After Starring for Worcester in the Futures Baseball League, Hun Grad Kraemer Playing For Great Britain in U-23 Euro Tourney 22
With Woods Providing
A Big Inside Punch, Lob City Wins Summer Men’s Hoops Title 23
Roads Around Town Under Construction As Fall
Productive Summer at PPS, Construction on Time
Approaches
In spite of numerous thunderstorms and high heat, 21 days in July with temperatures over 90 degrees, including 10 days when workers had to be sent home early, the Princeton Municipal Engineering Department reports three major construction projects heading towards completion, along with several other projects in the works.
Major reconstruction on Dickinson Street and University Place and significant improvements on Terhune Road between North Harrison Street and Grover Avenue are expected to be finished by October, and the Cherry Hill Road shared-use path extension should be complete before school starts early next month, according to Princeton Assistant Municipal Engineer Jim Purcell.
On Dickinson a new sanitary sewer main drainage system is being installed along with full roadway reconstruction. Lucas Brothers Inc., the municipality’s contractor, is now working on replacing the sidewalks on University Place, after which they will replace sidewalks on Alexander Street and Dickinson. Dickinson is closed to through traffic. University Place is two-way, but alternating traffic can be expected.
The Terhune Road Improvements Project, with municipality contractor Black Rock Enterprises and funding from New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) grants, will complete and improve the existing pedestrian and bicycle network on Terhune and North Harrison, with new sidewalks and traffic-calming measures.
The Terhune project is being constructed in cooperation with the developers of The Alice and the Thanet Circle redevelopments.
The Cherry Hill Road Project, nearing completion with contractor Earle Asphalt Co., will include the construction of a new shared-use path, installation of a concrete retaining wall with handrail, and narrowing of the road as a traffic calming measure.
Also moving forward under the auspices of the municipal engineering department is a road resurfacing project covering the entire length of Stuart Road. The road has been milled, and Purcell noted that the paving should be taking place over the next two or three weeks.
Continued on Page 8
It may seem a bit quiet around the Princeton Public Schools (PPS) with almost a month before the start of classes for the new school year, but there’s more going on than meets the eye. Several construction projects are wrapping up, top administrators’ contracts were recently signed, and the district recently received national recognition for innovation in school meal preparation from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service in partnership with Action for Healthy Kids.
The Healthy Meals Incentives Recognition Award cited the district’s “creative and collaborative efforts to improve the quality and nutrition of school meals — especially through the use of fresh, local ingredients, and scratch cooking,” according to a PPS press release.
The district noted the work of the PPS food services, school staff, students, families, and community partners in creating “meals that were not only nutritious and delicious — but also rooted in community and care.”
Among the PPS initiatives that contributed to the award-winning evaluation were: locally inspired menu items such as street corn, meatball parmesan made with local crushed tomatoes, and fried rice with local peas and spinach; a partnership with the school gardens;
participation in the Garden State on Your Plate program bringing local foods to students; hands-on student involvement; collaboration with Pomptonian Food Service to create newsletters, videos, and other educational information for the community; and nutrition advisory meetings to give students a voice in shaping school menus.
Construction projects are all expected to be complete before the first day of school on September 2. In an August 5
phone conversation, new Business Administrator Andrew Harris, who joined the district on July 1, said he was quickly “getting up to speed on the systems and procedures and how we do everything and where everything is, but it’s been great so far.”
Praising his “fantastic staff,” he reported that “right now everything is on schedule” for completion of construction projects in the coming weeks.
“The heating upgrades at the middle
Several Express Interest in Becoming Next Leader of Experience Princeton
Since it was announced last week that Isaac Kremer is stepping down from his position as executive director of Experience Princeton, the nonprofit formed in 2022 as a Special Improvement District has received considerable interest from individuals who would like to be considered as his replacement.
“We have some really exciting potential candidates who have raised their hand,” said Aubrey Haines, board president of Experience Princeton. “We’re not excluding the folks that may come to us from outside, but I think we all know it would be better to have somebody that knows and understands Princeton.”
It was on July 30 that Experience Princeton released a statement with the news of “an important leadership transition” for the organization. Hired in October 2022, Kremer was the first executive director for the nonprofit, which was initially formed as the Princeton Business Partnership, replacing the Princeton Merchants Association. Kremer came to Princeton from Metuchen, where he is credited with founding and leading the Metuchen Downtown Alliance for six years.
“After almost three years of dedicated service, our founding executive director, Isaac D. Kremer, MSARP, will be
AT THE KICKOFF: Princeton’s governing body was well represented at last Friday’s opening event of the annual Joint Effort Witherspoon-Jackson Community Princeton Safe Streets Program, held at Studio Hillier to begin the week of events. From left are Princeton Councilman Leighton Newlin, Councilwoman Michelle Pirone Lambros, Mayor Mark Freda, and Council President Mia Sacks. The annual celebration culminates Sunday with basketball games and a community meet-and-greet.
(Photo by Jeffrey E. Tryon)
Enrollment and Enrichment
Town Topics
Desayuno saludable, Almuerzo
Clases de Música Bilingües con el Currículo de Música Juntos con Español
Clases de Cocina Bilingües con Chef de la casa
Clases de Arte con el Consejo de las Artes de Princeton
Excursiones a pie locales de Princeton y Excursiones atractivas.
Horas de Cuentos con la Bibliotecaria Infantil de la Biblioteca Pública de
Bilingual
Bilingual Cooking Classes with In-House Chef
Art Classes with the Arts Council of
Local
Storytimes
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TOWN TOPICS
Princeton’s Weekly Community Newspaper Since 1946
DONALD C. STUART, 1946-1981 DAN D. COYLE, 1946-1973 Founding Editors/Publishers DONALD C. STUART III, Editor/Publisher, 1981-2001
LAURIE PELLICHERO Editor BILL ALDEN, Sports Editor
DONALD GILPIN, WENDY GREENBERG,
Westminster Conservatory Holds Fall Registration
Musicians of all ages are invited to enroll in Westminster Conservatory of Music’s fall season. Classes begin September 3 and run through December 20.
Lessons are available in a variety of subjects and instruments, including voice, strings, guitar, brass, woodwinds, piano and
percussion. Students may choose either in-person or virtual private lessons, or group classes. All programs will be held on the former Westminster Choir College campus at 101 Walnut Lane.
Performance opportunities are also available throughout the semester. Westminster Conservatory faculty are professional musicians, all holding advanced degrees and/or
certificates in music. Established in 1970, the Conservatory is the community music school of Rider University. While the focus is on one-on-one lessons, a wide range of classes and performing ensembles are also offered.
Visit rider.edu/conservatory, email conservatory@ rider.edu, or call (609) 921-7104 to register or get additional information.
Topics In Brief A Community Bulletin
Backpack and School Supply Drive : Donors are sought for the 16th annual drive, which distributes items to children from low-income families who attend Princeton Public Schools and are entering kindergarten through 8th grade. Drop off donations by August 7 at Princeton Human Services, 1 Monument Drive.
Bathing Suit and Goggle Drive : Through August 15, donate items at Community Park Pool for children in under-resourced communities in New Jersey. Most needed are bathing suits for children sizes 5 through young adult.
Community Blood Drive : On Thursday, August 7 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Suzanne Patterson Center, 1 Monument Drive. Princetonnj.gov.
Donate Gift Cards : Housing Initiatives of Princeton sponsors this drive for families struggling with food insecurity. Cards to grocery stores such as ShopRite Aldi, Target, and Walmart can be mailed to HIP, 33 Mercer Street, Princeton NJ 08540.
HomeFront Back to School Drive : Clothing, shoes, backpacks, school supplies, and gift cards for the children impacted by poverty can be dropped off by August 11 at HomeFront, 1880 Princeton Avenue, Lawrence Township. For more information, visit getinvolved@homefrontnj.org.
Leighton Listens : Councilman Leighton Newlin is available for one-on-one discussions about issues impacting Princeton on Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on August 6 at the Carnevale Kiosk, 255 Nassau Street; on August 13 at the Alchemist and Barrister, 28 Witherspoon Street (outside seating); on August 20 at Hinds Plaza; and on August 27 at Deliziosos, 205 Witherspoon Street.
Volunteers Needed: For the Princeton Food Task Force to deliver recovered meals, package produce, or tend to community gardens. Visit princetonnj.gov/1476/PrincetonFood-Task-Force to sign up.
Food Pantry: Arm in Arm’s mobile food pantry is at the Lawrence Headquarters Branch of Mercer County Library System, 2751 Brunswick Pike, on Monday afternoons from 2-4 p.m. Fresh produce, eggs, milk, frozen proteins, and quality baked goods as well as canned and boxed items and personal care items are available for those in need, and different social services agencies are on site. Mcl.org.
Italian Lessons : Register for fall classes at Dorothea’s House, the Italian American cultural center at 120 John Street. In person and remote classes are offered starting September 8 for 12 weeks. Visit dorotheashouse.org.
AMONG THE HONORS: Witherspoon Media Group was among the organizations and individuals recognized at the August 1 opening reception for the annual Joint Effort Safe Streets Summer Program, held at the offices of Studio Hillier on Witherspoon Street. From left: Joint Effort Founder and Director John Bailey, Town Topics Sports Editor Bill Alden, Staff Writer Anne Levin, Publisher Bob Hillier, Operations Director Melissa Bilyeu, and Staff Writer Don Gilpin. (Photo by Jeffrey E. Tryon)
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CELEBRATING AN ICON: This 1949 photo of Fannie Conte and Louis Lucullo was taken before Conte’s Bar became Conte’s Pizzeria. Lucullo took over the business from its founder, Fannie’s father Sebastiano Conte. The building pictured is now the offices of KSS Architects; Conte and some friends built the restaurant on top of a bocce court, at left in the photo.
Conte’s Pizza Marks 75th Birthday With a Party for the Community
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Sebastiano Conte, founder of Conte’s Pizza on Witherspoon Street, had a saying: “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.”
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His children, grandchildren, and extended family have taken that advice to heart for the past 75 years. Walking into the iconic pizzeria and bar is like stepping back in time. Not much, if anything, has changed since fans of the famed thin-crust
pies began showing up for lunches and dinners, sometimes waiting in line for hours before scoring a Formica-topped table or a seat at the long wooden bar.
Conte’s is marking its 75th birthday with a party for the community and fundraiser for Send Hunger Packing Princeton (SHUPP) on Saturday, August 16. The festivities will be from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., in the Valley Road field behind the restaurant. There will be food vendors, desserts, ice cream from Thomas Sweet, a DJ, a photo booth, celebrity guests from the television shows What’s Happening!! and Happy Days, a silent auction, and more. Admission is free, though those who want pizza can buy two slices and a bottle of water, while supplies last, for $5. Themed merchandise will be for sale.
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Of the Town
landed in Princeton and found work as a laborer for the Matthews Construction Company. On a trip back to Ischia four years later, he met the woman who would become his wife.
“Sebastiano returned to Princeton to work and saved enough money to bring his new wife to the United States,” reads the restaurant’s website. “Anna arrived in America on May 28, 1927. They rented a row house for $35 a month at 26 Witherspoon Lane, an Italian neighborhood. Sebastiano continued to be employed by the Matthews Construction Company where he was proud to help build the tower at Princeton High School.”
Conte’s first establishment was a grocery store on Birch Avenue, followed by the Black Eagle Bar, later
renamed Conte’s Cafe. The family lived upstairs. Conte sold the building in 1937 to the Witherspoon Elks Lodge, and moved his business to 339 Witherspoon Street, naming it the Witherspoon Bar. The bocce court that would become the pizzeria was next to the building.
“During the 1940s, Sebastiano added a rental hall to the back of the building, where many Princeton weddings were held for a $15 rental hall fee,” reads the website. The establishment boasted one of the first public television sets in town, and many people came to watch their favorite shows.
Conte’s descendants are proud of the fact that he rejected segregation policies of the time. “It was the only place in town that would serve Blacks,” said granddaughter Elana Bruno, adding that Black photographer Romus Broadway and his family were regular customers.
Pizza entered the picture in 1950, when Conte decided to replace the bocce courts with a restaurant. It was the only pizza available in Princeton at the time. There was a shuffleboard game and a juke box. The shuffleboard was eventually broken down and used for the pizza-making table in the kitchen. The juke box lost out to the television.
The clientele has changed over the years. “In the seventies, it was predominantly males and couples who came here, because of the bar,” said Bruno. “But then in the mid-eighties, people started bringing their kids with them. Times changed.”
Adams recalled that the
families started coming after the restaurant began sponsoring softball teams. “And when they won, the champagne would flow,” she said.
Conte’s boasts customers in their sixties who have celebrated every birthday at the restaurant. People order the same thing when they come.
“We know people by what they order,” said Anstrom. “They don’t change their order for 30 years. I’ll see somebody on the street and think, ‘Oh, there’s medium pepperoni.’ When people come who haven’t been here before and they ask for a menu, the regulars will hear and say, ‘There’s a menu?’” The family will never reveal the secret ingredients that make the pizzas so popular. “But the ingredients are high quality,” said Bruno. “The sausage is homemade and out of this world. The pepperoni is imported from Italy. The dough is made fresh. It’s consistent. It doesn’t change. And that’s always the comment people make about Conte’s.”
Astrom adds, “The pizza is cooked at the same temperature. They won’t try to cook it faster. It takes 20 minutes, so you have to wait 20 minutes. Nobody minds.” Lines out the door are a regular occurrence. The busiest days of the year are the Friday after Thanksgiving, followed by the Saturday after the holiday and the Wednesday before. “Hands down, year after year, that doesn’t change,” said Bruno. “It’s insane. And people like to come in large groups because we can accommodate them.”
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“We’ve been planning this for the past four months,” said Cynthia Astrom, one of Conte’s granddaughters. Like her sisters, two of whom joined her for a chat at the restaurant this week along with their aunt Amelia Conte Adams — a youthful 92 — Astrom helped out in the establishment for as long as she can remember.
“On Sundays when it was closed, we’d come over and clean. We’d run around looking for loose change on the floor,” she said. Astrom’s older sister, Rita Ward, remembers helping to fold pizza boxes when she was 7 years old. “I got a few paper cuts,” she said, with a laugh.
As they got older, the siblings were servers at the restaurant. Their father swore them to secrecy about any of their teachers they might see at the bar.
The five sisters and one brother grew up on Harris Road, a short walk from Conte’s. Their aunt, Amelia Conte Adams, was born in an apartment upstairs from the restaurant.
“My father built the restaurant with some friends after having a bocce court there,” Adams recalled. “He just put up four walls around it.”
Sebastiano (Sam) Conte came to America from Ischia, Italy, in 1920. After stints in New York, Connecticut, and West Virginia, he finally
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the family, Angela Baldino and Ciro Baldino, Conte’s appears regularly on top-10 pizza lists and foodie apps. “People come from all over,” said Astrom. “They find us on apps and want to check us out. It’s not just the locals anymore.”
The purpose of the anniversary celebration is to honor Sebastiano Conte, who died in 1983. “My grandfather had a dream, and didn’t live to see that dream,” said Astrom. “Conte’s was a success, but he died before it became an icon. We’re still here, and we want to honor him.”
For a full schedule and details on the upcoming anniversary, visit contespizza.net.
—Anne Levin New Education Director For Temple in Bordentown
Temple B’nai Abraham has announced the appointment of Amy Goldman as its new education director.
Goldman spent seven years at Mishkan Shalom, a Reconstructionist synagogue in Manayunk, Pa., where she worked closely with children and families. She is also recently retired from a 41-year career at Philadelphia Family Court.
A forum for the expression of opinions about local and national issues.
Question of the Week:
“How does Joint Effort Safe Streets contribute to the community?”
(Asked Friday at the Joint Effort Witherspoon-Jackson Community Princeton Safe Streets kick-off reception at Studio Hillier) (Photos by Jeffrey E. Tryon)
Goldman plans to foster a dynamic religious school experience that incorporates a variety of learning modalities, including reading, acting, arts and crafts, games, and even cooking. Her approach is centered around making learning engaging and accessible to every student, by meeting students where they are.
Temple B’nai Abraham’s religious school is known for its personalized, child-centered approach that emphasizes individualized learning.
Temple B’nai Abraham welcomes families of all backgrounds, with many members coming from interfaith households. The congregation is dedicated to fostering an inclusive environment where every child feels valued and accepted.
“I believe that the value of being a mensch (a person of integrity) is at the core of Judaism, and all religions and customs should be shared and embraced,” said Goldman.
