Category: Public Info

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.

– end –

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.

Union County Freeholders Bette Jane Kowalski (R) and Angel G. Estrada (2nd R) join Union County College President Dr. Margaret McMenanmin (2nd L), Union County College Foundation Chair Carol Hertling (3rd L) and Union County College Trustee Chairman Victor M. Richel in congratulating Ibty Abdallah of Springfield at the Union County College Scholarship Reception in Cranford. Ibty Abdallah was the student speaker at the event and received a Union County College Foundation Honor Studies Scholarship. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

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

On Twitter at http://twitter.com/countyofunionnj

Union County Freeholder Bette Jane Kowalski speaks with (from left) Kendall Ellmer, Carl Sanciangco and Mathieu Papillon, fourth-graders at the St. James School in Springfield, as the students learn how to properly plant and care for trees at the Williams Nursery in Westfield. The seminar for area students is operated by the Union County Shade Tree Commission annually in celebration of Arbor Day. The County of Union provides free trees to schools that have applied for them. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

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

On Twitter at http://twitter.com/countyofunionnj

Union County, NJ – The Union County 4-H Horse Club is seeking a club leader who can help junior high and high school students hone their knowledge of horses, in preparation for the statewide 4-H Horse Bowl competition next year.

If you have a love of horses and a desire to work with students, you have the qualifications to lead the Horse Club. Riding experience and other expertise are not required. 4-H staff will provide all materials and guidance for drilling the club members on their knowledge.

The Horse Club meets twice a month on Sundays during the school year, from September to June. At each meeting, the members check their accuracy on Horse Bowl topics including anatomy, evolution and reproduction, breed characteristics, horse care and management, and riding styles.

All meetings are held at the Union County Building at 300 North Avenue, in Westfield. The Horse Bowl is designed as an enrichment activity that helps students develop teamwork skills. It is modeled on the “College Quiz Bowl” competition.

For more information about this volunteer opportunity, contact 4-H Agent James Nichnadowicz, 908-654-9854 or nichnadowicz@njaes.rutgers.edu.

# #

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 https://ucnj.org/facebook, and on Twitter athttp://twitter.com/countyofunionnj.

Rutgers Cooperative Extension is an equal opportunity program provider and employer. Contact your local Extension Office for information regarding special needs or accommodations. Contact the State Extension Director’s Office if you have concerns related to discrimination, 732-932-5000, ext. 584.

ELIZABETH, NJ – Union County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi announces a new service for voters that makes sample ballots for the upcoming School Board Elections accessible online. The new website access, available athttps://ucnj.org/government/county-clerk/2011-school-board-ballots is in addition to the mailed sample ballot each registered voter is mandated to receive at their home address prior to the School Board Election on Wednesday, April 27.

“I am excited by this new program that we are bringing to voters,” Ms. Rajoppi said. “Preparing to vote in School Board Elections in Union County just got easier. We are the first county in the state to put municipal School Board candidates and proposed budget figures online so that voters in each town can preview their specific ballot.”

Ms. Rajoppi said the increased accessibility will allow voters more time to familiarize themselves with the ballot and better prepare them for the voting booth. The information on the web also is made available in the event a voter moves, misplaces their mailed sample ballot, or the voter is the victim of a lost sample ballot. Students who attend out of state schools also can benefit by familiarizing themselves with the ballot in preparation for voting by mail.

The new online service allows the voters in 20 Union County municipalities (excluding Summit) to access their ballot by selecting their municipality.

“I encourage registered voters to use this simple tool to preview their ballot before casting their vote in the School Board Election on Wednesday, April 27th,” Ms. Rajoppi said.

Voters who wish to Vote By Mail in the April 27th School Board Election must forward their application to the County Clerk to be received no later than Wednesday, April 20. The application is available athttps://ucnj.org/government/county-clerk/vote-by-mail .

UNION, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders will recognize local artists and present awards at a reception on Wednesday, May 4, at the Tenth Annual Exhibit and Contest for County of Union Employees and Their Families. The free reception and awards ceremony will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the Elizabethtown Gas Company, located at Liberty Hall Center, 1085 Morris Avenue in Union.

“Our county staffers do a great job with their regular jobs, and quite a number of them have artistic gifts,” said Freeholder Bette Jane Kowalski, liaison to the Union County Cultural and Heritage Programs Advisory Board. “We thank Elizabethtown Gas for hosting the reception and providing gallery space for Union County employees and their families to display their talent. We also thank the National Arts Program Foundation for funding the prize awards.”

Presented in partnership with the National Arts Program(r), the exhibit offers County of Union employees and members of their families an opportunity to display their art work. The exhibit will be open weekdays from May 4 to May 30, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

“The Freeholders share the goal of the National Arts Program Foundation to reach as many people as possible of all ages, offering them a chance to show their creations,” said Freeholder Chairman Deborah P. Scanlon. “We invite you to view this exhibit of exceptional artwork at the Liberty Hall Center during the month of May.”

