Union County Freeholder Chairman Mohamed S. Jalloh and Freeholder Vernell Wright joined Union County College President Dr. Margaret McMenamin, Union County College Board of Trustees Chair Victor Richel and Union County College Foundation Chair Mary Zimmerman in congratulating several of the students who received Freeholders Scholarships during the annual scholarship reception on the college’s Cranford campus. Nineteen students received Freeholders Scholarships. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)
(From left) Union County Freeholder Vice Chairman Bruce H. Bergen, Dr. Jonathan Lurie of Rutgers University, Union County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi, Civil War reenactor Matt Ryan of Kenilworth and Union County Sheriff Joseph Cryan attended the Union County Civil War Sesquicentennial closing ceremony at the Union County Courthouse in Elizabeth.
Dr. Lurie presented a lecture entitled “The Ongoing Relevance of the Civil War: Ambiguity and Ambivalence.” Reenactor Matt Ryan, a student at the Union County Academy for Performing Arts, recited the poem “O Captain, My Captain” by Walt Whitman. County Clerk Rajoppi is the chairwoman of the Union County Civil War Sesquicentennial Committee.
“Get Your Green On” at Trailside Nature and Science Center’s annual Wild Earth Fest event on Sunday, April 26 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Featured this year, Jennifer Pena of “Flight of the Raptor” will present the natural history of birds of prey. Learn about their nesting habits, hunting adaptations and flight patterns. LIVE raptors displayed may include a peregrine falcon, kestrel, owls and a Harris’s hawk. Pictured above, Jennifer Pena displays Boo, an eagle owl, to a captivated audience. Visitors can join Cyril the Sorcerer as he tells the tale of monsters, magic and too much trash during his magical, interactive performance “Recycling is Magic” in the auditorium offered twice during the afternoon. See a live wolf up close with Vinnie Reo of Wolf Visions and enjoy a variety of activities including live music, refreshments, face painting, eco-art and Recycling Olympics. Admission is $4 per person; children 6 years and younger are free. Admission includes entrance to the “Touch A Truck” event being held concurrently in the Watchung Reservation lower loop parking lot. No pets will be permitted to these events. For more information about “Wild Earth Fest” or any other upcoming programs or events 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 service of the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders.
MOUNTAINSIDE, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders and the Department of Parks and Recreation invite families with children of all ages and adults to celebrate wildlife and embrace environmental conservation at an exciting event at Trailside Nature and Science Center in Mountainside on Sunday, April 26.
The annual “Wild Earth Fest” will run from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., rain or shine. Admission is $4 per person; children 6 years and younger are free. Admission includes entrance to the “Touch A Truck” event being held concurrently in the Watchung Reservation lower loop parking lot. No pets will be permitted to these events.
“The Wild Earth Fest event is an entertaining way for families to celebrate the Earth,” said Freeholder Chairman Mohamed S. Jalloh, “People of all ages can learn to become eco-friendly and increase their awareness of wildlife conservation.”
Featured this year, Jennifer Pena of “Flight of the Raptor” will present the natural history of birds of prey. Learn about their nesting habits, hunting adaptations and flight patterns. LIVE raptors displayed may include a peregrine falcon, kestrel, owls and a Harris’s hawk.
Join Cyril the Sorcerer as he tells the tale of monsters, magic and too much trash during his magical, interactive performance “Recycling is Magic” in the auditorium offered twice during the afternoon.
Glenn “Wreckin Ball” Waldeck and daughter Holly will delight the audience on a musical journey that touches on an array of topics and encourages participation through singing, dancing and other antics. His songs have been heard on NBC, PBS, CNN and the Discovery Channel.
Back by popular demand, Vinnie Reo and his wolves from Wolf Visions, will dispel the myths of the “Big Bad Wolf” and explain their role in keeping a balanced ecosystem. Guests can meet a snake or turtle from Trailside’s reptile collection throughout the afternoon. Ongoing activities include Eco-Art for a nominal fee, free face-painting and Recycling Olympics.
