Author: Web Site Administrator

The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders is pleased to announce children’s music band Michael & The Rockness Monsters will perform at the Family PRIDE CommUNITY Picnic on Saturday, June 17, 2017 at Rahway River Park.

“All families are invited to join LGBTQ family equality advocates and allies from throughout the state to come out to the park and celebrate family and marriage equality,” said Freeholder Chairman Bruce H. Bergen. “The Freeholder Board is proud to feature children’s funk inspired rock band Michael & The Rockness Monsters with their playful and honest music the entire family will enjoy.”

Come for a full day of free family-fun celebrating PRIDE starting at 12:00 noon, and stay for the children’s music concert. Michael & The Rockness Monsters, an interactive, super galactic – funk inspired, rock-n-roll experience for families, will take the stage around 2:30 p.m.

“As a band our goal is to spread love and write music that celebrates diversity and equality,” said Michael Napolitano of Michael & the Rockness Monsters. “We support one reoccurring message: Be yourself, be good to others and most of all, have fun!  We can not wait to rock at the Family PRIDE CommUNITY Picnic!!”

The children’s music concert will cap off a full day of entertainment, including a PRIDE family equality Rally that kicks off at 1:00 p.m. with special guest speakers and performances. Families are invited to bring hand-held signs that celebrate their family.

In 2013, New Jersey became the 16th state with marriage equality, granting same-sex couples the security of marriage in New Jersey. Since the federal marriage equality ruling in 2015, thousands of same-sex couples have married state-wide and across state lines. A Chairman’s Initiative event, the free Family PRIDE CommUNITY Picnic event aims to reach beyond the Union County borders and invites all families across the state to join us to celebrate family and marriage equality.

A celebration of all families, Union County’s first Family PRIDE CommUNITY Picnic will feature music, arts and crafts, family field day games, inflatable bounce houses, playground fun, and many other family activities. Families are invited to pack a picnic, a blanket or lawn chairs and head out to the park for an afternoon of fun! Food trucks will also be on site for those who wish to purchase lunch.

Families are invited to visit the vendor and resource tables for giveaways and information. Equality and family advocacy organizations will also set up tables alongside the Freeholder Board Information van with general information, and support and networking resources.

For more information visit ucnj.org/Pride, or find the UC Family PRIDE CommUNITY Picnic event page at Facebook.com/CountyOfUnion, or call the Union County Office of Parks and Recreation at 908-527-4900.

Union County Freeholder Vice Chairman Sergio Granados spoke with youth applicants for summer jobs at United Airlines during information and prescreening session at the Union County Workforce Innovation Business Center at The Mills at Jersey Gardens in Elizabeth. The United Airlines Summer Assist Program is cosponsored by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders, the Union County Workforce Development Board and Union County College.

Union County Freeholders Vernell Wright, Linda Carter, Bette Jane Kowalski and Alexander Mirabella congratulate the 10 recipients of the 2017 Women of Excellence Awards. They were joined by Union County Sheriff Joe Cryan, Union County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi and Assemblywoman Annette Quijano.

The Union County Commission on the Status of Women honored the awardees at the 25th annual Women of Excellence dinner at the Clubhouse at Union County’s Galloping Hill Golf Course in Kenilworth.

The honorees for 2017 are: Arielle Cassidy of Garwood ( Health and Wellness), Sally Curci of Cranford (Special Needs Advocate), Maria C. Del Cid of Union (Government), Terri L. Freeman, Esq. of Westfield (Law), Amy B. Herber of Westfield (Lifetime/Education), Marianne Kranz of Fanwood (Volunteerism), Dr. Nell Maloney-Patel of Westfield (Medicine), Kelly Rieder of Rahway (Law Enforcement), Nakera Sherman of Plainfield (Children’s Advocacy) and Ruth Yablonsky of Cranford (Environmentalist).

The Commission on the Status of Women is sponsored by The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders. Each year, awards are given in different fields including education, health care, the arts, government, business, law, community service, technology, humanitarianism, public service, women’s advocacy, and lifetime achievement.

 

(Photos by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

 

Bring the entire family this Sunday, April 2 at 1:00 P.M. to the Union County Performing Arts Center in Rahway to experience the majestic ballet performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Presented as part of Union County’s Sensory Friendly Theatre series, this this abridged, one-hour sensory-friendly ballet performance by American Repertory Ballet is adapted especially for children and adults with sensory sensitivities and other special needs.

Available now, all tickets are $8 per person and can be purchased through the Union County Performing Arts Center at ucpac.org or by calling the Box Office at 732-499-8226.

“Adapting productions to help reduce disturbances at live performances, the sensory-friendly series seeks to increase access to the arts for children and adults with sensory sensitivities,” said Freeholder Chairman Bruce H. Bergen. “The Freeholder Board is proud to help make this Shakespeare classic accessible to families with children and adults of all abilities and needs.”

