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Vol. 1, No. 4 Dec. 2018
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Page 4 • December 2018 • Denville Life
DENVILLE EDITORIAL
Front page cutline: Parker and Charlie Black from Denville, visiting Santa at the Denville BID Open House Celebration. Photo credit: DL Battle Photography
Denville Life Thank you for reading “Denville Life.” Denville is such a great place to work, live and play. There is so much here for the residents to enjoy that we have decided to dedicate a magazine to Denville. The people that make up this community are caring people who never hesitate to help others in need. Our goal is to provide you with articles about people, places and things all Denville. Each month you can pick up a copy of the magazine at local businesses or visit www.iwantmypaper. com and sign up for a free emailed copy that will be sent directly to your email. You can send them to editor@mylifepublications.com. We welcome your feedback as well to the same email.
You can also visit our website www.denvillelife.com or on Facebook under “Denville Life.” Please support our advertisers in our publications as they make this magazine available free to all with their advertising support. We want to help the local businesses and your support of them is appreciated. We are happy to have Paula Battle as our sales representative for “Denville Life.” Paula, formerly of “Neighbor News,” has been very active in the Denville business community. Thank you for choosing “Denville Life” to read and enjoy. Joe Nicastro & Mary Lalama Publishers
Next Issue January 2019, Deadline December 30 To receive your free copy of Denville Life direct to your email visit www.iwantmypaper.com and sign up!
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Denville Life • December 2018 • Page 5
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Page 6 • December 2018 • Denville Life
Denville Woman Finds True Calling in Yoga By Jillian Risberg
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fter years as a manicurist, Meryl Hayton left it all behind to “follow her bliss” and on a journey of self-discovery found out who she really is. “It was the best thing I ever did,” Hayton says of her yoga practice and later becoming a yoga teacher. “It helped me completely transform my life.” She credits many inspiring teachers and mentors for sharing their gifts. Hayton says all those years of repetitive motions and sitting hunched over doing nails caused chronic pain and there were constant signs she should move on. Yoga offers empowerment and healing for people of all lifestyles and age groups. “I was immediately impressed by just the whole person. She’s very confident, warm and friendly but professional at the same time and she really knows her stuff,” says Mary Ellen Zung, a holistic health coach from Boonton who takes Hayton’s yoga classes at the Lakeland Hills Family YMCA. Certified in individual structural assessments, Hayton is passionate about making yoga accessible to people with injuries and limitations at the beginner to intermediate level. Her classes incorporate breath work, attention to alignment, innovative use of props, creative sequencing and cultivating spiritual awareness.
She started taking private yoga in 2001 and practicing various styles, including Hatha, Iyengar and Restorative. “That got me into taking classes at the gym and all over,” Hayton says. “It was just a part of my life and then one day in 2012 my teacher that I was going to regularly knew I was looking to get out of the salon and was like, ‘Why don’t you become a teacher.’” Hayton thought she was crazy but signed up for 200-hours of training in Hot Vinyasa at Younique Yoga in Cedar Grove. “I definitely had some obstacles,” she says. “After the first few weeks I had a gallbladder attack, bronchitis and I threw my back out from all the coughing. I thought to myself, ‘this is not for me, what kind of yoga teacher will I be.’” Hayton says she’s not a typical one. “Where I’m hanging and doing all crazy arm balances and stuff — that’s not who I am.” Zung appreciates Hayton’s approach. She’s had her own practice for 15 years, but says she doesn’t like to do it alone. “I am a social exerciser,” she says. “I really like to be in a class setting; there’s something about that community that really resonates with me. “I don’t get the same benefits working out by myself. So that’s a really important part of yoga for me, anyway.” She calls Hayton’s classes calm and accepting, she doesn’t make you do anything that would cause injures, provides options for your levels, with a lot of it based on treating your body with kindness. “It’s a feel good kind of class rather than how long can you hold your headstand,” Zung says.
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Hayton’s teacher, yoga instructor Donna D’onofrio offered encouragement. “A lot of people take the training but don’t necessarily teach; they just do it to deepen their practice. You’ll figure that out as you go,” D’onofrio told her. Next stop: Kripalu in Massachusetts, where Hayton took a continuing education class: ‘Yoga for Common Injuries and Limitations,’ and then became certified in chair yoga. “I wanted to know why we do it and not just practice it, there was more that I wanted to explore,” she says. Hayton eventually recovered from her ailments and was genuinely committed to yoga despite a lingering hip injury. She went on to complete another 300 hours of training — in Practical Yoga Therapy, making her a 500 RYT. “I needed to change how I practiced and where I practiced,” Hayton says. “It took me another year and a half to start to really find my niche, ‘cause there’s a million yoga teachers out there and who was I gonna attract.” Attracting clients was not a
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problem. Hayton developed a loyal following. She teaches yoga therapy and Level 1 yoga at the Y in Mountain Lakes, senior chair yoga and meditation at Fox Hills at Rockaway and subs at several different places in the area. “I don’t know of anyone who doesn’t enjoy her class; she’s really a very special lady,” says Valerie Morgan, who takes chair yoga at Fox Hills. Now Hayton devotes all her time to building her business and leads an inspirational workshop, “I am enough.” She weaves that theme into yoga classes and was inspired by another Kripalu class, ‘Mind Body Medicine,’ where you use your mind to help heal yourself from negative thoughts (which Hayton says really put a damper on your nervous system). “When we’re constantly living in fear and shame and grief your nervous system is always in fight or flight, she says, adding that the goal is to be present with the pose so you can hopefully bring that off the mat and into the real world.” Zung says that Hayton was the first practitioner she ever had that actually taught the different chakras and mudras and what
they mean. “She actually has like a lesson plan, so there’s always something very intentional about her classes,” Zung says. “She doesn’t just come in and do the same Vinyasa flows and the same Warrior IIs.” According to the yoga teacher, living in a higher consciousness can help one find more contentment, joy, peace and love in everyday life. As for why students are drawn to her classes, Hayton has a theory… “I make yoga accessible to all levels. I always give lots of options when I teach, which makes my students feel supported,” she says. “My classes are very grounding and kind of intense because I do a lot of breathing and meditation. And I want to guide people through the poses.” According to Zung, Hayton remembers things you’re working on or restrictions you have. “She sometimes does spiritual readings in the class,” she says. “The first time I met her it was just like, ‘she’s my kind of person.’ Zung can personally relate to Hayton’s energy because she is also helping people live the life they deserve. “She wants to give people acceptance of themselves,
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the health coach says. It comes from the heart. That’s really why I got into it — to take away people’s pain and create more happiness - genuine happiness and acceptance in the world.” Hayton offers private yoga instruction through her website. To find out more, go to http://tulayogaexperience.com/. Tula means balance in Sanskrit. Bill Bradley, a psychic medium from Lake Hopatcong wasn’t relaxed being in a group class environment but Hayton’s one-on-one training was just what he needed. “I have a bad arm, an old athletic injury and my flexibility is really poor. She didn’t miss anything,” Bradley says. “I really felt she knows what she’s doing. She pushed me but gently.” As they wrapped up the session, Bradley was still nervous he was going to be sore and that it would put him out of commission for the day. “Maybe my perspective is different being a man, not that it matters,” he says. “But it’s mostly women in the classes. I’m just comfortable with Meryl. I’m really comfortable going to her (Denville) house.” His fears were unfounded and the psychic actually had a great rest of the day. “What impressed me the most about Meryl is when I first met her she had a nail business but left that to pursue yoga as a teacher. “If somebody’s in their passion I want a piece of that.” That is everything, Zung adds. “I wish that she could replicate herself because everybody needs a Meryl in their life,” says Zung.
