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Jon Solomon’s, left, and Marvin Rosen’s radio marathons endure, 14.

U.S. 1 Takes Its Winter Break — Next Issue Wednesday, January 6.

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609-452-7000 • PrincetonInfo.com

Helping Hands 2020

Introducing ‘Share My Meals’

The Meeting House restaurant’s Chef Fito and volunteer Karen Lemon are part of the new Princeton-based hunger-fighting movement.

Dan Aubrey reports, page 8.

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DECEMbEr 23, 2020

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MANAGING EDITOr Sara Hastings ArTS EDITOr Dan Aubrey DIrECTOr OF DIGITAL INITIATIVES Joe Emanski ADMINISTrATIVE COOrDINATOr

Megan Durelli

PrODUCTION MANAGEr Stacey Micallef SENIOr ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE

Jennifer Steffen

ADMINISTrATIVE ADVErTISING ASSISTANT

Gina Carillo

CO-PUbLISHErS Jamie Griswold Tom Valeri ASSOCIATE PUbLISHEr Thomas Fritts FOUNDING EDITOr Richard K. Rein, 1984-2019

For editorial inquiries: 609-452-7000 Display Advertising: tfritts@communitynews.org 609-396-1511 x110 Classified Advertising: class@princetoninfo.com 609-396-1511 x105 Mail: 15 Princess Road, Suite K, Lawrenceville 08648.

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ith an unusual Christmas attitudes from able-bodied colseason upon us U.S. 1 is preparing leagues and are at greater risk of to take its annual winter break and being laid off in a crisis like this shut down its virtual offices for the one.

The ability to work from home is holidays. There will be no paper next Wednesday, December 30. an accommodation that may espeRegular publication will resume in cially benefit those with mobility the new year on Wednesday, Janu- impairments who find it difficult or ary 6. We wish everyone a safe, costly to travel outside the home or those who need flexibility to hanhappy, and healthy new year.

While the pandemic-induced dle frequent breaks from work, for movement toward working from example for medical or therapy aphome has meant a reduced com- pointments.

As co-directors of the Rutgers mute for many, for others it presented an opportunity. The article be- Program for Disability Research, we focus on understandlow, originally printed in ing the economic, politithe online journal The between cal and social inclusion Conversation, explains of people with disabilihow the coronavirus The ties. If a consequence of pandemic could revoluLines the pandemic is a new tionize work opportuniwillingness among emties for people with disployers to accommodate workabilities.

The authors are Rutgers’ Lisa from-home requests, it may lead to Schur, professor of labor studies a better future for this marginalized and employment relations, and group.

Douglas L. Kruse, distinguished Workplace challenges. Emprofessor. ployer audit studies that we and others have conducted show that employers are less likely to express orking from home has be- interest in job applications from come the “new normal” for many people with disabilities even when of us during the COVID-19 pan- their resumes are identical and the demic. While this clearly has its disabilities are irrelevant to job downsides, one group in particular performance. may benefit a great deal: people Other studies have shown that, with disabilities. once hired, many workers with disThis is important because peo- abilities must contend with negaple with disabilities are often at a tive stereotypes and attitudes from significant disadvantage in the supervisors and co-workers that workplace. Research shows they limit their career growth and the often face negative stereotypes and quality of their work life. While disability accommodations are generally well-received by coU.S. 1 WELCOMES letworkers, they can sometimes genters to the editor, corrections, erate jealousy and resentment. and criticisms of our stories Employees with disabilities also and columns. E-mail your face a gap in pay after accounting thoughts directly to our edifor productive characteristics like tor: hastings@princetoninfo. education and job experience and com. are more likely to be laid off by em-

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from

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s difficult as the past year has been, this is a time for celebration. We faced one of the greatest challenges of all times and never gave up. We changed the way we live and work, we reached out to help one another and we showed the world that we are survivors.

The Trenton Downtown Association (TDA) thanks all of you who stepped up to support the backbone of Trenton’s economy, its local businesses.

When the governor sent us home in midMarch, no one fully understood what was coming or anticipated the magnitude of the roadblocks we would face. We are incredibly proud of all the downtown businesses that managed to sustain themselves, and of the inspiring resiliency of our community as a whole.

Downtown Trenton!

Like many organizations, TDA had to pivot in response to the restrictions put in place. We quickly created the TDA Community Business Grant and delivered approximately $60,000 to 28 local businesses. Our staff worked with many businesses helping them to wade through all the state and federal funding programs and complete their applications.

Left to Right: Amanda Donald, Tom Gilmour, Meaghan Singletary

We revamped our marketing efforts to focus on individual businesses and created a “Love Local” campaign to drive spending in the downtown. Since we were restricted from operating any special events, we redeployed event funding to support Trenton’s vibrant

arts community. This programming provided income for local artists and attractions that were appealing and safe. It was rewarding to respond with new initiatives that brought prompt and valuable aid.

As we head into 2021, we know the outlook is uncertain, but the opportunities are great.

We expect to see many new residential units in downtown Trenton; some are already under construction. The Trenton arts community will continue to grow and build upon its reputation. More businesses will come to Trenton to take advantage of new incentives and enjoy its diverse community. Popular events like the Capital City Farmers’ Market will safely return. The Passage Theatre will continue to reinvent ways to provide live and unique entertainment. The Trenton Thunder will round the bases again this spring. Our residents, city workers and visitors will continue to support our eclectic merchants.

We have much to look forward to.

We are blessed by the generosity and caring of so many individuals and companies. When we reached out for support, it was there.

It was heartwarming to witness it in action.

We look forward to working together with all of you next year. Thank you all. Take care.

Stay tuned!

The staff at TDA —

Tom Gilmour, Amanda Donald and Meaghan Singletary

NEVER MISS A BEAT!

.com

U.S. 1 Is in Print & Online U.S. 1 has resumed print publication. Distribution is to news boxes located in downtown Princeton and Trenton, at train stations, and in other high-traffic outdoor areas.

Additionally, it is now possible to browse full PDFs of recent issues on U.S. 1’s website, www.princetoninfo.com.

Click on “Read This Week’s Digital U.S. 1 E-Edition Here.”

A full digital edition of U.S. 1 is also distributed by e-mail every Wednesday. Subscribe at tinyurl.com/us1newsletter. muting accommodation — rather than trying to pigeonhole them into a traditional workspace. This may help ensure that their pay levels and raises are determined more by actual job performance rather than irrelevant stereotypes and office dynamics that can disadvantage workers with disabilities.

This is not to ignore the cataclysmic loss of millions of jobs in the current crisis, which is likely hitting people with disabilities especially hard. Without minimizing the current devastation, it is worth considering how the structure of work may change when the crisis is past and the economy eventually recovers.

So, after the pandemic subsides, will employers return to a pre-crisis way of thinking about working from home? Or will more of them recognize that working from home can benefit both employees and the company — and that it’s a reasonable accommodation to make for employees with disabilities?

For more on The Conversation, visit www.theconversation.com.

A Guide to Trenton Business, Arts & Culture

&

Holiday Greetings

ployers when times are bad.

At least some of these employment barriers may be lessened by working from home. Employers may be more willing to hire workers with disabilities for homebased positions due to less concern about having to make accommodations for them.

WFH becomes the norm. The pandemic, which has made working from home common for a large share of the workforce, can be seen as a massive test of employers’ ability and willingness to accommodate workers.

Working from home may be a legally enforceable “reasonable accommodation” under the Americans with Disabilities Act, though that depends on the job tasks and other circumstances. Yet some employers have been resistant to any accommodations for workers with disabilities.

Today, the fact that many employers are readily willing to accommodate all workers regardless of disability due to the crisis has frustrated some people with disabilities who have previously been denied such accommodations.

Employed people with disabilities — especially those with mobility impairments — are already 20 percent more likely to work from home, based on our calculations of Census Bureau data. But, with less than a third of working-age people with disabilities employed in 2019, it’s very possible that millions more would be able to work if more employers offered this accommodation.

Clearly allowing more homebased work does not excuse employers from creating more welcoming and accessible workplaces.

But it could cause them to see what workers with disabilities are able to accomplish when given a telecom-

Sign up for our Weekly E-Blast at Trenton-downtown.com

EAT & DINE LOCAL Arlee’s Raw Blends Capital Dog at Capital Center City Deli Columbus International Pizza Corner Café at Capital Center Crown Fried Chicken Delia’s Empanada Cafe Fabio’s Pizza Gyro Express Health Is Wealth 1911 Smokehouse BBQ NJ Weedman’s Joint Po Po Chinese Royal Cake Creations Sunrise Luncheonette The Big Easy The Hummingbird Restaurant Tracey’s Kitchen Please continue to support these restaurants through the holiday season and BEYOND.

Visit Trenton-downtown.com for a list of businesses open in the downtown Trenton area.

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DECEMber 23, 2020

Survival Guide MCCC Programs Cater to the Modern Professional

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ercer County Community College has unveiled two new virtual programs that reflect the time we live in as well as the needs of current professionals and businesses.

The first, beginning in January and available nationwide, is a program of micro-credentials, a new type of accelerated, flexible, and focused competency-based model that compresses learning into short-term stackable modules. Micro-credentials speed up the education process to allow learners to develop expertise and knowledge quickly to remain relevant, reskill or upskill, get a promotion, break into a new career, or start a business.

Upon completion, the MCCC micro-credentials result in an academic certificate of achievement with courses and college credits that can be used toward an associate or bachelor’s degree.

“MCCC’s first micro-credential courses will focus on areas within computer and information sciences and support services as well as entrepreneurial management,” said Robert Schreyer, MCCC’s vice

president for academic affairs.

“These courses can help a high school graduate land a first job in just a few months while completing their college degree, put a working professional on a fasttrack for a promotion or salary increase, assist someone who wants to change careers completely or start a new business. We believe these flexible programs fill a real need in our fast-paced world.”

Courses beginning in January cover topics in entrepreneurial management including accounting, business law, and human resource management; IT concepts and skills, including an introduction to programming, fundamentals of computer development, and MySQL Databases; Oracle SQL programming and database design with classes such as computer concepts with programming, PL/SQL programming, database concepts and Oracle SQL; And IT system analyst with courses such as introduction to programming, project management concepts, PC applications, and systems analysis.

Registration is currently open to anyone with a high school diploma or the equivalent. Visit www.mccc. edu/micro to learn more.

M

ercer County College also has a new offering in its health professions program designed with New Jersey’s growing cannabis industry in mind.

“Medical Cannabis Training” is a 15-hour non-credit class that runs Monday evenings, January 25 through February 22, from 6 to 9 p.m. on Zoom. The program is open to anyone age 18 and up. Students receive a certificate upon completion of the course.

The course is intended for anyone who is interested in a career on

the ground floor of the medical cannabis profession, or who is curious about this emerging industry in New Jersey. “New developments within the state with regard to the cannabis industry are happening almost every day. This course is intended to provide the necessary background to gain a foothold in this emerging industry,” explained Sarah Trent, course instructor and owner of Valley Wellness.

