Clerk’s convenient One-Stop service to fill out their ballot and cast it in a secure collection box, all in the same visit.

Under a new state law, voters who opt to use the One-Stop service will need to show a New Jersey driver’s license or other New Jersey ID that provides their name, address and photo.

For complete details on all County Clerk election services, including Vote-By-Mail deadlines and extended office hours for One-Stop service, call 908-527-4996, download the free Union County Votes app or visit online at unioncountyvotes.com.

For additional services including passports and land records visit the main County Clerk website, ucnj.org/county-clerk or call 908-527-4787.

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Union County Freeholder Chair Bette Jane Kowalski and Freeholders Kimberly Palmieri-Mouded and Andrea Staten present resolutions of congratulations to the winners of the 2019 Union County Arbor Day “Young Writers of Union County” poetry contest. The 2019 winners are:

4th Grade

• 1st Place –Adriana Fernandez, School No. 5, Linden
• 2nd Place – Max Markho, Saint Bartholomew Academy, Scotch Plains
• 3rd Place – Sharika Dhar, Mountain Park School, Berkeley Heights

5th Grade

• 1st Place –Arianna Kaban, Jefferson School, Westfield
• 2nd Place – Declan Corrigan, Holy Trinity, Westfield
• 3rd Place – Leo Quinonez Ruggiero, Lincoln School, Garwood

6th Grade

• 1st Place –Adam Schupak, Lincoln School, Garwood
• 2nd Place – Richard Howard, Lincoln School, Garwood
• 3rd Place – Annelyse Zaccaria, Holy Trinity School, Westfield

7th Grade  

• 1st Place –Alyssa Schlauberg, Lincoln School, Garwood
• 2nd Place – Jackie Link, Edison Intermediate School, Westfield
• 3rd Place – Caroline Kircher, Edison Intermediate School, Westfield

8th Grade

• 1st Place –Kelly Hanratty, Deerfield Middle School, Mountainside
• 2nd Place – Aeden Paredes, Lincoln School, Garwood
• 3rd Place – Mackenzie Cruz, Lincoln School, Garwood

All contestants ranging from grade 4 through grade 8 prepared an original work in an effort to promote Arbor Day and creatively show the importance of trees in Union County.

(Photos by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

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Union County, NJ – The Union County Board of Elections has added additional dates to the schedule of hands-on public demonstrations for Union County’s new ExpressVote XL voting machines this spring.

Voters in Westfield and eight other municipalities will use the new machines starting with the Primary Election on June 4, and the remaining 12 municipalities will use them starting with the General Election in November.

All demonstrations are open to all Union County residents, voters and non-voters alike, on a walk in basis.

Weekly demonstrations are being held every Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Colleen Fraser Building in the Union County Complex at 300 North Avenue East in Westfield.

Weekly demonstrations are also available every Tuesday from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on the first floor of the Union County Court House, at 2 Broad Street in Elizabeth.

The updated list of one-day demonstrations is as follows:

• May 14 – Union Township Municipal Building, 1976 Morris Avenue, 3:00 pm – 7:00 pm
• May 16 – Mountainside Public Library, 1 Constitution Plaza, 3:00 pm – 7:30 pm
• May 19 – Kenilworth Street Fair, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
• May 21 – Winfield Municipal Building, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm            
• May 22 – Union Township Municipal Building, 1976 Morris Avenue 3:00 pm – 7:00 pm
• May 23 – Berkeley Heights Public Library, 110 Roosevelt Avenue, 12:00 pm – 8:00 pm
• May 24 – Garwood Public Library, 411 Third Avenue, 9:00 am -4:00 pm
• May 30 – Elizabeth Public Library, Elizabethport Branch, 101-110 3rd Street, 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm
• June 1 – Rhythm & Blues by the Brook free public music festival at Cedar Brook Park, Plainfield 12:00 pm – 7:00 pm
• June 2 – Garwood Rocks (Greater Westfield Chamber of Commerce), Center Street, Garwood 10:00 am – 6:00 pm

In addition, a demonstration will be held during the annual Union County Women Mean Business seminar and networking event at The Clubhouse at Galloping Hill in Kenilworth on May 22. Registration for the event is required at ucnj.org/ucmb/2019.

The new ExpressVote XL voting machines will be rolled out in two stages for the Primary and General elections.

Voters in Berkeley Heights, Elizabeth, Fanwood, Garwood, Kenilworth, Mountainside, Union and Winfield will use the new machines for the 2019 Primary Election on June 4. Westfield will continue to use the new voting machines, following the successful pilot program last year.

Voters in Clark, Cranford, Hillside, Linden, New Providence, Plainfield, Rahway, Roselle, Roselle Park, Scotch Plains, Springfield and Summit will use the new machines for the 2019 General Election in November.

For schedule updates and a video demonstration of the new machines, visit the Board of Elections online at ucnj.org/board-of-elections.

For additional information, or to schedule a demonstration for civic organizations and community groups, visit the Board of Elections online at ucnj.org/board-of-elections or call 908-527-4123.

