Town Topics Newspaper, March 20, 2024

Graduate Hotels Acquired by Hilton For $210 Million

Graduate Hotels, which is planning to open a hotel in downtown Princeton this spring, has been acquired for $210 million by global hospitality company Hilton Hotels.

The news that Hilton had bought the brand from Adventurous Journeys Capital Partners (AJ Capital) was released last week, specifying that AJ Capital will continue to own the more than 35 operating and soon-to-open Graduate properties.

So what does this mean for Princeton?

“It’s super exciting to be affiliated with a brand like Hilton,” said Michael Monarca, general manager of The Graduate in Princeton, which combines the existing building at 20 Nassau Street with new construction behind it on Chambers Street. “The fact that a guest will be able to use Hilton Honors points will hopefully bring people off of Route 1 and into Princeton, adding tax revenues to town. That’s a huge component. And having the sort of big machine of Hilton behind us down the road for support will certainly be bene cial and help to grow the brand.”

Princeton Councilwoman Michelle Pirone Lambros, who is liaison to the town’s business community, said the acquisition brings “the best of both brands” to Princeton.

“The Graduate will be a nice addition to the town, and now we’ll have Hilton Honors points and a whole marketing support behind it that can garner more occupancy. At the end of the day, we want to attract people to stay in Princeton, help our small businesses, and bring ratables. And the hotel occupancy tax is really great for our residents. Commercial revenue growth is huge for us.”

Mimi Omiecinski, founder of Princeton Tour Company, agreed. “Hilton purchasing Graduate will allow folks who only book through Hilton Honors points a chance to stay downtown rather than on Route 1,” she said. “Given that the town receives a two percent occupancy tax, I think this is great news.”

There are currently more than 30 Graduate properties near colleges and universities in the U.S. and the U.K., catering to college alumni, students, and their families with a blend of nostalgic-themed design and campus-related amenities.

The Princeton property is targeted

PPS Seeks to Extend Foster’s Contract

Acting Superintendent Kathie Foster will be leading the Princeton Public Schools (PPS) through June of 2025 if the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) agrees to waive a state law and allow an extension of her employment time.

Foster, who has served as acting superintendent of PPS since November, has agreed to extend her tenure, and the PPS Board of Education voted 10-0 on Monday to request permission from the NJDOE to keep Foster at the helm for the next 15 months.

“We rmly believe that our school district is best served by Dr. Foster’s continued leadership at this time,” the BOE wrote in an email sent out on Friday, March 15, to the PPS community. “We are beyond grateful to Dr. Foster for her kind and effective leadership, her commitment to excellence, and her dedication to students.”

Board members at the meeting repeatedly emphasized the value of continuity and stability, as well as Foster’s kindness and competence and her focus on students’ well-being and success.

“We appreciate that students are always at the heart of your decision-

making, and you’re moving us forward, “said BOE member Betsy Baglio.

New BOE member Adam Bierman said that the district had recently been through “tumultuous” times, and noted that Foster “has been a salving balm and things are much smoother.”

Foster expressed her gratitude to the BOE. “I love this community,” she said. “It’s incredibly student-centered.” She praised the “ impassioned, smart

community” and the abundance of “outstanding staff members.”

“It’s wonderful working with a Board where we all say ‘Is this what’s best for students?’ and that’s how we make our decisions,” she added.

Since Foster officially retired when she stepped down as superintendent of Robbinsville Schools in 2020, New Jersey law allows for her employment by PPS for only a limited amount of time. If the

Continued on Page 9

Young Women’s STEM Conference Features Experiments, Networking, and Lots of Fun

Nearly 900 aspiring scientists gathered at the Frick Chemistry Laboratory at Princeton University on March 15 for the Young Women’s Conference in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL).

Hands-on activities, small group presentations, chemistry demos, a keynote address, and networking throughout the day introduced the young women, seventh to tenth graders, to many practicing engineers and scientists and a variety of STEM careers.

In its 23rd year, this biggest ever Young Women’s Conference in STEM is now the Young Women’s Conference East, since the PPPL has for the rst time added a second conference, the Young Women’s Conference West, to be held at San Diego State University on May 17.

“It was a fantastic day all around — the girls were very engaged,” said PPPL Science Education Program Manager Deedee Ortiz, who organized the conference along with PPPL Science Education Administrator Britt Albucker, “Now we’re

Continued on Page 12

HOOPS HYSTERIA: Members of the Princeton University women’s basketball team shout for joy last Sunday night when they learned their assignment for the NCAA tournament. The Tigers, who topped Columbia 75-58 in the fi nal of the Ivy Madness postseason tourney on Saturday to punch their ticket to the NCAA tournament, are seeded ninth in the Albany 2 Region and will face No. 8 West Virginia in Iowa City, Iowa, on March 23 in a fi rst round contest. For more details on the team and its postseason run, see page 24. (Photo by Steven Wojtowicz)

Ovid’s Art of Love Helps

Bryn Mawr-

Penn Medicine Princeton Health would like to send a heartfelt thank you to all of our doctors, who each day work to change lives, save lives, and improve the quality of life for our patients. We remain amazed by your dedication to excellence and for always showing the world what comes next as you pioneer breakthroughs and lead the future of medicine.

Stoutsburg Sourland Museum

Celebrates Annual Oxtail Fest

On Saturday, March 23 at 4 p.m., the Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum (SSAAM), Central New Jersey’s first museum dedicated to Black history, will celebrate its 3rd Annual Oxtail Fest at Hopewell Valley Vineyards.

Oxtail is the meat from the tail of a cow. Across many cultures worldwide, oxtail has been a culinary mainstay for centuries, but in the United States it is particularly associated with African American and Caribbean cuisine. Eating “high on the hog” was not afforded to enslaved peoples along the transatlantic triangle slave trade route. The enslaved were given discarded cuts of meat such as the hooves, feet, intestines, heads, and tails of the animal while their captors enjoyed the prime cuts.

Yet what the captors failed to recognize was that with imagination, innovation, proper preparation, and love, these throw-away cuts would be transformed into life-sustaining and flavorful dishes. Traditional African methods involve slow-cooking oxtail to achieve tenderness and flavor. However, like oysters, kale, and many other staples of workingclass culinary traditions, oxtail has undergone the effects of gentrification. With a soaring price per pound, the once lowly oxtail is now a luxury dish affordable only on special occasions for many.

“This year’s event focuses on the power of contemporary sisterhood by honoring the kinships forged among African American women for the purpose of survival,” said SSAAM Executive Director Donnetta Johnson.

“Traditionally Black women who might have otherwise been destroyed by the atrocities of kidnapping, enslavement, and the legacy of those impacts on the African American family survived by holding each other up, supporting one another, and collectively holding their often-fragmented families together. ‘Sit down and let me feed you baby’ is what my aunties would say to me when I found myself at their table after a stressful day at school or work. This was a powerful and practical expression of love. Food has been our love language and a tool to comfort, encourage, survive, and thrive to the present day.”

With a nod to Alice Walker’s The Color Purple and its film and Broadway adaptations, shades of victorious purple will figure prominently in the spirit and design of the event.

Topics In Brief A

As in previous SSAAM Oxtail Fest events, the feast will feature a diverse array of specialties from the African American, Caribbean and Afro Latin diaspora. In addition to oxtail delicacies, guests will be treated to jerk chicken, as well as a wide array of side dishes. The meal will feature staples such as collards, okra, jollof rice, cornbread, croquetas, empanadas, and an assortment of traditional desserts. The menu will offer a wide selection of culturally-based vegan, vegetarian, plant-based, and gluten-free options.

Proceeds will fund SSAAM operations, research, and programming to preserve, protect, and share African American history, historic sites, and contributions in the Sourland Mountain region and Central New Jersey. Visit bit.ly/OxtailFest2024 for tickets.

Nighttime Work on Nassau Street : For the next several weeks, traffic on Nassau Street between Witherspoon and Harrison streets will be limited to one lane between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. as gas main work is underway.

Cherry Hill Road Closure : Cherry Hill Road Bridge is currently closed to all traffic as emergency repairs are made to a partially collapsed culvert. Motorists are diverted to Route 206, Mountain Avenue, Great Road, and Stuart Road as a detour. Log and Branch Collection : Began on Monday, March 18. Material must be ready for collection by 7 a.m. Visit princetonnj.gov for more information.

Recreation Department Summer Jobs : Apply for work at Community Park Pool in customer service, day camp, or on lifeguard staff. Visit Princetonnj.gov/982/ Seasonal-Employment.

Free Tax Assistance : The Mercer County AARP Tax-Aide program offers free federal and state tax preparation at Princeton Public Library, the Suzanne Patterson Building, and Nassau Presbyterian Church. Call (888) 227-7669 for specifics.

Recycling Buckets Available : Mercer County Improvement Authority has announced that free buckets are available again for residents. In Princeton, buckets can be picked up at 1 Monument Drive. Call (609) 688-2566 for more information.

NOBODY LEAVES HUNGRY: At the upcoming Oxtail Fest sponsored by the Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum, food is the focus, with specialties ranging from jerk chicken to jollof rice, croquetas, empanadas, and an assortment of traditional desserts.

“Celebration of Black Music” Festival At Rider Honors Composer Julia Perry

When Westminster Choir College of Rider University Professor Vinroy D. Brown Jr. began thinking about holding a second annual “Celebration of Black Music” festival with the Westminster Jubilee Singers, it didn’t take long for him to come up with a focus.

Monday, March 25 marks the centennial of the late Julia Perry, a groundbreaking composer considered to be one of Westminster’s

most distinguished alumni. Centering the second festival around her was kind of a no-brainer.

“Julia Perry was a student of our founder, John Finley Williamson,” said Brown, an adjunct professor of sacred music and a member of the Baccalaureate Honors program faculty. “We house the Julia Perry archives in our library. March is Women’s History Month. Honoring her was the obvious choice, for so many reasons.”

TOPICS

Of the Town

Perry’s music was not well received during her lifetime. She died at the age of 51 after a series of strokes. “We lost a lot of her music, unfortunately, due to the mismanagement of her estate,” Brown said. “But some of the pieces in the festival have not been heard for decades. It’s nice that we get to do her choral works, because other celebrations of her are usually about her solo works. And we are collaborating with the Westminster Chapel Choir, who are also presenting some of her solo vocal music as an ensemble.”

Brown leads the festival Saturday and Sunday, March 23 and 24, at Gill Chapel on the Rider University campus, where Westminster was moved from Princeton in 2020. On Saturday at 7:30 p.m., the ensemble My Sister’s Keeper will perform a recital. The music continues on Sunday at 3 p.m., when the Westminster Jubilee Singers and Westminster Chapel Choir perform “The Passion According to Julia Perry.” Brown conducts the Jubilee Singers, while Marion Jacob leads the Chapel Choir. Mezzo soprano Patrice P. Eaton is the soloist. In addition to the concerts, the celebration will include lectures and workshops.

