Author: Web Site Administrator

SCOTCH PLAINS, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders will sponsor a Household Special Waste Collection event on Saturday, August 1, so Union County residents can get rid of outdated or unwanted household chemicals, mercury thermostats, propane tanks, and automobile tires in an environmentally safe manner. The household hazardous waste collection will take place from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Union County Vocational-Technical Schools campus, 1776 Raritan Road in Scotch Plains, near the John H. Stamler Police Academy.

Residents of Union County are eligible to participate at no cost. Pre-registration is not required for this special Saturday collection.

“The special household waste recycling program for Union County residents is particularly important as we become more aware of the need for proper disposal of hazardous items that are found around the home,” said Freeholder Chairman Mohamed S. Jalloh. “The result of our effort is safer homes and a cleaner environment for our families and our neighbors.”

All that residents need to do is drive to the site with their household special waste, propane tanks, automobile tires, and mercury thermostats. Workers at the site will unload the vehicles.

“Household special waste” includes oil-based paint and varnish, antifreeze, aerosol cans, pool chemicals, corrosives, pesticides, herbicides, solvents, thinners, fire extinguishers, motor oil and oil filters, gasoline, batteries, thermostats, fluorescent bulbs (unbroken), blood pressure devices, and mercury switches. Only materials in original or labeled containers will be accepted. No containers larger than five gallons will be accepted.

Latex (water-based) paint and empty cans will not be accepted. They should be disposed of in with the regular garbage. Leftover latex paint can be air-dried or, to hasten the drying process, kitty litter and/or newspaper can be added to hasten the drying.

“This is a great opportunity to recycle up to eight tires and dispose of old chemical containers that are cluttering up the basement or the garage, or taking up space under the kitchen sink,” said Chairman Jalloh. “Our homes become safer once they are rid of hazardous and combustible waste.”

There is a limit of eight automobile tires (without rims) per household. This is a household recycling event. No businesses, please.

A complete list of the materials that will be accepted on August 1 is available at the Union County Bureau of Recycling and Planning web site: www.ucnj.org/recycle

The household hazardous waste collection will be held rain or shine, for Union County residents only and not for businesses. Proof

Union County Freeholder Vice Chairman Bruce H. Bergen and Union County Sheriff Joseph Cryan joined Clark Mayor Sal Bonaccorso, Clark Council President Bill Smith, Councilman Alvin Barr, Councilman Frank Mazzarella, Business Administrator John Laerra, Township Clerk Edie Merke and AppleBee’s Director of Operations Kevin Coughlin, VP of Operations David DiBartolo and Area Director Brian Orgodnick at the Clark Applebee’s Grand Opening Ceremony. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

Union County, NJ –  Union County’s free Shakespeare in the park tour of Romeo and Juliet continues on Thursday, July 23 at 7:00 p.m. at Echo Lake Park in Mountainside. Sponsored by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders, admission is free.

Pack a blanket or lawn chairs and head out to Echo Lake Park this Thursday to enjoy the most famous love story ever written, featuring The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey’s Next Stage Ensemble performing Romeo and Juliet.

“Romeo and Juliet has been the iconic love story by which all others are measured. Shakespeare’s most popular romantic tragedy is as relevant today as it was 450 years ago,” said Freeholder Chairman Mohamed S. Jalloh. “This summer’s tour of Romeo and Juliet in our parks provides an opportunity for residents of all ages to experience the most beloved playwright who ever lived.”

Additional tour performances in Union County parks include:

• Sunday, July 26 at 7 p.m. at Raymond Wood Bauer Promenade in Linden
• Thursday, July 30 at 7 p.m. at Oak Ridge Park in Clark   
  This performance is sponsored in part by Whole Foods Market Clark.          
• Monday, August 3 at 7 p.m. at Echo Lake Park, Mountainside
• Friday, August 7 at 7 p.m. at Oak Ridge Park, Clark

In the words of the Bard himself, “For never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and Romeo.”