Vendors and exhibitors include NJ Audubon Society, Newark Bait and Flycasting, NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife, GAIA Wildlife Center, Save Barnegat Bay, Sierra Club, AmeriCorps Watershed Ambassador, US Department of Agriculture, NJ Forest Fire Service and much more. Refreshments and wildlife-related art and gifts will be available for purchase.
Winners of the Environmental Hero Awards and the Wildlife Photography Contest will be honored at 2 p.m.
For more information about “Wild Earth Fest” or any other upcoming programs or events 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 service of the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders.
Previous award winning works in the Senior Citizens Art Exhibit include “Keeping Track of Time,” a mixed media entrant in the non-professional craft category by Lynn MacWhirter (screenshot, cropped).
Artist residents of Union County who are 60 years of age or older are invited to participate and exhibit an original work of art in the Union County Senior Citizens Art Exhibit, which features artwork that has been completed within the last three years. Sponsored by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders and the Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs, the exhibit is open to entrants who are either amateur/non-professional or professional in status. Any person who meets at least two of the following criteria is considered professional: a) sold the type of art entered in the exhibition through commercial channels; b) exhibited in a professional gallery; c) held professional membership in a guild or association.
The annual Union County Senior Citizens Art Exhibit will be held at the Atrium of the Elizabethtown Gas Company, Liberty Hall Center, 1085 Morris Avenue, Union. The exhibit will run from June 1 to July 13, with an artists’ reception scheduled for Wednesday June 10, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Following are the 10 categories of eligible work:
oil, acrylic, watercolor (includes gouache)
pastel (including chalk, charcoal and oil pastel)
prints anddrawings (includes drawings with 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 clearly predominates; includes collage and assemblage)
sculpture (designed in three dimensions, carved or constructed in any medium, abstract or figurative, painted or unpainted)
craft (one-of-a-kind creations only, no craft kits or molds)
digital/computer art (artwork generated or altered using computer graphics software)
photography. Please note: photos taken with a digital camera, digitally-altered photos, and images made using a scanner must be entered in the Photography category.
Three professional artists will judge the entries. Awards will go to first, second, third place and honorable mention winners in each category. First place winners in all categories go on to compete in September at the New Jersey State Senior Citizens Art Show which will take place at the Meadow Lakes retirement community (www.meadowlakesonline.org) in East Windsor.
Guidelines require that hanging artwork, crafts and photos must be no more than 36 inches and no less than 10 inches in any dimension (including matting and framing). Sculpture or 3-D crafts may not exceed 20 inches in any dimension (measurements must include any base for the sculpture. All works must be properly labeled and delivered “show-ready” with screw eyes and wiring ready for hanging. Where necessary, pictures must be protected with glass, Plexiglas, Mylar or other clear material. Plexiglas is strongly recommended on pieces over 24 inches.
For a copy of the application, call Nicole DeAugustine, Senior Art Show Coordinator, at the Union County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs, 908-558-2550, or email culturalinfo@ucnj.org. Relay users dial 711. Mail completed applications to 633 Pearl Street, Elizabeth, NJ 07202; or fax to: 908-558-2652 on or before Wednesday, May 20.
The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders announces that its next two mobile paper-shredding programs for personal, confidential documents will be available on Wednesday, April 22 (Earth Day) at Warinanco Park in Roselle, and on Friday, April 24, at Cedar Brook Park in Plainfield.
“Union County’s mobile document-shredding service helps residents fight identity theft and eliminate clutter in their homes,” said Freeholder Christopher Hudak, liaison to the Solid Waste Advisory Council. “It is a cost-effective way to assist our recycling efforts and it ties in with Union County’s other Go Green Initiatives.”
The April 22nd shredding event will take place at Warinanco Park in Roselle at the parking area by the Warinanco Ice Skating Rink. The April 25th shredding event will take place at Cedar Brook Park, located off Park Avenue in Plainfield, near the border with South Plainfield. NEXCUT Shredding of Elizabeth will be shredding documents at the sites from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., rain or shine. The shredding events will end before 1 p.m. if the shredding truck reaches capacity.
