7-23 HP

Q&A: mayoral hopeful Marty Flynn

Marty Flynn knows Hamilton Township, and Hamilton Township knows Marty Flynn.

He grew up here, taught school here, and he is still working in education here, even after a long and successful career as teacher, coach and athletic director at Nottingham High School and in the West Windsor-Plainsboro school district. The St. Anthony’s High School graduate currently serves as athletic director for the reborn Trenton Catholic Preparatory Academy, which is situated on the same site as Flynn’s alma mater.

But, as Flynn himself likes to say, he is always seeking out new challenges, which is one reason that he has accepted the Hamilton Republicans’ nomination to run against Democratic incumbent Jeff Martin for mayor of Hamilton this fall.

Flynn spoke to the Hamilton Post by phone last month for

See FLYNN, Page 6

Top 10 grads share future plans

By JOe EMANsKi

The Class of 2023 may have had the most memorable high school experience of any graduating class, and all too rarely for the best of reasons.

This year’s graduates were freshmen when Covid-19 struck in the winter of 2020. They finished every year of high school in a post-pandemic world. And yet they did all that they could to keep this from deterring them from their hopes and dreams.

Spartans take CJIII title

By Rich Fisher

There are a million different words that could be used to describe the Steinert softball team’s 2023 state championship victory. If they were to be condensed into one word, it would be “surreal.”

“That’s just the way it felt,” coach Jenn Melker said. “It was like an out-of-body experience.”

That’s not surprising.

It’s extremely hard to win a state title; and even tougher to win it when losing the heart and soul of the team early in the championship game.

That’s exactly what happened in the top of the second inning. With Steinert holding a 3-0 lead against Morris Knolls, pitcher Izzy Bonacci was at bat. She fouled a ball off on a check swing and immediately fell to the ground, injured. For the

next 25 minutes, as the players in both dugouts and the fans at Kean University awaited the ambulance’s arrival, it was as if time stood still.

At home plate, Melker never left Bonacci’s side.

“She was helping me get through the pain I was dealing with,” the hurler said. “Without her, I honestly don’t think I would have been able to get off

See SOFTBALL, Page 16

As it does every year, the Hamilton Post is celebrating this year’s top achieving students from the three public high schools in the township. These 30 students were the top academic performers from each school in terms of grade point average, though they are by no means the only high achievers in their classes.

Please join the Post in wishing all of the Class of 2023 good fortune from here on out and hoping for the best for their future. Our profiles of the top graduating seniors from each school begin on page 10.

Seniors Ceara O’Neal (holding trophy) and Paige Schultz at Kean University on June 10, 2023 after Steinert’s softball team won the Central Jersey Group III state championship over Morris Knolls, 3-2.

(Photo by Amanda Ruch/amandaruchphotography.smugmug.com).

INTerVieW By JOe EMANsKi

RWJUH Hamilton July Healthy Living / Community Education Programs

SALT, FAT, ACID, HEAT: WATCH PARTY & DISCUSSION

Fri. July 7, July 14, July 21, July 28; 11 a.m. to noon

Join this 4-week program to watch the popular series “Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat”. Each week we explore one of these 4 central principals of flavor. Watch and discuss how to incorporate the elements into delicious dishes!

Taryn Krietzman, RDN

AVOID MEDICATION ERRORS AT HOME

Fri., July 7; 2 to 3 p.m.

Shesha Desai, PharmD, RPh, BC-ADM will help to ensure you are taking medications properly, as ordered by your doctor. Bring in a list of your all over-the-counter and prescription medications (or the bottles themselves) if you have any questions about possible interactions.

COOKING WITH CARDIOLOGY

Mon., July 10; 6 to 7:30 p.m.

Join us at this “hands on” lecture and learn about heart healthy cooking. Shakil Shaikh, DO, from Hamilton Cardiology Associates, will be cooking up food for thought in this fun filled demonstration.

LETTING GO OF CLUTTER

Tue., July 11; 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.

This support group explores how our emotional ties to our “stuff” can create clutter and affect our mood. An Oaks Integrated Care caregiver specialist will conduct these interactive groups on crucial topics and facilitate a supportive group experience.

MANAGING STRESS AND DIABETES

Tue., July 11; 3 to 4 p.m.

This support group is for people living with diabetes. Learn how to cope with stress and diabetes in a healthy way.

SO BLOATED, I COULD FLY LIKE A BALLOON

Tue., July 11; 6 to 7:30 p.m.

Shivaprasad Marulendra, MD, boardcertified in Gastroenterology will discuss the common issue of abdominal bloating.

MEMORY SCREENING

Wed., July 12; 11 a.m. to noon

Are you concerned about “senior moments?”

The Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) is an effective screening tool and quick assessment to discern normal aging versus potential problems. We will also giving a lecture related to improving your memory. Registration required.

OSTEOPOROSIS SCREENING

Wed., July 12; 1 to 3 p.m.

Come in to receive an ultrasound of your heel and get your score. Our staff will explain the meaning behind your score and share some other important information with you. Appointment and registration required.

ORTHOPEDIC OPEN HOUSE

Wed., July 12; 6:30 to 8 p.m.

Discover the latest advances in knee and hip replacement surgery and rehabilitation.

Presented by James Scott, DO, boardcertified orthopaedic surgeon; Maureen Stevens, PT, DPT, GCS, Cert MDT; and Courtney Fluehr, PT DPT. Dinner is included.

HEALTHRYTHMS® DRUMMING CIRCLE

Wed, July 12; 7 to 8 p.m.

Join our drumming circle and help drum your cares away. This evidence-based program is shown to reduce blood pressure, calm stress and increase the fun in your life. Drums provided. Fee: $15. Mauri Tyler, CTRS, CMP

CRYSTAL BOWL SOUND BATH

Thu., July 13; 6:30 to 8 pm

Sound healing uses special instruments like singing bowls, gongs, drums and chimes to create a therapeutic atmosphere promoting deep rest, nervous system rebalancing, and emotional release. Participants sit or lay in a comfortable position while the practitioner takes you on a sound journey for mind, body and spirit. Andriana Hansen, RYT200, SHA1 of the Learning Cooperative. $15

ASK THE DIETITIAN

Mon., July 17; 9 a.m. to noon

Do you have a question about diet and nutrition? Join a community education dietitian for a one-on-one Q&A. Be prepared to talk about your current diet/eating habits to make the most out of your session. Registration is required. Taryn Krietzman, RDN DANCE IT

OUT!

Tue., July 18; 1 to 2 p.m. July 18: Oldies But Goodies

Never miss a chance to dance! Dance the day away while enjoying some of your favorite songs from your past. All ages welcome, no experience required.

DETOX YOUR LIFE AND GET ENERGIZED

Tue., July 18; 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. It’s time to unlock the door to a healthier, happier lifestyle so that a better version of you can shine through. Get the keys of how to detox through nutrition, beauty, home environment and the mind. Gail Leslie, Integrative Nutrition Health Coach.

MINDFULNESS MEDITATION FOR BEGINNERS

Tue., July 18; 6:30 to 7:30 pm. Learn how to rest your body and quiet your mind with the simple (although not always easy) practice of meditation. No experience necessary.

MINDFULNESS MEDITATION FOR BEGINNERS

Wed., July 19; 1 to 2 p.m. Learn how to rest your body and quiet your mind with the simple (although not always easy) practice of meditation. No experience necessary.

IT’S SUMMER! WHY AM I STRESSED OUT?

Wed., July 19; 4 to 5 pm

Discussion group about dealing with the stress of summer. Vacations, body image, kids at home, etc. Easy tips and different strategies one can employ for coping.

WHAT’S IN THE BOX?

*VIRTUAL*

Thu., July 20; noon to 1:00 p.m. All things seasonal, all the time! Join us online via ZOOM and learn what wonderful fruits and vegetable are up to this time of year and how to make them shine! Taryn

Krietzman, RDN KNOWLEDGE CAFÉ: PERIPHERAL ARTERY DISEASE

(PAD) AND WOUND CARE

Thu., July 20; 6 to 7:30 p.m. Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) affects more than 12 million people and can be problematic for those with chronic wounds. Join Reza Shah, DO, Co-Medical Director RWJUH Hamilton Center for Wound Healing to learn about the world of PAD and wound care. Free dinner will be provided.

THE LINK BETWEEN HEARING LOSS AND DEMENTIA-CAN HEARING AIDS SAVE YOUR BRAIN?

Tue., July 25; 10 to 11 a.m. According to several major studies, older adults with hearing loss are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, compared to those with normal hearing. Audiologist, Lorraine Sgarlato, Au.D., will provide insight and discuss.

INTRODUCTION TO ANIMAL COMMUNICATION

Tue., July 25; 6:30 to 8 p.m.

Do you love animals and want to deepen your bond? Do you wish you knew what your animals are thinking and feeling? Do you want to connect intuitively but not sure you have the ability (hint…you do!) Interested in learning how? Animal Communication is not just for “gifted” people…in fact we are all able to use our intuition to communicate this way. Come join us for this fun and interactive introduction into animal communication. No experience required, just your trusting open mind.

Marcia Minunni, Fee:$15

REIKI SHARE

Wed., July 26; 6:30 to 8:30 p.m

For folks who have been Reiki certified (at any level) to come share the gift with fellow practitioners. Give a session, get a session. Please bring a sheet and small pillow. Fee: $5

WISE WOMEN DISCUSSION GROUP

Thu., July 27; 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Join a community of women as we discuss relevant topics and find purpose, meaning and community.

*All programs require registration and will be held at the RWJ Fitness & Wellness Center 3100 Quakerbridge Rd. unless otherwise noted.

at 65+ Years Old

Scan the QR code to register and become a member or call 609-584-5900 or email bhprogram@rwjbh.org to learn more

LET’S TALK, A SENIOR SOCIAL GROUP

Wed., July 5, 12, 19 & 26; 10 to 11 a.m.

Please join us for our ongoing program “Let’s Talk, a Senior Social Group,” gathering in a collaborative setting to exchange thoughts, feelings and experiences amongst peers. This is a safe-zone designed to be welcoming and understanding of all attendees while exploring this season of our lives – the ups and the challenges. This group is a partnership between RWJUH Hamilton and PyschHealth Associates here in Hamilton. This is a weekly program. Please feel free to attend one or all.

SALT, FAT, ACID, HEAT: WATCH PARTY & DISCUSSION

Fri., July 7, July 14, July 21, July 28; 11 a.m.

to noon

Join this 4-week program to watch the popular series “Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat”.

Each week we explore one of these 4 central principals of flavor. Watch and discuss how to incorporate the elements into delicious dishes! Taryn Krietzman, RDN THE

LINK BETWEEN HEARING LOSS & DEMENTIA-CAN HEARING AIDS SAVE YOUR BRAIN?

Tue., July 11; 10 to 11 a.m. According to several major studies, older adults with hearing loss are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, compared to those with normal hearing. Audiologist, Lorraine Sgarlato, Au.D., will provide insight and discuss.

MEDITATION CLASSES,

Tue., July 11 & 18; 11:15 to 11:45 a.m.

Krystal Loughlin will lead this meditation class focusing on reducing stress and bringing inner peace. See how you can easily learn to practice meditation whenever you need it most. Beginner’s welcome

YOGA CLASSES

Tue., July 11 & 18; 10 to 11 a.m.

Krystal Loughlin, certified RYT, will be leading this gentle yoga class using traditional postures and breathing techniques offering modification of the poses for your body so that you can confidently participate. Beginner’s welcome.

GAME TIME

Wed., July 12; 1 to 2:30 p.m.

Join us for game time, snacks and some wholesome fun. A variety of board games will be available or you are welcome to bring your own.

SOCRATES CAFÉ,

Thu., July 13; 10 to 11 a.m.

“Socrates Café” is about discussing a topic, sharing our thoughts, our beliefs, our ideas, and experiences. An unofficial mantra describes that we (people) learn more when we question, and question with others. This is a “safe zone” to share where all views are accepted. Come with an open mind, respect for one another, and a willingness to see where it takes us.

TAI CHI CLASS

Thu., July 13 & 27; 1 to 2 p.m.

Tai Chi is recommended for seniors because it improves balance, strengthens muscles in the legs and increases flexibility and stability in the ankles. It can help reduce falls and back pain. Beginner’s welcome.

Trenton Assembly #9

Celebrating 100 years of Service

1923-2023

Were you a Rainbow Girl?

GIRLS

5 years – 21 years old

Enjoy a friendly community of Service • Friendship • Leadership Applications being accepted NOW. Don’t Wait!

Please reach out to Christine Storie, Mother Advisor 609-532-1737 • Christine.storie@aol.com

Join Us: July 8 • 8am - 11am - BowTique Thrift Shop - all items $2 Open to the public - Masonic Lodge, Nottingham Way Hamilton Square July 29- Reunion Luncheon- RSVP required

Meetings 2nd and 4th Mondays of the Month

A Fraternity for young women sponsored by Gothic Fraternal Lodge Nottingham Way, Hamilton Square NJ

Hamilton Post

We are a newsroom of your neighbors. The Hamilton Post is for local people, by local people. As part of the community, the Gazette does more than just report the news—it connects businesses with their customers, organizations with their members and neighbors with one another. As such, our staff sets out to make our town a closer place by giving readers a reliable source to turn to when they want to know what’s going on in their neighborhood.

EDITOR

Joe Emanski (Ext. 120)

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Rich Fisher

CONTRIBUTING COLUMNISTS

Peter Dabbene, Robert Sherman Jr.

AD LAYOUT & PRODUCTION

Stacey Micallef (Ext. 131)

SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE

Jennifer Steffen (Ext. 113)

Community News Service

9 Princess Road, Suite M

Lawrenceville, NJ 08648

Phone: (609) 396-1511

News: news@communitynews.org

Events: events@communitynews.org

Sports: sports@communitynews.org

Letters: jemanski@communitynews.org

Website: hamiltonpost.com

Facebook: facebook.com/hamiltonpostnj

Twitter: twitter.com/mercerspace

40,000 copies of the Hamilton Post are mailed or bulk-distributed to the residences and businesses of Hamilton 12 times a year.

TO AdVERTISE call (609) 396-1511, ext. 113 or e-mail advertise@communitynews.org

RISTORANTE & PIZZA

DINE & DONATE DAY

1973

YEARS

In honor of our 50th Anniversary, Brother's Pizza on Rt. 33 will host a "Dine and Donate Day" for a local charity. We have chosen one Sunday per month to donate 50% of our sales to a featured 501c organization. Please support our cause to give back to our community!

RISTORANTE & PIZZA

UPCOMING CHARITABLE EVENTS:

2023

AUGUST 6: Whats My Name

SEPTEMBER 10: Ryans Quest

OCTOBER 8: I Believe in Pink

NOVEMBER 12: Shine & Inspire

DECEMBER 10: OneProjectNJ & Mobile Meals of Hamilton

1973

DOUGH RAISED:

197 3

JAN. 15: Sea Girt Polar Plunge $4,733.56

FEB.19: Deborah Heart & Lung $3,680.33

MAR.12: The Hamilton YMCA $4,398.07

YEARS

Apr.16: Police Unity Tour 2023 $3,596.30

May 21: The Miracle League $4,860.53

June 11: Autism New Jersey $3,871.84

2023

Please consider visiting the websites of these organizations for additional donation opportunities!

FLYNN continued from Page 1 director under Kelly Yaede?

a question and answer session. The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Hamilton Post: First, tell us about the decision to become athletic director at Trenton Catholic Preparatory Academy.

Marty Flynn: I went to the former St. Anthony’s High School, and the opportunity that education afforded me was outstanding. I was in athletic administration for West WindsorPlainsboro schools for going on 15 years, and then I worked for Mayor (Kelly) Yaede. The Diocese (of Trenton) had closed TCA in 2021, and there was a group of alums, some of whom I knew, who got private funding to reopen the school. They needed some people with state certifications to help run the school. I thought it would be a great opportunity for me to work with kids again.

There was some heavy lifting the first two years, but I think we’re in really good shape. The lower school is outstanding, it has about 250 kids, the high school is coming up, with 200 kids this year. The high school is on the small side, but people really want to be there. It still has a Catholic, Christian environment, and many parents like that.

HP: How did you make the jump from school administrator to the recreation

MF: As I look back at my career, I see these segments of my career where I was always looking to do something different. I was a teacher, I did a masters program, I wanted to make the teaching piece as good as it could be. Then coaching, then I refereed basketball for a long time. I’ve always been looking for new challenges.

In West Windsor, the school community would raise money for cancer research and Mayor Yaede was with the Cancer Society at the time, and we got to know each other. I wrote her a letter one day and, this sounds a little bold now, but when she was mayor the township health and recreation director position was open and in the letter I said, “Here’s some reasons I would be a good fit for the position.” I have a masters in administration and the recreation piece goes hand in hand with athletics. I was athletic director of both Nottingham and West Windsor-Plainsboro.

I wrote that letter, and the next day Mr. (John) Ricci, who was the business administrator at the time, said they wanted to interview me. I give Mayor Yaede a lot of credit for giving me that opportunity.

HP: You later became the director of economic development for the township. Can you talk about some of your top

achievements in that role?

MF: A good friend of mine who did a great job had retired, Mike Angarone. Mayor wanted me to take on that role, and for me that was another challenge. I think we met the challenge. I got the opportunity to shepherd some really great projects to Hamilton. I say shepherding because it’s not easy to bring developments to fruition. There are rules and regs and land use issues that are ongoing to bring projects to the town. I’m very proud of the things we did.

There were three new hotels under our administration, on Route 130, that created a number of jobs. We had the vacant car lots on Route 33 that now have Panera, Aldi, AAA, Wawa, the auto shop. And we worked with the developer to refurbish the old Fairgrounds Mall.

The company that came in brought Walmart in there, they revitalized that whole strip mall. And again, hundreds of jobs came from that. The strip mall is filled to capacity now, Panda Express is there now. That whole area became very vibrant, so that was another thing we did.

Homestead at Hamilton, the senior living development on the corner of Kuser and Klockner, was a project we shepherded. That was a good solid program that gave a number of jobs, but also gave us an opportunity to take care of senior citizens. It’s a beautiful building, a beautiful facility. The FedEx distribution center also brought hundreds of jobs in.

I think of the Yardville Bank building as another iconic Hamilton building. They closed it down and it was shuttered for a while. A company came in talked to us about taking the property over. One of the concerns was, what were they going to do with that building?

The gentleman who bought it promised to refurbish the existing building. He kept it the way it was then put a two-story addition on the back and replicated the stone and brickwork so it looks like it’s pretty much extension of what’s there.

I was a White Horse, Yardville kind of guy, I raised my family in Yardville. That’s my side of town. When they put the fences up — they demolished the inside of the old building — my phone rang off the hook. People said, “You can’t tear that building down.” But they didn’t. They took care of it.

That’s going to be a goal of mine moving forward, to make sure we look to revitalize those areas I call them horseshoe areas, the oldest portions of Hamilton. Whitehead, Bromley, Greenwood, Lalor tract, all of that.

Broad Street Park. Like Independence Mall. When we were kids, we used to ride our bikes down there three times a week. During our time, it had its highest occupancy in like 15 years. We brought the Regal theater in.

Obviously, the developer, the owner, he’s making a lot of those contacts. But once we hear someone is interested, we jump in on it, try to make it as efficient as possible for a business to make that commitment.

Just before we left, I did a report on occupancy in our strip malls because basically we’re a strip mall town. We were approaching 90% occupancy in our strip malls. Dover Park and out on Quakerbridge, there’s so many of them. Realtors always have a “For Rent” sign up, so it seems like there’s a lot of space open. But there’s not a lot of space open. That’s continued (during the current administration), but we need to ensure that that never goes down.