The yoga teacher wants to help people achieve inner peace and harmony. Hayton even created a salon wellness program, ‘Living Well in the Salon,’ self care for hairstylists and nail technicians. “I find her classes both relaxing and energizing and I think I get a lot out of it,” Morgan says. “She talks through what you’re doing, explains why you’re doing it and there’s a very interesting spiritual component. If anyone had told me 10-years-ago I would be interested in yoga, I would’ve told them that’s nuts.’” And Hayton hasn’t missed a beat. The yoga teacher also gives back, including volunteering in the Downtown Denville Events Planning Committee and was a mentor for Yoga Impact, teaching teacher trainees in Newark. “Yoga physically helps you to create space in your body and when you are trying to meditate holding these poses, the mind automatically starts to wander,” Hayton says. “You want to always practice pulling yourself back to the meditation in the pose.” According to Hayton, when you slow yourself down, calm your mind and nervous system, you’ll learn to deal with challenging issues in a more graceful way. She knows firsthand what that’s like, as the yoga teacher says she used to have a tougher energy, was angrier and didn’t know how to express herself. Now she’s so hands-on that she’s really able to connect with people. “I do believe we’re all given obstacles,” Hayton says. “I feel that my purpose in life is to overcome them or learn to accept them, learn to love myself and teach that to other people.”
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Denville Life • December 2018 • Page 13
Community Health of Foremost Importance for Saint Clare’s Health By Steve Sears
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drive either east of west on New Jersey’s Route 46 yields prominent, welcoming signs to Saint Clare’s Hospitals in Denville and neighboring Dover. There’s a history beyond those signs dating back to August 1953, when Saint Clare’s Hospital in Dover opened its doors, and that history has always included compassionate and quality care for residents of Morris, Sussex, and Warren counties. In fact, that means Saint Clare’s Health just celebrated 65 years meeting its mission statement is to deliver compassionate, quality care to patients and better healthcare to communities. The accompanying values of quality, compassion and community certainly define that mission. The first patient was admitted on September 24, 1953. Jan Bednar, a College of Saint Elizabeth’s graduate, is Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) of Saint Clare’s Health since 2015. “We are not a trauma center, but clearly we are an excellent community hospital; we want to be a hospital of choice. We do not do open heart (surgery). There are a few things out of our band with, but for the sake of general medical care, whether it be geriatric, orthopedic, cardiac, we do it, and I think new do it well.” Saint Clare’s Health, per its website, “offers a full-range of comprehensive medical services including (but not limited to) an Accredited Cardiovascular Program, Emergency Medicine, Accredited Surgical Weight Loss Program, Comprehensive Behavioral Health Services, Maternity Care, Women’s Services – (Gynecological Surgery, Breast Imaging), Orthopedic Surgery, Rehabilitation Sport Medicine Wound Care Center Cancer Care, and Pediatrics. A member of Prime Health Care, Saint Clare’s Health is one of 45 hospitals nationwide under its umbrella. Saint Clare’s Health includes the Denville and Dover hospitals; Saint Clare’s Behavior Health in Boonton, Denville and Parsippany; Sussex Community Urgent Care; the Imaging Center at Parsippany Commons; Lakeland Cardiology in Lakeland and Randolph; and Primary Care Physician Practice in Mine Hill. Most recently, Saint Clare’s Health has received a number of awards, including 25 Health Grades awards, a Platinum Award for its Sharing Network, a Pathways to Excellence Award for Nursing Care, American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines® Stroke Gold Plus Performance Achievement Award for stroke and cardiac care, and much more. “There’s a number of them,” says Bednar, “that we recently got, so we’re really, really excited about that and we are on the journey for others.” Saint Clare’s Health, in addition to the excellent medical care it provides, also gives back to the community in many other ways. “We are doing even more in the community now that we were
Photo Credits Saint Clare’s Health 3 or 4 years ago,” says Bednar. “We have really reengaged with the community on multiple levels. What we started doing when we became Prime – under the Prime umbrella – is we formed a Community Advisory Group where representatives from all the municipalities in Sussex and Morris Counties. And, as a result, we also did a Community Needs Assessment, to see where there are needs within the community, so I hope we were listening to what the community wanted. We are trying very, very, very much to have a presence in the community whether it be at their health fairs or various clinics. We’re trying to get to as many of them as possible within our geographic area.” Saint Clare’s Health also serves Warren County but has
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no facility there. “Our Emergency Medical Services (EMS) covers Warren County. Half of Warren County is covered by out Certificate of Need. All of Sussex County and a good half of Morris County. We have a large EMS that covers easily 12 or 1,300 square miles – and growing,” says Bednar. For Bednar, she wants Saint Clare’s Health to be the hospital of choice, wants to embrace the primary care physicians in the area so that they choose Saint Clare’s. “I think we can excel in emergency care, including EMS. I think our cardiac program is phenomenal, our orthopedic program is phenomenal, I think our oncology program is growing and is phenomenal, and our Mother Baby program and our Behavioral Health programs jump out at me.” Brian Finestein is Chief Executive Officer (CEO) since 2016. “I’m a firm believer that healthcare is local. So, people want to stay in their community for a variety of things, including their healthcare needs. And our goal here at Saint Clare is to provide the highest quality care and the highest quality service for those patients that we serve.” Finestein also states that Saint Clare’s Health will offer a number of niche programs to best serve the commu-
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nity, referring back to the before-mentioned Community Needs Assessment Bednar mentioned. “We’re not using that report as a paperweight; we’re using that to drive programs here, and if we’re going to have a program, it’s going to be an excellent program. If we’re going to do a program, we’re going to do it with excellence in mind in terms of quality and service.” Finestein is driven by Saint Clare’s Health being an integral part of the community, one is which the system is relied on for excellence. “That’s a trust factor, if you will.” For more information about Saint Clare’s Health – what it offers and its being recognized as a top health care provider – visit https:// www.saintclares.com.
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Page 16 • December 2018 • Denville Life
At County College of Morris, A Student’s Life and Career Is the Focus By Steve Sears
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r. Anthony Iacono, President of County of College of Morris (CCM), loves his job so much that the drive from his Garden State home to his office in occasional rush hour traffic dampens his spirits none. “You know that old phrase if you find something that you really, really love you’ll never work a day in your life?” he asks while smiling. “You know, I’ve been in higher education my entire career and absolutely love it. CCM is a really special place for lots of reasons. In higher ed you have the chance to work with students, staff, and the community with really bright, really creative, really interesting people, which makes every day different - and every day is a pretty good day. You get to be a part of – and I am always grateful to our students because they chose us – a part of their story as well and you get to support them, which is also very exciting. So, a lot of it is the people you get to work with every day, whether they’re employees of the college, whether they’re students, or community members. It makes it really, really fun.” He and the rest of the college have been presiding over a very special celebration: CCMs 50th birthday party, culminating with the May 3 -5 2019 “Titan Weekend.” A Foundation Gala will be held at the Hanover Marriott on Friday evening the 3rd, Titan Family Fun including live music and activities for families will take place on Saturday the 4th, and a weekend ending 5K run on Sunday the 6th. Grand and wonderful stuff, buttressing what CCM means to and has done for the community and state of New Jersey, and the road it continues to travel.
