The BReeze Bridgewater Township & Raritan Borough, NJ Your Hometown Newspaper Volume 2, Issue 11
www.thebreezenj.com
December 2010
Flash Mob Causes a Co-Motion at Bridgewater Commons Mall
Students and staff from Somerset County Vocational & Technical High School and members of the community break out in what seems like a spontaneous celebration of song and dance at the Bridgewater Commons Mall. As the Program Coordinator of the Creative Arts Program at Somerset County Vocational & Technical Schools, Janet Cantore-Watson is always thinking of innovative ways to integrate the arts into the lives of everyday people. When she was offered the opportunity to apply for a Somerset County State/ County Partnership ’09 Local Arts Program Grant to help
fund a Non-Traditional Venues project, she thought, “This is it! What a perfect way to spread the rights of performance to the community.” As the project took shape and choreographic ideas were shared with dancer/choreographer Maureen Glennon, Artistic Director of moe-tion dance theater, a new challenge was added to the plan. Maureen was diagnosed with
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Look on each page of this issue to find the snowman symbol hidden in ten advertisements. List the ten ads containing the symbol and email to winthebreezeadgame@yahoo. com or mail to The BReeze, 726 Route 202 South, Suite 320-190, Bridgewater, NJ 08807. The readers with the correct answers will be entered into a drawing.
Be sure to get your list to us by December 10th to be eligible to win. Only one entry per person. Please include with your list your full name and phone number where you can be reached. The winner will be notified by phone and will be asked to make arrangements to go to the business to collect the prize. A photo of the winner with the business owner or manager will be inserted in the next issue of the paper. This month Stoney Brook Grille is offering brunch for two or a $40 restaurant gift certificate to the lucky winner. The symbol you will be looking for is a snowman with the letters BR in the center (the size may change but not the design):
breast cancer in November of 2009. During her recuperation plans for the Co-Motion Dance Project continued and the idea evolved into THINK PINK! Cause a Co-Motion, a non-traditional Breast Cancer Awareness Project. With this as the performance theme Cantore-Watson and Glennon became determined to make women, men, and young adults aware that breast cancer
can affect any family, anytime and anywhere. Under the direction and expertise of Glennon’s modern dance company, dancers comprised of students and staff from Somerset County Vocational & Technical High School and members of the community, converged out of a normal day at the Bridgewater Commons Mall in what seemed to be a spontaneous celebration
of song and dance. Actually the 7 minute mini performance was a well-rehearsed choreographed moment in life. After the dance was completed the cast melted back into their previous routine and returned to their everyday lives. The cast presented several dance performances to raise Breast Cancer Awareness.
Bridgewater Resident Honored By Veterans
L-R: Pat DeChirico, Vietnam Veterans Associations 452 Chapter President; Steven Wright, and Mike Vecchio, Vietnam Veterans Association 452 Chapter Vice President (Submitted Photo) by Kerry Hannan Somerville-Immaculata High School Senior Steven Wright of Bridgewater was recently hon-
ored by two veteran organizations, the Manville VFW and the Rolling Thunders, for his efforts in the dedication of the
US Army Staff Sgt. Andrew Lobosco Memorial Walking Bridge in Bridgewater. Wright came up with the idea to name the walking bridge from Somerville to the Bridgewater Mall after Green Beret and Staff Sergeant Andrew Lobosco who was killed in Afghanistan in 2009. Lobosco, a former Bridgewater resident, graduated from Immaculata in 1998. The veteran groups honored Steven Wright for his efforts in honoring a fallen veteran and helping to keep his memory alive. “It was very moving and really showed me how much these veterans appreciated what I did,” said Wright. “It made me feel great to know that those men will always remember what I did for one of theirs.”
Kitchens, Bathrooms, Siding and Windows The symbol above is only an example; it does not count as one of the ten. Find all 10 symbols, tell us where you found them, and you could be the winner! Good luck!
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Page 2
The BReeze
BReeze Bulletin Board
The BReeze
726 Route 202 South Suite 320-190 Bridgewater, NJ 08807 (908) 393-2669 www.thebreezenj.com yourbreeze@yahoo.com
Army Reserve Pvt. Andrew Deak has graduated from basic infantry training at Fort Benning, Columbus, GA. During the nine weeks of training, the soldier received training in drill and ceremonies, weapons, map reading, tactics, military courtesy, military justice, physical fitness, first aid, and Army history, core values and traditions. Additional training included development of basic combat skills and battlefield operations and tactics, and experiencing use of various weapons and weapons defenses available to the infantry crewman. Deak graduated in 2010 from Bridgewater-Raritan High School and is the son of Andrew and Joann Deak of Berwick St., Raritan, NJ.
Publisher & Editor: Wendy Doheny Advertising Manager: Dave Doheny Contributing Writers: Karras Lambert Pam Laughlin Will Merris Amy Sepesi Contributing Photographers: Alex Hopkins Dawn Wilde Deadlines for the January Issue: Ads: December 10th News: December 15th James Danco stands on the summit of Mt. Washington during a trip he took in late September with the Rutgers Meteorology Club. (Submitted photo) James F. Danco, son of Jeffrey and Jayne Danco of Bridgewater, has been awarded the 2010 American Meteorological Society/Harris Corporation Scholarship. James is a graduate of Immaculata High School and is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in meteorology at Rutgers University. The AMS Freshman Undergraduate Scholarship is intended to encourage high school students to pursue careers in the atmospheric and related oceanic and hydrologic sciences. Ten leading environmental science and service firms, one federal agency and three named scholarships (established either by an AMS member or in memory of someone) joined with the AMS to offer 14 undergraduate scholarships. The scholarships are awarded for the freshman and sophomore years and are designed to encourage outstanding high school students to pursue careers in the fields covered by the awards. The scholarships are based on merit and are awarded to students who have shown the potential for accomplishment in these fields. The award is $2,500 for a nine-month period in the freshman year, and an additional $2,500 for a nine-month period in the sophomore year, based on performance in the first year.
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The BReeze is mailed the first week of each month, free of charge, to all 20,000 residences in Bridgewater Township and Raritan Borough, total population approx. 50,000. The opinions expressed in The BReeze, whether by paid advertisement or editorial content, do not necessarily reflect the views of this newspaper and its staff. The newspaper staff reserves the right to edit any submission for length and content. Contact the staff or submit an article through email at yourbreeze@yahoo.com.
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The BReeze
Page 3
BReeze Bulletin Board
Fairy Tale Comes to Life for Bridgewater Resident
Cary Stickle, wearing a suit of replica medieval armor and riding a Belgian draft horse, arrives at the home of his girlfriend, Ellen St. Pierre.
Dr. Barry Qualls, Vice President for Undergraduate Education at Rutgers, presents Bridgewater 8th grade student Grace Chen with the Top in Country Award for her SAT Critical Reading score. Grace Chen, an 8th grader at Bridgewater-Raritan Middle School, took the SAT earlier this year along with 30,000 other 7th and 8th grade students across the country through the CTY John Hopkins Global Talent Search. She received the Top in Country Award for her SAT Critical Reading score, as well as First Place in New Jersey. Her overall SAT score placed second in New Jersey. Grace and other honorees received their awards at a ceremony on October 30 at Rutgers University. CTY (Center for Talented Youth) is a nonprofit organization at John Hopkins for identifying and teaching academically talented children.
Cary Stickle of Somerville and Ellen St. Pierre of Bridgewater proudly announce their engagement to each other on October 31, 2010. The bride-to-be and groom-to-be both happily work for the Bridgewater-Raritan School district. Ellen is a guidance counselor at Bradley Gardens Elementary School, where she has worked since 2006 and Cary is a Social Studies teacher at BridgewaterRaritan Middle School since 2001. Wearing a suit of replica medieval armor and riding a Belgian draft horse the groom-to-be asked the bride-to-be for her hand in marriage in a carefully planned surprise at her home. With friends of both parties watching (along with several neighbors
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Page 4 Thursday, December 2 Santa Craft at the Raritan Library at 6:30 p.m. Sign up to make an adorable holiday craft with Irene Mortko made from a real paintbrush! Fee for class is $5.00 (which includes paints and materials). Call 908-725-0413 to register. Thurs. & Fri., Dec. 2 & 3 Toy Donations Needed - Bradley Gardens School is accepting new or gently-used toys and children’s bicycles for its December 4th Toy Sale. Please bring donations to the school’s main entrance, 148 Pine St., Bridgewater, on Thurs., December 2nd and Fri., December 3rd from 9 am to 2 pm and 4 pm to 6 pm. Donation receipts are available at drop off. Friday, December 3 The Bridgewater Senior Center will be holding their 2nd Annual Holiday Boutique from 9:30 am - 2:30 pm at the Bridgewater Senior Center. The center is located at 455 Somerville Road in Bridgewater. Vendors include Jewelry, Handbags, Angel and Spiritual Decor, Mary Kay, Sweet Treats, Sports Collectibles, Simply Delicious, Tupperware, and gift items. Saturday, December 4 The New Jersey Youth Ballet’s Nutcracker - The New Jersey Youth Ballet presents this traditional Christmas ballet at the Bridgewater Senior Center. Dolls and sweets come to life, mice and toy soldiers do battle, and snowflakes dance in a beautiful snow-covered forest. The New Jersey Youth Ballet’s Nutcracker is fully narrated and abridged so children and adults of all ages can enjoy it. Come and enjoy this beautiful story, the magic, and the precision and grace of these beautiful young dancers. The event takes place
The BReeze
December 2010
Be There on Saturday, December 4th at 1:00 pm at the Bridgewater Senior Center, 455 Somerville Road. Tickets are $10. A limited number of discount tickets are available for Bridgewater Seniors only. For more info call (908) 725-8020. Hot dogs and baked goods will be available for sale at noon so come early and enjoy lunch!
Wednesday, December 8 Bridgewater Democratic Committee will meet to discuss community improvement initiatives and the legislative process in our community. Community members are invited to attend. Time: 6:30-7:00 p.m. informal interactions, meeting to start 7:00 p.m. Location: Somerville Diner, 79 US-206, Somerville.
Saturday, December 4 Breakfast with Frosty at John F. Kennedy School in Raritan. Come enjoy breakfast treats, drinks, fun and games. Two sessions will be held: 9-10:15 or 10:30-11:45. $4/person.
Sat. & Sun., Dec. 11 & 12 Festival of Trees – The Somerset County 4-H is hosting a Festival of Trees at the Ted Blum 4-H Center, 310 Milltown Rd., Bridgewater from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. on Saturday and 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is free. There will be unique, handmade ornaments for sale; music by local musicians; children’s crafts and Santa Claus.
Saturday, December 4 Craft Fair - Hosted by the BRHS Band Parents from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. in the BridgewaterRaritan Middle School Cafeteria, Merriwood Dr., Bridgewater. Saturday, December 4 Gold Swap! Bring your unused or broken gold items and swap them for cash from 10:00am5:00pm at the Bridgewater Marriott. A Lia Sophia Jewelry Rep will be available; so you can swap out your old jewelry and shop for new and updated jewelry. Project Graduation will receive a percentage of the total amount collected. Sunday, Dec. 5 & 12 American Red Cross Babysitter’s Training for youth ages 11-15 will be held at Shimon and Sara Birnbaum JCC, 775 Talamini Road, Bridgewater from 12:30-4:30 p.m. The cost is $85/ member; $110/non-member. Course #52-910-F10. To register call the JCC: 908-725-6994 x201. For info call Paul at 908725-6994 x230.
Tuesday, December 14 JANUS Bereavement Group will present, “Coping with the Holidays” at 7:30 pm at 1124 Hwy 202S, Raritan.General discussion and sharing will follow. Anyone who has experienced a loss through death, divorce/separation, retirement, relocation or loss of health should plan to attend. The meeting is free but registration is requested by contacting Dr. Barbara Ronca, LCSW at 908-218-9062 weekdays 9-3. Refreshments are provided but this month, there is an option of bringing an appetizer or donation of a non-perishable food for the Food Bank. Monday, December 27 Stories & Craft at the Bridgewater Library, 1 Vogt Dr., Bridgewater at 10:30 a.m. For families with children of all ages. Hey kids! Bring your parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles… all
those relatives who are “home for the holidays,” to your library and share a story and craft. Registration begins December 13. Call 908-526-4016 x.126. Tues. & Wed., Dec. 28 & 29 Babysitter’s Training for youth ages 11-15 will be held at the American Red Cross, 14 West Cliff St., Somerville, from 10:00 – 1:45. Bring a lunch. To register call 908-725-2217 x 234 or email: PattersonBa@usa.redcross.org. Must attend both days. Cost: $65. Raffle Calendars: St. Ann School is selling raffle calendars. For $25, the ticket holder is entered into 365 daily drawings. Prizes range from $25 to $500. There is no limit to the number of times you can win. Calendars are available through January 14, 2011. For info call Kelly (908) 725-7787.
Santa Claus will be in Raritan on December 5th from 2-4:30 p.m. in the Quick Chek parking lot on Somerset Street. Visit with Santa and have a free photo taken. Mrs. Claus, Rudolph and Frosty the Snowman will also be there. Free hot chocolate and cookies will be provided. The Christmas tree will be lit at dusk. This event is sponsored by the Raritan Area Chamber of Commerce.
The Somerset Valley Players will be presenting “A Christmas Story” at the theater located at 689 Amwell Road (Rte 514), Hillsborough, from December 3 - 19, 2010 on Fridays at 8:00 p.m., Saturdays at 2:00 & 8:00 p.m., and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. Tickets $15.00; Seniors/Students $13.00. For reservations call 908•369•SHOW (7469) or log on to www.svptheatre.org.
GREAT EVENTS COMING TO BRIDGEWATER! Debbie Levy Author
Thursday, Dec. 2 at 6:30 p.m.
Location: Birnbaum JCC
Maybe I’ll Sleep in the Bathtub Tonight: and Other Funny Bedtime Poems
Santa Claus is Coming to Raritan on December 5th
Family Chanukah & Pajama Party! Thurs., Dec. 9 at 7p.m. Martin Fletcher NBC News Tel Aviv Location: Birnbaum JCC
Return Engagement!
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Author Stuart E. Weisberg Barney Frank - The Story of America’s Only Left-Handed Gay, Jewish Congressman
Events will be held at the Shimon and Sara Birnbaum Jewish Community Center, 775 Talamini Road, Bridgewater For more information and to register, please call the JCC at 908-725-6994 x201. www.ssbjcc.org/jlife.htm
December 2010
Blaze Destroys Bridgewater Family’s Home On October 22, 2010, the Holtz family lost everything. Their home on Shaffer Road in Bridgewater and all their belongings were destroyed in a fire. The electrical fire started in the basement and had been burning for some time before firefighters were alerted. One of the responding Country Hills firefighters was Evan Holtz (BRHS class of 2010), who lived at the home with his parents, Arnold and Mona Holtz. No one was home at the time of the blaze, and coincidently, Evan was volunteering at the firehouse when the call came in that his home was on fire. Evan helped fight the four alarm blaze until he was relieved by his chief. Until their home is rebuilt, the Holtz family is living in a hotel waiting for a rental home to open up. If you would like to help one of Bridgewater’s own, mail gift cards and monetary donations to Debbie Grigoletti, 1114 Papen Road, Bridgewater, NJ 08807, or call 908-725-1421.