Like the real estate market. Real estate market in Hamilton was and is strong. People want to live in Hamilton and they want to live in the type of Hamilton we grew up in: a nice house, a rancher or a Cape or a 60’s split, they want a little yard, you can put a pool there. We used to get people come in and say they want to put multifamily units in, like what’s going on in Hoboken, Camden. I really didn’t have to tell them, I just told them to look around. Houses are being sold and bought on a regular basis. That’s the town we’re in. We have some really solid multifamily developments that are out there too, but people do want the housing piece that we have. I’m not sure that they want high rises.

HP: So why have you decided to run as the Republican candidate for mayor of Hamilton in this year’s election?

MF: I’ve been a public servant my entire life. I was raised here, I attended school here in Hamilton, I work here. I’ve purchased three homes, I raised my family here. The town has been very good to me.

I saw when I worked here how government works. I know I can do it. Being that public servant and looking for challenges all the time, I really feel I’m capable, I’m qualified, I’m experienced in administration and I really want to do it. It would be a culmination of my public service to be mayor of my hometown.

I have no other political ambitions. I’m not looking to go on to the State Senate or the Assembly. I’m in it because I know

See FLYNN, Page 8

Flynn

that I have put together an outstanding leadership team of Hamiltonians that believe we can do a better job. Former officials, business administrators, CFOs, former directors, rank and file employees. We’ve been gathering information so we can do it better.

HP: How do you view the role of mayor of Hamilton? What is the essence of the job, in your mind?

MF: I think it’s important to be, first of all, that lead administrator, CFO, something along those lines. But I also feel that job 1A or 1B is to be a person in the community, meeting with business groups, meeting with nonprofits, going to school events, being accessible to the public. Finding out what people want, what their needs are. Going to lunch in all of our businesses, grabbing a burger or a slice of pizza, making sure people know that I am accessible.

A lot of people in town know me, but as mayor that won’t change one little bit. I don’t have any special interest groups, I’m not attached to any big parties. This is going to be a leadership team made up of Hamiltonians that are going to make decisions for Hamiltonians based on their input. It’s not going to be just Marty Flynn. It’s going to be about a leadership team that’s an outstanding group.

HP: Failures at the Trenton Water Works have residents concerned about the safety and quality of their drinking water. How would your administration handle the Water Works problem?

MF: That is a big priority, there’s no question about it. We have to find out what we can do to improve the quality of the water. Some people say that being elected mayor, there are three or four basics that people want taken care of all the time, and certainly clean healthy water is one of them.

I think the issue now is transparency. And it’s been that way for a while. All of a sudden they’ve put up the water tower by Applebee’s in Mercerville. They’re going to drain it, or paint it inside or something. The problem is that we don’t know what they’re doing. That hasn’t been communicated.

We need to work closely with Trenton Water Works, with the administration in Trenton and the state Department of Health, and it’s got to be a working relationship, not politics. It’s got to be a partnership to make sure that our residents are getting good, clean, healthy water.

HP: As mayor, what would be the top priorities for your administration?

MF: I really think the overdevelopment of Hamilton is a big problem. When

FindYourADVENTURE!

we started talking about running, way back in January, we had some really good meetings with people. We got the nomination Feb. 28 and we’ve been out knocking on doors since March 1. The overdevelopment, the warehouses — we’re approaching 10 new warehouses in three years. No one’s happy about that. I’m certainly not happy about it.

Two of our neighboring municipalities have brought legal challenges to stop that development. Our administration has not done that at all. They just keep coming. We had a master plan review on the budget in 2018, and when the total budget (in Hamilton) I think was $107 million, this was a $15,000 project to work with this company so they would give us the demographic study, the metrics, the population trends in Hamilton so we could do a thorough reevaluation of the master plan, so we could look at rezoning some areas of Hamilton. That was pulled out of the budget by the Democrats who were in there at the time. It should have stayed. We should have had the master plan review. I believe they have one ongoing now, but that was our plan to do that.

Not only the warehouses, but there are three major housing developments going up right now and there’s not a lot a transparency. People ask, what’s going on Klockner Road across from the

pet cemetery? It’s a major residential development, but people don’t know what’s going on, and they should.

It’s a matter of good economic development, good land use, not giving developers an opportunity to come in and give them too many variances. There’s a project that’s going to come in on Route 33 and White Horse Mercerville Road, the former gas station. They got a lot of variances to have that project put in. Warehouses, housing projects, people are really very concerned. We’re going to do a strategic master plan review to gather information to see if we can correct some of those things that are out there.

The safety of our residents is always a priority. Our police and firefighters, they do a great job for us. I’m a little concerned that our police force is below 170. I’ve been talking to what I consider are experts, and I know that we should be above that number, and I’m going to make every effort to make sure we have a sufficient number of officers.

HP: Your running mates are Gino Melone and Mike Chianese. Why should voters elect them to the Hamilton Township Council?

MF: Gino has experience. He was a councilman in Trenton for a number of years. He worked in government, he knows bureaucracy, and it’s important

that we identify that. I know that you can make it so that those bureacracies work as smooth as they can. I think if you have good managerial skills, you can do that, and I think Gino brings that to the table as well. He’s involved in many community organizations including Knights of Columbus, he’s very much entrenched in the community, and Mike is the same way. His experience as a director in the State of New Jersey, he was involved in major construction projects. The state police facility in Hamilton off of Route 130, that was one of his projects. So he would bring that construction piece, that director/leadership piece that we would need at council level.

HP: The township is currently in the planning stages for a major new municipal complex, with plans to share the site with the school district. Your administration would inherit this project if you are elected in November. Do you have a vision for the municipal complex?

MF: I think it’s needed, there’s no question about it. It should be a modern functional building that provides space for meetings. The present administration building is not large enough to hold some meetings. Our municipal workers there work in some cramped quarters and interesting spaces in that 90-year-old building.

I question the transparency of the whole thing. There was very little input from the community. People in our community didn’t get an opportunity to see what was going on. In the community involvement roundtable that was held last week (June 12), still nothing was presented by the administration. No Powerpoint, no charts, no who’s funding it or what it’s going to look like. The meeting was scheduled for 5:30 to 7:30, but it was over at 6:05. I just think that there should be some more transparency.

HP: How do you feel the township fire division consolidation has gone for the firefighters and the residents and businesses of Hamilton?

MF: For the rank and file firefighters, I think it was long overdue. I think the consolidation of our command center was a plus. But the business aspect of the consolidation was not handled well. Under the other model, the buildings were self contained, maintenance of the building, the lawns being cut, those kind of things were in place. When the township took it over, that wasn’t addressed.

There are a number of departments (in Hamilton Township) that are in need of employees and I think it shows sometimes. I think every single municipal building in Hamilton should be pristine. Particularly in those areas where they need to be a model, and I’m not seeing that, quite frankly.

Our firefighters do a great job for us, and it’s important that they’re under one command. But it’s the business aspect of it that I think wasn’t handled well.

HP: How does your family feel about you running for mayor?

MF: I didn’t say anything to anybody before I spoke to my wife Mary Ann. Sometime before the holidays, I was out to dinner with my wife and I said, “I want to run for mayor.” It’s funny because we’ve been together forever, and when I said that, she said to me, “Well, it’s about time you told me.” She could feel it.

She’s happy. She’s always supported me. Close to Christmastime, we had a big family dinner with my three children and their spouses and my grandkids, and we put it out there. They were great about it. They know who I am and they know why I’m doing it. To have their support is the most important thing.

I think people know me. I just want to make sure that they understand that we’re going to put together a strong, Hamiltonbased leadership team, and we’re going to work hard to make Hamilton the best community it can be. That includes all the amenities: Octoberfest, Winter Wonderland, the Little Leagues, the Babe Ruths, all of the school functions, we want to make it all the best that it can be.

CLASS of 2023: STEINERT HIGH SCHooL

Steinert’s top graduating seniors set career goals

Sajid Ahmed

Seton Hall University

Biology/B.S.-M.D. program

Rank: 1 GPA: 5.0861

Career Plans: Physician (anesthesiologist, neurologist or cardiologist).

Clubs: Debate Club (captain), Math Club (co-vice president), Newspaper Club, Mock Trial, Peer Leadership, Yearbook Club, Play Sound Crew, Spanish Club, Key Club, Model Congress.

Schools Attended: Langtree, Crockett

Favorite Memory of School: Winning the Colonial Valley Conference Debate Championship.

Fadi Farag

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Computer Science, Electrical Engineering

Rank: 2 GPA: 5.044

Career Plans: Academic researcher, entrepreneur or software developer.

Clubs: Robotics (admin captain), Math Club (co-president), Newspaper

(editor), Mock Trial (captain), Debate (captain), Peer Leadership, Yearbook, Play, DECA, FBLA.

Schools Attended: Langtree, Crockett

Favorite Memory of School: When I almost triggered the fire alarm in the middle of Mr. SHS. After shorting a battery and melting the connector, I created a cloud of smoke that led Mrs. Caruso to jump on stage and frantically fan it away. I thought it was fun, but Mrs. Caruso might beg to differ.

Kira Casler

Georgetown University

International Political Economy

Rank: 3 GPA: 5.0408

Clubs: Student Government Association (president), Math Club (co-president), Key Club (executive board member), Peer Leadership, National Honor Society, Math, Spanish and Science National Honor Societies

Varsity Sports: Swimming (co-captain)

Schools Attended: Sayen, Reynolds

Favorite Memory of School: One of my favorites has to be co-hosting Mr. SHS, our male beauty pageant. Besides Shem dancing as pregnant Rihanna and Bert falling off the stage head first after

trying to dunk on me, what made this event most memorable was watching all of the boys from different sports and clubs come together to put on the hysterical and entertaining annual show that exemplifies school unity and Steinert PRIDE.

Cole Brady

Pennsylvania State University

Finance

Rank: 4 GPA: 5.01

Career Plans: Fund manager.

Clubs: Debate, Math

Varsity Sports: Lacrosse

Schools Attended: Alexander, Reynolds

Favorite Memory of School: Winning the CVC Debate Championship.

Rylee Cascone

Rider University

Accounting and Finance

Rank: 5 GPA: 5.0072

Career Plans: Certified public accountant and certified management accountant.

Clubs: National Honor Society, Spanish National Honor Society, Science National Honor Society, Mixed Select

Choir (president), School Yearbook (editor-In-chief), Student Government Association (junior vice president, sophomore representative), Peer Leadership, Key Club, Spartones A Cappella, Steinert Musical Theatre.

Varsity Sports: Field Hockey Schools Attended: Langtree, Crockett

Favorite Memory of School: Going to Key Largo in December 2022 for a marine biology field trip. It was so much fun to travel to another state with all of my friends. We were able to snorkel in the same water as large sea turtles, sharks, dolphins, manatees and lots of other marine animals. We also kayaked, went to the beach, and learned a lot about marine life in the process. My favorite part of the trip was when we saw “Christ of the Abyss” while snorkeling. It was amazing to see such a large statue become part of the marine ecosystem. We also had the best milkshakes ever while petting animals at a farm stand.

Winni Yang

Princeton University Molecular Biology

Rank: 6 GPA: 4.9999

Career Plans: Pediatrician.

Clubs: Student Government Association (service vice president), Senior Class secretary, Key Club (executive board member), Math Club (co-vice president), Peer Leadership, National Honor Society, Science National Honor Society, Math National Honor Society, School Musical Art and Production Crew, Yearbook Club, Environmental Club.

Schools Attended: Morgan, Reynolds Favorite Memory of School: One of my favorite memories of school is cohosting the 2023 Mr. SHS show.

Ryan James The College of New Jersey Finance

Rank: 7 GPA: 4.9842

Career Plans: I hope to pursue a career as an actuary or some sort of financial advisor.

Clubs: School Musical (student director,

EXCELLENCE ON REPEAT.

We’re so proud to offer our residents the nationally ranked best of the best – from quality dining to active social calendars –because we don’t just care for you, we care about you. Visit us and see why The Landing of Hamilton was named a Best Assisted Living Community by U.S. News & World Report.

Call 609-241-9538 today for more information and to schedule your visit. 1750 Yardville-Hamilton Square Rd Hamilton, NJ 08690 609-241-9538

thelandingofhamilton.com

cast member), National Honor Society, FBLA, Peer Leadership.

Schools Attended: Alexander, Reynolds Favorite Memory of School: There are so many great memories to choose from, ranging from snagging a lead role in the musical this year to remembering the excitement I had about going on a “one-week break” back in March 2020, but if I had to choose something specific, it would be those small moments in class when you realize that you have truly become friends and made a connection with someone, and especially the time where those that were going into school during the 2021 school year with masks were finally able to come together without A, B, and C cohorts and I discovered that I had “stolen” someone’s seat in Mr. Ryan’s Pre-Calculus class. I would not have made it where I am without all those connections I had made through school, and especially not without the one I made that day.

Brooke Peña

Liberty University

Accounting and Data Analysis

Rank: 8 GPA: 4.9727

Career Plans: Certified public accountant, Forensic accountant

Clubs: Dance Team (co-captain), School

Musical, Math Club, Peer Leadership, Key Club, Student Government Association.

Schools Attended: University Heights, St.

Gregory the Great Academy

Favorite Memory of School: Filming the final project for AP Calculus AB. We were able to go around the school in pirate hats and no

one questioned us (at least out loud).

Justin Diefenbach

The College of New Jersey

Music and Math

Rank: 9 GPA: 4.9725

Career Plans: Music composition

Clubs: Math Club (co-vice president), Robotics Club, eSports Club (Minecraft captain), Key Club

Schools Attended:: Morgan, Reynolds

Favorite Memory of School: Having fun with friends in 11th grade Dr. Letson’s Honors Physics

Caitlin McCarthy

Manhattan College

Mechanical Engineering

Rank: 10 GPA: 4.963

Career Plans: Mechanical engineer

Clubs: Student Government Association (vice president), Senior Class treasurer, National Art Honor Society (vice president), National Honor Society, Science National Honor Society, German National Honor Society, German Club, Key Club, Book Club, Environmental Science Club, Peer Leadership.

Varsity Sports: Field hockey (captain), basketball, lacrosse (captain)

Schools Attended: Alexander, Reynolds

Favorite Memory of School: Being able to plan and participate in Wacky Races senior year. It was fun to be a part of every year, but even more exciting this year since we were able to bring it back to how it was freshman year (before Covid).

The Barber Shop

Brenda Bilardo Shannon Bunn

Brenda is Here!

Shannon is BACK!

Steinert High School Class of 2023 Top 10 graduating seniors. Front row: Rylee Cascone, Brooke Peña , Winni Yang, Kira Casler and Caitlin McCarthy. Back row: Ryan James, Cole Brady, Fadi Farag, Justin Diefenbach and Sajid Ahmed. (Photo by Laura Geltch/Hamilton Township School District.)

CLASS of 2023: NoTTINGHAm HIGH SCHooL

Nottingham’s Top 10 reveal their college choices

Brian Palaguachi

The College of New Jersey

Mechanical Engineering

Rank: 1 GPA: 4.785

Career Plans: Aerospace engineer.

Clubs: Key Club, Spanish Honors Society, National Honor Society.

Schools Attended: P.S. 11 Kathryn Phelan, Robert F. Wagner, Jr. Secondary School for Arts and Technology

Favorite Memory of School: Attending my first Nottingham pep rally freshman year.

Tori Coffey

University of South Carolina

Business Management

Rank: 2 GPA: 4.753

Career Plans: Business executive.

Clubs: Key Club, National Honor Society (treasurer), Student Government Board of Education representative, Peer Leadership.

Varsity Sports: Cheerleading, lacrosse.

Schools Attended: University Heights, Crockett.

Favorite Memory of School: Winning

1st place at the CVC cheerleading competition my senior year. Every year we were second place, so it was a great feeling to finally win at our last ever competition. Our practices and the football games were always so fun. I am truly going to miss cheer!

Ava Estrada Boston College

Pre-medicine

Rank: 3 GPA: 4.6742

Career Plans: OB/GYN – gynecologic oncologist

Clubs: National Honor Society (president), Science National Honor Society, World Language Honor Society, Key Club, Peer Leadership, DECA, HOSA, Northstar Minds Matter (vice president, co-founder), School Play, Junior and Senior Class President.

Varsity Sports: Softball, cheer

Schools Attended: Morgan, Reynolds Favorite memory of school: I used to say my favorite memory was playing Rizzo in Grease my junior year. It taught me more about myself than I could have ever expected, and I will never love a character more. An extension

of that, however, was becoming the choreographer Crockett Middle School’s production of “The Little Mermaid.” It is peculiar to watch such a big part of your life end, but it is beautiful to watch it begin for another. It was not easy, but I would do it again if I had the opportunity. I loved those kids.

Caitlin Hill

Bryn Mawr College

History or English/Education

Rank: 4 GPA: 4.62

Career Plans: High school teacher of either History or English.

Clubs: Polaris Yearbook (senior editor), Star Status Newspaper (senior editor), Book Club, Future Educators, Senior Video.

Schools Attended: Gregory Elementary School, Long Branch Middle School, Crockett

Favorite Memory of School: good memories at Nottingham, despite the limitations the pandemic presented. One of my favorites was when I helped Mr. Klek and Mr. Capone film a safedriving PSA.

Alexia Sirimis

The College of New Jersey Nursing

Rank: 5 GPA: 4.69

Career Plans: Registered nurse. Clubs: Student Government (treasurer), National Honor Society (vice president), World Languages Honor Society, National Science Honor Society, Peer Leadership, Key Club, Medical Careers Club, School Play Tech Crew Captain, Volunteer Internship Program.

Varsity Sports: Field hockey, lacrosse

Schools Attended: University Heights, Crockett

Favorite memory of school: Being able to run the tech booth throughout my four years at Nottingham. I helped with the sound board for many school events

Adrialice Estrada Mercer County Comm. College

Liberal Arts

Rank: 6 GPA: 4.678

Career Plans: I’m leaning towards being a veterinarian or a job related with animals.

Clubs: Concert band.

Varsity Sports: Cheerleading Schools Attended: Greenwood, Crockett

Favorite Memory of School: Seeing everyone gather together during school events. I loved their enthusiasm and spirit.

Sarah Formica Smith College

English, Film and Media Studies

Rank: 7 GPA: 4.66

Kuser Farm Mansion

Presents:

Wedding & Victorian Dresses From the Past

Environmental Club, Safe Driving Club, Mercerville, Crockett

Starting my

Beginning July 1st, 2023 through August 27th, 2023, the Kuser Mansion will be displaying Wedding and Victorian dresses through the ages along with wedding related items. Please join us during these months for this extraordinary display of the past!

Date: Saturdays/Sundays

7/1/23 - 8/27/23

Time: 11:00am - 3:00pm

Location: Kuser Farm Mansion 390 Newkirk Avenue Hamilton, NJ 08610

For additional information, please contact Patti Krzywulak, Program Coordinator at 609-890-3630 or email: PKrzywulak@hamiltonnj.com www.hamiltonnj.com/KuserMansion

Aidan Cutty

DeSales University

Biology

Rank: 8 GPA: 4.58

Career Plans: Physician’s assistant.

Clubs: HOSA, National Honor Society, World Language Honor Society, Medical Careers Club.

Varsity Sports: Soccer (captain for two years), track and field.

Schools Attended: University Heights, Crockett

Favorite Memory of School: Scoring the game-winning header against Lakewood!

Delali Doe

Kean University

Computer Science

Rank: 9 GPA: 4.586

Career Plans: Computer user support specialist.

Clubs: Peer Leadership, Environmental Club, Yearbook Club, School Play, Key Club, Morning Announcements, National Honor Society, Caelestis, Vocational Technical School, District Orchestra Varsity Sports: Lacrosse, tennis (co-captain senior year), swimming

Schools Attended: Klockner, Crockett

Favorite Memory of School: Sitting down in the library with Anne-Marie, Gabrielle and Kayla where we live recorded a podcast together on Elisa Lam, except half of the time we were just laughing and couldn’t really record properly because of how unserious we were being!