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Official ground breaking for the college was in 1966, and Henderson Hall was completed and opened to students in 1968. 592 full-time and 703 part-time students entered the college that first year, and CCM grew from that point, now graduating more than 1,000 students per year. CCM offers more than 45 associate degree programs, in addition to certificate and Workforce Development programs, the latter perhaps most important (more later). Also, CCM holds more than 200 transfer agreements and its graduates annually transfer to the state and nation’s best four-year institutions. Many colleges prefer students to head to the two-year school, weigh the student’s completion rate and, per Iacono, since the first two years of college are the “heavy lift,” they are prepared to continue their travels in higher education. It’s all about preparation and doing. “If you look at our alumni – one is a Senior Executive at Walt Disney World – they represent the top of the finance world,” says Iacono. “One of our alum was a Senior Vice-President for JP Morgan Chase and has now moved on another large international banking company. They represent nurses, dentists, doctors, chefs. They have
been the founders of technology companies, and we produce great engineering students. So, in 50 years, virtually every walk of life is represented.” Sherman H. Masten was the institution’s first President, retiring in 1986. Dr. Edward J. Yaw “assumed the baton” as second President of CCM, serving until 2016, he welcoming Iacono as President number three, and advising him upon entry. “We had two overlap weeks together. I’m always appreciative every day that I’m here for the work he and the others who worked with him have done,” says Iacono, himself a community college graduate. Iacono previously served as Vice President of Academic Affairs at Indian River State College (IRSC) in Fort Pierce, Florida. His background in education includes being a professor of History, but his interests go above and beyond that, including reading often in science (physics and biology), technology, and business, as well as daily papers and online articles. He believes reading is a big part of what helps you get a better
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understanding of society as a whole. “They (the former administration) made it a really nice school to come to. Right now, we’ve seen more change in higher ed I think in the past 10 years than in the past 50 years or more. It was nice coming into CCM where we had such a nice foundation, where we could pick and choose a little of what do we want to do. And one of those things we wanted to focus a lot more on was our Workforce programs, because it’s never been truer that people have to be lifelong learners. There’s no such thing as ‘I got my degree and now I’m done.’” CCM serves in any given year about 8,000 college credit students, and somewhere in the neighborhood of 6,000 Workforce students, which means individuals who are already in the workforce but need retraining in their current field, a career changer, individuals who don’t necessarily want a four-year degree but want to apply their skills
from their two-year degree in business immediately. Russel Drake, 18, is a Rockaway resident, and first-year CCM student, majoring in Electrical Engineering. “It’s close, convenient, and it (CCM) has really good programs,” he explains as his reason for choosing the school. His introduction to the school was visiting a fair while attending the Morris County School of Technology. “It’s really good here. The people are nice, the professors are nice, the campus is nice.” CCM works well and often with local high schools, prepping students for the CCM and working world experience. “We have a tremendous relationship with high schools, “ attests Iacono, “and that’s probably the best example. They (Morris County School of Technology) have something like 300 seniors and we serve 90% of those seniors. That is a very innovative school that is intensely serious about their students. They make sure their students show up here and get those college credits filed away, also.” CCM recently was presented with two business leadership awards, one from the Commerce and Industry Associa-
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Page 20 • December 2018 • Denville Life
Vice-President for Research is tion of New Jersey (CIANJ) and a CCM alum—they were told one from Randolph Township. that where students came While very pleased with both, from is less important than Iacono speaks about the one what they did when starting that from the township the out. They need to hire peocollege calls its home base. ple who could do things im“We’re so excited about that mediately, not having to train award, and this has been a someone for the next four really, really good year. That years to become valuable. award really meant a lot to “So,” says Iacono, “we’re reus, because shortly after I got ally big on those kinds of exhere, I had met with their periences. I believe it to the Chamber, and they said we really feel like the college could Anthony J. Iacono, third CCM President, Edward J. Yaw, second CCM Presi- core.” He pauses, then conbe doing so much more to dent, Denise Bell, executive administrative assistant to the President of CCM. tinues. “We work really, really hard for students to make support us, the economy is changing very quickly, technology is changing quickly, how can we sure they have a powerful experience. So, I think we’re a great partner better, or more closely together and so forth? So, I think choice. We’ll save you a pile of money, but we’ll get you a great that we have worked really hard together – and make no mistake, education, and work really hard to get you an apprenticeship or we have enjoyed a great relationship for over 50 years – but the internship off campus.” CCM as well is a college is at the forefront of educating its stueconomy is moving in a way it has before, and much faster than it has, technology changes are driving a lot of that societal happens. dents in cybersecurity. “We are the only two-year school in the I’m really proud of the relationship, and it meant a lot to us, ‘Hey, state of New Jersey to have the Department of Homeland Seculook, we want to recognize you and we really appreciate you.’ So, rity and NSA (National Security Agency) national endorsement as a community college, sometimes it’s those community awards for a cyber security award for national excellence,” says Iacono proudly. “So, we help people get the skills and education they that mean more to us even that any other kind.” Iacono is a big believer in internships and apprenticeships. need to go work in cybersecurity. Never before has there been a “Often times those students have tremendous results,” he says. need for his.” While proudly stating the positives of CCM, Iacono also Recently, CCM visited Emerson in Florham park – whose Senior
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has his focus on improvements. “A big part of what’s missing and what we’d certainly like to see and we’re working very hard on more partnerships; much more internships here. I’d love to see an excess of – right now we have an environment where anyone who wants an internship can get an internship, that’s not a problem – what we’d like to see is somewhere in the neighborhood of 70% of our students participating in internships for some sort of experience. The other one is not necessarily missing, and we’ve made some strides to scale up significantly, we have a real good community engagement program here that our faculty has created, that really helps students understand the world around them, whether that’s the local community or globally, but also their civic responsibilities with it.” Three specific things are being worked on. The first is building a virtual campus. Even though the college is open 6 days week, many students can’t attend live classes, so virtual may be the way to go. Also, CCM would like to start interacting with schools nationally and globally for a wider perspective of things. “We want our students to have a truly global education,” says Iacono. “We really do want to elevate from being one of the best community colleges in New Jersey and in the nation to being a world class school, but we have to tie in with faculty and students from around the world to do this. The third is we work really closely with the workforce, and we ask them ‘What do you need?’ We do this throughout the year.” CCM in 2019 will be breaking ground on a new Engineering and Manufacturing facility, expanding from 15,000 to 30,000 square feet, and establishing a virtual hospital as well for its health sci-
ence departments and expand program offerings in those areas. In addition, it plans to build upon its technology and cybersecurity offerings, to provide more students with the opportunity to take advantage of these high job growth areas. Wharton resident Cristina Pereira sits at a table in the student center, stacks of index cards piled next to her notebook full of notes. She is studying to be a Physical Therapist, and her current course work includes studying cell division and membrane structure. “It’s a smaller environment,” she says of CCM, “and there is a one-on-one with teachers. The teachers are fantastic, especially in the science department. They’re always willing to help. If you show that you’re willing to put in the effort, they’ll give you a mile back.” “You know the biggest part that makes it just great every day?” says Iacono with emphasis. “My degrees are in History and I taught History for a number of years. If you really want to see how democracy works, and how the middle class comes together and so forth, visit your local community college. That’s where it happens. We are that gateway for so many, and then we have that opportunity throughout the whole year to support a lot of different organizations. So, we will host during the year anywhere from 50 different community organizations on our campus, which thrills us. We have I believe 400 business partners now in the community, so with the chance to work with them and met their needs, you really get to be a great, great part of what makes Morris County a great place to live and work.” County College of Morris is located at 214 Center Grove Road in Randolph. You can contact the college at (973) 328-500 and learn more about CCM and its offerings by visiting www.ccm.edu.
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Denville is Announced as an Official Location for the 2018 National Wreaths Across America Day The cemetery will join the more than 1,400 participating locations across the country to Remember, Honor and Teach on Saturday, Dec. 15, 2018
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ational nonprofit Wreaths Across America (WAA) announced today that Denville Cemeteries’ in Morris County has once again joined in the effort to support the mission to Remember, Honor, Teach, as an official location for 2018. This is the second year that the cemetery will participate in this national event. Wreaths Across America started as a simple gesture of thanks that, over the last ten years, has grown into a national movement of dedicated volunteers and communities coming together to not only remember the nation’s fallen and honor their service, but to teach the next generation about the sacrifices made for us to live freely. This year, there will be close to 1,500 participating locations placing wreaths on National Wreaths Across America Day Saturday, Dec. 15, 2018 – with more than a million volunteers. The goal for Denville is to raise enough funds to place 550 veterans’ wreaths on the headstones of all the local heroes laid to rest there, to ensure that the individuals who served to protect the freedoms of our country never be forgotten and to
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bring the community together in patriotic commemoration. “We are forever grateful for the thousands of supporters who dedicate their time and effort to fulfilling our mission on a local level,” said Karen Worcester, executive director, Wreaths Across America. “These individuals and their communities know the value of remembering the fallen, honoring those who currently serve and teaching the next generation about the sacrifices made for our freedom every day, and without their continued support, Wreaths Across America would not exist.” Those interested in volunteering for Wreaths Across America, or sponsoring a wreath for Denville cemeteries are invited to visit www.WreathsAcrossAmerica.org/NJ0090P to learn more. National Wreaths Across America Day is a free, non-political, community event open to all people. About Wreaths Across America Wreaths Across America is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded to continue and expand the annual wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery begun by Maine businessman Morrill Worcester in 1992. The organization’s mission – Remember, Honor, Teach – is carried out in part each year by coordinating wreath-laying ceremonies in December at Arlington, as well as at thousands of veterans’ cemeteries and other locations in all 50 states and beyond. For more information, to sponsor wreaths or to sign up to volunteer, please visit www.WreathsAcrossAmerica.org. Follow Wreaths Across America on Facebook at http://Facebook.com/WAAHQ and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/WreathsAcross.
