Category: Public Info

RAHWAY, NJ – Most teenagers daydream about singing or dancing on a stage before a live audience. That dream becomes reality for Union County middle and high school students on Wednesday, May 16th 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 performers were selected from among the 4,000 students who participated at the 2012 Teen Arts Festival at Union County College in Cranford in March. The annual 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 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 Alexander Mirabella. “Students appearing in the Showcase at UCPAC represent all arts disciplines and the municipalities that participated in the 2012 Festival.”

The Teen Arts Showcase on May 16th 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 along with the general public. Admission is free.

The annual Teen Arts Festival is a 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 but 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 in 1985 it became the Union County Arts Center. The theatre, which features live performances, seats more than 1,300 people.

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

Union County, NJ  — The Master Gardeners of Union County will host the popular Garden Fair on Sunday, May 20, from 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm at the Union County Demonstration Garden by the Trailside Nature and Science Center, 453 New Providence Road in Mountainside. The annual rain-or-shine event features hundreds of plants for sale including flowers, perennials, herbs and vegetable seedlings, along with children’s activities, free gardening advice from experts, and much more. Attendees are advised to bring a small wagon for hauling their purchases. For more information call the Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Union County at 908-654-9854 or visit www.mastergardeners-uc.org. Information on all Union County programs, events and services is available at ucnj.org. Please note: pets are not permitted in the Garden Fair grounds.

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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 Vernell Wright (L), Bette Jane Kowalski (2nd R) and Angel G. Estrada congratulate Richa Wadhawan of Edison on winning Best of Show at the 11th Annual Union County Employee Art Show during the opening reception at the Elizabethtown Gas Company’s Liberty Hall Center in Union. The contest, co-sponsored by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders and The National Arts Program Foundation, was open to Union County employees and their relatives. The exhibit will be open to the public weekdays until May 29, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Elizabethtown Gas Company, located at Liberty Hall Center, 1085 Morris Avenue in Union Township.  (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

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

Union County Freeholders Bette Jane Kowalski (L), Vernell Wright (2nd R) and Angel G. Estrada congratulate Dianna Strom of Cranford on winning first place in the intermediate category at the 11th Annual Union County Employee Art Show during the opening reception at the Elizabethtown Gas Company’s Liberty Hall Center in Union. The contest, co-sponsored by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders and The National Arts Program Foundation, was open to Union County employees and their relatives. The exhibit will be open to the public weekdays until May 29, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Elizabethtown Gas Company, located at Liberty Hall Center, 1085 Morris Avenue in Union Township.  (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

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

Union County Freeholders Vernell Wright (L), Bette Jane Kowalski and Angel G. Estrada congratulate Kayla Stasil of Martinsville on winning first place in the youth category at the 11th Annual Union County Employee Art Show during the opening reception at the Elizabethtown Gas Company’s Liberty Hall Center in Union. The contest, co-sponsored by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders and The National Arts Program Foundation, was open to Union County employees and their relatives. The exhibit will be open to the public weekdays until May 29, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Elizabethtown Gas Company, located at Liberty Hall Center, 1085 Morris Avenue in Union Township.  (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

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

Union County Freeholders Bette Jane Kowalski (L), Vernell Wright (2nd L) and Angel G. Estrada congratulate Tiina Nummela of Somerset on winning first place in the amateur category at the 11th Annual Union County Employee Art Show during the opening reception at the Elizabethtown Gas Company’s Liberty Hall Center in Union. The contest, co-sponsored by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders and The National Arts Program Foundation, was open to Union County employees and their relatives. The exhibit will be open to the public weekdays until May 29, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Elizabethtown Gas Company, located at Liberty Hall Center, 1085 Morris Avenue in Union Township.  (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

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

Union County Freeholders Bette Jane Kowalski (L), Vernell Wright (2nd R) and Angel G. Estrada congratulate Ara Herrera of Elizabeth on winning first place in the teen category at the 11th Annual Union County Employee Art Show during the opening reception at the Elizabethtown Gas Company’s Liberty Hall Center in Union. The contest, co-sponsored by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders and The National Arts Program Foundation, was open to Union County employees and their relatives. The exhibit will be open to the public weekdays until May 29, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Elizabethtown Gas Company, located at Liberty Hall Center, 1085 Morris Avenue in Union Township.  (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

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

Union County Freeholders Bette Jane Kowalski (L), Vernell Wright (2nd R) and Angel G. Estrada congratulate Ruth Brown of Edison on winning first place in the professional category at the 11th Annual Union County Employee Art Show during the opening reception at the Elizabethtown Gas Company’s Liberty Hall Center in Union. The contest, co-sponsored by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders and The National Arts Program Foundation, was open to Union County employees and their relatives. The exhibit will be open to the public weekdays until May 29, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Elizabethtown Gas Company, located at Liberty Hall Center, 1085 Morris Avenue in Union Township.  (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

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

Union County Freeholder Vernell Wright (R) congratulates Patricia Cullen (L) of New Providence and Mary Ann Sodano of Madison on being honored for their 5 years of volunteer service at the 49th Annual Volunteer Awards Luncheon for Runnells Specialized Hospital volunteers. Dozens of other volunteers were also honored at the luncheon on May 9 in Mountainside.  (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

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Union County Freeholder Vernell Wright congratulates Chet Hospattankar of Scotch Plains on being honored for his 5 years of volunteer service at the 49th Annual Volunteer Awards Luncheon for Runnells Specialized Hospital volunteers. Dozens of other volunteers were also honored at the luncheon on May 9 in Mountainside.  (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

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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 atwww.ucnj.org/facebook. On Twitter at http://twitter.com/countyofunionnj.

Union County Freeholder Vernell Wright (R) congratulates Joseph Inserra of New Providence and Edith Diffenderfer of Summit on being honored for their 10 years of volunteer service at the 49th Annual Volunteer Awards Luncheon for Runnells Specialized Hospital volunteers. Dozens of other volunteers were also honored at the luncheon on May 9 in Mountainside.  (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

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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 atwww.ucnj.org/facebook. On Twitter at http://twitter.com/countyofunionnj.