Category: Public Info

ELIZABETH, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders is pleased to present an exhibit of paintings by Ronald Aronds, Esq., of Clark in the gallery space at the Union County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs, located at 633 Pearl Street in Elizabeth. A selection of his work entitled “Gone: Extinct and Rare Birds and Animals” is on display at the Pearl Street Gallery until August 15.Gallery hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays.

“We are pleased to have Mr. Aronds’ distinctive paintings of birds and rare wildlife on display,” said Freeholder Bette Jane Kowalski, liaison to the Union County Cultural and Heritage Programs Advisory Board. “The exhibit shows a unique perspective of wildlife and boldly colorful design.”

Ronald Aronds is an Attorney at Law and a retired Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy. He is a self-taught artist who has loved painting since childhood. In October 2013, he exhibited at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark at the Lawyers for the Arts show.

Another life-long interest of his is bird watching. Having travelled around the country and the world, he combines his interests in these unusual paintings of rare and extinct birds, along with two other rare and elusive creatures: the Tasmanian Tiger (the Thylacine), and a lake monster found in Lake Okanagan, British Columbia, Canada.

Aronds uses oil paint on canvas. He likes to blend colors to create a vibrant look. Sometimes a whimsical approach is taken, but for the most part he instills the seriousness of the gaps left in the natural world with the death of an entire species.

Union County artists (whose works can be hung on a wall) interested in exhibiting in the gallery are welcome to apply. For more information about the Pearl Street Gallery or other programs, contact the Union County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs, 633 Pearl St., Elizabeth, NJ 07202. Telephone 908-558-2550. NJ Relay users can dial 711. E-mail to: culturalinfo@ucnj.org

Union County Freeholder Vice Chairman Mohamed Jalloh (3rd L) and Freeholders Linda Carter (2ndL), Sergio Granados (3rd R) and Vernell Wright (R) welcomed fitness trainer Cara Castronuova (2ndR) from the television series “The Biggest Loser” to the Union County Get Fit “Fitness in the Park” Kickoff Celebration in Warinanco Park in Roselle. They are joined my Roselle Mayor Jamel Holley (L) and Angela Zapata (C) from Trinitas Regional Medical Center. For more information about Union County Get Fit visit www.ucnj.org/getfit. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

Union County Freeholder Bette Jane Kowalski (R) and Union County naturalists Becky Novorro (L) and Cat Bolton show 3-year-old Jimmy Ulmer of Clark turtles and a snake during the 10th Annual Union County Bio-Blitz in Oak Ridge Park in Clark. Bio-Blitz is a 24-hour sampling of the flora and fauna in a particular location with the twin goals of studying the biodiversity of the area and making the public aware of that diversity. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

MOUNTAINSIDE, NJ – Ashley Vincent, a 14-year-old from Scotch Plains, was awarded the “Trooper of the Year” trophy and medal for accumulating the most points during the 2013 Troop Season at Watchung Stable in Mountainside. Ashley, who has been riding for five years, received her trophy from stable manager Rachel Bechtold during Watchung Stable’s 81st Annual Spring Troop Horse Show on May 23-25. Watchung Stable, a facility of the Union County Department of Parks and Recreation, is administered by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders. For more information regarding equestrian programs, call Watchung Stable at (908) 789-3665; visitwww.UCNJ.ORG/stable; or e-mail questions to stablequestions@ucnj.org.

Enjoy a Summer Getaway in Union County
by Christopher Hudak, Chairman

Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders

June 2014

As the summer vacation season begins, Union County is once again offering a full slate of warm-weather activities for children and adults in our parks, so you can enjoy a relaxing getaway without the hassle of travel and traffic.

This year there are several new additions, all with the goal of making our recreation facilities as accessible and enjoyable as possible.

At the Watchung Reservation in Mountainside, a major overhaul of the Loop playground has been completed. The largest playground in Union County, the Loop has a cooling “mister” water feature and a shaded pavilion along with new play equipment.

The Loop also includes picnic areas and wide open grassy spaces for group play, and it is handy to miles of hiking trails in the forest.

For a wet-weather activity, our Trailside Nature and Science Center is a short walk across from the Loop, with free admission daily and special programs all year.

In another newly completed project, parking access has been significantly improved at the Glenside Avenue soccer field in Summit, thanks to a joint effort by the public works departments of Summit and Union County.

