Students should make tracks and travel through time during “Four Centuries in a Weekend: A Journey through Union County’s History” on Saturday, Oct. 16 (10 a.m.-5 p.m.) and Sunday, Oct. 17 (noon-5 p.m.). Students and young children will learn about the history of Union County and have the chance to win free tickets to a variety of events and performances.
Four Centuries 2010 showcases 25 historic house museums and sites located in towns and cities throughout Union County. This public history event has been presented annually since 1997 by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders.
Families, senior citizens, scout troops and history enthusiasts make up the annual audience of more than 4,000. Each year, about half the people are repeat visitors and half are first-time visitors coming from Union County and beyond.
The Time Traveler Sweepstakes was added last year, not only to attract more students to local historic sites but also to draw them to cultural events. Site specific activity sheets and entry forms are available at each of the Four Centuries locations. Students complete the activity sheet by moving around the site, by listening to volunteer docents and by asking questions. Each student may submit a completed entry form for each site visited during the weekend.
Completed entry forms must be mailed or delivered to the Union County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs, 633 Pearl Street, Elizabeth by Friday, Oct. 29. Freeholder Bette Jane Kowalski will draw the ten winning entry forms at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 4 at the County Administration Building in Elizabeth.
“We’re delighted by the positive response donors have had in providing wonderful prizes for this year’s Sweepstakes,” said Freeholder Chairman Daniel P. Sullivan. “Both the Weekend and the Sweepstakes introduce our young people to history and the arts at an early age. We hope that their interest will grow with them into adulthood, creating a love of history and the arts.”
Sweepstakes prizes were donated by local arts and history nonprofit organizations and agencies within Union County government and include one week of summer camp at Hedgehog & Feather Theater Co.; a two-hour private archery lesson for a student and parent at Union County’s Oak Ridge Park; and family admission to the Pumpkin Sail at Echo Lake Park.
Additional prizes are two free tickets to a live performance: Celebration Singers’ Holiday Treasures Concert; “Stuart Little” at the Cranford Community Theatre; the Easter Celebration at Liberty Hall Museum at Kean University; a performance of the winner’s choice at Premiere Stages at Kean University; Ice Skating with Santa at Union County’s Warianco Park; and New Jersey Ballet’s “Cinderella” at the Union County Performing Arts Center in Rahway.
For more information about the Time Traveler Sweepstakes or Four Centuries in a Weekend, please contact the Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs at 908-558-2550 orculturalinfo@ucnj.org A complete list of prizes, performance dates and donors is available atwww.ucnj.org/cultural
– END –