The BReeze
Somerset County Vo-Tech Hosts Holiday Family Fun on December 11
Creative Arts students rehearse for their family HOLLY-Day Sing Along to be performed on the main stage at SCVTHS December 11. The cast includes: Reindeer clockwise: Emily Conlon, Shannon Schulz, Jake Brown, Darcy (Rudolph) Schulz, Patrick Blood, Bridgett Sona, Danielle Licht, Emily Simroth & Alex Kessler (center). Not pictured Abby Alexander, Emma DeMayo, Allie Tucker & Amanda Aschoff The Parents Advisory Committee at Somerset County Vocational & Technical High School will sponsor a Breakfast with Santa/Holiday Craft Fair fundraiser on Saturday, December 11 at the school, 14 Vogt Drive, Bridgewater. There are 2 seatings: 8:30am and 11 am. Tickets are $15 adults, one child per adult free, and each additional
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child -$5. Reservations are required. For reservations call 908-526-8900, ext. 7270, 7263 or 7248. Snow date is December 12. Participants will enjoy a buffet breakfast prepared by the Culinary Arts students, games, face painting, crafts, cookie decorating, nail art and more. They will also receive a photo with Santa at no charge. Creative Arts students age 8-12 will present “Holly-Day” showcase, a family sing-along, in the auditorium at 11am & 1pm. Tickets are $5. A Holiday Craft Fair will also be held on Dec. 11 from 9am3pm at the Somerset County Vocational & Technical High School. Holiday shopping is made easy! For more info call 908-526-8900, ext. 7248.
Page 5
Raritan to Hold Holiday House Decorating Contest The Raritan Area Chamber of Commerce will hold its annual Holiday House Decorating Contest. It is open to Raritan residents and the community is encouraged to express their holiday spirit by entering the contest and decorating their home with an expression of how you celebrate the holiday. The Holiday House Decorating Contest is the Chamber’s way of recognizing neighbors whose yards stand out from the rest. The extra time, energy and money these residents expend on their homes, and the imaginative touches they bring to their landscaping not only enhance the beauty of the community and the homes around them, but also foster a positive image of the entire neighborhood.
Homes will be judged on their originality (use of lighting, and overall beauty) and four prizes will be awarded. Prizes include: 1st Place – Char Restaurant-$75; 2nd Place – Uncle Vinnie’s Clam Bar & Restaurant-$75; 3rd Place – Muggs Restaurant-$50; 4th Place – Nonna’s Restaurant-$50. Homeowners will be advised to send in applications to enter the decorating contest to the Chamber between December 1st and December 15th. Judging will take place around December 19th. Please register to enter the contest by completing the form that will be available on Raritanonline.com or stop by Gaetano’s Salon at 85 W. Somerset Street to pick up a form.
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Page 6
A SOUPer Way to Welcome Fall
The BReeze
Sharon Caldwell
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December 2010
Volunteer of the Month - Meet Literacy Volunteer Sharon Caldwell
Five Star
Over 25 children at the Hillside After School Program in Bridgewater created gift jars of soup mixes which were donated to the Somerset County Food Bank just in time for the cold weather. The children measured the pasta, spices and other ingredients used in the recipe. The jars were labeled; instruction and ingredient labels created, and jar lids decorated by the children. The gift jars were gladly received at the Somerset County Food Bank. - Submitted by Denise Perone
by Pam Laughlin Sharon Caldwell of Bridgewater has been a volunteer for the Literacy Volunteers of Somerset County for nine years. The Literacy Volunteers of Somerset County (LVSC), located in Bridgewater, is committed to the promotion of literacy throughout the community by providing student-centered tutoring for adults so that they may function more effectively in their daily lives. Sharon first heard of this organization about twenty years ago and kept the thought of volunteering in the back of her mind until the timing was right. She says, “Although many of the tutors work full-time in addition to volunteering, I waited until I was close to retirement before contacting the organization in 2001 and applying for tutor training.” And I bet the Literacy Vol-
unteers of Somerset County is glad that she did. Since she first volunteered in 2001 she has provided one-to-one tutoring to six students from six different countries, and assessed over two hundred students. In 2008, Sharon received the Alma Liotta Award which is given to volunteers who have given extraordinary service to LVSC. Sharon feels that, “This is such a necessary skill and one which I have always enjoyed. I thought it would be a very satisfying experience, and it has been.” Today, Sharon devotes all her volunteer hours to assessments because of the large number of people applying for tutoring. About ten percent of students were born and educated in the United States, but have significant difficulty reading and/or writing. The other ninety percent come from all over the world: South America, Central America, Asia, Europe, and Africa. The only continent not represented is Antarctica! Tutor training focuses on all four literacy skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing) and concentrates on both Basic Literacy and English for Speakers of Other Languages. The students’ backgrounds are extremely diverse, and it is common for speaking and listening skills to
be more problematic than reading and writing skills. Sharon is quick to point out that, “I have been enriched by my exposure to so many different cultures through my contact with all of these students, and it has been very satisfying to help them improve their English speaking, listening, reading and writing skills and to help them achieve their dreams of success in the United States.” Sharon adds, “One of my most rewarding experiences was with the third student I tutored who was able to pass all of the English tests that allowed him to practice medicine in this country; his profession before he immigrated here. It was also extremely rewarding to have another student become a bilingual radio announcer for a Spanish/ English station and for another to report that she could now feel comfortable speaking with her children’s teachers.” If you would like to be a volunteer for Literacy Volunteers of Somerset County visit their website at www.literacysomerset.org or call the office at 908-725-5430 for more information. The next tutor training session will begin in early 2011, and there are other types of volunteer opportunities to match various interests.
December 2010
Raritan Mayor’s Message Many years ago there was a television show called “That Was the Week That Was” and it was a look back at the news events of that week. This December column could be titled “That was the Year That Was” because I’d like to recap some of the events that marked 2010 in Raritan. As you recall we had a very snowy winter and our DPW worked around the clock at times to keep our streets open and as snow free as possible. Thank goodness that spring finally arrived but not without our Fire Department traveling to Bound Brook to pump out basements because of the heavy rains during the beginning of March. The Planning Board refused to lift the age restrictions on the property commonly known as Willow Walk and a lawsuit ensued from the developer. Happily the two parties were able to have mediation sessions and plans for the Willow Walk community are coming together with both sides making concessions. The lawsuit filed by the Gannet Newspaper conglomerate concerning an OPRA request they filed was overturned and the Borough prevailed. Sadly, in March, the day to day operations of the Raritan Police Department were taken over by the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office. They would remain in charge until June when a new Police Chief was selected and sworn into office. The Council has also promoted four officers and hired two new ones. This past year also saw many new groups established within the borough: Cultural and Historic Committee, Youth on Main Street, Grants Committee, and the Economic Development Committee. September brought a record breaking crowd to the 29th John Basilone Parade with many people coming because they viewed “The Pacific” on HBO. So, here we are at the close of another year. Governor Christie’s 2% spending cap will be a challenge for the Council and me. We are painfully aware of the economic situations facing us personally and as a community. Beginning in January, I will establish “Lunch with the Mayor” on one Saturday each month where you can bring your brown bag lunch and we can sit and talk about things of concern to you. I would like to invite you to our annual Re-organization meeting which will be held at twelve noon on Sunday, January 2, 2011. On behalf of the borough employees, the Borough Council and myself, I’d like to wish you all a very joyous holiday season and a new year filled with happiness and good health. Jo-Ann Liptak, Mayor Raritan Borough
Rejuvenate Your Smile John F. Raziano, D.M.D., P.A. Teresa L. DeStefano, D.M.D. Esthetic & Restorative Dentistry 1130 Route 202, B-2 • Raritan Ph (908) 722-8256 • Fx (908) 722-8499 www.drs-raziano-destefano.org
RVCC Chorale to Present Holiday Concert The RVCC Chorale will perform its annual holiday concert Saturday, December 4, at 8 p.m. The performance will be held in the Welpe Theatre at Raritan Valley Community College’s Branchburg Campus. The Chorale is composed of current and former RVCC students, as well as members of the community. It is conducted by John Sichel, a full-time faculty member in the College’s Visual and Performing Arts Department. Heidi Lowy-Pease is the accompanist. The Chorale will be joined by tenor soloist Richard Slade, who has performed with the New York City Opera, the New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players, and Western Wind. The program will feature a performance of the cantata “Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern,” by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), a luminous interpretation of the Lutheran hymn “How brightly shines the Morning Star.” The program also will include works by Brahms, Rachmaninov and Praetorious; traditional carols from around the world; and an audience carol sing-along. General admission is $10, $5 for students and seniors. For tickets, call 908-725-3420. For further info, call 908-218-8876.
Page 7
And the Winner is...
Congratulations to Judy Mead of Bridgewater, winner of our “Find the Pilgrim Hat” symbol contest. Judy won a $50 American Express gift card plus a $350 gift certificate from Bridgewater Marble and Granite Works. Judy (left) is shown receiving her prize from sales associate Aubrey Foster. Bridgewater Marble & Granite Works specializes in granite countertops, marble vanity tops, as well as surrounds and hearths for your fireplace remodel. They are the area’s top professionals in custom stone fabrication and have the largest indoor inventory of any New Jersey fabricator featuring a wide range of materials from exotic granites to soapstone to quartz products. Bridgewater Marble & Granite Works began importing granite and marble slabs in 1987. Later in 1999 they began fabrication and installation operations to meet the rising demand for kitchen and bathroom countertops throughout Central Jersey. Since then, they have expanded their staff, facilities, inventory and product line to include many products including tub surrounds, wet bars, custom shower walls and floors, stone tabletops, outdoor grill tops and much more. Today Bridgewater Marble & Granite Works serves customers throughout NJ, eastern PA and Staten Island, NY. Their professional services include stone design and consultation, templating, fabrication and installation for residential and commercial projects. Stop by their showroom, conveniently located off of Route 22 East on Chimney Rock Road, or contact them at 732-560-1717 to learn more about Bridgewater Marble & Granite Works.
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Before you pick up that NutCaramel Surprise this Holiday Season- think twice! Many of the 40 and over crowd unfortunately have had a lot of dentistry as kids, with big fillings on molars, and maybe a crown or two. Hard and sticky treats can sometimes push the limits of heavily restored teeth and cause fractures or pop off crowns. Proceed with care! During this treat laden season, don’t slack off on your oral hygiene. Use a restoring, or remineralizing rinse, preferably with Fluoride. This will help counteract a lot of the sweets. January is on its way. Start 2011 off with a preventative visit to your dentist!
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Page 8
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This year Tara Zimliki, sixteen time marathoner and owner of Tara’s Bootcamp, ran the New York Marathon on November 8th for Team For Kids (TFK). Through the support of Bootcamp members and local businesses over $35,000 was raised to support the Team For Kids charity to combat childhood obesity. TFK provides athletic programs in low income schools across the country to combat obesity and build confidence. Since this cause is a very serious concern, as diabetes is on the rise, Tara and fellow bootcampers worked hard to help change this. Although Tara trained in almost half her normal training time due to busy scheduling, having TFK and the bootcampers in spirit helped her run strong. Tara ran with a bracelet with all supporters names listed so when she crossed the finish line they all crossed with her. She finished in her 2nd best time ever of 3:28 and finished in the top 10% out of 45,000 people overall and top 5% for overall women. “I hope that this accomplishment will inspire all adults and children including my own,” said Tara. “Sports are simply the tool for accomplishing our main objective: to bring hope, inspiration and the joys of achievement to all. What better way to inspire than raising funds to help combat obesity in children. A special thanks to Bagel Garden, The Branchburg Sports Complex, Il Forno, Marriot, Canswerlink, and all the wonderful bootcamp support.” For info on training for a running race go to www.tarasbootcamp. com and to read more about team for kids go to www.runwithtfk.org.
Somerset County United Way is requesting additional participation in their 2010 Gifts of the Season program this year due to the increase in number of qualifying families in our community. The annual Gifts of the Season program provides holiday gifts to local families facing financial hardship. “We have only just begun receiving information on families from the county, and have already seen a 30% increase in the number of families in need of services compared to previous years,” said Irene Natale, manager of community services at Somerset County United Way. Participants in the Gifts of the Season program receive gift tags from United Way with information about a person in need and their wish list and then choose the item(s) they would like to purchase and donate. The unwrapped gifts will be delivered to a central location in Somerset County on December 9th or 10th, where they will be sorted and packed by volunteers and distributed along with baskets of food prepared by the Somerset County Food Bank Network. “In addition to the gift tag program, we are also in need of store gift cards and donations of new household items such as towels, small appliances, linens and blankets, etc. to provide disabled adults and seniors with a gift, as many may go without receiving any gifts at all this holiday season,” said Natale. If you would like to get involved with this program or require more information, please call Irene Natale at (908) 2536511 or visit www.scuw.org.
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December 2010
St. Ann School Celebrates Red Ribbon Week
From left to right: Emily Sateary, Kristen Coiley, Nicholas Accetta, Robbie Sause and Thomas Ellis, St. Ann School students, participated in “Red Ribbon Week” activities by “turning their back on drugs.” For the week of October 26-29, students at St. Ann School, Raritan, celebrated “Red Ribbon Week” which symbolizes drug prevention. The older students paraded around school wearing their own red tie-dyed shirts. Mrs. Eleanor Maccia, the school’s Science teacher, helped the students tie-dye the shirts. On Tuesday, the students had the chance to wear their gym clothes “backwards.” This symbolized “turning their backs on drugs.” Mrs. Marian Hardgrove’s gym classes walked laps for the first ten minutes. She tallied up how many laps the students walked and then converted them into miles. This was done to show how exercise benefits the students’ bodies, unlike what drugs can do to you. The younger grades also had a coloring contest in which they colored a monkey saying “don’t monkey with drugs.” All students received bracelets that said, “My Future Shines Bright Drug Free, Color My World Drug Free.” - Submitted by Denise McGuire
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December 2010
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Page 9
Van Holten School Hosts Family Walk/Run
Van Holten families get fit during the “One Step Better Than Your Best” event. On October 26th, Van Holten School “ran” its first ever Family Walk/Run. The event was sponsored by the Bridgewater Raritan Education Association who provided healthy refreshments to all participants that day. The Association is very active in the Bridgewater-Raritan community and sponsors many events that help keep our schools and community strong. Manny Caravano, Joe King and Alex Urban, Physical Education teachers at Van Holten, organized the event that promoted family exercise and staying active. Several teachers also volunteered their time in an effort to make the event a success. The event was modeled after a program that all 1st-4th grade students participate in during their Physical Education classes from September-October. The students refer to it as “The Jogging Program” and it is beneficial in many ways. For example, students choose how to be active by walking, jogging or running to work toward their goal. This event was named “One Step Better than Your Best” after a legendary Physical Educator in the district, Amy Stewart. She started the program in the 1980’s and it has been “running” ever since. The program teaches: hard work, perseverance, goal setting and honesty. Fifty families participated for a total of over 160 participants. Everyone had a great time exercising with their families and friends.
The Great Russian Nutcracker to be Presented at RVCC The Theatre at Raritan Valley Community College in Branchburg will present the Moscow Ballet’s production of The Great Russian Nutcracker, Friday, December 10, at 4 and 8 p.m. Tickets cost $40 and $45. This is the 10th year that the Moscow Ballet’s touring company, assisted by dancer Anna Tytyunnik, collaborated with Caroline Hidalgo of Gotta Dance to present this classic holiday ballet. Traditionally, the Ballet casts local students—from very young dancers through teenagers—in roles that include party children, mice, angels, butterflies, snowflakes, pages and more as the company travels from city to city across the US. Moscow Ballet’s spectacular scenic design, gorgeous costumes and the exquisite artistry of 40 top Russian dancers have made the Great Russian Nutcracker a holiday tradition not to be missed. To purchase tickets or for more information, call the Box Office, 908-725-3420, or order online at www.rvccArts.org. Senior citizen, student and group discounts are also available for a variety of performances.