Sunday is the start of Holy Week, creating an additional theme for the festival. “A lot of the choral works we are performing have to do with the Passion [the story of the

“Black music is no stranger to Westminster Choir College,” said Brown. “Last year we celebrated the 100th anniversary of the birth of George Walker, who was born in Washington, D.C., but spent most of his life and career in New Jersey. He was known in the choral world as the first African American who won the Pulitzer Prize for music.”

That first festival materialized after Brown was asked to write an article about Walker for a professional journal. “I wanted to figure out a way to explore his music, and that became the impetus for the festival,” he said.

Perry is unique “in that she writes in a neo-classical and yet very contemporary style,” Brown said. “Some of the music is atonal, or minimalist. The work she is most known for is the solo Stabat Mater, which is very atonal.

In that time period, to see African American composers writing in this style was not the norm. And Black women composers in this style was definitely not the norm.”

The Westminster Jubilee Singers and the Westminster Chapel Choir will take part in special concerts devoted to the music of Westminster alumna Julia Perry this weekend.

crucifixion of Jesus],” Brown said. “The program was curated very specifically to create a narrative around the Passion. ‘The Passion According to Julia Perry’ is a play on the passions of Bach and Perry’s own thoughts around composing and beautiful music. There are a lot of double meanings that we will explore throughout the concert.”

Brown is hopeful that the annual festival will continue into the future.

“The Celebration of Black Music has gotten a lot of support from the administration. Moving forward, I do envision it being a standard kind of program with the Choir College, hopefully with a different emphasis each year,” he said. “There is so much more we can do.”

Westminster and Rider merged in 1992, and Rider has been trying to sell Westminster’s Princeton campus since 2018. In ensuing years, Westminster’s student body has decreased significantly, and the future of the Princeton property has yet to be decided. Despite the changes, Brown remains dedicated.

“Beautiful music is still being made at Westminster Choir College,” he said. “This festival and the work of the Westminster Jubilee Singers are a testament to this incredible work. It makes me happy, as a teacher and an alum, that the work is still happening and the music is still being made.”

For tickets, visit rider.edu.

—Anne Levin

Early Bird Pricing

For Sourland Festival

Planning is underway for the 19 th Annual Sourland Mountain Festival, set for Saturday, July 13, rain or shine, from 3-8:30 p.m. Tickets are now on sale with early bird pricing.

The festival is presented by Unionville Vineyards, located in the heart of the Sourlands on Rocktown Road in Ringoes. The festival will feature a 5-star VIP dining experience provided by the Ryland Inn, and craft brews from Lone Eagle Brewing. This year’s event will feature live music, food and drink, and merchandise vendors, as well as family activities and exhibits from environmental nonprofit organizations.

Proceeds benefit the Sourland Conservancy, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the protection, promotion, and preservation of the unique character of the Sourland Mountain region. Visit sourlandmountainfestival.com/tickets.

Rider Furniture

A forum for the expression of opinions about local and national issues.

Question of the Week: “What was your favorite part of the event today?”

(Asked Saturday afternoon at the Play Lotería with the Art Museum event at Art on Hulfish)

(Photos by Sarah Teo)

—Zuleyka,

“Where quality still matters.”

4621 Route 27 Kingston, NJ 609-924-0147

riderfurniture.com

Mon-Fri 10-6; Sat 10-5; Sun 12-5

“Winning the prize!”

—Edgar Ristau, Princeton

Princeton Fire Department Responds

To Three Fires in Town in Recent Weeks

The Princeton Fire Department has been dispatched to three different fires in Princeton in the last two weeks, with some signifi cant damage occurring and several residents displaced from their homes, but no injuries reported.

The fires, noted by Department of Emergency and Safety Services Director Michael Yeh, included an apartment fi re on March 5 at Redding Circle, a gas line fire at a PSE&G work site on Nassau Street in front of the Princeton University Store and Labyrinth Books on March 12, and a house fi re on Spruce Lane on March 13.

The Fire Department reported that upon their arrival at the Redding Circle complex at about 7:30 a.m. on March 5, a fi re was venting from a rear second floor window and extending into the attic. Crews extinguished the fire in the second floor bedrooms and the extension into the attic.

With assistance from the Princeton First Aid and Rescue Squad; Princeton Plasma Physics Lab (Mercer County Station 66); Plainsboro, Hamilton, and Kingston fire departments; and West Windsor Emergency Services, the fire was held to one alarm and further damage was limited.

There were two residents at home at the time of the fi re. The cause remains under investigation, according to Yeh. The apartment has been deemed unsafe by the Princeton Construction Department. The residents were

assisted by the Princeton Human Services Department, Princeton Housing Authority, and the American Red Cross. Human Services reported that the residents were placed in an area hotel for three days, and then moved to another unit on Clay Street under the oversight of the Princeton Housing Authority (PHA).

PHA Chair Felicia Spitz, in a letter in the Town Topics Mailbox last week, praised the dedication and hard work of the PHA staff in helping the displaced residents. “All five families impacted by the fire have been able to return to their homes,” she wrote.

“The family living in the unit where the fi re occurred has been relocated to a newly renovated unit, while we await the results of the fi re investigation report.”

The PHA has been coordinating assistance for the displaced families, including a GoFundMe site, and donations of gift cards, clothing, shoes, and other essentials.

Olivia Gonzalez, the organizer of the GoFundMe fundraiser and a friend of the two brothers in their 20s who lived in the apartment where the fire occurred, expressed appreciation for the help from the community. “Many organizations have been a blessing with being handson in assisting in attempting to gather everything that the boys could possibly need,” she wrote on the GoFundMe site. She noted that it was an electrical fi re, and although

the two young men were able to get out safely and rescue their dog and cat, very few of their belongings could be salvaged.

On Tuesday, March 12, as PSE&G contractor Waters and Bugbee were carrying out their ongoing work on gas main replacements and tie-ins on Nassau Street, the Princeton Fire Department was dispatched at 8:46 p.m. to the area of 122 Nassau Street for a gas line fire.

The utility crew had struck a low pressure gas line, which ignited, and the gas was burning off in the middle of the roadway. PSE&G was notifi ed, and they shut off the gas and made repairs. Nassau Street was closed to traffic between Washington Road and Bayard Lane until 5:23 a.m. No other damage or injuries were reported.

On the morning of March 13, just before 8 a.m. there was a house fi re in the fi rst block Spruce Lane. The first crew of the Princeton Fire Department to arrive was able to extinguish the fire that had broken out in the kitchen area of the house.

The homeowner was not at home at the time of the fi re. The home was deemed unsafe to reside in by the Princeton Construction Department. The homeowner was assisted by Princeton Human Services and was placed in an area motel where he will be staying for about two weeks, according to Human Services.

FUN WITH LOTERíA: A big crowd was on hand for “Play Lotería with the Art Museum” on Saturday afternoon at Art on Hulfish. The popular Mexican game of chance was called in Spanish and English, and winners received prizes. The event was co-sponsored by Princeton Human Services, the Latin American Legal Defense and Education Fund, and the Center for Modern Aging Princeton.

Children’s Home Society Honors Harry, Burke

On Saturday, April 6 from 6-10 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency Princeton, singer Debbie Harry and Princeton resident James Burke, chairman of The Burke Foundation, will be recognized at an event celebrating the tenacity and resilience of The Children’s Home Society of New Jersey (CHSofNJ) in improving newborn and childhood well-being since 1894.

COVID-19, the organization wanted to celebrate the determination and the partnerships that made it successful.

For details, visit chsofnj.org.

—Donald Gilpin

“One Way or Another,” the 130th annual gala of CHSofNJ, is recognizing Burke for his vision and leadership in making advances to improve the first 1,000 days of life for those in New Jersey’s healthcare deserts. Harry, a music icon, is also a philanthropist and will share her connection to CHSofNJ and her personal

journey as an adoptee. Wakisha Bailey, CBS Philadelphia News reporter, will serve as the master of ceremonies.

For 130 years, CHSofNJ has innovated new services and created programs to improve the lives of infants, children, and families. Emerging from the recent challenges of

Debbie Harry

(Photo by Sarah Teo)

PPS

continued from page one Princeton BOE’s request from the DOE for an extension to Foster’s contract is granted, the Board will negotiate a new contract with Foster, which it will discuss with the public before voting on it at a future meeting.

The Board’s March 15 email stated that its attorney had spoken with the Mercer County superintendent of schools, who indicated that he supported the extension.

In early 2025 the BOE will begin its search for a new permanent superintendent, said BOE President Dafna Kendal.

Foster, who has been paid a per diem rate of $1,100 since taking the reins as acting superintendent about four months ago, has served in three different key positions in the PPS in recent years.

She was the district’s interim assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction from December 2021 through June 2022. Then in March of 2023 she stepped into the breach as interim principal at an unsettled Princeton High School following the sudden dismissal of its principal, Frank Chmiel. Foster led PHS for about five months, until the selection of the current principal, Cecilia Birge.

On November 14, 2023, Foster took over the district leadership from Superintendent Carol Kelley, who was granted a leave of absence until her August 31, 2024 resignation date.

Foster received her bachelor of arts degree from Hope College in Michigan, a master of arts in educational leadership from Rider University, and a doctorate in education from the University of Pennsylvania. At the start of her career she was an eighth grade math teacher for 17 years before moving into administrative roles in Robbinsville as Pond Road Middle School assistant principal, then principal, then assistant superintendent for the Robbinsville District, then superintendent.

—Donald Gilpin

Birdhouse Competition At Peddler’s Village

From April 13 to May 19, Peddler’s Village in Lahaska, Pa., will present its first ever Best of the Nest Birdhouse Competition and Display in partnership with the Bucks County Audubon Society at Honey Hollow and AIA Bucks County, a local chapter of the American Institute of Architects.

Entries are due on April

1. Cash prizes ranging from $2 to $400 will be awarded to winners. Admission to the display is free and open to the public.

Celebrating nature, habitats, and human creativity, Best of the Nest will showcase unique birdhouses designed, built, and detailed by members of the public. Categories include Traditional, Whimsical, Bucks County Landmark, Natural Habitat, Professional, Student (ages 12-17), and Kids Only (ages 11 and under). People of all ages and abilities are encouraged to take part, and entries from those in the design/ build industry are particularly welcome.