Riley Miller

St. Joseph’s University Business

Rank: 10 GPA: 4.5797

Career Plans: Own my own business.

Clubs: Key Club, National Honor Society (secretary), Student Government PTSA representative, Peer Leadership, Science National Honor Society

Varsity Sports: Cheerleading Schools Attended: Mercerville, Crockett

Favorite Memory of School: Winning the CVC Cheerleading competition during my senior year. I loved ending my final cheer season on such a high note with the best teammates and coaches.

Nottingham High School’s Top 10 graduating seniors. Front row: Adrialice Estrada, Delali Doe, Caitlin Hill, Ava Estrada. Back row: Brian Palaguachi, Sarah Formica, Alexia Sirimis, Tori Coffey, Riley Miller, Aidan Cutty. (Photo by Laura Geltch/Hamilton Township School District.)

CLASS of 2023: HAmILToN HIGH WEST

Top 10 Hornet graduates share their plans for the future

Andrew Carroll

Ramapo College of New Jersey

Music Production

Rank: 1 GPA: 4.9386

Career Plans: A career in music technology and composition, which has become a new passion of mine.

Clubs: Marching Band (captain), Jazz Ensemble, Percussion Ensemble, Wind Ensemble, National Honor Society (treasurer), Peer Leadership, Drama Club, Stream Team, Courtyard Cleanup, Student Liaison Committee

Varsity Sports: Tennis

Schools Attended: McGalliard, Grice

Favorite Memory of School: The marching band seasons each year, where I got to spend time with my friends in the summer having fun during band camp, and we got to travel to so many football games and band competitions which were all great experiences that I’ll never forget.

Mackenzie Hawk

Messiah University

Studio Art with 2D

Concentration

Rank: 2 GPA: 4.936

Career Plans: I hope to become a fulltime artist or find a career where I can use art to change lives.

Clubs: Senior Class (vice president), National Honor Society, Peer Leadership, Student Liaison Committee.

Schools Attended: Lalor, Crockett

Favorite Memory of School: I loved participating in and enjoying school spirit events!

Kelly Furman

Emerson College

Theater Design

Rank: 3 GPA: 4.924

Career Plans: Lighting designer for a Broadway show or national tour.

Clubs: Marching band (captain), Drama

Club, National Honor Society

Schools Attended: Sunnybrae and Grice

Favorite Memory of School: It’s hard to pick one memory, but my

favorite memories are the band trip to Disney World this year, and the final performance of our show, The Wedding Singer.

Alayah Plunkett

Rowan University

Biochemistry

Rank: 4 GPA: 4.8

Career Plans: Orthopedic Surgeon Clubs: Student Government, National Honor Society, National Technical Honors Society, Key Club, HEY Club, Garden Club

Varsity Sports: Winter track and spring track.

Schools Attended: Greenwood, Crockett

Favorite Memory of School: My favorite memory of high school was during sophomore year when my best friend and I would be the only ones in class/ in the school because everyone was still on remote and we were hybrid. We would just make videos or play games while we were in class and it was really fun. It felt nice to walk the halls with no people pushing and shoving.

Angelica Manantan

Rutgers University

Computer Science

Rank: 5 GPA: 4.7181

Career plans: Programmer

Clubs: Marching Band (field major and flute captain), Jazz Band, Pit Orchestra.

Schools Attended: Yardville Heights, Grice

Favorite Memory of School: Anything that I’ve ever done in marching band.

Mac Meara

Catholic University of America

Finance with minor in Data

Analytics

Rank: 6 GPA: 4.73

Clubs: National Honor Society (vice president), Math Honors Society, Math Club, Yearbook, Key Club, Newspaper Varsity Sports: Baseball

Schools Attended: Saint Raphael’s Favorite Memory of School: All of the memories on the baseball field for 4 years.

Angelina Reyes

University of Pennsylvania

Nursing

Rank: 7 GPA: 4.781

Career Plans: Registered nurse. Clubs: National Honors society & Spanish national honors society Varsity Sports: Cheerleading (captain) and track and field.

Schools Attended: Yardville Heights, Grice

Favorite Memory of School: GALRE trip to D.C.

Lexi Dawson

University of South Carolina

Business

Rank: 8 GPA: 4.69

Career Plans: Accounting

Clubs: Talented Tenth, National Technical Honor Society, National Honor Society, Peer Leadership Varsity Sports: Cheerleading Schools Attended: Yardville Hts, Grice

Favorite Memory of School: My honors GALRE class.

Desiree Daniels sales assoCiate Cell: 609-209-9418

DesireeDaniels@remax.net

anna marie pratiCo r aDiCe sales assoCiate Cell: 609-638-2638 annamraDiC@aol.Com

luisa manCuso-Clews sales assoCiate Cell: 609-516-3276 lmanCusoClews@remax.net

Dedicated

Donna thomas sales assoCiate Cell: 609-462-3818

Donnathomas@remax.net

July

Whether

2275 Hwy #33, Suite 308 Hamilton, NJ 08690 609-587-9300

susan a. steBer Broker assoCiate Cell: 609-658-8628 susansteBer@remax.net

Each RE/MAX office is independently owned and operated

Joan C. GeorGe sales assoCiate Cell: 609-915-4425 JoanGeorGe@remax.net

Vanessa a stefaniCs sales assoCiate Cell: 609-203-1380 VstefaniCs@remax.net

pamela Bless Broker assoCiate Cell: 609-306-3041 pBless@remax.net

Carla Z. Campanella sales assoCiate Cell: 609-915-6114 C arlaC ampanella@remax.net

July 4th

The WWMM are dedicated to giving back to our communities. We are here to assist you with all of your real estate needs.

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram!

Christine Barrett sales assoCiate Cell: 609-468-8202 CBarrett@remax.net

you have a barbeque, take a trip or visit friends, we hope you remember the sacrifices our forefathers made to secure that independence. Please celebrate responsibly!

Introducing VINTAGE AT HAMILTON, a spectacular community of 122 luxury townhomes and duplexes in Hamilton Twp., Mercer County...exclusively for active adults 55+.

This is where you’ll savor life to the fullest. All in an area known for its wealth of cultural offerings, recreational opportunities, dining and shopping. Vintage at Hamilton is in the center of it all, close to I-195 and the New Jersey Turnpike and just minutes from the Hamilton Train with direct service to New York City and Philadelphia. Don’t

• 3 bedrooms, 2½ baths • Full basement (with option to finish!) • 1-2 car garage

Priced from the low $500s

609-900-3130 | sharbell.com

5 Sportsman Blvd, Hamilton, NJ 08690 Sales office open Friday-Tuesday from 11am–5pm.

SOFTBALL continued from

that field.”

What was most impressive during that time is that Bonacci remained the ultimate team player.

“I think it was a lot for her at that one moment,” Melker said. “She’s very big on putting the team on her shoulders. Instead of just focusing on the fact she was injured, she moreso was concerned about the girls, and she asked about them multiple times.

“We had to focus on keeping her breathing and staying calm. That speaks volumes for the type of person she is. She’s down, she’s injured, and all she could ask about is her teammates, and that she was sorry. It was heart wrenching.”

Bonacci explained her thought process.

“I was afraid I was letting my team down, and wanted to make sure they were OK,” she said. “They are truly my best friends. I wanted to make sure Melker would speak to the girls for me. I have always wanted to help people, which is kind of my mindset for everything.”

Bonacci had suffered a freak injury, dislocating her kneecap while fouling off a pitch. She also tore a ligament in her knee that will require surgery to repair.

But in that moment, all her teammates really knew was that their star pitcher had gone down. Assistant coaches Michelle Walsh, Gerri “Bear” Leone, Sam Dice and AJ Auletta were trying to normalize things in the dugout.

“They tried to get our minds off it,” senior Amanda Spak said. “Obviously, they didn’t want us to look at Izzy and see the pain she was going through. They just wanted us to keep our heads up, make sure we were still in the game and had our heart in it to win it.”

Once play resumed, the Spartans proved their hearts were in the right place.

Melker called on Katie Simonka to pitch the biggest six innings of her life, and the sophomore delivered. Simonka allowed three hits, three walks and two runs (one earned) while striking out three as Steinert went on to a 3-2 victory.

“I was thinking all I could do was try my best,” Simonka said. “Knowing I had an amazing defense behind me, I just needed to get the ball over the plate.”

And yet she went 2-0 to the first batter before coming back to get her.

“At first I was definitely a little nervous, because it’s a very stressful situation,” the hurler said. “But I knew the team could do it, and I had to pull through.”

Her effort drew cheers from Overlook Hospital in Summit.

“Katie is so incredibly talented,” Bonacci said. “To step up in that moment and win it for our team, there are no words to describe how proud I am of her.

She is a one of a kind pitcher and our team is so lucky to have a player like her.”

Simonka pitched the Spartans to a fourth state title, and first in Melker’s five seasons as head coach. It made up for the 6-4 loss to Roxbury in last year’s state final.

“It feels absolutely amazing,” Simonka said. “Especially to be able to do that for Izzy, knowing how hard she worked to get us to this point the last two years.”

“Just unbelievable,” Spak said. “Obviously we didn’t have the best season to start off. But with all the work we put in, it’s just crazy to win it. It’s not even (winning) that matters, it’s the friendships you make along the way. Meeting the new people, the freshmen coming in, coming together to win it.”

Spak was right about the slow start. Steinert was a pedestrian 3-2 five games into the season, and was not hitting the ball. “The coach kind of told us we had to get our act together,” senior Abigail Mazur said. “Instead of just thinking home runs, home runs, home runs, we got little hits at a time. We don’t have to put up 10 runs in one inning. Just maybe two, three is enough to do the job. If we keep doing that each inning we know there will be a good outcome.”

Melker was insistent that things would turn around. Her gospel to the team was “next.” Always be thinking about what to do next rather than what just happened.

“We knew as a coaching staff they all had the ability to be in these big moments,” the coach said. “We said from

See SOFTBALL, Page 18

Sophomore Kate Simonka pitching against Morris Knolls in Steinert’s 3-2 state championship winning game at Kean University, June 10, 2023. (Photo by Amanda Ruch/amandaruchphotography. smugmug.com.)

Pickleball — The Social Sport with a Ball in Your Court

BY REBEKAH SCHROEDER

As pickleball triumphantly emerged from the ashes of other forgotten pandemic pastimes like a phoenix, the activity experienced a rebirth despite being less than six decades old.

This year marks only the 58th anniversary of when Washington State Congressman Joel Pritchard and businessman Bill Bell, during an afternoon of improvisational racket sports, cobbled together the beginnings of a boredom-busting game while on summer vacation with their children on Bainbridge Island, near Seattle, in 1965.

The two men took ping-pong paddles to Pritchard’s old badminton court and played with a lightweight, perforated ball, the combination of which is an auditory clue for pickleball’s signature, satisfying smack.

According to USA Pickleball, the “national governing body for the sport of pickleball,” they opted for a lower net height than in tennis and kept the game going into the next weekend, joined by another friend, Barney McCallum

But although pickleball was invented as a family activity, it has since become well-

known as a staple for older populations, with retirement communities and senior centers some of the first to serve up a sense of friendly competition.

Pickleball is ideal for players looking to chat and exercise without the toll on the body often felt in higher-impact sports, allowing those with a history of injuries or surgeries to remain active thanks to a shorter court and lower force of contact with the ball.

Because players must rely on mental coordination and concentration rather than physical ability, a sharp mind can anticipate a powerful swing.

This inherent inclusivity appeals to people of all ages, as it allows them to mingle and move together on a regular basis with people they might not have met otherwise.

Pickleball is traditionally played in both singles and doubles on a 20-foot by 44-foot court with a net that is 36 inches on each end and 34 inches in the middle.

The ball is served underhand, as in volleyball, with a similar scoring system in which each side goes until “faulting,” and only the serving team can gain a point. Whichever side reaches 11 points first, and leads by at least two, wins the game.

The patchwork nature is intentional yet mirrors its origins, as the name of the game has been attributed to two possibilities:

Community News Service 9 Princess Road, Suite M Lawrenceville, NJ 08648

Phone: (609) 396-1511

News: news@communitynews.org

Events: events@communitynews.org

Letters: rschroeder@communitynews.org

Website: communitynews.org

Facebook: facebook.com/mercereats

Twitter: twitter.com/mercerspace

Six09 is inserted into each of Community News Service’s nine hyperlocal monthly publications. Over 125,000 copies are distributed each month in the Greater Mercer County, N.J. area.

TO ADVERTISE call (609) 396-1511, ext. 110 or e-mail advertise@communitynews.org

one, as a reference to a “pickle boat,” a term in rowing where the leftover players get grouped together in a makeshift crew boat team for the last race and coined by Joel’s wife, Joan Pritchard; or two, the McCallums’ version, where the sport allegedly took its inspiration from the Pritchard family dog, a Cockapoo called “Pickles.”

In reality, as Joan confirmed to the West Virginian newspaper the Parkersburg News and Sentinel, the pet came into the picture about two years after the trio first pioneered pickleball.

No matter the nomenclature, pickleball is set to continue its positive trend as “the fastest-growing sport in America for the third year in a row,” according to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association’s “2023 Topline Participation Report,” with “8.9 million players in the United States over the age of six years old, an increase from 4.8 million in 2022.”

Brandon Mackie co-founded the website Pickleheads, a user-generated index of local sites and communicative tools to help players initiate games, with fellow Atlanta entrepreneur Max Ade in March 2022.

Since anyone with an account can update the content of a page for free, similar to the format of a wiki, the list of venues—sorted by city, state, or facility—strives to solve the issue of where to play and what to expect.

in Mercer County, Mackie estimated that Pickleheads attracts “close to 400,000 players that visit the site every month,” as well as “over 13,000 courts profiled across the US and Canada—what we think is the largest database of pickleball courts out there.”

Each page will let you follow or check what time to play at the venue, the features and amenities included, and browse nearby courts. Users can relay what material the courts are made of or whether the nets or lines are permanent, as all require different responsibilities on behalf of the player.

Pickleheads plans to expand on the interpersonal and organizational aspects of the sport by giving users the ability to create groups for easier joining, recruiting, and posting of games, automatically invite others through SMS or email, and update playing times.

In early July, the company will launch a mobile app encouraging players to meet new partners and share their knowledge on a broader scale.

“Everyone’s scratching their heads, saying, ‘How could something like this have grown so fast and gotten so big?’ When I really think about it—and I talk to players all day, every day—it’s very clear that there are really two things [that] go into pickleball: one, it’s just how easy the sport is to learn. You don’t need to be athletic or have racquet sports experience. You can pick up the game in about 10 or 15 minutes out

Brandon Mackie, top right, is the co-founder of Pickleheads, an online database of pickleball courts with information on sites like the Lawrence Township Central Park, top left, and the Robbinsville Municipal Building, lower left. on the court the first time, and at the end of your first time out there, you’re probably even winning games, depending on who your partner is or who you’re playing against.”

This “low barrier to entry,” Mackie added, motivates people to try pickleball without the traditional caveats of lessonheavy sports like golf.

The action itself might be directly at the net, but people are eager to keep the conversation flowing, much like the back-andforth of the ball, regardless of whether they are on the court or waiting for a turn.

“I think for a lot of people, they don’t even look at it like a sport. It’s a social outlet and a big part of their weekly life, and I think that just keeps people coming back more, so you have all these people that try it and stick with it, and it just snowballs in the way that we’ve seen it—both in Mercer County

In an interview on the pickleball scene See Pickleball, Page 4

The other key part, Mackie explained, is the “social aspect” of the sport. Pickleball is most often played in doubles, meaning that matches can rotate through a large number of partners.

and across the United States,” he noted.

Mackie mentioned the Mercer Bucks Pickleball Club in Ewing as “one of the destinations that [Pickleheads] track in the top places to play,” noting that “any time you have that type of investment in the area, and we see that happen in a lot of different counties all across the U.S., that really just takes the growth and participation of pickleball on a whole new trajectory.”

Entities across Mercer County are still considering how to successfully incorporate pickleball into their towns in a way that pleases both players and the general public.

Princeton’s Community Park South, for example, is the focus of an ongoing Princeton public engagement program to redesign its layout and is expected to include six pickleball courts.

Though the sport began courting many

of its current players during the pandemic, this steady swell of local interest is an indicator of a promising future, according to Mackie, who expects pickleball to “become the largest sport in the country” one day in terms of participants—a direct echo of the prediction from the latest SFIA report in February, where that rate “almost doubled in 2022, increasing by 85.7 percent yearover-year and by an astonishing 158.6 percent over three years.”

The relatively simple rules and minimal running keep the spirit of pickleball alive at the perfect pace, too, the unlikely pastime having taken flight during the most unprecedented of times.

But if you still want to try your hand at the fastest-growing sport in America, take your pick from these places to play along and see just why this popular pastime is on the rise.

Mercer Bucks Pickleball Club

370 Sullivan Way, Ewing Hours: Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (609) 883-6272 or playmbpc.com.

• Courts: 9 (Indoors)

• Amenities: Restrooms, water filler, lighted courts, snacks

• Features: rentals, clinics, leagues, private instruction, tournaments, automatic ball machine, players’ lounge, practice dink court, cornhole, demo paddles, private events

The long-awaited Mercer Bucks Pickleball Club opened in February 2022 as the “largest indoor pickleball facility in the northeast,” clocking in at 26,000 square feet with nine fenced-in courts, climate control, and a state-of-the-art sound system. The dedicated courts have permanent lines and nets. Paddles and balls are provided.

Membership is not required to play, but it does provide benefits such as the ability to make reservations online, in advance, and at reduced rates.

As of press time, the facility only has limited memberships available. To join the waitlist, contact the club’s front desk either by phone or email at info@playmbpc.com. For more information, see playmbpc.com/ prices-benefits

Activity rates apply either per hour (for court rentals) or per person (for instruction, social plays, etc.) with an additional $5 guest fee for each hour of each activity over member rates.

Guests can either accompany members or call, email, or walk-in to speak with the front desk up to 48 hours in advance of events from June to August to register for any open spots for social plays and clinics; no restrictions apply to booking private lessons.

To reserve a court at MBPC, access the company’s page on CourtReserve, described online as an “all-in-one court reservation and club management platform.”

Princeton Racquet Club

150 Raymond Road, Princeton Hours: Monday to Friday, 6:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.

Saturday and Sunday, 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. (732) 329-6200 or princetonracquetclub.com

• Courts: 2 (Indoors, dedicated) and 16 (Total, indoor-outdoors)

• Amenities: Restrooms, water, pro shop, snacks

• Features: rentals, lessons, supervised and open play, camps, game drills, match plays

The Princeton Racquet Club has 16 total courts in its indoor-outdoor complex, but the robust tennis program also offers pickleball rentals inside “The Barn,” the nickname for the indoor facility known as Court 1, which contains two pickleball DecoTurf hardcourts with cushioned surfacing.

In June, PRC announced new pickleball clinics on Mondays from 8 to 9:30 a.m. and Wednesdays from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Classes may be moved outside depending on the weather, while paddles and balls are provided.

Membership is not required to play, but all players must sign a waiver form before participating. Premier members can reserve courts up to one week in advance; standard members have five days. The average court time is 90 minutes. To register or reserve, contact the PRC front desk or visit CourtReserve. For other rates, see the PRC pickleball page online at princetonracquetclub.com/pickleball

Mercer County Park Tennis Center

1638 Old Trenton Road, West Windsor. Hours: Monday to Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Friday to Sunday, 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. 609-448-8007 or mercercountyparks.org

• Courts: 4 (Outdoors)

• Amenities: Restrooms, water filler, lighted courts

Under the operation of the Mercer County Park Commission, the Mercer County Park Tennis Center debuted the first “pickleball only” playing area in the county, four outdoor asphalt courts with permanent lines and nets, in 2017.