The five-day course will introduce students to this highly regulated industry by bringing in a variety of subject-matter experts to discuss areas of import such as federal and state laws and regulations, the endocannabinoid system, cultivation basics, how cannabis products are made, as well as cover dispensary-technician training techniques such as dosing, administration, and compliance.

“The potential for employment in this field is expanding. Not only is there a need for cultivators, manufacturers, and dispensary employees, the spillover into other areas of the economy is enormous,” Trent said.

“As the demand grows for a skilled health-professions workforce, MCCC will no doubt stay on the cutting edge of this industry,” said Shan Bercaw, MCCC’s program coordinator, Center for Continuing Studies Division of Lifelong Learning.

“The future is particularly bright for many types of jobs within this area of the economy and cultivating future health professionals is one of our main goals at the college,” she explained.

The cost for the five-session live virtual course is $500.

For more information or to enroll visit www.mccc.edu/healthprof or email registration@mccc. edu.

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12/9/20 5:01 PM

CMA Offers Insights for Successful Marketing in 2021

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unning a business in 2020 has been anything but smooth sailing, and while hopes are high for a better 2021, there is no sure timeline for when things will be back to business as usual.

Throughout the ups and downs brought on by the pandemic, the businesses that have had the best success are the ones that have been able to successfully adapt their marketing and brand messaging to the times, including adjusting to virtual event and trade show formats and altering fundraising efforts.

One group that has stayed on top of positive trends in the world of marketing is CMA, the Clarksville Road-based communications, marketing, and association management firm. In a recent post on the company’s blog at www.cmasolutions.com/blog, experts gave their top five tips for successful marketing in the new year.

Christian Amato, CMA president, advises: Plan in shorter increments.

Focus on a few key areas of growth to ensure the highest return on investment (ROI). Begin by creating your marketing plan or updating your existing one with new goals and tactics for the year. Remember, adaptation will be key in 2021.

That means you need to commit to and stick with an engaged review structure — weekly and monthly checkpoints in addition to your usual quarterly reviews to evaluate metrics. Keeping a close eye on your marketing priorities and knowing which tactics are essential

and which can be cut back will save time and money in the long run, as well as prevent impulsive decisions if cuts need to be made.

When it comes to planning your 2021 marketing budget, consider preparing it in quarterly increments. That will allow you to maximize your planned spends, ensuring you are staying nimble and using your resources wisely.

In addition, marketing and sales will need to be tightly aligned in the coming year, which may require adjusting your sales funnel with a focus on digital marketing. Lean on your sales team to find out what types of content resources they need to gain leads. They should be sharing your interactive content, infographics, case studies and blogs with prospects.

Lynn Powell, chief marketing officer, says: Branding: Review your messaging. As much as we want life and work to go back to normal, the first half of 2021 is likely going to be more of the same. If you have not yet developed a strong online presence, it is critical that you build your online brand. Your online presence will take the place of trade shows and in-person events for at least the first half of 2021. That means you will need to focus on opening a dialog and conversation with your customers and prospects across all of your touchpoints.

Begin by reviewing your website. Your website plays a significant role in impacting your customers’ experience with your brand. You can’t create a top-notch user experience unless you know who your customers are, what they want and where they are coming from. Consider the following questions: How can you send the right messaging to the right target audience? Does your branding resonate with your audience? Does it reflect

DECEMbEr 23, 2020

the new ways of doing business?

In today’s interconnected world, your website is supported by your social media presence, and your social content is the conversation your potential customers and prospects will have with your brand.

This is your chance to talk about all of the things that are important to your brand, developing your brand voice and ensuring that your brand promise is being upheld.

What you deliver through social media, digital advertising and email marketing campaigns are all part of your customer’s brand experience, and these are the ways you will gain new customers and break into new markets. In 2021, stay strong in your branding consistency.

Create a fully immersive omnichannel experience for your targeted customers and ensure that your brand promise is being delivered in every single touchpoint of your marketing efforts, as well as in your customer’s brand experience — in store, in print or digitally.

Omair Siddiqui, digital strategy specialist says: Digital Marketing: Segment your audiences. In 2021, several tried and true pay-per-click (PPC) and search engine optimization (SEO) strategies will hold strong — however; there’s bound to be some shifts in best practices as updates are revealed and algorithms change.

As digital marketing continues to evolve; consumers will continue to be offered ads and content that fit exactly what they are searching for.

In 2021, that will mean using artificial intelligence (AI) and personalization in everything you do to help understand user intent. For PPC, use automation, voice search optimization, video ads and explore alternative platforms, such as Ama-

zon, Quora and LinkedIn to create micro-targeted campaigns.

Use search intent optimization to set your business up for success.

With it, you’ll achieve better organic search results, get qualified leads to your website, position your company as an authority and improve brand awareness. Afterall, Google wants users to receive relevant, verified data. Search intent optimization is the way you give the right answer to your audience when they are searching for it. Focus on four types of search intents — informational, commercial, transactional and local.

Be sure to claim or regularly update your free Google My Business (GMB) listing. Make sure your address, phone number, website and hours of operation are accurate.

Then look at other directories where your business is listed and update the information accordingly to ensure that it is consistent across Google’s local search landscape.

Consider embedding a Google Maps marker in your home page to help turn local leads into customers.

Video marketing has been on the rise in 2020 and will continue to grow in 2021. Use it in your content marketing and leverage video to improve SEO. Video ads will be the new PPC trend. Not only does video allow you to build a personality for your brand and company, but it also generates traffic to your website, keeps visitors engaged longer and encourages prospects to move down the sales funnel.

Search engines like Google are crawling for content that engages viewers — nothing entices them more than video. Consider embedding videos on your FAQ page or incorporating a paid ad into your marketing strategy through a 15-30 second pre-roll YouTube video that targets your audience by location

or by keywords.

Ken Hitchner, director of content strategy, says: Public Relations: Provide valuable content. In 2021, thoughtful, quality content will remain as the number one way to get your target audience to your website. Create customer-focused content that is honest and impartial, offering solutions to your customers’ problems. That will ultimately drive profitable customer action, especially during these trying times.

Business has always been about problem-solving, but COVID-19 has added uncertainty. In 2021, you need to double-down on being

‘What you deliver through social media, digital advertising and email marketing campaigns are all part of your customer’s brand experience, and these are the ways you will gain new customers and break into new markets.’ helpful to your target audiences.

Now is the time to position your brand as part of the solution. Remember, people do business with people they like. And people like people who help them.

When the Paycheck Protection Program was launched earlier this year as a lifeblood for small businesses, CMA positioned its client, First Bank, as a thought leader who served as the mouthpiece for all

More than ever, you need a proven strategy to increase employee engagement and retention.

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community banks in the nation.

More than 35 media outlets agreed, ranging from The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, CNBC and CBS News.

As a result, our client’s ability to help others generated a reach of 520.5 million in just two weeks for its brand. If your audience trusts you, they will buy from you. Afterall, people will always buy your story before they buy your stuff.

Once a large enough number of prospects trust your brand, sales will follow.

That’s why branding is so important today — a brand is really just a story that makes a promise, meaning it sets expectations. Telling your story will reinforce what makes your brand unique by speaking to the audience in a way data and numbers can’t compare.

Kelly Potts, social media specialist, says: Social Media: Leverage stories for your business. Now more than ever, people want genuine connections with the brands and businesses they follow. With the rise of short-form video content and viewers’ wish to relate to the brands and businesses they follow on social media, incorporating stories for your business is an important practice to incorporate into your 2021 marketing plan. Stories, available on major social media platforms including Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn, allow businesses to show their personality and portray their value in a quick, easy-to-digest and engaging way.

Start your stories strategy from a growth mindset to encourage engagement, learn about your followers and grow your business. It’s important to diversify your content to keep the attention of your target audience, which may be as simple as taking advantage of a new fea-

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ture, such as stories on an existing platform.

Remember, stories that look too planned will miss the mark. They are meant to be “raw” and authentic, humanizing your business.

Since they disappear in 24 hours, use the vanishing posts to spread the word about new products or to create a sense of urgency by offering a promotion.

Some topics to weave into your stories for your business can include: • Behind-the-scenes content of employees at work or projects underway • Customer reviews and testimonials • Sneak previews of exciting new launches or sales • Quick tips and mini trainings from your employees • Information about your company and values • Employee highlights • Additional resources like blog posts, webinars, downloadables • Q&A with the faces behind your brand • Content such as blogs or case studies packaged into bite-sized snippets There is still a lot of uncertainty for 2021 and planning your marketing strategy will likely be more challenging than it has been in past years. But if you are prepared to pivot and adjust your strategy as needed, that is the first step to creating a winning formula.

In the end, it all comes back to content. Content marketing tells your story, showcases your authority and delivers high quality leads.

Whether you are posting an indepth blog, a video tutorial or an off-the-cuff story, strategy is key.

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DECEMbEr 23, 2020

ART

FILM

LITERATURE

DANCE DRAMA MUSIC

PREV I E W DAY-BY-DAY, DECEMBER 23 TO JANUARY 6

Event Listings: E-mail events@princetoninfo.com Events for each day are divided into two categories: socially distanced, in-person gatherings, and virtual gatherings taking place online. Visit venue websites for information about how to access the events. To include your event in this section email events@princetoninfo.com.

Wednesday December 23 In Person Art

Festival of Trees, Morven Museum & Garden, 55 Stockton Street, Princeton. www.morven. org. Annual showcase of a juried collection of trees and mantles displayed throughout the museum’s galleries in addition to outdoor displays and lights. Free with museum admission. Continues daily through January 10, 2021.

10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Health

blood Drive, Hightstown American Legion, 895 Route 130 North, East Windsor, 800-933-

CoZy Crossing The traditional Christmas Day re-enactment of George Washington crossing the Delaware fell victim to COVID, but in its place is the December 25 premiere of a short film depicting the crossing, available for viewing on Facebook and YouTube from the comfort of home.

2566. smarturl.it/NJBS_Drive. Appointments recommended. Bring identification. 1 to 7 p.m.

Virtal

Thursday December 24 Christmas Eve.

Socials

Meeting, Union Toastmasters. www.tmclub6520.org. Learn how to be a powerful presenter and achieve mastery in the art and science of public speaking in an engaging and fun environment.

Email secretary@tmclub6520.org for link to join online meeting. 6 p.m.

Library Drawing Party, Mercer County Library. www.facebook. com/mclsnj. Follow along for a librarian-led drawing lesson, then share your finished work. For all ages. 7 p.m.

Daily updates on Twitter @princetoninfo

Virtual

Classical Music

An Evening of readings & Carols broadcast, Westminster Choir College & WWFM. www. wwfm.org. WWFM The Classical Network broadcasts archival recordings of Westminster Choir College’s Evening of Readings & Carols concerts. Noon.

Live Music

Kim Sledge: Home for the Holidays, bucks County Playhouse. www.buckscountyplayhouse.org. Family friendly concert of holiday favorites by the Bucks County resident streamed live from the playhouse. Register. $20. Stream available through January 1. 7 p.m.

