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ELIZABETH-Union County Sheriff Ralph Froehlich announced today the Union County Sheriff’s Office has received national accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) through the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police Accreditation Alliance Program.

The award signifies the Sheriff’s Office has successfully met a body of internationally recognized professional standards. The Union County Sheriff’s Office is the third Sheriff’s Office in New Jersey to receive CALEA accreditation.

CALEA accreditation is designed to improve the delivery of public safety services by maintaining a body of standards covering a wide range of up-to-date public safety initiatives and recognizing professional excellence.

“CALEA is the vehicle that will help raise law enforcement to a new level of professionalism,” said Sheriff Froehlich. “I am proud that our office met the high standards of the commission.”

CALEA accreditation culminates three years of intense effort by all employees of the Sheriff’s Office, especially the members of the Accreditation Team led by Sgt. John Diorio.

The Sheriff’s Office accepted the voluntary challenge to meet the most rigorous set of standards designed for law enforcement. During the accreditation process, all aspects of the agency’s policies, procedures, management, operations and support services were examined in detail by the commission including an onsite review by a team of outside CALEA Assessors.

The review team examined various aspects of the Sheriff’s Office to meet 112 standards including training, crime scene procedure, evidence storage, and arrest, search and seizure.

“This accreditation is a testament to the professionalism of the men and women of this office,” Sheriff Froehlich said.

Cranford Police Chief Eric Mason, Harry Delgado and Mitchell Sklar of the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police presented Sheriff Froehlich with the Certificate of Accreditation during a ceremony on April 15 at the Union County Courthouse.

CAPTION: (from left) Harry Delgado, Mitchell Sklar and Cranford Police Chief Eric Mason of the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police presented Union County Sheriff Ralph Froehlich and Sgt. John Diorio with the CALEA Certificate of Accreditation during a ceremony on April 15 at the Union County Courthouse.

MOUNTAINSIDE, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders is pleased to announce that Watchung Stable and the Mosaico Restaurant are joining together to offer the County’s fifth “Date Night at Watchung Stable” on Sunday, May 1.

“Couples, ages 18 years and older, are invited to go out on a date in a new and exciting way – on horseback!” said Freeholder Daniel P. Sullivan, liaison to the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. “Along the trail through the picturesque Watchung Reservation, you’ll visit Lake Surprise and meander through the woods and fields to discover the variety of wildlife active in the late afternoon.”

Trail ride participants must arrive by 3:45 p.m. to sign in. The ride, approximately one hour in duration, will leave at 4:00 p.m. After the ride, couples may want to head over to the Mosaico Restaurant for a Northern Italian dinner since each couple will receive a $20.00 gift certificate courtesy of Mosaico!

No riding experience is necessary; the trail ride will involve a leisurely walk only.

Pre-registration and pre-payment are required, as space is limited. The fee for the Date Night Trail Ride only is $56 per couple for Union County residents and $78 per couple for out-of-county participants. Those wishing to participate should stop by Watchung Stable, 1160 Summit Lane, Mountainside and sign up as soon as possible.

Mosaico Restaurant is located at 1072 Route 22 West in Mountainside (www.mosaico22.com).

Any couple wishing to find out about space availability for the trail ride, directions to the Stable or information about other riding programs, please call 908-789-3665. Watchung Stable is a service of the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders.

Union County Freeholder Angel G. Estrada (center) and Mountainside Mayor Paul Mirabelli (left) listen as Father John McCrone blesses the new basketball court between Our Lady of Lourdes R.C. Church and the Deerfield School in Mountainside. Construction of the basketball court was made possible by funds from the Watts Foundation of Mountainside and a grant of $50,000 from the Union County Kids Recreational Trust Fund. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

RAHWAY, NJ – Many teenagers daydream about singing or dancing on a stage before a live audience. That dream becomes a reality for a group of talented Union County middle and high school students on Tuesday, May 3rd at 7 p.m. when they perform at the Union County Performing Arts Center, 1601 Irving Street, in Rahway’s downtown arts district.

Jazz combos, vocal groups, pianists, dancers and theater performances were selected for the special May 3rd Teen Arts Showcase from among the 4,000 students who participated in March at the 2011 Teen Arts Festival at Union County College in Cranford. An exhibit of students’ visual artwork from the Teen Arts Festival also will be on display in the reception area at the Performing Arts Center.