While a membership is not required to play, a 2023 Mercer County Tennis/Pickle-

ball ID is required to reserve courts, with all non-ID card holders required to pay an $8 fee per individual.

According to the Tennis Center website, valid ID card holders play for free and can reserve courts up to three days in advance with CourtReserve.

An adult Mercer County resident can purchase an ID for the year for $80, with a discounted junior and senior rate priced at $40 and a non-resident rate of $120. Court time is limited to 90 minutes.

The MCPC also runs the Hopewell Valley Golf Club & Country Club, located at 114 Pennington-Hopewell Road in Hopewell, where three Har-Tru tennis courts and two Platform tennis courts with blended lines for pickleball opened in 2021.

Robbinsville Municipal Complex

1117 US-130, Robbinsville Hours: 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

In August of last year, the Robbinsville Municipal Complex, a short distance away from the township’s police station, library, and senior center, added four lit outdoor courts with permanent lines and nets at the site of its former skate park.

No membership or reservations are necessary—courts are available on a firstcome, first-served basis. If another party is waiting to play, those currently using the court are encouraged to limit their playtime to one hour for singles and 1.5 hours for doubles to share the facilities.

Veterans Park Tennis & Pickleball Complex

2206 Kuser Road, Hamilton. Open daily. Tennis Center Office Hours: 8 a.m. to noon, then 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. through the April to October season. 609-581-412.

• Courts: 18 (Outdoors, dedicated) and 22 (Total, Outdoors)

• Amenities: Restrooms, water, lighted courts

The Veterans Park Tennis & Pickleball Complex is an all-outdoor fixture of the Central New Jersey pickleball community, with 18 designated pickleball courts,

Get your game on at the Princeton Senior Resource Center in Princeton, left, and the Mercer Bucks Pickleball Club, opposite page, all year round.

six of which are lit. The Hamilton Recreation Department manages the park’s 22 total mixed-surface tennis and pickleball courts, which are accessible via the park’s north entrance.

A seasonal membership is required through October 31 to play, but no reservations are necessary—courts are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Prices are $25 for Hamilton residents, $50 for nonHamilton residents, and $10 (cash only) for a daily guest pass. For more information on upcoming tournaments or events, please call the Recreation Department at 609-8904028 or email recreation@hamiltonnj.com

Life Time - Princeton

7 Forrestal Road South, Plainsboro. Hours: Monday through Friday, 4 a.m. to 12 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. (609) 608-7100 or lifetime.life/life-timelocations/nj-princeton.html

Described as “an athletic country club” off of Route 1, Life Time’s Princeton facility in Plainsboro features three indoor hardsurface courts with permanent lines and nets. Membership is required to play, and courts can be reserved.

A one-day pass membership ($50) includes amenities like restrooms, water, lighted courts, and à la carte food options, as well as an indoor pool and fitness classes. The monthly rate gives customers access to a wider range of services, but all membership tiers are allowed to participate in open play, mixers, weekly drop-in clinics, lessons, leagues, and pickleball tournaments.

Lawrence Central Park

100 Dave Nevius Way, Lawrence. Open daily. (609) 844-7067 or lawrencetwp.com/ departments/recreation.

In May, the Lawrence Township Recreation Department announced that they had converted one tennis court to two lit pickleball courts for use at Central Park No membership or reservations are necessary—courts are available on a first-come, first-served basis. If another party is waiting to play, those currently using the court are encouraged to limit their playtime to 30 minutes to share the facilities.

Team85 Fitness & Wellness

8500 K. Johnson Blvd, Fieldsboro (Bordentown). Field House Hours: Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (609) 298-8585

or team85fitnessandwellness.com

Team85 Fitness & Wellness, a 45,000-square-foot sporting complex boasting professional fitness programs and resources, is home to the Fitness Center and the Field House, the latter of which has six indoor pickleball courts. Membership is required to play for free, with price tiers available in options such as one month, month-to-month, and 12-month. TEAM85 offers discounts for seniors and law enforcement. According to its Facebook page, guests can play pickleball for a $7 fee. Amenities include food.

Princeton Senior Resource Center

Suzanne Patterson Building, 45 Stockton Street, Princeton. (609) 751-9699 or princetonsenior.org/pickleball

The Princeton Senior Resource Center has one indoor, climate-controlled court on a wood gym floor in the Suzanne Patterson Building. According to a quote from COO Donna Cosgrove, the PSRC court “has attracted over 500 registrations in the ten months it’s been open.”

The schedule is updated each month with instruction by Carolyn DardaniHorensky, while fees vary per activity and depend on whether players are Princeton residents or not. Options include pickleball “3 and Me” for advanced beginners, twoday beginner and next level bootcamps, and instructed open court.

Pickleball group court memberships are $30 for Princeton residents and $35 for nonresidents per hour per group, with reservations on a first-come, first-served basis. For the full list of dates and times for group rentals, see the July form online at princetonsenior.link/PickleballJulyGroupRental

MUSEUM S UM

Camp Camp

$30ages 6-10

D i s c o v e r i n g t h e M u s e u m W o r l d : A n A d v e n t u r e T h r o u g h H i s t o r y !

N o w b e c a u s e o f g r a n t f u n d i n g , t h i s p r o g r a m

C a m p e r s w i l l e x p l o r e t h e m u s e u m b u i l d i n g , i t s c o l l e c t i o n s a n d t h e m u s e u m g r o u n d s d u r i n g t h i s a d v e n t u r e t h r o u g h h i s t o r y ! T o p i c s i n c l u d e : l o c a l h i s t o r y , g e n e a l o g y , a r c h i t e c t u r e , a r c h a e o l o g y & m o r e c a m p e r s r e c e i v e t - s h i r t & l o g b o o k

R E G I S T E R : t i n y u r l . c o m / w i c o f f s u m m e r c a m p 2 3 6 4 1 P l a i n s b o r o R o a d , P l a i n s b o r o m u s e u m @ p l a i n s b o r o n j c o m

Medical Acucare

A Personalized Approach to Medicine

Medical Acucare A Personalized Approach to Medicine

• Feel tired all the time?

• Feel tired all the time?

• Have trouble sleeping?

• Have trouble sleeping?

• Concern about brain-fogginess?

• Concern about brain-fogginess?

• Frustrated about weight gain?

• Frustrated about weight gain?

• Want to reverse your diabetes?

• Want to reverse your diabetes?

Your condition is unique, so should be your treatment. Call Dr. Geng's office today to see if we can help!

Caruso Physical Therapy and Nutrition

Empowering Each Individual to Reach Their Boundless Potential

At Caruso Physical Therapy and Nutrition, they had a vision for a place where they could practice what they preached. This clinic is the result of that. Now, the clinic’s amazing team is committed to carrying out that vision by guiding others in establishing and achieving their own health goals so they can look and feel their best!

CONDITIONS WE TREAT:

CONDITIONS WE TREAT:

Medical Acucare

Your condition is unique, so should be your treatment. Call Dr. Geng’s office today to see if we can help!

Your condition is unique, so should be your treatment. Call Dr. Geng's office today to see if we can help!

• Allergies

These services aren’t offered in the area separately, nor are they offered together in a single practice.

education, exercise and hands-on techniques.

• Allergies

• Autoimmune Disease

A Personalized Approach to Medicine

• Autoimmune Disease

CONDITIONS WE TREAT:

• Back or Joint Pain

• Back or Joint Pain

• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

• Metabolic Syndrome (pre-diabetes, sistance)

• Metabolic Syndrome (pre-diabetes, sistance)

• Migraine

• Migraine

• Allergies/Skin Disorders

• Depression/Anxiety

• Depression/Anxiety

• Diabetes

• Diabetes

However, combined, these things make a huge difference. That’s why we offer both, giving you the advantage of physical therapy and registered dietitians in the same clinic!

Women’s Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy can assist with problems such as:

• Urinary Incontinence and Urgency

• Overactive Bladder

• Constipation

• Autoimmune Disease

• Skin

• Skin

• Feel tired all the time?

• Thyroid, Other

• Digestive and Gut Health

• Digestive and Gut Health

• Female Hormone Disorders (PMS, Menopause, PCOS)

• Back or Joint Pain

• Female Hormone Disorders (PMS, Menopause, PCOS)

• Thyroid, Other

• Have trouble sleeping?

• Concern about brain-fogginess?

• Weight concerns

Our services are provided by board-certified physical therapists, physical therapy assistants, and board-certified registered dietitians.

• Weight concerns

• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

• Frustrated about weight gain?

** We accept Medicare for low back pain treatment

** We accept Medicare for low back pain treatment

• Depression/Anxiety

• Want to reverse your diabetes?

We’re focused on providing education, prevention, treatment, and wellness services that enhance our patients’ overall health and deter the onset of more costly pathology.

• Pelvic Pain

• Low Back Pain

• Hip Pain

• Dyspareunia

• Vaginismus

• Vulvodynia

• Scar Tissue and Pelvic Organ Prolapse.

• Digestive Dysfunction

Qingdi Geng, MD

Qingdi Geng, MD

Medical Acucare | Phone: 609-216-6938

Medical Acucare | Phone: 609-216-6938

It’s our goal to provide our patients with the best physical therapy and nutrition services in our community.

At Caruso’s our mission is to empower each individual to realize their boundless potential.

• Female Hormone Disorders (PMS, Menopause, PCOS)

2097 Klockner Road, Suite 5, Hamilton, NJ 08690

2097 Klockner Road, Suite 5, Hamilton, NJ 08690

CONDITIONS WE TREAT:

• Allergies

10-15 Minute FREE Consultation for New Patients

10-15 Minute FREE Consultation for New Patients

• Long-Haul Covid Syndrome

• Autoimmune Disease

• Back or Joint Pain

www.medicalacucare.com

• Metabolic Syndrome (pre-diabetes, ins ulin resistance)

• Metabolic Syndrome/Weight Concerns

• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

• Depression/Anxiety

• Diabetes

www.medicalacucare.com

• Migraine

• Migraines/Other Headaches

• Skin Disorders

The newest form of Physical Therapy we offer is Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy, which is a special subset of PT focusing on the muscles of the pelvic girdle. Pelvic dysfunction can cause pain and urinary leakage, among other personal issues that can be successfully treated with

• Digestive and Gut Health

• Female Hormone Disorders (PMS, Menopause, PCOS)

Contact us or visit our website to start your journey towards a healthier you!

Caruso Physical Therapy and Nutrition, 1278 Yardville Allentown Road, Allentown. 609-738-3143. caruso@carusoptrd.com. carusoptrd. com. See ad, page 12.

• Thyroid, Adrenal and Other related disorders

• Thyroid, Adrenal and Other related disorders

• Weight or Metabolism concerns

** We accept Medicare for low back pain treatment

Qingdi Geng, MD

Your condition is unique, so should be your treatment. Call Dr. Geng's office today to see if we can help! Qingdi

Medical Acucare | Phone: 609-216-6938

339 Princeton-Hightstown Road, Building C, East Windsor, NJ 08512

15-Minute Complimentary Consultation for New Patients

Aquatic Performance Training

The Safest and Most Effective Exercise Program

Aquatic Performance Training was born out of necessity for any person who is looking to improve their overall health but may be limited at a traditional gym due to an injury or physical limitation.

The owner of Aquatic Performance, John Dohanic, was inspired to create the business after having four shoulder surgeries by the time he was 19 years old, including a shoulder replacement. Being active in sports and traditional workouts such as weight lifting and powerlifting all of his life contributed to the extensive injuries that John was experiencing that left him out of shape, gaining weight, and full of pain.

Doctors told John to get in the water and he joined a local aqua aerobics program that included noodles, foam dumbbells, and kickboards. Although the water felt good on his injury, the program and the equipment were not effective enough to deliver the results John

was looking for. He started doing extensive research and education on more specialized equipment for the pool and began investing in underwater bikes, aquatic treadmills, and strength training equipment for the pool that would deliver the results he was looking for.

Aquatic Performance Training has been growing since 2010 and has helped more than 5,000 local clients accomplish their health goals. This aquatic exercise company specializes in helping people who want to lose weight without the stresses of gravity and recover from surgeries such as joint replacements and spinal fusions. There is a wide variety of programs that can benefit athletes with sports injuries, special needs, as well as MS and Parkinson’s patients.

The different programs offered at the new Quakerbridge Road facility are a wide range of high-energy group sessions that are led by amazing instructors. Aquatic and land-based personal training are geared towards individuals who need more one on one attention and accountability. You will find the world’s first all

aquatic gym that includes aqua bikes, underwater treadmills, aquatic ellipticals, and swimming. Anti-gravity treadmills increase your cardio health and leg strength without the wear and tear of normal land treadmills.

The mission of Aquatic Performance Training is to provide the safest, most effective exercise and soon to be aqua therapy company in the country. We look forward to the

opportunity to help you with your goals very soon!

P.S. If you are looking for swim lessons for kids or adults we have a great partnership with Eggert Aquatics who has been voted #1 swim lesson company in Mercer County for three years in a row.

More information: www. aquaticperformancetraining.com

See ad, page 8

Health

Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton World-Class Care Close to Home

Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton (RWJUH Hamilton) and New Jersey’s largest academic healthcare system, RWJBarnabas Health, are the right choice for you, your families and loved ones’ health and wellness.

RWJUH Hamilton provides closeto-home, premier healthcare for the local communities, as well as a wound care center; a balance and hearing center; outpatient specialty care clinics; primary care providers; surgery centers; rehabilitation and physical therapy and diagnostic and screening centers. Even more extensive resources, medical care and cutting-edge treatments are all available to RWJUH Hamilton patients through the RWJBarnabas Health system.

Here’s a bigger picture of how this

Pictured are members of Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton Board of Trustees, senior leadership, physicians, medical staff and medical professionals at this year’s celebration and recognition for National Doctors Day and 2023’s physician honoree, Edward A. Wingfield, MD, president, medical staff; chairman, Department of Cardiology; and director, Cardiac Cath Lab.

nationally awarded and recognized RWJBarnabas Health facility can help you live a healthier life and provide you and your family with the necessary resources if you are faced

with health situations like these:

Cancer Care

An expert multidisciplinary team, at the RWJUH Hamilton Cancer Center* offers comprehensive

treatment options with individualized care. You also benefit from advanced treatment options through RWJBH’s partnership with Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, the state’s

Where Do Orthodontic Issues

Hamilton Dental Associates

The Importance of Orthodontic Care for Your Children

Growing up makes for a constantly evolving experience for children. Every year they change and grow into the person they are destined to become, and that extends to their oral health. From the first baby tooth to their adult teeth coming in later in their lives, managing your child’s dental health presents unique challenges for parents. With those challenges come a few myths involving childhood tooth development that can impact how you treat your child’s dental health.

or off-center, they won’t naturally straighten themselves with time.

Childhood Oral Health Myths

Combating

. When you start looking for a pediatric dentist in Hamilton, you want to find one that knows how intensive taking care of your child’s teeth should be. Taking a proactive approach to their dental health can help them avoid more involved procedures down the road — one of the most common myths that lead to your child’s teeth suffering in the long run.

Common Myth #1: Childhood Teeth Will Straighten Out Over Time

One such myth that leads to more complex orthodontic care down the line is that your child’s teeth will straighten out over time. Unfortunately, that is not the case. If their teeth start coming in crooked

only National Cancer Institute (NCI)Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center. Patients are provided access to clinical trials, complex surgical procedures, precision medicine, immunotherapy and sophisticated radiation oncology techniques.

Heart, Vascular and Stroke Care

RWJUH Hamilton is part of one of the largest and broadest cardiac care programs in New Jersey. Through a partnership with Hamilton Cardiology Associates, you can access sophisticated care at both RWJUH Hamilton and RWJUH New Brunswick, where medical experts can provide even more highly specialized cardiac care.

RWJUH Hamilton has provided essential heart, vascular and stroke care such as cardiac catheterizations and angioplasty to clear blocked arteries for more than 16 years. The hospital received licensing to

The space for their teeth to come in doesn’t grow as they mature. If you leave these issues unattended, it could lead to more significant problems.

Common Myth #2: Orthodontic Treatments Are Purely Cosmetic

While most people associate orthodontic treatments with getting braces as a teenager, that procedure does much more than merely straighten teeth to help you look better. Getting your jaw and teeth back into proper alignment has a cascading effect on your oral health. It helps improve your biting, chewing, and even speaking ability.

Common Myth #3: There Is a Right Age for Orthodontic Care

Many parents believes there is a

perform elective, or non-emergent, angioplasty procedures in early 2022. The recently opened state-of-the-art Cardiac Interventional Suite, provides private patient and family rooms for both pre- and post-operative care.

RWJUH Hamilton’s Cardiac Rehabilitation Program offers an individualized, medically supervised health and fitness program. This will help patients to take an active role in improving their heart health and reducing risks of future heart disease through exercise, evaluations, education and counseling.

Orthopedic and Spine Care Specialists at RWJUH Hamilton’s Orthopedic Spine Institute provide a multidisciplinary approach to world-class care backed by leadingedge imaging and diagnostic and surgical technology. This includes minimally invasive robotic-assisted surgery. The institute is the only

specific age at which it’s appropriate to bring their children in for orthodontic care. The perceived minimum age for a child to receive orthodontic care is around 12-13 or right when they reach high school. However, getting your child such care earlier can help avoid getting braces and fixing issues before they worsen.

In reality, the American Association of Orthodontists recommends that your children should get an orthodontic checkup no later than age seven. Once they hit that age, their mouth will have a nice balance between their baby and permanent teeth. This window of time allows for an accurate orthodontic evaluation to determine where preventative care is enough or if additional action is required.

orthopedic program in the capital region nationally certified in knee, hip and spine surgery by The Joint Commission.

Many spine surgeries are also performed by specialists at RWJUH Hamilton’s Center for Neurosciences using state-of-the-art technologies to provide advanced neurologic care close to home. Comprehensive neurosciences services also include general and cranial surgery along with subspecialized care for conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, cognitive problems and neuromuscular disorders.

Primary Care Providers

Primary care providers and physicians from RWJBarnabas Health Medical Group are a key component of RWJBarnabas Health’s comprehensive healthcare services. The group comprises world-class providers across many

Come From?

In most cases, a child’s orthodontic problems stem from their genetics — these issues are inherited from their parents. Additionally, some problems can develop over time based on poor oral hygiene habits they learned from a young age.

Some of these acquired oral health issues include:

• Sucking Their Thumbs

• Mouth Breathing

• Abnormal Swallowing Patterns

• Poor Dental Hygiene

• Irregular Loss of Baby Teeth

• Poor Nutritional Habits

However, parents have reason to hope for viable remedies and solutions to most of these issues. You can remedy these acquired problems with the help of successful orthodontic care provided by an experienced pediatric dentist.

Finding a Child Orthodontic You Can Trust. Trusting your child’s teeth and their beautiful smile to a pediatric dentistry practice is something that every parent must come to grips with. Figuring out which childhood orthodontic makes the most sense for your child and their future dental visits becomes critically important. For parents and their children in Hamilton, Hamilton Dental Associates provides them with the experienced pediatric dentists they need to prioritize their oral health as they mature.

Learn more about our pediatric dentistry services and schedule your first appointment today! See ad, page 12.

specialties, including primary care, heart and vascular care, orthopedics, general surgery, gynecologic surgery, oncology, neurology and gastroenterology. Together, Medical Group doctors deliver coordinated, patient-centered care in local communities along with convenient access to RWJBarnabas Health’s vast resources and technologies.

Let’s be health together. Visit rwjbh.org/Hamilton or call 609586-7900.

