Author: Web Site Administrator

The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders is looking for artisans and crafts people to demonstrate Early American work and craft skills and to sell their hand-crafted wares at Union County’s 35th Annual Harvest Festival.  The event is a celebration of Early American life featuring music, children’s crafts, games, demonstrations and displays, a petting zoo and much more. The Harvest Festival will take place, rain or shine, at Trailside Nature and Science Center in Mountainside on Sunday, September 25, from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

“The Watchung Reservation is the perfect venue for visitors of all ages to come and experience early American Culture and history,” said Union County Freeholder Chairman Bruce H. Bergen. “Each year this event has proven to be fascinating and fun-filled for all who attend”.

The Union County Harvest Festival is a popular event that attracts over 3,500 visitors each year. By participating, demonstrators and vendors of hand-crafted goods will receive excellent exposure and have the opportunity to educate others about their craft or work skill and the Early American period in general. Examples of the handicrafts and work skills being sought are: blacksmithing, candle making, broom making, shoe making, hat making, jewelry making, and quilting and other colonial or Native American crafts or skills.

For details about how to participate, please call the Union County Department of Parks and Recreation at (908) 527- 4106.

For more information on Trailside Nature and Science Center please visit www.ucnj.org/trailside.

On Wednesday, May 12th, Freeholder Vice Chairman Sergio Granados, Freeholder Bette Jane Kowalski, and County Manager Alfred Faella  enjoyed the spectacular performances of the very talented High School students throughout Union County at the Union County Teen Arts Showcase at the Union County Performing Arts Center.

Freeholder Kowalski and County Manager Faella served as Emcees and were taken back by the extreme talents.  Vice Chairman Granados was also in awe as he watched from the audience. There is no wonder why 13 groups will move on to the State Festival to represent the County in June.

(From left) Union County Freeholder Vernell Wright presented certificates of recognition and congratulated Clarissa Robles of Elizabeth, Queen King of Hillside, Kristina Geiger of Clark, Joe Narciso of New Providence, Sgt. Johnny Henderson of Plainfield, Alexis Monaco of Roselle Park, Lt. Thomas Nugent of Roselle and Bill Ilaria of Cranford on being named the 2016 Union County Municipal Volunteers of the Year by the Local Advisory Committee on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse (LACADA) at the group’s annual volunteer recognition dinner in Union.

(Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

The left lane of the Bridge (NY bound) will fully close on May 15 and May 21 – anticipate 15-minute delay during left lane closure only.

 

May 15 – Sunday

• High Speed E-ZPass closes at 11pm
• Left Lane on Bridge closes from 11pm till 5am

 

High-Speed E-ZPass lanes closed – all day – anticipate 15 minute delays during peak traffic period each day.

• May 16 – Monday
• May 17 – Tuesday
• May 18 – Wednesday
• May 19 – Thursday
• May 20 – Friday

 

May 21 – Saturday

• Left lane on Bridge (NY bound) closes from 12:01am till 10am – anticipate 15 minute delays during left lane closure only.
• Project completed – both High Speed E-ZPass lanes open at 10am

The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders adopted Resolution No. 2016-372 at their Regular Meeting on April 28, 2016 amending Resolution No. 2016-2, a resolution adopting the Meeting Schedule of the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholder for the Year of 2016:

BE IT RESOLVED  by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders that it hereby amends Resolution 2016-2 adopting the Meeting Schedule of the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholder for the Year of 2016, to cancel the Agenda Setting Session of May 19, 2016 and rescheduling said Agenda Setting Session for May 26, 2016 commencing at 7:00 PM. (The regularly scheduled Regular Meeting will commence as soon as possible after the Agenda Setting Session).

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Agenda Setting Session

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Regular Meetings

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Orchestra will kick off Union County’s Summer Arts Festival Series with program featuring movie selections, as well as works from Tchaikovsky, Mozart, Beethoven and Rossini

MOUNTAINSIDE, NJ—The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders is pleased to announce the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra will kick off the 56th annual Summer Arts Festival Concert Series at Echo Lake Park in Mountainside on Friday June 24th at 7:30 p.m.

The Orchestra will perform musical selections from :Ghostbusters,” “Star Wars,” “The Godfather: Part III,” “The Wizard of Oz,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Moulin Rouge,”  and “Batman” as well as pieces from Tchaikovsky, Mozart, Beethoven, and Rossini.

The show is free, and visitors are urged to pack a picnic basket, bring lawn chairs or blankets. Refreshments and snacks will also be available from vendors. As with all festival concerts throughout the Summer, attendees can also participate in Union County Get Fit Yoga program beginning at 6:30 p.m. Bring a mat or beach towel and participate in the healthy activities for the entire family.

“The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra is one of the state’s cultural treasures and we are excited to feature them as our opening act for our Summer Arts Festival,” said Freeholder Chairman Bruce H. Bergen. “We encourage our residents to enjoy the music under the stars, and a memorable night of classical entertainment.”

Named “a vital, artistically significant musical organization” by The Wall Street Journal, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra (NJSO) embodies that vitality through its statewide presence and critically acclaimed performances, education partnerships and unparalleled access to music and the Orchestra’s superb musicians.