Friday December 25 Holidays & Special Days Christmas Day.

Virtual

Classical Music

An Evening of readings & Carols broadcast, Westminster Choir College & WWFM. www. wwfm.org. WWFM The Classical Network broadcasts archival recordings of Westminster Choir College’s Evening of Readings & Carols concerts. 3 p.m.

History

Witness the Crossing, Washington Crossing State Park. www. facebook.com/washingtoncrossingpark. Premiere of a brand new short film depicting the crossing reenactment via Facebook and YouTube. 10 a.m.

Saturday December 26 Virtual Film

Saturday Night at the Movies: beyond Christmas, Mercer County Library. www.mcl.org.

Borrow the featured title from the Hoopla catalog with a Mercer County Library card and watch it in the virtual company of your community. 8 p.m.

History

The real Story of the battle of Trenton, Patriots Week. www. patriotsweek.com. Asher Lurie, chief of historical interpretation, details the history of the Battle of Trenton as it really happened on the day of the First Battle of Trenton. 2 to 3 p.m. blacks at the battle of Trenton, Patriots Week. www.patriotsweek.com. Explore the roles of African Americans in the operation of The Old Barracks as a home for soldiers and a military hospital. 3 to 4 p.m.

For Families

The Trouble with Trenton Virtual Puppet Show, Patriots Week. www.patriotsweek.com. Children can experience the magical storytelling of Washington’s crucial victory at the Battle of Trenton, presented by Tuckers’ Tales Puppet Theatre. Noon to 1 p.m.

DECEMber 23, 2020

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Area Light Show Gets National Spotlight

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inner: Martel Family’s Christmas Wonderland.”

That is the headline on ABC’s “The Great Christmas Light Fight” website announcing that the popular Hamilton holiday attraction — now in its 33rd year — won the nationally broadcast television show’s top prize of $50,000.

The award was announced on December 16, when the nation got an eyeful of Martel’s small suburban lot brimming with approximately 100,000 lights and hundreds of glowing figures and inflatables.

Now in its eighth season, the show “takes viewers across the na-

tion to meet four families competing for a grand prize by decorating their homes to the extreme with synchronized lights that dazzle passersby and turn neighborhoods into a spectacular visual treat,” say press materials.

In the segment taped last year, designer and show host Taniya Nayak accompanies light master Bob Martel on a tour of the everevolving work-in-progress involving several generations of Martels.

“I had two Italian uncles who decorated with lights and figures on South Broad Street in Trenton and in Ewing in the 1960s,” says

Socials

Kids Stuff

Celebrating Hogmanay with Scottish Music, Patriots Week. www.patriotsweek.com. The Trent House Association presents The Practitioners of Musick in a performance honoring the Scottish heritage of William Trent and featuring music that George Washington and his family enjoyed. 1 p.m.

Sunday December 27 Virtual On Stage

Dad’s Christmas Miracle, Somerset Valley Players. www.svptheatre.org. Virtual production of the nostalgic tale of Conner Murphy, a boy in the 1950s, whose Christmas wish is for a go-kart.

Register. $10 per household. 4 p.m.

Tuesday December 29 Virtual Film

Screening of Class Dismissed, Princeton Learning Cooperative. www.princetonlearningcooperative.org. Screening via Zoom of a film that challenges viewers to take a fresh look at what it means to be educated in the 21st century and offers up a new way of thinking about the process of learning. Discussion follows. Register. 7 p.m.

Literati

A Virtual Author Talk: “John Haslet, A Colonel in Washington’s Army”, Patriots Week. www.patriotsweek.com. The State Library presents author and historian David Price, who relays the inspirational story of Revolutionary War hero John Haslet and his regiment. Noon.

Martel in a past U.S. 1 interview. “I used to get a kick out of it. You know, it grows on you. And I said, ‘If I ever did this, I’d overkill.’”

And while the display gets brighter and flashier each season, a set of plywood choir boys painted more than 50 years ago by one of the uncles connects it to its roots and spirit.

Martel says the display that starts at Thanksgiving and contin-

ues to January 1 is “all about community” and attracts an estimated 10,000 visitors annually.

With a show-must-go-on attitude during the pandemic, Martel’s Christmas Wonderland is open for both drive-by gawking and walkthrough gazing.

And while the display features a sign of our times, a COVID-19 related “Enter at Your Own Risk” warning, it certainly offers people

the opportunity to visit one of the nation’s bonafide bright spots during this unusual holiday season.

Martel’s Christmas Wonderland, 21 Phillips Avenue, Hamilton. Hours: Mondays and Tuesdays, 5:30 to 9 p.m., Wednesdays, 5 to 7:30 p.m., Thursdays, 5:30 to 9 p.m., and Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, 5 to 10 p.m. to January 1.

Free.

Story Corner with Ms. Elaine, Terhune Orchards, 330 Cold Soil Road, Princeton, 609-924-2310. www.terhuneorchards.com.

Elaine, Terhune Orchards’ educator, invites children to virtually visit a different spot each week at the farm. She shares fun facts about the farm and reads a story. Free.

11 a.m.

Wednesday December 30 In Person Art

Festival of Trees, Morven Museum & Garden, 55 Stockton Street, Princeton. www.morven. org. Annual showcase of a juried collection of trees and mantles displayed throughout the museum’s galleries in addition to outdoor displays and lights. Free with museum admission. Continues daily through January 10, 2021.

10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Virtual

Socials

Library Drawing Party, Mercer County Library. www.facebook. com/mclsnj. Follow along for a librarian-led drawing lesson, then share your finished work. For all ages. 7 p.m.

Thursday December 31 Virtual Live Music

New Year’s Eve Countdown & Community Concert, Monroe Township Library & Senior Center, 732-521-5000. tinyurl. com/MonroeNYE. Concert via Zoom with vocalist Anthony Tabish. Register for Zoom link.

11:30 p.m.

A selection of Patriots Week activities, including a family-friendly presentation of ‘The Trouble with Trenton’ puppet show by Tuckers’ Tales Puppet Theater on Saturday, December 26, take place this year in a virtual format.

Friday January 1 New Year’s Day. Bank and postal holiday.

Saturday January 2 In Person Farm Markets

West Windsor Community Farmers’ Market, MarketFair Parking Lot, 3535 Route 1 at Meadow

Road, West Windsor. www.westwindsorfarmersmarket.org. Vendors sell fresh produce, seafood, meat, eggs, mushrooms, fibers, cheese, pasta, honey, soups, chocolates, and more. Masks required. Pre-ordering available. 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Virtual Film

Saturday Night at the Movies: The Glass Castle, Mercer County Library. www.mcl.org. Borrow the featured title from the Hoopla catalog with a Mercer County Library card and watch it in the virtual company of your community.

8 p.m.

Sunday January 3 Virtual Dance

Fiesta del Dia de Los Reyes Magos, Arts Council of Princeton. www.artscouncilofprinceton.org.

A Three Kings Day Flamenco celebration featuring a live dance performance by the Arts Council’s Flamenco program led by Lisa Botalico. Register. Suggested donation $10. 2 p.m.

Continued on page 12

8

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DECEMber 23, 2020

Helping Hands 2020 Share My Meals Delivers More Than Food

I

t is a cold pre-snow afternoon and Karen Lemon’s white SUV is parked in front of The Meeting House restaurant on Witherspoon Street. She’s there for an afternoon pickup of 29 trays of barbecue wings, mixed vegetables, and rosemary roasted potatoes.

As the retired AT&T vice president preps her boxes and watches for the closed restaurant’s side door to open, she says she has been volunteering with the Share My Meals (SMM) hunger project organization since April.

She says the urge to do something related to area hunger came after she noticed a block-long line of people waiting at the Princeton Food Bank.

“These are our neighbors” says Lemon. “People don’t realize that there are people in their neighborhood or building who need help.”

She adds that she learned about SMM, appreciated its approach of working to solve multiple problems, and joined in April and delivers meals several times a week..

As she keeps her eyes on the door she says she marvels at the organization for engaging a range of food providers — from “local farms to high-end restaurants” — and how restaurants, such as The Meeting House, were so accommodating.

To illustrate that point, she says The Meeting House staff was there only to prepare food to help SMM help struggling individuals and families.

by Dan Aubrey

Fito, left, the chef at The Meeting House, with help from chefs Antonio and Luis, packed meals for Share My Meals volunteer Karen Lemon, right, to load into her car for delivery.

“They have their own struggles,” Lemon says of The Meeting House and the other participating restaurants crippled by the pandemic.

But, she says, since she is delivering SMM meals to the people in the Witherspoon-Jackson neighborhood, the restaurant staff and

owners know they are also helping their neighbors.

And while it is a good plan, it wasn’t planned that way.

During a recent telephone interview, Share My Meals founder Isabelle Lambotte says the organizaContinued on page 12

DECEMber 23, 2020

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DECEMber 23, 2020

Helping H

Javier Columbie, left, general sales manager, and Bill McDonagh, principal at Route 18 Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram in East Brunswick, present a check in the amount of $6,750 to Michael Loch, director of the Hackensack Meridian Carrier Clinic fund development office, in support of Carrier Clinic’s capital improvement projects for its Belle Mead campus.

The Allstate Foundation awarded NAMI of Mercer County a $5,000 Helping Hands Grant. Allstate agency owner Ron Bansky, second from right, led a virtual volunteer team that supported the NAMIWalks Your Way event for the Mercer County chapter. Pictured with him are NAMI Mercer staff members Danita Saunders-Davis, Janet Haag, and Dawn Dannebrink; and Allstate’s Andy Heinz and Jon Castaneda.

The Lawrence Headquarters Branch library’s Knitting Circle and Crochet Corner initiated for the eighth year a community drive at the library to collect handmade scarves, hats, and mittens to donate to HomeFront in January, 2020.

Kimberly-Clark’s Cotton of toilet paper to United County, which partnere Friends and Jewish Fam to distribute the toilet pa

Fox & Roach/Trident Charities, the charitable arm of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Fox & Roach, Realtors, celebrated the 25th anniversary of giving to the communities they serve and held their 25th Annual Community Service Day. Sales associates and employees of BHHS Fox & Roach’s Robbinsville office spent the day volunteering for Be Kind Joy of Giving. Groups from the Robbinsville office raised funds and spent the day packing meals for local food pantries.

Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) Hamilton announced a donation of 14,000 surgical masks and $20,000 from New Jersey-based notfor profit organization United Moms Charity Association (UMCA). The contribution will be used to support the hospital’s ongoing priority mission of patient and staff safety through the purchased of needed supplies and safety equipment now and in the future.

In ta c c A fi M c H

United Way of Greater Mercer County collected nearly 5,000 pounds of food, the equivalent of 4,025 meals, for it sixth annual Strike Out Hunger event, which took place th year in a virtual format. The food collected benefitted Mer cer Street Friends Food Bank’s network of more than 40 food pantries.

