County of Union, New Jersey

Union County, NJ — Union County residents and visitors are invited to explore the concept of untold histories and participate in a discussion hosted by Dr. Mary Rizzo of Rutgers University on Tuesday, November 13 at 7:00 p.m. at Union County’s Trailside Nature and Science Center, located at 452 New Providence Road in Mountainside.

Dr. Rizzo is the creator of the public humanities Master of Arts track in the Graduate Program in American Studies at the Rutgers University School of Arts and Sciences. The program prepares students for leadership positions in public history and humanities organizations.

“Historical sites are enriched by a more inclusive and diversified accounting of the people, times, and events associated with them,” said Freeholder Chairman Sergio Granados. “It is very exciting to have Dr. Mary Rizzo share her knowledge and insights on building trust with underrepresented communities and bringing their stories to the public.”

Good Intentions Are Not Enough: Telling Untold Histories at Your Site is open to all Union County residents and visitors. Students, educators, librarians and members of local historical societies are especially encouraged to attend.

Using real-world examples, Dr. Rizzo will show how historical and cultural organizations are helping to diversify the history presented to the public.

Dr. Rizzo will also draw on her academic research and her work as founder and chair of the Telling Untold Histories Conference, to address the challenges and ethical considerations involved in developing relationships with community members.

Attendance is free of charge but pre-registration is required. To pre-register online visit the Union County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs at ucnj.org/parks.

For more information about the event contact John Prescott at the Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs, 908-436-2912 or jprescott@ucnj.org.

This program is funded in part by the New Jersey Historical Commission, a division of the Department of State.

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 – A favorite Union County tradition returns this year with the annual Holiday Sound and Light Show hosted by The Model Railroad Club.

The centerpiece of this festive extravaganza is the club’s sprawling, meticulously detailed HO scale layout at the A. Paul Mallery Model Railroad Center, located in a mixed-use area of Union County’s Lenape Park off Route 22 East in Union Township.

“The Holiday Sound and Light Show is a wonderful opportunity for Union County residents and families to create holiday memories to enjoy, treasure, and pass along to the next generation,” said Freeholder Chairman Sergio Granados. “The Railroad Center is a unique community resource that testifies to the dedication, skill and creativity of model railroad fans, and they pull out all the stops for this annual event.”

This year, the Holiday Sound and Light show begins on Friday, November 23rd from 12:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Shows will continue from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on Fridays, from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Saturdays, and from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Sundays until December 9. The last show of each evening starts approximately 30 minutes before closing.

“The show is designed to capture the imagination with a ‘you are there’ feel, and the layout itself is a decades-long labor of love at the heart of our mission,” said Railroad Club President Tim McCollum.

Attendees can stay as long as they like to enjoy more than one show, view an elaborate N-scale layout and other displays at the Railroad Center, purchase refreshments at the snack bar, and stock up on train-themed holiday gifts at the gift shoppe.

For the convenience of attendees with babies and small children, a play and rest area is also located on the site.

The Model Railroad Club is dedicated to preserving and sharing the art of model railroads while providing the public with a fascinating window on the history of the New Jersey-Pennsylvania rail corridor.

The Railroad Center is open to the public every Saturday during the year. Each fall for the holiday shows, the layout is transformed into a living theatre complete with sound and lighting effects and professional narration.

Tickets are available both online and in person. Visit themodelrailroadclub.org/advance-show-tickets online to order advance tickets at the discounted rate of $9.00 for youths and adults age 12 to 59, $7.00 for seniors age 60 and up, and $4.00 for children age 3-11. Children under age 3 are free.

Online sales continue from now until the series ends on December 9, but the online discount rate is only available until November 18. After that, prices increase by $1.00 for each age group. 

Attendees can also purchase tickets in person, by visiting the ticket window at the Railroad Center. The Railroad Center ticket window is open during regular Saturday public hours between 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. on November 3, 10, and 17. It is also open during the scheduled hours of the Sound and Light Show beginning at 12:00 p.m. on Friday, November 23 and ending on December 9.

For tickets bought in person on the day of attendance, the regular rate applies. Tickets bought in person for a future date are offered at the discounted rate.

The Model Railroad Club, Inc. is a non-profit organization that built and runs the Railroad Center through an arrangement with the Union County Department of Parks and Recreation. Work on the HO display began 40 years ago with the construction of the Railroad Center in Lenape Park, and it has been enhanced and expanded since then. Work on a major expansion is under way, practically doubling the size of the original exhibit.

The Model Railroad Club has been a part of Union County since its founding in 1949 by Master Model Railroader Paul Mallery. Today, it is one of the largest model railroad clubs in the region.

New members are always welcome to join the Model Railroad Club. Current members are on site during visiting hours and are happy to provide information about Club activities. Prospective members can also request information on joining by email, at info@tmrci.org.

All proceeds from the Holiday Sound and Light Show go towards funding the Railroad Club’s activities.

Directions: The A. Paul Mallery Center is conveniently situated in a mixed-use area of Union County’s Lenape Park, off Route 22 East in Union Township, behind the Home Depot at 930 South Springfield Road. Enter the Home Depot parking lot from Route 22 East or from South Springfield Road, and go to the far (west) end where the Home Depot garden center is located. Follow a small sign to find the service road behind the garden center. The Mallery Center is at the end of the road.