Set to an enchanting score by Felix Mendelssohn, the ballet brings to life the wit and splendor of one of William Shakespeare’s most popular comedies. Featuring colorful choreography, costumes and sets, the story portrays the weaving tales of cunning fairies, quarreling lovers and a hilariously amateur acting group as their paths cross in a magical forest.

For each of the performances in Union County’s Sensory Friendly Theatre series the theatre environment at the Union County Performing Arts Center is adjusted to provide a sensory-friendly, comfortable and judgment-free space that is welcoming for all families.

Autism Friendly Spaces implements the supportive atmosphere at each of the sensory-friendly performances. For more information on what to expect at a Sensory Friendly Theatre performance visit ucpac.org/sensory-friendly-theatre.

For more information or to purchase tickets call the Union County Performing Arts Center, 732-499-8226 or visit ucpac.org. The UCPAC Box Office, located at 1601 Irving Street, Rahway, NJ, is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11:00 AM until 5:00 PM and is also open late on Thursdays until 8:00 PM.

For information on additional Union County recreational programs for people with disabilities age five and up, call the Union County Department of Parks and Recreation at 908-527-4781 or visit ucnj.org.

 

 

 

 

Get ready, get set, and mark your calendar so you don’t miss the month-long series of Walks, Strolls & Rolls in Union County Parks in April.

As a way of introducing the public to parks they may know little about, Union County Parks & Recreation staff and volunteers will be leading walks, strolls and rolls in four parks, and include everything from birding to a swamp trek.

“The Union County Park system includes 36 parks, with well over 6,000 acres, scattered across the county.  But there is a tendency for people to only know the parks near them,” said Bruce Bergen, Chairman of the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders.

“We would like folks to experience some parks that they may know little about and learn more of what our wonderful Parks system has to offer, from miles of paved paths that can accommodate strollers and wheelchairs, to Nature’s unveiling of spring in the Ash Brook Reservation, where the plants are just beginning to poke their shoots through the ground,” Bergen said.

The April hikes, which will last about an hour, will be on different days and times, depending upon the park. No registration is required and there are no age restrictions. Participants should bring a bottle of water and dress appropriately.

So mark your calendars, and please note that walks are cancelled in inclement weather.  For more information and detailed directions, go to ucnj.org/Aprilwalks or drop a note to parksinfo@ucnj.org.

Walks, Strolls & Rolls will be held at:

— Lenape Park, The Boulevard, Kenilworth. If you’ve ever considered taking up birding, or would just like to spend a morning seeing our winged friends, this is the perfect time of year because many species stop off in Lenape on their Spring migration north. Ed Zboyan, a member of the Friends of Lenape, will lead the walks, which will start from the parking lot at the old skeet range. Walks are scheduled for 9 a.m. and will be held on Saturdays at the beginning of the month, and Tuesdays later in the month, for folks who find their weekends already overloaded.  The walks will be April 1,8,15,18,25.

— Watchung Reservation, Trailside Nature & Science Center, 452 New Providence Rd., Mountainside. Ever wonder what mysteries await in the Res?  Join Trailside Naturalist Roslyn Dvorin on Saturday mornings at 10 a.m. to find out.  These walks are scheduled for April 1,8,15,22.  Why no April 29? Because you are cordially invited to come the following day, April 30, for Wild Earth Fest and Touch A Truck, so it will be all hands on deck to get ready.

— Echo Lake Park, between Mountain & Springfield Avenues, Mountainside.  While these Wednesday morning walks at 10 a.m. are open to all, these Stroll & Rolls are open to friends and family who use strollers, walkers, wheelchairs, or any other wheeled conveyance.  The path through Echo Lake is paved and part of the County’s greenway system, so participants will get a chance to see some of the beautiful areas in the parks system that are so easily accessible. The meet-up for these walks will be at the gazebo and will be led by parks staffer Nicole DeAugustine, who works with the disabled, on April 5,12,19, & 26.

–Ash Brook Reservation, Raritan Road, Scotch Plains. Boots are advised because of the extremely wet ground in some areas of Ash Brook.  The hikes will be on Thursdays, at 10 a.m. and are scheduled for April 6, 13, 20, & 27. Trail Steward Marc Grobman will lead the way through the undiscovered country and explain the amazing environment that also played a role in the 1777 Battle of the Short Hills.

Ash Brook Reservation may well be one of the county’s least-known and most natural parks. In just over a mile you’ll walk up and over forested Horse Hobble Hill, cross Ash Brook Swamp, and suddenly ascend strikingly different Red Hill, an arid meadow reminiscent of the South Jersey Pine Barrens.

Grobman, an Adopt-A-Trail volunteer, has helped maintain the trails here for years and will share much of what he has learned, including the berries that Civil War soldiers used to produce ink for writing letters, a tree once used to make root beer and is still used to make gumbo, and point out the skunk cabbage that produces such an awful, disgusting smell.

 

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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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