DECEMber 23, 2020

U.S. 1

11

Hands 2020

nelle, donated 10,000 rolls d Way of Greater Mercer ed with Mercer Street mily and Children’s Service aper within the community.

JM Group’s 2019 Holiday Meal Drive resulted in the donation of $15,000 to Mercer Street Friends Food Bank.

Pictured: Diana Pursell, Borden Perlman; Patricia Hartpence, NJM; Jess Morrison, JM Group; Steven Goldman, NJM; Sherri Petonic, JM Group; Tony Ruccio, Witherspoon Grill; Bernie Flynn, Mercer Street Friends; Laura Estey, Kristine’s; and Jack Morrison, JM Group.

n response to the pandemic, the D&R Greenway esablished 32 socially distanced garden plots at St. Michaels Farm Preserve, of which six are reserved for charity. Above, Marino and proprietor Lyn Farrugia of Aunt Chubby’s Luncheonette in Hopewell receive the irst delivery of food from the charity gardeners at St. Michaels Farm Preserve in mid-July. The restaurant coordinates the distribution of the fresh produce to 30 Hopewell families in need.

ts his r-

On June 24 and 25, Mercer County Community College held a Community Service Drive at its James Kerney Campus. 433 people received free food, clothing, books, and educational service information.

The Thomas Edison State University Foundation has entered into a partnership with the Ammon Foundation to provide scholarship opportunities for individuals in recovery from substance use disorder. John Sizemore — pictured above with TESU vice president John Thurber, left, and Ammon Foundation executive director Mariel Hufnagel — is among the first scholarship recipients.

Since March 16, Jewish Family & Children’s Service has helped to feed more than 2,250 people through its brick-and-mortar, Yvette Sarah Clayman Kosher Food Pantry, and the JFCS Mobile Food Pantry. JFCS also provided grab-and-go hot lunches to 25-30 seniors four days a week and continued delivery of 120 meals per week through Kosher Meals on Wheels to homebound seniors Above, East Windsor Mayor Janice Mironov assists with a distribution stop at Ethel McKnight Elementary School in East Windsor.

CASA for Children Mercer Burlington partnered with CompuScore to hold a virtual race from May 15 to July 15. Pictured with a check for the money raised are CompuScore president Staci Siconolfi-Lymperopoulos, left, and CASA executive director Laura Wall.

The PotLuck Society, a group that brings together women from different cultures to share meals and experiences, donated $5,000 to the YWCA Princeton annual fund to express their appreciation of the organization’s mission, as well as for hosting the group at Bramwell House. Pictured are representatives of the PotLuck Society steering committee Mindy Novis, Liz Hosny, Mara Connolly Taft, YWCA Princeton’s Chief Executive Officer Judy Hutton, Nancy Kieling, Anna Marie Toto, Barbara Coe, and Widian Nicola.

12

U.S. 1

DECEMber 23, 2020

Lambotte says, they came up with an approach where SMM pays the food provider a fixed price, and Continued from page 8 they prepare and pack the meals tion’s original mission was to gath- that volunteers pick up and deliver.

“From the time we started worker food surplus from area businesses and distribute it to area residents ing that way, we’ve served 35,000 meals — thanks to the volunteers,” in need of support.

But that changed in March, and says Lambotte, who says the orgathe organization needed to address nization is fueled by volunteers.

She says the 40 individuals who hunger while also dealing with the help in various ways come from pandemic and the sudden surge in unemployment within the restau- word of mouth and from looking at the organization’s website. rant and banquet industries.

“It is not just delivering, there “We are very food wasteful, and there is food insecurity, and we are other options. It could be marwanted to fill the gap by distribut- keting, fundraising,” she says.

After an individual fills out the ing the food surplus to people in need,” Lambotte says about the or- form on the SMM website, coordinators organize a meeting with the ganization’s core focus.

To address that need she and oth- applicant and conduct a “prelimiers developed a “Waste Watchers nary group session where we talk to them and underProgram” based stand their motion the reality vation.

Some that restaurants, ‘We are very food will see it as not foods service wasteful, and there is for them, but 99 companies, percent go to the food insecurity, and school and cornext step,” Lamporate cafetewe wanted to fill the botte says. rias, and caterers gap by distributing She says there generally preare a few essenthe food surplus to pare excess food tial volunteer reto satisfy cuspeople in need,’ Lamquirement: a car tomers and clibotte says. and car insurents. ance or some However, other means of that practice also leads to healthy and nutritious transportation to deliver food if meals being thrown away — unless needed. SMM provides additional there was a simple mechanism food insurance to support volunteers providers could use that would take and provides insulated bags for food delivery. the food away and distribute it.

Regarding her background and “We began in January (2020) interest in the creating such a projwith one of the eating clubs at the university, Tiger Inn. We were re- ect, the Belgium-born daughter of a ceiving 100 meals and giving them university researcher father and lab assistant mother, says, “I am a to families in Princeton.”

She says the organization was pharmacist and have been working able to identify individuals and many years, moving from one families in need through SMM vice country to another. I’ve been in president Liliana Morenilla, Princ- Princeton since 2006 (when her eton Public Schools community husband took a pharmaceutical job outreach coordinator and founder in the area). I had been working with Liliana at the Food Pantry evof Princeton Mobile Food Pantry.

Soon 15 families had been iden- ery Wednesday morning and givtified and registered with SMM to ing fresh produce provided by receive meals once every two or Mercer Street Friends.”

After seeing more people waitthree days.

Lambotte says the project was ing for less available food, the gaining steam and more involve- mother of two says she felt a need ment, but the state’s pandemic-re- to do something to help.

She also saw food going to waste lated closures of businesses, restaurants, and eating clubs halted everywhere from Princeton Unioperations and created a gap in pro- versity to even her own home. “We buy more than we need, and when viding food.

That in turn resulted in business we don’t use what we bought we closures, unemployment, and more discard it.”

She says she then started to look individuals facing economic insefor a model in order to begin adcurity.

“I started talking with the restau- dressing the situation.

“It was not easy to start,” she rants to see if they would continue in the months ahead, and we would says, pointing out that businesses cover the cost of food and pay staff supplying meals to community members is “not their main issue.” members,” says Lambotte.

With the participating restau- Yet she and other volunteers develrants and farms wanting to help, oped an approach. “If we provide (the food source) with the trays,

Share My Meals

Continued from page 7

Monday January 4 In Person Art

Travels: Domestic and aBroad, Arts Council of Princeton. www. artscouncilofprinceton.org. First day for exhibit of works by artists Krysia Kolodziej and Libby Ramage, who met in the early 1990s while Krysia was editing for Princeton University Press and writing poetry and Libby was starting her work teaching art to very young children while making and exhibiting her own art. On view through January 31. 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Virtual Literati

Book Discussion: “A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man”, Princeton Public Library. www. princetonlibrary.org. The “Shakespeare and Company Project” conducts a discussion of Joyce’s first novel as part of a series of explorations of titles frequently borrowed from Shakespeare and Company in Paris. Register. 11 a.m.

Tuesday January 5 Health

Benign vs. Malignant Skin Growths, Mercer County Library. www.mcl.org. Dermatologist Parmvir Singh of Aura Dermatology in Robbinsville discusses

Isabelle Lambotte, above, founded Share My Meals because she felt compelled to address the problems of food waste and food insecurity in Princeton. At right, a car full of food to be delivered. and it wasn’t too much work to pack the food. And if we supplied the transportation, it would help the company and corporations and it would help the community.”

She says adding tax-deductible donations through the nonprofit organization that activated at the start of the year and helping the business show a connection to the greater community “made sense for everyone.”

A

nd while things were in place for the project to grow before the pandemic, Lambotte says, “That is what we’re going to do when the corporations are starting to open. It was our main objective, and we’re waiting to start. Meanwhile, we have gained credibility, and we have a better idea of how to manage 100 families rather than 15 and we are more aware than six months ago.”

She says her approach to making connections and finding people to help develop the project was simple. “You know Princeton is a small town. And I started to ask people I knew. It was mainly word of mouth.

The more I talked with people, the more people I saw excited. I reached out to people at Princeton University, people in corporations, and on LinkedIn.” An advertisement on an area French community chat site and her familiarity with other foreignborn area residents, such as the Spanish born Morenilla, resulted in an all-European founding board that is now adding two native-born Americans.

Looking back at the organization’s first year, Lambotte says, “It was supposed to be a small activity, and all of a sudden there was larger

common skin growths and what requires a visit to a doctor. Register to hopeprogs@mcl.org for meeting access. 7 p.m.

Wednesday January 6 In Person Art

Festival of Trees, Morven Museum & Garden, 55 Stockton Street, Princeton. www.morven. org. Annual showcase of a juried collection of trees and mantles displayed throughout the museum’s galleries in addition to outdoor displays and lights. Free with museum admission. Continues daily through January 10, 2021.

10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

visibility. Originally we started people in the community involved thinking of a budget of $50,000. with problems. Share My Meals is This year we reached $300,000” — more than food,” says Lambotte. including support from the PrinceBack at The Meeting House, ton Area Community Foundation, Lemon notices movement at the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation, restaurant’s side glass door as the Sodexo, Blackrock, and the Meran- restaurant’s chef, who prefers to be cas Foundation, which provided a called Fito, opens it, props it in matching grant. place, and disappears into the In addition to Tiger Inn and The closed restaurant.

Meeting House, other participating As Lemon approaches, Fito rearea restaurants include Bagel appears with a stack of aluminum Nook, Kristine’s Princeton, La trays for her to pack. Several reMezzaluna, Terra Momo, and Trat- main at the door for individuals to toria Procaccini. pick up.

Area farms and In between ‘It was supposed to markets include trips to the be a small activity, Cherry Grove kitchen and Farm, Honey door, Fito says and all of a sudden Brook Organic The Meeting there was larger visiFarm, Skillman House has been bility. Originally we Farms, and involved since Pennsylvania May. “When we started thinking of a Dutch Market. were in quaranbudget of $50,000.

The Hun and tine, we cooked This year we reached Princeton Day six days a week schools also par(for SMM). But $300,000,’ Lambotte ticipate. now that we’re says.

About the coopen, we come ordinating effort, in two or three Lambotte says, “We are seven days.” board members who are working On this day — with an impend70 hours a week. We are very happy ing snow storm and kitchen help to be volunteers, but we found we living outside Princeton — Fito have been growing in the future to and two local cooks, Antonio and have some support and some staff.” Luis, came in early to make sure the Yet for now, she says the group meals were ready. is looking for more donations to “It’s great that (SMM) helps support its current COVID-19 pro- people,” says Fito as helps Lemon gram that hires out-of-work people slip the hot trays into her insulated to participate in ways that help cli- delivery boxes. Then as he watches ents, community, and businesses. her put the last bag into her car and She says the group is also look- head to her first delivery, he sums ing for volunteers who can help up the entire effort with a simple, promote SMM awareness and de- “We’re all doing the best we can.” velop greater support.