People interested in entering the competition but who first want to learn more about birds and birdhouse-making are invited to attend the free “Make a Better Birdhouse: Helpful Hints” program on Sunday, March 17 at 1 p.m., when the Bucks County Audubon Society at Honey Hollow will present “Fantastic Feathered Friends,” which will educate attendees about bird habitats and behaviors, how to spot them, and why birds are so important to our natural world.

At 2 p.m., members of the Bucks County Chapter of the American Institute of Architects will present “Birdhouse Style — Thinking Outside the Box,” which will include a brief history of birdhouses, the elements of birdhouses, what makes each house unique, and basic design principles such as form and function.

Judging criteria for the competition will include overall appearance/composition of the design; originality/use of materials; craftsmanship; “fit” in the category; level of

difficulty in the design and execution; and suitability for bird type (natural habitat category only). One birdhouse will also be selected by visitors by popular vote to receive a People’s Choice award; the prize for the People’s Choice award will be a $350 Peddler’s Village restaurant gift card.

Birdhouses must be dropped off on Sunday, April 7 between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. at the Cock ‘n Bull. Voting for the People’s Choice award will take place through May 5 via the Peddler’s Village mobile app, free on iOS and Android, or via paper ballot. Voting is limited to one ballot per person per visit,

though additional ballots can be obtained by donating onsite to either the Bucks County Audubon Society at Honey Hollowor and AIA Bucks County’s George J. Donovan Memorial Scholarship.

Also taking place during the Best of the Nest: Birdhouse Competition and Display will be a free scavenger hunt in which guests can find inanimate birds native to Bucks County “hidden” throughout the Village. Materials and details can be obtained at the Visitor and Event Center. Visit peddlersvillage.com for more information.

Graduate Hotels

continued from page one for an opening in mid-May. Earlier this month, Princeton Council agreed — somewhat reluctantly — to allow the company to keep Chambers Street one-way until May 16, which is several weeks longer than originally specified.

“We are working diligently and will be ready to open on or about May 17,” Monarca said, “if the hotel and building are ready. However, as an experienced hotel operator, I can tell you there are many logistics that need to fall into place. It’s a puzzle. But it is our goal to be ready by then.”

The purchase by Hilton

means room rates will be higher. “We’ve adjusted our budgets more than two additional points in occupancy, and adjusted our rate up commensurately,” said Monarca. Asked what rates will be, Monarca said those numbers have yet to be finalized.

Ben Weprin founded AJ Capital Partners in 2014 and the company has grown quickly since then. In addition to the Princeton property, hotels under construction are located in Austin and Dallas, Texas, and Auburn, Ala.

The deal faces regulatory review before it becomes final.

41 Leigh Avenue, Princeton www.tortugasmv.com

—Anne Levin

Available for Lunch & Dinner

Mmm..Take-Out

Events • Parties • Catering (609) 924-5143

Hunterdon Wine Express

Returns Starting April 13

Old York Cellars Winery and the Black River & Western Railroad have released the dates for 16 runs of the Hunterdon Wine Express in 2024, starting Saturday, April 13. Tickets are on sale now on the winery’s website. The entire 2023 season sold out within the first few weeks after tickets were available.

The Hunterdon Wine Express made its first maiden trip in the fall of 2022, and due to its popularity, it was expanded in 2023. This tourism partnership was awarded the 2023 Tourism Initiative of the Year Award by the Hunterdon County Economic Development and Tourism Summit.

“We are thrilled that the Hunterdon Wine Express has been so well received by the public and are excited to expand this initiative with the Black & Western River Railroad. The Hunterdon Wine Express has become an integral component of agritourism in Hunterdon County,” said David Wolin, owner of Old York Cellars.

Passengers begin their journey at the Black River & Western Railroad Station in Flemington, where they board the historic train for the 25-minute trip to the Ringoes station. Along the journey, the wine ambassador from Old York Cellars shares a brief history of the wnery and wines in New Jersey. Upon arrival in Ringoes, the guests are shuttled by coach to the vineyard.

A member of the Old York Cellar’s Wine team then walks guests through a guided Wine, Charcuterie, Cheese and Chocolate Pairing Experience with the winery’s award-winning wines and artisan chocolates from The Fudge Shoppe of Flemington. After the guided pairing, guests are treated to lunch prepared by Old York Cellars’ in-house chef, José Diaz.

Guests have ample time after lunch to explore the vineyard, relax with a glass of wine, or just listen to music provided by the winery’s musicians, before boarding the shuttle back to the Ringoes station. The Hunterdon

Wine Express concludes with a return ride back to Flemington on the train. There are 16 available dates starting on Saturday, April 14, running through Saturday, September 14. This 3 ½ hour event costs $99 per person.

Visit oldyorkcellars.com/ winery-experiences for tickets and more information.

Doylestown Designer House Set for April 28-May 26

The Village Improvement Association of Doylestown (VIA) has announced that work is underway for its 48th Bucks County Designer House & Gardens, scheduled for April 28-May 26 at Sycamore Lane Farm in Hilltown, Perkasie, Pa. The historic home was rebuilt in 1900.

The 2024 Designer House will open with a Preview Gala on April 26 and continue with public tours and special events.

The property has been in the same family since 1960, and is now owned by the next generation of family members who will make it their permanent residence. The new owners have undertaken a major renovation and enlargement of the house while focusing on the property’s historic significance in the history of Bucks County. An addition currently under construction includes a conservatory and doubles the home’s size to over 7,200 square feet of living space. Forty-five acres of farmland surrounding the house include numerous outbuildings such as an artist’s studio, milk house, smokehouse, bank barn, three-car garage, and a spring house.

Having Sycamore Lane Farm is a dream come true, say members of the VIA’s Designer House Advisory Committee.

“We were incredibly fortunate to have this amazing property presented to us very early on in our search,” said longtime committee member Joyce Hanson. “We could not be happier about the wonderful opportunities that Sycamore Lane Farm presents for us,” said Sara Moyer, another member of the committee, noting that the property’s many outbuildings will provide space for the gala, on-site parking, an on-site café, and multiple boutiques.

Sycamore Lane Farm has a long and storied history, with connections to the notorious Bucks County Doan Gang of the Revolutionary War, for which the Mercer Museum will host “The Doan Gang: Outlaws of the Revolution,” an exhibit opening in May. In addition, artist and Saturday Evening Post cover illustrator John Falter lived and worked at the property for 15 years. Visitors to the house can expect to see some of the home’s unique history reflected in its decor.

The Bucks County Designer House & Gardens is VIA’s largest annual fundraising event. Proceeds from the Designer House support Doylestown Health and the charitable missions of the VIA. For more information, go to via-doylestown.org.

WORD MASTERS: Princeton Charter School fifth grader Anya Blix, left, and fourth grader Mila Romalis recently achieved perfect scores in this year’s National WordMasters Challenge, a vocabulary competition involving nearly 125,000 students each year. Only 20 fourth graders in the whole country achieved a perfect score of 20. (Photo courtesy of Princeton Charter School)

Community College Expands Automotive Tech Program

Mercer County Community College (MCCC) has expanded its Automotive Technology Program with a focus on electric vehicles. With the concept of mobility changing, MCCC recognizes the importance of equipping students with the skills necessary to excel in the quickly evolving transition to electric vehicles.

“The move toward furnishing the automotive program with essential tools and equipment will signify our commitment to remaining at the forefront of innovation and prepare our students for the electric revolution in the automotive industry,” said MCCC Automotive Technology Program Coordinator Jason Evans.

MCCC’s first fully electric vehicle, provided by a federal Perkins grant, will be used to elevate students’ educational experience and equip them with the essential skills in the fast-growing field of electric vehicle repair beginning this spring semester. “The ability to train MCCC students to service electric vehicles is incredibly important, not only for our students, but also for our community who will increasingly need those services,” said Deborah E. Preston, MCCC president.

MCCC’s Automotive Technology Program teaches students about current automotive technology trends by completing up-to-date training curriculum in the classroom and through hands-on work in an automotive lab. Students learn how to diagnose, repair and service current automotive technologies, demonstrate desirable work habits, and communicate effectively and professionally. Internships at area dealerships complement the curriculum and generally move into fulltime employment.

For more information, visit mccc.edu.

Trees and shrubs sleep in winter and so do the parasites. Horticultural oil application now, is safe for the environment and prevents overwintering pests from attacking your trees and shrubs in the spring. The application of horticultural oil on woody plants to control a large variety of pests is not a new practice, but it is one that has not been widely used.

With increasing public awareness to reduce chemical pesticide use, refined horticultural oils provide a safer and more environmentally friendly method of pest management. Oils are effective against a wide range of eggs and immature insects, including Scale, Mealybugs, Aphids, Cankerworms, Adelgids, Webworms, White flies and Beetle larvae. They degrade quickly following application, are non-toxic to humans and wildlife and fit very nicely into a plant health care (PHC) program.

We also suggest an early spring bio-fertilization to promote healthy root development and improve stress resistance.

Call

Updated Outdoor Dining Ordinance

Passed by Princeton Council but had concerns about the use of the use of partitions. He referred specifically to PJ’s Pancake House on Nassau Street, which has had outdoor dining with partitions for years.

At its March 14 meeting, Princeton Council voted in favor of an “Outdoor Dining” ordinance that replaces the “Sidewalk Cafes” ordinance dating back to 1974. The new measure recognizes changes brought on by such factors as the widening of sidewalks on Witherspoon Street, and the increased demand for outdoor dining that was particularly strong during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ordinance addresses such issues as the width of pedestrian passageways, control of trash, seating, fee structure, furnishings, design guidelines, and the maintenance of the dining areas. It was voted in after removing the allowance of retractable awnings.

The approval applies to thoroughfares other than Nassau Street, for which Council is awaiting a decision by the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT). The DOT has jurisdiction over Nassau Street, since it is a state right of way.

Municipal staff worked with local restaurants and Experience Princeton to come up with the new ordinance.

“I really appreciate the work that Experience Princeton did with municipal staff to resolve a lot of the outstanding issues,” said Councilwoman Michelle Pirone Lambros. “We’ve really arrived at a solid ordinance.”

Councilman David Cohen said he was 99 percent in support of the ordinance,

“I’ve always felt uncomfortable using the sidewalk there, because you feel like you’re walking through private space, through the restaurant,” he said. “I’d rather see it without partitions.”

Municipal Engineer Deanna Stockton said that PJ’s actually owns about six feet of the sidewalk in front of the restaurant. “Our ordinance would not apply to private property where site plan approval is needed through the Planning Board,” she said.

Hibben Road resident Karen O’Connell brought up the idea of waste disposal. “It needs to be fully addressed,” she said. “Storage of any waste must be in a secured, stored container. In the past, some rat bait stations were right next to where people ate.”

Stockton said that issue is addressed in the ordinance.