JCC Holds Texas Hold’em Tournament - More than 100 poker players turned out for the Third Annual Texas Hold’em Tournament at the Shimon and Sara Birnbaum JCC in Bridgewater. The annual fundraiser benefits The JCC Scholarship Fund. Photo/Debbie Golden
Pop Warner Supports Food Bank - Bridgewater-Raritan
Pop Warner is proud to support the Bridgewater Sports vs. Hunger 2010 Fall Food Drive sponsored by the Bridgewater Recreation Department. During their last home game of the season, BridgewaterRaritan Pop Warner collected food donations from the parents, football players, and cheerleaders to benefit the Somerset County Food Bank, and help our friends and neighbors.
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Debbie, Jennie, Eva, Sharon, Matt, Wendy Joy, Tami Joy, Tom & Randy Wish You Happy Holidays & Good Health & Prosperity in the New Year! Winter Hours:
Dec., Jan., & Feb.: Open Mon-Sat 8AM-5PM, Closed Sunday Closed Thanksgiving Day. Last Day of Business for 2010 is Dec. 22 We will reopen on January 11th at 8AM.
Page 10
The BReeze
December 2010
Music Scene Alive and Thriving in Raritan
Four friends with four separate music-related businesses in Raritan are L-R: Tom DiPaolo, Anthony Krizan, Lou Colonna, and Peter Praza. Photo/Pam Laughlin by Pam Laughlin If you’re a music lover, then Raritan’s the place for you. Raritan’s music scene is growing and thriving with four friends with four separate music-related businesses referring and working together to help create a music venue right here in Raritan. From classical to contemporary instrumental lessons, voice lessons, a state-of-the-art recording studio, musical instruments for sale and trade, and a jam-packed music store all of your musical related needs are sure to be met. Raritan Music Center, owned and operated by, Lou Colonna, offers much for the Bridgewater/Raritan community with a personalized approach to music education. Established in 1997, the Center works with students of all ages – from young beginning musicians to adults fulfilling a lifelong dream of learning to play a musical instrument. Colonna says, “Since 1997, we have been providing profes-
sional and friendly service to our customers. We pride ourselves in having a very diverse and specialized teaching staff that tailors their lessons to the needs of individual students. We also provide a chance for students to participate in recitals and competitions throughout the year (at Bridgewater Hilton) as a chance for them to express themselves musically.” Raritan Music Center carries orchestral strings, drums, brass, woodwinds, and pianos. Private and group lessons on these classical and traditional instruments are available onsite at the Center with over 35 degreed instructors. For rock and rollers, Colonna offers guitar lessons in a more private setting at his Guitar Annex, located right down the street, in a converted brick warehouse. Colonna is also branching into lessons on classical Eastern musical instruments like the sitar (plucking string instrument from India). “We just signed our first
student this week and are thinking of including other classical East Indian instruments like the tabla (drums),” Colonna states. The Raritan Music Center is heavily involved in the Bridgewater-Raritan school system. They offer rental programs for band and orchestral instruments, as well as maintenance and repair for all instruments. All musical instruments, equipment and sheet music are offered at competitive prices. With an extensive background in piano and teaching, Colonna admits, “I know I’ve done things right when my former students come to visit during Thanksgiving break and tell me they’ve just gotten their degree in music.” For more information, contact Raritan Music Center, 55 W. Somerset St., Raritan, NJ (908)595-9023, www.raritanmusiccenter.com. Located directly across the street from the Raritan Music Center is the Raritan Music Store. Added in 2004 to conveniently meet the needs of the Center’s customers, Lou Colonna and partner Tom DiPaolo opened their door to help keep students’ instruments in good working order. The Music Center had a need to bring someone on board who was knowledgeable in repair. DiPaolo shares, “I’ve been repairing guitars since the mid 80s and fixing brass instruments since the mid 90s and was looking to open up my own business so the timing was right.” DiPaolo points out, “We carry
55 West Somerset St., Raritan 908.595.6980
RaritanMusicCenter.com
a wide range of accessories and printed music, and have an extensive selection of brand name instruments for both rental and purchase.” The Raritan Music Store has lots to offer its customers, including brand name instruments, a variety of mouthpieces, reeds, strings, and accessories for band and orchestral instruments. They have a large selection of method books, sheet music, and teaching materials as well as an expert set-up and repair service for brass, woodwind, and stringed instruments. Raritan Music is a licensed affiliate of NEMC (National Educational Music Company). “This relationship allows us to offer schools and individuals alike competitive prices on quality brand name instruments,” says DiPaolo. They also make weekly visits to participating schools for repairs, pick-ups, and delivery of instruments. Quick turn-around time is guaranteed on repairs or
a loaner instrument will be provided. Best yet, rental payments go towards the purchase of your instrument. Contact Information: Raritan Music Center, 56 W. Somerset St., Raritan, (908) 595-9023, www.raritanmusiccenter.com. Just a quick walk down the streets of Raritan’s downtown will take you to Sonic Boom Studios located in a warm, red brick building on First Avenue. This warehouse, built in the 1800’s is one of the oldest buildings in the county and used to be home to a woodshop, knitting factory and spaghetti factory. Today, it is the studio of former Spin Doctor member, Anthony Krizan. Krizan has co-written songs for Lenny Kravitz, Poco, John Waite and has played out with Noel Redding (Jimmy Hendrix), John Waite and Amfibian. Krizan states, “Some of our New Jersey recording studio clients include: John Waite, Continued on Next Page
Jamming together are (L-R): Kyle Adams, Amanda Long, Lachlan Gonzalez and Erica Iovino in the Rock Ensemble Program offered by Raritan Music Center and Sonic Boom Studios.
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December 2010
Continued from Previous Page
Kaitlyn Ali plays the violin during a recital. Robert Randolph, Tom Marshall (Phish), Shannon Curfman, Glen Burtnik (Styx), Shannon McNally, Earl Slick (David Bowie) and Scott Fre (Bo Diddly).” But Sonic Boom is not only for the famous. Krizan also records music for commercials, voiceovers and jingles for professional companies in the area, such as Johnson & Johnson, Ethicon and medical doctors. This summer, Sonic Boom Studios and Raritan Music Center joined forces to create a unique opportunity for local music students called, “Rock Ensemble Program.” Under the direction of the Raritan Music Center and Krizan, students work with professional musicians, singers, and songwriters to play and perform rock music in a small band setting to produce a professional recording using Sonic Boom Studio’s state-of the-art equipment. Krizan is proud to point out, “It’s a lot different from other
The BReeze
ensemble classes because the kids actually record a CD where lots of the others don’t, plus our prices are really competitive. We also use state-of-the-art, digital and analog recording equipment Pro Tools HD System.” Krizan has worked with every major network on TV and movie placements with famous actors such as Keanu Reaves and Burt Reynolds. With 5 songs on the Spin Doctors greatest hits and his Lenny Kravitz song, “Stand By My Woman,” selling over 10 million copies, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for kids to work with one of the big players in the music industry. Sonic Boom also uses kids from Bridgewater-Raritan High School as interns. “We’re always on the lookout for talented high school kids interested in music. Last year, Charlie Reeder interned with us and got to learn the recording business firsthand.” Students interested in becoming interns should contact Krizan via email at akrizanmusic@aol.com. Contact Information 7 First Ave., Raritan, NJ (908) 541-9303, www.njrecordingstudio.com. New to the Raritan Music Scene but no newcomer to the music industry is owner, Peter Prasa, of Pianos Plus Music Center, located on 43 W. Somerset Street in Raritan. Pianos Plus was first established in 1984 and was located in Greenbrook and Warren as full music centers where Prasa performed piano repairs and piano tuning for the Paramount Theatre located in Asbury Park. Some of Prasa’s more famous
tuning clients include music legends like Liza Minnelli, Corrine Bailey Rae, John Legend and Whitney Houston. Prasa first met Colonna over 15 years ago when he sold him a restored piano. Today, he is happy to be located in the heart of downtown Raritan. “It’s like we’ve come full circle. Now we all help each other out, referring customers and business, without competing with each other,” announces Prasa. Piano Plus Music Center buys and sells all types of pianos and piano accessories, including benches and cushions. All used and pre-owned pianos come with a warranty, free tuning and delivery can be arranged. If you are looking for pianos, this is the place to go. You can find high-quality, pre-owned pianos such as Mason Hamlin, Kimball and Steinway. “Come back or call often to see what we have in stock, as the inventory is constantly changing,” suggests Prasa. The “Plus” part of Pianos Plus Music Center includes digital keyboards (including Korg), drum kits, guitar and acoustic repairs, sales and trades. All band instruments are repaired and sold here as well. Parents will be glad to know that they also offer equipment rentals for band members at Eisenhower and Hillside schools. Contact Information: Pianos Plus Music Center, 43 W Somerset St, Raritan, (908) 722-7200. Make sure to take a stroll down Raritan’s main street and check out these four friends and their musical endeavors.
Page 11
Marching Band Defends Title as New Jersey State Champions
Color Guard Captain and senior Charlotte DiMatteo during the Colors of Copland Finale. Photo/David Moore The Bridgewater-Raritan Marching Band accomplished a 4-peat by defending their title as NJ State Champions for the 4th consecutive year at the United States Scholastic Band Association (USSBA) Competition held in Old Bridge, NJ on October 24th. The competition welcomed 27 open class bands, five of which competed with B-R in Class 6 category. As an aside, the B-R Marching Band has won 7 of the 9 years the USSBA has been in existence. On another high note, the Panthers won First Place in Preliminaries at the Band of America (BOA) Regional Competition, swept all awards in class AAAA large schools, and placed Third Overall. The All-American 2010 show, “Colors of Copland; Red, White & Blue,” includes a brilliant medley of Copland’s works such as, The Red Pony, Down a Country Land, and Appalachian Spring. This performance features the precision and grace of the award-winning Color Guard Squad and projects musical and visual brilliance with the show finale displaying waves of a 40 x 20 foot American flag. The next three weeks will be used to further perfect or prepare for the band’s final season competition in Indianapolis, IN. They will continue to raise their instruments, flags and honor with pride for their country, their parents & teachers, and in themselves. – Submitted by AnnaRene Jeremiah
Looking for a great recording studio? Sonic Boom Studios is a great place to record your demo CD, master your album or to create a new CD. Give us a call to setup a tour of our facilities.
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We reproduce a warm vintage atmosphere. Using state of the art digital and vintage analog equipment Pro Tools HD System, Sonic Boom recording studio can create any sound that you require. From the cleanest digital tracks to the fat sounds produced by vintage analog 2 inch tape, Sonic Boom Studios is your choice for the best recording studio in New Jersey.
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Cajon’s • Djembe’s • Shakers Kids Drums • Remo • Hand Percussion • Complete Drum Kits Percussion Plus 5 Piece Drum Kit with Cymbals, Throne, Stands, Complete.............$399.99 Mini Drum Set 3 Piece with Cymbals...........$119.99 We Also Carry Vintage Sheet Music, Lamps, Piano Metronomes & Accessories
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Page 12
The BReeze
Jr. Midget Cheer Squad Heads to Nationals - The Jr Midget Cheer Squad competed on No-
vember 13th in the Regional Cheer Competition at the Sun Bank Arena in Trenton. The squad advanced and is moving on to Nationals which will be held at Disney World in Orlando, Florida in December. Photo/Dawn Wilde
December 2010
How does the Bridgewater-Raritan Pop Warner Jr. Midget Squad get psyched for competitions? Check out the newly formed squad of “Cheer Dads of Bridgewater� who performed for the squad the day before heading to the State competition on October 31, 2010. Photo/Dawn Wilde
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B-R Pop Warner Supports Eric LeGrand - Bridgewater-Raritan Pop Warner is proud to be
supporting Eric LeGrand, the Rutgers football player who was paralyzed on October 16th in the game against Army. B-R Pop Warner invited football players, cheerleaders, parents and fans to sign a banner showing their support for Eric at their last home game on October 24th. The banner, and monetary donations collected through the sale of #52 bracelets, will be given to Eric and his family on behalf of the organization. B-R Pop Warner also hosted their second annual “Monster Mash� for the area Pop Warner Mitey Mite teams on October 30th at the Bridgewater-Raritan High School, and continued collecting additional donations to support Eric.
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December 2010
The BReeze
Page 13
Students from Milltown Primary School Share Their Thoughts on the Holidays
Alexandra
Simar
Students from Milltown Primary School recently answered the question, “What holiday does your family celebrate?” and “What do you like best about the holiday?” Their answers appear below. Visit our website at thebreezenj.com to see additional student’s responses.
what letter you get to win. Hannukah is really fun!
Alexandra
Christmas is a holiday my family celebrates because we get to see my whole family! We give presents to everyone! We eat ginger snaps, cake, candy, and a lot of good things. Then we get to play and play and play. Well, that is what my family celebrates. It’s great!
Simar
Diwali, the Festival of Lights, is my favorite holiday. Indians almost all over the world celebrate Diwali. Every year this holiday comes on a moonless night and, that is why people light beautiful candles all around their house. I love this special holiday and it is my favorite holiday.
Allison
My family celebrates Hannukah. I like the food best. The oily foods like doughnuts and potato latkes are a tradition. The game called Dreidle is fun. It’s when you spin a top with Hebrew letters on the sides. It depends on
Allison
Thomas
Brandon
Hannah
Jared
Soumya
kah. Hanukkah is 8 days long. We light the menorah each night. We add a candle each night. We go to Temple for services and sing songs. Our cousins come to our house to celebrate with us. We eat food made with oil which represents the miracle of the oil
lasting for 8 days. We play a game called dreidel. Finally, we get to open our presents for 8 days of Hanukkah.
by lighting oil lamps and turning all the lights in our house on. We eat lots of sweets and give some to others. We wear new clothes. This holiday lasts for five days. Making sweets with my mom is the best.
Thomas
We celebrate The Three Kings Day. It is celebrated on January 6th. The Three Kings brought gifts to baby Jesus. They brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The kids put a box under their bed. They put grass or hay in the box. If the kids are bad, they get dirt. If the kids are good, they get a small toy or candy. My Abuelita got a piece of candy when she was a little girl.
Brandon
My family celebrates Christmas. My favorite part of Christmas is when I open up my presents on Christmas day. I also like decorating the Christmas tree with my mom. We put many beautiful ornaments and candy canes on the tree. When Christmas day is over, I feel sad but I know it will be back next year!
Hannah
My family celebrates the holiday Eid. In Eid we fast, where you can’t eat or drink when the sun is up! You have to wake up early to eat. After sun down we can eat. On Eid I wear a lot of new dresses and I meet a lot of people.
Soumya
My family’s favorite holiday is Diwali. We celebrate Diwali
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My family celebrates Hanuk-
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The BReeze
Bridgewater Shade Tree Board Sponsoring ‘Just Say Trees’ Photo Contest
Shade Tree Board Member William Sedlazek donated two trees to commemorate the opening of the new Bridgewater Municipal Complex. On October 13, 2010, the Bridgewater Municipal Complex opened in grand style. To commemorate this event, the Bridgewater Shade Tree Board placed a Kwanzan Cherry Tree and a Weeping Cherry Tree at the entrances to the building. Board member, William Sedlazek, donated the trees and fellow board members donated the stone marker. According to Board Chairperson, Dr. Barbara Ronca, the board members all participated in the sustainability group presentations and hosted a tree raffle. Of the numerous entries,
Patricia and Daniel Zdroik of Bridgewater plant the Kwanzan Cherry Tree they won by entering a tree raffle hosted by the Shade Tree Board.