For more information on Share “We want to create a movement My Meals, go to www.sharein Princeton. We are trying to get mymeals.org.

Kim Sledge presents a ‘Home for the Holidays’ concert streamed live from Bucks County Playhouse on Christmas Eve.

Virtual For Teens

Youth Perspectives on Better Options for Education, Princeton Learning Cooperative. www. princetonlearningcooperative.org.

Zoom-based panel discussion featuring stories from teens and young adults who left conventional schooling behind. Q&A follows.

Register. 7 p.m.

Socials

Library Drawing Party, Mercer County Library. www.facebook. com/mclsnj. Follow along for a librarian-led drawing lesson, then share your finished work. For all ages. 7 p.m.

DECEMber 23, 2020

Holidaze

U.S. 1

13

Opportunities

I send a picture of zucchini pancakes with cranberry-applesauce to Rose, and her husband Martin says it passes because his treif wife made the sauce.

We might do take-out lunch together on the patio once more this year. Indian food stays warm the best.

Or maybe it will be sushi on Zoom.

Learn Italian Registration for spring 2021 Italian language classes at Dorothea’s House is now open. Classes begin the week of January 11 and run for 15 weeks.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic all classes will be taught remotely.

Instructors will notify students as to the Internet-based tool he/she will use. With an Internet connection access to the selected tool is free.

For class descriptions, schedule, forms, and payment options, visit www.dorotheashouse.org. If a book is required for a class, it is noted in the class descriptions section. The fee for each class is $185.

Register by Monday, January 4, to avoid a $20 late fee and possible cancellation of classes due to low enrollment.

Contact Linda Bruschi with any questions at lindabruschi@dorotheashouse.org or call 609-306-0773 and leave a message.

I invite Nancy for pumpkin soup on my porch.

She returns my call to relay a tale of gingerbread houses, candy pieces, sugar, sprinkles, and grandsons on her porch.

A friendly mess she would not like to repeat. Our laughter is warm but, it’s not fun, anymore.

I Zoom with Allie & Adam while they eat their gingerbread house.

I play the wicked witch and threaten to throw them in the oven.

“No Gram, “ they say.

“You can come next Halloween and be the witch.”

I asked them to leave a trail of crumbs.

With my musician friends we try to ‘name that tune’ played by the Cleveland Tower Carillon.

Frank gets the chord pattern, and Ellen and I sing along with any song that suits us.

The bells change keys and time signature, so we change up the words. We Wish You a Merry Christmas turns to Bicycle Built for Two. They waltz while I dance circles around them, a good way to stay warm.

Three part harmony for I’ll be Home for Christmas we can plan on that, without company and probably green not white.

Courses for Seniors

— Kathryn Weidener Kathryn Weidener is a professional storyteller and has been telling tales all her life. Her publishing credits include Schuylkill Valley Dispatches, arielchart.blogspot.com, US1, Hobby Farm Magazine, and Sandpaper.

A BA degree in communication also led her through careers in social work, accounting, and ESOL tutoring.

She currently resides in Princeton.

winter

Registration opens on Tuesday, January 5, at 9:30 a.m. for the spring selection of Zoom-based courses offered by the Princeton Senior Resource Center’s Evergreen Forum.

Registration is a first-come, first-served system at www.princetonsenior.org. Electronic brochures are available online.

Classes begin the week of February 22 and meet once a week for two hours on Zoom. Fees are $95 for a six- to eight-week course, and $70 for a three- to five-week course.

Senior Scholarships are available. To apply, contact Shifra Vega at svega@princetonsenior.org or 609-751-9699, ext. 116.

Call for Tutors Literacy New Jersey Mercer offers training workshops for tutors in the new year. Tutors work one-to-one or in small groups to teach adults who are learning to speak, read, and write English.

The Tutor Training Workshop will take place on Zoom on Wednesdays, January 13, 20, 27, February 3, and 10, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Participants are expected to attend all training sessions and complete some independent online assignments. Previous teaching experience is not necessary. All of current tutoring is being conducted online.

Call 609-587-6027 or email mercer@literacynj.org to register.

Volunteer New Jersey Blood Services (NJBS), which provides blood for local patients, is looking for a few good volunteers. No medical background necessary. Volunteers should be outgoing to provide friendly customer service and be able to perform tasks as needed.

Must have transportation. All training is provided including additional safety precautions. Call or text Volunteer Services manager Sharon Zetts at 732-850-8906, Monday to Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

To apply visit www.nybc.org/ support-us/volunteer-nybc/volunteer-application.

WELLNESS 2021 Attention Health & Fitness Providers: As the holidays come to a close, U.S. 1 readers are resolving to improve in the new year – health and fitness are at the top of their list. Showcase your practice, fitness center or other health related service in this relevant and timely special issue.

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Contact Thomas Fritts at (609) 396-1511 x 110

14

U.S. 1

DECEMber 23, 2020

Radio Christmas Tradition Stays Home for the Holidays

T

by Sam Sciarrotta

rue shared experiences tent. Slowly, though, DJs started to are lacking in the COVID-19 era, set up at home and record their but Jon Solomon is here to make shows safely — including Solosure we have at least one before the mon and his own Wednesday eveyear wraps up. ning show.

Solomon’s 25-hour Christmas “More and more DJs have been Day marathon has become a holi- going live since then,” he said. “It’s day staple on Princeton Universi- a steady ramp up towards a return ty’s 103.3 WPRB radio station. He to normalcy. The more like the behas only missed one show since fore times it becomes — where 1988 — in 1995, when he went out now there’s a set schedule, the stato Pasadena, California, to see tion is broadcasting again, there’s Northwestern University, his alma new programming almost 24 hours mater, play in the Rose Bowl — a day, seven days a week — it and wasn’t about to let a pandemic brings me great comfort driving keep him out of the WPRB studio a around just hearing it like it always second time. So he is bringing the has been. I guess that’s a very long studio to his dining room table for walk to me saying that I hope the the first (and same holds true hopefully last) for the maratime ever. thon.”

Solomon’s 25-hour “I’ve already This year is Christmas Day maraheard from a just another handful of peophase in the evthon has become a ple who are norer-changing naholiday staple on mally together ture of the marPrinceton Universiduring the holiathon.

Solodays and are gofirst ty’s 103.3 WPRB radio mon’s ing to be separate show, in 1988, station. this year — was a 10 p.m.they’ll be listentil-morning slot ing simultanethat just hapously, wherever they might be,” he pened to be on Christmas Eve. He said. “It reinforces that we need to came across an empty shift sign-up do it this year, and we need to do it sheet after most of the station’s as people are used to.” hosts — many of them Princeton Solomon is ready to give listen- University students — had gone ers a radio-quality experience from home for winter break. Solomon, his Lawrenceville home. He is bor- who is Jewish, didn’t have any rowing a 16-channel mixer from plans, so he took the slot and played Reid Sound in Robbinsville, has a nothing but Christmas music until turntable and a dual deck CD play- the morning. Twelve-ish hours beer from the radio station, and will came 24 hours the next year. He use his own microphones. This is added an extra hour to the show to also the first time he won’t have to celebrate its 25th anniversary in load huge chunks of his own col- 2014, and that has stuck since then. lection in and out of the studio — a The actual content of the maranice plus, considering he threw his thon continues to mutate, too. back out carrying crates of records Some things don’t change — a to the studio just before the mara- 42-minute version of “Little Drumthon one year. mer Boy,” a block of Ramones“It’ll be like having a pop-up ra- style Christmas songs and the dio station in our dining room,” he 45-minute Snaildartha: The Story said. of Jerry the Christmas Snail – A And that’s sort of been the MO Soul Jazz Extravaganza are all stafor many WPRB DJs over the last ples and listener favorites — but, several months, just on a much for the most part, Solomon is able smaller scale. to pick and choose from his conLike with most places, things at stantly growing collection.

WPRB fell into disarray in midSolomon ranks every holiday March. Students left campus, and item in his catalog, digital and the building that holds the studio physical, using a five-star system. closed down. The station had to de- He regularly discovers new pieces fer to pre-made playlists for several through blogs, SoundCloud, listenweeks, abandoning its signature ers, and friends. He ventured belive, original, boundary-free con-

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yond the music in 2011, when he put out a call asking for recordings of holiday stories from friends, family, musicians, comedians, and others to be played on the show.

Some of those submissions — a holiday greeting from wrestler Mick Foley, a recording from writer, comedian, and podcast host Tom Scharpling, an annual new song from musician Joel RL Phelps — have become favorites.

Some listeners have written and recorded songs about and for the marathon. Others call in with unique requests or tune in at the same time every year. Often, Solomon has to work off the cuff. James Brown died in 2006 while Solomon was on the air, so he pulled out every James Brown Christmas song in his collection and played a block. He ran tributes to Lou Reed in 2013 and Prince in 2016 after their deaths, too.

“It’s always very important to me that the program not kind of rest on its laurels from year to year,” Solomon, a Princeton native, said in 2016. “I know people don’t always listen at the same point or at the same time. I want to make sure there’s an infusion of as much new material as possible every year.”

This year is no different, though it does have some added technical concerns. Solomon is not too worried.

“I think folks are going to be pretty understanding if anything goes off the rails,” he said. “This is coming to you live from someone’s home and not the place they normally expect it to be broadcast from.”

Solomon planned on having everything set up and ready to go by Thanksgiving so he could run a few test shows during his regular Wednesday night slot.

“I think I’m going to be as up front with people as possible during it,” he said. “It should sound the same, more or less. I think on my side of the broadcast, that’ll feel nice to me. I hope that’ll be the same for people tuning in all over the world.”

Solomon isn’t too worried about getting too comfortable during the show — though he’s never done a radio show “as adjacent to [his] bed” before, WPRB has a couch that “always beckons,” so he is used to the temptation.

“I think I’m going to have just about everything I need within a couple of feet in every direction,” he said. “I’m mostly worried about getting the right set-up and having it be as close as possible to what an actual radio station would look like or how it would operate. I’m a creature of routine, so it’s good to know that everything is going to be set up in places where I’m not going to have to be like, ‘What does that

Jon Solomon’s Christmas Day radio marathon, which has been broadcast on WPRB since 1988 and turned into a 25-hour show when the program celebrated its 25th year in 2014, will be broadcast this year from his kitchen table. button do?’ If things go off the rails, there will be some sort of contingency plan.”

Solomon is already planning for some show traditions that he knows will be altered. He has regular in-

‘I’m literally inviting the audience into my home for Christmas,’ Solomon said. ‘The normal companion pieces, like a webcam, I try to have it so that it’s a constant that’s there for you.’ studio visitors, including his parents, Susan and Robert. They still live in Princeton and stop by the station every year, eventually falling asleep together on the studio’s couch — fans of the show probably know that Solomon posts a midslumber photo of them to Twitter or Instagram during the show. One year, he gifted them with a blanket made out of those pictures.