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Saint Francis Residential Community: Denville, Before There Was a Denville By Steve Sears
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aint Francis Residential Community Executive Director, Sister Johnice Thone, recalls the words spoken to her by retired Sister Freida Voegerl, who told her that Saint Francis Resi-dential Community was born before the Denville’s incorporation in April 1913. “She would always say, ‘Saint Francis founded Denville.’ And that’s pretty much true; there was not much of anything here when the Sisters first came. And because it was a health resort and people were coming from the city, Denville got on the map.” Officially founded in 1895 by the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother as a health resort, Saint Francis Residential Community has grown over its 120 years, but one thing has remained the same: the care provided. Located at 122 Diamond Spring Road, they leave no stone unturned when it comes to provision for its residents. “We are an independent senior living (facility),” says Debra Shay, Director of Resident Services. “We can have more than 100 residents at a time. We have 58 rooms currently, and 65 apartments.” Meals in apartments are optional, and are like an apartment in a community, but residents have the option of enjoying services such as meals, housekeeping, medication management. The difference is the rooms are akin to hotel rooms with meals, but the apartments are completely independent living. Rooms for periodic vacation stays are also offered for seniors and families. In the early days, a farm was located across the street, and the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother owned the farm, and food
grown and produced there fed those who visited. “People came here from the city, from Pennsylvania, from Connecticut, they spent periods of time here. It was not permanent housing,” says Sister Johnice. “The farm provided all the food for residents and the guests of Saint Francis. We had cows, and pigs, and chickens. And the good news initially is that there was six of these Sisters here, all from Germany, and we had one gentleman who oversaw the farm, and the Sisters helped on the farm, fed the chickens and the pigs, and also helped with the milking.” Corn and vegetables were also planted on nearby fields, and in the spring, all were harvested for residents for their meals. All meals were served family style. There was also an on-site German bakery. There are certain requirements for living at Saint Francis Residential Community. Residents must be able to take care of themselves independently and must be able to afford the rent. The before-mentioned brief stays for a respite costs $150.00. Much has been improved through the years, and what’s new is a second elevator which will allow access up to the fourth floor, an upgrade and installation of a central air conditioning is taking place in some of the older buildings, a full generator for the entire facility is now in place, which was put in after Superstorm Sandy (“We were actually a warming center for Denville during the storm,” recalls Shay). Saint Francis Residential Community also gives back to the community of which it is a part. “We sponsor local sports teams, we sponsored the playground which was just built, we have a lot of the community organizations such as the Rotary, Ki-
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Denville Life • December 2018 • Page 25
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Page 26 • December 2018 • Denville Life
wanis, various schools like the Celebrate the Children which is a school for children with special needs in our town – they come here and do volunteer work, and we help them with their job sharing programs – we’re very visible in community, we are part of he community,” attests Shay. “Every Thursday the Rotary meets here, they have their breakfasts here, and the Sunrise Rotary also meets here on Wednesday mornings. Many community organizations use our facilities for meetings. It works for all of us; the Mayor holds parties here, so it’s a win-win. We also participate in the Rotary’s Street Fair.” There is also a special spiritual aspect to Saint Francis Residential Community, explains Sister Johnice. “We have many people who come here primarily because the chapel is available, and Mass is available right on the grounds” A small meditation chapel for private reflection and prayer is located in the main building, and a main chapel in another building is where daily and Sunday Mass is celebrated. Both chapels are open 24 hours
a day, seven days a week. Saint Francis Residential Community also is home to a nice library, and should residents not find what they’re looking for here, they may take advantage of the Denville Public Library, which is just across the road. “They (the DPL) come here and bring a bunch of books so our residents don’t have to cross the street. It’s great. They find out what kinds of books the residents like, they come here once a month, and they bring a bundle of books,” ads Sister Johnice. Also, residents have the benefit of surrounding nature, a stroll taken to enjoy fresh air a nice way to lift spirits. “What we do best is take care of the Senior community,” says Shay. “Our residents are our family; we care about them like they are our family. We have a long history, our employ-ees have been here a long time, we’re very dedicated to our mission and our residents.” Sister Johnice echoes Shay’s comments. “Absolutely,” she says regarding the fact that many employees have been at Saint Francis Residential Community for a good period. “For the sta-
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Denville Life • December 2018 • Page 27
bility it provides for the residents, their families, and as well for we as staff. We have each other’s backs. If we need something done and the person who would normally do it is not available, somebody will say, ‘Don’t worry Sister, I’m on it.’ And they are family.” The whole month of December will be a busy time for Saint Francis Residential Community. Regularly scheduled activities, including concerts, occur. “There’s a lot of Christmas music,” says Shay, adding that “people do the church bells, a choir comes, and the Valleyview (Middle School) Band…” Local groups like the Girl Scouts also visit. “Many of our residents,” adds Sister Johnice, “come from the local area, not necessarily Denville but from the area, and sometimes their families will come and pick them up to celebrate the holidays. So, there’s a lot of opportunities here.”
“We have someone,” says Shay, “whose whole family is came here for Thanksgiving dinner instead of going somewhere else. They’re coming here.” The culinary team prepared the meal, and Sister Johnice proudly states that never has a complaint been heard about the food at Saint Francis Residential Community, and the team is very accommodating with regard to dietary needs. “Saint Francis brings peace, comfort, a realization that they’re safe and have no worries, have a close family and community around them” says Sister Johnice. “You don’t ever have to be alone.” For more information about Saint Francis Residential Community and to schedule a guided tour, please contact Debra Shay at 973627-5000. More information is available on their website, www. saintfrancisres.com.
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Page 28 • December 2018 • Denville Life
Stars Align to Bring Barbecue to Denville By Jillian Risberg
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nyone who enjoys wings, ribs, pulled pork, sloppy joe’s, subs and more homemade food has a new hometown haunt to check out on Route 10 in Denville. In August, Sheimer’s Deli took over the space previously occupied by Bon Appetit at 3110 State Route 10 West. “I did competition barbecue in the past, I like to cook, ribs — it’s what I do best, well cooked, baby back style, and I always said to myself if the opportunity ever comes about I’m gonna open up a deli,” says owner, Mike Hettesheimer. And it did, when the Boonton couple was driving by one afternoon to grab lunch at Bon Appetit, as they frequently did and learned the 25-year-old mainstay had gone out of business. Mike told his wife, Fran Hettesheimer, ‘it won’t be for long.’ One local resident definitely understands why. “Whether it’s off dirt roads in Texas or this place in Kansas City, where one of the best places is actually in a gas station, the ribs were out of this world,” says realtor Jason Cohen, a former traveling salesman. “I would put his ribs right up against those.” A prolific businessman, Mike — who also owns a sign shop and technology company; all started from the ground up, “I sell signs, servers and sandwiches” took it upon himself to do some research and made it happen. “You’re only as good as your last deal. The only person that can predict your future is your workmanship. So it’s up to me to make it successful,” says the Kearny native. All this was going on under the radar, unbeknownst to his wife, Fran Hettesheimer. “I was completely surprised,” Fran says. “It was three weeks before I had my fourth child.” They ended up gutting the whole place and creating an original space. This was just a natural progression for the Hettesheimers, who love to entertain.