“At Temple B’nai Abraham, we have been blessed through the years with education directors and teachers who have nurtured the lives and Jewish growth of their students,” said the congregation’s Rabbi Julie Pfau. “Amy has a wonderful energy and passion for this work, and an empathetic heart. She will continue our strong tradition, and I look forward to working with her.”
Visit bnai-abraham.org for more information. “Where
“There’s such a rich history in Princeton. Joint Effort Safe Streets is an important organization for keeping our community history inclusive and accessible.” —Dr. Stacy Young, South Brunswick
“It gives a safe place for kids with the basketball clinic. As for adults, the information and history of commitment are benefits.”
—Paige Walden, Prince George’s County, Md.
“It brings our community together, and shows the rich history that the community has.”
—Lance Liverman, Princeton
“The annual event has been held for more than 50 years in our community. It connects the past with the future of Princeton. The Arts Council of Princeton is honored to be a part of it. Good vibes!”
—Adam Welch, Hightstown
Experience Princeton continued from page one stepping down effective as of August 6, 2025,” the statement reads. “As many of you know, Isaac played a pivotal role in launching Experience Princeton, obtaining our Main Street New Jersey designation along with grant funding, while also helping to shape our direction during these foundational years. We thank him for his work and wish him well in his future endeavors.”
The statement continued that a search team was in place. “As always, our mission remains unchanged: to shape, maintain, and grow a flourishing Princeton economy by offering an exceptional experience for residents and visitors; and to advocate for a robust and diverse business community through strong partnerships. Our next executive director will be charged with advancing this mission and ushering in the next phase of growth and impact.”
The next director of Experience Princeton must understand land use law “and how the town functions with respect to a business trying to get approvals for development or construction,” Haines said this week. “That is one of the key elements of what we’re trying to achieve. We want to make it easier. You have to know how all
of that functions. You don’t want to ask for things the town can’t do. We’re looking for win-win solutions.”
Also key are technology skills and an affable personality. “We’re looking for a people person who can relate to the business owners, and drive volunteer support for our many activities,” Haines said. “The person has to be easy to get along with.”
Being acquainted with various personalities and players in town is also a plus.
“There is the history here, and there are so many interesting characters,” he said, citing people like restauranteur Raoul Momo, Palmer Square Management Vice President Lori Rabon, and Homestead Princeton coowner Kristin Menapace, all of whom serve on the Experience Princeton board. “By knowing these interesting and smart people, it’s much easier for a new executive director to work with them.
That’s a key element. Somebody from outside can certainly learn that, but it’s really important to utilize the talent that’s here.”
The timeline for filling the position is “as long as it takes to get it right,” Haines said. “But we would certainly like to have someone in place before the holiday season.”
—Anne Levin
Police Blotter
On July 28, at 9 a.m., patrols responded to Nassau Street near Palmer Square East in response to an individual, later identified as a 55-year-old Trenton male, who matched the description of a suspect involved in a previous bicycle theft case. The on-scene investigation revealed that the suspect was in possession of stolen property, specifically a Pexmor 500W 14” Electric Bike, valued at $450, and a cable combination lock, both involved in a theft case. He was placed under arrest and searched, resulting in the discovery of several burglary tools. These included a modified white and silver “Bonny” can opener resembling a bolt cutter, an orange box cutter-style knife, a red/ silver Phillips head screwdriver, an approximately three-inch “S” shaped metal rod, and a “Universal One” wand staple remover. Additionally, the search uncovered three clear glass cylindrical tubes containing small amounts of suspected crack cocaine residue and copper wire. The suspect was charged with receiving stolen property, possession of burglary tools, possession of drug paraphernalia, obstructing the administration of law, and refusing to provide fingerprints during arrest processing. After processing, he was transported to Mercer County Correctional Center without incident. The stolen items were later returned.
On July 28, at 9:14 a.m., it was reported that, at 4:02 a.m., a Jefferson Road resident received a notification from his Ring security camera. After reviewing the footage, he observed unknown individuals parking a vehicle at the end of his driveway. He noted that one person exited the vehicle and attempted to open the driver side front and rear doors of the vehicle parked in the driveway. Since the vehicle was securely locked, the individual then attempted to open the passenger side doors of another vehicle in the driveway. As the suspect approached this vehicle, the Ring floodlight activated, prompting the suspect to quickly return to their vehicle. The unknown vehicle then left the area.
On July 28 at 7:32 a.m., a Cleveland Lane resident reported that an unknown suspect(s) entered two of his vehicles while they were parked and unlocked in the driveway of his residence. During the incident, the only item stolen was an ignition key belonging to the vehicle, and it appears that the suspect was specifically targeting the vehicles, rather than the property/valuables left in them. This investigation is ongoing.
On July 23, at 8:48 a.m., an individual reported that, sometime between 9:20 p.m. on July 21 and approximately 6 a.m. on July 22, an unknown suspect(s) stole his electric bicycle, which was secured to a bike rack located on the front porch of his residence on Nassau Street. The stolen property included one Gosen Q7 folding fat tire electric bicycle
with scuff marks on the right gear shifter, a front battery that doesn’t function, and a loose seat, valued at approximately $1,000; and one felt-covered chain bicycle lock (unknown brand) valued at approximately $20. The total value of the stolen property was $1,020.
On July 23, at 9:10 a.m., an individual reported that, on July 20 sometime between 12 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., an unknown suspect(s) stole two of his bicycles that were left unsecured on a bike rack located on the front porch of his residence on Nassau Street. The stolen property included one black Hipatoo V8 electric bicycle with a loose left brake handle and a scratch near its rear wheel, valued at approximately $850; and one street-style bicycle.
On July 23, at 5:36 p.m., a Brook Stone Drive resident reported to Princeton Police headquarters to report that he was the victim of a theft by deception incident. He stated that while searching for an apartment, he located a rental listing on Facebook Marketplace. After contacting the individual who posted the listing, he was provided detailed information about the apartment and proceeded to submit a deposit of $800 to secure the lease. Further investigation revealed that the listing was fraudulent. As a result, he sustained a monetary loss in the amount of $800. Unless noted, individuals arrested were later released.
Construction
Mercer County, under a program to assist municipalities with road resurfacing, is providing labor and equipment for that project, billing the Municipality for materials.
Stuart Road will be closed to through traffic during work hours with drivers asked to plan alternate routes.
PSE&G has paved 12 miles of Princeton roads in various parts of town in the past two years, Purcell noted, and will probably be doing some striping later this month.
A Pretty Brook Road closure in the next few days may cause “a bit of nightmarish traffic,” Purcell observed. Williams Gas Pipeline Transco will be doing pipeline repairs adjacent to Pretty Brook Road with the road closed for a day or two so they can mobilize their equipment. There are detour signs up and down the Great Road and up and down Carter Road.
At the end of this week the NJDOT will start the milling and resurfacing of Princeton-Kingston Road between Snowden Lane and the Princeton municipal boundary at Kingston. The work will be done at night.
Scheduled for early fall is the reconstruction, with milling and resurfacing, of the shared use path on Mt. Lucas Road between Stuart Road East and Poor Farm Road. Purcell noted “significant stormwater management” associated with this project.
Other initiatives on the engineering department agenda for the coming weeks include the conversion of the two-lane Harrison Street boulevard in front of the Princeton Shopping Center on Harrison Street to single
lanes with protected bike lanes, and an ordinance to restrict right turns on red at a number of intersections in town.
The work to be done on Harrison is mostly striping with bids and Council approval is necessary before the work begins, but the engineering department is hoping to complete the work before school opens.
The ordinance, scheduled for public hearing next Monday night, would also extend pedestrian walk signals by five seconds so that pedestrians would have time to get into the street and be seen in the crosswalk by turning motorists.
Princeton has recently been honored on the silver level by the Safe Routes to School Recognition Program for its “commitment and support of the Safe Routes to School program by enabling and encouraging walking and bicycling.”
Purcell noted, “We received the award for all of our roadway and off-roadway constriction. We take into consideration the safety of pedestrians and bicyclists in addition to motorists.” He mentioned in particular the Witherspoon Street project with its focus on raised crosswalks near Community Park School, enhancing safety for children biking and walking to school.
—Donald Gilpin
TOWN
TOPICS is printed entirely on recycled paper.
Terhune Orchards Marks
50 Years of Farming and More Terhune Orchards invites the community to join in celebrating 50 years of farming, family traditions, and community connections at a special, free event on Saturday, August 16, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the farm’s main location, 330 Cold Soil Road.
The family-friendly celebration will include wagon rides, live music, children’s games, special giveaways, a commemorative cakecutting ceremony, and tasting of special anniversary wines. A highlight of the day will be a photo exhibit in the farm’s 250-year-old historic barn. The winery, farm store, and Barn Door Café will also be open for visitors.
“Terhune Orchards has always been more than just a farm,” said Tannwen Mount, daughter of founders Pam and Gary Mount. “It’s been a place where generations come together to make memories. This event is our way of saying thank you to our loyal customers and the local community who have supported us every step of the way.”
Longtime customer Jill H. said, “Terhune was always a yearly visit with my grandparents. I remember apple cider slushies and following the labs around
as a kid. Now, with my own 14-year-old son, I’ve kept the tradition alive. Pulling into the orchard floods me with childhood memories — and now we’re making new ones. My grandparents are no longer with us, which makes these visits even more meaningful. Thank you for all the great times.”
Another longtime customer, Kristie B., commented, “Billy, my boyfriend (now husband), proposed to me in the same row we had gone apple picking in since we started dating in 2015. Now, almost seven years after that proposal, we still visit all the time with our three kids. Terhune will always hold a special place in our hearts.”
When Pam and Gary Mount purchased the original 55-acre farm in 1975, Terhune Orchards grew just three crops. Today, it spans 250 acres across five properties, producing over 60 crops, including certified organic vegetables. Along the way, the Mount family has introduced Pick-YourOwn orchards, a bakery famous for its cider donuts, educational programs, and an award-winning winery. The farm is recognized by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection as a sustainable farm.
This year, Terhune will host nine weekends of Fall Family Fun Weekends, beginning in early September. These weekends feature more than 30 attractions and activities, from corn mazes and barnyard play areas to live music, pumpkin and apple picking, and more. A special throwback Apple Day weekend will pay tribute to the original event that helped launch Terhune’s community events in the 1970s. Upcoming anniversary events include the 50th Anniversary “Apple
Days” September 13-14, and the 2025 Annual Art Show, September 6-December 6. An artist reception is on September 7.
For more information, visit terhuneorchards.com.
Scarecrow Season Set
For Peddler’s Village
Peddler’s Village, the shopping, dining, lodging, and entertainment destination in Bucks County, Pa., will begin its annual “Scarecrow Season” with three main events: a Scarecrows in the Village display of more than 100 handmade creations; a Scarecrow Festival on September 13 and 14; and scarecrow-making workshops which take place during the festival and on September 20 and 27.
Other events taking place in September at Peddler’s Village include a free pet photography exhibit , an Autumn Wedding Show , and a Food Truck Thursday. The Village offers more than 65 specialty shops and boutiques, restaurants and eateries, the indoor family entertainment Giggleberry Fair, and more. Guests can also stay overnight at the on-site Golden Plough Inn.
The free Scarecrows in the Village competition and display showcases dozens of scarecrows created by area residents, organizations, and Village shops. Registration for the competition, which awards cash prizes up to $300, is open through September 3. Starting September 8, guests can cast their vote for their favorite scarecrows using the Peddler’s Village mobile app or by picking up a paper ballot at one of several locations: the Visitor and Event Center, Cock ‘n Bull Restaurant, Giggleberry Fair, Earl’s New American, and Buttonwood Grill. Voting will continue through October 13.
On September 13 and 14 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Peddler’s Village will host its annual Scarecrow Festival, an autumn weekend featuring scarecrow workshops, live music, pumpkin painting, activities, and outdoor food and drinks. Pre-registration for the scarecrow workshops is strongly encouraged as walk-in opportunities will be limited. Workshops include a designated space, materials, and step-by-step instructions to create a life-sized scarecrow to take home. For those who cannot attend the Scarecrow Festival, additional workshop dates are Saturday, September 20 and 27. Other events during Scarecrow Season include a Pet Photography Competition & Exhibit, which will be on display from September 3 through October 19 (deadline to submit an entry is August 11), and a Food Truck Thursday event on Thursday, September 18. Couples interested in learning more about weddings at Peddler’s Village can register for the free Autumn Wedding Show that will take place on Sunday, September 7. October events include the annual OctoberFeast weekend on October 11 and 12 and Saturday, October 25 and the Deadly Silent Disco Party for adults on October 24. From October 27-31, Hart’s Tavern will be hosting a Halloween Happy Hour in its “haunted” Twining Room. Guests who come dressed in costume will receive an extra 10 percent off the usual happy hour discounts.
Additionally, our Trick or Treat in the Village will be held on October 26. The annual Peddler’s Village 50th annual Apple Festival will take place on November 1 and 2. Visit peddlersvillage.com for a full calendar.
Organic Garden State Organic Garden State
FIFTY YEARS: A panoramic view of Terhune Orchards, which celebrates a milestone with a free community event on August 16 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Covering Classic Rock Hits Together Is Local Doctors’ Cure for Burnout
Is there a
A decade ago, a Harvard Medical School professor wrote that more than 70 percent of doctors have received
training. In New York, the Doctors Orchestral Society of New York has been performing concerts since 1938.
A group of medical professionals here in Princeton has been making music — classic rock — together for the past few years. Full Code, an ensemble of five doctors and one chaplain from Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center, will perform on Sunday, August 17, at 4 p.m. at Hinds Plaza. A second concert is planned for Wednesday, August 20 at 6:30 p.m. at Cranbury Library. Both events are free.
The group is known locally from their performances at the annual Porchfest. They have played at the annual gala for Greenwood House, and at local backyard parties.
It all started at the hospital’s 100th anniversary celebration in 2019. The day before the gala event, at which The Temptations appeared, the hospital held a talent show for employees.
“A lot of people entered,”
said Dr. David Barile, a geriatric medicine specialist who plays guitar and keyboards. “I knew two guys had been playing together. And we knew a bass player. I was fiddling around with the drums. And we thought, ‘Let’s join the competition.’ We learned two songs and came in third behind two barbershop quartets.”
Alan Stefanowicz, a laboratory courier who procures patient specimens from local Penn Medicine outreach clinics, has been managing Full Code for the past several months.
“The band first came to my attention through word of mouth at the hospital,” he wrote in an email. “Given that I had always been a fan of classic rock, I just knew I had to meet these guys. Little did I know at the time that five of the members were doctors within the Penn Medicine Healthcare System, as well as our hospital chaplain.”
After meeting with one of the members, Stefanowicz, who lives in Cranbury, was invited to become their manager. In addition to Barile, Full Code members include saxophonist Sam Ven-Batah, the hospital’s director of spiritual well-being; guitarist Craig Gronczewski,
chief medical officer; guitarist Jasmeet Bajaj, director of the critical care unit; drummer Kevin Skole, gastroenterologist; and bassist Gabe Smolars, endocrinologist.
The band gets together at least once a month, usually in Gronczewski’s garage, to practice songs by Neil Young, Elvis Presley, U2, The Grateful Dead, and other rock icons. During the pandemic, they rehearsed in Barile’s backyard.
The link between music and medicine makes sense to Barile. “I know a lot of us try and use both sides of the brain in our work,” he said. “There’s a lot of math in music. And there are a lot of neuro diverse traits among musicians.”
Full Code has played a few times in the hospital’s courtyard, outside the cafeteria.
“The staff just love it,” said Barile. “It helps with burnout. Mostly, it’s been good for our morale. We don’t just play music, we get to commiserate about everything — work, parenting, medicine. There’s a lot of brotherly love there, and the music is a way of joining together. It’s a really fun experience to play on your own, but making music with another person is a good exercise.”
—Anne Levin
Conserve Wildlife Foundation Collaborates on Birding Event
D&R Greenway Land Trust will host a special presentation in collaboration with Conserve Wildlife Foundation on Sunday, August 10 at 2 p.m., at the Discovery Center at Point Breeze, 101 East Park Street, Bordentown. Wildlife Biologist Harrison Hepding will talk about his hands-on expertise with extensive birding across the state of New Jersey and his travels elsewhere.
Seating is limited, and the $15 fee benefits the Discovery Center at Point Breeze.
Hepding earned his B.S. in marine biology from the University of Rhode Island, where he realized his passion for wildlife biology. He is an avid birder, and most of his post-graduation work has centered around avian research. Hepding is collaborating with D&R Greenway’s Alliance for Watershed Education Fellow Joseph Woodmansee on historical avian research for an upcoming exhibit this fall.