Patricia and Daniel Zdroik of Bridgewater were the proud winners. Over 100 Colorado Blue Spruce evergreen seedlings, donated by Board Members, were awarded that evening to those who answered questions correctly to a tree quiz. The Board is currently sponsoring a “Just Say Trees” photo contest. Winners will receive a tree for planting. Entries should be a photo of a tree located in Bridgewater that is worthy of recognition due to size, shape, color, history, beauty, or rarity. Send photo along with your name, address, phone, email ad-
dress and location of tree to: The Bridgewater Shade Board, 100 Commons Way, Bridgewater, NJ 08807. Deadline is December 20th. The Shade Tree Board is active year round maintaining and preserving trees, reinforcing the township tree ordinance and educating the public especially through its Arbor Day Program (April 29th) in the district elementary schools as well as through its library program at the Bridgewater/Somerset County Library which will take place the first Saturday in May, 2011.
December 2010
Bridgewater Mayor’s Message
Bridgewater is sponsoring a program to highlight the positive impact our residents can have by adding a few environmentally friendly practices in their daily lives. This program, Bridgewater Green Neighbor Challenge, was launched at our recent open house in October, where members of the Environmental Commission, Sustainability Committee and Shade Tree Board hosted a sustainability exhibit featuring a rain barrel demonstration and money saving and environmentally friendly tips for the household consumer. The Green Neighbor Challenge is a guide for actions you can take to reduce your carbon footprint through the decrease of demand for fossil fuels, protect our natural resources and reduce waste. See the Township website at Bridgewaternj.gov and click on the tree icon located at the top of the page to take the challenge. The quick and easy questionnaire will only take a few moments to complete and will help to demonstrate some of the many sustainable practices many of our residents use on a day to day basis. I applaud the efforts of the Environmental Commission for their creativity and enthusiasm in promoting some of the green practices throughout town. If you get the opportunity to visit the municipal complex you will see several of these sustainable practices in operation. For example, the building’s rainwater is captured and stored in cisterns underneath the plaza and then reused to irrigate the landscaping around the complex. There are automatic shades along the open corridors that are activated to reduce heat from sunlight and help reduce our energy costs. There are motion sensors in the offices that shut off the lighting when no activity is present. The cork floors in the Courtroom and conference rooms are made of recycled materials. These are examples of the environmentally friendly design elements that make the building LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified. In addition the Township will be participating in the Somerset County Solar Energy program by placing solar panels at the library and senior center. This no-cost program will reduce our energy costs for both facilities for the next 15 years. Please take a moment and take the Green Neighbor Challenge and help play a part in making Bridgewater sustainable. Patricia Flannery, Mayor Bridgewater Township
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Are you slowly drowning in debt? We get into debt innocently enough; however, not all of us are sure how to get out. Here are a few helpful tips: ď ? Pinpoint your position. Excluding mortgage, determine exactly how much you owe, and discretionary income available. ď ? Map out your debt-elimination game plan. Base your plan on three factors: time, discretionary dollars and total debt. Example: If you owe $6,000, allocate $300 a month to debt reduction, to be debt free in approximately two years, depending on interest. ď ? Stop adding new debt. Put away credit cards. Use a â&#x20AC;&#x153;cash-and-carryâ&#x20AC;? policy. ď ? Don't be too easy on yourself. Maybe you simply cannot afford to vacation twice this year. Allocate that extra money to reduce debt. Example: If you budget $200/month for debt reduction, once debt free you'll have that much cash per month for lifestyle enhancement later. ď ? At the same time, donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t make yourself miserable, otherwise your plan will fail. Split discretionary cash in half: 50% for debt elimination, 50% for living (and playing) expenses. ď ? Bite the bullet together if you're married. Getting out of debt requires sacrifice from all household members. Enlist your partner's support. ď ? Gradually build up a cash cushion for emergencies and regular expenditures. This allows you to pay cash in the future, while earning interest. ď ? Learn how to put money to work making more money. Develop at least a basic understanding of wealth building. ď ? Use life insurance as a tool to ensure your debts are retired if you should die prematurely and to make sure that your family can avoid the need for future debt. This is especially pertinent if you have a home mortgage or high consumer debt. Life insurance on your life can help assure that your family can maintain their standard of living if anything should happen to you. The above recommendations may not be easy to follow. Becoming debt free takes a determined commitment and a strong dose of selfdiscipline, but the end result is well worth the effort. Nowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s your chance to gain control of your financial destiny, reduce money worries, and achieve a better, more stable standard of living for the long run.
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The BReeze
Page 15
Dining Spotlight Nonnaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cucina Italiana
Owner Kal Nasr and Manager Mario Musumeci of Nonnaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s are ready to ensure your dining experience is a pleasant one. by Wendy Doheny Be ready to loosen your belt a notch or two when you dine at Nonnaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in Raritan. From the moment you walk into this cozy restaurant, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re made to feel like family. Friendly chatter filled the packed dining room on the Saturday night our group of six dined. Upon being seated, the bottle of wine we brought was opened. A basket of crisp crusted bread hot from the oven was served with a roasted red pepper dipping sauce. We could have eaten it all night! Nonnaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s extensive menu features traditional homemade pasta selections plus chicken, veal and seafood dishes â&#x20AC;&#x201C; not to mention the long list of daily specials made fresh to order. We started our meal with an appetizer sampler from the specials menu. The appetizers were served individually not in platter form so we were all able to try each one. The sampler consisted of caprese salad; eggplant rollatini marinara; sea scallops stuffed with crabmeat; mushrooms stuffed with ricotta, mozzarella, and spinach; and a platter of fried calamari served with Nonnaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s special tomato sauce. Everything was delicious! If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like a salad, there are some fabulous choices. We tried
the special crabmeat salad which by the time we finished, you would never have known there had been anything on the plate. So good! One member of our group had the special soup of the night - a delightful broccoli bisque. The beefeater in our group ordered filet mignon off the regular menu. It was a generous cut of meat smothered with a hearty mushroom gravy, cooked to perfection and served with fresh vegetables and Nonnaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s signature beet mashed potatoes which not only add vibrant color to the plate but rich creamy flavor. The rest of our group ordered off the specials menu. We tried the linguine with seafood; the lobster ravioli; rack of lamb; veal scallopini; and linquini with clams and tilapia. The quality and preparation of the food was top notch. Every dish was made to specification with pleasure. Having no room for dessert, we followed up dinner with a tall glass of cappuccino. If you do have room for dessert, I heard Nonnaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s homemade coconut tiramisu is outstanding. Nonnaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s has some great takeout specials that you might want to take advantage of including their â&#x20AC;&#x153;Family Feastâ&#x20AC;? which features chicken for 4 (any
style), pasta for 4 (any style) and salad for 4 (Caesar or garden). All for $29.95 plus tax. On a particularly busy weeknight, we ordered the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Family Feastâ&#x20AC;? and received a wonderful meal of chicken parmesan, penne pasta with marinara sauce and a large garden salad. The chicken was delicious and the pasta perfectly prepared. Another deal they offer is the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Two for Tuesdayâ&#x20AC;? which is 2 chicken dinners and 2 salads for $14.95 plus tax. If you send an email to info@ nonnasnj.com, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll send you a gift certificate for money off a future meal. Be a guest at your own party this holiday season. Nonnaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s offers a full catering menu so you can relax and enjoy your guests. If you prefer to dine out, Nonnaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s is open on Christmas Eve and New Yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Eve. Nonnaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s is located at 63 W. Somerset Street in Raritan. The restaurant is open 7 days a week. Monday-Friday for lunch 11:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and dinner from 5-10 p.m. on Saturday for dinner from 5-11 p.m. and Sunday from 3-9 p.m. They will adjust their hours for private parties. For more information about this charming Italian restaurant, visit their website at www. nonnasnj.com.
Nonnaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
Voted Most Romantic Restaurant in Somerset County
Voted Best Italian Restaurant in Somerset County
Cucina Italiana
Celebrating Our 10th Anniversary
Chicken . Ribs . Seafood 691 East Main St., Bridgewater-Finderne (1/4 mile west of TD Bank Ballpark)
732-469-4111
DEBIT AND MAJOR CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED
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63 W. Somerset St., Raritan
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FREE Entree
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Page 16
California Pizza Kitchen Opens at Bridgewater Commons Mall California Pizza Kitchen, Inc., home to the Original BBQ Chicken Pizza and other innovative hearth-baked pizzas, opened in Bridgewater on November 15, 2010. The new 5,500-square-foot restaurant is located at the entrance of the Bridgewater Commons shopping center, between Macy’s and Lord & Taylor. Hours of operation are Monday - Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. and Sunday 11:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Guests can dine-in or place a take-out order by ordering online at www.cpk.com, from their CPK iPhone app or by calling (908) 566-1225. The menu features all of the restaurant’s popular favorites along with new menu additions. The restaurant also features an extensive beverage menu from its full bar, including the CPK Margarita and popular favorites such as Cranberry Mint Cooler and Cherry Lime Sparkler. Following CPK’s tradition of giving back to the communities in which it operates, the new CPK restaurant recently donated 100% of all November 22nd dine-in pizza sales to the Somerset County United Way’s “Gifts of the Season” program which provides holiday gifts for local families in need. An independent nonprofit organization, Somerset County United Way helps people who live and work in Somerset County through its vision that all residents possess a living income that will be attained through achieving financial stability, healthy lifestyles, and life readiness.
Movie Review by Karras Lambert
Monsters - Nowadays, most big-budget movies are visually underwhelming considering the resources at the director’s disposal. Monsters, starring Scoot McNairy and Whitney Able, is an exception. What director and writer Gareth Edwards is able to accomplish in the constraints of a $200,000 budget is commendable. Edwards certainly drew inspiration from Cloverfield and more than once I caught references to other, better movies in the camera work. However, Monsters desperately strives to be a commentary on society and human nature, although the exact message it’s trying to convey is unclear. The plot of the film is fairly straightforward. The opening titles reveal that six years ago, NASA sent out a space probe to look for intelligent life. It certainly found some, and now half of the country is quarantined as an infected zone thanks to the monsters that the probe carried from space. The narrative then picks up in Mexico with Andrew Kaulder (McNairy), an American photographer, searching the wreckage of a recent monster attack. His mission is to find his boss’ daughter, Sam (Able), and bring her back home to America. What follows is a relationship drama between the two, even if Sam is already engaged and Andrew is an unwed father. Able does a nice job as the female in the pair, capturing the various emotions throughout the film well. McNairy is decent as Kaulder but doesn’t show anything special on-screen. The chemistry between the two is somewhat lacking, as it takes until the final scene in the movie to care at all for these characters and their relationship together. That is a major problem in a character drama. It’s rare when the sound mixing of a film stands out, but the sound effects in a film haven’t been this good since last summer’s sleeper hit District 9. Due to the budget restrictions, the actual monsters are hardly ever visible, and when they are you will wish they were just left up to your imagination. The best Edwards’ imagination could come up with is a towering radioactive squid that likes to crush things for no apparent reason. Unfortunately, the familiar setting and direction that the film takes definitely hurts its appeal to a larger audience than fans of art house and science fiction movies. Also, the ending of the film demands a repeat viewing of the first 5 minutes, so catch this on DVD if you want to make sense of the ending. Rating: 6/10
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Raritan Mayor Jo-Ann Liptak presents Henry Britez with his trophy as the overall winner of Raritan’s Halloween Costume Contest. Henry was dressed as a cop on a motorcycle. Photo/Bruce Doorly The Raritan Recreation Department held its annual Halloween Parade and Costume Contest on October 31st. Hundreds of children and parents marched on Somerset Street accompanied by the Raritan Police and Fire Departments and the Somerville Rescue Squad. After the parade, everyone returned to the municipal parking lot for cider donuts and candy. Each child received a glow necklace and bendable creature toy. Children and adults participated in a costume contest for prizes and a $100 savings bond donated by Skylands Energy. Following is a list of winners from each age group: Ages 1-3: Juliana Salas, Nick Pellegrino, Leslie Vrativ, Joshua Tornusciolo, Daniella Reyes, Sebastian Dobak; Ages 4-7: Henry Britez, Jonathan Buonocore, Andrew Simko, Julie Ketrow; Ages 8-13: Tom Buonocore, Jake Gara, Gustavo Orellana, Adam Armahizer; Ages 14-Adult: Jose Lopez. The overall winner of the savings bond and trophy was Henry Britez.
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Kangaroo Kids Holds ‘Here’s to the Heroes’ Event
Director Kathy Feigley and Lieutenant Tim Pino of Bridgewater read to the children at Kangaroo Kids Child Care & Learning Ctr. Kangaroo Kids Child Care and Learning Center hosted an event to educate families about the local heroes in our community and also to honor them for their service. Leaders in community service came together at the “Here’s to the Heroes,” event to celebrate. Lieutenant Tim Pino from the Sheriff’s K-9 unit brought Dano the canine specialist so children could learn more about the work of this very specialized dog. Dano can track down narcotics with amazing accuracy. Children enjoyed hearing his story about the responsibilities of a law enforcement official.
JCC Childhood Center Awarded Grant from TD Bank Charitable Foundation
Pictured along with the JCC Blaustein Early Childhood Center’s 3 year old class is from left to right: Kelly Sibona, Assistant Vice President, TD Bank Bridgewater Milltown Manager; Susan Greenbaum, JCC Executive Director; and Lauren Lippitt, Blaustein Early Childhood Director. Photo/JCC The JCC Blaustein Early Childhood Center was recently awarded a $5,000 grant from The TD Charitable Foundation, TD Bank’s charitable giving arm. The TD Charitable Foundation carries a legacy of supporting not-for-profit institutions and their important work throughout the region. Since its inception in 2002, the Foundation has contributed over $63 million in grant funding to not-for-profit organizations in the community.
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Page 17
Bridgewater Resident Wins National Award
With family members present, Sharon Weiner holds The Hero of Hope award she received on November 3rd. L-R: brother Ken Knapp, sister Joyce Arneman, husband Stephen Weiner, Sharon, father John Knapp, and brother Scott Knapp. Bridgewater resident Sharon Weiner was honored with The Hero of Hope award at the Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome of America (RSDSA) Bounty of Hope event at The
RVCC Foundation Board Welcomes New Members
Bridgewater residents Suleman Madha and Elisabeth McConville have been named to the Raritan Valley Community College (RVCC) Foundation Board of Directors. Madha is Vice President of Sales at Brother International Corporation in Bridgewater. He is a graduate of Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. McConville is a real estate salesperson at Weichert Realtors in Branchburg. She is an RVCC alumna and volunteers with several College groups, including the Theatre and Foundation. The mission of the RVCC Foundation is to raise funds above and beyond public and tuition sources and to promote awareness of the institution. The Foundation directs these funds to assist the College in providing affordable, accessible and quality educational and cultural experiences to the community.
Roosevelt Hotel on November 3, 2010. RSDSA is national nonprofit organization founded in 1984 to promote public and professional education and research for a neu-
rological condition called Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSDS) also none as Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. Ms. Weiner has been afflicted with this incurable and extremely painful syndrome since 1996. RSDS/CRPS is a multi-symptom, misunderstood and often disabling syndrome affecting millions without regard to age, sex or race. Mary Beth Ludington the patient representative for RSDSA offered an introduction and tribute to Sharon for her years of advocacy, the founding of a monthly support group in 1997, a nonprofit organization in 1998, and her many other contributions to those afflicted with this syndrome. Sharon shared her thoughts about her endeavors and thanked her family (son and daughter away at college) of which her husband Stephen of 23 years, siblings and father were in attendance.