The NJSO presents classical, pops and family programs, as well as outdoor summer concerts and special events throughout the state. For more information about the NJSO, please go to http://www.njsymphony.org/

The other free concerts in the Union County Summer Arts Festival series are scheduled for Wednesday nights throughout July in Echo Lake and then in August at Oak Ridge Park in Clark:

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Union County Freeholder Chairman Bruce H. Bergen joined Union County Sheriff Joseph Cryan, Undersheriff Michael Frank, Captain Dennis Burke and Sheriff’s Chaplin Father Phillip Latronico as Sergeants Brian Howarth and Ryan Wilson placed a wreath in memory of K-9 Lorcan at the Union County Sheriff’s K-9 Monument in Summit during a memorial service for K-9 Lorcan.

They were joined by Sheriff’s K-9 Officers Ashley Current, Tim O’Grady, Bryan Frew and Detective Anthony Gialanella.

K-9 Lorcan, who passed away in March, was Sgt. Wilson’s partner. He joined the Union County Sheriff’s K-9 Unit in May 2009 and was trained in patrol and narcotics detection.

(Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders is pleased to announce a free lecture of special interest for adults 18 years and older at the Trailside Nature and Science Center in Mountainside. 

In honor of Trailside’s 75th anniversary, Trailside Museum Association is sponsoring a guest speaker on Saturday, May 14 from 2:00 to 3:00 pm.   The highly acclaimed author Douglas Tallamy, Professor in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware, presents a seminal lecture on the subject of his book, “Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants.”  This lecture will offer critically important insights into the changes we are making to the environment and how we can make positive transformative changes on the small scale of our own backyards.  Tallamy challenges the audience with questions, such as why is it important to welcome insects to our yards and how can we make our landscapes living ecosystems.  Tallamy’s book was the recipient of The Garden Writers Association of America Silver Medal in 2008.  This lecture is free. The author will have books for sale and signing.

“This lecture will offer critically important insights into the changes we are making to the environment and how we can make positive transformative changes on a small scale in our own backyards,” said Freeholder Chairman Bruce H. Bergen.

For more information about this workshop, or other activities at Trailside, please call 908-789-3670 or visit www.ucnj.org/trailside,   Trailside Nature and Science Center is located at 452 New Providence Road in Mountainside and is a facility of the Union County Department of Parks and Recreation.

The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders and the Department of Parks and Recreation have announced the rescheduled date for  year’s “Touch A Truck” event:   Sunday afternoon, November 6  from 12 P.M. until 5 P.M.,   in the Lower Loop Parking Lot of the Watchung Reservation. There will also be a quiet hour, from 11 A.M. until 12 P.M. where children sensitive to noise will be able to enjoy the vehicles on display.

Touch A Truck will coincide with Trailside’s Rock, Gem and Mineral Show.

Admission to the Touch A Truck event is $4 per person, with children 6 years old and under admitted free.

The Loop Area is located just off Tracy Drive in Mountainside, in between Glenside Avenue and Summit Road. It features a very popular playground area for the kids, and the concession stand will be open. Visitors may also visit the Watchung Stable and the Deserted Village of Feltville/Glenside Park. Also, Lake Surprise is just a short walk where residents can see the new damn.

For more information on Touch A Truck, or any event in the Union County Parks System, please visit our website at ucnj.org/parks.

Resident artists of Union County who are 60 years of age or older are invited to exhibit an original work of art completed in the last three years in the annual Union County Senior Citizens Art Exhibit. The deadline for applications is Wednesday, May 18. The exhibit will be held in the Atrium of the Elizabethtown Gas Company, Liberty Hall Center, 1085 Morris Ave., in Union, from May 31 to July 12. All participating artists are invited to attend a reception in the Atrium on Wednesday, June 8, from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m., including live music and refreshments. The reception is an ideal opportunity to meet other artists.

Artwork will be judged by artists Joan Pamboukes, Julie Harris and Peter Lester. Awards will go to first, second, third place and honorable mention winners in each category. First Place winners in all categories will go on to compete in September at the New Jersey State Senior Citizens Art Show in East Windsor. Entrants may be either amateur/non-professional or professional artists. Any person who meets at least two of the following criteria is considered professional:

1. Sold the type of art entered in the exhibition through commercial channels;
2. Exhibited in a professional gallery;
3. Held professional membership in a guild or association.

Categories of eligible work are: oil; acrylic; watercolor (including gouache); pastel (including chalk, charcoal and oil pastel); drawing and prints (including pencil, pen, ink, graphite, and prints such as etching, engraving, lithograph, woodcut, monoprint, monotype, silkscreen, etc.); mixed media (combines two or more media, no one of which predominates; including collage and assemblage); sculpture (three dimensional, carved, or constructed in any medium, abstract or figurative, painted or unpainted); craft (one-of-a-kind creations only; no kits or molds); digital/computer art (art generated or altered digitally using software); and photography.

Hanging artwork, crafts and photos may not exceed 36 inches nor be less than 10” in any dimension, including matte and frame. Sculpture or 3-D crafts may not exceed 20” in any dimension (measurements include any base for the sculpture). All work must be properly labeled and delivered “show-ready” with screw eyes and wiring ready for hanging. Where necessary, pictures must be protected with glass, Mylar, Plexiglas or other clear material. Plexiglas is strongly recommended on pieces exceeding 24 inches.

To receive an application, call Martha Sturm, Senior Arts Coordinator, at the Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs, 908-558-2550, or email culturalinfo@ucnj.org. Relay users dial 711. Completed applications may be: mailed to Senior Art Show, Union County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs, 633 Pearl St., Elizabeth, NJ 07202; or faxed to 908-558-2652; or scanned and emailed to msturm@ucnj.org.