Woodmansee has been sharing his own naturalist knowledge and birding skills with attendees on D&R Greenway’s naturalist guided kayak trips this season. Conserve Wildlife Foundation is dedicated to the conservation and preservation of all rare species in the state of New Jersey.
Register for this event at drgreenway.org.
Democrats Night Out Set for August 13
The Capital City Area Black Caucus (CCABC) in conjunction with the Mercer County Democratic Party and the Trenton Democratic Party will once again host their Annual Trenton and Mercer County “Democrats Night Out” on Wednesday, August 13, from 5-8 p.m. in the Greater Mt. Zion AME Church, 42 Pennington Avenue, Trenton.
Elected and party officials, faith and community leaders, activists, progressives and volunteers from throughout Mercer County and the State of New Jersey have been invited to attend. This gathering will include remarks on national, New Jersey, Mercer County and Trenton issues as well as share information, conduct outreach and prepare for the upcoming November election.
The agenda will include remarks from elected officials and community leaders, a November election update, presentation on Black Community Agenda, special remarks from Democratic candidate
for governor Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill and CCABC Community Awards presentations to New Jersey Democratic State Party Chairman, Leroy Jones (CCABC Lifetime Achievement) and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka (CCABC Community Service).
Confirmed speakers include Mercer County Commissioner Sam Frisby; lobbyist Jeannine LaRue; John Harmon, founder, CEO and president, African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey; former Trenton Mayor Douglas H. Palmer; Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman; Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora; Senator Andrew Zwicker; and several others.
“This “Mercer County Democrats Night Out” is a call to
action and an example of political engagement, voter education and community outreach,” said Frisby. “Dems Night Out is an opportunity to bring Democratic and community Leaders from throughout Mercer County together to communicate and strategize before a major election. We need Democrats in the county to be a part of intentional efforts to support our leadership and our candidates. Every available Mercer County Democratic elected official, party leaders and candidate will be in attendance.”
The event is open to all. For more information, email John Bailey at johnbailey062@gmail.com or call (720) 629-0964.
MUSICAL MEDICS: Full Code, made up of professionals from Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center, brings their brand of classic rock to Hinds Plaza on August 17 and Cranbury Library on August 20. From left are, front row, are Sam Ven-Batah and Craig Gronczewski. Behind them are David Barile, Kevin Skole, Jasmeet Bajaj, and Gabe Smolars.
BIRDING AT POINT BREEZE: Wildlife biologist Harrison Hepding will talk about his work across New Jersey at a special event sponsored by D&R Greenway in Bordentown on August 10 at 2 p.m.
Despite Headwinds, Uncertainty, HomeFront Fulfills Commitment to Mercer Community
Backpacks to be loaded with school supplies for more than 1,500 area children fill the HomeFront warehouse and are just one of many manifestations of HomeFront’s ongoing commitment to ending homelessness in Central New Jersey. That commitment now faces unprecedented challenges with more families in need and fewer resources.
“Uncertainty is the word of the day,” said HomeFront CEO Sarah Steward in a phone conversation last week. “It’s very hard to predict what’s going to happen in our funding landscape. The thing I know for sure is that families count on HomeFront. Last night there were more than 450 people under a HomeFront roof of one sort or another and twothirds of those are kids. The crisis level is growing very substantially now and it’s going to need more attention and resources to meet the needs we’re seeing.”
In addition to shelter for hundreds, HomeFront provides food, clothing, diapers, and other crucial supplies; wellness and therapeutic programs; educational resources; an eight-week long Camp Mercer, and more —all with the goal of alleviating the suffering of homelessness and helping families to become self-sufficient.
Like almost all nonprofit organizations HomeFront has experienced recent cuts in funding and is concerned that more cuts will be coming, but Steward is not looking to cut HomeFront’s services to those in need.
“While I can sit and think about uncertainty, I have to be in a place where I can provide certainty for families and support them on this path to self-sufficiency,” she said. “We are working hard, turning to our other supporters to ask for assistance at this time because we have an obligation to fulfill the commitment that we’ve made to our community and to provide emergency housing and basic needs and hope for a better tomorrow.”
She continued, “So I’m obviously following these developments closely and I’m
I’m just as focused on how we can assure continuity of services at this time.”
She noted that an executive order issued by the Trump administration last month signals a different approach to homelessness and housing instability, viewing homelessness as a problem driven by drug use or mental illness. Steward disagrees with this view.
“While those problems certainly exist, they are not the driving forces of the homelessness that we see in our community,” she said. “Families that come to us for assistance are coming to us because they’re having an economic crisis. They’re living so close to the economic edge that when one crisis happens it upsets their whole financial picture and their ability to afford New Jersey’s very high housing prices. An approach that focuses on drug treatment and forced mental health services is just not going to solve the problem that presents itself.”
Steward explained that HomeFront has been able to diversify its funding over the years so that it can be resilient in difficult times.
“At any moment there is almost always some new funding source stepping up or another one stepping back, whether it’s government, corporate foundations, or individuals. That’s giving me some confidence in this moment.”
She went on to note that HomeFront does not receive a great deal of direct federal funding, as social services funding is most often allocated to the state and then distributed from there to community organizations and local governments.
She pointed out that with most social service programs administered at the state and county level, this year’s election for governor will have a major impact on HomeFront. “I’m following the gubernatorial election closely,” she said. “The implications it will have for our work will be significant.”
Though she fears a “double whammy” of reduced funding and increased need for services, Steward expressed great faith in the munity’s willingness to
respond. “I have never seen a time that we have called on our community for help that they haven’t stepped up,” she said.
Individuals and businesses, however, cannot take the place of government support for many of HomeFront’s programs, Steward emphasized, warning that philanthropy cannot fill the gap created by severe cutbacks in government services. SNAP food stamps, the federal government’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, for example, provides nine times as many meals as all the charitable food providers in the country combined.
“i don’t think philanthropy alone can fill the gap here,” she said. “We are incredibly thankful for the generosity of our community, but I believe this is the rightful role of government.”
HomeFront, which in addition to its headquarters in Lawrence Township runs a family shelter at its family campus in Ewing, has expanded in the last few years to offer sheltering options in apartments scattered around the community.
“There was so much demand,” said Steward, and now, she is unhappy to report, they are on the verge of acquiring another building to use as a shelter.
“The ultimate answer to homelessness is not to build more shelters,” she said.
“I’d rather tell you we’re expanding other kinds of supports, with more families living independently. We want to be able to support families and help them to find permanent housing. The shelter is a small and brief part of the equation to solving their homelessness challenge, but the need is so great now.”
She continued, “That should be distressing news to our community, because we’re really not moving in the right direction, so I’m waving the flag that this problem is growing even before we see the impact of some of these cuts and policy changes.”
Despite all the challenges that HomeFront faces, and the threat of more difficulties in the future, Steward remains optimistic and thoroughly committed to fulfilling HomeFront’s mission.
“I go to HomeFront every morning excited, and I leave encouraged because I see that there is caring and that change is possible,” she said. “We support families on that path and no matter the funding, the policy climate, the instability, the uncertainty, we are dedicated to do that work. That is our commitment.”
Homefront’s Camp Mercer summer camp, which Steward calls “our daily miracle because it is chaotic and there’s a lot going on, and it’s full of joy and happiness,” will be continuing for about two more weeks.
HomeFront’s Back to School Drive runs through August 11, providing community members of all ages an opportunity to get involved in getting a child on track for a positive start to the coming school year.
Visit .homefrontnj.org or call (609) 989-9417 x112 for more information about how to help.
—Donald Gilpin
Through their
Scholarships to Rider Through Capital Health
Capital Health has announced four winners of full-tuition scholarships to Rider University as part of an employee education benefits partnership with the University. The scholarship winners are immediate family members of Capital Health employees and include Sunny Carpinello (accounting), Alannah Eidell (elementary education), Mariah Sabat (elementary education), and Ellie Campbell (dance). Capital Health’s partnership with Rider launched in October 2020.
“On behalf of Capital Health, I’m thrilled to recognize the 2025 winners of our full-tuition scholarships to Rider University,” said Al Maghazehe, president and CEO of Capital Health. “This scholarship program is just one of the many education-related benefits and opportunities we offer employees and their families. It’s exciting to be able to help more and more members of our Capital Health family pursue higher education. Congratulations to this year’s winners and our continued best wishes for success in this important step in their education journey.”
Carpinello, of Hamilton, is a graduate of Nottingham High School – North. The daughter of Anthony Carpinello and Cristie Carpinello, registered nurse at Capital Health Occupational Health Center, she will study accounting at Rider’s Norm Brodsky College of Business Administration.
Eidell, of Lakehurst, is a graduate of Manchester Township High School and is the daughter of Karen Giberson, health information management physician coder at Capital Health Medical Group. She will study elementary education in Rider’s College of Education and Human Services.
Sabat, of Hillsborough, is an incoming sophomore at Rider and daughter of Kelly Rosa, ultrasonographer in Maternal Fetal Medicine at Capital Health Medical Center – Hopewell. A graduate of Hillsborough High School, Sabat is going to study elementary education with multidisciplinary studies at Rider’s College of Education and Human Services.
Campbell, of Hamilton, is a graduate of Hamilton High School – West. Daughter of Tammy Campbell and Glen Campbell, facility director at Capital Health Regional Medical Center, Campbell plans to major in dance performance at Rider’s College of Arts and Sciences.
Recipients of Capital Health’s full-tuition scholarship to Rider University must be new full-time undergraduate, first-time freshman, current undergraduate students, or undergraduate transfer students. Scholarships are awarded for four consecutive years or until the completion of the academic program. Students must be full-time students, maintain at least a 3.0 GPA, and must be considered a student in good standing by Rider University at all times during their enrollment. To be eligible for the scholarships, candidates or their immediate family members must be full-time, non-union employees of Capital Health for at least one year and meet additional eligibility requirements.
Capital Health’s employee education benefits program also features a 50 percent tuition discount agreement with Rider University for non-union employees and their immediate family members (cannot be combined with full-tuition scholarships). Other Rider education benefits for Capital Health employees include an application fee waiver; free, unofficial evaluation of transfer credits prior to applying; and a Rider academic advisor to help plan their schedule. Graduate student applicants can request a free evaluation of transfer credits as well as course and GMAT/ GRE waivers. This tuition discount program is separate from Capital Health’s tuition reimbursement program, and Capital Health employees may be eligible for both Rider’s tuition discount, and Capital Health’s tuition reimbursement. Capital Health also offers several other programs designed to offer employees, their family, and members of the community opportunities to pursue health care related education including its own EMT Academy, surgical tech and central sterile processing training programs, and a home health care aide education program.
People-Friendly Driving Is Topic of Discussion
The public is invited to a talk about traffic law and people-friendly driving, for people who are not in motor vehicles, on Thursday, August 14 from 6-8 p.m. at 400 Witherspoon Street.
The focus will be on the laws that apply to pedestrians, people on scooters, electric skateboards, among others. The different rights and duties of different road users, key things to be aware of when driving a car, things to watch out for, and what the law says about the new modes of getting around will all be addressed.
The free event is organized by Les Leathem, national coach of the League of American Bicyclists. Visit princetonnj.gov for more information.
Green House Tours Return September 27
The Princeton Environmental Commission and Sustainable Princeton will present the annual Green House Tour on Saturday, September 27 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The free event includes tours of sustainable home and gardens. Reservations are necessary since spots are limited, and participants must be 18 or older to enter homes. Locations are to be announced. The tours allow visitors to see how some residents create healthier and more energy-efficient homes and environments with green building practices such as solar panels with energy storage, rain gardens, and superior insulation.
Previous to the tours on September 25 at 7 p.m., three videos about green homes in Princeton will be screened at Princeton Public Library. A panel of experts will discuss the screenings. No registration is required. Visit sustainableprinceton. org for more information.
FULL RIDE:
parents’ work at Capital Health, four students have been selected for full scholarships to Rider University. From left are Mariah Sabat, Ellie Campbell, Capital Health President and CEO Al Maghazehe, Rider University President John R. Loyack, Alannah Eidell, and Sunny Carpinello.
PPS
continued from page one
school are underway and on schedule to be wrapped up this month,” he said, “and we’re replacing the boilers at all the elementary schools. That work is also on track to be completed by the end of August.”
At Princeton High School (PHS) work on the multi-use field is 98 percent complete, Harris said, and should be finished this week, and the track resurfacing project is also expected to be completed before the first day of school.
Also on schedule for completion this month at PHS is the replacement of tennis courts and the renovation of a basin and retaining wall.
New bleachers have been installed, just needing the final electrical hookup, Harris added, and all should be ready later this month with no disruptions in store for students or teachers.
“There are always things that are out of your control that can occur and throw a wrench in things, but I think we’re in good shape,” he said. He gave much of the credit to “a lot of hard work from people here before I came,” and added “I was handed the baton to keep on running.”
Additional construction projects funded by the referendum that passed in January of this year are currently in the planning and design stages, with new classrooms and other additions at Princeton Middle School, Community Park, and Littlebrook; HVAC improvements at PHS scheduled to start next spring; and other
renovation projects starting in 2027 and later.
At their July meeting the Board of Education approved a five-year contract for new Superintendent Mike LaSusa and one-year contracts for three other top administrators.
LaSusa will receive a salary of $295,000 in the first year of his contract with a two percent increase each year through June 30, 2030.
Also approved by the Board were one-year contracts for Angela Siso Stentz, assistant superintendent of human resources, at $195,700; Kimberly Tew, assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction, at $200,908; and Harris at $190,000.
LaSusa, who was hired as PPS superintendent in January and officially started work on July 1, most recently served for 13 years as superintendent of the School District of the Chathams. He has been introducing himself to the Princeton community this summer in a series of “meet-and-greet” sessions around town, with the last scheduled for this Thursday at the Princeton Farmers Market in Hinds Plaza at 10 a.m.
Harris also officially signed on with PPS on July 1, replacing former Business Administrator Matthew Bouldin. Harris was most recently the business administrator and board secretary in the South Hunterdon Regional School District, and before that served in South Hunterdon as a math teacher, then supervisor of STEM. Tew has been assistant superintendent for curriculum
and development at PPS since 2022. She began her career as a sixth-grade social studies teacher in the West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District, then served as K-8 supervisor of curriculum and professional development in the Robbinsville Public School District, then assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction in Robbinsville before coming to PPS.
Siso Stentz became PPS assistant superintendent for human resources in 2024, and during her career has also served as classroom teacher at Johnson Park Elementary School, PPS supervisor of guidance, assistant principal at Princeton High School, and principal at Johnson Park.
—Donald Gilpin
Society’s Show Comes to Titusville
On Saturday, September 13, the New Jersey State Button Society (NJSBS) will host its Fall 2025 Button Show and Competition, “Fall for Buttons,” from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the at the Union Fire Company and Rescue Squad at 1396 River Road, Titusville.
The event, which is free and open to the general public, will feature displays of NJSBS’ “Popular Vote/ Mount as You Please” creative competition entries, with button themes that include Holidays, Fall Colors of the Season, and Pets. Members will also share examples of their favorite button trays and the reasons why they love them.
Dealers will also be on site to offer hundreds of antique, vintage and modern clothing buttons, educational books, and more for purchase. Guests may enter to win one of several door prizes and purchase tickets for NJSBS’ popular raffle.
Founded in 1941, when a nationwide interest in button collecting was surging, the NJSBS helps its members to study, collect, and enjoy garment buttons from the present and centuries past. Monthly club meetings are held in Lawrence, Bridgewater, and Manchester. For more information about button collecting or membership, email ButtonsIn NewJersey@gmail.com.
Think Global Buy Local
BUTTONS ARE BACK: Examples of antique, vintage, and modern buttons will be on display at the New Jersey State Button Society Fall Show on Saturday, September 13.
Mailbox
The views of the letters do not necessarily reflect the views of
Support for Teenage Voting Can Be Test for New NJ Governor
To the Editor:
We at Represent.Us of New Jersey agree with Princeton High School student Ash Nieman and the recent letter in Town Topics [“Old Enough to Work, Old Enough to Drive, Old Enough to Vote,” Mailbox, July 30] ; 16- (and 17-) year-olds deserve to have a voice in their education and a vote in their School Board elections.
In May 2025, I published a call to the governor to enact this change, beginning with the test case in Newark but making it statewide. The bill to do this is called the Municipal and School Board Voting Options Act (S1622/ A4042). With a few simple tweaks, it could make explicit the opportunity for teenage voters to participate in school board elections. You can read my plan at njspotlightnews. org/2025/05/op-ed-the-real-way-to-increase-teenage-voting-in-newark-and-elsewhere-too.