*RWJBarnabas Health and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton, together with Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey— the state’s only NCI-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center— provide close-to-home access to the latest treatment options. For more information, call 844.CANCERNJ or visit www.rwjbh.org/beatcancer.

See ad, page 11

Health & Wellness

JANS Caregiver Services

Top of the Line Care That You Can Count On

Founded in 2020, JANS is family owned and operated. Our name is a combination of the four members of our family, and serves as a constant reminder that we are a family first organization. The founder, Angel Torres, has more than 10 years of experience with in-home care. He is passionate about caring for people and has built a company of likeminded individuals in order to provide top of the line care that you can count on.

No two individuals are alike and no two cares plans are alike. JANS will offer you a customized plan. We specialize in meeting with our families, understanding their needs, requirements and resources to build a plan that will work specifically for them. We do not provide a cookie cutter offering, because we know how special each person is.

JANS Caregiver Services can provide the following therapeutic

services in home care, both short and long term.

Short Term:

• Post Surgery

• Post Injury

• Short term disability

Long Term:

• Elder Care

• Memory Issues

• Mobility Issues

We are trained and certified to

assist with the following chronic health conditions:

• Alzheimer’s

• Dementia

• Diabetes

• Parkinson’s

• Fibromialgia

Our services Include:

• Personalized In Home Care

• Basic Grooming

• Bathing

• Feeding and Specialized Diet needs

• Light housekeeping including (laundry, dishes, vacuum)

• Meal Preparation (Including special diet needs and restrictions)

• Medication Reminders

• Mobility Assistance

• Personal Hygiene

• Physical Therapy Assistance/ Continuation of care plan

• Toileting and Incontinent Care

• Transferring and Positioning

• Companion and Security Care

• Spending time in conversation

• Card and Board Games

• Puzzles and other activities that stimulate active thinking

• Providing the security of loved one not home alone

• Provide a presence in the neighborhood so that loved one is not always alone

For more information call 609-7569089 or email info@janscaregiverservices.com. janscaregiverservices.com. See ad, page 16

Classes are designed for all ages to build confidence, artistry, discipline, and foster students’ love of dance. Our world class faculty is dedicated to helping each student reach their full potential, with spacious studios, new state-of-the-art dance floors, and live music. The perfect environment to learn and grow!

We are nationally ranked in pediatric orthopedics at The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and in pediatric urology at The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital, Children’s Hospital of New Jersey at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, McMullen Children’s Center at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center, and Unterberg Children’s Hospital at Monmouth Medical Center. And we’re also New Jersey’s largest provider of children’s healthcare.

From primary care to specialized treatments and therapies and in partnership with Rutgers Health, our Children’s Health network provides advanced research, teaching, social impact and outstanding care to improve the health and well-being of every child in every community. Learn more at rwjbh.org/ChildrensHealth.

You’d go to great lengths for your child’s health. Good thing you don’t have to go far.

Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton

New Community Garden

Open in Hamilton

Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton, an RWJBarnabas Health facility, grew its Farm to Family program with the opening of a new community garden at Bromley Field & Sports Complex in Hamilton Township.

Twelve local families agreed to adopt individual plots of land in the garden for one year and learn how to grow healthy produce using sustainable gardening practices, with the guidance of a Master Gardener and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton’s own Registered Dietician Nutritionist, Taryn Krietzman. At the end of the year, the families can choose to renew or pass their plot to another family.

“Our collective hope is that these families will take what they have learned, share their knowledge with family and friends, and plant a garden plot or potted plants at home or throughout the community,” says Diane Grillo, Vice President of

Health & Wellness

These initiatives are part of the RWJBarnabas Health Social Impact and Community Investment (SICI) practice and 100% free-to-participate. The new community garden was built alongside the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton Community Field, a turf soccer field opened in the summer of 2021 in collaboration with RWJBarnabas Health, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton, The PDA Urban initiative, and Hamilton Township. The field is also part of the RWJBarnabas Health Social Impact and Community Investment (SICI) practice and provides a safe space for children in the community to stay active, promotes their physical and mental health, and keeps them away from other potential distractions and negative influences.

Health Promotion at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton.

“Families can feel empowered to take ownership, proudly engage in land stewardship, and pass along knowledge in their own community and cultural context.”

The Farm to Family Community

Garden expands Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton’s already successful Farm to Family nutrition education, health screening, and food security programs hosted at Hamilton Township’s Bromley Community Center and John O. Wilson Center.

“Our hospital’s efforts to continue connecting with every individual and family in the surrounding area with healthy spaces, such as the community garden, helps to better serve as a point of early intervention for medical care, specialty care services, and as a resource for referrals in every aspect of life and well-being,” says Richard Freeman, President & CEO of Robert Wood

No

Physical Therapy

Caruso PTRD offers a unique, patient-centered physical therapy approach that offers patients the chance to work closely with a Doctor of Physical Therapy. We want you to get back to being you; whether it’s getting you back on the field, back at the office, or back to running around with your children or grandkids! Treating pain is only the first step!

Nutritional Services

Caruso PTRD offers a unique, patient-centered physical therapy approach that offers patients the chance to work closely with a Doctor of Physical Therapy. Our therapists' main goals are to listen to each of your needs and provide individualized care to treat your condition. We want you to get back to being you; whether it's getting you back on the field, back at the office, or back to running around with your children or grandkids! Treating pain is only the first step!

ALL AGES: Achieve your body composition, sport’s performance, or weight loss goals through an approach that is anything but “cookie cutter”. Our Nutrition Experts, RDN’s,are the ONLY medical professionals qualified to give you nutrition advice. We don’t believe in quick fixes or the latest craze. We believe in life long change without having to sacrifice ANYTHING that makes your life unique!

Pilates Reformer

ATTENTION ALL AGES: Achieve your body composition, sport's performance, nutrition or weight loss goals through an approach that is anything but "cookie cutter". We take the time to learn about you, any medical conditions you may have and tailor to your individual needs. Our Nutrition Experts, RDN's,are the ONLY medical professionals qualified to give you nutrition advice. We don't believe in quick fixes or the latest craze. We believe in life long change without having to sacrifice ANYTHING that makes your life unique!

The most recognized and effective form of safe and successful exercise. Pilates can be tailored to the specific needs of the client to provide injury prevention, rehabilitation and muscle stability work. We offer Private and Semi Private Sessions.

Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy

The most recognized and effective form of safe and successful exercise. Pilates can be tailored to the specific needs of the client to provide injury prevention, rehabilitation and muscle stability work. We offer private and semi private sessions.

Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy is a special subset of PT focusing on the muscles of the pelvic girdle. Pelvic dysfunction can cause pain and urinary leakage, among other personal issues that can be successfully treated with education, exercise and hands-on techniques. I want to empower females to take back their lives, one Pelvic PT session at a time.

Relax and unplug in our new Salt Room! Offering numerous health benefits such as; providing relief for respiratory and skin conditions, and promoting overall mental wellness and stress relief. Breathe, relax and unwind!

Pictured: Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton, RWJBarnabas Health, Hamilton Township Mayor Jeff Martin, community partners, and local residents participate in the Farm to Family Community Garden opening ceremonies at Bromley Field & Sports Complex in Hamilton.

Johnson University Hospital Hamilton. “Programs like this, in addition to access to quality care, play a critical role in our society’s healthcare ecosystem.”

The garden was made possible by the commitment of many local leaders, organizations and businesses, including Hamilton Township, Mayor Jeff Martin of Hamilton, and Fred Dumont, Director of Community & Economic Development for Hamilton Township; Sharbell Development Corp.; Catholic Youth Organization of (CYO) of Mercer County; Truist Bank; the Rotary Club of Hamilton Township, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton’s Community Impact Alliance; Isles Inc.; Snipes Farm and Education Center; Costello’s Ace Hardware of Mercerville; and the original Farm to Family funders, Wawa and the Holman Foundation.

Local community members interested in learning more and participating in any of Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton’s Farm to Family programs, Community Education or Better Health Programs are encouraged to contact the Health Connection team by email to CommunityEdHAM@rwjbh.org or by phone at (609) 584-5900.

Visit rwjbh.org/HamiltonPrograms to view Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton’s monthly program calendar online and register for programs.

Hamilton Township

Meet the Hamilton Township Division of Health!

The mission of the Division of Health is to serve as a trusted resource for Hamilton Township to improve the health and well-being of our residents through health education and promotion, enforcement of public health safety, and adapting to everchanging community health needs. Some of our services include public immunization clinics, child health clinics, STI testing, vital statistics (marriage certificates and licenses, birth certificates and death certificates), retail food establishment inspections, and other environmental health services! Our Animal Shelter is also part of the Division of Health and provides animal control services, pet adoptions and dog licensing. Hamilton residents please call 609890-3828 or visit our website www.hamiltonnj.com/ health for more information. Many of our services are by appointment.

Here are some quick safety tips to help you have a safe and healthy summer:

• Check for ticks! Ticks are the most active in the warmer months (April-September). Infected ticks can transmit diseases including Lyme disease. Prevent tick bites by wearing insect repellent, check yourself, kids and pets for ticks, remove ticks quickly and seek medical help if you develop symptoms of Lyme disease (including fever, headache, fatigue and rash).

• Beat the heat this summer! Extreme heat can lead to heat related illness. People ages 65+, children under two and people with chronic diseases and mental illness are at highest risk. Remember to keep your cool! Stay in air conditioning as much as possible, stay hydrated, check on neighbors or family who are high risk, wear loose and lightweight clothing and NEVER leave children or pets in cars.

• Sun Safety! Most skin cancers are caused by too much exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light. Protect yourself and others from the sun when outdoors by seeking shade, wearing sunglasses, hats and clothing to protect you from the sun. Don’t forget your sunscreen! Choose a broad-spectrum sunscreen with SPF of 15 or higher, reapply often and check those expiration dates!

• Eat your fruits and veggies! Healthy eating can help adults and children live a healthy life and reduce the risks of chronic disease. Summer is a great time for fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables including strawberries, watermelon, zucchini and fresh Jersey tomatoes!

• Water safety! Swimming is a fun summer activity to help cool off, but should be done safely. If you go swimming this summer remember to learn to swim and know your limits, never leave children unattended, wear life jackets when doing water activities, don’t swim alone even if you are a strong swimmer and never dive into shallow water – if you don’t know how deep it is, don’t dive!

For more information on these topics and other summer safety tips visit www.cdc.gov. See ad, below

Princeton Ballet School

Beyond technique: Empowering dancers

Princeton Ballet School is the official school of the American Repertory Ballet, celebrating over 65 years of excellence in dance education.

Classes are designed for all ages to build confidence, artistry, discipline, and foster students’ love of dance. Its world class faculty is dedicated to helping each student reach their full potential, with spacious studios, new state-of-the-art dance floors, and live music. The perfect environment to learn and grow.

What Sets the School Apart

Founded in 1954 by Audrée Estey, Princeton Ballet School is one of the nation’s finest non-profit dance schools. Many things set Princeton Ballet School apart from the usual dance school, the most important being: its philosophy, its faculty, its affiliation with a professional ballet company, its dedication to live music

The Dental Difference

Mini Dental Implants: A True Innovation in Dentistry

Mini Dental Implants (MDIs) have changed the face of implant dentistry. Unlike traditional implant placement, where multiple dental visits are often required, MDIs can eliminate the need for extensive surgery. The most common use for MDIs is the stabilization of dentures and overdentures. MDIs firmly anchor the dental prosthesis, which means there is no longer a need to suffer with illfitting, loose and ANNOYING dentures!

MDIs are designed to eliminate elaborate bone grafting and to expedite treatment. Traditional implants may require significant bone grafting and a longer recovery period. The latent period allows the anchor of the implant to properly embed itself into the jawbone. The smaller size of MDIs means that no recovery period is possible, and the denture can be fitted the same day.

What are the advantages of MDI

Health & Wellness

in the classroom and its facilities. The School’s Philosophy

Princeton Ballet School is known for nurturing developing dancers in a safe and progressive way. The school teaches age and developmentally appropriate ballet technique classes from a syllabus that allows younger students more time for movement exploration while providing advanced students with the tools to become professional dancers, if they so choose. As a result, all students develop self-esteem, self-discipline, and a strong fitness level that will provide a powerful edge in any future endeavor.

Outstanding Faculty. Princeton Ballet School has more than 20 specialized faculty members. Many have attained graduate degrees in dance education and have won major teaching awards. All are committed to the school’s philosophy of dance education and to helping students achieve their best. Members of the outstanding faculty have performed professionally with companies including American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, Cuban National Ballet, and American Repertory

placement?

MDIs are a true innovation for people who are reluctant to have invasive dental surgery and who are suffering denture wearers. One significant advantage MDIs have over traditional implants is that they offer a viable treatment choice for patients who have experienced extensive bone loss. Depending on the quality and density of jawbone available at the implant site, four or more of these mini implants may be implanted at one time. The most common use for MDIs is to stabilize a lower denture, however they can be placed anywhere in the mouth.

Other advantages associated with MDIs may include:

• Better smelling breath

• More self-esteem

• Clearer speech

• Easier chewing and biting

• Easier cleaning

• Firmer denture fit

• Good success rate

• Less denture discomfort

• No cutting or sutures

• No need for adhesives or messy bonding agents

• No rotting food beneath the

Ballet.

Live Music. The school’s ballet classes have live musical accompaniment. This is particularly fun for the children’s classes, where frequent improvisational exercises provide an opportunity for students to interact and collaborate with the staff of professional musicians.

Facilities. Princeton Ballet School has studios in Cranbury, New Brunswick, and Princeton, New Jersey. All locations are wheelchair accessible and feature sprung dance

denture

• No slipping or wobbling

• Quick treatment time

• Reduced costs How are mini dental implants placed?

The whole mini dental implant placement procedure takes approximately one hour. Generally, in the case of lower jaw implants, four to six MDIs will be placed about 5mm apart. Prior to inserting MDIs, Dr. Mosmen will use many diagnostic and planning tools to find the optimal location to implant them.

After placement, a denture will be modified and affixed to the MDIs. The rubber O-ring on each MDI snaps into the designated spot on the denture, and the denture then rests snugly on the gum tissue. MDIs hold the denture comfortably in a tight-fitting way for the lifetime of that implant.

In almost all cases, no stitching is required, and no real discomfort is felt after the procedure. When the denture placement procedure is complete, light eating can be resumed. The denture can be removed and cleaned at will. MDIs enhance the natural beauty of the smile and restore full

floors and marley from Harlequin Floors. The striking Princeton and Cranbury facilities were designed by the late Ralph Lerner, an internationally known architect and former Dean of the School of Architecture at Princeton University. The studios in New Brunswick are part of the state-of-the-art New Brunswick Performing Arts Center, which opened in 2019.

More information: arballet.org/ princeton-ballet-school/. See ad, page 10.

functionality to the teeth.

If you have any questions about ni dental implants, please call Dr. Kevin Mosmen for a FREE consultation appointment to see if you’re a candidate for this procedure or traditional implants.

The Dental Difference – 2131 Route 33, Suite A, Hamilton, NJ 08690. 609-445-3577. www. thedentaldifference.com. See ad, page 15.

Dr. Kevin Mosmen

Medical Acucare

A Personalized Approach to Your Optimal Health

Discover a personalized approach to achieving your optimal health with Medical Acucare. Our mission is to address every dimension of your wellbeing and alleviate, or even reverse, the symptoms and progression of chronic diseases.

Meet Dr. Qingdi Geng, the founder of Medical Acucare. Board-certified in Internal Medicine, Medical Acupuncture, and Obesity Medicine, she brings over 10 years of clinical experience in treating diverse medical conditions. Dr. Geng recognized that while conventional medical treatments effectively manage acute conditions like broken bones or strokes, they often fall short in improving chronic diseases. This led her to pursue advanced training in Functional Medicine, allowing her to combine the best of Internal Medicine, Functional Medicine, and Acupuncture to identify the root causes of her patients’ chronic issues and optimize their health and wellness.

Why choose Medical Acucare?

Focus On the Root Cause: Inspired by her childhood admiration for Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Geng approaches each patient’s case like a dedicated detective. She takes genuine satisfaction in unraveling the true origins of complex medical conditions, providing accurate diagnoses, and offering valuable insights into treatment options.

Dr. Qingdi Geng

Comprehensive Care for Challenging Health Conditions: At Medical Acucare, we acknowledge the distinct obstacles individuals face while navigating the healthcare system, particularly women during their postpartum, perimenopause, and other difficult transitional phases. Dr. Geng specializes in addressing hormone imbalances, digestive dysfunction, autoimmune disorders, and exposure to harmful toxins, which can give rise to a multitude of complaints across various organ systems, often resulting in diagnostic and therapeutic complexities. By thoroughly assessing each patient’s situation and employing advanced lab tests, Dr. Geng

formulates personalized treatment strategies that target the underlying factors contributing to health issues.

Healthy Lifestyle

Modifications: At Medical Acucare, we understand the significance of healthy lifestyle changes in maintaining optimal well-being. Dr. Geng emphasizes the importance of stress management, enhancing sleep quality, initiating appropriate physical activity regimens, and nurturing spiritual and mental wellness. Additionally, we collaborate with local and remote health coaches and nutritionists to offer valuable tools for cultivating healthy habits, restoring self-assurance, and achieving enduring health success.

Acupuncture for Holistic Healing: Acupuncture has gained widespread acclaim for its efficacy in treating conditions such as low back pain, neck pain, migraines, insomnia, and other conditions. Moreover, acupuncture stimulates the release of beneficial hormones, including endorphins, promoting overall health, and restoring balance within the body. Dr. Geng

has successfully utilized acupuncture to address a wide range of health concerns, including anxiety and depression, chronic pain, indigestion, insomnia, obesity, and urinary incontinence. Its gentle and non-invasive nature, combined with Dr. Geng’s expertise, makes acupuncture a safe and effective treatment option.

Cosmetic Acupuncture for Natural Beauty: Experience breakthrough solutions for natural beauty and antiaging at Medical Acucare. Alongside traditional acupuncture treatments, our specialized acupuncture procedures deliver strikingly aesthetic results. Unlock your radiant, age-defying potential with the transformative power of cosmetic acupuncture.

Choose Medical Acucare for a personalized and comprehensive approach to your health. Dr. Geng and our dedicated team are here to guide you on your journey to optimal health and well-being. Contact us today to schedule a complementary consultation and start your journey towards a healthier, more fulfilling life.

Medical Acucare, 339 PrincetonHightstown Rd, Building C, East Windsor NJ 08512 www.medicalacucare. com. See ad, page 6.

Hamilatte Community Focused Coffee and a Health Conscious Menu Coming This Summer to Route 33 in Hamilton

Coffee is the quintessential superfood for people all over the world. Whether you have a cup of joe to kick off the day, have a cup with dessert to cap off a big meal, or even have a drink before your work out, coffee is a healthy way to boost energy and comes loaded with several lesser-known nutritional benefits. In recent years, research has proven that the high antioxidant content of coffee can improve life expectancy and reduce the risk of certain diseases, including Parkinson’s, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Lastly, taking a break to share a great cup of coffee with family and friends can do wonders for our mental health in our busiest and most stressful days, which is what led one local couple, Karen and Adam Elias, to use coffee as a way to connect with their community.

Jamesbrew Cafe, located on West Railroad Avenue in Jamesburg, opened last November,and has quickly become a staple in the community. Jamesbrew serves great coffee, espresso, and tea beverages, along with a variety of pastries, cakes and gelato, all while celebrating the rich history and promising future of the historic borough. Their signature Railroad Roast and Buckelew Cold Brew,

along with every other drink on their menu, are aptly named after the iconic landmarks and families who built Jamesburg and left a lasting impression on generations to follow. Jamesbrew’s doors are always open for community sponsorships, and they continue to host fun events for the neighborhood like chess club tournaments, book signings, fundraisers, art shows and more. You can pop in on the weekend and enjoy Karaoke Night every Thursday and support local musicians that play live music every Friday and Saturday night with the option for patrons to BYOB.