The annual Teen Arts Festival is sponsored by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders and coordinated by the Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs in the Department of Parks and Community Renewal.

“The Union County Teen Arts Festival is a wonderful opportunity for students to interact with professional artists while sharing their own talents with students from other schools,” said Freeholder Chairman Deborah P. Scanlon. “Students appearing in the Showcase on May 3rd represent all arts disciplines and the municipalities that participated in the 2011 Festival.”

The Union County Teen Arts Festival is an annual two-day celebration of the arts where students and a staff of 50 professional artists participate in performances, critiquing seminars, master classes and workshops in every discipline – visual arts, music, creative writing, theater, media arts and dance. The Festival’s focus is not on competition. It is an opportunity for students to develop perceptual, intellectual and technical skills; gain cultural awareness and understanding; develop personal, aesthetic values; and learn self-discipline, critical thinking and problem solving through analyzing, interpreting and making judgments.

The historic Union County Performing Arts Center, formerly known as the Rahway Theatre, opened in 1928 as a classic vaudeville/movie showplace. In 1984, the theatre was saved by a dedicated group of volunteers and it became the Union County Arts Center in 1985. The theatre, which features live performances year-round, seats more than 1,300 people.

The Teen Arts Showcase is sponsored by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders and the Union County Performing Arts Center. Teachers, fellow students, friends and family members of participating students are invited to attend the Showcase on May 3rd along with the general public. Admission is free.

For more information about the Teen Arts Showcase, please contact the Union County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs, 633 Pearl Street, Elizabeth, NJ 07202. Telephone: 908-558-2550. NJ Relay Users dial 711. Or email: Culturalinfo@ucnj.org.

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For more information on any Union County press release, please contact Sebastian D’Elia, Communications Director for the County of Union, or a designee listed at the top of this press release. Please join the County of Union online at www.ucnj.org, on Facebook at www.ucnj.org/facebook, and on Twitter athttp://twitter.com/countyofunionnj .

Union County Freeholders Linda Carter (L), Bette Jane Kowalski and Daniel Sullivan (R) present a resolution to Plainfield High School Cardinal Wrestler Dawud Hicks congratulating him on all his wrestling accomplishments. In his senior year, Dawud, wrestling in the 189 lb division, won the Union County Championship, the District XII Championship, the Region III championship, and finished 5th in the state. His overall record at Plainfield High School was a very impressive 142-18. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

Union County Freeholders Daniel Sullivan (2nd L), Bette Jane Kowalski (3rd L) and Linda Carter (3rd R) present resolutions to the 2010-2011 Plainfield High School Boys Basketball Team congratulating the players and coaches for winning the Group III State Basketball championship. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

Union County Freeholder Chairman Deborah Scanlon (2nd R) joins Victor Richel (2nd L), Chairman of the Union County College Board of Trustees, in congratulating Union County College President Dr. Margaret M. McMenamin upon her investiture as the college’s new president at the Cranford campus. They are joined by President McMenanin’s brother Stephen McMenamin. Dr. McMenamin of Springfield is the 8th president of Union County College. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

Union County Freeholder Angel G. Estrada (R) and Community Access Unlimited (CAU) Executive Director Sidney Blanchard (R) congratulate Cory Storch of Bridgeway Rehabilitation Services, Susan Ucci (C) of the Elizabeth HOME Improvement Program, and Renee Davidson from the NJ Division of Developmental Disabilities who were among the honorees at the CAU’s 27th Annual Awards Night Celebration in Mountainside. Community Access Unlimited is a multi-faceted, human services agency that provides support services for at-risk youth and people with disabilities. For more information about CAU please visit www.caunj.org. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

Union County Freeholder Christopher Hudak joins Union County Women’s Political Caucus (UCWPC) President Michel Bitritto (2nd R) and UCWPC State Delegate Elizabeth Cox (R) in congratulating Union County Freeholder Linda Carter of Plainfield (2nd L) on being honored at the UCWPC’s annual Notable Women in Politics Reception in Mountainside. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

MOUNTAINSIDE, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders and the Department of Parks and Community Renewal invite families with children of all ages and adults alike to celebrate wildlife and embrace environmental conservation at “Wild Earth Fest” at Trailside Nature and Science Center on Sunday, May 1.