Eight towns, including Princeton, have approved resolutions or ordinances calling on the Legislature to advance this bill for the governor to sign. But so far, it’s languishing in committee with no hearings set.
Not all is lost. We have a competitive election for governor coming up in November. Support for this logical reform of teenage voting can be one more test. Students, like Ash Nieman, and others at Princeton High School and elsewhere can demand that the Legislative committees act. Represent.Us of New Jersey and other reform groups are prepared to back them up.
Let’s turn Ash Nieman’s thoughtful letter into action!
DAVID GOODMAN Statewide Leader
Represent.Us of New Jersey Duffield Place
James McBride To Sign Books at Market Fair Barnes & Noble Aug. 7
Letters to the Editor Policy
Town Topics welcomes letters to the Editor, preferably on subjects related to Princeton. Letters must have a valid street address (only the street name will be printed with the writer’s name). Priority will be given to letters that are received for publication no later than Monday noon for publication in that week’s Wednesday edition. Letters must be no longer than 500 words and have no more than four signatures.
All letters are subject to editing and to available space.
At least a month’s time must pass before another letter from the same writer can be considered for publication.
Letters are welcome with views about actions, policies, ordinances, events, performances, buildings, etc. However, we will not publish letters that include content that is, or may be perceived as, negative towards local figures, politicians, or political candidates as individuals.
When necessary, letters with negative content may be shared with the person/group in question in order to allow them the courtesy of a response, with the understanding that the communications end there.
Letters to the Editor may be submitted, preferably by email, to editor@towntopics.com, or by post to Town Topics, PO Box 125, Kingston, N.J. 08528. Letters submitted via mail must have a valid signature.
An in-store event at Barnes & Noble bookstore at MarketFair on Route 1 on Thursday, August 7, will feature a book signing by James McBride, who will sign purchased copies of The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store. The event is at 7 p.m.
The special signing and discussion will celebrate the paperback release of the best-selling book.
The store policies are that, upon arrival and purchase of a book, guests will receive a number for their post-discussion photo-op and signing with McBride. Seating is on a first-come first-served basis. Standing room will be available. There will be
a Q&A portion with James McBride open to the general audience. Backlist titles will also be available for purchase and signing in addition to the new paperback of The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store. McBride will be signing books live and taking one photo with guests as their book(s) are signed. To reserve your books or to ask any additional questions contact the store at (609) 750-9010.
Mercer County Library System To Host
Book Festival Sept. 27
The Mercer County Library System invites readers and authors of all ages to celebrate books, stories, and creativity at its inaugural Book Festival , taking place on Saturday, September 27 from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Lawrence Headquarters Branch, located at 2751 Brunswick Pike, Lawrenceville.
The festival will bring together local and regional authors to share their expertise and inspiration through panel discussions focused on writing and publishing across different genres. Visitors will have the chance to hear authors talk about their latest books, ask questions, and connect with the people behind the stories they love.
In addition to the author panels, the festival will feature crafts, activities, and kid-friendly performances, making it a fun and enriching day for the whole family.
“Whether you’re an aspiring writer, an avid reader, or just looking for a delightful community event, there will be something for everyone to enjoy at the Book Festival,” said Mercer County Executive Dan Benson. “We’re excited for this opportunity to bring our community together to celebrate our shared love of the written word and the infinite creativity that it makes possible.” This event is free and open to the public. For more information, updates, and the full schedule of events, visit mcl/org.
The leaves fall early this autumn, in wind. The paired butterflies are already yellow with August Over the grass in the West garden; They hurt me. I grow older....
—Ezra Pound, from Rihaku
The August chapter in my desk copy of The Book of Days for the Literary Year begins with those lines from Ezra Pound’s translation of Rihaku’s “The River Merchant’s Wife: A Letter” (1915). Here in the first week of August, my eyes are like Rihaku’s paired butterflies, they hurt me, but I grow younger, not older, as long as I have Robert Schumann’s “Träumerei,” or “Reverie,” the seventh in a series of piano pieces about childhood ( Kinderzenen op. 15). Another proven remedy for soothing sore eyes is to settle down on the chaise with Taylor Swift’s “August,” an enchanting song enchantingly sung that might have moved Schumann, the way her voice rises with the long lovely line, “But I can see us lost in the memory, August slipped away into a moment in time,” then the loss she makes you feel with the thoughtful downcast melancholy of “it was never mine.”
Melville’s Sparrows
Meanwhile, eyes and ears sufficiently soothed, I’m slipping away into thoughts of the first six days of August, of August 1, 1819 and the birth of Herman Melville, who once told a friend: “I am mad to think how minute a cause has prevented me hitherto from reading Shakespeare. But until now, every copy that was come-atable to me, happened to be in a vile small print unendurable to my eyes which are tender as young sparrows.” I can hear Taylor Swift singing come-atable to me , that awkward little invention of the moment. Like the bottle of wine that slipped away with August, the edition of Shakespeare Melville found, with printed words “as big as muskets,” brought Lear and Hamlet and Macbeth into his Pittsfield study as he began to ascend the mountain of Moby-Dick
On the second day of August 1869, George Eliot began work on Middlemarch ; on the third day in 1924, Joseph Conrad died of a heart attack, taking his epitaph from Spenser’s Faerie Queene : “Sleepe after toyle, port after stormie seas, ease after warre, death after life, does greatly please”; on the fourth day of August 1792, the poet of the West Wind, Percy Bysshe Shelley, was born; on the fifth day in 1850, Herman Melville met Nathaniel Hawthorne, to whom he will dedicate
A Song Cycle for the Sixth Day of August
his masterpiece; there’s no room in The Book of Days for the sixth day of August, 80 years ago, in Hiroshima, as many as 100,000 dead there and in Nagasaki .... it’s inconceivable.
Schumann’s Dream
And don’t forget the composer of “Träumerei,” who died two days short of August, July 29, 1856, and once wrote to Clara Wieck during their courtship, “we shall indeed lead a life of poetry and blossoms, and we will play and compose together like angels, and bring gladness to mankind.”
What could one small piece of music “bring to mankind”? Composed in a house destroyed in the bombing of Dresden a century later, “Träumerei” has a searching quality, poignant, thoughtful, haltingly, bravely dreaming, finding its way to a concentration camp, played for the amusement of Dr. Josef Mengele (“I suppose he was a musical man,” said the Auschwitz survivor and cellist Anita Lasker-Wallfisch in a 2005 war’s-end anniversary interview). The same musing melody that apparently pleased the man they called the Angel of Death was aired on Radio Moscow on the 50th anniversary of VE Day, in addition to being played 24/7 at war memorials all over the country, including the one in Volgograd/ Stalingrad. On YouTube you can see a clip of 83-year-old Vladimir Horowitz during his 1986 concert in Moscow. Ending his performance, the exile who had returned to his homeland, played “Traumerei” for an encore.
Rihaku is actually the Japanese name for the Chinese poet Li Bai, which takes the wind out of my plan to transition from an ancient “Japanese” poem to Schumann’s reverie and finally to the song sung by a dying Tokyo businessman in Akira Kurosawa’s 1952 film Ikiru. One of the most moving closing scenes in cinema shows Mr. Wantanabe (Takashi Shimura) sitting in a swing on the playground his dyingwish determination alone made possible, singing an old song (“Gondola nogata”) about the shortness of life while snow softly, luminously falls around him. “Sing it in a way that makes it sound otherworldly” Kurosawa told Shimura, who said apropos of playing the role of the dying man, “There were times when I gave my all, squeezed out all I could give until I had given everything and had nothing left....” The phrase “squeezed out” could also describe the harrowing effect the actor achieves with his voice, using the “raspy falsetto” of cancer patients he’d spent time with during the production.
Wantanabe’s Song
Having just checked the “Cathay” section of my copy of Ezra Pound’s Selected Poems (Faber & Faber 1928), I found that
Hamaguchi’s’ Hiroshima In 2022 when Vladimir Putin was bombing Ukraine and cities like Mariupol were being been razed to the ground, including the theater where Chekhov’s plays were performed, I was watching Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s Oscarwinning picture Drive My Car, which was shot in Hiroshima. Throughout the film, on drives between rehearsals for a Japanese presentation of Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya , you’re aware of a big, handsome modern city of wide boulevards, parks, rivers, bridges, and spectacular views of Hiroshima Bay. Of course, it’s impossible not to think about the mesmerizing 1959 film Hiroshima Mon Amour, directed by Alain Resnais,
who said, “In Hiroshima, more than in other places, what matters is to live.... one feels a violent desire for life, a will of sudden sensations.”
Speaking at an Academy Awards press conference, Hamaguchi said, “Hiroshima guided the story where distraught people seek to find hope.”
Wartime Childhood
Once upon a time a little boy in Indiana crudely sketched a monster with a Chaplin mustache named Hitler and an evil wizard from the Land of the Rising Sun named Hirohito; the little boy also innocently enjoyed drawing Swastikas and fighter planes with rising suns on the wings and grinning pilots in the cockpits going down in orange-crayoned explosions of fire, easiest thing in the world to draw when you’re 6 and your taste in literature runs to Classic Comics and Donald Duck. Later the boy grows up and goes to India, where the right-facing swastika means prosperity and good luck, unlike the left-facing swastika favored by Nazis and neo-Nazis.
Even as I write about that “little boy” with no ironic intent, I can’t help thinking of the name Los Alamos gave to the bomb dropped on Hiroshima. The detailed Wikipedia back story under “Little Boy” has cinematic overtones. At first the bombs were named according to their shapes, the Thin Man (Hiroshima) after Dashiell Hammet’s detective novels, and the Fat Man (Nagasaki) after Kasper Gutman, a character in Hammett’s The Maltese Falcon , played massively and magnificently by Sydney Greenstreet in the 1941 film version. As for the significance of “Little Boy,” which is still the presumptive name for the first bomb, I’ve yet to find a explanation; if anything, the accompanying image looks “very like a whale.”
Two Small People
You can find the semblance of a little boy (and little girl) in Taylor Swift’s “August,” with its wishful lament “Back when I was livin’ for the hope of it all (for the hope of it all).” In the first stanza of Pound’s translation of “The River Merchant’s Wife,” a girl “played about the front gate, pulling flowers” while a boy “came by on stilts, playing horse.... Two small people, without dislike or suspicion.” At 15 the girl “stopped scowling” and desired her dust “to be mingled with yours, for ever and for ever and for ever.”
—Stuart Mitchner
TOMATO WINE DINNER
Wednesday, August 13 | 6-8:30 PM
Tickets $125 per person (gratuity included)
Tomato
Tomatoes have it all - great
mouthwatering acidity, and ripe sweetness; but what to drink with this perfect summer fruit can be challenging... Join us and discover why Mediterranean wines make an impeccable match in a four course Tomato-Inspired Dinner.
For tickets: mediterrarestaurant.com/events/
PU Alum Allison Spann Returns to PST to Offer a
Versatile Concert is Outstanding in Conception and Performance
Princeton Summer Theater has concluded its season with Voice Lesson, a solo show conceived and performed by Princeton University alum Allison Spann. Vince di Mura, the resident musical director and composer for the Lewis Center of the Arts, accompanies Spann on keyboard. The performance ran August 1-3 at Princeton University’s Hamilton Murray Theater.
Voice Lesson is a title that is coy and deft, masking a versatile cabaret of musical theater, opera, and pop rock. “Voice” is has a double meaning; it refers both to the literal instrument and to a singer’s personal outlook and aesthetic style.
The program, which consistently is brilliantly conceived and tirelessly executed, uses as its frame a concept that Spann knows too well: a performing artist, who has given much of her life working to hone her craft, trying to succeed in an industry vastly changed by a digital, post-pandemic age.
Part of what makes Spann’s linking narration so successful is that she skewers the challenges our current culture poses for artists, but she also satirizes stereotypically selfentitled “diva” attitudes. “I’m not famous … and I’m going to make that your problem,” she quips early in the show.
A Cranbury native who attended Princeton High School, Spann holds a BA in music from Princeton University (magna cum laude). She has performed in numerous Princeton Summer Theater productions, including The Great Gatsby (2022)
Spann’s website details her multifaceted work in music and theater. She is a “multigenre vocalist, actor, composer, music director, sound designer, and director.” She is a winner of the Princeton Concerto Competition; and the Edward T. Cone Prize in Music (for music composition, performance, and scholarship). Now based in Brooklyn, Spann teaches at her private music studio. Recounting this bio almost is unnecessary, as Spann shows, not tells, her varied and considerable skills in the course of her performance.
Voice Lesson shares a set with PST’s production of Frankenstein, whose run also concluded this past weekend. Like Frankenstein, Voice Lesson makes use of a white curtain, with Spann performing the first part of the concert in silhouette. This allows for a nice visual metaphor; as the singer’s face is revealed, so are facets of her work and personality.
A jazz flavor pervades the arrangements of the first few numbers. Irving Berlin’s “Blue Skies” (originally interpolated into Betsy, 1926) opens the show, immediately displaying Spann’s pleasing vibrato and feisty exuberance. Eventually Spann steps in front of the white curtain, revealing an elegant red and black outfit.
The opening number is followed by a medley. Written by lyricist Alan Jay Lerner and composer Frederick Loewe for Brigadoon
(1947), the exhilarated “Almost Like Being in Love” has a line, “Like a bell that keeps ringing for me.” This dovetails nicely with “If I Were a Bell,” which composer-lyricist Frank Loesser wrote for Guys and Dolls (1950) Spann shows deft care in selecting and juxtaposing songs.
“No One Else” (2012) is written by Dave Malloy for Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812. This wistful ballad is followed by a bit of wry commentary — she notes that she graduated from Princeton University in 2020 (which she jokes was a great time to be trying to break into live theater).
During the pandemic, theater performers shared their work in one of the only formats available to them: videos posted to their social media accounts. Now, not only is it expected (perhaps even required) for artists to have robust pages — but, Spann observes, each video ideally should demonstrate what they can do within 30 seconds. Spann has a great deal of fun with this. She performs a brief, provocative dance to a segment from a rock recording; and broadcasts the concert on her Instagram page.
Just as Spann opens the concert using the curtain from Dracula, she avails herself of the vertical space offered by that production’s scaffolding, letting it represent a small apartment.
Spann’s range; here, she gets to show off her high notes. The line “Teach me how to sing” obviously is an apt fit for this concert; and the theme of isolated confinement (“How is it you jubilate, sitting in cages, never taking wing?”) touches nicely on both Pandemicera loneliness and a frustrated artist who wonders if their career ever will “take wing.”
This is followed by another Sondheim song: the frantic, rapid “Getting Married Today” (1970) from Company. A skilled pianist, Spann accompanies herself for this number.
The aria “Je dis que rien ne m’epouvante” from Georges Bizet’s Carmen (1875, words by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy) affords Spann (again accompanied by di Mura) an opportunity to display her command of opera repertoire. Once the piece is finished, it also allows her to add a comic bit that would not have been out of place in a concert by pianist and musical humorist Victor Borge: she insists on singing an encore of the final bars, so that an audience member can throw her a bouquet of flowers (that she provides). These flowers will be important later in the show.
Other comic bits include a microphone taking a preposterously long time to disconnect. She also feigns exiting the stage early, leaving di Mura to play a solo.
Interspersed with these segments are renditions of songs not written for a musical or
from the latter song, “the scaffold is high,” aptly ties in with the scaffolding from the set of Frankenstein
The concert feels like it is shorter than its actual hour. This is partly attributable to Spann’s charismatic delivery, and partly due to tight, brisk pacing. The pacing becomes (appropriately) unsparing as she matter-offactly reflects on somber subjects.
She recounts an experience that is the subject of Water Play, which served as her senior thesis. A recent TAPinto Princeton interview explains, “In her sophomore year at Princeton, she developed psychogenicaphonia — a condition where a person loses their voice due to emotional or psychological stress.” A Lewis Center synopsis of Water Play elaborates, “The voice, separated from her body after a sexual assault” must “fight her way back … through memories to reconnect with herself, connecting on the journey with other characters to find healing through togetherness.”
These themes also are explored in another original composition (music and lyrics) which Spann performs late in the concert, the anthem “All of My Lives.” As with an earlier selection, Spann accompanies herself.
ten by Danny Dill and Marijohn Wilken, and originally performed by Lefty Frizzell (and later popularized by Johnny Cash). A line
The mood becomes comic again with a song by Charli xcx, “Party 4 U.” Sporting sunglasses, Spann uses the floral bouquet as a drumstick. This is followed by the hopeful “Maybe This Time” (1964), written by John Kander and Fred Ebb. This latter piece highlights Spann’s vocal power, as well as her stage presence.