Written around 1594, Romeo and Juliet has been a favorite of audiences for over 400 years.

In the hot summer streets of Verona, two idealistic teens discover love in a society consumed by senseless brutality. Filled with witty wordplay, lyric poetry, and flashy swordfights, Romeo and Juliet remains one of the most gripping and moving tragedies by William Shakespeare.

The Next Stage Ensemble, the Shakespeare Theatre’s summer touring company of early career actors, is part of the Theatre’s Summer Professional Training Program which offers students working toward a career in the performing arts clear instruction, individual attention, and thoughtful and candid evaluation in a professional theatre environment. The Next Stage Ensemble works with The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey’s resident and guest directors on two fully developed productions of abridged classic plays. The troupe tours to various locations throughout the state – including libraries, retirement homes and community centers.

For more information or for a complete listing of summer events visit ucnj.org.

On Sunday, July 12, Union County Freeholder Linda Carter welcomed the audience to the first of six Shakespeare in the park performances of Romeo and Juliet at Cedar Brook Park in Plainfield. The tour continues this Thursday, July 23 at 7:00 p.m. at Echo Lake Park in Mountainside. Sponsored by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders, admission to each of the Romeo and Juliet performances is free.

Union County – There is limited time to purchase tickets for the exclusive performance of “Mandela: Apartheid to Die For” Saturday, July 25, at 2 p.m., at the Union County Performing Arts Center’s Mainstage in Rahway.

The original work is presented by United Youth of New Jersey – a nonprofit youth organization based in Elizabeth, in partnership with the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders, through the Union County Advancing Community Theater program. The performance is being produced in honor of Nelson Mandela’s birthday, July 18th.

Mandela is an original play, written and produced by Charlotte and Kenny Brown, founders of United Youth of New Jersey. The play tells the story of Nelson Mandela, the former President of South Africa who became known and respected all over the world as a symbol of the struggle against apartheid and all forms of racism.

Tickets are priced at $10 and can be purchased online at ucpac.org or through the UCPAC Box Office at 732-499-8226.

Following Mandela, the UCACT Series continues in August with the following performances:

• The Theatre Project presents “Legally Blonde Jr.” Friday and Saturday, Aug. 21 and 22 at 8 p.m.; Sunday, Aug. 23 at 2 p.m., at UCPAC’s Hamilton Stage.
• Vanguard Theatre Company presents “Hairspray” the musical Wednesday, Aug. 19 at 12 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, Aug. 21 and 22 at 8 p.m.; Sunday, Aug. 23 at 3 p.m., on the Mainstage at the UCPAC.

Union County Advancing Community Theater grants funding to cover the hard costs associated with putting up at production at the Union County Performing Arts Center. Through creative partnership and a holistic approach, the program creates a successful business model for Community Theater, allowing them to provide quality performances while also thriving financially.

For more information on Union County Advancing Community Theater, contact Victoria Durbin Drake, Chief of Staff, Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders, at 908-558-2278 or visit ucnj.org/ucact.

Union County, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders offers a call for entries to all 2D visual artists living and working in Union County to participate in the County’s first Art Outside The Box public art project – a nontraditional exhibition opportunity that broadens and diversifies public exposure to art murals. The theme of this art project is diversity. The deadline for entry is August 1, 2015. There is no fee required to participate.

“The entries for this public art project will support Union County’s ongoing efforts to broaden cultural development through the promotion, coordination, and integration of publicly accessible art,” said Freeholder Chairman Mohamed S. Jalloh.

Offered as part of Freeholder Chairman Mohamed S. Jalloh’s Building A Community of the Arts initiative, a total of nine original artworks will be selected to cover traffic control boxes in select towns in Union County.

Funded by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders, the Art Outside The Box project will provide a $200 honorarium for each artist whose work is selected. 

For further details about how to participate, and to learn more about the project, including entry form, traffic control box locations, reference samples, and artist agreement are available online at www.ucnj.org/artoutsidethebox or call the Union County Department of Cultural Heritage at (908) 558-2550.