The art exhibit will be judged by three prominent artists: Elana Caravela, Kirsten Sejda and Daniel Sroka.

Elena Caravela received her B.F.A. from The School of Visual Arts in NYC. She has worked as an illustrator, instructor, and as a fine artist. Ms. Caravela illustrated two award-winning children’s books, “The Birds of the Harbor,” and “A Night of Tamales and Roses,” both published in 2007. “Portrait of a Girl,” her non-fiction picture book about young female artists, is set for publication this year. As a fine artist, Ms. Caravela has received numerous corporate and private portrait commissions and has exhibited work in a variety of genre and media. She enjoys critiquing for Teen Arts Festivals and teaching visual art workshops in the Summit area.

Kirsten Sejda is a printmaker and ceramicist. She manages the ceramics studio at New Jersey City University (NJCU) in Jersey City. Ms. Sejda earned a B.F.A. from NJCU and a B.A. from Upsala College in East Orange. She also studied at Mason Gross School of the Arts, New Brunswick; the Art Students League, New York; Greenwich House of Pottery, New York; the duCret School of Art, Plainfield; and the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey, Summit. Ms. Sejda is a member of the Printmaking Council of New Jersey and an instructor at the duCret School of Art, the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey, the City of Plainfield School System, Kent Place School, and Purnell School.

Daniel Sroka developed a new approach to nature art through his unique style of abstract macro photography. His artistic style has been greatly influenced by 20 years of experience as a graphic designer. As the first creative director at Yahoo!, Mr. Sroka helped create and foster the identity that made them a globally-recognized brand. In 2001, he leveraged his experience in design and Internet marketing to launch his own art career. In addition to his fine art photography, Mr. Sroka owns and operates a successful online business, through which he has created custom fine art wedding prints from his photographs for over 1,000 customers.

The National Arts Program(r) is in its 28th year and it runs 81 annual programs reaching 450 cities in 41 states. The program was conceived by Leonard E. B. Andrews (1925 – 2009), an art collector, publisher, business executive and journalist “for the encouragement and development of artistic expression.” The goal of the National Arts Program(r) is to provide an uninhibited opportunity for people to present their talent, at whatever level, in a free, public exhibition. The National Arts Program(r) is sponsored by The National Arts Program Foundation of Malvern, Pennsylvania. To learn more about the program, visitwww.thenationalartsprogram.org.

Additional support for this event is provided by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, Department of State, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.

For more information, contact the Union County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs, 633 Pearl Street, Elizabeth NJ 07202. Telephone (908) 558-2550 or e-mail: culturalinfo@ucnj.org. NJ relay users dial 711.

It was Mardi Gras or “Fat Tuesday” at RUNNELLS Specialized Hospital of Union County in Berkeley Heights… a traditional time to party. Steve Badalamenti of Lincoln Park, the leader and trumpet player of the “Cornucopia” trio played for RUNNELLS resident EarthaMae Jordan.

Facility residents and patients enjoyed the music of the trio, including the songs of Louis Armstrong and dancing as they celebrated the festive holiday.

“As well as being a top healthcare center, RUNNELLS is known for the variety of things for residents and patients to get involved in,” noted Union County Freeholder Mohamed S. Jalloh. “Mardi Gras is just one of many. The facility offers activities to suit all tastes, interests and needs. They include barbecues and a courtyard carnival as well as Snoezelen®. The latter program blends sights, sounds, aromas and movement in a positive, structured environment to create a pleasurable, relaxing sensory experience that those with cognitive impairments such as Alzheimers, can enjoy.”

RUNNELLS Specialized Hospital is Central New Jersey’s premier provider of quality, compassionate Nursing Care for long-term residents and people with short term Sub-Acute Rehabilitation needs. The facility is at 40 Watchung Way, Berkeley Heights.

It was more than just the wearing of the green at RUNNELLS Specialized Hospital of Union County’s St. Patrick’s Day party. Rebecca Stein of Berkeley Heights (center), part of The Deidre Shay School of Irish Step Dancing took a moment to join facility residents Joan Nizio, Secretary of RUNNELLS Resident Council (left), formerly of Linden and Lidia Orellana (right), formerly of Cranford. Rebecca and the entire dance company had everyone clapping madly in appreciation of their exceptional skill.

“It was a wonderful chance for me to meet some the residents and patients at RUNNELLS Hospital and dance with them,” said Union County Freeholder Linda Carter of Plainfield. “The Activities Therapy Department knows how to throw a great party.”

Situated on a 45-acre mountain top tract of land in Berkeley Heights that offers breathtaking, panoramic views of the Watchung Mountains, RUNNELLS has 300 nursing care beds and 44 beds on Cornerstone, the behavioral health units. The facility is easily accessible from Routes 22, 24, and 78. The hospital can be reached by calling (908) 771-5700.