Immaculate Conception School Installs Student Officers
Pictured are (L-R) Secretary Jennie Lynn Martino of Branchburg, President Michael Frauenheim of Somerville, Vice President Nicole Bathan of Raritan, and Public Relations Coordinator Santino Sollazzo of Bridgewater. The officers of the Service Club at Immaculate Conception School in Somerville were installed following a recent school Mass. The Service Club, which is comprised of homeroom representatives from Grades 4 – 8, meets monthly to plan and implement activities and projects designed to promote school spirit and provide service and assistance to the community. The Service Club is currently collecting useful items which will be shipped to our overseas troops.
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The BReeze
December 2010
PANTHER SPORTS Sports in Short
by B.J. Grill and Kyle Paustian Field Hockey - For the 6th straight season, the BR field hockey
team made it to the NJSIAA Group IV finals against the Eastern Vikings. In the past, scores of this game would be blowouts, including a 6-1 loss in the 2009 finals. This year however, the Lady Panthers held their own, as the score was tied 0-0 at halftime. The score remained tied at zero until Eastern scored a questionable deflection goal with just under 15 minutes to play in the game. Eastern went on to win 2-0, which is by far the best performance BR has had in its six straight meetings with the Vikings. The Lady Panthers graduate outstanding defenders Katie Fanning and Sam Sherman, as well as offensive firepower’s Christine Germaske, Haley Alvarez and Lynn Germaske.
Football - There are times when sports reporters are wrong, and
then there are times when sports reporters are really, really wrong. Going into the 2010 fall season, several of the local newspapers counted the Bridgewater-Raritan football team out of contention before their first game. Well, there’s a lesson to be learned here: never count your chickens before they hatch. The Panthers ended their season with a 7-4 record, a 2nd place finish in the Mid-State 39 conference, and a playoff victory for only the second time in school history. Standout performers include seniors Jamar Archer, Connor Smith, and Jared Hargis, as well as junior Ray Mastroianni and sophomore Michael Pennella.
Boys Soccer - The boys soccer team finished up their season with
the best season they have had since their heralded state championship run. For the first time in school history, the boys took down the Pingry Big Blue to capture the Skyland Conference Championship. Also, with the win, the boys secured the number one seed in the group IV playoffs. In the playoffs, the senior led panthers took down Columbia in the second round and a very scrappy North Hunterdon team in the semis. Unfortunately, the boys fell in the sectional finals to the 7th seeded Red Devils of Hunterdon Central. The boys finished up the year with an outstanding record of 19-2, and graduated one of the most accomplished senior classes in Coach Szeles’ tenure.
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The highlight of the boys soccer season was their victory over Pingry to win the Skyland ConferenceDelaware Division Championship. Photo/Alex Hopkins
Girls Soccer - Much like the
boys, the girls soccer team concluded one of its best campaigns in recent history by dropping only 3 games the entire season. Over the course of the year, the lady panthers tallied victories over future county and sectional champions Watchung Hills, as well as tough opponents Ridge and Montgomery. In the quarterfinals, the girls took down the Ridge Red Devils in a Penalty shootout that propelled them to the semis where they defeated Union by a score of 3-1. The victory led to the sectional finals where the girls faced a recharged Watchung Hills squad, and fell in a competitively played game 2-0. As the boys do, the girls graduate a highly regarded senior class and should be very proud of the effort they displayed over the course of the season.
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Kelly Fenton Signs Letter of Intent
Seated (L-R): BRHS Principal Dr. Riccobono, Kelly Fenton, Lacrosse Coach Kathy DeBonis; Standing are Kelly’s parents, Daniel and Kathy Fenton. BRHS senior Kelly Fenton signed her letter of intent to Fairfield University on November 12th. Kelly will be a four year varsity starter for the Panthers and has been a major contributor to the success of the BR lacrosse team. Kelly’s Lacrosse Stats - Goals/Assists: Freshman Year - 61/16; Sophomore Year - 53/15; Junior Year - 100/23; Senior Year - TBD (spring sport); Total to date: 214 goals; 54 assists.
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The BReeze
Bridgewater Recreation Holds Successful Food Drive
Bridgewater U14 Girls Win State Soccer Championship
Front row (L-R): Rebecca Cardinali, Endla Feustel, Tatyana Prisco, Maria Lawrence, Rebecca Dransfield, Olivia Noe, Sydney Givens. Standing (L-R): Coach Tim Kassel, Riley Coopersmith, Jacqueline Diaz, Mackenzie Knouse, Christine Tack, Kelsey Coulter, Allyson Cuzzola, Shannon Murphy, Gianna Arata
Members of the Bridgewater United Battle, Dynamites, Blast, and BSA Force participate in Bridgewater Recreation’s Food Drive. Bridgewater Recreation Board’s semi-annual food drive was held from October 30 to November 14. Fall sports organizations were requested to have their teams designate a collection game-day, for which team members would bring a donation. The donations were then collected and brought in one single delivery to the Somerset County Food Bank. Organizations participating included Bridgewater United Soccer Club, Bridgewater Soccer Association, and Bridgewater Raritan Pop Warner. In addition, three soccer teams from outside Bridgewater who happened to be playing Bridgewater United teams on collection days chose
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to participate: Verona, Summit and Montville. In all, 61 youth sports teams contributed to a final tally of 167 bags and boxes filled with cans, dry good, paper towels, and other items. When collected together, they occupied an area of 164 square feet of floor space, which exceeded last year’s food drive by 60%. The total weight of donations is estimated at 2,500 3,000 lbs. Christine Schneider, Superintendent of Recreation, said, “This outpouring of generosity in such difficult economic times shows the best side of our young athletes and their families. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who participated.”
On the afternoon when most township kids were preparing for Halloween the BSA Force U14 girl’s soccer team played a little trick on a team from southern NJ and brought home a treat of their own. Playing on Halloween Day in the finals of the annual NJ Youth Soccer (NJYS) tournament, the Force pulled out a thrilling 1-0 overtime victory over the East Windsor PAL Ex-
treme soccer club to bring home the NJ State crown. Dominating from the outset, the Force kept constant pressure on the East Windsor defense and had a15 to 5 shots on goal advantage including an apparent goal near the end of the first half that was disallowed after a controversial illegal use of the hands call. A key save by goalie Maria Lawrence kept the Ex-
RVCC Men’s Soccer Team Ends Successful Season
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RVCC Men’s Soccer Team, pictured, left to right: First row: Isaac Rodriquez, Jason Nun, John Allan, Rob Sanabria, Jimmy Garcia, Mike Ruggiero, Peter Dakoglou and George Iadze; Second row: Mike Nunez, George Zotos, Nick Colacicco (Capt.), Christopher Baptista, Tarik Darkanat, Pablo Valladares and Tom Quintana; Third row (standing): Coach Ray O’Hagan, Chris Slomkowski, Andrew Lopez, Mike Mohr, Luis Sabatini (Capt.), Josh Guritzky, Kevin Gutierrez and Sean O’Hagan.
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treme off the boards in the first overtime period. It was all Force in the 2nd overtime period as the winning score came two minutes in when forward Riley Coopersmith put a spectacular header in the back of the net after Tatyana Prisco’s corner kick ricocheted among several players. The road to the championship began for 38 of the state’s top teams in late September. The Force had to win 5 hard fought games, 4 in overtime, to get to the title game. The biggest win came in the semifinals against PDA who had outscored their opponents 13 – 0. In that game, Christine Tack scored in the first half, PDA scored the equalizer late in the 2nd half, and then Riley Coopersmith drilled home the winner halfway through the 2nd overtime period. Coach Tim Kassel’s BSA Force squad will now represent NJ in a USA regional tournament in May 2011. The NJYS State Championship is part of the US Youth Soccer National Championship Series for U13 – U18 boys and girls.
Raritan Valley Community College’s (RVCC) Men’s Soccer Team has completed its 2010 season with plenty of successes under its belt. The team finished its season with 8 wins, 8 losses and 1 tie. And for the first time in 13 years RVCC’s Men’s Soccer Team clinched a play-off spot in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region XIX Tournament. In addition, first-year player Tom Quintana (#8) was named to the 2010 NJCAA Region XIX Third Team and the 2010 All Garden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) Third Team in Division 3 Soccer.
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The BReeze
Going Green – Take an Easy First Step with the Wilsons
Jim and Maureen Wilson by Pam Laughlin As a former liaison to the Raritan Borough Environmental Commission, Raritan Councilwoman Maureen Wilson was ready to “walk the talk.” For this Raritan couple, Maureen and Jim Wilson, “Going Green” all started innocently enough when their eldest son, Bobby, asked his father, “Dad, have you ever considered getting a hybrid car to save on gas?” Jim commuted daily to New York City and his son’s question got him thinking. Getting almost 50 miles per gallon and a 25 percent discount on bridge and tunnel tolls from EZ Pass sounded pretty good and resulted with a new Toyota Prius parked in the driveway. That was the beginning of this family’s “green movement.” Both Maureen and Jim admit, “We need to learn (about green initiatives) from our children’s generation. Now they are teaching us!” And as things often go, one good thing led into the next. Jim enrolled in a compost class conducted at the Ted Blum 4-H Center and learned how to properly
compost. Everything from paper plates to coffee grinds now gets composted. “It’s so much easier than we thought it would be and composting has actually become a way of life for us,” says Maureen. This rich, compost goes right back into the vegetable garden to amend the naturally shale soil so prevalent in Raritan. Fresh tomatoes, lettuce, peppers, basil and herbs never looked better. It’s become a community project with neighbors dropping off coffee grinds, tea bags and other compostable materials in exchange for a fresh bunch of basil or tomatoes to add to their salad. “I love it because everything gets used and put back into the earth. We even gave away our unripe, green tomatoes at the end of the season for a neighbor to pickle,” laughs Maureen. But perhaps the biggest green project to date was the installation of solar panels located on the southern side of the roof on the couple’s home. Since New Jersey has one of the highest electric rates in the nation, the Wilsons decided to do something about it. They contacted
Trinity Solar to see if they would be good candidates (requirements include access to direct sunlight) and before they knew it they were the proud owners of a new solar panel system. By powering your appliances with solar energy, you not only reduce or eliminate your electric bill, but could generate income, in the form of SREC’s in NJ, as well as create a positive environmental impact and lessen your dependence on fossil fuels. “We got such a huge response from people walking and driving by our home, wondering what we were doing. People stopped to ask us questions about the status of our solar panels.” Today there are ½ dozen solar panel permits in the works in just a 2.2 square mile town. “That’s just amazing”, comments Maureen. Jim adds, “Our two boys kept asking us to send them pictures of the progress so it’s really become a family affair.” What’s next for the Wilson family? Jim attended a seminar at the Upper Raritan Watershed Association, and learned that natural rain water is not only much better for your garden but saves you money in the long haul on water bills. Equipped with a 50 gallon water drum the couple is getting ready for their next environmentally sound project. “Now if we can only come up with a new design for this bright blue barrel so it blends in naturally with our landscaping,” says Maureen, “we’ll be all set.” “We’ll be working on that this winter so it will be ready for spring”, jokes Jim. I heard mention of shrink wrapping and hand painting, so let’s keep a look out! The couple has generously offered to field solar panel questions and can be contacted at, mowil1@juno.com.
December 2010
U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame Inducts Bridgewater Resident
Dawn Wylong, U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame President, presents Dottie Saling with her Hall of Fame plaque. Photo/Theresa Ratermann Four legendary members of the cycling world were inducted into the U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame on October 30th at its new home in Davis, CA. The four honorees represent a range of cycling pursuits from offroad racing to Olympians with careers spanning from the early 1880s to the present. The inductees are: Mike McCarthy (modern competitor category), Dottie Saling of Bridgewater (contributor), Gary Ellis (off-road), and George Mallory Hendee (veteran). With the Class of 2010, the Hall of Fame has a total of 126 Inductees. “The U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame is proud to honor these individuals,” said Hall of Fame President Dawn Wylong. “These individuals were selected because of their accomplishments in the sport of cycling and their induction into the Hall of Fame will serve as a perpetual reminder of their dedication, support and sacrifice”. Dottie Saling has dedicated 53 years supporting the sport of cycling. From 1978 to 1993 she served as a member of the USAC Board of Directors where she became the first female vice-president. Saling also served as President of the Board of the US Bicycling Hall of Fame from 1996 to 2000. She was a member of the International Games Preparation Committee of USOC for multiple Pan American and Olympic Games as well as a contributing member of many other bicycling organizations. Currently, Saling is a US cycling official for various national championships and serves as treasurer of the Somerset (New Jersey) Wheelmen.
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December 2010
School Calendar Dec. 3 - Milltown - Movie Night Dec. 3 - Adamsville - PJ Party & Clothing Drive - 7 p.m. Dec. 4 - Van Holten - Breakfast with Frosty Dec. 4 - JFK - Breakfast with Frosty Dec. 4 - Hamilton - Breakfast with Frosty Dec. 4 - Bradley Gardens - Breakfast with Frosty/Toy Sale/Craft Shop Dec. 4 - BRHS Band Parents Craft Fair - 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Dec. 6 - Eisenhower - Barnes & Noble Night Dec. 6-10 - Hamilton - Book Fair Dec. 7 - BRMS - Winter Vocal Concert - 7:30 p.m. Dec. 9 - Milltown - Barnes & Noble Night Dec. 9 - Crim - PTO Meeting - 7 p.m. Dec. 9 - Hamilton - PTO Meeting - 7 p.m. Dec. 10 - BRMS - Student Council Dance - 7-9 p.m. Dec. 10 - Hillside - 6th Grade Rec Night Dec. 10 - Eisenhower - PTO Meeting - 9 a.m. Dec. 11 - JFK - Breakfast with Frosty Dec. 11 - Adamsville - Breakfast with Frosty - 9 a.m. Dec. 14 - BRHS Band Parent Assoc. Meeting - 7 p.m. Dec. 14 - JFK - Market Day - 5-6 p.m. Dec. 15 - Hillside - 6th Grade Band/Orchestra Concert - 7:30-8:30 p.m. Dec. 15 - Milltown - PTO Meeting - 7:30 p.m. Dec. 16 - Hillside - 5th Grade Bank/Orchestra Concert - 10-11 a.m. Dec. 21 - Hillside - 5th/6th Grade Vocal Concert - 7:30-8:30 p.m. Dec. 23-Dec. 31 - School Closed Please check the school web sites and calendars for updates or last minute adjustments http://www.brrsd.k12.nj.us.
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Page 21
Panther Perspective
The Art of Juggling by Karras Lambert Juggling has always come naturally to me. I quickly became good at it during 4th grade physical education, and from there sought more difficult skills to master. Juggling while hoolahooping, juggling while jumping hurdles, I never found a juggling skill that I couldn’t do after enough practice. Most importantly, it was always fun for me to juggle, keeping each of the balls in the air. Since entering high school, I have been faced with a new kind of juggling that isn’t as much fun or so easily
Holiday Dessert
Rum Cake
Happy Holidays to All and once again thank you for letting me know you are enjoying the recipes. I am truly humbled by your responses. May you and your families have a wonderful Holiday Season! Ingredients 1 box pineapple supreme cake mix 20 cherries cut in half 4 eggs 1 cup milk 1/2 cup oil 1 pkg vanilla instant pudding (optional 1 cup chopped nuts) 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup butter 1/2 cup rum Heat the sugar, butter, and rum on stove on very low heat. Grease a bundt pan and place cherries on the bottom of the pan. In a bowl beat together remaining ingredients. Add rum mixture; stir in nuts if desired. Bake at 350° for 40-50 minutes. Wow is this one a goodie! Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year! Donna G
mastered. In fact, I don’t believe it can really be mastered at all. I am talking about juggling the many facets of life. And now, the consequence of dropping a single ball is much more serious than it was as a child. A lot is demanded of high school students, especially those who dedicate most of their precious free time to extracurricular activities. For the past two months, the combination of school and a varsity sport has taken up a great majority of my waking hours. I feel that I can speak for any student in a similar circumstance when I say that it was a tough couple of months, keeping up with my schoolwork while simultaneously putting in the time and energy to the sport
that I was participating in. Combine those with college visits and applications and I was juggling more than I could have handled in my intermediateschool prime. With such a demanding day, it is very easy to lose sight of enjoying life. Sure, playing sports and excelling in school can be very enjoyable at times, but I’m talking about the fun of spending time with friends, relaxing and watching movies rather than obsessing over a single missed assignment or a mistake in an athletic event. Amidst the competitive nature of our society, it is certainly important to work hard. Just remember that having fun and enjoying life is a ball that should never be dropped.