Full details of the ordinance as proposed are available in the agenda packet from Council’s February 26 meeting, when it was introduced, at princetonnj.gov. The next public meeting of Council is Monday, March 25 at 7 p.m.

—Anne Levin

Think Global Buy Local

Music from the Revolution

At Rockingham Event

On Sunday, April 14 at 1:30 p.m., Matthew Dodd returns to Rockingham’s Dutch barn to present “Songs and Stories of the American Revolution.” Dodd last performed this program at Rockingham in 2016.

Dressed in Colonial garb in a front of a set resembling a Colonial tavern, Dodd takes audiences back in time to the days of the American Colonial settlement and the American Revolution. Using period songs and stories that put the songs into the context of the time, he sings and plays guitar, banjo, and mandolin.

Admission is free, but donations to Rockingham are welcomed. Registration is required at rockinghamSSAR.eventbrite.com. Rockingham is at 84 Laurel Avenue/Kingston-Rocky Hill Road. For more information, visit rockingham.net.

Literacy NJ Classes Offered Virtually and In Person Literacy NJ Mercer is offering free in-person citizenship classes starting Monday, April 1, through June 24, at Princeton Public Library, 65 Witherspoon Street. The classes are held from 6-8 p.m. This 12week session will meet weekly and prepare students for the citizenship test and interview. Classes are free. The only requirements are that students should have a Green Card and know basic English reading, writing, and speaking.

The organization is also offering free online GED (HSE) classes from April through June for Mercer County residents 18 years and older. These free classes will be

Come taste authentic Italian Pasta dishes prepared for you by Francesca, Chef from Liguria, Italy

SPECIAL MENU PIEMONTE

SPECIAL MENU PIEMONTE

SPECIAL MENU PIEMONTE

Piemonte is a region located in the northwest of Italy Its major city is Turin, which was the first Italian capital It is also home to the famous FIAT car company, as well as some of the best Italian wines such as Barolo, Barbaresco, and Barbera The region is also known for producing white truffles Le Langhe is a particularly rich area of the region, known for its high-quality food and wine FERRERO company (Nutella, Kinder and more) is from Alba Piemonte

Piemonte is a region located in the northwest of Italy Its major city is Turin, which was the first Italian capital It is also home to the famous FIAT car company, as well as some of the best Italian wines such as Barolo, Barbaresco, and Barbera The region is also known for producing white truffles Le Langhe is a particularly rich area of the region, known for its high-quality food and wine FERRERO company (Nutella, Kinder and more) is from Alba Piemonte

ANTIPASTI

VITELLO TONNATO (VITEL TONE’)

Piemonte is a region located in the northwest of Italy Its major city is Turin, which was the first Italian capital It is also home to the famous FIAT car company, as well as some of the best Italian wines such as Barolo, Barbaresco, and Barbera The region is also known for producing white truffles Le Langhe is a particularly rich area of the region, known for its high-quality food and wine FERRERO company (Nutella, Kinder and more) is from Alba Piemonte

ANTIPASTI

ANTIPASTI

tion at an event at historic Rockingham. He will present “Songs and Stories of the American Revolution” on April 14 at 1:30 p.m.

held via Zoom. Math is on Wednesdays, and reading and writing on Thursdays. Classes will run for two hours once a week and cover reading, writing, and math materials found on the GED exam.

Call (609) 587-6027 or email mercer@LiteracyNJ.org for more information.

Free Recycling Buckets Are Available Again

The Mercer County Improvement Authority announced that free recycling buckets are available again for Mercer County residents. “We have ordered an additional 2,500 free recycling buckets to ensure everyone can get one if they need it,” said Mercer County Executive Dan Benson.

“Recycling coordinators across the county are prepared to provide a county recycling bucket to any

resident in need. If residents are unable to obtain a bucket, they can call the Improvement Authority directly at (609) 278-8086,” said Mercer County Improvement Authority Director Anthony S. Verrelli.

Due to an increase in contractor employees’ collection-related injuries, County residents are asked to please utilize county provided recycling buckets. The Mercer County Improvement Authority will continue picking up all flattened cardboard outside of the bucket.

Hightstown and East Windsor do not participate

in the county-wide recycling program. For replacement buckets, contact each municipality’s recycling coordinator. In Princeton, call (609) 688-2566. In Hopewell Borough, the number is (609) 466-0168; in Hopewell Township it is (609) 537-0250. Lawrence residents can call (609) 5871894. Free recycling buckets are also available to Mercer County residents at the Mercer County Connection on Route 33 at the Acme Shopping Center in Hamilton. Residents can reach the County Connection by calling (609) 890-9800.

$ 20

Vitello tonnato is a Piedmont dish of cold, sliced veal covered with a creamy, mayonnaise-like sauce that has been flavored with tuna and caper

BAGNA CAUDA

VITELLO TONNATO (VITEL TONE’)

VITELLO TONNATO (VITEL TONE’)

$ 20

$ 18

$ 20

Vitello tonnato is a Piedmont dish of cold, sliced veal covered with a creamy, mayonnaise-like sauce that has been flavored with tuna and caper

BAGNA CAUDA

Vitello tonnato is a Piedmont dish of cold, sliced veal covered with a creamy, mayonnaise-like sauce that has been flavored with tuna and caper

BAGNA CAUDA

Garlic, anchovies, and extra-virgin olive oil these three ingredients meld harmoniously to create a potent, umami-rich dipping sauce. Bagna càuda, which literally means “hot bath,” dates back to the Middle Ages, born in Piedmont from local peasants who cooked together and shared meals as a way to ward off the winter cold.

$ 18

$ 18

Garlic, anchovies, and extra-virgin olive oil these three ingredients meld harmoniously to create a potent, umami-rich dipping sauce. Bagna càuda, which literally means “hot bath,” dates back to the Middle Ages, born in Piedmont from local peasants who cooked together and shared meals as a way to ward off the winter cold.

SOUP WALNUT SOUP

Garlic, anchovies, and extra-virgin olive oil these three ingredients meld harmoniously to create a potent, umami-rich dipping sauce. Bagna càuda, which literally means “hot bath,” dates back to the Middle Ages, born in Piedmont from local peasants who cooked together and shared meals as a way to ward off the winter cold.

SOUP

WALNUT SOUP

A velvety soup made with walnuts, milk, and cream served with Focaccia Crostini

MAIN

TAGLIATELLE AI FUNGHI

A mix of Mushroom (porcini, crimini, and shitake )sauce

$ 12

$ 12

$ 24

SOUP WALNUT SOUP

MAIN

AGNOLOTTI DEL PLIM

A velvety soup made with walnuts, milk, and cream served with Focaccia Crostini

$ 12

A velvety soup made with walnuts, milk, and cream served with Focaccia Crostini

Agnolotti filled with pork, beef, veal meat, and spinach Served with braised vegetable sauce

MAIN TAGLIATELLE AI FUNGHI

DESSERT BUNET

A mix of Mushroom (porcini, crimini, and shitake )sauce

Chocolate with amaretti budino

TAGLIATELLE AI FUNGHI

AGNOLOTTI DEL PLIM

A mix of Mushroom (porcini, crimini, and shitake )sauce

AGNOLOTTI DEL PLIM

Agnolotti filled with pork, beef, veal meat, and spinach Served with braised vegetable sauce

Agnolotti filled with pork, beef, veal meat, and spinach Served with braised vegetable sauce

DESSERT BUNET

DESSERT BUNET

Chocolate with amaretti budino

Chocolate with amaretti budino

Dine

$ 24

$ 25

$ 15

$ 25

$ 24

$ 25

$ 15

$ 15

Fellow, AAML

Fellow,RisingAAML Star

SONGS & STORIES: Dressed in period costume, Matthew Dodd sings about the American Revolu-

STEM continued from page one looking forward to doing the same thing on the West Coast.” There were 60 volunteers helping to run the Princeton conference, most of them from PPPL.

The young women participated in many different activities at more than 20 different displays. They steered a robot with a young woman from WAGS (We Are Girl Scouts) Robotics, made origami with a volunteer from Princeton University’s Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, learned about forensics at the FBI display, had their hair stand on end from static electricity created by the Van de Graaff generator at the PPPL exhibit, and much more.

As part of the day’s activities, four New Jersey high school juniors who show promise in STEM received the Math and Science Award from PPPL’s Women in Engineering Employee Resource Group. The four will receive a laptop, a certificate, and an award, and will be mentored during their senior year by PPPL engineers who are members of the group.

Another highlight of the day was a series of chemistry demos by Angie Miller, a lecture demonstrator in the Princeton University Chemistry Department, who showed a figure made of marshmallows expanding in a vacuum chamber and other chemistry phenomena that elicited excited

Nelson

A HAIR-RAISING EXPERIENCE: The Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory’s (PPPL) Van de Graaff generator causes the experimenter’s hair to stand on end from the effects of static electricity. Almost 900 young women in grades seven through ten enjoyed hands-on experiments, chemistry demos, presentations, and extensive networking as they participated in PPPL’s Young Women’s Conference in STEM held at Princeton University last Friday. (Photo courtesy of PPPL)

reactions from the audience.

The keynote speech for the conference was delivered by Princeton University Psychology Professor Tania Lombrozo, who recounted her own journey to become a scientist.

Other women in STEM careers shared their stories at a career panel moderated by Hekima Qualls, PPPL chief procurement officer. They advised young women in STEM careers to find a support system, even if it’s outside their classes or jobs.

Glass & Aluminum Co.

741 Alexander Rd, Princeton • 924-2880

Hayin Candiotti, a senior project engineer at Abbott Laboratories, urged the audience, “Go into a job that you love where you can make a difference in the world and you’re challenged every day.”

The growth of this conference is just one indication of significant progress by women in STEM fields in the past few decades, in K-12 education, in colleges and universities, and in the workforce, but they are still underrepresented in many areas.

A study on “The State of Girls and Women in STEM,” published this month by the National Girls Collaborative Project (NGCP), indicated that in K-12 education girls and young women’s achievement in mathematics and science

Home Instead Supports Lifelong Learning Programs

The Center for Modern Aging (CMAP) has received a $30,000 grant from Home Instead Senior Care–Princeton, and their parent company Honor Technologies, Inc., to support programs on history and political sciences as part of the Evergreen Forum Series. This grant demonstrates Home Instead’s firm commitment to enhancing quality of life through interesting lifelong learning programs for older adults, recognizing that curiosity and the desire to learn and engage continue throughout our lifetime.

In fiscal year 2022–23, more than 2,800 students participated in CMAP’s lifelong learning programs — an increase of 13 percent over the previous fiscal year. More than 1,200 participants engaged in the Evergreen Forum programs.

a foundation for an increase in innovation to benefit caregivers and clients.”