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For all Union County programs and services visit ucnj.org, call the Public Info Line, 877-424-1234, email info@ucnj.org or use the online Contact Form.

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Union County, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders is proud to host the second annual LGBTQ Pride Flag Raising Ceremony event on Friday, June 7 at 1:00 p.m. on the steps of the Union County Courthouse located at 2 Broad Street in Elizabeth. The event is free and all residents are invited to attend.

“Raising the rainbow flag at the County Courthouse is a significant symbol of inclusion and support for the equal rights of LGBTQ people in Union County,” said Freeholder Chair Bette Jane Kowalski. “This year’s ceremony will honor the legacy of activists who transformed the gay rights movement into a widespread protest for equal rights and acceptance.”

2019 is a historic year for the LGBTQ community as it marks the 50^th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising. The Freeholder Board honors Stonewall’s 50th anniversary while recognizing that the milestones achieved in the LGBTQ rights and equality movement were made possible by trailblazers who first stood up for their rights.

The flag raising ceremony will feature a tribute to the early transgender, gay rights and AIDS activist, Marsha P. Johnson, a 1963 graduate of Elizabeth High School, highlighting her insistence on the urgency of resistance to advance civil rights protections for LGBTQ people. As Ms. Johnson said, “You never completely have your rights, one person, until you have all your rights.”

The ceremony will also feature a performance by students of Elizabeth’s Thomas Jefferson Arts Academy Acapella Chorus, coordinated by counselors of the Youth Enrichment Services Program.

“In the face of the sinister and systematic attacks by the current administration in Washington on the civil rights of LGBTQ people in key areas of life, the unity found through Pride events is essential to increasing awareness and advancing civil rights protections for LGBTQ individuals,” said Freeholder Rebecca Williams, liaison to the Freeholder’s LGBTQ Ad Hoc Committee.

The “Pride Flag” was popularized as a symbol of the gay community by San Francisco artist Gilbert Baker in 1978 at the request of LGBT rights activist Harvey Milk, who challenged Baker to create “an insignia of pride capable of affirming social independence.”

In the late 1980’s Baker noted the meaning the Pride Flag has come to signify when he said, “The flag is an action – it’s more than just the cloth and the stripes. When a person puts the Rainbow Flag on his car or his house, they’re not just flying a flag. They’re taking action.”

Today, the Pride Flag is globally used to further the movement towards equal rights.

In recognition of June as LGBTQ Pride month, the Freeholder Board is also proud to host a series of events to foster inclusion and accelerate acceptance in the Union County community, including TEEN PRIDE (June 14), UC PRIDE in the Park (June 15), Union County SAGE Table (June 23) and PRIDE Night with the Red Bulls (June 28).

The Freeholder Board is proud to support all 21 Union County municipalities hosting a community LGBTQ PRIDE flag raising event with a free “PRIDE in a Box” kit in support of pride, inclusion and acceptance throughout Union County.

Each kit includes a sample PRIDE Month Proclamation, Union County PRIDE posters, Union County Office of LGBTQ Affairs brochures, a 3’ x 5’ LGBTQ PRIDE Flag, 4” x 6” mini LGBTQ PRIDE Flags, Rainbow lapel ribbons, and Rainbow UC PRIDE Temporary Tattoos.

To request a free PRIDE in a Box, complete the registration form online at ucnj.org/pride.

For more information about all PRIDE events and activities hosted by the Freeholder Board visit ucnj.org/pride.

Union County’s Pride month events are organized by the Office of LGBTQ Affairs, and presented in partnership with WellCare Health Plans, Xfinity and Atlantic Health System.

Union County’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs, under the Department of Economic Development, was established by the Freeholder Board in 2018 and is the first and only county government office of its kind in the State of New Jersey.

The Office of LGBTQ Affairs provides a platform for leadership and collaboration to support equality, and serves as a catalyst for advocacy, awareness and action on current and emerging issues that impact the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer individuals.

For more information about the Office of LGBTQ Affairs, contact Danni Newbury, Coordinator, at 908-527-4742 or dnewbury@ucnj.org or visit ucnj.org/LGBTQ.

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For all Union County programs and services visit ucnj.org, call the Public Info Line, 877-424-1234, email info@ucnj.org or use the online Contact Form.

Connect with Union County on social media.

 

 

Union County Freeholder Chair Bette Jane Kowalski joined Union County Department of Human Services Director Debbie-Ann Anderson, Division on Aging Director Frances Benson and Division on Aging Assistant Director Natalie Zarillo as the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders announced that it has declared May as “Older Americans Month,” joining communities across the nation to celebrate its older residents.

“Union County’s seniors, about 20 percent of the total population, have raised families and worked while serving as volunteers with the PTA, scouts, church and community groups, or in the military,” stated Freeholder Chair Kowalski. “For all the contributions they have made, and continue to make, our seniors deserve this special recognition.”

(Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)