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“Unless it’s horribly cold out, I would hope they drive by and wave,” he said. “Though it would be nice to open the front door and feel the air on my face.”

His wife, Nicole (to whom he proposed on-air), and their daughter, Maggie, also appear every year toward the end of the show. This year, listeners might hear from them a little bit more, either “intentionally or accidentally,” Solomon said.

“I’m literally inviting the audience into my home for Christmas,” he said. “The normal companion pieces, like a webcam, I try to have it so that it’s a constant that’s there for you. Am I going to be putting on a stocking cap and smoking a pipe in front of the fireplace? That’s not going to be the case. But I’d like it to be even more of a shared experience for people who sort of know there are lots of folks doing their same thing they are on this hopefully once-in-a-lifetime Christmas.”

Jon Solomon can be found on Twitter and Instagram @jonsolomon. For more information, visit www.wprb.com.

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Studio-Free radio Marathon Hits the Air

L

by Dan Aubrey

ong time radio host and pianist Marvin Rosen brings his annual 24-hour holiday season marathon of new music — “Viva 21st Century” — to the WPRB Radio airwaves and internet on Sunday and Monday, December 27 and 28.

Rosen, who in addition to being a music instructor at Westminster Conservatory, produces the Princeton University station’s weekly “Classical Discoveries” program on Wednesday mornings, says during a recent telephone interview, “I am doing everything at home.”

Talking about the transition of broadcasting from a studio with technical support to doing it from a back room in his Princeton home, Rosen says, “I have to say, four months ago the thought of doing something this year was in my wildest dreams. My last show at the studio was March 11. The station has been closed since mid-March.”

“I have to give all the WPRB management credit,” he continues.

“They really work hard. They got us on the air in May. It was a lot of stuff to learn at home — doing radio online and recording at home.

And I was a nervous wreck about the first several shows here. I was afraid something was going to go wrong. But then I got more comfortable.”

The WPRB volunteer who has been hosting the weekly ASCAP Award-winning program exploring music since 1997 says his home studio work got easier when he purchased of a new computer and had an easier way to move between musical tracks.

But there were other obstacles.

That includes monitoring the use of the bathroom next to his home studio and making sure the room’s telephone is disconnected.

Then there was the very recent example. “Today something happened that was really weird. Can you believe, after all these radios shows, I forgot to plug in my router in my dead zone area of the house?

Your mind goes in another zone.

There are so many things that we take for granted.”

That includes his freely wandering house cats, including one that was settled in the room when Rosen closed the door and started his program and made an audible appearance meowing to be let out.

“We’re learning so many new things,” he says. “And in terms of good stuff, I don’t have to drive to the studio or worry about bad

weather. I had a marathon and there was a blizzard. I got there, but some of the guest had a problem.” He also says his wife, Beata, loves not having to arrive at the studio with meals.

“But the most important thing is that I can do my broadcasts,” says Rosen. “Doing the marathon and all my radio programs clears my mind and keeps me focused and not worrying about what is going on (in the world). It’s like my Prozac.

“And the quality of the actual broadcast is very good. A friend listening to me on the air live from home said, ‘You would never know you were not in a studio.’”

But, he adds, “I miss being live in the studio.”

‘The diversity of styles is limitless in the work of our living composers,’ rosen says. ‘The music of today speaks to young people because the influences are so vast.’

Rosen says the upcoming marathon will go live and nonstop from noon on December 27 to noon on December 28.

During that time he will feature approximately 100 new works by an equal representation of men and women composers — giving this year’s show the subtitle “50/50.”

“This is a work in progress, and I still have a lot of programming to do,” he says several days before the broadcast. “I am taking composer submissions. I have been getting files from composers from all over the world. It is amazing how many of them that are out there and how talented they are. I feel so good that I am offering this service. This year I have so many people who had never submitted before. I have

heard from some younger composers and those who aren’t known here. It is exciting to have the opportunity to present their music.”

Rosen’s efforts are also attracting attention outside of Princeton.

Recently, the British-based Musicweb posted an announcement directing its international followers to the marathon and Rosen’s intent to highlight 21st-century composers on his regular Wednesday program through January, 2021.

As the site says about the marathon, “There will be others contributing to the program, including regular MWI critic Richard Hanlon. Listeners will be able to listen online and even contribute to the discussion via listener chat, Facebook, and Twitter. To get an idea of the breadth of music involved, readers can access previous years’ playlists at the Classical Discoveries website www.classicaldiscoveries.org.”

“The diversity of styles is limitless in the work of our living composers,” says Rosen. “Many of them will be influenced by rock, hip hop, jazz, electronic music.

There is a lot of avant-garde and a lot of composers writing middleof-the-road music — elements of everything.

He says he is also finding a growing audience of young listeners. “The music of today speaks to young people because the influences are so vast. It comes from the music they’re familiar with if they’re from another ethnic background. And it is all coming from their lifetimes. It is their experience. That’s the main thing.”

For more information on Marven Rosen, his weekly “Classical Discoveries” program, and the December 27 and 28 “Viva 21st Century” marathon, visit www.wprb. com, www.classicaldiscoveries. org, or www.facebook.com/ events/416847949726246.

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DECEMber 23, 2020

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PREV I E W

Toasting the Holidays Ye Olde Colonial Way

T

by Dan Aubrey

he punch and practice of Colonial patriots and loyalists: Drink up!

Since getting into the holiday spirit has become increasing linked to another kind of spirit made from grain, it is not unusual to shake our heads and ask “How have we strayed?” After all, those who came before us — the Pilgrims, the colonists, and the brave souls who fought the Revolutionary War — came from an era that was purer and healthier than we are, right?

Wrong.

A quick question to Old Barracks executive director Richard Patterson set the record straight with some spirited insights about alcohol consumption in ye-olde Trenton — and the colonies.

The Barracks, of course, is where the British housed the Hessian soldiers who unsuccessfully fought with Washington on December 26.

Christmas was not celebrated in 1776 as it is today — Twelfth Night or January 6 was the big seasonal holiday. For that reason the Hessian army was probably not as hungover as legend suggests. But glasses and bowls were certainly raised on Christmas night — just like any other night in the era.

Today the Christmas season is more pronounced as a time of sharing and partaking, and Patterson too has gotten in the spirit and shares some punch recipes that would have been familiar to the colonist.

So think of these concoctions as something from our spirited heritage and, for purists, just the right formula for a real old-fashioned holiday.

18th Century Toast: ‘Fathom the Bowl’

by Richard Patterson

I

n Britain’s 18th-century American colonies, beer was a common, daily drink with virtually every meal. Even people who considered themselves “temperate” (no hard or distilled liquor) drank beer (only someone who considered themselves a “teetotaler” abstained from even beer and plain wine). The last quarter of the 18th century — particularly the last decade — is estimated to be one of the periods of highest consumption of pure alcohol per person in our country’s history.

When men went to a tavern in the late 18th century, they commonly drank rum. In America it was the “drink of abuse” — affordable, plentiful, good kick — usually 100 proof, while in the second half of the 18th century, “the drink of abuse” in England was gin.

In America, by about 1800, whisky would start to replace rum in that capacity as folks moved westward beyond the Appalachians, and it was cheaper to distill

Richard Patterson, executive director of the Old Barracks in Trenton, has some recommendations for 18th-century punches to add an extra kick to holiday festivities. Above, he poses in Colonial-era garb for a mural in Trenton by Illia Barger. their corn down into whisky and ship that East rather than ship the bulk corn itself, and they could get a much higher price for the whiskey. In New York and New Jersey, rum’s biggest rival would be apple jack or hard apple cider, as apple orchards had become very common.

One of the most popular drinks for a pair of men going to a tavern was a “punch.” Far from the genteel mixture imbibed from the bowl by small cups with pinkies extended, the two men would “fathom the bowl,” literally alternately drinking right from the bowl.

Punches were generally extremely sweet and extremely alco-

holic, based on 100 proof rum, mixtures of wines, fruits, and lots of sugar. With all the sugar in it, fermentation would actually continue, making it ever stronger. The common person’s diet at the time only rarely included sweets, so when they were going to spend money to drink, “anything worth doing was worth doing to excess.” After all, they weren’t driving anywhere afterwards or operating complex machinery, and few could afford to do it very regularly.

Trenton in 1776 was home to between 900 to 1,000 souls, but it had a number of taverns, not unusual in that it was the head of navigation on the Delaware (ocean going ships

could proceed no further north) and had two cable ferries: one where the Calhoun Street Bridge is, the other just south of the current bridges in the vicinity of the ballpark. To run a ferry one was required to run a tavern nearby to provide accommodation for travelers.

Trenton also was home to the Golden Swan Tavern, a building still at the corner of Front and Warren streets, the Royal Oak Tavern, and the Black Horse Tavern, among others. The southwest corner of the intersection of Warren and West State streets was home to a series of prominent taverns for more than a century.

Here are a few recipes that they used: A Most Elegant Liquor. Take five to eight ounces of dark rum or brandy, as you wish, and put it to 24 ounces of fresh cool water, add to it the juice of half a lemon and two or three tablespoons of the best refined sugar. (If you are close to the West Indies, Muscavado or Havana brown sugar can be used). If you please, grate in some nutmeg. This makes about a quart of a most delicate, fine, pleasant, and wholesome liquor.

The Fish House Punch: Take one cup packed brown sugar and mix in a pan with four cups of water and boil five minutes. Squeeze the juice from nine lemons and pour into the hot syrup. Add the lemon rinds. Cool the syrup and chill overnight so that the flavors blend.

Just before you serve the punch, remove the rinds. Mix in two cups of the juice of pineapples, a fifth of dark rum, half of a fifth of cognac, and four tablespoons of peach brandy. Mix well. Pack a large punch bowl with crushed ice and then pour the punch over the ice and serve.

Cherry Bounce: Take a half gallon of cherries and put into a stone crock five gallons in size.

Take the same amount of cool, clear water and one pound of the best refined sugar and add to the cherries. Mash well. Add to this one quart of brandy and let set for four months covered with a cloth.

Mix, stir and mash with a wooden spoon from time to time. Strain stones and pulp, and pour liquid into jars, seal and let age for another month.

Another Cherry Bounce: Take your cherries and mash them, stones and all. To every 5 pints of cherries, put a quart of rum, let it stand a week. Strain it through a flannel bag, for every gallon of bounce put three-quarters of a pound of brown sugar. Let age at least two weeks. Use as cheap rum as possible.

Cherry Shrub: Take three quarts of cherries, cut them in half, place in a double boiler, and cook them until the juice flows freely from them. Do not add any water.

Then place them in a cloth-covered colander and press the juice from them. Discard the pulp, save the juice. To each pint of juice, add two cups of sugar. Stir to dissolve and set aside to cool. To each pint of juice, add a quarter cup brandy.

Bottle and set aside for two weeks to season. To drink, pour one-quarter cup over ice, add water to taste, and stir.