Police Blotter

On March 17, at 1 a.m., subsequent to a motor vehicle stop on Nassau Street, the driver, a 33-year-old male from Matawan, was found to have operated his vehicle while under the influence of alcohol. He was placed under arrest, transported to police headquarters, and charged accordingly. He was later released from police custody.

is on par with that of boys and young men, but while an overwhelming majority of young women earn credits in advanced science and math courses, they participate less in advanced physics and computer science courses.

At the college level, women earn 58 percent of bachelor’s degrees in all fields but only 50 percent of bachelor’s degrees in science and engineering. Women earn a majority of bachelor’s degrees in psychology, biological sciences, and social sciences, but they earn only 24 percent of engineering degrees, 21 percent of computer science degrees, and 24 percent of physics degrees.

—Donald Gilpin

“CMAP is delighted to have the support of Home Instead for our famed lifelong learning series. Kunwar Singh, owner of Home Instead Princeton, Hamilton, and Monroe, has been a long-time supporter of the Center for Modern Aging, working closely with our social service team as client needs arise,” said Drew Dyson, CEO of CMAP.

On March 15, at 12:56 p.m., an individual reported the theft of her wallet from inside her purse while she was dining at a restaurant on Witherspoon Street. Following the theft, the person discovered three fraudulent transactions that were attempted on her credit card, however the fraudulent transactions were declined by her credit card company.

Unless noted, individuals arrested were later released.

is printed entirely on recycled paper.

Town Presenting an electrifying night of music and entertainment featuring the GLB band and the incomparable AMAZIN GRACE LITTLE Visit cmaprinceton.org for tickets and sponsorship opportunities, or call 609.751.9699. cmaprinceton.org PRINCETON

CENTER FOR modern aging

Mailbox

The

Expressing Gratitude to All Who Supported People & Stories/Gente y Cuentos Event

To the Editor:

“People & Stories/Gente y Cuentos is close to my heart … they bring the kind of validation and support for language and my place in the world I wished I had had growing up.” – Denice Frohman

These words were one of many highlights of a warm, entertaining, and moving afternoon supporting People & Stories/Gente y Cuentos. “Notable Words/Palabras Notables: An Afternoon of Readings and Conversation with Melissa Coss Aquino Denice Frohman, and Luis MoraBallesteros, moderated by Nora Muniz” was held on March 17 in the Mackay Lounge on the campus of the Princeton Theological Seminary.

We are so grateful to our community of ticket buyers, and individual and corporate sponsors. Thank you also to the Hispanic Theological Initiative at Princeton Theological Seminary for their support and to PTS for providing such a wonderful venue.

CHARLOTTE FRIEDMAN

ANDREA HONORE

Board Co-Chairs, People & Stories/Gente y Cuentos Eggerts Crossing Road

Sharing Concerns About Proposed New Development in Jugtown Historic District

To the Editor:

As I read Clifford Zink’s recently published history on the Jugtown Historic District that Anne Levin highlighted in last week’s edition [“Booklet Considers the History of Jugtown as Development Pressures are Looming,” March 13, page 1], I was struck with the fact that although nearly 300 years have passed since its original settlement dating to 1730, the area still retains much of its historic character. Heading south on Route 27, the King’s Highway, towards Princeton, there is a distinction in the surroundings that one observes as you approach the area that constitutes this 18th century crossroads village. Quaint Colonial structures convey a sense of history from days gone past. It’s unmistakable — something seems irreplaceable about this part of town.

That is why I, like many neighbors and residents, am so concerned about the application submitted to the Planning Board for a massive, approximately 16,000-square-foot, four-story addition to 344 Nassau Street, on the NE corner of Harrison Street. Despite significant neighborhood concerns raised in public meetings, written in letters to local publications, and conveying concerns directly to the developer and public officials, the application, with an encroaching design, is preceding through the Planning Department process. The proposed four-story addition will overwhelm the 18th century original home on that corner, significantly harm the Jugtown Historic District by not conforming to the Historic Preservation Ordinance, worsen the already dangerous traffic and pedestrian conditions at the Nassau-Harrison intersection, and set the precedent for future four-story additions on all corners of the historic crossroads.

I urge my neighbors and other Princeton residents to affirm Princeton’s commitment to preserving its famous historic character by maintaining the historical integrity of the Jugtown Historic District and 344 Nassau, which the National Register identifies as “the single and most pivotal building at the Jugtown crossroads.”

We need your help! Please plan to attend the in-persononly Historic Preservation Committee meeting on April 15 at 4 p.m., at which this application will be reviewed, and the subsequent Planning Board hearing on May 2 at 7 p.m. via Zoom. Urge both bodies to follow the standards set forth in the Historic Preservation Ordinance by recommending a reduction in size of the proposed building to three stories,

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.

a design to be compatible with the historic district, and an appropriate setback from Harrison Street.

Join the Save Jugtown Coalition’s efforts to preserve Princeton history by visiting SaveJugtown.org, where a link to sign the change.org “Save Jugtown” petition can be found. Let’s make sure that all new development in Jugtown complies with Princeton’s Historic Preservation Ordinance, and balances public safety.

MAGGIE DEPENBROCK Nassau Street

Thanking Those Who Support Food Systems Literacy Programs at PPS

To the Editor:

Thanks to Mimi Omiecinski’s community-building efforts, Pi Day, with its Einstein Look-Alike Contest and family fun, has become an annual frolic. A less visible benefit is the partnership that Pi Day fosters between iconic institutions that enables food systems literacy programs for students at Princeton Public Schools.

Each year, proprietors Jen Carson of LiLLiPiES bakery and Gab Carbone (and co-founder and business partner Matt Errico) of the bent spoon ice cream parlor create a Pi Day Sundae sold around 3.14. This year, they created cherry LiLLiPiES with choice of ice cream at the bent spoon, and brownie LiLLiPiES with mascarpone ice cream at LiLLiPiES.

These entrepreneurs donate all proceeds to our K-12 projects that use seasonal, local foods to illustrate and amplify curriculum, to improve school meals, to connect students to campus lands, and to recognize and celebrate the diverse student population.

That’s just the annual capstone. Their generosity of spirit carries on through the years, making the impossible happen, little by little.

Jen shows up at the district’s Teaching Kitchens to teach the chemistry of bread and pastry as backdrop for ingredients from Princeton Middle School’s Edible Gardens. She hosts students in LiLLiPiES’ kitchens for workshops. Before LiLLiPiES, she was among chefs for our ongoing afterschool seed to table program, PPS Cooks+Gardens, at our town’s only Teaching Kitchens (at PMS). There, she worked alongside the Edible Gardens educator/steward, providing students with hands-on, five-senses skills in growing a salad, reading a label, setting a table, and cooking for themselves and their classmates.

Since 2006, the bent spoon has partnered with another Princeton institution, the Whole Earth Center, making a monthly custom ice cream with seasonal ingredients from local artisan producers, from Terhune Orchards (think apple and caramel) to mint from the students’ own Edible Gardens at each of the school campuses.

The bent spoon and Whole Earth Center donate all proceeds of those sales to our Garden State on Your Plate program, which spotlights seasonal, local produce items and growers and restaurateurs and chefs who use them — and is the tip of the spear for all our food systems literacy work.

This steady funding, coupled with grants bestowed by employees of Church & Dwight, has enabled the hiring of the district’s first food systems literacy coordinator, Tomia MacQueen, supervised by Dr. Joy Barnes-Johnson. Tomia, charged with working behind the scenes, has succeeded in having each month’s Garden State on Your Plate produce item included on school lunch menus at least once a week.

The Garden State on Your Plate program, with its collection of posters created by Fran McManus, one of our co-founders, offers myriad opportunities for faculty to integrate school meals and campus lands (where all the starring

KARLA COOK

Co-Founder and Board Chair

Princeton School Gardens Cooperative, Inc. North Harrison Street

Expressing Thanks to Community Members Who Supported Successful Princeton 5K

To the Editor:

The Princeton High School Cross Country-Track & Field Boosters would like to thank many in the community for supporting the Princeton 5K that was held on Saturday, March 16. We had a record turnout with 487 people, ages 6 to 77, crossing the finish line of the 5K, and another 50 young athletes in the 300-meter kids dash. We thank everyone who came out to run, walk, and cheer.

We are extremely fortunate to have an amazing group of sponsors this year. Princeton Tree Care returned as a gold sponsor for the third year in a row. Perennial sponsors jaZams, Princeton Orthopaedics Associates, and Queenston Realty joined them at the gold level this year. Firsttime sponsors Lawrenceville Foot Care and Tacoria also contributed at the gold level. Fleet Feet Princeton Running Company returned as a silver sponsor, donated awards for top finishers, and held our packet pick-up event. The Princeton 5K is the largest annual fundraiser for the PHSCCTF Booster club, a 501(c)(3). All donations directly support the Princeton High School Boys and Girls Cross-Country and Track & Field teams. Please check out all our sponsors at Princeton5K.com.

We also thank the Princeton Public Schools district and its facilities staff for allowing us to use its facilities and for having great support staff there for us early on race morning with everything we needed. We really appreciate the Princeton Police Department and the coaches and studentathletes of the PHS track & field team for keeping our participants safe on the course. Many more people volunteered their time to help put on this event before, during, and after race day. It is very rewarding to be part of something where so many come together to help.

Overseeing it all was our incredible race manager, Hilary Biggs. Her expertise, and commitment to making sure everything was well-planned, ensured that the event materialized once again without a hitch. She has been an incredible partner to us for many years and deserves a ton of credit for this very successful event.

We hope to see the community out supporting the PHS track team this spring, the cross country team in the fall, and participating in the 5K next year on March 22, 2025.

GEANNE METAXAS

Booster Club President

Stone Cliff Road

CHARLIE ROTH

Booster Club Treasurer

Duffield Place

ROB AND ASHLEIGH TANGEN

5K Lead Organizers

Shady Brook Lane

Come celebrate Johann Sebastian Bach’s 339th birthday with a concert by Eric Plutz, University Organist, at the University Chapel.