Hamilton School Makes a Difference
Along with celebrating Red Ribbon Week, Hamilton School conducted its 11th annual food and winter coat drive to benefit the Somerset County Food Bank. During the week of October 25th, approximately 500 items of food and over 100 warm winter coats were collected by the third and fourth grade Student Council members. Everything was then boxed and bagged and delivered to the food bank on Easy St. which is low on contributions and busier than ever this year. Hamilton School is proud to be able to help alleviate the shortage and lend a hand to their community. - Submitted by Theo Lambert
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Page 22 Bedminster - Searle Kilmer Von Storch, 82, died peacefully on October 10, 2010. Following service in the Air Force, Kilmer worked in Seaford, Delaware for the Du Pont Company. He returned to his home town of Waverly, PA to join his father at von Storch & Burkavage Architects and Engineers. Upon Searle’s retirement, Kilmer ran the firm through the 60’s and 70’s stewarding the firm’s work on schools, highways and commercial buildings that continue to serve the region today. Funeral arrangements were handled by the Bridgewater Funeral Home, 707 Main Street, Bridgewater. Somerville – Rosellen Yvette Foster, 59, died on October 13, 2010. Rosellen was a Bartender and Waitress at the Somerville Elks in Bridgewater for many years. Rosellen is survived by her mother, Irene Kurinski Truck; her son, Ronald (Susan) Pozgay; and her sister, Madeline Corona. Funeral arrangements were handled by Somerville Funeral Home, Inc., 10 West End Ave., Somerville. Somerville - Agnes E. Droumbakis, 80, died on October 15, 2010. Agnes enjoyed crocheting, and needlepoint. Agnes is survived by her children, George Droumbakis of Somerville, John (Rita) Droumbakis of Hillsborough; a grandson, Johnathan Droumbakis of Hillsborough; two sisters-in-laws, Margaret Dimitri of Raritan and Opie Droumbakis of Poughkeepsie, NY; a brother-in-law, Nick Droumbakis of Wayne; and several nieces and nephews. Arrangements were handled by Bongiovi Funeral Home, LLC, 416 Bell Ave., Raritan. Bound Brook – Francis J. Fasanella, 78, died on October 15, 2010. Francis was a Chemical Worker for RBH in Bound Brook and served in the Marines during the Korean War. Francis loved bowling and was a big fan of the N.Y. Mets and N.Y. Giants. Funeral arrangements were handled by Bongiovi Funeral Home, LLC, 416 Bell Avenue, Raritan. Bridgewater – Robert “Bobby” A. Heim, 65, died on October 16, 2010. Robert worked as a Warehouseman at National Starch in Bridgewater, NJ. Robert is survived by his wife, Melanie Papera Heim of (34) years; his godchild, Lori Heim; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins. Funeral arrangements were handled by the Bongiovi Funeral Home, LLC, 416 Bell Avenue, Raritan.
Bridgewater – Dr. Philip A. Lane, 69, died on October 17, 2010. In 1963, Dr. Lane received a Bachelor’s Degree from Manhattan College; in 1969, he received a Master’s Degree from Brooklyn College; and in 1975, he received a Phd. from Rutgers University. He was a Director of Analytical Chemistry at Ortho Pharmaceutical Corporation in Raritan. Dr. Lane is survived by his wife, Carmella Pascale of (18) years; his sons, Carl (Eleanor) Lane of New York City, Christopher Lane of Brooklyn, NY, Gregory (Barbara) Horton of Raritan, Jeffrey Horton of Bridgewater; a brother, Carl (Carolyn) Lane of Montclair, NJ; a sister, Geraldine (Nick) DeSantis of Congers, NY; five grandchildren, Carlie, Katie, Chloe, Dylan, Johanna; a sisterin-law, Roseann (Michael) Winchock; and a brother-in-law, Jack Pascale. Arrangements were by Bongiovi Funeral Home, LLC, 416 Bell Ave., Raritan. Hagerstown, MD - Lena Josephine Dlugosz, 87, passed away on October 17, 2010, at Loyalton of Hagerstown. She was a graduate of Bound Brook High School. After relocating in Hagerstown, Maryland she was employed with the Washington County Health Department retiring after many years of service. Funeral arrangements were handled by Bridgewater Funeral Home 707 Main St, Bridgewater. Raritan - Anthony “Tony” LoCollo, 40, died on October 21, 2010. Tony was formerly employed as an Auto Body Technician for the Adesa Corporation in Manville, NJ for (12) years. He was a great mechanic and loved to restore cars. Tony is survived by his father, Romolas LoCollo of Raritan; two brothers, Romulus LoCollo of Phillipsburg and Vincent LoCollo of Raritan; several Aunts, Uncles, Cousins; a multitude of friends; and a very close friend, Shirley Marshalek. He was predeceased by his mother, Gladys LoCollo (2006); his brother, Louis LoCollo (2005); and his sister, Louise LoCollo (1970). Funeral arrangements were by the Bongiovi Funeral Home, LLC, 416 Bell Avenue, Raritan.
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Obituaries Raritan – Edward Thomas Hoy, 86, died on October 25, 2010. Edward was a Linotype Composer for the Newark Star Ledger for over 40 years. He was a Private First Class in the Air Force during World War II, where he received the American Service Medal, Good Conduct and Victory Medals. Edward is survived by his wife of (64) years, Eileen Goellner Hoy of Raritan; his children, Skip and wife Susan Hoy of Raritan, Renee Hoy of Somerville, Carol and husband Mike Chuisano of Branchburg; his grandchildren, Tim Hoy, Michael Chuisano, Jr., Kaitlin Hoy, Kasey Chuisano, and Megan and Andrew Chuisano. Funeral arrangements were by Bongiovi Funeral Home, LLC, 416 Bell Ave., Raritan. Bridgewater - Mildred Mastroianni, 85, died peacefully on October 26, 2010 at the Bridgeway Care Center in Bridgewater. Born in Queens, NY, Mildred lived most of her life in Queens before moving to Bridgewater 11 years ago. She leaves behind to cherish her memory her daughter, Janice Maurin and husband Gerald of Raritan and grandson Jeffrey Maurin of Raritan. Arrangements were by Bridgewater Funeral Home, 707 East Main Street, Bridgewater. North Branch – Joseph “Poppy” T. Hudock, 82, died on October 27, 2010. Joseph was a truck driver for the State of New Jersey DOT in Bridgewater for over (20) years. Joseph was an avid fisherman, hunter and collector, an all around outdoorsman, loved to walk his dog, and was a lifetime member of the Wakpa Fishing Club. Joseph is survived by his wife, Patricia Hudock; his children, Thomas (Carolyn) Hudock, Susan (Victor) Laggini, Jane (Mark) Floden; two sisters, Frances Ryan and Mary (Richard) Gibson; and eight grandchildren, Hayley, James, Thomas, Tara, Brooke, Jacob, Ryann, Rachel;
Somerset - Elvira Sonja Deininger, 87, died peacefully on October 23, 2010 at the Somerset Valley Rehabilitation Center in Bridgewater. Elvira worked on the Packaging Line for Bristol Meyers Squibb in Hillside. She is predeceased by her husband Rudolf Deininger in 2001. Funeral arrangements were handled by the Bridgewater Funeral Home, 707 Main Street, Bridgewater.
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and several nieces and nephews. Arrangements were handled by Bongiovi Funeral Home, LLC, 416 Bell Avenue, Raritan. Bridgewater - Betty Suk, 85, passed away October 27, 2010 at home. Born 12/21/1924 in the original Somerset Hospital on Main Street, Somerville to her late parents William John and Elizabeth (Lafferty) Logan, lifelong Bridgewater resident; graduate of Somerville High School in 1943; worked at Sunrise Milling Corporation and Raritan Valley Hardware; then raised her family, then worked at Hoffman LaRoche Distribution Center and Active Disposal Service, retiring 12/31/1985. Funeral arrangements were handled by Somerville Funeral Home, Inc., 10 West End Ave., Somerville. Califon - James Lee Langston, 49, died peacefully on October 28, 2010 at home. James lived most of his life in Califon. A graduate of Hillside High School in 1979, he went on to be the owner of P.F.S. in Hackettstown for over 10 years. Arrangements were by Bridgewater Funeral Home, 707 East Main St., Bridgewater. Bound Brook - Arlene Joyce Caldwell, 63, died peacefully on October 31, 2010 at home. Born in Newark to the late George and Sophie Leuthardt, Arlene lived in Bound Brook for the past 9 years. She is predeceased by her husband Harry Caldwell in 2005. Funeral arrangements were by the Bridgewater Funeral Home, 707 Main St., Bridgewater. Bridgewater - Linda “Lynn” Hinnov, 67, died on November 3, 2010. Lynn graduated from Scotch Plains High School in 1962. In 1967, her son, Erik was born in Ft. Hood, TX where her husband, Mikk served in the U.S. Army. In 1968, her hus-
December 2010 band returned from Vietnam and the family settled in Glens Falls NY where Lynn gave birth to their daughter, Erin. Before marriage, Lynn was an accomplished amateur bicycle racer in competitions on the East Coast, winning the NJ State Track Championships in 1965. Lynn is survived by her husband, Mikk Hinnov of (44) years; her children, Erik (Emily) Hinnov of New Hampshire, Erin Hinnov of Philadelphia, PA; her father, Corydon Howland, Sr. of Pembroke, MA; and a grandson, Eli. Funeral arrangements were handled by Bongiovi Funeral Home, LLC, 416 Bell Ave., Raritan. Bridgewater – Orlando DiBlasio, 78, died on November 3, 2010. Orlando worked in a Brick Foundry in Italy for years and then immigrated from Italy in 1972 with his wife and son where he immediately started working for Frank DiTaranto & Sons as a Mason in Bridgewater, NJ (where he learned to build houses). He also was a mechanic for Rebtex in Branchburg where he retired. After his retirement, he enjoyed building houses with his son, Alberto and nephew, David as “DiBlasio Builders”. Orlando served in the Italian Army as a Gunner. Orlando is survived by his wife, Maria Cerne DiBlasio of (49) years; a son, Alberto and wife Justine DiBlasio of Bridgewater; a brother, Arnaldo and wife Laura DiBlasio of Bridgewater; three grandchildren, Kerilee and husband Brian Pollack, Vynessa and Devin DiBlasio; a great-granddaughter, Kamryn DiBlasio; two step-great-granddaughters, Alexandra and Olivia Pollack; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins. Funeral arrangements were handled by the Bongiovi Funeral Home, LLC, 416 Bell Avenue, Raritan. Continued on next page
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December 2010 Continued from previous page Bridgewater- Tamra L. Corsi, 48, died on November 6, 2010 at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York. Born in Elizabeth, Tamra resided in Cranford for 25 years before moving to Bridgewater 16 years ago. She was a 1980 graduate of Cranford High School, a 1982 graduate of Union County College and a 1984 graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. She went on to become a manager at Chubb Insurance in Whitehouse. She leaves behind to cherish her memory, her son Kyle Corsi of Bridgewater; her father Lester Black and step- mother Frida Black of Sarasota, Florida; her mother Carol Keiser and step father Ben Keiser of Cranford; her sister Kimberly Sorge of Cranford; and two nephews, Justin and Christopher Sorge of Cranford. Funeral arrangements were under the direction of the Bridgewater Funeral Home, 707 East Main Street, Bridgewater. Bridgewater- Edwin W. Schuster, 83, entered into eternal rest on November 6, 2010 at Morristown Memorial Hospital. Edwin proudly served in the U.S. Navy during WWII on the Battleship USS Wisconsin as a Fireman First Class. Edwin attended Pace University in NY and was employed by Englehardt Industries for 29 years as a Traffic Manager. He resided in Jersey City, Hoboken, Hasbrouck Heights and Bridgewater, NJ where he and his wife raised their two sons. Edwin was a Troop Leader for the BSA and was a member of the Corpus Christi Holy Name Society. He
also belonged to the Knights of Columbus, the American Legion Post 12 and the Bridgewater Senior Citizens and was an active member of the Blessed Sacrament Church in Martinsville. He is survived by his sons Stephen E. Schuster of Bridgewater and Daniel E. Schuster and his wife Kathryn along with his grandsons Daniel T. and Matthew K. Schuster of Flemington. He is also survived by his sister Charlotte Spina of Dumont, NJ. Funeral arrangements were by the Bridgewater Funeral Home, 707 East Main St., Bridgewater. Raritan - Rose Strelko, 93, died November 9, 2010. Rose was born in Raritan and was a lifelong resident. She was a homemaker and a communicant of St. Joseph’s RC Church. Rose enjoyed spending time with her sister, tatting and will be sadly missed by her family and friends. She is predeceased by her husband Joseph who died in 2004. Surviving are her sister Mary U. Sabol, two nephews Stephen J and John Sabol, one niece Patricia Jacobs and many great nieces and great nephews. Funeral arrangements were under the direction of the Bruce C. Van Arsdale Funeral Home, 111 N. Gaston Ave., Somerville. Bridgewater - Grace F. Schaefer, 88, died November 8, 2010. Grace was born and raised in Hazelton, PA and was a long time resident of Middlesex before moving to Bridgewater in 2006. She was a homemaker and was a member of the Bridgewater Senior Citizens. She is predeceased by her husband Alfred and sister Mildred Welsh.
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Surviving are her sons Wayne and his wife Bonnie, Dale and his wife Ann, daughter June M. Piperata and her husband Peter, sister June Leifert and seven grandchildren and three great grand children. Arrangements by Bruce C. VanArsdale Funeral Home, 111 N. Gaston Ave. Somerville. Bridgewater - Glenn F. Brown, 62, died November 11, 2010. Glenn was born in Somerville, raised in Bridgewater and was a resident of New Hope, PA for nearly 30 years. He was a graduate of Bridgewater-Raritan High School West and received his BA degree from Florida Atlantic University. Glenn was a multiple award winning Graphic Designer, Art Director, Illustrator and photographer who designed print and multi-media concert promotions for musicians such as Willie Nelson, Randy Travis, Tony Bennett, The Temptations, Patti LaBelle, Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis, as well as numerous ad campaigns for international pharmaceutical companies. Arrangements by Bruce C. VanArsdale Funeral Home, 111 N.Gaston Ave. Somerville. Bridgewater - Leon Sperling, 87, died November 12, 2010. Leon was born in Poland and was formerly of Toms River and Morristown before moving to Bridgewater in 2002. He was employed as a butcher for Food Town in Mendham for over 25 years retiring in 1985. He is predeceased by his wife Denise who died in 1982. Surviving are his son Norman and his wife Joy, daughter Susan Sperling and her husband Martin Brinbaum, a brother Henry and a grandson Daniel. Arrangements by Bruce C. VanArsdale Funeral Home, 111 N. Gaston Ave. Somerville.