The same is true of the rousing encore, “Don’t Rain on My Parade.” Written by Bob Merrill and Jule Styne for Funny Girl (1964), the song starts in Spann’s middle register but takes her into her upper range.
A central “lesson” Spann seems to want to teach has to do with balance. Just as a singer must balance the need to make art against the need to network, use of technological advances such as social media must not come at the cost of neglecting to attempt engagement with live audiences. Indeed, for all of the conversations that have queried live theater’s place in a digital age, the chance to hear Spann gives one the sense of reclaiming something that is being lost.
In earlier times — perhaps with different circumstances surrounding the arts — the multitalented Spann probably would have had numerous Broadway credits on her resume by this point. Spann aspires to perform Voice Lesson in New York; it is to be hoped that will come to fruition and lead to great things.
WhetherSpann ends up performing in New York or elsewhere, it will be exciting to see (and hear) what she does next. For now, in more ways than one, she has helped PST end their season on a high note.
—Donald H. Sanborn III
MERCER MUSEUM & FONTHILL CASTLE
TWO TREASURED CASTLES IN THE HEART OF BUCKS COUNTY, PA
“VOICE LESSON”: Princeton Summer Theater has concluded its season with “Voice Lesson.” Conceived and performed by Allison Spann (above), the one-performer show ran August 1-3
Art
“New
said Pahade. “What I love most about this event is that it encourages sustainability as well as inclusivity. We’ll have a scale there, so people can see not only how much money they’re saving, but also how many pounds of materials they’ve diverted from the landfill. That was something we did last year, when we hosted the event with a partner organization, Propagate Studio in Stewartsville. It was such a hit last year, as well as the ‘pay-as you wish’ option, that we brought them back.”
Museum hours are Thursday through Sunday, 12 to 4 p.m. Princetonhistory.org
Mercer Museum, 84 South Pine Street, Doylestown, Pa., has “The Doan Gang: Outlaws of the Revolution” through December 31, 2026. Mercermuseum.org.
Michener Art Museum, 138 South Pine Street, Doylestown, Pa., has “Judith Schaechter: Super/Natural” through September 14. Michenerartmuseum.org
Morven: A Window Into America’s Past” (ongoing). Morven.org.
Princeton Public Library, 65 Witherspoon Street, has “Celestial Bodies: Black Queer Identity in Precolonial Africa” through August 18. Princetonlibrary.org.
West Windsor Arts, 952 Alexander Road, West Windsor, has “See Beauty Everywhere: Art by Priscilla Snow Algava” through August 8. Westwindsorarts.org.
Fall Exhibit Coming to Trenton State Museum
Trenton City Museum at Ellarslie will present “New Jersey Photography Forum: Fall Is in the Air” — an exhibition of 75 works on view September 11 through October 19.
Highlighting the beauty and atmosphere of the autumn season, the photographs in this exhibition capture what fall looks like to the exhibiting photographers. The final day of the show, October 19, will feature a 2 to 4 p.m. closing reception and “walk and talk” through the galleries with exhibiting photographers.
Celebrating 30 years, the New Jersey Photography Forum (NJPF) has grown since its 1995 founding to become the largest and most recognized group of fine art exhibiting photographers in the state. Members come from all regions of New Jersey and represent a wide variety of styles and techniques. Recurring themes in their work and in NJPF’s exhibitions include Nature, Environment, Architecture, People, Abstracts, and Cul ture. Trenton City Museum
last hosted a show by the NJPF in 2019.
For more on “Fall Is in the Air”, visit ellarslie.org/ njpf-exhibit/ or call (609) 989-1191. For more on New Jersey Photography Forum, visit njphotoforum.com
Located in Trenton’s Cadwalader Park, Trenton City Museum is accessible by car from Parkside Avenue and has ample adjacent parking. It is open Thursday through Saturday, 12 to 4 p.m. and Sunday, 1 to 4 p.m. There is no admission fee to view the museum’s art and history exhibitions, but donations are welcomed.
Trenton City Museum is housed in Ellarslie Mansion, an 1848 Italianate Villa on the National Historic Register. The surrounding Cadwalader Park was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, who designed iconic spaces such as New York City’s Central Park. Learn more at ellarslie.org,
Tell them you saw their ad in
West Windsor Arts Hosts Eco-Arts Sale August 16
West Windsor Arts is hosting a unique thrift-style art supply sale on August 16 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. featuring new and gently used art materials. The sale — called Eco-Art Exchange: Thrift, Create, Repeat! — encourages sustainability, nurtures creativity, and boosts community. It’s also just a lot of fun to see what you might find.
“This sale really aligns with the mission of West Windsor Arts — that art is for everyone,” said Raina Pahade, who is organizing the event for the arts center. “Art supplies can be very expensive, especially high-quality, durable ones. This makes it hard for many people to pursue their artistic interests. Cost can be a big barrier to making art.”
West Windsor Arts is inviting artists, students, educators and anyone interested in creating art to stop by the arts center and browse an array of materials — from paints and brushes to paper, fabric, tools and more. Items are not priced.
The arts center is seeking donations of new or gently used items for the sale. Donations will be accepted on Saturday, August 9, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at West Windsor Arts. Donors are asked to bring clean, usable supplies in categories including paints (oil, acrylic, gouache, watercolor), drawing tools, calligraphy inks, brushes, sketchbooks, easels, and craft materials — while excluding broken, heavily used, toxic, or damaged items.
“This is an opportunity to keep art materials out of the landfill and in the studios of local artists while also supporting the arts and education programs at West Windsor Arts,” said Aylin Green, executive director of West Windsor Arts.
“You may come across a new product or material you hadn’t thought of using, and it sparks something within you,” said Pahade. “Most importantly, it makes otherwise expensive materials affordable to all. Everyone deserves the ability to create.”
West Windsor Arts is at 952 Alexander Road in West Windsor Township. For more information, or to view a list of suggested items to donate, visit westwindsorarts.org/event/ ecoarts-exchange.
Area
Exhibits
Morven Museum & Garden, 55 Stockton Street, has “Historic
Get the scoop from
puc.princeton.edu
609.258.2800
“You pay what you wish,”
Art@Bainbridge, 158 Nassau Street, has “Léni Paquet-Morante: Extract / Abstract” through November 9. Artmuseum.princeton.edu.
Artists’ Gallery, 18 Bridge Street, Lambertville, has “Time of Day(s)” August 7 through August 21. An opening reception is on Saturday, August 9 from 4 to 6 p.m. Gallery hours are Thursday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Lambertvillearts.com.
Arts Council of Princeton, 102 Witherspoon Street, has “The Mind of the Maker: Figure Drawing and Painting Practice” through August 9 and “Milagros de Corazón: Wings of Hope in Tin and Paper” through August 29. Artscouncilof princeton.org.
Gourgaud Gallery, 23-A North Main Street, Cranbury, has “Summer Exhibition” through August 29. Cranburyartscouncil.org.
Green Building Center, 67 Bridge Street, Lambertville, has “Emerging Artists Exhibition” through September 30. Greenbuildingcenter.com.
Historical Society of Princeton, Updike Farmstead, 354 Quaker Road, has “Princeton Reflected: Stories from HSP’s Collection” and “Einstein Salon and Innovator’s Gallery.”
“DUKE FALL”: This work by Nancy Ori is one of 75 photographs that will be on display in
Jersey Photo Forum: Fall Is in the Air” at Trenton City Museum at Ellarslie in Cadwalader Park September 11 through October 19.
An array of new and gently used art materials — from paints and brushes to paper, fabric, tools, and more — will be for sale on a “pay as you wish” basis
Town Topics
Mark Your Calendar
AUGUST
Wednesday, August 6
11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: Councilman Leighton Newlin is available for one-onone discussions about issues impacting Princeton at the Carnevale Kiosk, 255 Nassau Street.
6-7:30 p.m.: Evening Yoga in the Gardens with Gratitude Yoga at Morven, 55 Stockton Street. Donation-based weekly class. Bring a mat, towel, and water bottle. Morven.org.
7:30-10 p.m.: Contra dance at Suzanne Patterson Center, 1 Monument Drive. Sunny Lawrence with Princeton Pickup Band. Princetoncountrydancers.org.
Thursday, August 7
11 a.m. Sen. Andrew Zwicker’s constituent service representatives hold open office hours in the lobby of Princeton Public Library, 65 Witherspoon Street. Princetonlibrary.org.
12 p.m.: Trenton Walks : Guided walk from City Hall to Capital Park via Assunpink Greenway and Mill Hill Park. Gmtma. org/trail-happenings.
6 p.m.: Picnic on the Lawn and Family Movie Night at Little Edwards Courtyard, Princeton University campus, sponsored by the Princeton University Art Museum and the Princeton YMCA. A barbecue, live music, kidfriendly activities, and screening of Moana . Artmuseum. princeton.edu.
6-7 p.m.: Sound Bath Meditation at the Lawrence Headquarters Branch of Mercer County Library System, 2751 Brunswick Avenue. Led by wellness consultant Stephanie Whitford. Register at mcl.org.
7:30 p.m.: New Jersey Lyric Opera presents Carmen at Kelsey Theatre, Mercer County Community College, 1200 Old Trenton Road, West Windsor. Kelseytheatre.org.
Friday, August 8
12-8 p.m.: Sunset Sips & Sounds at Terhune Orchards, 330 Cold Soil Road. Wine, music, light bites in the apple orchard. Music from 5-8 p.m by the Barbara Lin Band Terhuneorchards.com.
2:30-3:15 p.m.: Dragon Masters Quest . Games and crafts for ages 7 and up, inspired by Tracey West’s
5:30-7:30 p.m.: Real Estate in the Region: Evening Networking. Presented by Princeton Mercer Regional Chamber’s Real Estate Business Alliance at Hill Wallack, 21 Roszel Road. Princetonmercer.org.
Dragon Masters series, at Princeton Public Library, 65 Witherspoon Street. Princetonlibrary.org.
6:30 p.m.: Big Hix Tennessee Whiskey performs at Mercer County Park, West Windsor. $5 ($25 for season pass). Mercercounty.org.
6:30 p.m.: Opening reception for “All Stars: Black Baseball in New Jersey and Beyond,” exhibit at the Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum, 183 Hollow Road, Skillman. Ssaamuseum.org/ all-stars-exhibit.
7:30 p.m.: New Jersey Lyric Opera presents Carmen at Kelsey Theatre, Mercer County Community College, 1200 Old Trenton Road, West Windsor. Kelseytheatre.org.
Saturday, August 9
9 a.m.-1 p.m.: West Windsor Community Farmers Market, Princeton Junction train station southbound side. More than 50 local farms and vendors. Wwcfm.org.
9:30 a.m.: Free walk along the Lawrence Hopewell Trail . For meeting point and route, visit lhtrail.org.
10 a.m.-1 p.m.: “All Stars: Black Baseball in New Jersey
PEACHY SEASON!
SUMMER AT THE WINERY
Sangria Weekends in August
Terhune’s
Local Music, good food, friends & neighbors!
and Beyond,” free open hours to see exhibit at the Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum, 183 Hollow Road, Skillman. Ssaamuseum.org.
10 a.m.-12 p.m.: “Wonders of Mountain Lakes” scavenger hunt, sponsored by Friends of Princeton Open Space. Register at fopos.org.
10 a.m.-4 p.m.: Potato Harvest at Howell Living History Farm , 70 Woodens Lane, Hopewell Township. Help sort the crop to be delivered to local soup kitchens and food pantries. Free. Howellfarm.org.
12-5 p.m.: Winery Weekend Music Series at Terhune Orchards, 330 Cold Soil Road. Wine, food, farm strolls, and music from 2-5 p.m by Chris P. Terhuneorchards.com.
2 p.m.: Staged reading of Macbeth by local actors at Princeton Public Library, 65 Witherspoon Street. Princetonlibrary.org.
2 p.m.: New Jersey Lyric Opera presents La Boheme at Kelsey Theatre, Mercer County Community College, 1200 Old Trenton Road, West Windsor. At 7:30 p.m., the Festival Night Gala cinematic program is held. Kelseytheatre.org.
2-6 p.m.: New Brunswick Heart Festival , Monument Square, 2 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick. Live music and dance performances, free dance classes for kids, food, craft, and art vendors, face-painting, balloon animals, and more. Free.
5-7:30 p.m.: Swara performs at Nassau Park Pavilion behind Panera. Indian/American band sings in multiple languages. Handson art activities for all ages. Free. Westwindsorarts.org/ events.
7:30-10:30 p.m.: Princeton Country Dancers presents an English
OPENING
Sorry, Baby Cloud
CONTINUING
Bad Shabbos CatVideoFest 2025
Sunday 8/10
dance at Suzanne Patterson Center, 1 Monument Drive. Judi Rivkin with Ginger Jam. Princetoncountry dancers.org.
Sunday, August 10
12-5 p.m.: Winery Weekend Music Series at Terhune Orchards, 330 Cold Soil Road. Wine, food, farm strolls, and music from 2-5 p.m by the Barbara Lin Band Terhuneorchards.com.
2 p.m.: New Jersey Lyric Opera presents La Boheme at Kelsey Theatre, Mercer County Community College, 1200 Old Trenton Road, West Windsor. Kelseytheatre.org.
3 p.m.: Screening of The Six , about the previously untold story of the six Chinese survivors of the RMS Titanic, followed by a discussion with the film’s researcher Steven Schwankert at Princeton Public Library, 65 Witherspoon Street. Princetonlibrary.org.
Monday, August 11
Recycling
2 p.m.: Silver Linings Playbook is screened at Princeton Public Library, 65 Witherspoon Street. Princetonlibrary.org.
Tuesday, August 12
10-11 a.m.: Summer Kids Club at MarketFair, 3535 U.S. Highway 1. The Science of Water Hydrology, presented by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. Followed by story time at Barnes & Noble. Free. Marketfairshoppes.com.
10:30-11 a.m.: Outdoor Storytime at Princeton Shopping Center, for kids 18 months and older. Bring a blanket. Sponsored by Princeton Public Library. Princetonlibrary.org.
3:30 p.m.: Tech Assistance Hour at Princeton Public Library, 65 Witherspoon Street. Members of Bloomberg’s Women in Technology group offer personalized assistance in the Technology Center. Princetonlibrary.org.
Wednesday, August 13
8-9:30 a.m.: August Business Before Business at the Nassau Club, 6 Mercer Street. Held by the Princeton Mercer Chamber. Princetonmercer.org .
5-8 p.m.: Democrats Night Out in Mercer County at Greater Mt. Zion AME Church, 42 Pennington Avenue, Trenton. Annual event hosted by the Capital City Area Black Caucus, Mercer County Democratic Party and the Trenton Democratic Party. Networking, remarks by Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, Mercer County Executive Dan Benson and numerous others. (720) 629-0964.
6-7:30 p.m.: Evening Yoga in the Gardens with Gratitude Yoga at Morven, 55 Stockton Street. Donation-based weekly class. Bring a mat, towel, and water bottle. Morven.org.
7:30-10 p.m.: Contra dance at Suzanne Patterson Center, 1 Monument Drive. Deanna Palumbo with Raise the Roof. Princetoncountry dancers.org.
Thursday, August 14
10:30 a.m.: Short Story Discussion at Princeton Public Library, 65 Witherspoon Street. Susan Choi’s Flashlight is the book. Princetonlibrary.org.
5-8 p.m.: Trivia in the Winery at Terhune Orchards, 330 Cold Soil Road. With DJ Iron Mike. Includes such categories as general knowledge, entertainment, history and geography, sports, and name that tune. Terhuneorchards.com .
6-8 p.m.: Talk on Traffic Law and PeopleFriendly Driving, at the Municipal Building, 400 Witherspoon Street. Free. Princetonnj.gov.
6:30-8 p.m.: Poetry Reading and Open Mic Night: At the Lawrence Headquarters Branch of Mercer County Library System, 2751 Brunswick Pike. Poets from Lawrence Poetry Writing Workshop share original works; participation follows. Registration required. Mcl.org.
7-10 p.m.: Bingo at Congregation Beth Chaim , 329 Village Road, East Windsor. Cash prizes, food, games. Cash only; for ages 18 and up.
7:15 p.m.: Black Voices Book Group on Google Meet. The group discusses Thursday Night Lights: The Story of Black High School Football in Texas by Michael Hurd. Visit princetonlibrary. org for link.
Painting the Modern Garden: Monet to Matisse
Hollywood Summer Nights!