Books

Joyce Carol Oates to Discuss Her Writing Life, Letters, and More

Author Joyce Carol Oates will discuss her writing life and two recent anthologies of crime and horror stories written by women, which she edited, with feminist critic and scholar Maria DiBattista on Thursday, March 28, at 6 p.m. at Labyrinth Books, 122 Nassau Street. The program is co-presented by Princeton Public Library. The talk will celebrate a new volume, Joyce Carol Oates: Letters to a Biographer (Akashic Books, $28.95), a compilation of the author’s letters across four decades that display her warmth and generosity, her droll sense of humor, and most of all her mastery of

the lost art of letter writing. The letters are to her biographer and friend Greg Johnson. Johnson, who has a Ph.D. in English from Emory University, has published three novels and five collections of short stories including Pagan Babies, I Am Dangerous, and Night Journey, in addition to five books of nonfiction, including Joyce Carol Oates: A Study of Short Fiction and Invisible Writer: A Biography of Joyce Carol Oates

In 1975, when Johnson was a graduate student, he first wrote to Oates, already a world-famous author, and drew an appreciative,

empathetic response. Soon the two began a friendship lasting to the present day. Her letters are sprinkled with the references to other well-known writers. There are also descriptions of her travels, but much of Oates’ prose centers on the pleasures of her home life, including her pet cats and the wildlife outside her study window.

Publisher’s Weekly said, “Novelist Johnson — who published Invisible Writer, an authorized biography of Oates, in 1998 — brings together an inviting compendium of his correspondence with the National Book Award winner from 1975 to 2006.… The letters offer insights into Oates’ views on her fiction and the process of writing … Oates’ fans will enjoy this intimate glimpse inside her life.”

Oates is a recipient of the National Humanities Medal, the National Book Critics Circle Lifetime Achievement Award, and the National Book Award, among many honors. She has written the national bestsellers We Were the Mulvaneys , Blonde , and The Falls. Her most recent novels are 48 Clues into the Disappearance of My Sister, ZeroSum, and Babysitter. She is Professor of the Humanities emerita at Princeton University and teaches at NYU.

DiBattista specializes in 20th century literature and film, the European novel, and narrative theory. Her books include Virginia Woolf: The Fables of Anon; First Love: The Affections of Modern Fiction ; and Fast Talking Dames.

This event is co-sponsored by Princeton University’s Lewis Center for the Arts and Humanities Council.

Raboteau, Harman

At Labyrinth Books

Author and critic Emily Raboteau will chat with Elizabeth Harman at Labyrinth Books, 122 Nassau Street, on Wednesday, April 3 at 6 p.m., when Raboteau discusses her recent book, Lessons for Survival:

Mothering Against the Apocalypse (Henry Holt and Co., $29.99), a meditation on race, climate, and environmental justice. A book signing will follow.

Raboteau is the author of Searching for Zion, winner of an American Book Award, and the novel, The Professor’s Daughter. She is a contributing editor at Orion Magazine and a regular contributor to several national magazines. She is on the nonfiction faculty at the Bread Loaf Environmental Writing Conference and is professor at the City College of New York (CUNY).

Harman is the Laurance S. Rockefeller Professor of Philosophy and Human Values at Princeton University where she is also the director of early-career research at the Center for Human Values. She is co-editor of the textbooks Norton Introduction to Philosophy and Norton Introduction to Ethics.

The event is co-presented with Princeton Public Library and is co-sponsored by Princeton University’s Departments of African American Studies and Gender and Sexuality Studies.

For more information, visit labyrinthbooks.org.

Two Music Scholars Explore “Interspecies Communication”

Music scholar Gavin Steingo teams up with colleague Gary Tomlinson to explore Steingo’s book, on Friday March 29 at 6 p.m. at Labyrinth Books, 122 Nassau Street.

In Interspecies Communication: Sound and Music Beyond Humanity (University of Chicago Press, $99 cloth; $27.50 paperback) Steingo examines significant cases of attempted communication beyond the human, cases in which the dualistic relationship of human to non-human is dramatically challenged. From singing whales to Sun Ra to searching for alien life, Steingo charts the many ways we have attempted to think about, and to reach, beings that are unlike ourselves.

Steingo focuses on the second half of the twentieth century, when scientists developed new ways of listening to oceans and cosmic space—two realms previously inaccessible to the senses and to empirical investigation. Interspecies Communication explores attempts to cross the border between the human and non-human, to connect with non-humans in the depths of the oceans, the far reaches of the universe, or right under our own noses.

Steingo is professor of music at Princeton University and the author of Kwaito’s Promise: Music and the Aesthetic of Freedom in South Africa

Tomlinson is Professor of Music and Humanities at Yale. His research on joining humanistic theory, archaeology, and evolutionary science, has led to two books: A Million Years of Music: The Emergence of Human Modernity and Culture and the Culture and the Course of Human Evolution . His earlier books include Monteverdi and the End of the Renaissance ; Music in Renaissance Magic: Toward a Historiography of Others ; Metap hysical Song: An Essay on Opera ; The Singing of the New World: Indigenous Voice in the Era of European Contact ; and Music and Historical Critique

This event is co-sponsored by Princeton University’s Humanities Council and Music Department.

PU Reading Series Features

Poet, Novelist, Translator

The Althea Ward Clark

W’21 Reading Series, presented by the Lewis Center for the Arts’ Program in Creative Writing at Princeton University, continues with a reading by poet, translator, and recent MacArthur Fellow Khaled Mattawa, and award-winning novelist Hiroko Oyamada, with translator David Boyd.

The reading begins at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 26

in the Drapkin Studio at the Lewis Arts complex on the Princeton campus. The event is free and open to the public; although advance tickets are required through University Ticketing at tickets.princeton.edu/online.

Mattawa’s most recent collection of poetry is Fugitive Atlas. He is the author of four other collections of poetry, translator of nine books of contemporary Arabic poetry, and co-editor of two anthologies of Arab American literature. Mattawa has also published a critical study of the Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish. His awards include the Academy of American Poets Fellowship prize, the PEN Award for Poetry in Translation, and a MacArthur Fellowship. He teaches in the graduate creative writing program at the University of Michigan.

Born in Hiroshima in 1983, Oyamada won the Shincho Prize for New Writers for The Factory, which was drawn from her experiences working as a temp for an automaker’s subsidiary. Her following novel, The Hole, won the Akutagawa Prize. In 2022 Oyamada published her third novel, Weasels in the Attic. Boyd is assistant professor of Japanese at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He has translated fiction by Izumi Suzuki, Tatsuhiko Shibusawa, and Kanoko Okamoto, among others. His translations of novellas by Hideo Furukawa and Oyamada have won the Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission Prize for the Translation of Japanese Literature. Boyd also translated Oyamada’s Weasels in the Attic.

Open Houses at the Princeton Eating Clubs

Open Houses at the Princeton Eating Clubs

Princeto rinceton University’s iconic eating clubs where generations of students have taken meals and socialized in historic and architecturally significant clubhouses that date as far back as 1895. Upcoming open houses will take place from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. on the following dates (no reservations are required):

Princeton Prospect Foundation is pleased to announce free public access to Princeton University’s iconic eating clubs where generations of students have taken meals and socialized in historic and architecturally significant clubhouses that date as far back as 1895. Upcoming open houses will take place from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. on the following dates (no reservations are required):

Princeton Prospect Foundation is pleased to announce free public access to Princeton University’s iconic eating clubs where generations of students have taken meals and socialized in historic and architecturally significant clubhouses that date as far back as 1895. Upcoming open houses will take place from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. on the following dates (no reservations are required):

The Althea Ward Clark W’21 Reading Series is organized by lecturer in creative writing and award-winning poet Michael Dickman. The Drapkin Studio is an accessible venue. Guests in need of access accommodations can contact the Lewis Center at LewisCenter@princeton. edu at least one week prior to the event date.

Sun., Oct. 6th: Cannon Club, Colonial Club, Cottage Club, Quadrangle Club, Terrace Club, Tower Club

Sun., Oct. 6th: Cannon Club, Colonial Club, Cottage Club, Quadrangle Club, Terrace Club, Tower Club

Sun., Mar. 24th: Cannon Club, Cap & Gown Club, Colonial Club, Ivy Club, Terrace Club, Tower Club

Sun., Oct. 20th: Cap & Gown Club, Charter Club, Cloister Inn, Ivy Club, Tiger Inn

Sun., Apr. 7th: Charter Club, Cloister Inn, Cottage Club, Quadrangle Club, Tiger Inn

Sun., Oct. 20th: Cap & Gown Club, Charter Club, Cloister Inn, Ivy Club, Tiger Inn

The fascinating origins and evolution of the clubs, along with many archival images and spectacular photos, are presented in The Princeton Eating Clubs, written by awardwinning author Clifford W. Zink in 2017. This beautiful book is available at Labyrinth Books and the Princeton University Store, and on Amazon.

The fascinating origins and evolution of the clubs, along with many archival images and spectacular photos, are presented in The Princeton Eating Clubs, written by awardwinning author Clifford W. Zink in 2017. This beautiful book is available at Labyrinth Books and the Princeton University Store, and on Amazon.

The fascinating origins and evolution of the clubs, along with many archival images and spectacular photos, are presented in The Princeton Eating Clubs, written by award-winning author Clifford W. Zink in 2017. This beautiful book is available at Labyrinth Books and the Princeton University Store, and on Amazon.

For more information, go to: http://princetonprospectfoundation.org

For more information, go to: http://princetonprospectfoundation.org

For more information, go to: http://princetonprospectfoundation.org

Hiroko Oyamada (Shinchosha Publishing Co., Ltd.)

Khaled Mattawa (John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation)

Making Connections at BMW’s Banquet of Books: An

the forgotten book, in the forgotten bookshop, screams to be discovered —from The Unquiet Grave

Today is Ovid’s birthday. In the unlikely event that my math is right, he would be 2067 years old. His full name was Publius Ovidius Naso, born March 20, 43 BC, and banished from Rome by the emperor Augustus in AD 8, presumably for writing (and apparently living) The Art of Love ( Ars Amatoria ). I found a passage in Book 3 that relates to my subject if you tweak the words “path, bark, port, banquet” to fit this “undisguised” Preview Day column on the 2024 Bryn Mawr-Wellesley Book Sale:

“But let us return to our path; I must deal with my subject undisguised, that my wearied bark may reach its port. You may be waiting, in fact, for me to escort you to the banquet, and may be requesting my advice in this respect as well. Come late, and enter when the lights are brought in; delay is a friend to passion; a very great stimulant is delay.”

I know from experience that book dealers and bibliophiles waiting outside previous preview sales have experienced the “stimulant of delay,” especially in the days when a low-numbered ticket to a place near the front of the line was worth getting up for at the proverbial crack of dawn, and believe me, “passion” is not too strong a word for the book lust surging through the line the moment the doors are opened.

On Word Cycles

Certain works are innately relevant to a sale involving vast quantities of books and ephemera. Such a volume is The Unquiet Grave : A Word Cycle by Palinurus (1945, Persea reprint 2005) with its postings from all over the literary/historical map, a postwar foreshadowing of the online universe. The volume was compiled and composed in the early 1940s by critic Cyril Connolly (1903-1974) under the alias of Palinurus, the pilot of Virgil’s ship in the Aeneid who fell overboard, survived three days “of the tempests and waves of the sea,” came ashore and was murdered, his body left unburied, his spirit doomed to wander the underworld.