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Page 23
You Never Know Who Might Drop By
Star gazers were treated to a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle at the recent BRHS Star Party. The main attraction at the recent BRHS Astronomy Club’s annual fall Star Party was upstaged by an unexpected guest. On a crisp Friday night in November, about 60 party goers were doing what you do at most star parties; gazing at the sky, pointing out the different constellations and stars, drinking hot chocolate and hot apple cider, eating goodies, viewing the sky through telescopes and binoculars, enjoying the conversation and company of others. The star of the show was supposed to be Jupiter and its four moons, Io, Europa, Callisto, and Ganymede. The view of the giant planet and its moons was beautiful and quite spectacular. All four moons that night were to one side of Jupiter, like dangling diamonds, and bands on Jupiter’s surface were clearly visible through the scopes. Paul Cirillo and Jim Roselli, two local amateur astronomers, were there to answer questions and to share their enthusiasm and knowledge of Astronomy. At approximately 8:32 p.m., the uninvited, but greatly appre-
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ciated guest arrived. Low in the southwest sky appeared a bright red-orange fireball. The highly unusual meteor continued moving from south to north on the western horizon for a full five to six seconds with a growing chorus of “Look! Look!! LOOK!!!” encouraging it to last even longer. The truly amazing and spectacular meteor left behind a visible smoke trail lit from within by glowing red embers. Near the end of its flight the meteor could be seen breaking into smaller pieces and finally the red light went out completely in the northwest sky. “Did we really just see that?” was answered by the still visible smoke trail for quite some time after the meteor burned out. The party crasher has been reported to the American Meteor Society and was seen by many other observers around northern New Jersey (at other star parties!). Many of those at the party in Bridgewater that night observed the most spectacular astronomical display they will ever see in their lifetime. They witnessed a truly unique and rarely viewed phenomenon. Wow, what a party!! The star party was open to the public and sponsored by the Bridgewater-Raritan Education Association, the BRHS Astronomy Club and the 4-H Astronomy Club.
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December 2010
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December 2010
The BReeze
Page 25
Milltown Primary School Share Their Thoughts on the Holidays (cont. from page 12) Aditya
One of my most favorite holidays that my family celebrates is Diwali. We celebrate Diwali because it is the day Lord Rama an Indian God came back from the exile after 14 years. In India people usually eat sweets, blow colorful fireworks, and give gifts to each other. My family celebrates Diwali by having dinner with relatives and family. We also light tea lights with candles outside. We hang up colorful lights. Lastly, we make sweets. No wonder Diwali my favorite my favorite holiday.
Allen
Our family celebrates Chinese New Year. We like it because, we blast fireworks (only in China). When the firework blast off into the sky, it sounds like a bomb that just bombed a house. Another reason we like it is that we eat lots of good food. Some of our traditional foods are rice, fish, and cabbage. Sometimes I go to China to celebrate Chinese New Year with my grandparents (on my father’s side). In China lots of people celebrate Chinese New Year by eating hotpot. This is our family’s favorite holiday and I hope you like it too!
Amelia
My favorite holiday is Christmas. It’s my favorite holiday because my family gets together around the Christmas tree. My family celebrates it because Jesus was born on Christmas. Every year my family and I go to my Aunt Sue’s house for the night. I see all my cousins and we open presents
Ameya
Our family celebrates Diwali. Diwali is also called the festival of lights. Diwali is celebrated for 9 days. We celebrate Diwali with fireworks and candles. We even light our house. Diwali is lots of fun. It is very popular throughout India. Diwali is a fun filled festival. Amira Christmas is my favorite holiday of the year because I get presents from Santa Claus! Under a Christmas tree there are surprises for me. Then I open all of them and play with them all in one day. I love to be surprised on Christmas morning. Sometimes. I get all of my presents that I put on my Christmas list. Santa is a Christmas hero! Aryan The holiday that I celebrate is Diwali. What I like about Diwali is that you put lanterns around the house and you eat sweets and were new dresses on Diwali .Diwali is a festival of lights. Diwali is celebrated on Friday November 5. These are the reasons that I like Diwali.
David
My family celebrates Christmas. We decorate a Christmas tree and we put a toy train under it. We also put lights tree outside and we listen to Christmas
carols! I like to go out at night and look at the colorful lights. I really like when I can open my presents! Then I play with my presents. It is really fun playing with new toys! I wonder if you celebrate Christmas.
Ester
My family celebrates Halloween. What I like best about Halloween is going trick-or-treating. I also like going to Party City to pick my costume out. There are so many choices! This year I was a charm school witch. What were you? My mom also likes to decorate our front door. She gets orange flowers. And…BOO!
Heather
Hanukkah is my favorite holiday. On one of those days, Jewish people gather around and say prayers. Hanukkah is the most widely celebrated American Jewish holiday. Many Jewish holidays are events with historical and religious meanings. Hanukkah means rededication and it commemorates the temple in Jerusalem after it’s desecration by foreign forces. The celebration also reaffirms the continuing struggle to live by God’s commandments and to lead Jewish lives. I like best about the holiday is that you get to say good prayers and get present’s. Also you get to spin a dreidle and get chocolate. I really love Hanukkah!
Naima
My family celebrates the holiday Eid and you now what’s really cool about it? It comes twice a year! We put on new cloths. We get lots of money and presents and we go to so many parties! Every one has a blast! I never can wait till the next Eid! That’s why Eid is my favorite Holiday!
Nelusha
My family celebrates a holiday in May. The holiday I celebrate is Vesak. We celebrate Vesak for Lord Buddah’s birth, enlightenment, and his passing away. In Vesak we make yummy food and then we go to the temple. Once we are at the temple we meditate and meet friends. There are some lanterns we make for decorations. Vesak is a fun holiday to celebrate because we give food, clothes to poor people and all the things they need to survive.
Nicholas
My family celebrates Christmas and I like it because it’s Jesus’ birthday and also because we get presents and we get to put up our Christmas tree. Every Christmas we have a party at the clubhouse and my mom make a special juice that everyone likes. The best part I like about it is that I hang out with my family and that’s why I like Christmas.
Noelle
My family celebrates Easter. Easter is my favorite holiday because it’s the closet to my birthday. Easter is special because you celebrate the day Jesus raised form the dead. We go
Easter egg hunting and we write cards to each other. My brothers love to celebrate Easter too!
Riya
My favorite holiday is Janmashtami. Janmashtami is when we celebrate one of our gods. His name is Krishna. He is blue and loves stuff made from butter or milk. I like Janmashtami because Krishna is my favorite god. I love the sweets we eat and the sound of the prayers.
Ashley
Me and my family like to celebrate the holiday Christmas. We like to celebrate Christmas because almost every Christmas me, my mom and my sister go to Ohio to see our grandma and our grandpa and lots of cousins. Some of the things we like to do are make Christmas coolies for Santa, make hot cocoa, and put up the Christmas tree that is upper high, and last is being with family. On Christmas night sometimes we can hear the dogs barking and we think that it might be Santa. On Christmas morning all of us are so happy to see what is inside are stockings. When we are done opening are stockings we go into the room with the Christmas tree in it and we open presents from Santa and we love them! My family loves Christmas!
Julieta
My family celebrates “El dia del niño”. On “El dia del niño” we celebrate kids. It is an Argentinean holiday. On this day kids in Argentina get presents and go to fun places. It is a holiday like Father and Mother’s day. Last year I celebrated it in Argentina. My family joined at a park and gave out presents. I also played with my cousins. After that my family ate dinner at my grandma and grandpa’s house. Kids always have fun on”El dia del niño”. What I like best about “El dia del niño”is that we always get to have time with family and friends.
Sarah
My favorite time of the year has arrived! Hannukah! I can’t wait to hear the sizzling sound of latkes cooking on the hot stove. Each of the eight nights, we light funky colored candles on the menorah and open awesome presents with my mom, dad, and two kittens. Hannukah rocks!
Lorraine
My family celebrates Chinese New Year which begins on the first day of the lunan month in the Chinese calendar and ends on the 15th . Dumplings and rice cakes are the traditional food. I can go to parties, enjoy delicious food, and get presents.
Dominique
My favorite holiday is Christmas because I love to go to my grandma and grandpas house. When I walk into the living room I take sight of the big, green, and beautiful lit up Christmas tree. I love to look at the different or-
naments. My favorite one is the one that says Dominique. In the kitchen I can smell the yummy pasta and meat balls and sauce.I can hear grownups talking and kids laughing. I can feel the warm blanket on my feet while I am watching T.V. with cousins. I taste the sweet and yummy cookies me and my mom made. I love Christmas so much!
Samuel
My family celebrates Christmas. My favorite parts of Christmas are when our family decorates the tree with shiny ornaments and ripping presents wrapped with colorful wrapping paper. Also when my friends come over to celebrate Christmas with me. We eat lots of yummy food like dumplings, fish, beef, cookies, and cheese cake! When all of us eat I can smell the fresh baked cookies. After a yummy dinner my friends go play games in my cozy room. I always have a wonderful time on Christmas. I also like Christmas because it fills my family with happiness.
Krystal
My favorite holiday is New Years because I love to stay up around 12:00 and see the ball drop in Time Square. We always celebrate with our friends and family.My parents play poker and drink champagne with other adults. My friends and I play board games in the old basement.
Shreya
A holiday my family celebrates is Diwali. Diwali is the festival of lights. On that day we put up lights around our house and turn it on when Diwali is here. We also have lots of parties and eat Indian sweets. Sometimes we like to watch the firecrackers and fireworks. My favorite part of Diwali is when my family and other families get together and show dances that they learned. You see Diwali has many fun things to do that is why I like it.
Suresh
The holiday that my family celebrates is Diwali. Diwali is called the festival of lights. Diwali Comes in October or November. It is also known as “Deepavali.” My favorite part of celebrating Diwali is when we light up candles in the house. We also go to Diwali parties and celebrate.
Zena
I woke up on Thanksgiving day. I went downstairs. The turkey was already cooking .My mom and dad was waiting for me to watch the parade. That’s my favorite in the morning. After the parade was done the doorbell rang. We opened the door. Our family members came! We started talking, playing, and joking. I started to smell the turkey. I helped my mom set the table. Then, My mom shouted “dinner time, Everyone!” My family gathered around the table in our dinning room. Before we
ate we prayed and thanked god for everything he gave us. After, my mom brought in the goldish- brownish shiny turkey in the room. Also, there were other foods like mashed potato with gravy, cranberry sauce and salad. Finally we found the wishbone, me and my cousin pulled and pulled, I got the bigger piece. Then, I wished for something. After dinner it got quiet, I went to look what happened. All of a sudden, “happy birthday!” everyone shouted. There were all kinds of desserts like ice cream cake and cupcakes and pies. I saw gifts on the table too! I started to open them! There were clothes and toys. After, My family had to go. I said Bye And thanked them for the good time. I was sad they had to leave but was happy I had a good time.
Jessica
My family celebrates Christmas. Why I like this holiday is because I get tons of presents and also because my friends come over to my house or me and my family go to my friend’s house. And sometimes we get more presents and we trade presents if we don’t like them.
Arjun
My family celebrates Christmas. I like to help mom decorate the house. We put a big tree with lights and I put lots of pretty ornaments on it. I love the smell of fresh cookies and I love the excitement of opening shiny, wrapped presents! I love holiday songs, looking for Santa on his reindeers in the sky and best of all I love when it snows on Christmas! And most of all you have to behave good to your mom and dad.
Thomas
My favorite holiday is Christmas because my family decorates the house with lights, a Christmas tree, stockings and ornaments. I also like to watch all the shows like Rudolph, Santa is Coming To Town, and Frosty the Snow Man. I have an Advent tree you put 1 ornament on each day until Christmas. Sometimes, if it snows we get to play outside.
Nikhil
My family’s favorite holiday to celebrate is New Years. New Year is our favorite holiday because we get to dance, eat and play. We play keep the balloon in the air, we play Wii and some more games too. We eat sweets, chips, chicken and we dance. So there is a big disco ball. We also see the ball drop. It is so fun maybe you could come some day and enjoy it with us.
Alexa
My favorite family holiday is Greek Easter because we boil eggs and then we put red coloring and the eggs turn all red. We have an egg competition. The winner gets good luck for the WHOLE YEAR! One time my sister won once but she didn’t get good luck for the WHOLE YEAR!
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My favorite family holiday is Vietnamese New Year because on that day my mom comes home earlier than usual. Later family members, relatives and close friends come over. Everybody prays to their ancestors and then we have a party! We play a game called shrimp, chicken, bag, deer, fish, and crab. It is my favorite day because we do everything together and always together.
Danny
The holiday that my family celebrates is Christmas. I like Christmas because I get presents and I get to stay up late. I get to eat cake, drink coke and eat Vietnamese food (eggrolls, sharkfin soup). I also celebrate my birthday and my cousin comes over.
Nick
My favorite holiday is new years because all our family and good friends come over to hang out. Me and my best friends are usually in the basement. We either play pool, air hockey, ping pong or foosball. When it starts to get late we turn on the New Years Special and watch the ball drop. When its 11:58 we gather by the T.V and count down. 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1...HAPPY NEW YEARS!!!!!
Varun
I am writing about Diwali. Diwali is November 5. It is also called “The festival of lights”. My family likes to put on fireworks. It has many different pronunciations such as Deepavali. It is also India’s official holiday. It’s celebrated in Singapore, Nepal, Fiji, Sri Lanka and Burma. That’s just a few. My favorite part is when I and my family put on fireworks.
Siddharth
My favorite holiday is Diwali because my family goes to a restaurant and all friends come. We have performances and eat yummy food. We also play Bingo! You can get up to 85 dollars if you win! The main performance is Ram-Reela. Ram-Reela is a play that tells you why we celebrate Diwali. I have a lot of fun with my friends and family.
Katherine
My favorite holiday is Easter because I go to my nana and papas house for dinner. My aunt has a huge Easter egg hunt with over 150 eggs. In one egg there is the magic penny and if you find it, you win a gift card to Barnes and Noble. Last year I won the magic penny!
Elaina
My favorite holiday is Thanksgiving. I like going to my aunt’s house and playing with the dogs, cats and my cousin Katie. At there house I like to be with my family and eat turkey. For this I give thanks!!
Olivia
My favorite holiday is Christmas because it’s the only holiday when my family comes over to my house. They all give out pres-
ents! I eat Italian cookies that shaped like different snowflakes. I have a lot of fun when my family comes over! That’s why my favorite holiday is Christmas!!
Nicolas
My favorite holiday my family celebrates is Thanksgiving! I like it because I get to eat turkey, Stuffing, Mashed potatoes, and vegetables! My whole family comes and we play, Eat, and watch football! My favorite part is when we eat! My favorite food is the turkey!
Haley
My family celebrates Christmas. I like Christmas because we get lots of presents. I like to pick out a tree and put ornaments on it. I love to decorate for Christmas and all the snow we get. It is all so beautiful!
Dianne
My family celebrates Christmas. We celebrate Christmas every year. We like it because it was the day God was born. And I like the presents that Santa Clause gives us. Christmas is super important to my family. It’s the day that our whole family meets. And we have a night with each other. We eat together.
Musaddiq
My favorite holiday is HALLOWEEN. On Halloween we all wear our costumes and then we go trick or treating. The best part is that we get so much candy that my hands get weak. When we get home we watch a movie and it is Toy Story 3. When we are done with the movie, we go to bed. Now that’s my favorite holiday.