The Graduate Wednesday 8/13
The Lady Eve Thursday 8/14
10:30-11 a.m.: Special Storytime with John Parra at Princeton Public Library, 65 Witherspoon Street. Author and illustrator shares his latest book, This Moment is Special, answers questions, and signs books. Princetonlibrary.org.
11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: Councilman Leighton Newlin is available for one-onone discussions about issues impacting Princeton at the Alchemist and Barrister, 28 Witherspoon Street.
12 p.m.: Trenton Walks: Guided walk of the Scudder Falls Delaware & Raritan Canal Towpath. Gmtma.org/trail-happenings.
8 p.m.: Lungs by Duncan Macmillan is presented by Chimera Productions at the Arts Council of Princeton, 102 Witherspoon Street. $20-$25. Artscouncilofprinceton.org.
Friday, August 15
12-8 p.m.: Sunset Sips & Sounds at Terhune Orchards, 330 Cold Soil Road. Wine, music, light bites in the apple orchard. Music from 5-8 p.m by Joah Blume Terhuneorchards.com.
Aides From Akin Care Senior Services Help Clients to Remain in Their Homes
Peace of mind.
As the population ages, and more and more people face the inevitability of more yesterdays than tomorrows, questions about health, safety, and comfort arise. Even as their health declines, many people wish to remain in their homes.
IT’S NEW To Us
Independence is important to them, but safety is an increasingly important issue too. They may need additional help to maintain that independence, and at the same time enjoy the peace of mind everyone wishes to experience.
Akin Care Senior Services is there for those who need support services for health issues of many kinds. Founded 11 years ago by Ann King, it is currently owned by Gyan Singh, and located at 601 Ewing Street, Suite A-12.
Private Service
As its mission statement reports, “Our goal is to promote the well-being and independence of seniors by matching them with compassionate and highly trained caregivers.”
“We are a private service, and have a well-established team of caregivers,” adds Akin Executive Director Robin Williams. “The caregivers are licensed, certified home health aides, and we do thorough, extensive background checks. In addition, we try very hard to make a good match for the caregiver and client. We want both to be comfortable.”
“In fact,” she continues, “I compare it to a blind date. You try to find a good match for both parties, based on personalities and interests.”
As executive director, Williams oversees the overall operations and meets with clients and caregivers, as well as with health care professionals in related organizations and hospitals.
“During the initial meeting with a client, I’ll explain our
services and find out the client’s needs. If they want to go forward, our registered nurse will visit and make a complete medical assessment. Then, she will create a customized care plan based on the client’s condition and situation.
“The nurse will contact the client in 30 days and make another in-person visit in 60 days. In addition, the client can reach out to the nurse at any time.
Scheduling Needs
“We are very flexible,” she adds, “and this sets us apart too. For example, we are very flexible regarding scheduling our caregivers to meet the client’s scheduling needs.
“We have a care coordinator who deals specifically with scheduling our caregivers every day and is able to send a replacement very quickly if the original caregiver has an emergency and is unable to come.”
Most clients live in their own home, but Akin also cares for clients in assisted living and long-term facilities, and hospitals, adds Williams.
The amount of time aides spend with a client varies depending on the individual’s needs. It can be a few hours a day or a live-in arrangement 24/7. Akin also offers respite care for family caregivers who need to travel or just need a break.
In addition, end of life care is available with caregivers specifically trained in hospice care, who provide the very special care for those
are just out of rehab, etc. We also care for younger clients who are facing the difficulty of early onset dementia.”
Adult Children
In some cases, the clients are couples or widows or widowers living with adult children. If the adult children work, the parent may need help during the day.
Services include a wide range of care, from personal hygiene to light housekeeping, including preparing meals, doing laundry, and also taking clients to appointments, or even out to lunch, if they are able. Companionship is a welcome part of the service, offering socialization by sharing activities, such as watching a favorite TV show, playing Scrabble, doing puzzles, listening to music, and so on.
“It’s everything, including assisting with bathing, dressing, reminding about medications, and just seeing to the client’s daily needs. Aides can also help with mobility and balance issues — problems for many clients as they age. They can remind the client about relevant exercises, and oversee them,” reports Williams.
Caregivers are there, really, to help in every way they can. Clients may have hearing and vision problems. If a hearing aid or glasses are missing, aides can retrieve them, and keep track of phones, remotes, and more.
Williams points out that caregivers almost become part of the family, especially those who have been with a client for a number
varying degrees of cognition issues,” says Williams. “Their caregivers have special training and must be patient and understanding in helping these clients.”
While most of these clients can stay at home, others are often in a memory care facility or in the hospital, she adds. “In the past, we had one case in which a husband wanted an aide to be with his wife who was suffering from dementia. He wanted the caregiver at his wife’s side every day in the memory care facility.”
Helping clients with agerelated health conditions can be challenging for everyone, explains Williams. “As parents age, it’s hard for people to switch roles. Adult children take on the role of parent, and it can be difficult for all involved. In these cases, we try to take the hard part and allow the adult children to maintain their normal relationship as much as possible.”
In addition, she points out, “It is hard for some people to accept help, especially women. They are used to being the caregivers.”
Akin’s clients are from Princeton and the area, including much of Mercer and Middlesex counties.
Helping People
Akin accepts long-term care insurance, and pricing is based on the specific care needs and number of service hours required.
Williams has been with Akin since November, and throughout her previous career assignments, she has focused on helping people.
As she says, “I have always felt a deep calling to
this type of work. At Akin, our mission is to help others, and that’s what makes it so meaningful. Being able to support people and truly make a difference in their lives is incredibly rewarding.
“All of our staff share this same commitment to helping others, and it shows in the care we provide every day. Whether it’s someone recovering from a health challenge or someone needing help with daily care, we
are here to help them live life fully and with dignity, supported by care they trust at home. Serving our clients with kindness and compassion is at the heart of everything we do at Akin. Every day brings something new, and I genuinely look forward to coming to work.”
F or further information, call (609) 994-5320, Visit the website at AkinCare.com.
—Jean Stratton
e work closely with you and your family to create a personalized care routine. We offer flexible schedules, from a few hours a day to 24/7 support.
HELP AT HOME: “We are set apart from other care services because we are local, and not a franchise. We take time to match caregivers and clients, and we customize our care to each client’s needs.” Robin Williams, executive director of Akin Care Senior Services, is shown at a recent event at the Center for Modern Aging Princeton.
S ports
Traveling
a Rocky Road
to Finally
Make
US
U-21 Squad, PU Field Hockey’s Schenck Headed to Jr. Pan Am Games
Talia Schenck has a huge opportunity ahead of her final season with the Princeton University field hockey team.
Princeton senior forward/ midfielder Schenck will be compet ing for the United States U-21 team in the upcoming Junior Pan Am Games that will be hosted in Asuncion, Paraguay from August 9-19. It’s her first official international competition
“To finally have things come together and be on this team after all these years, it’s just super fulfilling,” said Schenck. “I’m so excited and I think it’s come at a perfect time because it is my senior year, and I don’t want to be done playing. So, this is kind of a way that I can continue. It’s super exciting and I love the girls on the team and the coaches this year.”
Schenck has been in consideration for United States junior national teams since she was 14. Formerly known as Futures and now called Nexus, the developmental program is supposed to show promising young players how to play the game at the top level. The final select teams have the opportunity to play internationally. Schenck didn’t grasp the magnitude of being considered when she was just getting into the U.S. scene as her scholastic career took off at Lawrence High.
“At that point I didn’t even understand what I was doing ,” said Schenck.
But as she continued to attend the tryouts and became more serious about the game, that dangling carrot helped motivate her to want to keep trying out. Now, in her final chance at the U-21 level, she made it.
“It’s like the most fulfilling thing,” said Schenck. “I feel like I had a bit of a rocky journey here. I’ve always been part of this pipeline, doing those Nexus things, and I’ve always made it to like the final round of selections and then I don’t make the team or last year I broke my hand the day before this Virginia Beach tournament. So there’s always just been one little piece where I’m like one step behind .”
The 5’4 Schenck has proven to be a vital part for the Tigers. She has twice been named All-Ivy League in her first three seasons at Princeton. She scored five goals and dished out four assists as a junior when Princeton was unbeaten in Ivy play and went on to reach the NCAA tournament quarterfinals. She’d love to go further in her final season at Princeton
“It’s really bittersweet,” said Schenck. “I’m a very sentimental sappy person so I’m already having an identity crisis that that’s going to end. It feels like it
should never end. But I’m really excited because I think we had an amazing spring together. And last year we came so close, we were in the Elite 8 and we gave up one shot and they scored. So to finally feel like we were that close to a final four, I think we have a really good team coming back so I’m super excited. I think I’m in a good spot with doing this U.S. stuff where I feel like before when that was all up in the air, then that would affect me at Princeton. I was all over the place. So I feel like I’m going to be in a good spot, the team’s going to be in a good spot and I’m just really excited to end it on a good note.”
Schenck had some moments of uncertainty this year through the U.S. tryouts and with the competitive nature of it there was no guarantee. Schenck missed one tryout while recovering, but she was able to play well in her return to the next tryout. Each time the team got together, a few more players were trimmed from consideration. Eventually she was named to the final 16-person roster selected for the Pan Am team.
“They normally tell you a day it’s going to come out and then it doesn’t come out until like the next day,” said Schenck. “So, you’re just sitting there, staring at your phone. It’s really nervewracking.”
Making this year’s team meant a bit more after her years of coming close.
“Some people peak at different times and some people just have a better weekend at these tryouts,” said Schenck. “There’s girls that I’ve played with forever growing up and I play against at college and it would be kind of discouraging because I would feel like I’m on their level and I compete with them in these other settings. But then I would go to these tryouts and wouldn’t quite be able to show what I could do. So it was really relieving to finally feel like I earned my place on that team.”
Schenck got her first taste of playing some actual games with her Pan Am teammates when they were put together for the Senior Nexus Championship in Virginia Beach. Their title win completed a 4-0 weekend July 20.
Princeton University field hockey
the ball in a game last season. Rising senior star forward/midfielder
High standout, will be competing for the United States U-21 team in the
Games which will be hosted in Asuncion, Paraguay, from August 9-19.
“I got the boot off a week ago, so I didn’t have much time to get back into the swing of things,” said Schenck. “So, I kind of was thrown in there. The coaches were super helpful though. We did slightly limited minutes because we just didn’t want to risk another injury and so it was hard to get my feet under me at first, and then I felt better towards the end of the tournament. I scored in the final game, so that felt good. I feel like I needed that, confidence-wise.”
Schenck had had previous opportunities to practice with the team, but not much game experience with the team going to the Pan Am Games. She liked what she saw of the teamwork over the perfect weekend.
“The girls are super great,” said Schenck. “We play a good team game, no one is really on the ball that much. It’s a passing game. So it wasn’t that hard. All that time I spent sitting in June I was doing like all tactical things, so I understood all the tactics, all the presses and outlets. So it wasn’t too hard, but we have another little two-day camp before we leave for Paraguay. So that’ll be good to get some more touches with the team.”
“This is my first time being able to play with the squad that’s going,” said Schenck. “We’ve done a lot of camps, but I haven’t been able to play actual games with them. So, it was good. We won gold.”
Schenck missed another opportunity to play when she was in a walking boot for a stress fracture for four weeks leading into the Senior Nexus Championship. She had taken in their friendly matches against the senior national team and the New Zealand senior national team from the sidelines, but returned to face college-aged players over four games at the Nexus Championships and see how she fit in.
Schenck will be in a familiar role, sliding between forward and midfield as she does for Princeton. The U.S. will be in Pool B along with Chile, Guyana and Mexico for the Pan Am Games. They open play August 11 against Mexico. Bracket play will begin August 17 with the championship scheduled for August 19.
“I haven’t traveled a ton, so I’m looking forward to just getting there and seeing the country,” said Schenck. “But also I just want to get back on the field and play with the girls because my favorite part of doing this junior team – obviously you want to represent and that’s a fun part – but I’ve just enjoyed playing with different people because I feel like in a college setting you play with the same 20 girls
for four years straight, and it gets pretty monotonous. So, I just love getting to be a part of a different group and I love my team at Princeton but it’s fun that I’ve known some of these girls since I was like 12, seeing each other at different tournaments, and now we all get to put on the same jersey and walk out there together.”
Field hockey is one of 28 sports that will be contested at the Pan Am Games. Schenck will try to soak it all in.
“I’m looking forward to just meeting different people from different countries,” said Schenck. “And there’s other sports, too. It’s not just field hockey. So, I think it’s going to be a really cool experience, and I just want to take it all in. I don’t have a ton of expectations. I’m just excited to be there.”
It will be her first international cap. She did, however, have the chance to play on a trial basis with the U.S. senior national team last November. That gave her a look at international competition and how she could contribute.
“We played against the German national team,” said Schenck. “It doesn’t count as an official cap. It was just like a test, like a friendly match. But that was super cool to do, and I think that having that experience has made me a lot more at ease with this because the German national team is one of the best in the world. So, if I could play and keep up in a game against them, it kind of gives me a little bit of confidence I’ll be able to handle this. But I’ve never played an official cap, so I’m super excited and I think it’ll be a lot of fun.”
That sneak peek gave her an experience she can share with her new Pan Am teammates. And it’s a look at what she hopes could be in her future. Schenck has weighed the chances to continue to play after graduation possibly overseas, and she wants to take a shot at the U.S. senior national team. She’ll have her final junior event, the U21 World
a
Cup, in December after the college season ends and then she will age up to seniors.
“I definitely want to try and pursue it,” said Schenck. “And it lines up well with the time that I graduate and the LA Olympics, that’s what they’re preparing for now. So, age wise, it lines up well for me, but it is all very up in the air of when I would be able to trial again and how the process would look.”
She is trying to enjoy each step as it comes. First is the Pan Am Games that will give her the chance to represent the United States in international competition, and then it is on to her final season with Princeton. She will be a senior with lofty expectations for the team and herself, but she will be coming in with experience and confidence from this summer.
“My goal for myself is to not let any external factors impact the enjoyment I get from the season,” said Schenck. “I think sometimes you get stressed about playing time, about your stats, about stuff like that, and then you don’t really live in the moment and enjoy each game, and you let the stress take over. So my goal for myself is to really just be in the moment and enjoy every single game because it’s really only like 20 more games until it’s over. And just be as present as possible with the team and spend as much time with them as I can.”
—Justin Feil
WET PAPER IN THE DRIVEWAY?
Sorry. It Happens, even with a plastic bag. We can’t control the weather, but we can offer you a free, fresh and dry replacement paper
if you stop by our office at 4428C Route 27 in Kingston.
INTERNATIONAL DEBUT:
player Talia Schenck, center, goes after
Schenck,
former Lawrence
upcoming Junior Pan Am
(Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)
Princeton Football
Picked 5th in Ivy Poll
Coming off a 2024 season which saw it go 3-7 overall and 2-5 Ivy League, the Princeton University football team was picked fifth in the 2025 Ivy Football Preseason Poll which was released last Monday.
After earning a share of the Ivy crown in each of the past two seasons, Harvard was selected as the preseason favorite in a season which will see the league make its inaugural appearance in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) playoffs. The poll was conducted among 16 media members who regularly cover Ivy League football.
Harvard, one of three teams to share last season’s title, received 114 points and garnered nine firstplace votes. Dartmouth, which also claimed a share of the title the last two seasons, took second place with 105 points and four firstplace votes. Yale followed closely with 103 points and three first-place selections. Columbia, fresh off its first Ivy League title since 1961, was picked fourth with 72 points. Rounding out the poll were Princeton (55), Penn (49), Cornell (42), and Brown (32).
PU Baseball Star Shapiro Signs with Pittsburgh Pirates
Recently graduated Princeton University baseball player Caden Shapiro has signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
“This has been a great summer for Princeton baseball,” said Tiger head coach Scott Bradley. “To have Caden sign in addition to Matt Scannell , Jake Bold and with Sean Episcope’s draft selection, we are so happy for all of these guys. Caden has been a constant force through his time at Princeton and has worked tremendously hard over his four years to earn this.”
Shapiro appeared in 162 games for the Tigers, batting .264 with 14 home runs, 72 RBIs, 22 doubles and 96 runs scored. He was a s econd- team All-Ivy League selection in 2023 and was a two-time Academic AllIvy selection while earning CSC Academic All-District in 2023.
He is the fourth Princeton Tiger to ink a professional contract this summer joining Scannell (Toronto Blue Jays), Jake Bold (San Diego Padres), and Sean Episcope (Milwaukee Brewers).
PU Women’s Hockey Stars
Competing at USA Event
A trio of Princeton University women’s ice hockey players have headed to Lake Placid for the USA Hockey Women’s National Festival which is taking place from August 3-9.