Given the positive reception of Jamesbrew among residents of Jamesburg and neighboring towns, Karen and Adam are already on their way to opening café number two. Hamilatte, opening this summer on Route 33 in Hamilton, will have all Jamesbrew’s offerings but with a special nod to the living story of Hamilton. Hamilatte will go one step further with a health-conscious menu in collaboration with Hamilton native Sinclair Jones, creating the most inclusive environment for patrons of all dietary needs.

Be BIO café was established by Jones in 2019 and specializes in vegan, gluten free and sugar-free desserts. The name means “beautiful inside out;” that the beauty process comes from within. Be BIO is guided by the philosophy that quality taste should not be sacrificed in the pursuit of a healthier diet. All

BIO goods served at Hamilatte will be baked fresh with no unnecessary ingredients or preservatives. Hamilatte will also serve specialty and custom ordered baked goods that may not always be listed on its menu. Hamilatte’s coffee will be USDA organic certified, while desserts that are vegan and gluten free, using organic ingredients and garbanzo bean flour to make the Hamilatte experience exceptionally delightful and nutritious for all patrons.

Stay tuned for the grand opening in just a few weeks! More information: www.hamilatte.com.

See ad, page 7

To

HELP WANTED

Part time advertising/ sponsorship customer service representative. Work with sales team to maintain customer base. Must be very proficient in Microsoft Office 365. 15 hours per week, $15.00/hour. Position in Allentown, NJ. Angelo@FoxRunGroup.com

GET PAID DAILY!

WORK FROM HOME WORK FROM ANYWHERE PART-TIME/ SPARE TIME FOR ADDITIONAL

INFORMATION CALL: 609380-3124

SERVICES

LEGAL SERVICES Wills, Power of Attorney, Real Estate, Federal and NJ Taxes, House calls available. Bruce Cooke, Esq. 609-799-4674, 609-721-4358.

Senior Concierge. Let me be your helper. In the home or on the road. Part-time/ Day or evening. Very good references. Call Mary Anne, 609-298-4456.

F,D,Mason Contractor, Over 30 years of experience. Brick, Block, Stone, Concrete. No job too large or small. Fully Insured and Licensed. Free

Estimates 908-385-5701

Lic#13VH05475900.

Are you single? Try us first! We are an enjoyable alternative to online dating. Sweet Beginnings Matchmaker, 215-539-2894, www.sweetbeginnings.info.

Attention Single Men 64 – 71 Local matchmaker is seeking an educated, nice, tall gentleman for one of my client’s. No Fees! Contact Jill Elliott 215-539-2894.

WANTED TO BUY

Wanted: Baseball, football, basketball, hockey. Cards, autographs, photos, memorabilia. Highest cash prices paid! Licensed corporation, will travel. 4thelovofcards, 908-5960976. allstar115@verizon.net.

HappyHeroes used books looking to buy old Mysteries, Science Fiction, Children’s Illustrated, kids series books (old Hardy boys-Nancy Drew-Judy Bolton- Dana girls, WITH DUSTJACKETS in good shape), Dell Mapbacks - Good Girl Art PULPS - non-sports cards, good conditioned pre 1975 paperbacks old COLLIER’S. Call 609-619-3480 or email happyheroes@gmail.com

To book a classified ad in this section, please email your text and any other information to mdurelli@communitynews.org. Classifieds run at 75 cents per word with a $20 minimum per month. For more information, call 609-396-1511, ext. 105.

Cash paid for World War II military items. Helmets, swords, medals, etc. Call 609-581-8290 or email mymilitarytoys@ optonline.net

REAL ESTATE WANTED

WE BUY HOUSES We are a premier real estate solutions company. We buy houses in any condition and pay you cash. Call 732-965-6338

COMMERCIAL SPACE

OFFICE SPACE FOR RENT: ARE YOU LOOKING FOR OFFICE SPACE IN EWING BUT CAN’T AFFORD OR DON’T NEED AN ENTIRE SUITE? DO YOU NEED TO RENT BY THE DAY? SUITE CURRENTLY IN USE BY TWO MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS. SUITABLE FOR ANYONE NEEDING A qUIET, CLEAN AND ACCESSIBLE WORKPLACE. RENT INCLUDES USE OF SMALL KITCHEN, WAITING ROOM, PARKING, CLEANING SERVICE AND WIFI. CALL 609635-3751 OR EMAIL suppsoln27@yahoo. COM FOR DETAILS.

3,500 SF OFFICE SPACE, Ewing/Mercer County, FREE RENT, 201-488-4000 or 609-883-7900

HAMILTON TWP.- 1st Floor Office/Professional/ Service Space<B/> with Plenty of car/truck parking in rear. Reception area, 3 large rooms, utility & powder room, full basement for storage. $1,350/mth. Call DiDonato Realty Co (609) 586-2344/ Marian Conte (609)9474222.

office space For Rent: Pennington ground floor office space 32 N Main Street. Share with clinical psychologist and real estate management company. Private entrance, off street parking. 305-968-7308

Princeton Commercial Retail Spaces for Lease: Various Locations in Town. Please Contact: Weinberg Management.

WMC@collegetown. Text 609-731-1630

VACATION RENTALS

Florida Beach Rental: Fort Myers Beach 1br vacation condo on the beach, flexible dates available. Call 609577-8244 for further information

CEMETERY PLOTS

For sale double depth cemetery plot. Location Princeton memorial park, Gordon Road, Robbinsville. Call 609-2597710.

NATIONAL CLASSIFIED Health & Fitness

Dental insurancePhysicians Mutual Insurance Company. Covers 350 procedures. Real insurance - not a discount plan. Get your free dental info kit! 1-855-526-1060 www. dental50plus.com/ads

#6258

Attention oxygen therapy users! Inogen One G4 is capable of full 24/7 oxygen delivery. Only 2.8 pounds. Free info kit. Call 877-929-9587

Miscellaneous

Prepare for power outages today with a GENERAC home standby generator $0 Down + Low Monthly Pmt Request a free Quote. Call before the next power outage: 1-855-948-6176

Eliminate gutter cleaning forever! LeafFilter, the most advanced debris-blocking gutter protection. Schedule free LeafFilter estimate today. 20% off Entire Purchase. 10% Senior & Military Discounts. Call 1-833-6101936

BATH & SHOWER UPDATES in as little as ONE DAY! Affordable prices - No payments for 18 months! Lifetime warranty & professional installs Senior & Military Discounts available. Call: 855-761-1725

Donate Your Car to Veterans Today! Help and

Support our Veterans. Fast - FREE pick up. 100% tax deductible. Call 1-800245-0398

HughesNet - Finally, super-fast internet no matter where you live. 25 Mbps just $59.99/mo!

Unlimited Data is Here. Stream Video. Bundle TV & Internet. Free Installation. Call 866-499-0141

Become a published author. We want to read your book! Dorrance Publishing trusted since 1920. Consultation, production, promotion & distribution. Call for free author’s guide 1-877-7294998 or visit dorranceinfo. com/ads

DISH TV $64.99 For 190 Channels + $14.95 High Speed Internet. Free Installation, Smart HD DVR Included, Free Voice Remote. Some restrictions apply. Promo Expires 1/21/23. 1-866-479-1516

Safe Step. North America’s #1 Walk-in tub. Comprehensive lifetime warranty. Top-of-theline installation and service. Now featuring our free shower package & $1600 off - limited time!

Financing available.

1-855-417-1306

Switch and save up to $250/yr on talk, text & data. No contract or hidden fees. Unlimited talk & text with flexible data plans. Premium nationwide coverage. 100% U.S. based customer service. Limited time get $50 off any new account. Use code GIFT50. 1-855903-3048

MobileHelp, America’s premier mobile medical alert system. Whether you’re home or away. For safety & peace of mind. No long term contracts! Free brochure! 1-888-489-3936

Free high speed internet if qualified. Govt. pgm for recipients of select pgms incl. Medicaid, SNAP, Housing Assistance, WIC, Veterans Pension, Survivor Benefits, Lifeline, Tribal. 15 GB internet.

Android tablet free w/ one-time $20 copay. Free shipping. Call Maxsip Telecom! 1-833-758-3892

Inflation is at 40 year highs. Interest rates are way up. Credit Cards. Medical Bills. Car Loans. Do you have $10k or more in debt? Call National Debt Relief to find out how to pay off your debt for significantly less than what you owe! Free quote: 1-877-592-3616

Wesley Financial Group, LLC Timeshare Cancellation ExpertsOver $50,000,000 in timeshare debt & fees cancelled in 2019. Get free info package & learn how to get rid of your timeshare! Free consultations. Over 450 positive reviews. 833308-1971

DIRECTV Stream - Carries the most local MLB Games! Choice Package $89.99/mo for 12 mos Stream on 20 devices at once. HBO Max included for 3 mos (w/Choice Package or higher.) No contract or hidden fees! Some restrictions apply. Call IVS 1-866-859-0405

Are you a pet owner?

Do you want to get up to 100% back on vet bills? Physicians Mutual Insurance Company has pet coverage that can help! Call 1-844-774-0206 to get a free quote or visit insurebarkmeow.com/ads

Diagnosed with lung cancer? You may qualify for a substantial cash award - even with smoking history. No obligation! We’ve recovered millions. Let us help!! Call 24/7, 1-877648-2503

!!OLD GUITARS WANTED!! GIBSON, FENDER, MARTIN, Etc. 1930’s to 1980’s. TOP DOLLAR PAID. C ALL TOLL FREE 1-866-433-8277

Friday, June 30 through Sunday, July 9, 2023

Monday – Friday 5 PM – 11 PM

Saturday/Sunday/July 4 th 3 PM – 11 PM

FREE NIGHTLY ENTERTAINMENT

Friday, June 30 at 6:45 PM: tequila rose

Saturday, July 1 at 7:00 PM: Southern Steel

Sunday, July 2 at 7:00 PM: Jimmy Jorge & the latin Express

Monday, July 3 at 7:30 PM: B Street Band

tuesday, July 4 at 6:00 PM: Pure Petty

Wednesday, July 5 at 7:30 PM: Cosmic Jerry Band

thursday, July 6 at 7:00 PM: lovelight

Friday, July 7 at 7:30 PM: the British invasion Experience

Saturday, July 8 at 3:00 PM: andrew lobby

Saturday, July 8 at 7:00 PM: Kindred Spirit

Sunday, July 9 at 7:00 PM: Ernie White Band

if

so do we.

he had cancer, you would go to the ends of the earth to get him the best treatment.

THE HAMILTON PARTNERSHIP

SOFTBALL continued from Page 16

ANNOUCES NEW CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

NEWS TO KNOW

the jump, with the record we had, with what everybody was writing or posting about us, that we could prove the people that trusted us right. That’s always been our mindset. It’s never been about ‘Let’s prove them wrong.’ It’s about, ‘Hey there’s a lot of people that believe in us. The coaching staff. The players. Let’s just prove them right.’”

infielders, were outstanding as the onetwo hitters in the lineup. Pope hit .500 with 32 runs scored and 17 RBI, while Walsh hit .488 with 27 RBI and a teamhigh 39 runs and 12 doubles.

“They did not play like freshmen,” Melker said. “They don’t let the big moment get to them. They stay mentally focused and play softball like they’ve done since their childhood.”

The seniors had high praise for the 9th-graders.

Shop Small, Shop Local, Shop Hamilton.

THE HAMILTON PARTNERSHIP ANNOUCES NEW CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD AND EXECUTIVE

As you shop this summer please remember to support our local small businesses and our neighbors and friends who own them. Visit our websites Hamilton-Strong.com and ShopHamiltonNJ.com

DIRECTOR

And they did just that. After losing to Watchung Hills to fall to 8-4 on Apr. 26, the Spartans won 13 of their final 14 and finished with eight straight wins to end up 21-5.

Included in the run was their eighth straight trip to the Central Jersey Group III finals. Steinert won its second straight sectional crown by taking a 4-1 win over the same Robbinsville team that beat it two times earlier in the season.

Jeannine Cimino Board Chairman Rachel Holland Executive

Director

The Hamilton Partnership is proud to announce

Jeannine Cimino, as newly elected Chaiman of the Board and Rachel Holland as the newly appointed Executive Director.

Jeannine Cimino Rachel Holland

“Oh my God, it’s awesome doing it the second time in a row,” Mazur said after the game. “I knew we were gonna come in and we were ready for revenge. We wanted to beat them.”

Steinert reached the sectional final with a tense, 4-2 win at top-seeded Colts Neck, in which senior Ceara O’Neal had a three-run homer and all three RBIs. O’Neal added a hit and RBI in the win over Robbinsville.

“They’ve helped out so much,” Spak said. “I have so much love and respect for them. They were honestly amazing. A great addition to the team.”

The seniors weren’t too shabby either. They included O’Neal (.540, 5 HR, 8 doubles, 40 RBI, 35 runs), Bonacci (.333, 7 doubles, 27 RBI; 1.59 ERA, 144 strikeouts), Paige Schultz (.278, 11 RBI), Mazur (.270, 14 RBI, 15 runs) and Spak (.295, 22 RBI, 27 runs).

Also contributing were sophomores Gina DiMeglio (12 runs, 10 RBI), Simonka (.273, 19 RBI, 12 runs, 1.03 ERA) and Hassan (.357, 17 RBI), who was stellar defensively behind the plate, particularly in the state final. Junior Riley Mikolajczak hit .281 with 11 walks and 11 runs, and freshman Brooke DeWitt had just 12 at-bats but scored 13 runs as a courtesy runner.

Executive Director

The Hamilton Partnership is proud to announce Jeannine Cimino

Since 1993, The Hamilton Partnership has worked with community business leaders, government officials, and private decision-makers to deliver services and employment opportunities that are essential to Hamilton Township’s continued success.

Board and Executive Director.

Congratulations to Jeannine and Rachel, the first females to serve in each of their roles!

“Ceara is the powerhouse of our team,” Bonacci said after she scattered seven hits against the Ravens. “She brings everything to practice. She gives 110 percent effort every time she steps onto the field for practice or a game. I know she has my back.”

It was a group with extremely strong chemistry, and every player on the roster acknowledged Bonacci as the leader. Which is why, after the celebration at Kean, the bus went directly to the hospital so that Izzy could be in a photo with the trophy.

“It was a great moment,” Spak said. “At first, we thought it was gonna be just Melker because they dropped her off first by herself. But when they said we could all go, we sprinted out of that bus as fast as we could, running down a hill just to get to her.”

It was a moment Bonacci will never forget.

THE HAMILTON PARTNERSHIP EXECUTIVE BOARD

Jeannine Cimino, Chair, William Penn Bank

Source: Unkown

Rachel Holland, Executive Director

After defeating the Ravens, Steinert visited Shawnee for the Group III semifinal and, after a four-run lead slipped away, the Spartans scored nine runs after a 30-minute lightning delay for a 13-4 victory. Bonacci had four hits and four RBI, Addison Hassan had three RBI and Simonka not only had two hits and two RBI but also pitched 2.1 innings when Bonacci ran into some mild issues.

Since 1993, The Hamilton Partnership has worked with community business leaders, government officials, and private decision-makers to deliver services and employment opportunities that are essential to Hamilton Township’s continued success.

@thehamiltonpartnership @Hamiltonnjstrong

Gregory Blair (Emeritus), Nottingham Insurance Co.

Hon. Jeff Martin, Mayor, Hamilton Township

“That definitely helped,” she said of the Shawnee stint preparing her for the title game. “But I worked really hard this whole time. The coaches have given me a lot of opportunity to work hard and be prepared for this to happen.”

“Oh God, it was so emotional,” she said. “At first it was just Melker carrying the trophy to me. After she hugged me, they all came running out of nowhere. I was honestly speechless. To win the title and then to come see me; it just shows how amazing this group of girls is.”

#HamiltonNJStrong

Lee Boss, The Mercadien Group

Gerard Fennelly, NAI Fennelly

Richard Freeman, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, Hamilton

Congratulations to Jeannine and Rachel, the first females to serve in each of their roles!

Frank Lucchesi, PSE&G

Patrick M. Ryan, First Bank

The sophomore was not the only one to step up in the final. Spak, Hassan and freshman Mia Pope delivered RBIs, while freshman Bianca Walsh had three hits.

THE HAMILTON PARTNERSHIP EXECUTIVE BOARD

Tom Troy, Sharbell Development Corp.

Since 1993, The Hamilton Partnership has worked with community business leaders, government o cials, and private decision-makers to deliver services and employment opportunities that are essential to Hamilton Township’s continued success.

Jeannine Cimino, Chair, William Penn Bank

Gerard Fennelly, NAI Fennelly

Richard Freeman, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, Hamilton

It was a nice feeling for Spak, who had 22 RBI this year but hit below .300 (at .295) for the first time in her career.

“Obviously, it felt great,” she said. “I think I really needed it at some point. My teammates had my back leading up to the game and I just wanted to help them out any way I could.”

Pope and Walsh, the team’s middle

It’s a group that gave Steinert its first state crown since 2018, and there we have been several near misses since then. Melker knows all about the pressures of being Steinert softball.

“It’s definitely a weight off the back,” she said. “It’s consuming as a program to play and be held to such a standard and always have that target on your back. As soon as that last out comes and you know it’s over, the celebration is so relieving.”

And in this case, so surreal. But also so exhilarating.

PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHY

Peripheral Neuropathy is a condition that affects millions of Americans, commonly resulting in pain, tingling, numbness, and other painful symptoms in the hands, legs and feet. This pain changes your life and affects how you work, how you play and how you live.

AllCure Spine and Sports Medicine is pleased to announce their new program for treating Peripheral Neuropathy, which includes a combination of advanced FDA-cleared treatments with breakthrough technology that aids in healing the damaged nerves. The effects of this program can be felt on the first few visits. This treatment restores, stabilizes, and rebuilds the nerves in your extremities. Treatment has also been effective in addressing painful symptoms of arthritis, MS, and other forms of chronic pain. Patients generally feel relief physically throughout the treatment period and even feel better emotionally after experiencing a reduction in pain.

HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU HAVE NERVE DAMAGE?

Peripheral neuropathy is the consequence of damage to your peripheral nerves. There are over 100 different kinds of peripheral nerve disorders or neuropathies – some are the result of a disease like diabetes, while others can be triggered by a viral infection. Still others are the result of an injury or compression on the nerves. No matter where the problems begin, it is imperative nerve disorders are resolved as soon as possible to prevent permanent damage. Many people suffer with pain for years, not realizing that their symptoms may be due to Peripheral Neuropathy. Symptoms start gradually, then get worse, including numbness, burning or tingling sensations and sharp, electrical-like pain. Treatment options have been limited to a small assortment of pain medications, which can lead to further issues. Ignoring the problem or masking the symptoms has never been a viable solution. If you suffer from any of the aforementioned symptoms, we can help.

Healthy Nerve Cell

Damaged Nerve Cell

SPoRTS

Track stars represent township at Meet of Champions

By Rich Fisher

What do a senior male sprinter, a junior female sprinter, a first-year senior male high jumper and a sophomore female thrower have in common?

Simple.

They all proudly represented the Hamilton Township track and field community by gaining medals in the June 16 NJSIAA Meet of Champions at Franklin High School.

The biggest prizes were brought home by Hamilton West seniors Jaci Summers and Arrington Rhym.

Summers’ consistent hard work paid off with a gold medal in the 200 meters and a silver in the 100. Rhym, a basketball player, tried track for the first time and promptly took fourth in the MOC high jump before winning the New Balance Nationals in Philadelphia two days later.

Not to be left out was the Nottingham girls’ team. Junior Jianna Molin took third in the 100 meters at the MOC, while sophomore Catalina Holliday was sixth in the shot put.