Renovation of the playground at Warinanco Park in the Roselle/Elizabeth/Linden area is also nearing completion. This nicely shaded playground features spray-play, and it is just a short walk away from a lake and paddle boat concession.

At the other end of Warinanco Park you can catch a glimpse of the future. Construction has started on a new facility that will restore the park to one of its original uses as a gathering spot for stadium sports events.

Plans are well under way for additional athletic field improvements at other County parks, too, as well as restoration of the historic Briant Park in Summit.

This summer will also mark the first season for a pilot program designed to bring free Internet connectivity to our parks.

We are kicking the program off with free Wi-Fi at our Wheeler Pool in Linden and our Ulrich Pool at the Rahway River Park in Rahway. We will make an announcement as soon as the Wi-Fi goes “live,” which we expect shortly, as the pools open for the season.

Free Wi-Fi will also be coming to the playground area at Nomahegan Park in Cranford, the Trailside Nature and Science Center, and the Skating Center at Warinanco Park. We’ll keep you up to date on that progress, too.

As for our traditional Union County summertime favorites, we have put the finishing touches on the lineup for our Summer Arts Festival and Family Flix series of free outdoor concerts and movies, both of which start in July.

I’d also like to draw your attention to our growing roster of programs for children and adults with disabilities, and to the Union County Performing Arts Center in Rahway, which offers live performances and film in climate controlled comfort in our beautifully restored 1920’s-era theater.

For all the latest events, activities and updates, visit us at ucnj.org/parks, call 908-527-4900, or follow Union County on Facebook.

Photo caption: Along with many organized activities and events, Union County parks offer miles of secluded hiking trails and open space for quiet enjoyment, such as this fishing spot at Echo Lake Park. Photo: Jim Lowney/County of Union.

Please note: Starting in June, the level of Lake Surprise in Watchung Reservation has been temporarily lowered in order to reconstruct the 1845-era dam and bring it up to federal safety standards. Please visit ucnj.org/parks for a complete list of other County parks where fishing and boating are permitted.

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Please join the County of Union online at ucnj.org, on Facebook at ucnj.org/facebook, and on Twitter at twitter.com/countyofunionnj.

Union County Freeholder Bruce Bergen congratulates the 8th grade winners of the 2014 Union County Arbor Day Poetry Contest. Shanli Jiang (R) from the New Providence Middle School took first place. Justice Chukwuma from the Burnett Middle School in Union came in second place. Madeline Dwamena from the Saint Michael School in Union placed third. Contestants, ranging from grades 4 through 8, had to prepare an original work in an effort to promote Arbor Day and creatively show the importance of trees in Union County. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

Union County Freeholder Bruce Bergen congratulates the 7th grade winners of the 2014 Union County Arbor Day Poetry Contest. Dana Skerker (R) from the Columbia Middle School in Berkeley Heights took first place. Paige Kelly (L) from the St. Genevieve School in Elizabeth came in second place. Christy Zheng from Roselle Park Middle School placed third. Contestants, ranging from grades 4 through 8, had to prepare an original work in an effort to promote Arbor Day and creatively show the importance of trees in Union County. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

Union County Freeholder Bruce Bergen congratulates the 6th grade winners of the 2014 Union County Arbor Day Poetry Contest. Praise Uzuyem (R) from the Burnett Middle School in Union took first place. Gabrielle Aubrey from the Orange Avenue School in Cranford came in second place. Joseph Mallare (not pictured) from the St. Genevieve School in Elizabeth placed third. Contestants, ranging from grades 4 through 8, had to prepare an original work in an effort to promote Arbor Day and creatively show the importance of trees in Union County. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

Union County Freeholder Bruce Bergen congratulates the 5th grade winners of the 2014 Union County Arbor Day Poetry Contest. Tyler Lagun from the Roosevelt Elementary School in Rahway came in second place. Adebisi Akilo from the Jefferson School in Union placed third. Contestants, ranging from grades 4 through 8, had to prepare an original work in an effort to promote Arbor Day and creatively show the importance of trees in Union County. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

Union County Freeholder Bruce Bergen congratulates the 4th grade winners of the 2014 Union County Arbor Day Poetry Contest. Samuel Borges (L) from the Roosevelt Elementary School in Rahway took first place. Brian Hernandez from the Jose Marti School No. 8 in Elizabeth came in second place. Braeh Simon from St. James The Apostle School in Springfield placed third. Contestants, ranging from grades 4 through 8, had to prepare an original work in an effort to promote Arbor Day and creatively show the importance of trees in Union County. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)