Approaching 40 when he created The Unquiet Grave, Connolly intersperses his own musings with excerpts from Buddha and Baudelaire, Horace and Hemingway, Flaubert and Freud. Much quoted on and offline over the years is his opening sentence, from Part 1, “Ecce Gubernator” (“Here is the pilot”): “The more books we read, the sooner we perceive that the true function of a writer is to produce a masterpiece and that no other task is of any consequence.”

Oblivion’s Nemesis

Meanwhile I can’t help bristling at Connolly’s claim that “all excursions into journalism, broadcasting, propaganda, and writing for the films” are “doomed to disappointment”

and that putting “our best into these forms is another folly, since thereby we condemn good ideas as well as bad to oblivion. It is in the nature of such work not to last, so it should never be undertaken.” That was half a century before the arrival of oblivion’s nemesis, the World Wide Web, which is now in danger of being consumed by AI.

Here’s another sentence from Connolly himself that accords with the ambiance of a community book sale: “Like the glow-worm; dowdy, minute, passive, yet full of mystery to the poet, and passionate significance to its fellows; so everything and everybody eternally radiate their dim light for those who care to seek; ... the forgotten book, in the forgotten bookshop, screams to be discovered.”

A Sunday

Visit

No book was screaming for my attention during a Sunday afternoon visit to the Stuart Country Day School gym, where BMW volunteers were busy unpacking boxes and setting up the sale, which begins today, Wednesday March 20, with a 10 a.m.5 p.m. preview (tickets $30).

As a veteran of the great Ovidian preview sales of the 1980s and 1990s, I appreciate having behind-the-scenes access to that vast work-in-progress. It’s refreshing to be there free of the book-drugged daydreams and “great expectations” of those years. Sunday my plan was simply to make note of the books I’d have bought if I had the place all to myself — no crazed dealers or book fiends to contend with. Thanks in part to the fact that I recently received a book of poetry by Uli Knoepflmacher, the author and illustrator of Franny, Randy, and the Over-the-Edge Cat Person (Writings 2009), the first book I jotted down was Francesco Marciuliano’s I Could Pee on This: And Other Poems by Cats. I didn’t bother to look at the price. A pittance, I’m sure. But in the old days I’d have snapped it up for fun and probably dumped it before checking out because to pee or not to pee was never the question for the cats I’ve known, who loved books, would nuzzle

Ovid’s Birthday Preview

them adoringly, and when possible, stretch out on them, sunbathing in their radiance and purring magnificently.

“Thanks to Uli”

In relatively close proximity to Marciuliano’s book were tables filled with an impressive donation from Princeton University Professor Sir David Cannadine, the Dodge Professor of History, Emeritus. The sale’s other donor of note is referred to in the BMW press release as the William and Annie S. Paton Foundation Professor of Ancient and Modern Literature, Emeritus, Ulrich C. Knoepflmacher, whose donation, some 35 boxes of books, had not yet been unpacked.

After deeming Knoepflmacher “one of the most influential scholars of Victorian fiction,” a statement from the Office of the Dean of the Faculty declares that thanks to Uli (“as we all know him”) “children’s literature is now seen as a serious central part of Victorian and early modern literary production.” Besides establishing the subject at Princeton, where he taught it alongside Victorian studies, Uli’s work in the field helped attract “the magnificent Cotsen Collection to Firestone Library.” How magnificent I saw for myself, having proofread the catalogue shortly before joining the staff at Town Topics in 2004.

Connections

Since I share Uli’s interest in cats and connections and need a break from Ovid and Palinurus, I’m looking at his BrainFrolics & Other Verses (Writings 2018) and reading online about Franny, Randy, and the Over-the-Edge Cat Person , who, judging from the cover, appears to be a self-portrait of the author. A review in the Princeton Alumni Weekly notes that Uli, who received his doctorate in 1961, “sprinkles his story with allusions to classics” such as Kipling, and Randall Jarrell, and Frances Hodgson Burnett, “for whom the twins Franny and Randy are named.”

It’s only to be expected that Uli’s frolics include a poem about an “aged, yellow, ever mellow” cat named Pip that closes with the poet sharing “the blissful elongation of his purr,” while in “Egg and Ego” a “purring yellow cat” appears “Spread on the Obits page.” Among the poems that connected with my own interest in connections is “On My Son Asking for a Bedtime Story,” which ends with a reference to Coleridge: “Weavers and talkers, we lonely Marners / feed on links.” At first I thought “Marners” might be a misprint for “Mariners.” As I should have guessed, it leads to yet another connection, this one between Coleridge and George Eliot, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Silas Marner.

Oppenheimer is Here

During my visit to Collector’s Corner, where volunteers Iliana Bjorling-Sachs and Julie Steinman were happy to report that all the boxes had been unpacked, I noticed a copy of Ray Monk’s biography of J. Robert Oppenheimer, which prompted Iliana to remark at the large number of books on Einstein and Oppenheimer among this year’s donations. She was surprised that people would be giving up books so closely identified with Christopher Nolan’s Academy Award-winning film.

Claire Jacobus

Iliana and I talked briefly about the two people whose memories this year’s sale honors: Bryn Mawr graduate and longtime book sale mainstay Claire Jacobus (Class of 1954) and Shushma Frazier, who volunteered at the sale for many years. I got to know Claire when she was president of the Friends of the Princeton Public Library and a steadfast supporter of the Friends Book Sale. More than once over the years she urged me to write a column about Gene Stratton-Porter’s Girl of the Limber Lost I’m sorry to say I never produced the article she was hoping for, but I haven’t given it up. All I need to do is put together a series of connections leading in that direction. Possibilities abound. Claire was born in Centerville, Iowa, lived with her grandparents in Princeton, Missouri, and worked for two years at The New Yorker. For now, I recommend Jean Stratton’s July 27, 2005 Princeton Personality profile, available in that enemy of oblivion the internet.

—Stuart Mitchner

Note: If you check Ovid’s Wikipedia page, you’ll find his birth date incorrectly listed as March 21; it’s correctly listed as March 20 in the Wikipedia for that day, in the Encyclopedia Britannica, and in my original source, A Book of Days for the Literary Year

Admission to the Bryn Mawr-Wellesley Book Sale is free from Thursday, March 21 (10 a.m. to 8 p.m.) through Sunday, March 24, Box Day ($10 per box), from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Hours on Friday and Saturday are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Jazz Vespers

Wednesday, March 20 at

Princeton University Chapel

An inclusive experience of poetry, music, and quiet centering, featuring saxophonist Audrey Welber, pianist Adam Faulk, and members of the Chapel Choir. Program continues: Apr 10

MUSIC REVIEW

Boheme Opera NJ Presents Timeless Bizet Opera

The period from the late-18th to mid-19th centuries saw the premature deaths of many highlyprolific composers. Mozart, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Bellini — none lived to see the age of 40, but each composed an astounding body of work which has endured to this day. Not the least in this ill-fated group is French composer Georges Bizet who, felled by a heart attack at the age of 36, was never able to enjoy the success of his immensely popular 1875 opera Carmen. Denounced as immoral at its premiere, Carmen has long since risen above scandal to become one of the most widely-performed operas in the repertory.

Currently celebrating its 35th anniversary season, Boheme Opera NJ presented Bizet’s fiery opera this past weekend at The College of New Jersey’s Kendall Theater. Led by Artistic Director and Conductor Joseph Pucciatti and directed by Stefanos Koroneos, the performers of Boheme Opera NJ brought the evocative Spanish tale, centered on a soldier torn between morality and the hot-blooded woman he could not resist, to life. Joining the Boheme Opera singers in Friday night’s production (the opera was repeated Sunday afternoon) were 16 members of the Princeton Boychoir and Princeton Girlchoir of the Westrick Music Academy and dancers from the New Jersey-based Alborada Spanish Dance Theatre.

French writer Prosper Mérimée’s novella Carmen, inspired by a true crime murder case in Spain, focused on a triangle among three larger-than-life characters. The passionate and controlling title character draws men into her web, including the glamorous bullfighter Escamillo and the upright soldier Don José. Boheme Opera’s production set Bizet’s opera in 1940s Spain, as Franco was dominating the country and war was overtaking the world. The overriding color of this production was red, with the bright crimson and black costumes of the Alborada Spanish dancers contrasting with designer Anthony Remer’s period street clothes. Sets were uncomplicated, backlit with stark photos while the singers’ words were projected in supertitles.

Throughout its thousands of performances worldwide, the principal role of Carmen has been sung by soprano, mezzo-soprano, or contralto singers. Boheme Opera’s choice to cast the role with contralto Alison Bolshoi brought out the seductiveness of the role, and she clearly had no problems with the lower registers of the part. Rather than traditional arias commenting on the drama, Bizet introduced major characters such as Carmen with two-verse songs, as if they were celebrity performers. Bolshoi sang Carmen’s signature “Habanera” with sultriness in a brisk tempo, well backed by a chorus

of clearly experienced singers. She presented a towering figure onstage, flirting saucily with the men around her. Bolshoi presented the folk-like “Seguidilla” with a rich vocal tone, enticing Don José to do her bidding with the coyness of what is actually an old Castilian folk song.

Tenor Gregory Turay tried to do the right thing as corporal Don José, but Carmen’s alluring pull was too much for him. Always in control of the role, Turay came to life in the later acts, as the moral conflict with Carmen built to a feverish pitch. His confrontation duet with Escamillo in the third act was vocally strong, and a love scene “canzonetta” with Carmen was especially tender.

Baritone Jason Duika cut a dashing figure as the charismatic toreador Escamillo, vocally well matching Bizet’s rich orchestration. Although listed as a baritone, Duika had the ringing quality of a basso profundo in the lower register of the lively “Toreador” song. As Don José’s young and naïve childhood sweetheart Micaëla, also in love with Don José, soprano Rachael Long was overpowered at times by heavy orchestral playing but displayed a sparkling upper register and clear vocal tone.

Carmen was not just about these principal singers; background characters were important as well. Soprano Alize Francheska Rozsnyai and mezzo-soprano Erin Rosales were entertaining as Carmen’s sidekicks, particularly showing their vocal prowess in the second act. Baritone Dante Doganiero showed great stage presence and vocal strength as the leader of the smugglers, interacting well with both major characters and chorus. Rounding out the effective cast were baritones Zachary Angus as a corporal, Kevin Patrick as platoon captain, and Mathew Tartza as one of the smugglers.