This exciting daylong event will run from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., rain or shine. Admission is $3 per person; children 6 and under are free. The first 400 people to be admitted will receive free tree seedlings you can grow at home.

“Wild Earth Fest has such an exciting and diverse line-up of programs and activities for all ages,” said Freeholder Daniel Sullivan, liaison to the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. “There is certainly something to educate and entertain the entire family.”

One of the featured presentations, “Recycling is Magic,” at 1:00 and 3:00 p.m., will have Cyril the Sorcerer take the audience on a magical adventure. Through the combination of storytelling and stage magic, the audience will become aware of the power they have to help the planet by reducing, reusing, refusing and recycling.

Another featured presentation, “Discover Green,” at 2:00 and 4:00 p.m., will educate the audience about what they can do to help save the earth. This program, starring Rizzo’s Reptiles, will introduce live lizards, snakes, turtles and an alligator, while teaching the audience what they can do to help these reptiles by taking care of our planet.

Wild Earth Fest will feature a myriad of demonstrations and activities throughout the day. At 1:30 p.m., during “The Way of the Wolf,” Vinnie Reo of Wolf Visions will introduce a live wolf to the audience. Then he will dispel the myths and legends of the “Big Bad Wolf” and explain the importance of this keystone species in maintaining a balanced ecosystem.

From 1:00 – 4:00 p.m., “Wildlife Up Close and Personal” will feature naturalists from the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia who will introduce a wide variety of animals from their facility and answer wildlife related questions. At 12:30 and 2:30 p.m., “Up-Cycled Art” will feature Angela Pryor of Useable Art. She will demonstrate how to recycle and repurpose commonly discarded items into useable, functioning pieces of art.

A special opportunity for kids is the featured cooking program at 3:30 p.m. “Kids’ Green Kitchen” is a program designed to introduce children to the basics of nutrition and cooking. Children will learn how to be “green” in the kitchen by using fresh vegetables, grains and dairy.

There are many other exciting activities and demonstrations scheduled throughout the day. Educational table displays and exhibitors include Sun Meadow Farm, Turtleback Zoo, National Wild Turkey Federation, Wild Birds Unlimited, Made with Love Organic Bakery, and many others.

Winners of the Environmental Hero Awards for Kids and the Wildlife Photography Contest will be honored at 4:45 p.m. Wild Earth Fest also will offer ongoing Eco-Art activities, musical entertainment, free face painting, and Recycling Olympics. Refreshments and wildlife related art and gifts will be available for sale.

For this earth-friendly event, Trailside Nature & Science Center has partnered with Second Chance Toys, an organization that rescues and recycles plastic toys to give to children in need. To promote the theme of reduce, reuse and recycle, and to provide toys to children in need, people are encouraged to donate their clean, gently used plastic toys to this effort. Donations will be collected throughout the day.

For information about Wild Earth Fest or any other upcoming programs or events at Trailside, please call 908-789-3670 or visit us online at www.ucnj.org/trailside. Trailside Nature & Science Center, located at 452 New Providence Road in Mountainside, is a service of the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders.

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MOUNTAINSIDE, NJ – Visitors to Wild Earth Fest on Sunday, May 1, will have a chance to see a real wolf during a presentation by Vinnie Reo of Wolf Visions. Wild Earth Fest runs from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., rain or shine. Admission is $3 per person; children ages 6 and under are free. For information call Trailside at 908-789-3670 or visit www.ucnj.org/trailside. Trailside Nature & Science Center, at 452 New Providence Road in Mountainside, is a service of the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders.

MOUNTAINSIDE, NJ – In addition to live animals, exciting demonstrations and children’s activities, visitors to Wild Earth Fest on May 1 will be entertained by the music of Glen Waldeck. The event will run from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., rain or shine. Admission is $3 per person; children ages 6 and under are free. For information call Trailside at 908-789-3670 or visitwww.ucnj.org/trailside Trailside Nature & Science Center, located at 452 New Providence Road in Mountainside, is a service of the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders.