Volume LXXVI, Number 2
Morven Talk on Olmsted Legacy . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 PPS BOE Plans for Challenges Ahead . . . . 8 Author and Scholar to Present Programs on Multiracial Jews . . . . 12 Watching Gomorrah on The First Anniversary of Capitol Attack . . . . . . 16 Allocco Hits Buzzer Beater As PU Men’s Hoops Rallies To Stun Cornell . . . . . 23 Showing its Versatility, Undefeated PHS Girls’ Swimming Tops WW/P-South . . . . . . 26
Cooper Zullo Starring as PHS Boys’ Hockey Starts 9-1-1 . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 22 Classified Ads . . . . . . 32 Comfort Food . . . . . . . 19 Luxury Living . . . . . . . . 2 Mailbox . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . 30 Performing Arts . . . . . 17 Real Estate . . . . . . . . 32 Religion . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Topics of the Town . . . . 5 Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . 6
www.towntopics.com
Council Hears Report On Cultural Celebration In Place of Communiversity An alternative to Communiversity was presented to Princeton Council at its January 10 meeting by Adam Welch, executive director of the Arts Council of Princeton. The annual downtown street fair, a collaboration of the Arts Council and Princeton University, was canceled the last two years due to the pandemic. Rather than let another year go by without the event, ArtsApril, a monthlong cultural celebration spread out over several days in multiple locations, is being proposed. “This is an opportunity to embrace the creativity of our talented and local community,” Welch said. “This is a decentralized event we can have in town for the entire month of April.” As Welch detailed in his presentation, the April arts celebration would culminate with Princeton Porchfest, a free, familyfriendly event featuring musicians performing on porches throughout the town on Sunday, April 24, the day that Communiversity might have been held. “Attendees are invited to stroll from porch to porch and relax on front lawns and sidewalks as they enjoy live, local talent,” reads material that was in Council’s agenda packet. “A Porchfest guide will be available on the website, complete with scheduled performances and pop-up installations to explore along the route.” The Porchfest movement started in Ithaca, N.Y., in 2007, and has spread to numerous communities throughout the U.S. and Canada. Among ArtsApril’s proposed public art installations is the Princeton Piano Project, in which 10 upright pianos will be reimagined by local artists and placed around town for anyone to play. Actual performances will be scheduled on select weekends. Tentatively scheduled art exhibitions would be at the Princeton University Art Museum’s Art on Hulfish and Art@Bainbridge, Morven Museum and Garden, and Princeton Truckfest. The existing mural on Spring Street will be painted on a rotating basis, and chalk drawings will be on streets, Welch added. Kristin Appelget, Princeton University’s director of community and regional affairs, said the goal of ArtsApril “was to not miss another year of University and Arts Council partnership. We are so excited to be able to support the Arts Council Continued on Page 10
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Wednesday, January 12, 2022
State of Emergency as COVID Cases Surge With 287 new COVID-19 cases in Princeton in the previous seven days and 568 in the previous 14 days, Princeton Mayor Mark Freda and the Office of Emergency Management declared a state of emergency in Princeton on Monday evening, with face coverings required in public indoor spaces starting on Thursday, January 13. “Since December 21, case counts have exploded at an exponential rate,” Princeton Deputy Administrator for Health and Community Services Jeff Grosser told Princeton Council members at a January 10 meeting. “The health department continues to see cases increase at a rate we haven’t seen in this pandemic before.” To provide perspective, Grosser noted that the first case in Princeton was confirmed on March 10, 2020 and it took a year and a half after that, until July 15, 2021, to see as many cases as Princeton has seen in just the past three weeks. “It’s a super-fast working variant that has exploded,” he said, “and a tremendous struggle for the health department locally. Expect January to be a pretty difficult month.” Freda and the Office of Emergency Management stated that its Declaration of State of Emergency was made ”in order
to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the people of Princeton,” in the face of “the rapid spread of the COVID-19 Omicron variant.” Under the new mandate masks will be required in restaurants, bars, gymnasiums, dance studios, recreation facilities, retail stores, cafes, supermarkets, convenience stores, places of worship, commercial establishments, salons, barbershops, banks, health care facilities, hotels, and government buildings and facilities. The
order will remain in effect until January 31 unless modified or extended by further order. The Princeton Health Department has recently been focusing its efforts on the most vulnerable population, those over 65 and individuals in congregate living situations. They have also been working with the area schools to assist with protocols, testing, and contact tracing. “The emergency mask mandate will assist in community prevention,” said Grosser, Continued on Page 10
Princeton Offers Array of Events to Celebrate MLK Jr.’s Life and Legacy
Paying tribute to the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. and promoting a national day of service, a number of events will be taking place throughout the Princeton area both virtually and in person during the next week. The federal holiday, which seeks to move the nation closer to the “community” that King envisioned, is officially celebrated on Monday, January 17. It is intended to be a day where people of all ages and backgrounds come together to learn about King’s life and his teachings of nonviolence and social justice, while seeking to improve lives and bridge social barriers.
The Arts Council of Princeton (ACP) will commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, January 17, with a community bagel breakfast, art and history activities, and a canned food drive. The free breakfast will begin at 10 a.m. with participants of all ages invited to engage in hands-on art and history activities, including Emblem Making and Protest History with the Historical Society of Princeton and a poster and lawn signpainting station celebrating King’s teachings. Participants will decorate signs with well-known quotes by King to take home Continued on Page 14
FIRST SNOW: All was quiet at the Institute for Advanced Study on Friday after the first snowfall of the season. Residents and visitors share how they handled the snow in this week’s Town Talk on page 6. (Photo by Charles R. Plohn)
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