Rising junior defender Gabby Kim , rising sophomore defender Rosie Klein , and rising senior forward Emerson O’Leary were among the 76 players selected to attend the Over18 portion of the Festival which will identify and select the 25-woman roster for the U.S. Collegiate Women’s Select Team which will compete August 13-16 in a
three-game series against Canada in Lake Placid.
Kim, an honorable mention All-Ivy League selection in 2023-24 who has tallied four goals and 21 assists in her career, is no stranger to USA Hockey competition. In 2023, she won a bronze medal at the U-18 World Championships with Team USA and she is a regular invitee to USA Hockey National Festivals.
Klein earned All-Rookie Team honors from ECAC Hockey this past season after scoring four goals with 11 assists and was an honorable mention All-Ivy selection at the conclusion of her first season as a Tiger. Also a regular attendee of USA Hockey Festivals, Klein was chosen to play on the U18 Select Team in 2022 that played a three-game series against Canada.
O’Leary has tallied 79 career points (21 goals, 58 assists) in 95 career games for the Tigers. Prior USA Hockey camps for O’Leary include the 2021 National Festival.
PU Men’s Golf Has
4 Earn Academic Honor
Four members of the Princeton University men’s golf team have been named as Cobalt Golf All-American Scholars as announced by the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) this week.
Rising senior Riccardo Fantinelli, rising junior Tommy Frist , recently graduated William Huang , and rising junior Charlie Palmer were each honored for their work in the classroom and on the course this past season. Huang was honored for the third consecutive season while Fantinelli was
MAC ATTACK: Princeton University women’s hockey player Mackenzie Alexander heads up the ice in a game last winter. Rising sophomore forward Alexander, a native of Etobicoke, Ontario, was recently named to Hockey Canada’s National Development Team ahead of a three-game series with the United States August 13-16 in Lake Placid. A gold medalist in 2023 at the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World U18 Championships with Canada, Alexander also competed at the U18 Worlds in 2024 where she was part of the bronze-medal winning team. This past season, Alexander was a finalist for ECAC Hockey Rookie of the Year and was named to the ECACH All-Rookie Team while earning second-team All-Ivy honors after tallying 46 points on 14 goals and 32 assists.
selected for the second year in a row. For both Frist and Palmer, the selection is the first of their careers.
To be eligible for Cobalt Golf All-America Scholar nomination, an individual must be a sophomore, junior or senior both academically and athletically. In addition, they must participate in 50 percent of their team’s competitive rounds, have a stroke average under 76.0 in NCAA Division I, and maintain a minimum cumulative career grade-point average of 3.2. A recipient must also be of high moral character and be in good standing at their college or university.
Helped by Springdale’s Director of Instruction Barry, Gumbinger Emerged as a Standout for PHS Boys’ Golf
Even when he was starring for the Princeton High boys’ golf team 20 years ago, Jason Barry sensed that his future in the game would center on teaching.
“I would try to help some of my teammates just by giving them advice,” said Barry, a 2006 PHS alum who was a member of the 2005-08 Tiger boys’ golf team that got inducted into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2018. “I was always fascinated by player development. I really enjoyed working with juniors, even in high school. Basically, right after high school I got the job working at the Mercer County Golf Academy at Mercer Oaks.”
Barry went on to coach the WW/P-North boys’ golf team for a year before going on to guide the Rider University men’s program for 11 years from 2013-24. Barry applied his teaching background in leading the Broncs to new heights, helping the program lower its stroke average by 30 shots per round and win its first Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) championship in 2022.
“A big part of the success we had at Rider was player development,” said Barry. “We recruited players who the other coaches didn’t want or overlooked. A lot of that is that I saw potential in swing videos or local events where programs that were ranked a little higher would be more interested in national results. I was more interested in potential. We basically made our success out of getting kids and making them better.”
In 2019, Barry became the director of instruction at the Springdale Golf Club and has made a lot of
golfers there better over the last six years.
“I am responsible for a lot of the teaching; we do group clinics, and we do a lot of junior camps and programs,” said Barry. “I also helped establish a junior elite membership for competitive golfers who need a membership at a club. I ran a junior tournament in the spring here. It is basically all things teaching and coaching. I have taught hundreds of people over the years. Springdale is amazing. Anthony Pagliari, the general manager, does a great gob. Andrew Gordon is the head pro, and he does a great job. Donovan Maguigan is the superintendent and does an amazing job doing that. The membership is great.”
One of the highlights of Barry’s job is working with players from his alma mater.
“I coach a lot of the PHS team. Out of the boys’ starting lineup, I worked with four out of five of them,” said Barry. “I think I worked with three out of the five girls. Both of the teams had great years and both of their coaches, Pat Noone (boys) and Jess Monzo (girls), do a great job with the programs too. Some of the players were in our junior program years ago and they went out for the team this year.”
One of Barry’s star pupils, Walter Gumbinger, emerged as a star for PHS, winning the winning the Colonial Valley Conference (CVC) tournament this May and getting named as the CVC Golfer of the Year this spring and committing to play at the next level for Dickinson College.
“I worked with Walter for two years, he came to me going into his junior year,” said Barry. “He had a pretty good golf swing but was just
seriously getting into playing competitive golf. We did a lot of work on course management and putting and just how to go about practicing. We worked on a new swing, and he had done a great job there. It was really getting more serious about competing and how to go about practicing and preparing for some of these events. We do a lot of offseason work.”
That work has clearly paid dividends. “He has gotten so much better in the last two years, a lot of it is the way he has structured his practice and being more serious about being a competitive golfer,” added Barry. “Another thing is just tournament reps. He has traveled to Florida and played on a bunch of tours. The more that you are seriously working on your game and seriously competing, sometimes you get beat up but you learn from it. He has gotten more reps doing it and, with that, you come back to the drawing board and tune up what needs work.”
Gumbinger, for his part, acknowledges that he is a late bloomer in the game.
“I used to play soccer and then I stopped when COVID started,” said Gumbinger. “Then I picked up really seriously in golf in 2021. As soon as I graduated eighth grade, I knew our high school had a golf team, so I was, I want to make the team. I really started practicing and putting in hours. I made it my freshman year and then played a few matches.”
After breaking into the PHS starting lineup as a sophomore, Gumbinger started playing in outside tournaments and took some lumps along the way.
“I really didn’t play great in them, I put together a few good rounds,” said Gumbinger. “I would play a tournament and then I would learn a lesson from it and go to the next one and implement those things. Over the summer, I continuously got better. In the winter, we flew down to Florida a few times for some tournaments and college recruitment.”
In his junior year, Gumbinger turned to Barry after meeting him through an after-school program at Springdale.
“I had a decent swing at the time, I was getting more into it,” said Gumbinger. “It was like, ‘OK, I really want to get better at golf.’ I met Jason and then winter of junior year, I did lessons at his Rider facility once every two or three weeks, which was
really good. I felt like every time I came home from it I was really learning stuff.”
Building on that work, Gumbinger fine-tuned his game and mental approach to competition.
“Mentality-wise, we didn’t get into the mental side of it and playing an actual golf course and how to hit certain shots until the spring of my junior year,” said Gumbinger. “In the winter, it was really just trying to get down technique. We were fixing the bad habits I had created, trying to create new good habits. It takes a long time — we really worked hard on that.”
Utilizing those good habits, Gumbinger rolled to the first place in the CVC Open Championship this May at the Mercer Oaks Golf Course (West), carding a 3-under 69 to win by six strokes.
“It felt like all of the hard work I put in paid off,” said Gumbinger, reflecting on the triumph. “I felt like the year before I got snubbed from the CVC first team, I got put on the second team. I went into the season with a chip on my shoulder a little bit. I was really proud of myself and then when I found out I was the CVC Player of the Year. I took a moment to myself and thought that I achieved the goals that I wanted to. If I have a goal, I really want to get there.”
In assessing his progress over the last two years, Gumbinger points to gaining tournament experience as a key factor.
“I feel like I have always had a good athletic swing, and I could tell you where the ball was going,” said Gumbinger, who has also worked with a sports psychologist to help him keep composed in the heat of competition.
“It was just more consistency, tournament reps and
getting used to shooting lower scores. It is hard when you shoot a few under and you still have a few holes left. You feel like, ‘OK am I going to keep doing this or am I going to blow up.’ Then there were a few rounds where I put it together and I thought this is how golf is supposed to be.”
This summer, Gumbinger has played in some bigtime tournaments, making the quarterfinal round of the 104th W.Y. Dear Junior Championship at Essex Fells Country Club in early July and then competing in the 108th Met Junior Championship in Southhampton (N.Y.) Golf Club later in the month where he missed the cut for match play.
As Gumbinger looks forward to starting his Dickinson career this fall, he is determined to make an impact from the start.
“I really want to play, I want to be in the lineup,” said Gumbinger. “The coach gives us a good chance at the start of the year. We have a 36-hole qualifier as soon as we get there. Our first event of the year is our home event so everybody on the team gets to play. So, if I don’t do well in the qualifying at least I have a back-up in an actual tournament. We have a lot of tournaments so I can play a lot in the fall. In the winter, I can come back and work with Jason. I am really excited. I really just want to play and have fun with golf.”
Barry, for his part, is excited about his star pupil’s prospects at the next level.
“The sky is the limit for Walter,” said Barry. “If he can make this much progress in the time I have known him, you can just imagine what would happen in the next couple of years.”
—Bill Alden
TEACHABLE MOMENT: Walter Gumbinger gets ready to hit a tee shot this July at the Springdale Golf Club as Jason Barry looks on. Gumbinger enjoyed a superb season this spring for the Princeton High boys’ golf team, winning the Colonial Valley Conference (CVC) Open Championship and getting named as the CVC Golfer of the Year. Springdale Director of Instruction Barry, a former PHS golf star himself, has worked with Gumbinger over the last two years, helping him emerge as a star.
(Photo by Bill Alden)
Producing a Solid Debut Season for Villanova Softball, Former Hun Star Pitcher Kobryn
As Lexi Kobryn went through fall ball last year in her freshman season for the Villanova University softball team, it became clear that she was going to see plenty of action in the circle when the squad got into regular season play.
“I kind of got an idea that I was going to pitch a lot,” said Kobryn, a former Hun School standout. “I had a very successful fall — it was really good. It was so nice that we play right away in the fall. It was a good way of leading into the winter. I knew exactly what I needed to train for to be even better in the spring.”
Once spring rolled around, 5’11 right-hander Kobryn saw a lot of action, going 9-10 with 4.99 ERA and 57 strikeouts in 101 innings. Along the way, Kobryn earned Big East Pitcher and Rookie of the Week honors.
Reflecting on her debut campaign, Kobryn relished the heavy workload. “I did basically everything,” said Kobryn. “I started, I was middle relief, I closed. I would do whatever my team needed me to do.”
In dealing with the challenge of facing batters at the next level, Kobryn needed to mix up her pitches.
“I would say the biggest thing, especially being a pitcher, with the girls in the lineup in college from one to nine, it is going to be a battle with each batter,” said Kobryn. “There is no end of the lineup. It was just making sure, I would always change up what I was throwing.”
In mid-February, Kobryn came up big for her team,
Showed
pitching a pair of shutouts in wins over Florida Athletic and Dartmouth.
“FAU was a Top 25 ranked team at the time so that was a huge win for us,” said Kobryn. “That was my first complete game in college. It was nice to get that win for my team, that was really great. Then I came back the next day and pitched another full game and we win again so that was a great weekend.”
Kobryn’s heroics earned her a pair of Big East honors, getting recognized as the conference’s Pitcher of the Week and Freshman of the Week.
“That was amazing too,” said Kobryn. “That was my first Big East award and I got two in the same week.”
Two months later, Kobryn produced two strong outings in wins over Drexel and DePaul, getting selected as the Big East Pitcher of the Week for a second time.
“That was nice because I got awards in the beginning and then to get it again towards the end it just showed I was really on a good path,” said Kobryn, who helped the Wildcats go 27-26-1 overall and 15-9 Big East.
In assessing her debut campaign, Kobryn believed that showing better variety in the circle was a key area of progress.
“I think the biggest thing was just using all of my pitches,” said Kobryn, who had some at-bats in a pinchhitting role this spring, getting two hits. “In high school, you got away with throwing two or three pitches. I threw my curve and rise a lot in high
Her Versatility
school. But now in college, I had to use all of my tools. I improved my drop ball which was a game changer. Now I can throw up to hitters and down, east and west, and also change speeds. It is very important to have all of that.”
Kobryn is determined to hone those tools as she goes through her offseason training.
“All of my summers before have been filled by travel ball; this summer I am able to be in a good workout routine with my pitching program,” said Kobryn. “I am able to really just focus on that. I love travel but this is really nice because I can just focus on myself. I have a coach, she works out of Chicago so I make trips up there once a month. It is mainly a virtual thing through Zoom. I send her a lot of video. I usually throw to a ninehole net at a local field. So, I go in the morning and do my pitching and then I go and work out.”
Going into her sophomore season, Kobryn is developing more pitches as she expects to get an even heavier workload in the circle.
“I would say mixing up my changeup more, I am also working on off-speeds,” said Kobryn. “I have my changeup that sits at 48 mph, and I am working on an offspeed that sits more at 51, 52. It is kind of like a middle speed. That will also be really interesting against hitters because hopefully they won’t know what is really coming. I pitched a lot of innings last spring, so hopefully even more next year.”
—Bill Alden
GOOD RUN: Lexi Kobryn, right, celebrates after scoring a run during a 2022 game with the Hun School softball team. This spring, pitcher Kobryn enjoyed a superb debut season for the Villanova University softball team, going 9-10 with 4.99 ERA and 57 strikeouts in 101 innings. Along the way, Kobryn earned Big East Pitcher and Rookie of the Week honors. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)
After Starring for Worcester in the Futures Baseball League, Hun Grad Kraemer Playing
Coming off a superb senior season for the Hun School baseball team this spring and looking forward to starting his college career at Pepperdine University, Will Kraemer wasn’t about to take it easy after graduation.
“The biggest thing for me this whole summer was getting as many college atbats as possible,” said star shortstop Kraemer, who batted .385 in his final campaign for Hun with 27 runs, 25 hits, and 20 RBIs. “The more college at-bats, the more seasoned I can get and hopefully that will be a good outcome for me.”
To that end, Kraemer got the chance to play for Worcester Bravehearts of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League (FCBL). Making the most of that opportunity, Kramer batted .460 with 23 hits and 17 runs in 16 games. He was selected for the league’s All-Star game and went 3-for-4 with two doubles, two runs, and a game-record five RBIs in the contest.
This week, Kraemer is taking his game overseas, playing for Great Britain in the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-23 Euro Baseball 2025 championships in Trebic, Czech Republic.
for Great Britain in
For Kraemer, joining Worcester came about through his connection with a baseball confidante.
“My mentor in baseball and role model is Chris Colabello, who played with the Twins and the Blue Jays,” said Kraemer. “I ended up meeting him a couple of years ago. I talk to him once a week to get advice from him. He lives right around Worcester, so he got me connected with that league.”
As a bonus for Kraemer, he was reunited on the Worcester squad with his older brother Jackson, a former Hun standout who is playing for the University of Richmond.
“He was playing with the Vermont Lake Monsters last year and he was going to play for some other team, and it didn’t work out, so he ended up coming and joining me at Worcester,” said Kraemer. “It was really, really cool because at Hun I got called up late my freshman year so I got to play a couple of games with him, but I never got to be on the field with him. Being with him the whole summer was amazing, just picking his brain and seeing how he went about his business. He has been playing college baseball for a couple of years now.”
U-23 Euros
Playing in the FCBL required the younger Kraemer to pick up his game.
“It was a really big jump,” said Kraemer. “Everyone makes the routine play in the field. The pitchers don’t miss their spots that much. I think the biggest thing is that everyone is physical, physicality is a big thing. I would say from a hitter’s perspective, the velocity is anywhere from 88 mph and guys run it up to 92, 93, and maybe popping 95. It is a really good fastball, a really good secondary pitch, and some guys could land a third pitch.”
Kraemer got off to a really good start with the bat, going 9 for 20 in his first five games.
“My whole life I have been able to hit it the other way — pitchers like to throw the ball away which is right up my alley,” said Kraemer. “I feel like for me it was understanding how pitchers were going to get me out. They would go more sinkers inside, that is when I found a little bit of trouble but also just maintain the approach of hitting the ball the other way. I think the biggest thing was that I had nothing to lose up there. I was going out there and playing free.”