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Photo credits: All photos courtesy of The Model Railroad Club, Inc.

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 pleased to announce that the disbursement process is under way for more than $4.6 million in funding to municipalities and organizations across Union County, under the Community Development Block Grant program. Now in its 44th year, CDBG is a federal program administered at the local level for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The funds go to improving roadways, social service programs, and housing assistance with a focus on seniors and low income families.

Each year, the Union County Department of Economic Development hosts a workshop to inform awardees on the disbursement process. The Year 44 workshop took place on October 19.

“Community Development Block Grants fund initiatives and programs that contribute to the success and betterment of our community,” said Freeholder Chairman Sergio Granados, who met with and thanked over 60 service providers and township representatives at the workshop.  

Granados added: “The County works directly with municipalities to award these grants in support of innovative approaches and efforts such as senior center programs, local food pantries, handicap accessible curb rehabilitation and more. The Freeholder Board is thankful for the existence of these programs and is proud to support programs that have a positive impact and improve quality of life in Union County.”

The CDBG program includes the Home Improvement Program, through which residents are provided deferred payment loans to make improvements to upgrade their homes to standard conditions. The loans are non-interest bearing and payment is deferred until sale or transfer of the property.

Funds disbursed were used by municipalities for various programs and initiatives. Examples of planned usage of disbursed funds include:

Cranford: Senior Citizens Social Services Program and Cranford Housing Nutrition Program

Hillside: Maternal Child Health Care Program and Buie Center Youth Recreation Program

Linden: Roadway rehabilitation and Home Improvement Program        

Mountainside: Senior Citizens Social Services and Food Pantry/Nutrition Program

Plainfield: YMCA Roof Repair and Disable Care Services

Springfield: Senior Citizens Transportation and Emergency Generator for Freeman Apartments

Union County administers CDBG grants for 19 of the 21 municipalities. The Home Improvement program is available to residents of 17 of the 21 municipalities.

Applications for next year (September 1st, 2019 – August 31st 2020) are currently available online at ucnj.org/cdbg. The deadline is December 7 at 9:30 a.m.. For more information and to learn about eligibility requirements, contact Brandon Givens, Director of Community Services, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday – Friday, at 908-527-4462

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 pleased to present artworks from the 2018 Union County Teen Arts Touring Exhibit, on display at the Freeholders Gallery from November 1, 2018 through January 3, 2019.

The gallery is located on the 6^th floor of the Union County Administration Building at 10 Elizabethtown Plaza in Elizabeth. The exhibit is open to the public from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on weekdays.

“The Teen Arts program provides the youth of Union County with a unique and powerful way to enrich our community,” said Freeholder Chairman Sergio Granados. “On behalf of the Freeholder Board, congratulations to the artists who are represented in the touring exhibit and thank you to all who participated in the 2018 Teen Arts Festival.”

The exhibit consists of 60 pieces of art selected from more than 700 visual artworks shown at the 2018 Union County Teen Arts Festival, held last March at Union County College in Cranford. The annual event is sponsored by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders through the Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs in the Department of Parks and Recreation.

The Teen Arts Touring Exhibit is assembled each year after the Teen Arts Festival. It travels for approximately 10 months to sites around Union County.

So far this year the exhibit has visited locations in Springfield, Union, Linden, New Providence and Cranford.

The next stop after the Freeholders Gallery will be the Plainfield Public Library, where the exhibit will be on display from until February 28, 2019.

For more information about Teen Arts and other programs visit the Union County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs at ucnj.org, email the office at culturalinfo@ucnj.org, or call 908-558-2550 (NJ Relay users dial 711).

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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MOUNTAINSIDE, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders is pleased to announce an exhibit of the selected works of artist Nikolina Kovalenko, who draws inspiration from trees of vanishing rainforests. The artist, who holds a gold medal from the Russian Art Academy, is interested in our vanishing connection with nature and its consequences.

Ms. Kovalenko’s work will be the on display at the Trailside Nature and Science Center, and is presented in partnership with the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey.        

Entitled “Reclamations,” the graphite rubbings represent the unique fingerprints of trees harvested in the Amazon rainforest.  Kovalenko visited the Amazon rainforest in 2017 to document the results of the logging process. While there, she interviewed environmentalists and independent activists working in the area to restore the rainforest.  She took their fingerprints as well.

The exhibit represents a synthesis of her conversations, and the rubbings of the “fingerprints” she took of both man and trees. 

“This exhibit will captivate its audience with a new and sensitive perspective on these magnificent trees,” said Freeholder Chairman Sergio Granados. 

The exhibit runs from October 2018 to February 2019. It is open to the public and free of charge.

The artwork presented in this show is for sale, and a portion of the profits will be donated to local communities in the Brazilian Amazon to help fund reforestation projects.

For more information about the exhibit, please call the Trailside Nature & Science Center at 908-789-3670 or visit ucnj.org/trailside. Trailside is open 7 days a week from noon to 5:00 p.m. It is located at 452 New Providence Road in Mountainside and is a facility of the Union County Department of Parks and Recreation.  

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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.