Neil
My family celebrates Diwali. What I like best about Diwali is that we get to do fireworks at night. We also get to go to parties. I also like to spend time with my family. I also like cleaning up the house sometimes. I like to decorate the house with lights.
Jack
My family celebrates Christmas. Every Christmas Eve I go to my cousin’s house. After dinner we open presents. I can’t wait for it to be the next day to get more presents. When I wake up for Christmas, my brother and I sprint down the steps to open all the presents. My brother and I started opening all the presents. When were done opening all the presents. We start playing with everything we got. Christmas is the best holiday in the world!
Nicholas
My family celebrates Christmas because we meet our families and sometimes we get present. We all get together and have fun. On the 24th my sister and I want to go to sleep because Santa comes down the chimney. That’s what I like about Christmas. And I love to make snow men.
Emily
My family and I celebrate Christmas. On Christmas Eve
The BReeze we make a wish list. After that we make cookies together. We put cookies and some milk on the table. Next we take our Christmas tree out. We decorate it with decorations we bough and made. In 2008 I made a glass decoration with a picture I drew. On Christmas Day I open my presents. Finally Christmas is over. That’s all I like best about, my favorite holiday Christmas in December.
Amanda
My family’s favorite holiday is Thanksgiving. It is so festive. I like the pumpkin pie the best because of its sweet taste. My sister and Mom like the chocolate pudding pie. My Dad likes apple pie the best. My Grandma makes the best whip cream to top off the pie.
Hisham
My favorite holiday Eid-ulFitr. It is my favorite holiday because our parents buy us gifts and we get to open them on the day of Eid-ul-Fitr.We go out to have dinner with our family and our friends.
Stephanie
I celebrate Hanukkah. Hanukkah is my favorite because I get presents, and I light candles. Hanukkah is eight days. Hanukkah is only at night. This year it starts on December 1st and ends on the 9th. I always love Hanukkah.
Riya
My family celebrates the holiday of Diwali. Diwali is the Indian festival of light. I love Diwali because on this day we light a lot of lamps at home and we give and receive a lot of gifts and sweets. The best thing I like about Diwali is the fire crackers. The sky is lit up with fireworks. This day is also great because we get to go to a lot of parties and visit a lot of family and friends to give gifts. All the houses are beautifully decorated. If you see a house with lights outside in October you know its Diwali This is why I love Diwali.
Divya
My favorite holiday is Diwali. Diwali is my favorite holiday because I get money and a lot of good thing to eat . For Diwali everyone in my family wears new clothes and for lunch we eat a lot of rice and sweets. We eat pongle and chipate, Some of the sweets we eat are tiramasu.
Matthew
My favorite holiday is an October Fest. My friends come and we have a party. We play manhunt and PS3. We have German food for dinner. We also play Wiffleball. When one person is left we watch Baseball on TV.
Tarun
My favorite holiday that my family celebrates is Diwali. I like to celebrate it because you get to eat lots of sweets, go to the temple and pray for your family. We also put up lights to welcome the goddess Lakshmi in our house. I love Diwali!
Michael
My family celebrates Halloween. I like Halloween because I like to scare people and get candy. I mostly get Skittles and Nerds. My favorite are Kit Kats.
Eric
I like Christmas the best. I like Christmas the best because I get present and it is Jesus birthday. Plus our house’s get decorated and get fancy. Also it is winter so I could play in the snow. Also we could do a snowball fight.
Nikolas
One of the holidays my family celebrates is Christmas. It is one of my favorite holidays in the year. My favorite parts are getting present and going to church. I like it because it reminds me Christmas is about God’s gift to us ,Jesus.
Nashwa
My family celebrates a holiday called Eid. What I like best about that holiday is the presents. Families that celebrate Eid gather up in traditional clothing and have a party at a common place. Eid comes twice a year so I have twice the fun. Women and girls also put on a henna tattoos.
Rishi
What does your family celebrate. What do you like best about the holiday .My family celebrates Diwali. It is also our favorite holiday . I like to celebrate Diwali because we get to launch firecrackers . the firecrackers look so beautiful . It looks like a million colors in the sky . We also wear new clothes and eat delicious food. That’s why we like to celebrate Diwali.
Jessica
Well my family celebrates Halloween and it is my favorite holiday because you get to dressed up and get candy! Some of the decorations and costumes creep me out, but that’s part of the fun! My neighborhood has lots of candy and awesome costumes! The grown-ups let us pick our own candy, and my friends sometimes give me a handful! Isn’t That great!? Well if you don’t think it’s great, I do.
Briana
One of the holidays that my family and I celebrate is Christmas. Christmas is my favorite holiday, because I get presents. It’s really fun getting presents because I get all sorts of things like books, markers, clothes, purses and other fun stuff. We celebrate Christmas because that’s when Jesus was born which means a lot to us. That’s why we celebrate Christmas.
Riya
My family celebrates Diwali which is the festival of lights, lots of lights! It is an Indian holiday. On this Sunday it is the Diwali New Year! I like all the lights that people hang up outside of their house and all the yummy sweets and getting mendie on my hands. That is why Diwali is really fun!!
December 2010 Siddarth
We celebrate Diwali which is a festival of lights . It is celebrated in November. It is believed to bring peace, happiness, good luck and fortune. We light lamps ,eat sweets and exchange gifts with family and friends. I like Diwali because everybody is in a joyful mood.
Julie
My family celebrates Christmas! I like waking up with a stoking at my feet, and opening it as I wake up! My sister and I can’t go downstairs till were all awake, that’s usually 5 10 minutes for me because I’m a late sleeper! Then we go downstairs and open gifs!That’s why I like Christmas!!!
Justin
The holiday my family celebrates is Chinese New Years. Sometimes Chinese new years is at the end of January, the beginning of February, or in the middle of February. Usually the day before Chinese New Year, my parents clean up the whole house to get ready for new years to come. My favorite thing about this holiday is, getting red packets with money inside it from all the adults that we visit or they visit.
Manu
The holiday my family celebrates is Diwali. Diwali is the festival of lights. Every night of Diwali we take a Diya (a really small pot made out of mud clay and hardened) and put oil in it and light it with a match so it can glow. The thing I like best about Diwali is when we do the firecrackers. It is like, we take a stick and we light it up on the end. But, it will look like the end has sparks on it. Why not you try it out because it is really fun! That is why Diwali is my favorite holiday to celebrate with my family.
Jack
Christmas is my favorite holiday because it’s fun and I get a lot of toys. I also like Christmas because I like decorating the house. It is very fun and every year we have a family Christmas party with my cousins, my grandparents and my aunts and uncles.
Cindy
My family celebrates Halloween. My favorite part is getting candy. Some of my favorite candy are green lollipops, white lollipops. I also like green apple flavored Laffy Taffys. I like chocolate and also Twizzlers. I get so much candy, that my bag bursts with candy. That’s why I like Halloween. BOO!
Janet
My family celebrates Christmas! What do I like best about that holiday well, what do you think? Snow and presents! What I do on Christmas is my relatives come and celebrates with us. And best of all I get more presents! And winter is coming soon which means I don’t have to wait for a long time until Christmas comes! Yay!
December 2010 Kelley
My family celebrates Chinese New Year. My favorite part of it is the clothes. I like it because it is very pretty. Since the Chinese color is red, most of the clothes are red or dark pink, like mine is. My Chinese clothes is a short dress or long jacket.
Anirudh
Diwali is our favorite holiday. Diwali is the festival of lights. It is a fun, exciting colorful festival.We buy and wear charming new clothes. We also make tasty sweets, and snacks. We visit Aunts, and Uncles, Grandmas, and Grandpas. My best part of the festival is the sparklers.
Rohit
Dusshera is a holiday that my family and I celebrate. I like it because there was a strong demon named Mahisasura (if someone sliced his hand or foot), it will grow back). One night Durga (a god) killed Mahisasura. Everyone was really happy. They thanked Durga for killing the demon and that nine days Rama prayed to Durga and the tenth day Rama entered the battlefield and killed Ravana. Dusshera is also called the Vijaydasami. Dusshera is a big holiday and a happy day. I hope you celebrate it too!
Vishwa
My family celebrates a Indian holiday called Deepavali(Diwali). Deepa means light and vali means row so it is row of lights. My favorite part of it is when I get to light the firecrackers. I also like when I get dressed in my Indian suit. My mom makes all my favorite Indian snacks and is also one of my favorite parts of the festival. These are all of my favorite things to do on the Indian holiday called Deepavali.
Alexis
In my family we celebrate many different holidays. Like July4, Easter, and Thanksgiving, but my favorite is Christmas. Christmas is a special day when we wake up early, run down the stairs, eat breakfast and then we get together around the Christmas tree. This is my favorite part, when we search through all of the presents to see which ones are mine. I get to open my gifts to see what Santa left me. We usually have hot chocolate while Christmas songs are playing. It’s great to have everyone here on Christmas morning.
Brianna
My family celebrates many holidays, but Christmas is my favorite! There are many things I like best about this holiday. It makes me very happy to give presents to people. I love seeing the expressions on people’s faces when they are opening their presents. I also like receiving presents because it’s fun to see the surprises Santa brings me! I laugh a lot on Christmas because of all the fun games we play. There are many, many foods we eat on Christmas, but better than food is the desserts!! We have rice pudding, brownies,
cupcakes and much more. But I have fun on Christmas because were together as a family!!!
Athalya
Asking me what my favorite holiday is? Well your question is answered! What is the holiday when Santa Claus comes around? That’s right, Christmas! Christmas is my favorite holiday because my family hangs up a lot of lights and we put up a Christmas tree with sparkly ornaments. The final touch for the glittery tree is to put the star on top! My dad lifts me and my brother and we attaché the glowing star to the amazing tree! The next step is to put the nativity set. I like to take the foam and throw it on the nativity set as snow. Last but not least we make our wish list for Santa to get us toys. But I think our parents buy us that stuff! So that’s about it, that’s what I do on my favorite holiday!
Katryna
Do you Celebrate Christmas? Well I do and it is really fun. On Christmas Eve I usually have a party at night time. Before people come over, my family and I like to decorate our house, like putting ornaments on our Christmas tree, and putting green garland on our railing to upstairs. In my family room we sometimes have a fire in our fire place. On our fire place we hang four stockings on it, and when it is Christmas we get presents in them. On Christmas Eve before my sister and I go to bed my dad tells us the story of Jesus’ birth. When I wake up I rush downstairs to open my presents. Then my parents wake up and tell me “Wait for us”! So when everyone gets downstairs we get to open our presents.
Yash
My favorite holiday is Diwali. Diwali is a festival of lights. What I like about diwali is the sweats and the colorful lights. We have a party at our house and the kids get to get a light sparkled and get to swing it around out side on the deck and it can be any color. We have to wear Indian clothes .Then we eat the good Indian food. We play games. One of the games is that you have to use sticks. We get to watch Indian movies. We decorate our house with lights, and Indian gods. We believe in gods.
Roshan My family celebrates the holiday Diwali(Deepavali).Diwali is popularly know as the festival of lights fireworks occurring between mid-October and mid-November. Families celebrate by performing traditional activities like lighting up small clay lamps filled with oil to signify victory of good over evil. We wear new clothes and share sweets and snacks with family members to worship the goddess of wealth Lakshimi. Hindus have several important events related to Diwali. One of the events is when Lord Rama returned to his kingdom Ayodhya after defeating Ravanu.
The BReeze Joseph
My favorite holiday is Halloween. I like it because I get to trick-or-treat. It is so dark it feels like a cave. Then I go trick-ortreating. There are so many kids that it looks like a crowd. After that I go to houses for yummy treats and candy. I sometimes go to my friend’s houses and say hi to their parents. When I’m done I go home and eat my candy until Halloween is over. Isn’t Halloween a great holiday?
Ashley
My family celebrates Christmas each year. It is an important holiday for us because we celebrate Jesus’s birthday. The best thing about this holiday is that I spend it together with my relatives. We start by going to Mass together and then we go to my cousin’s house. There we exchange presents and enjoy great food. Next we head over to my Grampa’s house and we get even more present’s. There are so many people there each year and we get to stay up way past our bedtime! I feel so lucky to have such a big family to share this special holiday with.
Surina
Well I know what holiday I like. It is Christmas. It is when my whole family gets together and opens presents. And the one part that I like most is drinking hot cocoa. I love making cookies with my mom too which is always amazing. When I open the presents I always believe in Santa Claus. When it is time to watch Christmas movies, I jump onto the couch to watch them. When it is time to go to sleep I rush onto the couch and hear snoring that sounds like a train is passing by. And That’s why I like Christmas.
Alejandra
Have you ever celebrated Christmas? I did and it was awesome! My family celebrates it the Peruvian way. The Peruvian tradition is that we prepare turkey on Christmas and we serve the turkey and drinks (wine for adults, apple juice for kids) at midnight on Christmas day. Then after we serve the turkey and drinks we thank God for Christmas and then we start to eat. When we are eating everybody is talking and laughing about Christmas. Christmas songs from the radio fill the dining room! After we finish our food, we serve the desserts. One is Panettone (Spanish fruit bread) with hot chocolate. Finally when we are done, everybody goes to bed. The next day we wake up and go downstairs to open our presents. “Hooray! Hooray,” says my brother and I as we open our presents. This is the best part of Christmas along with drinking hot chocolate and celebrating it the Peruvian way!
Gauhar
The holiday my family and I celebrate is Diwali. My favorite part of Diwali is when you use fire crackers to make fireworks! You make the fireworks, because an Indian God named Rama killed an evil demon named
Ravan, who kidnapped Rama’s wife! After Rama killed Ravan, he went to his kingdom in Ayodhya, and everybody was glad to have him back. And so we call that day Diwali! Everybody that is Indian celebrates it!
Reema
My family celebrates the holiday of Holi. I really love Holi because it is a festival of colors. In this festival we wear white clothes and throw all different color powders on each other. We also get to dance to beautiful music while throwing colors on each other. It is so much fun to see all of the kids and adults filled with color. It is the one festival that I can look really messy and no one cares! I love Holi!!!
Aditya
My family celebrates Diwali. Diwali is actually short for Deepavali, the short form of Diwali, or Devali. Diwali is the most important festival in the Hindu religion. People have parties, eat sweets, go to temple and burst firecrackers for Diwali, but it is illegal to burst firecrackers in the USA. My favorite parts of Diwali are the parties, and I think bursting firecrackers with a parent’s help can be fun!
Lilly
My family likes to celebrate Christmas. We like to celebrate Christmas because everybody is happy! Part of the reason is that we get presents! I mean, who wouldn’t like to get presents? Everybody likes presents! Another reason is that we get to relax and get together! We could play fun games, such as Hearts! My family always goes outside. I know that there’s fluffy, white snow was waiting for me! We also get winter break! David and I like school, but we need a break sometimes. It’s always nice to have a break sometimes, you know?
Lorren
My family celebrates Christmas. Christmas is when Jesus was born. Everyone gives gifts and goes to church. They go to sleep and waits until Santa comes. The little kids are the ones who gets presents from their families and Santa. When we celebrate Christmas we take showers, get dressed, clean the house, prepare he food, and set the table. People start coming and I get so excited. We say “Hi” and sit down to eat. Then we say bye to our family. Mom cleans up all the food. I sit by the fire place and look at the Christmas tree. I also drink hot coco. I go to bed and dream of Santa on his sled. Night, Night!!
Justin
Boo! It’s time to tell you about Halloween, my favorite holiday. In the morning I test out my costume and wear it while I play games. After that it’s lunch. After having a delicious meal I go to Macy’s because they hand out free candy! Here’s my favorite part coming TRICK OR TREATING! I go out and get candy and when I get homehe candy is overflowing!
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