“Any reason to have a birthday, a party, celebration, it’s always at our house,” Fran says. “And then he tailgates every single Jets game (at the Meadowlands) and has customers coming in 40 to 80 people tailgates, so we would make all the food for that stuff.” Items like sausage sandwiches, Italian hotdogs, just about anything one can think up or have a craving for. With their collection of great recipes, they decided to do more. “I started the permits to build a catering kitchen in the basement (of the deli) because I see the potential of this,” Mike says. “I want to build the business. So I’m reinvesting into myself.” Sheimer’s catered the 25th anniversary party for the Denville office of ConvergeOne, where Liz Bilney works and she says it was quite a spread. “The price was phenomenal and that included one person to clear anything that spilled, refurbish whatever for two hours, they stayed for three,” Bilney says. “We had a whole catered breakfast — spiral ham with pineapple, all kinds of deserts, three different kinds of pancakes, sausage, peppers and onions, bagels, pastries, home fries, bacon, whatever you can think of basically.” Bilney says Mike made most of the arrangements. “I wanted the creamy cream cheese fruit sauce and every time I asked for it from other people, they sent me whipped cream, they sent me cool whip, all the things I don’t want,” the Newton resident says. “Fran knew right off the bat. It was fresh made, everything and then she surprised us ‘cause she also sent chocolate dip for the fruit, strawberries and pineapple, which was great.” According to Bilney, she’s in Brookside Business Park, which has six buildings, all of which use catering. The people in the Parsippany branch of her company also use Sheimer’s and anyone can utilize their catering service for outside barbecues and tent parties. And Cohen says the sandwiches are delicious. He gave high praise to the ribs, pastrami, rosemary fries, empanadas and mozzarella sticks as well. He says the restaurant is immaculate and fresh.
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“When I see an existing business that went out of business and it comes back — under new ownership; I just love that,” Cohen says. “They’ve delivered a couple of times, very quickly and even during peak lunch delivery times.” According to the mom of four — it’s nice to have financial backup and a little leeway. “In the beginning it’s all about figuring things out, even if you’ve done this before — demographics, different places, you don’t know what certain people want or like and changing up the menu,” Fran says. Had they opened anywhere else Fran says things might have been different but Denville is so supportive of its businesses and that has made all the difference. “I do everything in Denville,” she says. “To have a business in Denville; I’m ecstatic.” Mike says the response from the community has been unbelievable. “People want a clean, good place where the food tastes good,” he says. “And we’re willing to try different things.” Ginger Vukas, of Randolph randomly stopped into Sheimer’s while construction was being done on her house and she needed a place close by to get her contractors lunch. “Their food is delicious, they have a very broad menu — they serve breakfast, lunch and dinner,” Vukas says. “I’m part of the ‘Moms of Morris’ Facebook group and I recommended them on there. They have hot sandwiches, regular subs, soups, hot meals. Since they’ve been open we’ve tried almost everything because we’ve had no kitchen.” With the other side of town having many more convenient places to go — the Hettesheimers appreciate the fact that customers are making the trip out to Sheimer’s. “‘Cause on Route 10, you get lost,” Fran says. “People forget that this is also Denville. But they’re definitely coming and exploring and we deliver to all of Denville.” Cohen lives in Union Hill, where a lot of businesses are downtown or on Route 53. “They’re a schlep,” the realtor says. “I think Sheimer’s fills a big void on our side of town for something’s that fresh, it’s fast, it’s local. It’s awesome.” According to Mike, Denville wants to see growth and they want a town that’s successful. “They do that within their businesses,” he says. “It’s a smart model.” “I’ve never seen anything like that before and I’ve lived in quite a few towns,” Mike says. “The mayor has gotten involved with us, he cut the ribbon on our grand opening. You can sense that they make businesses valuable to the town. They make people want to live in the community when you see how involved everybody is.” According to Vukas, the deli staff is customer focused and
Sheimer’s prices are extremely competitive compared to similar businesses in the area. Fran says she’s lived in the deli every single day since they opened. “I cannot not be here,” she says. “It’s a lot of work. You have to know that you’re gonna put everything into it. We’re Hettesheimer, that’s where Sheimer’s came from. It’s our name, our faith, our family, our business. This isn’t a franchise.” And Mike says they named a bunch of sandwiches after his college fraternity brothers to keep the atmosphere light and fun and engage the customers. “It’s like having someone cooking sandwiches in your backyard,” Vukas says. When they first opened a customer called and said they couldn’t get there ’til closing at 7 p.m. and Fran told them they’d wait. “My husband and I just hung out and they came in and we got to talking. They left and posted something on Facebook,” she says. “I thought, you know, it meant so much to them that we waited. I feel like that’s customer service. That’s what you do and I never would think not to do that.” They want to make it a wonderful customer experience and that’s all about being accommodating, she says. “Because we have those customers come back time and time again,” she says. And Sheimer’s is really resonating with the public, who want more of that comfort food that’s so difficult to find nowadays, like places that do paninis and delis that are open for dinner. “Being that we’re on Route 10, you know the bumper to bumper on Route 10 at night,” Fran says. “So people can call and literally just pull in and have food ready to go. It’s on their way home and they’re just sitting in traffic anyway. The fact that we’re open for dinner for them is just a bonus.” It’s been an exciting time for the couple and the Hettesheimers are already looking down the road at possibly opening a second Sheimer’s location. “Let’s see how this goes obviously. I’d like to go into a community that’s looking for what we have to offer,” Mike says, adding that if he opened a second Sheimer’s, it would also be in Morris County. Her construction is wrapping up but that won’t change Vukas’ love affair with Sheimer’s. “I still keep going,” the community volunteer says, adding that her husband does too. “Now it’s like his favorite deli,” she says. “He cannot get enough of it. So they not only won over me, but they won over my husband.” Try one of their favorites: The Sheimer- Turkey, choice of cheese, bacon, avocado, lettuce, tomato, mayo on multigrain bread, located at 3110 Route 10 West, Denville 973-302-3280.
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Denville Life • December 2018 • Page 33
Visit These Festively
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Named Locations
he weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day are some of the most anticipated, jolly and busy moments of the year. People partake in all sorts of traditions in the name of holiday festivity. Trimming the tree or caroling with friends may be some of the more standard holiday protocol. However, there are always opportunities to bring new traditions into the mix. People bitten by the travel bug may want to include visiting new towns and cities as part of their holiday plans. In fact, it can be fun to take in the sites at
these festively named locales across North America. • Bethlehem, Pennsylvania • Christmas, Florida • Christmas, Michigan • Christmas Cove, Maine • Evergreen, Alabama • Hallelujah Junction, California • Joy, Illinois • Mistletoe, Kentucky • Noel, Missouri • North Pole, Alaska • Rudolph, Wisconsin • Santa, Idaho • Santa Claus, Arizona
• Santa Claus, Georgia • Santa Claus, Indiana
Celebrate Safely
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this new year’s eve
ew Year’s Eve is a time to celebrate. But for hundreds of people each year, the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day proves fatal. According to fatality data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, over the last five years an average of 300 people died in drunk driving fatalities between Christmas and New Year’s Day. Holiday celebrations, and New Year’s Eve festivities in particular, tend to include alcohol, raising the stakes during this festive yet too often fatal time of year. The sobering statistics provided by the NHTSA don’t have to prevent people from toasting a new year. In fact, there are many ways to have fun this New Year’s Eve without putting yourself in harm’s way. • Don’t overindulge in alcohol. For many people, overindulging in alcohol is part and parcel during New Year’s Eve celebrations. Such behavior puts everyone at risk, even people who don’t drive. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, conservative estimates suggest that roughly one-half of sexual assaults on American women involve alcohol consumption by the perpetrator, victim or both. While alcohol and its relationship to traffic fatalities draw the bulk of the attention on New Year’s Eve, even people who don’t intend to drive should recognize the dangers of overindulging in alcohol and drink responsibly. • Arrange for transportation. If you need a car to get around
on New Year’s Eve and plan to drink alcohol, arrange for someone else to do your driving for you. Groups of friends should choose someone to be their designated driver or pool their money and hire a taxi or bus service for the night so no one who’s been drinking gets behind the wheel. The NHTSA even offers a free app called SaferRide that is compatible with Apple and Android devices and enables users to call a taxi or a friend to be picked up. • Host responsibly. Even people who don’t intend to leave their homes can take steps to make New Year’s Eve safer for everyone. If you’re hosting a party at home, do so responsibly, making sure none of your guests overindulge and making the party less about drinking and more about having fun. Shift the focus from toasting drinks to games and activities that don’t include alcohol. Make sure to have plenty of food and nonalcoholic beverages on hand and encourage people who are drinking to eat full meals and drink water throughout the night. People who fill up on food and water during the party may feel full, which may discourage them from having extra drinks. While many people will expect to drink alcohol on New Year’s Eve, don’t stock up on too much alcohol, the availability of which may encourage guests to overindulge. Hosts also should keep the phone numbers of local taxi services handy just in case some guests cannot drive themselves home safely. New Year’s Eve should be as festive as possible. Celebrating responsibly can ensure everyone has a fun and safe time.