Second Horse Punch: Mix a half pint light-bodied rum from the West Indies; half pint peach brandy, as made in South Carolina; half pint lemon juice; five tablespoons of bitters; and four tablespoons brown sugar. Stir thoroughly. If ice can be had, pour mixture over a large block. Add two to three pints of effervescent mineral water and serve at once.

DECEMber 23, 2020

U.S. 1

17

Life in the Fast Lane

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Edited by Sara Hastings

renton-based advertising agency EFK Group and Ogilvy, a global advertising, marketing, and public relations firm based in New York City, have joined forces under the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) All Small MentorProtege Program.

The initiative allows small business to learn about such issues as internal accounting and billing, navigating the federal procurement process, and business-development strategies from experienced government contractors.

Ogilvy and EFK most recently collaborated on a cancer awareness campaign for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that included digital billboards in Times Square.

“From scrappy, humble beginnings in a one-bedroom apartment more than twenty years ago to securing multi-million dollar contracts today, partnering with Ogilvy has helped catapult EFK through doors we only dreamed of opening.

We’ve been able to strike a great balance, learning from Ogilvy’s processes to better position us for some really powerful campaigns that also allow us to flex our creative muscles in new and exciting ways,” said Eleanor Kubacki, founder and CEO of EFK Group, in a press statement.

“We’re excited to be able to extend this collaboration to give back to communities at scale, bringing our small business grit to support Ogilvy’s proven team and approach in the months ahead,” she added.

“Working with EFK has been a

very rewarding experience and a great reminder that small businesses have a lot to offer,” said Tony Silva, group managing director of the U.S. Government Practice at Ogilvy. “With significant contracts already underway, we’re looking ahead to developing this relationship and expanding the boundaries of what each agency can achieve in the coming months, driving value and impact for our partners through our powerful creative collaboration.”

EFK Group, 1027 South Clinton Avenue, Trenton 08611.

609-393-5838. Eleanor Kubacki, founder and chief executive officer. www.efkgroup.com.

COVID Cases Close Robbinsville’s Amazon Warehouse

A

mazon’s sprawling Robbinsville Township fulfillment center was closed for the week of Christmas after testing of employees revealed a high number of asymptomatic COVID cases.

Testing is voluntary, but employees are encouraged to be tested every two weeks. Amazon runs a lab in Kentucky that processes test results so as not to overburden local testing facilities.

The facility is not scheduled to reopen until after Christmas, but Amazon has said that employees will be paid for the missed time.

Management Moves

C

arolina Curbelo is the new supervising attorney of the Latin American Legal Defense and Education Fund (LALDEF). She replaces Aleks Gontaryuk, who is stepping down after six years in the role.

Curbelo, a graduate of Rutgers University and Vermont Law School, joined LALDEF in early December. Her background is in immigration law and civil law litigation.

“In this time of crisis, LALDEF’s work providing legal representation to the immigrant community in Mercer County is more important than ever,” Curbelo said in a statement. “I am honored to join the team.”

Latin American Legal Defense and Education Fund, 714-716 South Clinton Avenue, Trenton 08611. 609688-0881. Lorraine Goodman, interim executive director. www.laldef.org.

Carnegie Center-based NRG Energy Inc. has appointed to people to vice president positions.

Jeanne-Mey Sun was named vice president, sustainability, and Dak Liyanearachchi is filling the newly created role of senior vice president, data and analytics.

In a statement, NRG president and CEO Mauricio Gutierrez said, “With the acceleration in 2019 of our emissions-reduction goals and our increasing focus on the customer through data analytics, the

Carolina Curbelo, left, is the new supervising attorney at LALDEF. Dab Gebow, above, has been appointed chief innovation officer at Bioclinica.

appointment of Jeanne-Mey and Dak will help to drive our business forward.”

NRG Energy Inc., 804 Carnegie Center, Princeton 08540.

609-524-4500. Mauricio Gutierrez, president and CEO. www.nrgenergy.com.

Bioclinica, a Carnegie Centerbased firm that provides technological and clinical science expertise for the development and management of clinical trials, has promoted Dan Gebow to chief innovation officer.

Gebow, who has 28 years of experience in biomedical research, will lead a team working on digital initiatives including software development and data analytics to add insight and efficiency to data collection and analysis.

Bioclinica, 211 Carnegie Center Drive, Princeton 08540.

877-632-9432. Euan Menzies, chairman and CEO. www.bioclinica.com.

years as a postal carrier.

Eva Jane Cook, 93, on December 14. She retired from NJ Realty Title Company.

Cheryldean G. Gallagher, 71, on December 12. She was a partner of General Abstract, a title insurance company, for more than 40 years.

Richard R. Vecchio, 80, on December 12. He retired from the retired from the State of New Jersey Department of Labor & Industry.

Joan A. Eisenmann, 84, on December 12. She was a life member of the Ladies Auxiliary of Kingston Volunteer Fire Company and a member of the Kingston Quilting Club. She was also employed by Woodwinds as an office manager.

Donald S. Knutson, 88, on December 11. He joined Princeton

Deaths John Panczyszyn, 75, on December 14. He worked for McGraw Hill for 23 years and then spent 17

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18

U.S. 1

DECEMber 23, 2020

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Pia de Jong

The Nativity Scene on Nightingale Street

T

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his Christmas, in a year that took so many magical rituals from us, I think back to my “Grandpa and Grandma Amsterdam,” as we called them, living in their upstairs apartment on the Nachtegaalstraat — or Nightingale Street. As frugally as they lived, they still reserved a “tidy room” that was used only for special occasions.

As a child I hardly dared to enter it. A painted statue of the Madonna stood on a shelf on the wall. On the sideboard their wedding photo sat next to portraits of their grandchildren. They ate there only on holidays, such as Christmas. That day Grandma carefully unwrapped from the tissue paper the tablecloth with the glittery silver wire that as a young girl she had embroidered at school. The table was set with the “good” china. Grandpa carefully placed the plaster figures into the wooden nativity scene. In all those years, none of them had broken.

Only one of the sheep was missing a leg.

But while Grandpa sliced the roast rabbit, a very different scene unfolded in the apartment next to them. A family lived there with seven young children, including a newborn baby. Earlier that week they had noisily dragged a Christmas tree up the stairwell. Now they were loudly singing Christmas carols.

Not a “Silent Night” for my grandparents. But what they didn’t know was that their neighbors had lit the candles in the tree for the first time that night, real candles of course. From one moment to the next, the singing suddenly turned to thumping, shouting, and howling. Grandpa smelled something burning, Grandma started to cough.

When they opened the front door, they saw a wall of flames raging in the stairwell. They feared their end had come.

Fortunately, the fire department

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drove into the street with blaring sirens. Thank goodness they work on Christmas Eve, too. My grandparents were helped out through their kitchen window via a fire escape ladder. Dazed, the two dear old people stood on the sidewalk in their best Sunday clothes, shiver-

Suddenly Grandma had become the center of a living nativity scene right on Nightingale Street. For a moment, the ambulance’s flashing light was the Star of Bethlehem. A good shepherd, disguised as a firefighter, put a blanket over her and the baby. ing from misery and cold. Thick black smoke poured from the windows of their home.

Next to them stood the neighbors with all their children. The little ones clung to their mother’s

Life in the Fast Lane Continued from preceding page

Plasma Physics Laboratory in 1966 where he worked in fusion energy research and the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor for 31 years.

Nicholas Mayer, 80, on December 19. His family owned and operated Mayer’s Bakery on South Broad Street in Hamilton, and he also worked for the Hamilton Township Road Department.

Susan Powers, 53, on December 17. She was a human resources and payroll manager at Honda of Princeton.

Donald J. Woodruff, 72, on December 19. He retired from the New Jersey Office of Information Technology.

Illustration by Eliane Gerrits

skirts. The oldest, who should have lit the candles, ran around the sidewalk in panic. When the ambulance arrived, the mother tried to stuff her gasping children in there. It was then that she discovered that the oldest had run away. Where was that brat? She would just drag him back by his hair. To have her hands free, she pushed her baby into Grandma’s arms and said, “There, hold him tight.”

Suddenly Grandma had become the center of a living nativity scene right on Nightingale Street. For a moment, the ambulance’s flashing light was the Star of Bethlehem. A good shepherd, disguised as a firefighter, put a blanket over her and the baby. Curious neighbors showed up bearing gifts, such as cups of hot chocolate. My grandmother had lost her tablecloth and the roasted rabbit dinner. But in her arms, she embraced the miracle of humanity. A Christmas child.

Pia de Jong is a Dutch writer who lives in Princeton. She writes a weekly column for the NRC Handelsblad, a major newspaper in Amsterdam. She can be contacted at pdejong@ias.edu.

Ronald J. Czyzewski, 82, on December 18. He worked for RCA and retired from American Standard.

Joseph Michael Fedorchak, 71, on December 15. He worked for the state Department of Health for more than 50 years.

Richard Wainwright Walley, 90, on December 20. He was an executive manager with the New Jersey Turnpike.

Jo Kendall, 82, on December 10. She was a long-time librarian in the Mercer County Library system.

Elli Rambow Walter, 93, on November 20. She worked for Princeton University Library, including several years at Firestone Library and 18 years at Marquand Art Library.

HELP WANTED We seek an energetic, enthusiastic, and well-organized person for the position of Office Administrator/ Clerical part-time. This is a part-time position of 20 to 25 hours per week at $680, depending on workload.

Need to be detail-oriented, possess good customer service skills, some cash & items handling skills.

Apply Email: billwilliams0029@gmail.com

DECEMber 23, 2020

U.S. 1

19

U.S. 1 Classifieds How to order

PERSONAL SERVICES

WANTED TO BUY

women seeking men

HOW TO RESPOND

Fax or E-Mail: That’s all it takes to order a U.S. 1 Classified. Fax your ad to 609-844-0180 or E-Mail class@princetoninfo.com. We will confirm your insertion and the price. It won’t be much: Our classifieds are just 50 cents a word, with a $7 minimum. Repeats in succeeding issues are just 40 cents per word, and if your ad runs for 16 consecutive issues, it’s only 30 cents per word.

Questions? Call us at 609-396-1511 ext. 105.

Professional Ghostwriter. Capture family stories or business histories for posterity. Writing your own memoir? Let me bring your memories alive. Memorialize special events with reminiscences of family and friends printed for all to share. Obituaries and eulogies are sensitively created. E. E. Whiting Literary Services. 609-462-5734 eewhiting@ live.com

Cash paid for World War II military items. 609-581-8290 or e-mail lenny3619@optonline.net.

Santa Baby, I’ve been good all year, please send me a wonderful boyfriend for the new year! This curvy, mature, beautiful woman wants to enjoy life and spend time with a fun, considerate, Caucasian male n/s, not a heavy drinker, who wants to spoil me. Thank you, Santa. Photo required (recent) and phone no./email. Box #240819

How to Respond: Place your note in an envelope, write the box number on the envelope, and mail it with $1 cash to U.S. 1 at the address below.

OFFICE RENTALS

A Personal Driver seeking to transport commuters, shopping trips, etc.