Molin and Summers have both worked with former Northstars assistant Curtis Whittle, father of former Nottingham standout and current University Georgia sprinter Shamali Whittle.

“Jianna and Jaci are somewhat similar in their passion for the sport of track andfield,” Whittle said. “The common denominator is they try their absolute hardest to get the work done.”

Summers was a football player convinced to go out for track by a West football coach. After a sophomore year of just running to run, he worked hard with Hamilton sprints coach Danielle Grady to understand the nuances of how to run.

Jaci reached the Indoor MOC in the 55

and the spring MOC in the 200, finishing 14th and 11th, respectively, as a junior. From there, he began training with Ewing’s Mekhi Stafford, this year’s 100 meters MOC winner.

“When Jaci reached out to me for help in the winter, I immediately knew the hunger was there,” Whittle said. “Ultimately for him, working alongside Mekhi and a few other top sprinters was a huge eye-opener for his surge to come. But I believe the biggest thing was owning an event, and working with him on the understanding and proper execution of zone discipline for that event.”

Summers had a strong winter season,

winning the 55 in the Mercer County meet and qualifying for the Meet of Champions again before finishing a disappointing 21st. But that was just a prelim for the spring season, and Whittle set a goal for the sprinter.

“It was first understanding and developing a mastery of how to run the 200,” the coach said. “Jaci and I spoke about getting to 21-low, wind-legal time to be specific. And finally, to have success on New Jersey’s biggest stages, understanding how to win in various ways.”

First-year Hornets head coach Troy Scales, who served as an assistant the past five years, felt Summers was at a disadvantage in training, since Hamilton was putting new turf on the football field. Thus the Hornets shared a practice track at Steinert or worked in the hallways.

“It wasn’t the easiest thing. But Jaci pretty much did a lot of things on his own,” Scales said. “He was already a great runner, he was always a hard worker. He had to tweak his starts a little bit, and that gave him that confidence and encouragement to get better.”

Summers took third in the 100 in the Central Jersey Group III meet and the Group III state meet. He won his prelim in the 100 with a PR of 10.59, then finished a close second to Stafford in the finals.

“I wasn’t frustrated losing to him,” Summers said. “He’s like my brother. We practice with each other all the time. It was nothing more than a friendly competition. My goal for the entire year was to win the 200. I consider myself a 200 person for sure.”

Jaci has the walk to back up that talk as he took first in the sectionals, states and MOC in 200, running a PR of 21.38 in the sectionals.

“The 200 is a longer race, so you have

to plan it out a little differently,” Scales said. “The 100 is just 100 percent go. But if you go 100 percent in the 200, you would die after 150 (meters). He always had a plan in mind whenever he ran the 200. He just stuck with that plan.”

Whittle felt that Summers used the 100 as a warm-up for the race he truly wanted to win. “There was no stress at all,” he said. “That’s a dangerous athlete. So the 10.59 and 10.61 by Jaci absolutely sparked the 200 victory, where he executed a very specific race plan, with countermoves.”

Summers was thrilled that he had come so far in just three seasons of track. “It’s a blessing,” said Jaci, who is headed for Meridian Community College in Mississippi next year. “I thank my coach Grady for putting me in this position to love this sport and supporting me throughout the journey. And I can never forget about the other

Nottingham High Jianna Molin took third in the 100 meters at the New Jersey Meet of Champions, held June 16 at Franklin High School.

Jaci Summers and Arrington Rhym, Hamilton High West seniors and high finishers at the 2023 Meet of Champions.

coaches that took me in and helped me.”

While Summers is a relative newbie to the sport, he seems like a grizzled veteran compared to Rhym, who has to be the surprise story of the year.

When it came to the Hornet senior’s success this year, Scales deferred to West jumps coach Jerry Van Slooten, who has produced some great ones over the years.

“Coach Van Slooten always does a great job,” Scales said. “This year, we probably had some of the best long jumpers and triple jumpers in our program, and Arrington was one of them.”

Rhym’s amazing season featured a first at the Mercer Coach’s Classic (6-4), a second in the county meet (6-2), first in sectionals (6-0), second in states and fourth in the MOC. His mark of 6-6 could not win the New Jersey meets, but was good enough to win Nationals, as he won by 1.75 inches.

“It’s pretty amazing,” Van Slooten said. “Once he realized that he could be good at it, he just kept looking for ways to get better.”

While Hamilton graduates its two medalists, both of Nottingham’s prize winners will be back.

Holliday emerged as one of the top throws performers in the county this year. She won the Hopewell Sophomore Meet in discus (79-0), took second in the shot (36-09.25) and sixth in javelin (74-2) at the counties. In state competition, Holliday won the Central Jersey Group II title in shot (34-10.50) and discus (PR of 107-0).

She did not throw discus in states but finished sixth in the shot with a throw of 36-02.5, then uncorked a PR throw

of 37-10.25 to place sixth in the Meet of Champs.

While Holliday was impressive, Molin was downright electric. Her time of 11.96 in the 100 meters in the MOC prelims tied West Windsor-Plainsboro North’s Victoria Henry for fastest time in Mercer County in the past 40 years. She didn’t equal that mark in the finals but her time of 12:09 was good enough for third.

“In the finals, my nerves ultimately got the best of me, leaving me a touch behind all the other girls out of the blocks. Though I felt I had more to give in the finals, I’m proud of how I remained calm and stuck with the race plan and ended up placing,” Molin said.

Molin is also strong in the 200, winning CJ II in 25.57, finishing fourth in states and 15th in the MOC. Not bad for someone who is only in her second year of sprinting after running middle distance as a youth.

“Jianna is just an amazing studentathlete, who’s worked extremely hard,” Whittle said. “She had to overcome a new training environment midstream and some injury setbacks. However, she was able to overcome these adversities, especially the mental challenges.”

Molin has been hampered in the 200 due to injuries, but plans to continue to work hard on it. Whatever she is doing, the aim will be as simple and pure as it was this spring.

“My goal really was to simply compete to the best of my abilities, no matter the outcome,” she said.

Fortunately for a quartet from Hamilton, the outcomes were pretty impressive.

July Events

Notary Oath Night

Thursday, July 6th, 3:00 – 7:00 PM

The Mercer County Clerk’s office will administer the oath to newly commissioned and renewing Notaries. Please call the Mercer County Clerk’s office to schedule (609) 989-6466 or email epagano@mercercounty.org

Mercer County Office on Aging Annual Public Hearing

Tuesday, July 11th, 10:30 AM

“We Need Your Input”

This is an opportunity to share your concerns and needs of Mercer County older adult community and their caregivers. Please call the Mercer County Office on Aging /ADRC at (609) 989-6661 with any questions

BBQing the Healthy Way (Nutrition)

Tuesday, July 18th, 1:00PM – 2:00 PM

Tasty food on the grill does not have to be filled with fat and calories. Join Beth Young, MS, RDN, CSOWM, a registered dietitian nutritionist, and discover some great summer barbeque recipes that are light and delic ious.

BBQing the Healthy Way registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/636545684277 (or) to call to register: 1-888-897-8979

FREE Vision Screening

Wednesday, July 19th, 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM

Half of all blindness is preventable through regular vision screenings and education, so have your eyes checked today! Princeton Health and the New Jersey Commissi on for the Blind: Project Prevention Unit offer these free vision screenings to both adults & children. Please call 888-897-8979

*REGISRATION IS NOT REQUIRED! WALK-INS WELCOME!*

Holliday

Callahan finishes all-around great career for Steinert lax

By Rich Fisher

Considering that coach Bob Ziegler felt this was the best boys lacrosse team Steinert has ever had (aside from the 2020 squad that was shut down by Covid), it stands to reason that the program’s best player would be a part of it.

According to Ziegler, the Spartans had just the man in Troy Callahan. And in making that statement, Ziegler is quick to point out he’s referring to all-around contributions, not just scoring.

“I don’t want to get the Braddocks mad at me on that one but Troy just did everything for us when we needed him,” the coach said. “He played defensive midfield when we needed him, he took faceoffs, he was the fastest player in school history to score 100 goals, he had a lot of assists.

“He just did everything. He was, physically, the most dominant player we ever had. He was big, strong and fast. He was the guy that everybody knew they had to stop when they were gonna play us.”

Connor Braddock graduated as Steinert’s all-time record-holder in goals (165), assists (102) and points (267). Callahan finished with 109 goals and 134 points, putting him fourth on both lists. He led the team in ground balls as a junior and was second as a senior. And he only played two-and-three-quarter seasons, as his freshman year was the Covid shutdown, and the following spring featured a shortened schedule.

“If he had a full four years, I don’t think he would have passed Braddock, but he would have finished second all-time in goals,” Ziegler said.”He lost a lot of time. He had a limited sample size.“

Callahan was justifiably proud when

told that Ziegler ranks him the Spartans number-one all-around player.

“I never heard him say that to me,” he said. “But. I read another article where he said it, and I was like, ‘Wow!’ It really means a lot.’”

Troy is a long-time lax player and also a standout hockey goalie. But lacrosse sticks have surpassed ice skates as Callahan will play for Cabrini College next year.

He played for Lightning Lacrosse in West Windsor, where he grew up before his family moved to Hamilton prior to his freshman year.

“The first year was Covid and there was nothing going on,” Callahan said. “All 15 of us freshmen that year went out

whenever we could. Going into that year I thought we’d be pretty good.”

Just as Ziegler thought Troy would be good.

“I knew he was gonna be a player,” the coach said. “He had that look. Very athletic. The foundations, the stick skills were there and you knew he was gonna get better at it.”

Callahan made the most of the canceled season. He lugged his lacrosse net to a small park near his house and would shoot at it up against a baseball backstop.

“I’d just kill time with productive stuff,” he said. “Why not get better with the time I have?”

When play resumed in a shortened 2021 season, Callahan had a modest 14

goals and four assists.

“The first two years were just trying to get better for the next two,” he said. “That’s when you really start getting on the field. That gave me a lot of practice.”

Troy’s breakout season came as a junior, when his 41 goals and 8 assists put him second on the team in points behind Ryan (39 goals, 57 points). This past year, he led the Spartans with 54 goals and 67 points, as his off-season project came to fruition.

“Last summer I was bored so I was making goals for the high school season,” he said. “It was just to reach 100 goals and to play all out this last high school season before college.”

His play led Steinert to a 10-7 record and its most productive season in quality wins. For the first time ever the Spartans defeated West Windsor-Plainsboro North and South, and Hightstown. They also pushed favored Northern Burlington to the limit before dropping a 13-11 decision in the first round of the state tournament.

“I was pretty impressed,” Callahan said of the campaign. “I knew we’d have a good season because the group of guys we had was solid, the chemistry was pretty good too. I was proud of the way we played the whole season.

“Going into the first day of real practice, we’d already been doing captains’ practices so we knew the potential of the guys we had. From there we said ‘Let’s just win every game whenever we can.’”

Asked about other players who stepped up, Callahan said “Colin Phillips, Zach Meseroll and Owen McAdams all played well this year. Zach’s a sophomore, Colin just got back from his injury and OMac

We are a dedicated team of board certified physicians who provide high quality healthcare to newborns, children, and adolescents through college age.

Scheduled appointments and same day sick visits are available weekdays, evenings, and Saturday mornings.

Alon Baker, DO, FAAP, FACOP • Sonya Boor, MD, FAAP Laura Brandspiegel, MD, FAAP • Stefanie Fiderer, DO, FAAP

Troy Callahan in action for Steinert lacrosse against Ewing. (Photo by Amanda Ruch.)

Nursing Home Neglect

Sherri L. Warfel Nursing Home Practice Chair

For over 15 years, Ms. Warfel’s practice has focused on assisting victims of nursing home abuse and negligence. She has been a featured speaker and panelist regarding issues in nursing home litigation and has worked to obtain favorable decisions on behalf of nursing home residents, including a notable case involving forced arbitration. Her efforts have resulted in millions of dollars for her injured clients. Together, PR&A and Ms. Warfel will provide unrelenting representation to nursing home clients to ensure they are compensated fairly.

MEGAN S. SEIBER, ESQ. ATTORNEY AT LAW

LACROSSE continued from

Page

was just playing better and better each game. It just keyed our success.”

McAdams, a senior, led the team with 33 assists while Meseroll had 29 goals and 29 assists to lead the team with 58 points. Phillips also scored 29 times.

Callahan was the glue that kept it all together, and was rewarded as the first Spartan to ever be named first-team All-Colonial Valley Conference (which encompasses all three divisions).

“He did everything for us,” Ziegler said. “In the West Windsor North game we were down in that game and for the first time this year he took faceoffs, he won a big faceoff and we scored right away and won the game (11-9).”

Offensively, Callahan is tough to defend as he can shoot both left- and right-handed.

“His dodging was great, he distributed when he had to,” Ziegler said. “He had a couple good, quick stick goals in the crease off passes from our guys. But a lot of his stuff is just ‘I’m gonna beat the one guy or two guys on me.’ A lot of his goals were in transition where we’d get a turnover and he’d go coast to coast.”

Callahan faced frequent double teaming, but knew how to handle it when the situation arose.

“Some games they just blocked me off,”

he said. “You just have to think out of the box, try something you don’t’ really try because it doesn’t happen too often. And you gotta be unselfish. If you’re getting doubled then you move away from the ball, let the other guys do a five on four.”

Aside from his athletic skills, Callahan is also a physical presence. He gave up football after his freshman year to focus on hockey and lacrosse but Ziegler, the defensive coordinator for Hun’s powerhouse team, can feel it on the sidelines when Troy hits someone.

“There’s that sound you hear in football a lot of times when you get the big hit,” the coach said. “At Hun I’d hear that a couple times a game. In lacrosse you hear it a couple times a year. But Troy would make that sound when he hit the other guy. He’s always the hammer. He’s a physical, smart player.”

That physicality, coupled with his scoring ability, made Troy an attractive recruit for several colleges. Cabrini won out for his services.

“The coaches were great,” he said. “I took my tour there, I loved what they were saying about the school. The instant I left after my tour, I told my dad ‘I want to come here.’ I liked everything about it. It stood out more than other schools.”

Raging rubber plant fire takes days to extinguish

Hwy 33 for a commercial fire alarm.

May 2 at 10;31 a.m. Truck 1, Engine 3, Robbinsville Squad 40 and on duty Battalion Chief dispatched to 500 block of S Olden Ave for an interior gas leak.

May 18 at 12:31 a.m. Engines 1, 2, 3, Squad 1, Rescue 1, Trucks 1, 2, and on duty Battalion Chief dispatched to 500 block of Whitehead Road for a building fire at the former Goodall Rubber building. The 911 dispatch caller states fire on first and second floor, fully involved. Arriving BC called the “All Hands” assignment and transmitted a 2nd alarm to bring in surrounding fire companies. Command Post was established at Sweetbriar and Whitehead Roads.

At its peak the fire was operating at four alarms with 26 firefighting units from 14 municipalities on scene. Water supply company located at Whitehead Road. Command reported 8 ladder pipes in service and multiple lines in service. Plainsboro Engine 49 operated as a water supply company, drafting form the D & R canal to support two ladder pipes pumping close to 12 hours, flowing close to 1 million gallons of water. West Trenton Engine 33 pumped close to 2 million gallons of water on the fire. Burlington County Engine 1222 and Tower 2415 responded. Camden County Rehab, Middlesex Hazmat responded. Hamilton OEM responded.

Colonial volunteers Brian Moss and Dan Birkenstock responded with Special Services 18.and operated on scene for 12 hours, Mutual aid fire companies covered Hamilton stations. The incident is being investigated by Hamilton Township Fire Investigation Unit, Hamilton Police and the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office.

Colonial Volunteer Fire Company celebrated its 100th Anniversary on May 20. Mercerville Fire Company followed tradition and held Memorial Day Service at the WWII memorial at the 5 points Mercerville. Secretary Richard Klockner conducted the service and placed a wreath at the monument.

Mercer County Firemen’s Association held their Annual Memorial Service, May 3, at Colonial Volunteer Firehouse. The names of 14 Ladies Auxiliary members and 43 Fire Company members were read. Ladies Auxiliary Memorial Roll: Colonial — Grace Mary Bresley (Colonial), Adelaide G. “Addie” Lenhardt (Mercerville), Mildred Berrien Blackwell

(Nottingham), Anna B. Conte and Margaret A. “Peggy” Crosley (White Horse).

Firemen’s Memorial Roll: Stephen Madley Jr. (Colonial), John Angeloni (Enterprise), Carlton G. Cubberley, Cataldo Russel “Guy” Amico (Groveville), James M Lombardo Sr. (Hamilton), Past Chief Edwin L Hollins Jr., Richard Schuler, William M. Southwick Jr., Harold Gravatt, Eugene Stoy and Frederick Zickwolf (Nottingham).

A sampling of Hamilton’s May calls:

May 1 at 6:18 p.m. Engine 3 dispatched to 200 block of Lynwood Ave. Wires on fire.

May 2 at 3:34 a.m. Engines 1, 3, 4, Truck 1, Rescue 1 and on duty Battalion Chief dispatched to 2200 block of State

May 2 at 1:51 p.m. Engine 2, Squad 1 Truck 1 and on duty Battalion Chief dispatched to South Clinton and Woodside Aves for a motor vehicle into a dwelling.

May 2 at 7:31 p.m. Engine 1 and Truck 1 dispatched to first block of Opal Drive, Robbinsville for an appliance fire.

May 3 at 4:16 p.m. Engine 3, Truck 1 and on duty Battalion Chief dispatched to Hamilton Train Station for an elevator rescue.

May 4 at 5:10 p.m. Hamilton Battalion Chief dispatched, special assignment to Trenton-Mercer Airport for their Full Scale Emergency Exercise which is required every three years by the FAA.

May 5 at 8:56 p.m. Squad 1 dispatched to Lalor Elementary School for investigation of smoke in the area.

May 6 at 4:30 p.m. Engine 1 dispatched to Saint Gregory the Great Church for a rubbish fire.

May 7 at 7:08 p.m. Squad 1, Rescue 1, Engine 2 and on duty Battalion Chief dispatched to South Clinton Ave and Maddock Ave for a motor vehicle accident rescue assignment for a overturned vehicle.

May 8 at 1:59 p.m. Truck 1, Engine 1 and on duty Battalion Chief dispatched mutual aid to Woodmeadow Lane, West Windsor for a dwelling fire where the “All Hands” assignment was called. Fire on the first floor extending into the attic.

May 9 at 7:19 p.m. Engine 1, Truck 1, Squad 1 and on duty Battalion Chief dispatched to Whitehorse Hamilton Square Road and State Hwy 33 for a motor vehi-

Mercerville Fire Company life members Assistant Chief Richard Klockner, Chief Robert Sherman and Capt. John E. Lenhardt placed a memorial wreath at the Chief Foley Park in Hamilton Square on Memorial Day.

cle accident/rescue assignment.

May 10 at 9:46 a.m. Engine 1, Truck 1, Squad 1, Rescue 1 and on duty Battalion Chief dispatched to Yardville Hamilton Square Road and State Hwy 33 for an interior gas leak at T-Mobile.

May 10 at 4:39 p.m. Engine 4 dispatched to 100 block of Route 156 for a dwelling fire – cooking fire.

May 10 at 4:48 p.m. Engine 1 dispatched to McAdoo and Flanders for a motor vehicle accident.

May 11 at 6 p.m. Engines 1 and 3 dispatched to Nottingham Way and Route 33 for a motor vehicle accident with injuries,

May 12 at 5:57 a.m. Engine 2, Rescue 1, Squad 1 and on duty Battalion Chief dispatched to 200 block of Lafayette Ave for a gas leak.

May 12 at 1;02 p.m. Engine 3 dispatched to 2000 block of Nottingham Way for a mulch fire.