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Union Hill Presbyterian Church by Elsie Walker
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his past Halloween, the Rev. Tim Clarkson of Union Hill Presbyterian dressed up as Mr. Rogers and visited the church’s pre-school. The pastor’s demeanor is so like Rogers’ that one person commented as to how anyone would realize that he was dressing up. (By the way, Rogers was also a Presbyterian minister.) Clarkson’s spirit is an example of that found at the Denville Church, where loving outreach and concern for others abounds. When asked how they feel the community views their church, some congregation members noted that most people who know the church see it as a place with a congregation that cares about people. The church has a warm, caring way; it is where people know they can share their joys and concerns and the church will respond and support them. Recently, Maryann Cuneo, Denville; Patty Bevacqua, Denville; Jill Head, Rockaway Township; Amy Clarkson, Somerville; Kathi Meyer, Denville; Billy O’Keefe, Denville, Jen Berk, Denville, Rev. Clarkson (current Pastor), Somerville; and the Rev. James D’Angelo (retired) of Lawrenceville, Georgia shared about the church’s history and life at Union Hill Presbyterian Church. The church’s history reaches back over two hundred years. Cuneo, Billy O’Keefe, and D’Angelo, along the church website, gave information on its roots. The church started in 1816. It began as an outreach of the Rockaway Presbyterian Church and was a Sunday School for Rev. Clarkson as Mr. Rogers
all ages in what is now known as the Union Hill area; then it began worshipping as a congregation. The congregation met in what was then the Union school building and took the name Union Hill Chapel. The congregation got its own building when a chapel was constructed in 1897, at its current location, on property purchased and provided by the Casterline family. For many years, the church did not have its own pastor, but area pastors would lead services there following worship at their own churches. Later, students from Princeton Theological Seminary provided the service. Things changed in the 1950s. The congregation was organized as a Presbyterian church and a manse was build to house pastors. In 1957, the church had its first installed pastor, the Rev. Theodore Blunk. The 1970s saw a significant addition to the church’s facilities. Thanks to a generous donation from the Cosmans, a social hall was constructed on the property. Today, that building houses a preschool, church coffee hour, administrative office, and space where Scout groups meet and special events are held. Looking back at its history, the pastor who served the longest was D’Angelo. A newer addition to that history is its current pastor, Clarkson, who has been serving as Covenant Supply Pastor since October 2017. The ministry is a second career for Clarkson.” After nearly 25 years as a clinical social worker, primarily with youth and families in therapeutic foster care and at a special education school, I sensed a call to ministry,” he
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Denville Life • December 2018 • Page 35
said. Attending New Brunswick Theological Seminary part time, while working full time, being a husband and raising a family of three, Clarkson finished his studies in six years, graduating in 2016. In addition to serving at Union Hill Presbyterian, he also a part time chaplain for a hospice agency serving people in the areas of Hunterdon, Somerset, and Middlesex Counties. When asked about what it means for him to be a pastor, Clarkson quipped that there wouldn’t be space enough in one article to capture it. Some thoughts he shared are, “Drawing from 1 John in scripture, this is love: that God first loved us, so, then, we are meant to love one another. The teachings from Deuteronomy remind me that there is no separation between loving God and being mindful of the widow, the orphan, and the sojourner – the vulnerable - among us. In other words, God is all about love, so we are meant to be about responding to that sense of God’s love in, between, and among us by loving one another. Whether it is in the preparation and delivery of a sermon, sharing fellowship with the congregation, bringing people together in a broader sense like the Interfaith Thanksgiving Service, teaching a confirmation class, or carrying on the ministry of fellow Presbyterian Mr. Rogers through time spent with the children of the church and preschool, being pastor is a joy……” That joy is evident in Sunday worship ,which starts at 10am, during which nursery care is provided. Clarkson characterizes the worship style as blended, with both contemporary and traditional hymns. The service starts off with “the 10 o’clock news”, announcements of what’s happening within the church and community. Adults and youth take part as readers or in leading parts of worship. The church has a choir, under the direction of Music Director, June Kibe. Kibe also plays a variety of instruments, including organ, piano, flute, and marimba. In addition, adding a layer to the hymns and songs sung in worship are instrumentals who play guitar and djembe drum. There is a children’s time about 20 minutes into the service where the children and youth gather up front for a message from the pastor, after which they are dismissed to their Sunday School classes. Communion is celebrated monthly and a few times a year, there is a “Family Fellowship Worship” service. During the latter, the Sunday School teachers and their students present a topic; this year’s focus will be the Ten Commandments. A coffee hour is held after worship in Cosman Hall, the Christian Education Building. Speaking of Christian Education, the church offers Sunday School, Vacation Bible School. and Adult Spiritual Development. Held after the children’s message, there is a Sunday School class for younger children and another for youth through middle school age. Classes include a scripture lesson, a time for questions and answers, and a craft or activity. A confirmation class is offered every other year, and there were five students confirmed this year. In addition, Vacation Bible School (VBS) is held during the summer for children in the church and community. This past sum-
mer, the church offered the week long VBS titled, “Shipwrecked” with the theme: God’s love is there at all times. As part of the VBS program, the children participating had a local missions challenge: they raised $200 to purchase school supplies for youth in the community for the approaching school year. In addition to the education opportunities for children, the church offers Adult Spiritual Development through book studies, such as the recent one of Diana Butler Bass’s Grateful, and through revisiting topics typically covered during youth in confirmation class. The church also has a pre-school. The Union Hill Church Preschool is a nondenominational preschool serving ages 2-1/2 through age 6 with a preschool curriculum is based on the Creative Curriculum. Congregation members shared that the preschool provides a loving nurturing environment for learning and growing, a place where the teachers are focused on the whole child. Details about programs can be found at Unionhillchurchpreschool.org Outreach is an important part of this church. In addition to the VBS mission project, the church touches the local community and beyond in many ways. On Sundays, members bring non-perishable food items to church, which are then given to the Denville Social Service Food Pantry. Groups of church members visit sand sing for those at facilities such as the Oaks Healthcare Center and Morris View. The church has a Drop In Center in which various recovery groups meet every evening and Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops meet in its Cosman Hall. At Christmas, the church contributes to a variety of holiday gift drives including Operation Christmas Child and Toys for Tots. The former is a project of Samaritan’s Purse through which items packed in shoebox-size boxes are given to children in orphanages and impoverished areas in a variety of countries. For many of these children, they do not know what Christmas is. The boxes contain information on the nativity and toys and hygiene items. It may be the only time these children receive a gift at Christmas. This year, Union Hill put together 65 Christmas boxes for Operation Christmas Child. Members
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also collect toys that a proud Marine veteran in the congregation delivers to Toys for Tots every year. In addition, the church’s youth group is repeating its last year’s “Elf Run” project, helping to make Christmas merry for a young family nearby. The youth group’s dedicated leader is Debbie Tomkins Several times a year, Union Hill holds an “Open Mic Night of Entertainment” with a free will offering or admission benefiting a particular cause. Open to the community, people are welcome to come up to the mic and share their musical talents. Clarkson has been known to get into the act, and shared that he’s spontaneously added “impersonations of John Lennon and Bob Dylan into my acts on our open mic night events.” An open mic night last month benefitted those going to the Appalachian Service Project (ASP) in 2019. The ASP is a home repair project which helps people in one of the poorest areas of our country. This past summer the church sent six people (four adults and two adolescents) to West Virginia, where they helped make homes safer, drier, and warmer for the residents, while also getting to know those they were helping. Among those who went were Amy Clarkson, Kathi Meyer and Jen Berk. Each of those shared a little about her experience. “There are so many needs and so many things in the news that I’d like to do something about. It can get overwhelming or discouraging, thinking there will always be more to do than any one per-
son can do. Going to ASP was a practical, real way of doing something to improve the circumstances of people,” said Clarkson. Berk describes it as, “a life changing event for those that participate whether you are the one serving or the recipient. A great program for all ages.” “While we certainly participated in plenty of work at the worksites, I like the quote from the ASP website, describing ASP as ‘relationship building with a little construction work on the side,’ “ said Meyer. The life of Union Hill Presbyterian Church is a caring, active one, and it is clear that Rev. Clarkson finds joy in every minute of being its pastor. Reflecting once more on what it means for him to be a pastor, he shared, “Being a pastor gives me the opportunity every day to sense, be, and share an alternative to the dark, tense, conflicted news we see everywhere. Someone much brighter than I once said it this way: ‘There is one true joy in life, to love and be loved.’ As pastor, I get to be a part of that which is good and hopeful, positive. What matters in life is love and compassion, here and now, in the very midst of the living of these days. Being pastor is a wonderful, blessed opportunity to share the journey of life with the truly amazing people and circumstances I encounter, as God leads me.” Union Hill Presbyterian Church, 427 Franklin Road, Denville. Sunday worship at 10am, 973-361-9020, www.unionhillchurch.org.