In Kraemer’s view, his
Hun career helped lay the foundation for his success at Worcester.
“I would say I am in a good groove; I think the last four years have really just prepared me for this moment,” said the 6’2, 190-pound Kraemer. “I have done all of the work. I have continued to learn. It is being comfortable with being uncomfortable. The guys who have gotten me there like coach Monfiletto (Hun head coach Tom Monfiletto) and Chris Colabello, those guys have really just prepared me for
the moment. I give all of the credit to them.”
In addition to putting in the work, Kraemer has learned to better deal with the ups and downs of baseball.
“The biggest areas of progress for me, more than playing-wise, was accepting failure in practice or BP,” said Kraemer. “If I boot a ball, don’t think it is the end of the world. The first month I was up there, I wasn’t playing every day. I would play on a Monday and then I would play on a Thursday. I felt most proud that when I didn’t see live pitching for a couple of days and then I come off the bench and get two hits. I was proud that I could stay hot in a pinch-hitting role and then it eventually opened up to playing every day.”
Getting a stomach bug before the FCBL All-Star game didn’t keep Kraemer from a producing his record-breaking performance.
“I lost like 12 pounds. The game was on a Tuesday and I ended up getting sick Friday night,” recalled Kraemer, who was able to get through a workout hours before the game. “I really didn’t leave my bed until Tuesday morning. We had a draft workout that morning. I was out of shape so I just ended up hitting BP and taking ground balls. I took some medicine, and it was just go out there and give it my best. When I stepped on to the field, it is go time. All of these players are there because they are good. I got the privilege to be selected. It was a blast. Playing the best competition, that is what you want to do when you want to be the best.”
This week, Kraemer is facing international competition as he plays for Great Britain in the U-23 Euro Baseball 2025 championship tournament
which runs from August 5-9. Last summer, Kraemer played for Great Britain in the U18 tournament and batted .429 with nine hits in 21 at-bats, four doubles, seven runs, and four RBIs in the tourney to help the team finish fourth in the competition.
“It is going to be a blast, I am the youngest on the team,” said Kraemer, whose mother was born in London, enabling him to get a British passport. “It is going to be a real challenge; it is a lot of minor league guys. The coaches over there have prepared us the last couple of months, whether it is scouting reports or hot zones, cold zones. We have had Zoom meetings every other week for the last month or two. The goal for this U23 team is to get a gold medal. That is it, nothing else. We are all excited.”
Kraemer is excited that he will joined by his brother at the tournament.
“Jackson is on the team too, it will be a lot of fun playing with him again,” added Kraemer. “We will get to room together which will be cool.”
A day after coming back from the Czech Republic, Kraemer will be heading west to Pepperdine looking to get it together on the college level.
“I want to keep my head down and just work every day,” said Kraemer. “The biggest thing for me is accepting failure. Failure leaves clues, success doesn’t. Another big thing for me is picking every coach’s brains there and picking all of the older guys’ brains and hopefully that information can get me on the field. Whatever happens, happens. I am just excited to go out there and compete.”
—Bill Alden
PRODUCTIVE SUMMER: Will Kraemer takes a big swing during his career with the Hun School baseball team. Standout infielder Kraemer has enjoyed a big summer as he gets ready to continue his baseball career at Pepperdine University. Playing for Worcester Bravehearts of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League (FCBL), Kraemer batted .460 with 23 hits and 17 runs in 16 games. This week, Kraemer is taking his game overseas, playing for Great Britain in the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-23 Euro Baseball 2025 championships in Trebic, Czech Republic.
(Photo by Steven Wojtowicz)
With Woods Providing a Big Inside Punch, Lob City Wins Summer Men’s Hoops Title
Derrick Woods got Lob City off to a quick start as it faced YSU last Wednesday night at the Community Park courts in game two of the best-of-three championship series in the Princeton Recreation Department Men’s Summer Basketball League.
With second-seeded Lob City looking to clinch the title after having topped top-seeded YSU 46-36 in the opener of the championship series two days earlier, Woods got a pass off the opening tip and barged in for a layup seconds into the contest.
“That is what we talked about in the huddle, the first play was to go to me and see what we could do from there,” said the 6’8, 225-pound Woods. “We knew they were going to double me.”
Woods and his teammates knew they were in for a fight against a scrappy, speedy YSU squad.
“That is a very hard playing team, they play together,” said Woods of YSU. “We pretty much wanted to match their energy. A lot of them are younger guys, we are older. They are like 23, 24. They have a little more fresh legs than us. We just wanted to match their intensity and focus on the post and get me, Parker [Dortch], and Maliq [Sanders] the ball because we had the advantage there.”
Woods gave Lob City a boost of energy in the waning seconds of the first half as he drained a buzzer-beating jumper to give it a 23-15 lead at intermission.
“I channeled my inner Dirk Nowitzki,” said 6’8 forward Woods, referring to the former Dallas Mavericks star. “I got the rebound and I shot it and I was like, ‘Oh yeah, that is good.’ I felt it.”
While Lob City felt some pressure as YSU rallied, led by Freddie Young Jr. who scored a game-high 20 points on the night, it pulled out a 47-44 win to complete the sweep and earn the title.
“It is a game of runs, it was going to be up and down,” said Woods, reflecting on the triumph which gave Lob City a final record of 10-1. “They were going to go on their run. Freddie was a really big piece for them. Once we were able to key in on him and get that ball out of his hands, we pretty much took it from there. They definitely played well. They played really hard, they are a good team.”
With Lob City having been swept by Princeton Supply in last year’s championship series, it was primed to break through with the title.
“I was on the team last year we lost the championship last year and now that we made it back, we were hungry to finish it out,” said Woods. “Nobody really wanted to play on Friday, we
Woods, who ended up with 11 points and 11 rebounds in the win, was named the Foreal Wooten Playoff MVP.
“It was my second MVP this year, I got MVP in Chile,” said Woods, a former St. Peter’s standout who has been playing pro ball overseas the last five years. “I am going to Argentina now — I just signed a couple of days ago. South America is very good. It is good basketball. It is physical but I prefer it that way.”
The physicality of Woods certainly made a difference for Lob City this summer.
“It was play inside and stretch out when I can and hit the three every now and then,” said Woods reflecting on his role with the squad. “There was a lot of focus on me every time we played — everybody knew to double me. If they don’t, it is probably going to be a bucket. I was definitely a huge advantage for our team.”
In assessing Lob City’s championship run, Woods credited a special team camaraderie as a key to its success.
“It is definitely chemistry, a lot of us have played together on a lot of different teams and in different leagues,” said Woods. “Then we bring in some people who we haven’t played with, and they are people who we know will come and play hard with us.”
Local Sports
Joint Effort Safe Streets Program Holding Hoops Clinic, Games
The Joint Effort Witherspoon-Jackson Princeton Safe Streets Summer Program is sponsoring a youth basketball clinic on August 9 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Princeton Middle School gym at 217 Walnut Lane
The clinic is being directed by former Princeton Day School girls’ hoops head coach and Philadelphia 76ers camp director and clinician Kamau Bailey, who leads the Bailey Basketball Academy (BBA). Attendees at the clinic will get individual skill development opportunities
in ball handling, shooting, offense and defense, mental preparation, team play, and a souvenir sports bag. Bailey will be assisted by members of the Princeton Police Department and area coaches.
In addition, on August 10, the Joint Effort Safe Streets will sponsor the Pete Young Sr. and John Young Memorial Youth Challenge Games for Princeton-area youth at the Princeton Middle School. The games run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will start with youth games and conclude with a final boys’ high school contest.
For more information on the Joint Effort Safe Streets hoops clinic or games, contact John Bailey at (720) 629-0964 or via email at johnbailey062@gmail.com
CP Bluefish Swimmers Win PASDA Championships
Producing a dominant performance, the Community Park Bluefish swim squad placed first in the team standings at the PrincetonArea Swimming and Diving Association (PASDA) championship meet last week.
The host Bluefish piled 3,916.50 points in winning the title with the Ben Franklin Swim Team coming in second with a score of 1,876. It marked the 10th straight PASDA crown for the Bluefish over the last 11 years (there was no meet in 2020 due to COVID-19).
YSU
with a 10-1 record.
—Bill Alden
last Wednesday in game two
in
INTO THE WOODS: Derrick Woods of Lob City, right, posts up Wes Robinson of YSU during the best-of-three championship series in the Princeton Recreation Department Men’s Summer Basketball League. Woods starred as Lob City defeated
47-44
to sweep the series and earn the title. Woods produced a double-double
the victory, scoring 11 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. He was named the Foreal Wooten Playoff MVP. Lob City finished the summer
(Photo by Frank Jacobs III)
Obituaries
Zachary Rees Keck
April 6, 1983 – July 26, 2025
It is with heavy hearts that we share the passing of Zachary Rees Keck, 42, of Princeton, New Jersey, on July 26, 2025. A beloved son, brother, uncle, and friend, Zachary — or Rees, as he was known to friends — will be remembered for his zest for life, adventurous spirit, generous heart, and deep devotion to the people he loved.
Zachary Rees was a man who met life head-on, determined to make the most of every minute and second. New experiences, exploration, travel, curiosity, friends, and family were the sun around which he orbited — and he did so with humor, wit, and every enthusiastic fiber of his being.
Zachary was born on April 6, 1983, in Trenton, New Jersey, and lived much of his life in the New Jersey and Pennsylvania areas. He graduated from Rutgers University with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, and went on to build a flourishing career at Planview, Inc. In 2019, he purchased a home in Philadelphia, and was most recently living on farmland in Elkton, Maryland, where he was
Ann Maurer Pearson
Ann Maurer Pearson of Princeton, NJ, died on Thursday, July 24, 2025 at her son and daughter-inlaw’s home in Buffalo, NY. Born in Port Chester, NY, on April 27, 1943, she was the daughter of Herrymon and Helen Maurer.
She attended Douglass College and received her LPN from Princeton Hospital’s diploma program in 1977. She began her nursing career at the Princeton
Hospital and spent many years working in the emergency room.
Her career continued at Princeton Gastroenterology where she made lifelong friends.
She loved reading, travel, gardening, and Nantucket.
She is survived by her sister, Helen Morris of Rocky Hill, NJ; her daughter and son-in-law, Ann and Greg Swart of Tiburon, CA; her son and daughter-in-law, David and LeeAnn Kalb of Buffalo, NY; and her daughter, Hilary Kalb of Bethesda, MD; eight grandchildren, Simon, Jane, David and Kate Swart, Jonathan, Thomas and William Kalb, and Cameron Kalb. She was predeceased by her husband, Nils Pearson; her brother, Thomas Maurer; and her son, Jonathan Kalb.
A memorial service will be held on September 6 at 1 p.m. at the Princeton Friends Meeting, 470 Quaker Road, Princeton, NJ. Memorial donations may be made to Heifer International, heifer.org.
You may leave condolences with the Amigone Funeral Home at amigone.com.
single-handedly converting a school bus into an RV. In true Zachary Rees fashion, he planned to travel the world in it.
He is survived by his parents, Robert Keck and Christina Callaway; his sisters, Lucinda Keck, Elizabeth Keck, and Samantha Fortunato; stepparents Jacqueline Keck and Pete Callaway; brother-in-law Marc Fortunato; nephews Matthew and Luke Fortunato, Tyler and Ryan St. Denis, and Carter Mazarraco; niece Tara Fortunato; and his beloved dog, Ellie. He was preceded in death by his sister, Amanda Keck, and his cherished pets, Jake and Chloe. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to SAVE, A Friend to Homeless Animals, a cause close to Zachary Rees’s heart.
“If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run, Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it, And — which is more — you’ll be a Man, my son!”
— Excerpt from the poem “If” by Rudyard Kipling
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We pride ourselves on being a small, personal, and service oriented family business. With five generations of experience, we are here to help guide you through the difficult process of monument selection.
We pride ourselves on being a small, personal, and service oriented family business. With five generations of experience, we are here to help guide you through the difficult process of monument selection.
We pride ourselves on being a small, personal, and service oriented family business. With five generations of experience, we are here to help guide you through the difficult process of monument selection. We encourage you to make an appointment, with no obligation, to discuss the many options available to you.
We pride ourselves on being a small, personal, and service oriented family business. With five generations of experience, we are here to help guide you through the difficult process of monument selection. We encourage you to make an appointment, with no obligation, to discuss the
ITS EASIER THAN YOU THINK TO MAKE THE PERFECT MEMORIAL
We pride ourselves on being a small, personal, and service oriented family business. With five generations of experience, we are here to help guide you through the difficult process of monument selection.
THAN YOU THINK TO MAKE THE PERFECT MEMORIAL
We encourage you to make an appointment, with no obligation, to discuss the many options available to you
We encourage you to make an appointment, with no obligation, to discuss the many options available to you
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DEADLINE: Tues before 12 noon tf
HOUSECLEANING: Experienced, English-speaking, great references, reliable with own transportation. Weekly & bi-weekly cleaning. Green cleaning available. Call Susan at (732) 873-3168. 09-24
HOME HEALTH AIDE: 25 years of experience. Available mornings to take care of your loved one, transport to appointments, run errands. I am well known in Princeton. Top care, excellent references. The best! Call (609) 356-2951 or (609) 751-1396. tf
LOLIO’S WINDOW WASHING & POWER WASHING: Free estimate. Next day service. Fully insured. Gutter cleaning available. References available upon request. 30 years experience. (609) 271-8860. tf
JOE’S LANDSCAPING INC. OF PRINCETON
Property Maintenance and Specialty Jobs
Commercial/Residential
Over 45 Years of Experience • Fully Insured • Free Consultations
Email: joeslandscapingprinceton@ gmail.com Text (only): (609) 356-9201 Office: (609) 216-7936
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Background in Nutrition/ Pharmacy & Therapy. Experienced in all aspects of dementia care, hospice and social interaction. Excellent communication skills and good with medication reminders, meal prep, exercises and documentation. References available upon request. Email : dawnthomas179@gmail.com Contact #: (201) 815-6761. 08-06
jewelry, silver, paintings, musical instruments, etc. All Items Wanted. Certified Appraiser and Buyer. Highest Prices Paid. 40 years Experience. Call Tom at The Time Traveler Antiques 609-577-4659 tf
Whether it’s selling furniture, finding a lost pet, or having a garage sale, TOWN TOPICS is the way to go! We deliver to ALL of Princeton as well as surrounding areas. (609) 924-2200 ext. 10; classifieds@towntopics.com
ESTATE LIQUIDATION SERVICE:
I will clean out attics, basements, garages & houses. Single items to entire estates. No job too big or small. In business over 35 years, serving all of Mercer County. Call (609) 306-0613.
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Ask for Chris tf
HOUSE FOR RENT
Recently restored house for rent on Leigh Ave, close to Witherspoon. A lovely front porch and backyard. Two full bathrooms, one upstairs and the second downstairs. Two bedrooms upstairs, with a smaller room ideal for a study.
Downstairs: a kitchen with a dishwasher, living room, separate dining room, in the basement a washer and dryer, Available August 31st for a year’s lease with options for further years. Please call: 609-439-3166 08-06
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Public Notice
Take notice that in accordance with N.J.S.A. 39:4-56.6, application has been made to the Chief Administrator of the Motor Vehicle Commission, Trenton, New Jersey, to receive title papers authorizing the sale for, Make: Suzuki, Year: 2006, VIN/Hull Identification Number: JS1GR7GA662102311. Objections, if any, should be made in writing, immediately in writing to the Chief Administrator of the Motor Vehicle Commission, Special Title Unit, P.OL. Box 017, Trenton, New Jersey, 08666-0017.
Why “Clean” Is the Most Confusing Word in Rental Agreements
One of the most common sources of tension between tenants and landlords stems from the word “clean. ” After a tenant moves into a property, they might find dust on shelves, a few marks on the walls, or a less than sparkling bathroom even if the place was “professionally cleaned.” The issue isn’t negligence, it’s perception. Everyone’s standard of cleanliness is different, including professional cleaners. One tenant ’s idea of clean might involve meticulous deep cleaning, while another might expect only surface level tidiness. So even after a property has been cleaned post occupancy (not before a new tenant moves in), disputes often arise over whether it was cleaned well enough.
The same issue reappears at the end of the lease. Landlords expect the property to be returned in the same “clean” condition it was received but if that condition was subjective in the first place, everyone is set up for conflict. Without clear documentation (photos, receipts, or checklists) and agreed upon definitions, tenants may feel unfairly charged for cleaning, and landlords may feel shortchanged by poor turnover conditions. “Clean” sounds simple, but in the world of rentals, it’s one of the most misunderstood and debated terms in the entire agreement.
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