May 12 at 3:42 p.m. Engine 1 dispatched to 3100 block of Quakerbridge Road for a mulch fire.

May 15 Engine 4, Truck 1 and on duty Battalion Chief dispatched to Vahlsing Way, Robbinsville for a dwelling fire.

May 15 at 2:40 p.m. Engine 2 dispatched to cover Trenton Fire Headquarters, 2:44 p.m. Engine 2 with Truck 2 and on duty Battalion Chief responded to Evans Ave for a building fire.

May 16 at 4:26 a.m. Engines 3, 4, Rescue 1, Squad 1 and on duty Battalion Chief dispatched to 200 block of Berg Ave for a vehicle fire.

Mar 17 at 12:20 p.m. Engine 2, Truck 1, Battalion Chief Raymond Pierce and Deputy Chief John Retalis dispatched to Rolling Ln and Sycamore Way for vehicle fire.

May 17 at 3:10 p.m. Rescue 1, Engine 1 and Truck 1 dispatched to Miry Brook Road for an animal rescue.

May 17 at 5:23 p.m. Squad 1 with Capt. Brian Pfeiffer dispatched to Locust Ave for unauthorized burning,

May 18 at 2 a.m. Hamilton Fire Police were dispatched for traffic control at Rutgers and Sweetbriar Avenues.

May 19 at 8:17 p.m. Rescue 1, Trucks 1, 2, Engines l, 3,4, Squad 1, and on duty

Battalion Chief dispatched for a dwelling fire 300 block of McAdoo Ave. Fire on the porch going up the side of the home. “All Hands” called. Additional units to the scene were Mission of Bordentown Engine 32 and Bordentown Ladder 15. Volunteer companies covering Station 12, Mercerville were Hightstown Ladder 41 and Princeton Junction Engine 44. Colonial Special Services 18 on location and filled 20 air bottles. Hamilton Fire Police assisted with traffic control.

May 21 at 12:38 a.m. Engine 4, Trucks 1, 2, dispatched to Hampton Inn and Suites, Robbinsville, reported building fire.

May 21 at 752 p.m. Engine 4 dis-

patched to New Horizon Baptist Church, Groveville for a rubbish fire.

May 22 at 12:35 a.m. Engine 2 dispatched to 200 block of Hollywood Dr. for a rubbish fire.

May 23 at 11:52 a.m. Truck 1, Engine 1 and on duty Battalion Chief dispatched to 2500 block of Whitehorse Mercerville Road for a Hazmat assignment.

May 24 at 11:50 a.m. Engine 3 dispatched to Pretty Brook Road and Brooks Bend, Princeton for a mulch fire with exposure. Reported it is close to a house and fire and smoke seen.

May 24 at 11:36 p.m. Truck 1 dispatched to 200 block of Mount Lucas Rd., Princeton for an interior smoke condition. House filled with smoke, no fire seen.

May 26 at 7;48 p.m. Engine 3 dispatched to Station 30, Ewing Twp. for a cover assignment. 8:07 p.m. responded to Homasote, Lower Ferry Road. Command reported heavy fire in center of building.

May 27 at .1:59 p.m. Engines 1,3, Truck 1 and on duty Battalion Chief dispatched to Smith Ave. for 2 vehicles on fire. Fire which started in the engine compartment of one vehicle was investigated by Fire Marshal Jeffery Peoples.

May 29 at 2:32 a.m. Rescue 1 Truck 1, Engines 1, 3, Squad 1 and on duty Battalion Chief dispatched to YRC Freight, Thomas J. Rhodes Industrial Drive for a commercial fire alarm.

May 29 at 1:43 p.m. Engine 4, Truck 1 and Squad 1 dispatched to Amazon Warehouse of Robbinsville for a confirmed brush fire with flames and fire getting closer to the building and a car.

May 30 at 5:07 a.m. Truck 1, Engine 3 and on duty Battalion Chief dispatched to Acura, Brunswick Pike, Lawrence for a commercial fire alarm.

May 30 at 9:27 a.m. Engine 4 dispatched to 1000 block of Old Trenton Road for a pedestrian motor vehicle collision. Person struck by a bus and the wheelchair lift fell on her.

May 30 at 10:35 p.m. Rescue 1, Trucks

1, 2, Engines 1. 2. 3, Squad 1 and on duty Battalion Chief dispatched to first block of Marietta Ln for a dwelling fire. “All Hands” called for a fire in the wall.

May 30 at 6:33pm. Truck 2, Engines

1, 4, Rescue 1, Squad 1 and on duty Battalion Chief dispatched to 300 block of Cabot Dr. for an apartment fire alarm. The “All Hands: assignment was called for fire in a utility room.

May 31 at 10:33 a.m. Engines 2, 3, 4, Rescue 1, Truck 2, and on duty Battalion Chief dispatched to 600 block of US Hwy 130 for a building fire.

Bob Sherman, Jr. is an honorary chief and life member of Mercerville Volunteer Fire Company and a Hamilton resident.

Peace of Mind.

Your insurance shouldn’t be what keeps you up at night. Whether your needs are personal or business related, Nottingham Insurance of fer s an extensive selection of insurance products. W ith over 100 years of experience, we work with you to get the right coverage at an af fordable price So that you can focus on what is impor tant. We’re t here when life happens.

Your insurance shouldn’t be what keeps you up at night. Whether your needs are personal or business related, Nottingham Insurance of fer s an extensive selection of insurance products. W ith over 100 years of experience, we work with you to get the right coverage at an af fordable price. So that you can focus on what is impor tant. We’re t here when life happens.

The Art (and Annoyance) of the Deal

Most products in America sell for a predetermined price. Even if the manufacturer’s recommended price is discounted through sales or, less frequently, increased due to market conditions, those adjusted prices are publicly known and easily compared by checking a few websites.

This is modern free-market competition in action, benefiting consumers of food, clothing, and almost anything else. If the offered price is too high relative to other suppliers, you go elsewhere to make your purchase. It’s a simple, dignified system that works for most products. But cross a certain price threshold into the realm of boats and cars, and all of a sudden you’re negotiating like you’re at a Turkish bazaar.

I don’t mind negotiations if they’re relatively quick and easy. But in my experience, the only way to make a new car negotiation quick and easy is to pay too much (A.K.A. “let the dealer win”). The closest I came to an ideal buying experience was purchasing my previous car; I had information from

several websites on a fair price, which I forwarded to every dealer within an hour’s ride. Then I waited for them to make their best offer—by e-mail, which avoided awkwardness and kept every offer in writing. Now, in 2023, I needed a new minivan and the process wouldn’t be as painless to navigate. The auto market’s pandemic-born craziness was still in full swing, with most minivans out of stock and many dealers charging scarcity premiums for the vehicles they did have. Honda’s minivan might be available within six months, and the wait for a Kia Carnival, an early favorite of my wife’s based on the opportunity to say “Here comes the Carnival,” every time I drove up, was at least a month. Chrysler Pacificas were readily available at several dealers, but I felt I needed to see the car’s unique seat-folding system in person before buying one. So off we went to a dealership.

Anyone who’s worked in sales or seen Glengarry Glen Ross knows that many managers break the sales process down to its crudest bottom-line credo: ABC (Always Be Closing). Since I have an aversion to wasting time and being fed scripted lines, however, I’ve developed

my own credo, which I follow whenever entering a potentially heavy-handed sales situation: ABL (Always Be Leaving).

Utilizing ABL, we arrived at the dealer’s lot and instantly regurgitated several rehearsed excuses for a quick exit, even as I shook the salesman’s hand. “I don’t even need to test drive the car,” I told him, “I just want to see how the seats fold down. You can just unlock the car remotely for us. We only have 10 minutes.”

Despite my protests, the salesman insisted on escorting us to the vehicle, after taking my name and contact information. I probably should have offered a fake name or phone number— Rusty Carr or Otto Mobile would have served nicely—and have you met my wife Mercedes? Instead, I gave my real name and for the next 10 minutes, got to hear it shoehorned into the classic salesman’s spiel: “We have some great deals, Peter.“ “How much are you looking to spend, Peter?” “Peter, when would you be looking to take delivery?”

In what might have been record time, I inspected the interior and seat mechanisms, then politely extricated myself from the dealership, adrenaline pumping like I’d escaped a prison camp.

Now that I had a car model to pursue, I put the word out via email to half a dozen car dealers that I was on the lookout— give me your best price via text or email, but please don’t call me.

Of course, my phone was overwhelmed with calls over the next 24 hours, none of which I answered. Several times, I was contacted by multiple people from the same dealership. I redirected them to text conversations, and after some back and forth, the field was narrowed to a few local dealers, including the one I’d visited (Dealer #1). They all had the car I wanted, but now I had to sort through the sleightof-hand and figure out how much it would actually cost me.

One dealer (Dealer #2) offered me a better price than Dealer #1. Dealer #1 pooh-poohed this as a scam, citing “hidden fees” that would be added back later. Another dealer (Dealer #3) had sent a detailed breakdown of all associated fees and costs, but the overall price was much higher than #1 or #2. I forwarded that worksheet to Dealers #1 and #2, asking them to use it as a template and fill in their own numbers for easy comparison.

Dealer #1 apparently didn’t read my

text carefully, because they responded with a worksheet than beat Dealer #3’s higher quote by $100 and acted as if they’d won the game. But Dealer #1’s new price was higher than what they had previously offered, and significantly more expensive than Dealer #2’s total. Dealer #1 had picked the wrong price to undercut.

When I pointed this out, I received a series of desperate text messages from the salesman at Dealer #1. Frenzied, he began asking questions like “Did I not do a good job showing you the vehicle?” and “Was I not polite? Why would you not want to work with me?” The texts were aggressive enough to dispel any illusions of actual self-doubt or emotional wounding; I pictured a flood of alligator tears running down his cheeks.

He went on to make a curious comparison of his dealership to a restaurant : “If you took your wife out to dinner and your wife and you each got a NY strip and you both loved your meal and the service was excellent, and the drinks were great and you loved the ambiance, but the next day you saw another restaurant you knew nothing about that charged 50 cents less for the same NY strip, would you go to the other place you knew nothing about or go back to the place you both loved[..]?”

He had created a vivid picture in my mind, but apparently not vivid enough, because he continued, adding, “Maybe they charged less because their steak had more fat and grissel [sic] on it.”

Fighting an intense craving for steak, I pointed out that this was about buying an identical product, not an experience, and that his 10-minute walk out to the lot didn’t merit my paying $1,000 more than I needed to. I forwarded him the detailed breakdown from Dealer #2, and he responded by again insisting that this competitor would charge additional fees, though he wasn’t able to elaborate on what those would be. After several unmet requests for a better offer, I thanked him for his help and set up a meeting with

A little wary, I warned Dealer #2 via text that if there were any discrepancies from what we’d agreed upon in the breakdown, I would leave immediately. He assured me everything was copacetic. When I arrived, he greeted me and said, “This was both the toughest and easiest sale I’ve had in a long time,” a statement that, lacking further elaboration, I decided to take as a compliment.

The paperwork was signed and I drove off in my new car, adjusting on-the-fly to 15 years of automotive technology advancements. Some features, like a rear camera, heated seats, and mirrors that light up with lane-changing warnings, were immediately appreciated. Others, like occasional brief blackouts of the car’s LCD screen menu when rebooting, were (and still are) bothersome.

People I knew, and barely knew, offered me congratulations on my new purchase. This custom has always seemed strange to me—as far as personal finance is concerned, spending a large sum on a depreciating asset is cause for reproach, not celebration, and the coins some folks pitch into the back seat of a new car out of superstition, tradition, or simple goodwill doesn’t do a lot to mitigate that cost. But with any luck, this car will have a long life, like its predecessor. If so, maybe I can look forward to another 15 years before I’m forced to endure the car-buying process all over again.

Peter Dabbene’s website is peterdabbene.com, and his previous Hamilton Post columns can be read at communitynews.org. His latest work, “Dear Leader: Advice from the Heart and Mind of Kim Jong-un” can be read at www.fictionontheweb. co.uk. His short poem “Cocktails” can be read at eunoiareview.wordpress. com/2023/04/05/cocktails, and another poem, “God Jazz,” can be heard on the podcast Dead letter Radio (Episode 59, from 4:38 to 8:44) at deadletterradio.libsyn.com/.

Protect your skin from the sun’s harmful rays

Ask The Doctor

As warmer weather invites you to spend more time outdoors, Malini Patel, MD, Director of Medical Oncology at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton Cancer Center, an RWJBarnabas Health facility, shares her best advice and simple habits which can drastically reduce your skin cancer risk and helps you still enjoy your day outside with some simple sun safety strategies.

Slather on sunscreen. Use it even on slightly cloudy or cool days, regardless of skin color. It contains chemicals that scatter sunlight’s UV rays. Apply 30 minutes before you go outside. A Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of 30 is sufficient as long as the sunscreen is reapplied every two hours.

Dress for success. That includes wearing a hat with a brim that shades your face, ears and the back of your neck, and loose-fitting, long-sleeved, tightly woven shirts and long pants. Wear a T-shirt on the beach whenever you aren’t in the water. Look for fabrics that have an Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF) to guard against UV rays.

Check yourself out. Regularly examine your skin for changes in moles during showers and in the mirror. Ask someone to check your back and neck, and if your hair is thinning, be sure to check your scalp as well.

Watch the kids. The vast majority of sun exposure occurs before age 18, so help your children take the necessary sun protection steps and let them see you doing the same.

Keep an eye on your eyes. Wraparound sunglasses are a great choice to protect eyes and skin around the eyes from UV rays.

Shun the brightest sun. When you’re outside between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., reduce

your risk of skin damage by seeking shade under an umbrella, cabana, tree or other shelter.

RWJBarnabas Health and RWJ University Hospital Hamilton, together with Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey—the state’s only NCI-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center— provide close-to-home access to the latest treatment options. For more information, call 844. CANCERNJ or visit www.rwjbh.org/ beatcancer.

To learn more about Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton, visit rwjbh.org/Hamilton or call 609-586-7900.

Coming up this month at RWJU Hospital Hamilton

For more information, call (609) 584-5900. To register for a program or for schedule changes go to rwjbh.org/ events.

MONdAY, JULY 19

Cooking with Cardiology. 6 to 7:30 p.m. Join us at this “hands on” lecture and learn about heart healthy cooking. Shakil Shaikh, DO, from Hamilton Cardiology Associates, will be cooking up food for thought in this fun filled demonstration

TUESdAY, JULY 11

So Bloated, I Could Fly Like a Balloon. 6 to 7:30 p.m. Shivaprasad Marulendra, MD, board-certified in Internal Medicine, fellowship-trained in Gastroenterology will discuss the common issue of abdominal bloating.

WEdNESdAY, JULY 12

Orthopedic Open House. 6:30 to 8 p.m. Discover the latest advances in knee and hip replacement surgery and rehabilitation. Presented by James Scott, DO, board-certified orthopaedic surgeon; Maureen Stevens, PT, DPT, GCS, Cert MDT; and Courtney Fluehr, PT DPT. Dinner is included.

TUESdAY, JULY 18

detox Your Life and Get Energized. 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. It’s time to unlock the door to a healthier, happier lifestyle so that a better version of you can shine through. Get the keys of how to detox through nutrition, beauty, home environment and the mind. Gail Leslie, Integrative Nutrition Health Coach.

WEdNESdAY, JULY 19

It’s Summer! Why Am I Stressed Out? 4 to 5 p.m. Discussion group about dealing with the stress of summer. Vacations, body image, kids at home, etc. Easy tips and different strategies one can employ for coping.

THURSdAY, JULY 20

Knowledge Café: Peripheral Artery disease (PAd) and Wound Care. 6 to 7:30 p.m. Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) affects more than 12 million people and can be problematic for those with chronic wounds. Join Reza Shah, DO, FACOS, FACS, FAPWA, CMET to learn about the world of PAD and wound care. Dinner will be provided.

TUESdAY, JULY 25

The Link Between Hearing Loss and dementia-Can Hearing Aids Save Your Brain? 10 to 11 a.m. According to several major studies, older adults with hearing loss are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, compared to those with normal hearing. Audiologist, Lorraine Sgarlato, Au.D., will discuss options with you.

Introduction to Animal Communication. 6:30 to 8 p.m. Do you love animals and want to deepen your bond? Do you wish you knew what your animals are thinking and feeling? Do you want to connect intuitively but not sure you have the ability (hint…you do!) Interested in learning how? Animal Communication is not just for “gifted” people… in fact we are all able to use our intuition to communicate this way. Come join us for this fun and interactive introduction into animal communication. No experience required, just your trusting open mind. Marcia Minunni, Fee:$15

FRIdAY, AUGUST 4

Raised Bed, Flat Bread. 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Spend your ‘Pizza Friday’ celebrating fresh produce that grows right here in New Jersey! Get hands-on by personalizing your own nutritious flat-tastic masterpiece for take-out! All ages welcome. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Fee: $5 per person. Taryn Krietzman, RDN.

Better Health Programs

Registration required for all programs. Must be a Better Health Member. Call (609) 584-5900 or go to rwjbh.org/events.

WEdNESdAY, JULY 5

Let’s Talk, A Senior Social Group. Also July 12, 19 & 26. 10 to 11 a.m. Please join us for our ongoing program “Let’s Talk, a Senior Social Group,” gathering in a collaborative setting to exchange thoughts, feelings and experiences amongst peers. This is a safe zone designed to be welcoming and understanding of all attendees while exploring this season of our lives – the ups and the challenges. This group is a partnership between RWJ University Hospital Hamilton and the PsycHealth Associates here in Hamilton. This is a weekly program. Please feel free to attend one or all.

FRIdAY, JULY 7

Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Watch Party & discussion. Also July 14, 21 & 28. 11 a.m. to noon. Join this 4-week program to watch the popular series “Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat.” Each week we explore one of these 4 central principals of flavor. Watch and discuss how to incorporate the elements into delicious dishes!

Taryn Krietzman, RDN.

THURSdAY, JULY

Socrates Café. 10 to 11 a.m. “Socrates Café” is about discussing a topic, sharing our thoughts, our beliefs, our ideas, and experiences. An unofficial mantra describes that we (people) learn more when we question, and question with others. This is a “safe zone” to share where all views are accepted. Come with an open mind, respect for one another, and a willingness to see where it takes us.

Dr. Patel

This summer, kick back with your crew—you’re covered with the Credit Union of New Jersey loan suite.

Auto Loans

With no payments for As little as 90 Days1 $0 Down

From sipping piña coladas in paradise to upgrading your back yard into a summer oasis, we have everything you need to turn your biggest dreams into your warm-weather plans. Repayment up

Lifestyle Loans

With no payments for Borrow up to 90 Days2 $25,000

Valid on new and used auto loans. Each auto loan closed during this promotion period will make no payments for 90 days. Accepting the terms of “no payment for 90 days offer” will extend the maturity of your loan for at least 90 days but less than 110 days. If accepting the delayed first payment, you will not be eligible for any other skipping/delaying of your payment during this calendar year. Interest will accrue during this period. Payments made through payroll deduction or automatic payment will be deposited into your account for the time you are skipping/delaying your payment. Refinances from existing CU of NJ loans do not qualify. All loans are subject to credit approval. Certain restrictions may apply. This offer can be discontinued at any time.

Each lifestyle loan closed during this promotional period will make no payments for 90 days. Accepting the terms of “no payment for 90 days offer” will extend the maturity of your loan for at least 90 days but less than 110 days. If accepting the delayed first payment, you will not be eligible for any other skipping/delaying your payment during this calendar year. Interest will accrue during this period. Loan amounts of up to $25,000 are available. Processing fee of $35 will apply. All loans are subject to credit approval.

Federally insured by NCUA | Equal Opportunity Lender