Gift-Wrapping
Cover prices To enable easy exchanges or returns, do not cut off the price tags of gifts. Instead, place a festive sticker over the dollar amount, but leave the scan bar visible. This way the gift recipient can return the gift with ease if necessary. Keep supplies at the ready Devote a bin or bins to wrapping supplies and tools. Having scissors, paper, tape, ribbon, and more in a designated spot will cut down on having to hunt and peck when it comes time to wrap. Martha Stewart suggests getting a rotary cutter to cut long straight or decorative edges on wrapping paper. Rotary cutters may be easier to use than scissors, especially when paired with a ruler. Wrap on a firm surface Devote a table or counter to wrapping gifts. This will keep the paper taut and neat and make it easier to cut and position. You risk tearing the paper or puncturing it when working on carpeting or bedding. Color- or pattern-code gifts It’s easy to visualize who gets what gift when each recipient has his or her own special wrapping paper. This is also a handy idea when wrapping gifts from Santa, as it will differentiate the Santa gifts from the ones being given by Mom and Dad. With a few helpful pointers, wrapping gifts can be easy. And for those who prefer to skip the wrapping themselves, many malls and retailers offer complimentary wrapping for a small donation to charity.
Tips and Tricks
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uch of the focus of each holiday season is on gift-giving, but all those gifts will eventually need to be wrapped. Stacks of presents just waiting to be covered with paper and ribbon can overwhelm gift givers, prompting them to put off wrapping gifts until the last minute. Hesitant wrappers with a pile of gifts to wrap can use these tricks to make the process go smoothly. Find inspiration Instead of looking at wrapping as yet another chore, try to envision how the recipient will feel peeling open the paper and finding the gift inside. Wrapping can be the prelude to the gift itself, and intensify the anticipation. The wrapping paper or style also may draw on aspects of the gift itself. For example, a knit scarf can be placed in a crocheted stocking. Handle oddly-shaped items Wrapping rectangular boxes can be a snap, but what about something that’s round or full of angles? Think about placing oddly-shaped items inside another item to make the shape more uniform. Shoe boxes, coffee cans and even paper towel rolls can hold items. Then place the wrapping on these containers.
Denville Life • December 2018 • Page 37
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Woman Bewitched by Bees By Jillian Risberg
s a youngster, Alice Casey drew pictures of bees and loved to learn about bees in science class. Then one day she bought a bee hive. That was in 2014 and the beekeeper hasn’t looked back since. “Since I got into the bee world I won the spirit award in 2016 out of our Northwest Beekeepers Club,” Casey says, adding that it was a wow moment for her. Barbara Hill has known Casey for several years and calls her a dedicated beekeeper. “I am hoping she becomes the third VP of NWNJBA during the election process at our upcoming holiday party — she deserves it,” says Hill, the branch treasurer. Casey’s affection for bees stems from the fact that she wants to save them. “We gotta keep them going because if we lose the bees onethird of our food will be lost,” she says. “They pollinate our fruits and vegetables; cranberries, blueberries — and everything bees make is utilized.” As a mentor to aspiring beekeepers in Hunterdon and Warren counties, Casey can help anyone interested in getting started by ordering bee equipment/supplies and a package of bees. “She is constantly increasing her knowledge of beekeeping but also mentoring many along the way,” says Hill, owner and founder of Amberfield Honey Farm, in Ringoes. Lynn Wallen took up beekeeping almost four years ago and says Casey was an inspiration. The two knew each other back in high school and reconnected on social media. “She pretty much lives and breathes bees,” the Easton, PA beekeeper says, adding that she took her friend’s interest in stride and had one of her own. “Alice is just one of those cool people that doesn’t surprise you about anything they do.” Wallen is a member of Northwest New Jersey and Lehigh Valley Beekeepers but is much more active in NWNJ.
“I think it’s a tighter group of people and one of the reasons for that is Alice. She really gets people excited about beekeeping, encouraged me and helped me along the entire way,” Wallen says. She calls her friend an all-around great person. “She’s not overbearing with her mentoring, which I think is important,” says The Wallen Mountain Farm owner. “I don’t think I would have succeeded in beekeeping without Alice there to help me. It’s really hard and complicated and so varied.” The bees are usually shipped from Florida or Georgia in a truckload of three-pound boxes with a queen in each box. She goes on her mating flight with up to 15 to 18 drones and lays 2,000 eggs a day. According to Wallen, only about three to five percent of the hive are drones (male bees). “They kick them out in the fall because they don’t do anything except mate with the queen and she only mates once in her life,” Wallen says. “But you never know when you’re going to need a drone around to impregnate a new queen ‘cause something could happen to her.” The older bees forage out to collect pollen and nectar and then return to the hive. “Younger bees usually nurse the queen bee and groom and feed her, protect her and they’re very attentive,” Casey says. She’s chair of the Warren County Fair and helps New Jersey apiarist, Tim Schuler judge the Hunterdon County Fair honey shows. For several years she’s also attended the Eastern Apicultural Society conference. And she got her friend involved in the honey shows, where Casey took first place and Wallen took third at Hunterdon for their light amber honey. At Warren, Casey also took first and Wallen took second in the same class. “Alice is a tireless worker for the bees and was instrumental in upgrading our beekeeping booths at both the Warren County Fair in Belvedere and the Hunterdon 4H Fair in Ringoes,”
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Hill says. Wallen echoes that sentiment. “Warren County Fair is her baby. And it did very, very well,” she says, adding that working with Casey is not just about managing the bees but also if you want to extract any honey.” She recognizes the beauty and brilliance of bees, and how they figured out the hexagon was the formation to put the queen’s abdomen in to make the eggs. The six-sided shape fits together perfectly and can store pollen and honey. One thing we can’t do is treat them like pets. But Casey says we can take steps to help safeguard the bees. “We can reduce using harmful pesticides, fertilizers, herbicides,” she says. “Avoid the chemicals, the neonicotines. We have to protect their habitats.” Casey says do that by planting bee-friendly gardens, including: maple trees, wild onions, asters, dogwood, columbine, *milkweed, daisies, mistflowers, nut trees, Joe-Pye Weed, violets, roses, irises and *goldenrod. “Another thing they need a lot especially when it’s hot in the summer is little bee baths,” she says. “We put buckets of water with sticks or twigs or leaves in it so they can get water (without drowning).” And in the fall we need more knotweed or mountain mint. Once you receive your bees, it’s time to put them in the hive and your mentor can help with that. Many bee aficionados keep their hives close by, which is what Casey says she does. “I keep mine on my property and the hives should try to face south so the sun gets them,” she says, adding that bees like to hang out by the pool, for some reason they’re attracted to chlorine. “Just see how your neighbors are,” she says. “Some neighbors welcome bees and most of them do support the bees.” If you get the all-clear for your bees — remember that every queen bee has a pheromone. She stays in the hive and the bees go out and they come back to the same hives because they smell the queen. “Bees can fly three to five miles away from their hive,” Casey says. “So when people say, ‘organic’ I tend to worry. Your farm may be organic but is your farm five miles in every direction circumference wise, so you gotta think about that when you say organic. “And you don’t know what your bees are eating or bringing in.” According to Casey, in the spring the bees go out and forage the pollen (their protein), the nectar — in trees, bushes, weeds, dandelions, buttercups, crocuses, everything that blooms first, things you cut out of your grass. “That’s why my grass always looks like it needs cutting,” she says. “Part of my grass, I’m feeding my bees.” When they bring back the nectar, Casey says the bees flutter their wings to dehydrate the nectar until it solidifies into honey and permeates the cells of the honeycomb. The process includes selecting the frames ready to be harvested and scraping the wax off the frames. Next, put the frames in an extractor (it can hold approximately nine frames) and as the reels spin it creates a centrifugal force. The honey is whipped out of the comb and accumulates inside the extractor. Then open the tap and let it pass through a strainer in the honey pots to filter out the wax and other small particles. “A lot of people like to watch that and do it with you,” Casey says. “I always try to get a new beekeeper in with me so they can learn the process. It could take a couple of hours to all day, depending on how much you have. A five-gallon bucket would be about 55 to 60 pounds of honey.”
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Denville Life • December 2018 • Page 39
At the same time, Wallen says you don’t want to take too much honey. “You gotta make sure you leave some for the bees,” she says. “The bees have a spring/early summer nectar flow, then they have a fall nectar flow.” Casey says often people complain about the price of honey because they have no concept of what getting it entails. “You have to buy the bees, the hives, the frames, the bee suit, all the equipment, the extractor, the knives, the bottles, the labels,” she says. “That’s why it costs a lot but raw honey tastes a lot better than the ones you buy in the stores.” When it comes to beekeeping, it’s really a personal preference how you handle them. Some people just use the bees to pollenate. “A lot of big farms, bee farms or apiaries may have 300 hives and put them all on a truck in New Jersey and bring them out to California to the almond trees and the farmers out there like
that,” Casey says. “Then they pack them up and bring them down to Florida. They transport their bees from area to area.” Others like their bees for the honey. The little creatures survive the winter by staying active and clustering. But Casey says most only make it six weeks in the summer since they are hard at work. The queen can survive three to four years because she’s constantly being catered to by all the female worker bees. Once you make the decision to pursue an interest in beekeeping, remember that safety comes first. “There’s a full bee suit, which would include a hood (or veil), you can wear gloves and people wear boots even,” Casey says. “That’s full protection and nowadays there’s vented suits so you don’t sweat as much because they’re very, very warm and of course you’re doing all this in the G-d awfully hot mid-summer.” Besides the suit, equipment includes a hive tool and a smoker — used to hold pine needles, paper egg cartons or some
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And if you’re concerned about bees disrupting your summer sort of fuel. “And smoke the bees. They think it’s a fire or something and vacation, she recommends putting something sweet on the other stay calm into the hive,” Casey says, adding that how often you side of your campsite. Like dogs get fleas, you should treat your bees for mites, acuse the smoker depends on the temperament of your bees. Some bees are aggressive and others are very calm and docile. cording to Casey. “There are some people that don’t want to treat and that’s a “Sometimes I sit in front of my hives in my little yellow chair and relax,” Casey says. “Sometimes I can go into a hive with just real touchy subject,” she says. “Because we don’t know where your bees go. Say Mikey goes three miles down the road where my veil on, no suit and no gloves and work my bees.” that man doesn’t treat his hive The bees can feel it sometimes and he might have mites. And if it’s a nice, bright day and re“Feed your bees, plant bee friendly flowers, protect them, then he comes to my hives and spond more calmly. If it’s a cloudy don’t swamp them,” Casey says. “And if you see a swat, that whole scenario could start.” day, they may be a bit more agcall a beekeeper — don’t spray Raid on them please.” There are different species of gressive and if the hive hasn’t honey bee and Casey says — Rusbeen opened in a long time, they may also exhibit aggression, according to Casey. It depends on sian honey bees, Carolina honey bees and Italian honey bees are the primary ones used locally in the Garden State. several variables. The beekeeper says she would like to get to the point where Contrary to popular belief, most bees are not out to sting. “When people get stung it’s most likely the yellow jacket that we don’t have to treat bees anymore. “‘Cause they have such a hard life,” she says. “Their predators is the attacker than the honey bee,” Casey says. That means don’t disturb — including swatting at them or ap- are us, bears, mites, skunks, raccoons.” If you want to keep them around for a while, do the right thing. proaching their nests or hives. “Feed your bees, plant bee friendly flowers, protect them, And it’s not as tough as you think to identify the type of bee. “Sometimes you can tell by the way they’re flying,” Casey don’t swat them,” Casey says. “And if you see a swarm, call a beekeeper — don’t spray Raid on them please.” says. “Yellow jackets are erratic fliers.”
Denville Life • December 2018 • Page 41
Get Christmas crafty with homemade ornaments
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andmade gifts, trinkets and treats help make the holiday season special. Although cookies and other baked goods are some of the most popular homemade creations this time of year, gift-givers young and old can put their talents to use with various craft projects. Ornaments and decorations are one such idea. Here are some clever and, not-too-time-consuming craft projects to try this holiday season. Mini sleighs: Create miniature replicas of Santa’s famous sleigh. Paint several popsicle sticks to form the main body of the sleigh and glue them together. Put one at the top perpendicular to the others to serve as the steering rudder. Two silver-painted popsicle sticks placed on their thin sides act as the blades of a sled. Popcorn garland: Garland made of popcorn is a classic handmade holiday project. For a new twist, toss the popcorn with food coloring and allow it to dry before stringing for some bright color on the tree. Photo ornaments: Print out several different photos that you love. Purchase round or square thin wood pieces from a craft store and attach the photos with Mod Podge®. When dry, drill a hole through the top and thread with twine. Advent calendar: Make an Advent calendar to count down to Christmas by covering a foam board with fabric. Use paper tags or small ornaments and write a number on each for each day of the month. Hang these all from the board. As each day passes, move the tag or ornament to the tree. Wooden snowflakes: Have children collect small twigs from outdoors, as well as holly leaves and some sprigs of evergreen. Arrange similarly sized twigs in the shape of snowflakes and glue together, or tie with twine. Embellish with stickers, glitter, dried berries, and more. Dough ornaments: Anyone can have fun molding their own ornaments, letting them dry and then painting them. Use cookie cutters to get perfect holiday shapes. Craft stores sell various types of
modeling clays and lightweight modeling materials. Or, make your own salt dough. Reindeer bottle topper: Put to use any wine corks you have lying around. Attach googly eyes and a small fuzzy nose to the front of a cork. Insert twisted, brown pipe cleaners to make the antlers up top. Add ribbons, small snippets of faux fur or any other extras you desire. Sweet sentiments: Use old Scrabble® letter tiles to form a favorite holiday phrase, like “Joy to the World.” Glue the tiles together and hang from the tree on a piece of ribbon.
Page 42 • December 2018 • Denville Life
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