30 TH SEASON CELEBRATED AT SUMMIT FARMERS MARKET

The downtown Summit Farmers Market has kicked off its 30th season of offering goods from more than 50 vendors. It takes place Sundays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. through Nov. 19 in the shopper parking lot at the corner of DeForest and Woodland avenues.

The market attracts shoppers seeking seasonal produce, baked goods, meats and seafood, vegetable and flowering plants, prepared foods, coffee and more, all from New Jersey purveyors.

"We are thrilled to kick off our 30th season at the Summit Farmers Market," said the market administrator, Marin Mixon. "Supporting our local farmers and small businesses is more important now than ever, and we're proud to provide a platform for them to sell their products directly to the community.”

New to Summit this year are vendors Pineapple Pink, CFA Soap Essentials, Grieco Greens, Love 4 Nuts and Jersey Spirits Distilling Co. Returning favorites include Race Farms, Esther’s Treats, Shore Catch and Hoboken Farms. A full list of vendors is at summitdowntown.org.

In addition, the Give It Fresh Today (G.I.F.T.) program will be at the market and continue to collect fresh food. Through the generosity of the community and market vendors, the program annually donates more than 10,000 pounds of fresh produce and other products to Summit-based GRACE, which distributes the donations weekly to families.

For details on the Summit Market, call Summit Downtown, Inc., at 908-277-6100.

You don’t have to travel far this summer to hear great live music -- in just about every genre you can name -and if you’ve never seen people dancing in the streets of Summit, this is your chance.

Summit Downtown, Inc. (SDI) is bringing back Summit Street Sounds, with a lineup that features both past favorites and performers new to the series. Downtown will come alive with music from 5-8 p.m. every Thursday and Friday night in June and July. More than 45 musicians and groups will be heard throughout town.

Enjoy a meal at one of Summit’s outdoor cafes, listen to live music and shop at downtown businesses, some of which will be open late. Be sure to visit The Promenade on Springfield Avenue, filled with tables and chairs for outdoor dining -- and for enjoying the music. New locations for music on Union Place include next to Due 360 and in front of Starbucks.

Returning locations are The Promenade (next to the fountain, 426 Springfield Ave.), Lyric Park at the corner of Bank Street and Beechwood Road, the Horse Trough (adjacent to The Summit Diner) and on Union Place in front of Jamie’s Shoe Repair, at number 79.

For a full list of performers and locations, visit summitdowntown.org. Summit Downtown, Inc., is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the on-going development and promotion of the downtown business community

With downtown Summit’s historic Horse Trough as his background, Alvin Madison performed at the corner of Union Place and Summit Avenue. The Sounds of Summit series is returning this summer, with live music throughout downtown every Thursday and Friday evening in June and July.

For more than 50 years, the Suburban Chamber of Commerce has sponsored a scholarship program for college-bound seniors from the public high schools in Berkeley Heights, New Providence and Summit.

“While it is the chamber’s primary mission to support local businesses and promote our downtowns,” said Karen Hadley, executive director of the chamber, “we also feel strongly that it is important to extend our efforts to younger members of the community and assist them as they head off into this next exciting chapter of their lives. It gives us great pleasure to present these three annual scholarships to graduates who show leadership both academically and within their schools and hometowns.”

The nominees each year are stellar students, athletes, musicians and faithful volunteers in their schools and communities, Ms. Hadley noted, and 2023 is no exception:

From Governor Livingston High School Matthew Puia

has spent his years in high school balancing band, academics and an active volunteer life.

He was a founder of Silver Liming Teens at GL, for which outreach efforts include raising money to benefit local cancer patients and writing letters to veterans. During time spent on behalf of Bridges Across America, Matthew and his classmates have helped feed homeless people and provided area senior citizens with guidance in using their computers and other tech devices.

A saxophone and euphonium player, Matthew was baritone section leader for the Governor Livingston Marching Band, and as head of sound design for the Hilltop Players at school, he worked on four theater and musical productions.

Matthew was also active at GL with the Student Movement Against Cancer, and on his own time has worked as what he described as a “community handyman,” providing yard and home maintenance assistance to senior citizens in the community.

Matthew will attend Penn State University.

From New Providence High School, Kathryn Barfield

A soccer player, Kathryn also held down a retail job as a student, but left it to pursue EMT training and join the New Providence Rescue Squad during her junior year in high school.

“We help people at their most vulnerable moments,” Kathryn said of the volunteer squad. “I have always wanted to help people, and will continue to put in the effort to do so for the rest of my life.” At the time of her application for the Suburban Chambers of Commerce scholarship, Kathryn was making plans to volunteer at JFK Medical Center, where she hoped to divide her shifts between pediatrics and the emergency room/triage.

She is planning a career as a mental health counselor for underprivileged children, and will begin studies this fall at Concordia University in Montreal.

From Summit High School Marrin Darcy

A recommendation from school counselor Lynette Diaz described Marrin as having “a strong sense of self” and being someone willing to seek out solutions to things she does not understand.

Marrin, who took five Advanced Placement courses senior year, noted her favorite classes during high school were probably Pre-Calculus, Sociology and English. A four-sport athlete (field hockey, ice hockey, lacrosse and spring track), she served as president of the Student Helping Students Club.

Marrin has also worked alongside her mother in recent years with FLAG, Summit’s Front Line Appreciation Group, in its efforts to support local merchants while boosting the morale of – and providing fresh, nutritious meals to – nurses, EMTs, doctors and other health care staff and first responders. She plans to pursue a career in consumer economics and has enrolled at Clemson University, where Ms. Diaz noted Marrin will “undoubtedly leave a