All Union County residents are eligible to use the paper-shredding service. In an effort to accommodate everyone, there is a limit of four, 10-pound bags or boxes per person. Documents should not be bound. Please remove plastic binders and paperclips. Paper that is wet/damp will not be accepted. Residents should continue to recycle non-confidential papers and magazines with their municipal recycling program.
Documents are put into 96-gallon containers provided by the shredding company. The items are then dumped onto a conveyor belt and shredded on site. Participants are welcome to view the shredding process via a closed-circuit television. The shredded documents are then recycled, shipped to paper mills and used as pulp. The next shredding event will take place Saturday, May 9, at Alcatel/Lucent in New Providence.
The mobile shredding program is paid for through New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Recycling Enhancement Act Grant Funds. For more information about future events or directions please call the Recycling Hotline at 908-654-9889 or visit us online at www.ucnj.org/recycle .
Union County, NJ – Women who own or manage businesses are invited to attend the third annual Union County Women Mean Business summit on Wednesday May 13, 11:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. at the Galloping Hill Golf Course in Kenilworth.
The full day of workshops covers critical topics for success in today’s business world including leadership and public speaking, networking via social media, and negotiating, topped off by special guest speaker Kristina Hahn, head of packaged consumer goods at Google.
“Union County is poised to gain from recent improvements in the national economy, and women represent an enormous pool of talent that can push the trend forward with job creation and career opportunities to benefit the entire community,” said Freeholder Chairman Mohamed S. Jalloh. “The Freeholder Board is very proud to continue supporting this popular event.”
Union County Women Mean Business began as an initiative of Freeholder Linda Carter, when she chaired the Freeholder Board in 2013. The event is intended to help women in business access foundational skills and form strong networks across the business, government, and nonprofit sectors.
The event has proved to be a resounding success, with last year’s attendance topping 200.
Tickets are $40.00 per person in advance. The fee includes the full program, lunch, networking cocktail hour (cash bar), and prize opportunities including round trip air fare.
In addition to the Freeholder Board, the sponsors include ConnectOne Bank, Atlantic Health System, KemperSports, Southwest Airlines, Winning Strategies, and the firm Suplee, Cooney & Company.
Free Passport Photos Are Available at Union County Clerk’s Offices in Westfield & Elizabeth for New Applicants & Renewals during Passport Week, April 13-18
For a limited time only, the Union County Clerk’s offices in Westfield and Elizabeth are offering free passport photographs as a special incentive for residents to apply for a passport or a passport renewal. From Monday, April 13, through Saturday, April 18, the normal $10 cost of a passport photograph will be waived when a resident applies for a new passport or a passport renewal.
“With summer vacations rapidly approaching, now is the time to make sure your passport is up-to-date,” said Union County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi. “My offices are helping travelers save on their vacation expenses by providing free photographs for those who apply for a passport while still providing a full range of passport services with no need for an appointment.”
Travelers to Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, countries in the Caribbean or anywhere overseas must have a valid passport to enter or depart from the United States. Due to a current backlog of applications at the National Passport Center, it can take six weeks for a regular passport application to be processed and returned to the customer. Even the more expensive expedited delivery option can take three weeks for delivery.
“Now is the time to make sure your passport is valid. Don’t wait until the last minute to get your passport,” Rajoppi said. “If your passport expires within six months of your planned visit, many countries will not permit you to enter. You will need to renew your passport.”
Passport application forms may be obtained at the County Clerk’s main office in the Union County Courthouse at 2 Broad Street in Elizabeth or at the County Clerk’s office annex in the Colleen Fraser Building at 300 North Avenue East in Westfield. Applications for passports and related information also can be found online at https://ucnj.org/Passports.
“No appointment is necessary. Our Elizabeth office opens at 7:30 a.m. and it has experienced, helpful, English and Spanish-speaking staff ready to assist you in any way we can,” Rajoppi said. “Our Westfield office has convenient evening and Saturday hours and also is fully staffed.”
The Westfield Annex is the only County Clerk’s office in the state that is open during evening hours. The Westfield Annex is open from 8:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays; from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays; and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The phone number at the Westfield Annex is 908-654-9859.
