Author: Web Site Administrator

Upcoming Adult Programs at the Trailside Nature & Science Center. Sponsored by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders. You can now easily register online for these programs.  More information can be found by clicking here.

Basic Digital Photography Workshop
Saturday, October 10
10 AM – 1 PM | Fee: $45/IC, $55/OC

Union County Freeholder Vice Chairman Bruce H. Bergen and Freeholders Angel G. Estrada, Alexander Mirabella, Bette Jane Kowalski and Sergio Granados joined Union County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi at the Passport Day 2015 event at the County Clerk’s Office Annex in Westfield.

To help travelers avoid the stress and expense of last-minute passport applications, Union County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi invites Union County residents to apply for or renew their passports.

For more details visit the County Clerk online at ucnj.org/county-clerk, call the Westfield Annex at 908-654-9859, or call the main office in Elizabeth at 908-527-4966.

(Photos by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

Union County’s annual free public heritage event, “Four Centuries in a Weekend: A Journey through Union County’s History,” will take place Saturday, Oct. 17 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 18 from noon to 5 p.m. Sponsored by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders, with the cooperation of staff and volunteers at 28 house museums and historic sites, the two-day free event opens doors to more than 370 years of history throughout Union County.

“Four Centuries in a Weekend began in 1994 when 16 historic sites and the County of Union organized a weekend event to tell how Elizabethtown of 1664 evolved into the 21 municipalities of modern-day Union County,” said Freeholder Chairman Mohamed S. Jalloh. “This year you can learn about local military heroes, archaeological sites, bridal gowns, the role of women in the Revolution, special exhibitions and tours that showcase the county’s treasure trove of history.”

Among the historic sites open for free tours, all listed on the National and New Jersey State Registers of Historic Places, are these special programs and events:

• Reeve History & Cultural Resource Center in Westfield celebrates the restoration of the 1870s Victorian Italianate home.
• Deserted Village of Feltville-Glenside Park in Berkeley Heights will host the Archaeological Society of New Jersey on Saturday afternoon in the restored Masker’s Barn with presentations about archaeological sites at the village.
• Deacon Andrew Hetfield House in Mountainside, home to the Hetfield family for 186 years, will feature four centuries of wartime memorabilia including letters, uniforms, newspaper articles, posters and photos of local heroes.
• Oswald J. Nitschke House in Kenilworth plans a “living history” program set in 1898-1924, when the town known as New Orange was home to Upsala College.
• Liberty Hall Museum of Union, residence of New Jersey’s first elected governor, offers 23 acres of formal gardens and farmland, plus an exquisite 50-room Victorian mansion housing 240 years of American history.
• Reeves-Reed Arboretum of Summit will feature tours of the grounds, landscape drawings by noted architects and an art installation, “The Glass Menagerie,” of fantastical creatures.
• Crane-Phillips House Museum in Cranford will present “Here Come the Brides,” a display of wedding gowns from 1880 to 1980.
• Historic Cannon Ball House in Springfield will feature uniformed military re-enactors and relics of the 1780 Battle of Springfield.

Journey on to Elizabeth and visit Boxwood Hall, the 1772 home of Elias Boudinot, President of the Continental Congress; tour the restored Revolutionary War burial grounds at the First Presbyterian Church of Elizabeth, the oldest English-speaking congregation in New Jersey; and then visit the Caldwell Parsonage at Connecticut Farms in Union, an American Revolutionary site, where student docents who are members of the National Junior Honor Society of Kawameeh Middle School will welcome visitors.

A visit to Hillside will bring you to the Woodruff House/Eaton Store, built in 1735, and the historic Evergreen Cemetery, a virtual museum of funerary art. In Rahway, you’ll be welcome at the Merchants and Drovers Tavern, a restored early 19^th century hotel, and you can tour the Union County Performing Arts Center, a beautifully restored classic Vaudeville theatre. When you stop at the Dr. William Robinson Plantation in Clark, you’ll discover a post-medieval English-style house where Dr. Robinson practiced healing with plants and herbs.

At the Fanwood Train Station Museum you’ll visit the oldest Victorian Gothic railroad station in the county and learn about Fanwood’s ties to the Central Railroad of New Jersey. At the Abraham Clark House in Roselle, home to a signer of the Declaration of Independence, you’ll learn about Early American life. In the Roselle Park Museum, housed in the Charles E. Stone Store, you’ll be standing in the first electrically-lighted store in the world.

Authentic 18^th century farmhouses also are open for touring: the Miller-Cory House in Westfield; the Salt Box Museum in New Providence; the Osborn Cannonball House in Scotch Plains, adjacent to the town green and across from the Stage House Inn; and the Nathaniel Drake House in Plainfield, where on Sunday from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m., Stacy F. Roth will present “Over Here, Molly Pitcher,” a dramatic performance highlighting the lives of women who “belonged to the army” during the American Revolution.

Venturing into the Watchung Mountains, you’ll visit the Littell-Lord Farmstead in Berkeley Heights, a reminder of the county’s agricultural past; and explore Summit, with its Twin Maples, a stately neoclassical mansion; the Carter House, the city’s oldest house, built in the 1740’s; and the Summit Playhouse, a Richardsonian Romanesque structure with a 120-seat auditorium.

Children can earn a Time Traveler’s Certificate and a Four Centuries Patch by visiting and obtaining a Time Traveler Passport at any of the sites, having it stamped and returning the completed form to the Union County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs.

For free copies of the Four Centuries in a Weekend tour booklet, map and further information, telephone 908-558-2550 weekdays between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., NJ Relay Users dial 711, or e-mail: culturalinfo@ucnj.org.

Union County – Voting is set to continue this week for Union County’s first-ever Art Outside the Box program; the last round of voting, for the Plainfield edition of the program garnered over 9,000 votes.

The selections available for this round will cover traffic control boxes in Rahway at the intersections of Milton Street and Lawrence Street, Hamilton Street and Irving Street, and within Madison Avenue Park.

The public can vote online at www.ucnj.org/artoutsidethebox/vote until Wednesday, October 7, 2015.

Art Outside the Box is a new county-wide creative placemaking project created to support Union County visual artists by offering a nontraditional exhibition opportunity that broadens and diversifies public exposure to art murals.

The theme for the 2015 Art Outside The Box  program was diversity, and art was sought that not only represented the community at-large, but that was uplifting, colorful, and appropriate for people of all ages. 

Offered as part of Freeholder Chairman Mohamed S. Jalloh’s Building A Community of the Arts initiative, a total of thirteen original artworks will be selected to cover traffic control boxes in Elizabeth, Linden, Rahway, and Plainfield, NJ. Each artwork will be reproduced on a special vinyl adhesive film and professionally applied to the exterior of the pre-selected traffic control boxes. 

Funded by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders, details about the project are available online at www.ucnj.org/artoutsidethebox.

For additional information please contact the Union County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs at 908-558-2550.

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Union County Freeholders Christopher Hudak and Vernell Wright spoke with Cathleen Lewis and Ron Esposito from AAA New Jersey and Union County Traffic Safety Program Coordinator Christine Marcantonio at the CarFit safety check event for senior drivers at the Garwood First Aid Squad.

The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders invited senior residents to participate in the free CarFit event to help ensure mature drivers fit their vehicles properly. The event offers drivers a quick, comprehensive check on correct safety belt position, distance from airbags, mirror alignment, and how well their vehicles suit their abilities. CarFit is a national program aimed at helping senior drivers find their safest fit in their personal vehicle. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

Union County Freeholders Christopher Hudak and Vernell Wright spoke with Cathleen Lewis and Ron Esposito from AAA New Jersey and Union County Traffic Safety Program Coordinator Christine Marcantonio at the CarFit safety check event for senior drivers at the Garwood First Aid Squad.

The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders invited senior residents to participate in the free CarFit event to help ensure mature drivers fit their vehicles properly. The event offers drivers a quick, comprehensive check on correct safety belt position, distance from airbags, mirror alignment, and how well their vehicles suit their abilities. CarFit is a national program aimed at helping senior drivers find their safest fit in their personal vehicle. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders are happy to announce that tickets for this year’s Great Pumpkin Sail at Echo lake Park, Lower Lake, are now on sale.

The Great Pumpkin Sail will take place on Sunday, November 1 with three sessions scheduled. The first session will run from 5:15 to 6:30 p.m.; session two from 6:45-8:00 p.m.; and session three from 8:15-9:30 p.m. In case of rain, the event will take place Monday, November 2^nd at the same times.

“The Great Pumpkin Sail, year in and year out, is one of our most popular events,” said Freeholder Chairman Mohamed S. Jalloh. “Please purchase your tickets early and be part of this wonderful family event.”

Each family ticket is for one Jack-O-Lantern weighing no more than 8 pounds after carving, and must be purchased in advance.  The Great Pumpkin Sail is one our most popular events, so you are advised to register early since space is limited. Each ticket admits up to 6 people. There is a limit of 2 tickets per person. There will be no refunds, exchanges or group sales. The cost is $12 per family up to six people for in county residents. Out of county residents pay $16 per family up to six persons.

Tickets are available at three locations: Weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Union County Administration Building, Department of Parks and Recreation, 2^nd Floor, 10 Elizabethtown Plaza in Elizabeth; at the Colleen Fraser Building, 300 North Avenue East, Westfield,  Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday from 8:30 a.m.to  4:00 pm and on Thursdays from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; and at Trailside Nature and Science Center, 425 New Providence Road, Mountainside every day from Noon to 4:45 p.m.

For further information you can call the Union county Department of parks and Recreation at 908-527-4900; or Trailside nature and Science Center at 908- 789-3670; or visit the Union County website atwww.ucnj.org.

[updated October 1, 2015]

Union County, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders reminds residents to prepare for stormy weather this week as Hurricane Joaquin makes its way up the eastern seaboard. The latest weather reports place New Jersey in the center of the projected track for Joaquin, which stretches from Rhode Island to North Carolina. According to the latest estimates, Joaquin could potentially reach New Jersey late Monday.

“Union County will likely experience some heavy rain and wind throughout the weekend leading up to next week,” said Freeholder Chairman Mohamed S. Jalloh. “Please take this opportunity to check how prepared you are for severe weather events as the hurricane season affects our area.”

Since being impacted by Hurricane Irene in August 2010, Union County has experienced a string of damaging weather events including Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

Emergency experts recommend that every household and business be prepared to spend at least three days without power or access to local grocery stores and other services.

That includes keeping a first aid kit and a supply of non-perishable food and bottled water on hand. Flashlights and other emergency equipment should also be stored in an easily accessible area, and should be checked regularly to make sure they are working properly.

For vehicle owners, preparedness also includes responding to emergency guidance such as topping off gas tanks ahead of a storm and avoiding non-essential travel during recovery.

As part of their emergency preparedness measures, residents and businesses should also check their property and secure lightweight yard furniture, trash cans, toys, and other items that could create windblown hazards.

For tips and resources on emergency preparation in Union County, visit ucnj.org/prepare.

Additional guidance on preparing for hurricanes is available from the Federal Emergency Management Agency at ready.gov.

“The most crucial thing to do is to stay informed in the lead-up to an extreme weather event, and follow the guidance of local emergency officials,” Jalloh noted. “Your preparedness will enable first responders to focus on helping those in immediate need.”

To receive alerts on cell phones and other mobile devices, residents can join the Union County First Alert system by signing up online at ucfirstalert.org.

“When you receive an alert, follow up by tuning in to your local news reports. You can also bookmark the home page of the Union County website, ucnj.org, where information and updates will be posted,” said Jalloh.

Information on the progress of Hurricane Joaquin is available from the National Hurricane Center at nhc.noaa.gov.

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