Modern, attractive car. References provided. Less than commercial taxi services. E-mail to gvprinter@gmail.com or call 609-331-3370.

1 day/month/year or longer. Princeton Route 1. Flexible office space to support your business. Private or virtual offices, conference rooms, high speed internet, friendly staffed reception. Easy access 24/7. Ample parking. Call Mayette 609-514-5100. www.princeton-office.com.

Ewing/Mercer County OFFICE 3,000 SF. 201-488-4000 or 609-8837900.

RETAIL SPACE Princeton, NJ Central Business District Retail/Service Business Stores for Lease - Weinberg Management, Broker - For Confidential Conversation Text: 609-731-1630 Email: WMC@collegetown.com

BUSINESS SERVICES Professional Ghostwriter: Press releases that grab editors’ attention and robust website content that rises above the run of the mill. Have your business history written to preserve the story behind your success. E. E. Whiting Literary Services. 609-462-5734 eewhiting@live.com

TRANSPORTATION

MUSIC SERVICES Brass Instrument Teacher: Professional musician, University of the Arts graduate. Instruction on Trumpet, Trombone, Tuba, Baritone/Euphonium, Improvisation/Music Theory. 609-2408290. Frank.rein@yahoo.com

MERCHANDISE MART Computer problem? Or need a used computer in good condition $80? Call 609-275-6930.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS I Buy Guitars and All Musical Instruments in Any Condition: Call Rob at 609577-3337.

WANTED TO BUY Cash paid for SELMER Saxophones and other vintage models.

609-581-8290, E-mail: lenny3619@ gmail.com

MEN SEEKING WOMEN Elderly gentleman seeks a woman who is more concerned about the suffering occurring around the world than she is about hedonistic pleasures. Box 240346.

Hi! I’m a 65 year old educated, attractive, semi-retired male with a youthful spirit and an active lifestyle. I try to have a positive attitude, a humble spirit, and accept others for who they are. I tend to be liberal in many ways, but try to look at any situation individually. I have a wide range of interests from music (classical to soft rock), to hiking and going to the beach. I like to read but can also enjoy a good show on t.v. I love all animals and have a cat and dog. I spend my summers in the mountains of N.H. and my winters in N.J., with occasional trips down south to catch some surf and sun. I’m hoping to find a kind, outgoing woman to share friendship, good times, and eventually more with. Someone who likes to travel (once the Covid ends), sit at the shore holding hands at sunset sharing some wine, a hike in the woods, or a sail on the lake in the summer. I am a non-smoker. If this sounds interesting, please get in touch and lets see where it goes. Box #240814 Nice guy, 58, 6’ tall, owner-operator, non-smoker, non-drinker, loves kids, loves dogs, would enjoy the companionship of good natured lady over 40.

Please send phone number. Photo would be appreciated. Box #240816 Professional seeks a woman from 40-55 years old. I enjoy family, I like to go to movies, go to the beach, festivals, and sometimes dine out and travel.

Please send phone, email to set up meeting. Box 240245.

Woman seeking an attractive, fit, Caucasian-white male, prefer a widower, 65-75. I am a 72 young petite white, non-smoker. Drink socially, have 2 adult daughters and 2 adorable grandsons, 7 1/2 and 2 1/2. I want a nonsmoker + drinker like me. I am a caring, honest, loving, devoted person. My friends can tell you I will always be there for you no matter what. My friends and family have kept me grounded and supported me after losing my hubby of knowing him 53 years and 49 years of marriage. It is 1 year Oct. 1st past he has been gone. I want companionship starting with friendship going slow and seeing where it takes us. We can text, email, eventually do facetime and once the time is right do phone calls. I do like dining out, movies, the beach, going to festivals, shopping and hanging out with friends and family. Box #240820

men seeking men A very attractive, clean, healthy, fit, athletic, young 61 Bi- white male.

Looking to meet same discreet, sensual white or Latin male. For discreet concerns, please respond with day time phone number for contact. Box 240815 I jumped off the curb yesterday to end the feeling of being alone due to Covid, but it did not help!! If this isolation is getting to you and you need a hug, conversation, or a pen pal, then write to this mature, six foot Italian in good shape with a sense of humor. What are you doing to keep your fantasies alive? Puzzles, t.v., cooking, or a couch potato?

Hope to get a good response from all you animals in Neverland. Box #240813

HOW TO ORDER Singles By Mail: To place your free ad in this section mail it to U.S. 1, 15 Princess Road, Suite K, Lawrenceville 08648, fax it to 609-844-0180, or E-mail it to class­@princetoninfo.com. Be sure to include a physical address to which we can send responses.

JOBS WANTED Job Hunters: If you are looking for a full-time position, we will run a reasonably worded classified ad for you at no charge. The U.S. 1 Jobs Wanted section has helped people like you find challenging opportunities for years now. We know this because we often hear from the people we have helped. We reserve the right to edit the ads and to limit the number of times they run. If you require confidentiality, send a check for $4 with your ad and request a U.S. 1 Response Box. Replies will be forwarded to you at no extra charge. Mail or Fax your ad to U.S. 1 Jobs Wanted, 15 Princess Road, Suite K, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648. Fax to 609-844-0180. E-mail to class@ princetoninfo.com. You must include your name, address, and phone number (for our records only).

Retired male seeking to assist anyone that may need my help. Cooking them breakfast or lunch or straightening out or cleaning their living quarters or whatever assistance is needed. If conversation is all that is needed, I’m available for that too. I’m trustworthy and reliable. Love to make people laugh. Box #240818

classified by e-mail class@princetoninfo.com

Summer Fiction All Year Long Short Stories & Poems from the readers of U.S. 1

U .S. 1 Newspaper extends its annual invitation to all writers and poets to present original short fiction, short plays, or poetry.

This is an opportunity to have your work published in hard-copy form and to be recognized in public for your effort.

To participate, submit your previously unpublished short story, play, or poem as soon as possible. Please: No more than two stories or five poems per writer.

Work will be considered for publication on a rolling basis.

Please submit work by e-mail to fiction@princetoninfo.com.

Authors retain all rights.

Preference will be given to central New Jersey writers whose work addresses a theme or place relevant to the greater Princeton business community. Submissions from children are not encouraged.

Questions?

E-mail fiction@princetoninfo.com or call 609-452-7000.

Important: Be sure to include a brief biographical summary with your submission, along with your name, address, and daytime phone number.

20

U.S. 1

DECEMber 23, 2020

Mercer County Curbside Recycling Information All recyclables must be in official buckets and at the curb by 7:00 a.m. • NO ITEMS IN PLASTIC BAGS WILL BE COLLECTED

2021 MERCER COUNTY Curbside Recycling Schedule MONDAY Lawrence

TUESDAY Ewing

Princeton

July 12, 26 Aug. 9, 23 Sep. 11, 20 Oct. 4, 18 Nov. 1, 15, 29 Dec. 13, 27

Jan. 11, 25 Feb. 8, 22 Mar. 8, 22 Apr. 5, 19 May 3, 17 June 5,14, 28

Jan. 4, 18 Feb. 1, 15 Mar. 1, 15, 29 Apr. 12, 26 May 10, 24 June 7, 21

WEDNESDAY

July 5, 19 Aug. 2, 16, 30 Sep. 13, 27 Oct. 11, 25 Nov. 8, 22 Dec. 6, 20

Entire City of Trenton Jan. 6, 20 July 7, 21 Feb. 3, 17 Aug. 4, 18 Mar. 3, 17, 31 Sep. 1, 15, 29 Apr. 14, 28 Oct. 13, 27 May 12, 26 Nov. 10, 24 June 9, 23 Dec. 8, 22

Hamilton Zones 1 and 4 Jan. 13, 27 July 14, 28 Feb. 10, 24 Aug. 11, 25 Mar. 10, 24 Sep. 8, 22 Apr. 7, 21 Oct. 6, 20 May 5, 19 Nov. 3, 17 June 2, 16, 30 Dec. 1, 15, 29

FRIDAY

HOLIDAY COLLECTIONS

Hamilton Zone 3

Jan. 2,15, 29 Feb. 12, 26 Mar. 12, 26 Apr. 9, 23 May 7, 21 June 4, 18

If collection day falls on a holiday (Christmas, New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day and Thanksgiving) collection will be the following SATURDAY.

July 2, 16, 30 Aug. 13, 27 Sep. 10, 24 Oct. 8, 22 Nov.5, 19 Dec. 3, 17, 31

Hopewell Township Hopewell Boro and Pennington

Jan. 12, 26 Feb. 9, 23 Mar. 9, 23 Apr. 6, 20 May 4, 18 June 1, 15, 29

July 13, 27 Aug. 10, 24 Sep. 7, 21 Oct. 5, 19 Nov. 2, 16, 30 Dec. 14, 28

THURSDAY

Hamilton Zone 2

Jan. 14, 28 Feb. 11, 25 Mar. 11, 25 Apr. 8, 22 May 6, 20 June 3, 17

July 1, 15, 29 Aug. 12, 26 Sep. 9, 23 Oct. 7, 21 Nov.4, 18 Dec. 2, 16, 30

July 6, 20 Aug. 3, 17, 31 Sep. 14, 28 Oct. 12, 26 Nov. 9, 23 Dec. 7, 21

Jan. 5, 19 Feb. 2, 16 Mar. 2, 16, 30 Apr. 13, 27 May 11, 25 June 8, 22 West Windsor

Jan. 7, 21 Feb. 4, 18 Mar. 4, 18 Apr. 1, 15, 29 May 13, 27 June 10, 24

SPECIAL RECYCLING EVENTS Household Hazardous Waste Collection and Electronics Recycling Events Dempster Fire School (350 Lawrence Station Road) March 27, June 05 and September 11 / 8AM - 2PM

July 8, 22 Aug. 5, 19 Sep. 2, 16, 30 Oct. 14, 28 Nov. 11, 27 Dec. 9, 23 OPEN TO ALL MERCER COUNTY RESIDENTS!

Document Shredding Events Lot 4/651 South Broad Street (across from Mercer County Administration Bldg.), April 10 and October 9 / 9AM - 12PM

Get the FREE ‘Recycle Coach’ APP!

NEVER MISS ANOTHER COLLECTION DAY! Scan the code for instant access to all your recycling needs!

MUNICIPAL RECYCLING AND PUBLIC WORKS: Ewing / 882-3382 Hamilton / 890-3560 Hopewell Boro / 466-0168 Hopewell Twp / 537-0250 Lawrence Twp / 587-1894

Pennington Boro / 737-9440 Princeton / 688-2566 Trenton / 989-3151 West Windsor / 799-8370

East Windsor, Hightstown, Robbinsville: Call your Recycling / Public Works Office for your recycling schedule

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Mercer County Participates in MERCER COUNTY

RECYCLES

SINGLE STREAM RECYCLING; ALL Recyclables EITHER Bucket!

No more separation anxiety!

Mercer County Improvement Authority / 609-278-8086 / www.mcianj.org