The Elizabeth office is open from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The phone number in Elizabeth is 908-527-4966. Clients are asked to arrive at least 15 minutes prior to closing time to allow for staff assistance with the passport process.
For more information about obtaining a U.S. passport, please call 908-527-4966.
SCOTCH PLAINS, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders will sponsor a Household Special Waste Collection event on Saturday, April 18, 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 Freeholder Christopher Hudak, liaison to the Union County Solid Waste Advisory Council. “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 April 18 is available at the Union County Bureau of Recycling and Planning web site: www.ucnj.org/recycle . The next scheduled household hazardous waste collection will be on June 6 at the Union County College campus in Cranford.
The household hazardous waste collection will be held rain or shine, for Union County residents only and not for businesses. Proof of Union County residency is required. For more information, please call the Recycling Hotline at 908-654-9889.
MOUNTAINSIDE, NJ.—The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders and the Department of Parks and Recreation invite families with children of all ages and adults alike to celebrate wildlife and embrace environmental conservation at an exciting daylong event at Trailside Nature and Science Center in Mountainside, New Jersey on Sunday, April 26, from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m., rain or shine.
Wild Earth Fest is an entertaining family event where attendees can learn ways to become eco-friendly and increase awareness of wildlife conservation. Among the events taking place will be a live animal demonstration and educational displays, music, face painting, Recycling Olympics, Eco-Art, a Wildlife Photography Contest, and Environmental Hero Award Winners will be announced.
For the second year in a row, as part of the annual “Wild Earth Fest” at Trailside, the “Touch A Truck” event will take place in the Lower Loop Parking Lot, also running from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m., rain or shine. Youngers are invited to climb aboard dump trucks, bulldozers, police cars, HAZMAT response units and “The Bear” used by the Union County SWAT team in emergencies.
“Combining these two events has allowed Trailside to attract a whole new audience to participate in what has become a very worthwhile and educational day at Trailside,” said Freeholder Chairman Mohamed S. Jalloh.
Admission to Wild Earth Fest is $4 per person. Children 6 years of age and under will be admitted free. The admission price will allow attendees to participate in both events.
Trailside nature & Science Center is located at 452 New Providence Road, Mountainside, New Jersey. They can be reached by phone at (908) 789-3670. Or on-line at: www.ucnj.org/trailside.
SCOTCH PLAINS, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders announces the 2015 mobile paper-shredding program for personal, confidential documents will begin with a visit to Scotch Plains on Saturday, April 11.
“Union County’s mobile document-shredding service helps residents fight identity theft and eliminate clutter in their homes,” said Freeholder Christopher Hudak, liaison to the Solid Waste Advisory Council. “It is a cost-effective way to assist our recycling efforts and it ties in with Union County’s other Go Green Initiatives.”
The April 11th shredding event will take place at the Union County Vocational-Technical Schools campus located at 1776 Raritan Road in Scotch Plains. NEXCUT Shredding of Elizabeth will be shredding personal documents from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., rain or shine. The event will end before 1 p.m. if the shredding truck reaches capacity.
All Union County residents are eligible to use the paper-shredding service. In an effort to accommodate everyone, there is a limit of four, 10-pound bags or boxes per person. Documents should not be bound. Please remove plastic binders and paperclips. Paper that is wet/damp will not be accepted. Residents should continue to recycle non-confidential papers and magazines with their municipal recycling program.
Documents are put into 96-gallon containers provided by the shredding company. The items are then dumped onto a conveyor belt and shredded on site. Participants are welcome to view the shredding process via a closed-circuit television. The shredded documents are then recycled, shipped to paper mills and used as pulp. The next shredding event will take place Wednesday, April 22nd (Earth Day), at Warinanco Park in Roselle, near the Ice Skating Rink.
The mobile shredding program is paid for through New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Recycling Enhancement Act Grant Funds. For more information about future events or directions please call the Recycling Hotline at 908-654-9889 or visit us online at www.ucnj.org/recycle .