Conductor Pucciatti led a crisp orchestra, with clean brass and an always elegant harp from an alcove above the pit. The singers of the Westrick Music Academy were confident and well trained, with the “leader” of the children in the bullfighter’s march humorously bossy and the chorus in perfect time with the orchestra. The very strong chorus provided a concrete foundation to the drama of the story, whether it was the hero worship of Escamillo or a ferocious catfight led by Carmen at the cigarette factory.

Boheme Opera NJ, the oldest opera arts organization in the state, has long been both a showcase for seasoned performers and a springboard for the next generation of singers. This past weekend’s production of Carmen provided for both in a captivating evening of solid performance.

—Nancy Plum

Performing Arts

American Repertory Ballet

Returns to McCarter Theatre

American Repertory Ballet (ARB) will be on stage at McCarter Theatre on Thursday, April 4 at 7 p.m. with “Of Swans and Variants,” a program of classical and contemporary works.

The evening’s double bill features an excerpt from the classic Swan Lake , as well as VARIANTS , choreographed by Artistic Director Ethan Stiefel.

ARB recently performed to sold-out audiences with the premiere of “Classic Beauty” featuring Swan Lake Act II at the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center. The iconic second act of the full-length ballet, to music by Tchaikovsky, tells the tale of Odette, the swan princess, as she reveals her true form to Prince Siegfried.

VARIANTS, a hit of last season, is set to Brahms’ solo piano piece Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel, Op. 24, featuring 25 variations and a concluding fugue.

“The music so completely and naturally lends itself to dance, and offers the opportunity for diverse, adventurous, and soulful qualities in both movement and portrayals,” said Stiefel.

Stiefel collaborates with set designer Howard C. Jones, known for his work on previous ARB productions including A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Giselle . In addition, ARB Resident Costume Designer Janessa Cornell Urwin, in partnership with the Austra lian label Keto Dancewear, has created costumes.

Visit arballet.org or call (609) 258-2787 for tickets.

Garden Theatre to Host

NPR Critic Bob Mondello

The Princeton Garden The atre, 160 Nassau Street, will host an evening with NPR’s film critic Bob Mondello on Thursday, March 21 at 7 p.m. Mondello has personally selected one of his favorite films, Harold & Maude, to be shown at the Garden that evening.

Ambassadors of Excellence, in five concerts to overflow seating at the church, which is on Nassau Street at Vandeventer Avenue. Tickets to the upcoming concert are $40 ($10 for students).

struggle, coldness, and fury. Finally, the last movement imagines acceptance, resignation, loss, and love.”

Jr., and Bernadette Peters.

unlikely relationship between a bored, wealthy teen and a lively 80-year-old woman. Hal Ashby directs this quirky, dark comedy, which features a soundtrack with the music of Cat Stevens.

For more than three decades, Mondello has reviewed movies and covered the arts for NPR, seeing at least 300 films annually, then sharing critiques and commentaries about the most intriguing on NPR’s All Things Considered. In 2005, he conceived and co-produced NPR’s eight-part series “American Stages,” exploring the history, reach, and accomplishments of the regional theater movement.

Mondello has also written about the arts for USA Today, The Washington Post, Preservation Magazine, and other publications, and has appeared as an arts commentator on commercial and public television stations. He spent 25 years reviewing live theater for Washington City Paper, DC’s leading alternative weekly, and to this day, he remains enamored of the stage.

Tickets are $7.75-$13.50, available at the box office or at princetongardentheatre.org.

Bach’s “Goldberg Variations”

Closes Altamura’s First Season

On Sunday, April 7, at 4 p.m., Altamura Legacy Concerts (ALC) at Princeton United Methodist Church presents the final concert of its first season with pianist Andrea Turini playing Bach’s Goldberg Variations

“I especially love playing and listening to Bach in early spring as a sort of cleansing for the soul, and Andrea Turini’s USA tour in April with the Goldberg Variations provides us with the perfect opportunity to bring him to our Princeton audiences to close the season,” said Cristina Altamura, artistic director. “This mammoth set of variations is not only beloved among pianophiles, but also a favorite with cinephiles as it has been used in classic and cult films such as The English Patient, Silence of the Lambs, and Before Sunrise Hailing from the Tuscany region in Italy, Turini will follow his Princeton appearance with a concert at the Italian Cultural Institute on Park Avenue in New York City. He is a winner of various international piano competitions, including first prize at the 7th international competition “Citta di Roma” and at the 11th international competition “Ibla Grand Prize,” where he was also awarded a special mention for the best interpretation of Bach and Ravel. He has performed internationally, and teaches at the Conservatory Gioacchino Rossini in Pesaro. He is also the artistic director of the Accademia Musicale Valdarnese and International Piano Competition Humberto Quagliata Città di San Giovanni Valdarno.

Doors open at 3:30 p.m. with a pre-concert and welcoming coffee/tea bar in the venue organized by Illy At Earth’s End. Visit legacyartsinternational.org to purchase tickets.

Concordia Chamber Players

Performs in Bucks County

Concordia Chamber Players will close their season on April 7 at 3 p.m. with a program for somewhat larger forces than usual at Trinity Church in Solebury, Pa. Tickets are $35.

The program opens with the Phantasy Quartet by English composer Imogen Holst, the daughter of Gustav Holst. This composition, pastoral in nature, was awarded the Cobbett Prize in 1928.

The program is named after the next offering — Thirty Thousand Days for clarinet and string quartet by the young American composer, Chris Rogerson. The son of a statistician, Rogerson explains his father’s desire to measure life’s progress by 10,000-day increments.

The concert closes with String Quartet in G minor, Opus 27 by Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg. Concordia will also present a free open rehearsal on Saturday, April 6 at 3:30 p.m. at Phillips’ Mill, 2619 River Road, New Hope, Pa. Visit concordiaplayers.org for more information.

Richardson Chamber Players

Present “French Afternoon”

On Sunday, March 24, at 3 p.m. in Richardson Auditorium on the Princeton University campus, performance faculty and undergraduate students from the Department of Music comprising the Richardson Chamber Players will present “A French Afternoon.”

On January 14, 1914, French composer Maurice Ravel’s Trois poèmes de Mallarmé, a sequence of three art songs based on poems by Stéphane Mallarmé for soprano, two flutes, two clarinets, piano, and string quartet, received its world premiere. The Richardson Chamber Players will recreate the program of that concert, featuring works by Maurice Ravel and his French contemporaries: Camille Saint-Saëns, Gabriel Fauré, Florent Schmitt, Maurice Delage, and Igor Stravinsky.

The program includes Saint-Saëns’ Caprice on Danish and Russian Airs, Op. 79, Gabriel Fauré’s Pavane in F-sharp Minor, Op. 50, Maurice Ravel’s Pavane for a Dead Princess and Three Poems of Stéphane Mallarmé, Florent Schmitt’s Le petit elfe Ferme-l’oeil, Op. 73 , Maurice Delage’s Four Hindu Poems, and Igor Stravinsky’s Three Poems to Japanese Lyrics.

Tickets are $15 ($5 for students). Visit puc.princeton.edu or call (609) 2589220.

Music for Viola, Piano

Korkina received a Master of Music Degree from the Belarusian State Academy of Music, where she studied with Valerie Minenkov and Grigory Shershevsky, and later joined the teaching faculty. Since moving to Princeton in 1990, she has been solo recitalist, chamber musician and coach/accompanist. Her recent engagements include the Matinee Musical Club at the Academy of Music of Philadelphia, Music Heritage Series at Westminster, The Friends of Music at Taplin Hall, and the Longwood Gardens Concert Series. She is a recipient of the Genia Robinor Pedagogy Award and the Distinguished Pedagogy Award from the Cecilian Music Club.

Visit rider.edu for information.

Pianist Jonathan Biss

Performs at Four Events

Philadelphia-based pianist Jonathan Biss returns to Princeton University Concerts (PUC) with four events across three dates this April.

On Wednesday, April 3 at 7:30 p.m., Biss will perform a program of Schubert works for piano four-hands alongside pianist Mitsuko Uchida at Richardson Auditorium. He will return on Wednesday, April 10 for free events offered by Princeton University Concerts in partnership with the Institute for Advanced Study and Princeton Public Library. Biss will be back at Richardson Auditorium on Wednesday, April 24 at 7:30 p.m. alongside author Adam Haslett for a PUC Healing with Music event exploring the intersection of anxiety, depression, and music.

At 7 p.m. on April 10, Biss will co-lead a free book group discussion hosted by the Princeton Public Library over Zoom. The book group will focus on his Audible Audiobook Unquiet: My Life with Beethoven, in which he explores his battle with clinical anxiety throughout his performance career, and Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award finalist Haslett’s book Imagine Me Gone , a novel about a family dealing with the grips of mental illness.

“April presents a unique opportunity to get to know Jonathan Biss as both a remarkable artist and human,” says PUC Director Marna Seltzer. “Jonathan’s generosity and vulnerability as a performer and as an individual are deeply inspiring. All the ways in which he will engage with our series this April is also such a beautiful testament to the many ways in which PUC has expanded since his last appearance in 2018 — from the Institute of Advanced Study to the Princeton Public Library, our community partners continue to make more and more offerings possible, so that everyone in PUC’s growing family can explore music in the way that resonates most with them.”

Tickets for the April 3 concert are sold out. Turned-back tickets may become available the week of the event. Call (609) 258-2800 for more information.

One of the most beloved cult films of all time, Harold & Maude tells the story of an

“When my sister and I reached our 10,000th days soon after turning 27, he excitedly called to make sure we knew the milestone we had reached,” Rogerson said. “With a sharp memory he recounted stories of his own 10,000th and 20,000th days. While we were amused by his enthusiasm for this seemingly random day, I came to realize the value of looking at life from a broader perspective. Thirty Thousand Days explores this idea of life’s three stages. In the first movement, I try to evoke the joy, innocence, and sweetness of youth. The second movement depicts

At Presbyterian Church Westminster Conservatory at Nassau will present a recital of music for viola and piano on Thursday, March 21 at 12:15 p.m. The performers, Dennis Krasnokutsky, viola, and Larissa Korkina, piano, are members of the teaching faculty of Westminster Conservatory of Music. The recital will take place in the Niles Chapel of Nassau Presbyterian Church, 61 Nassau Street. It is open to the public free of charge. The program includes movements from Bach’s Sonata, BWV 1028; Mikhail Glinka’s Sonata for Viola and Piano in D Minor; Arpeggione Sonata, D. 821 by Franz Schubert; and Andante and Hungarian Rondo, J.79, op. 35 by Carl Maria von Weber.

Krasnokutsky is the principal violist of the Capital Philharmonic of New Jersey and the Philadelphia Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra, and a member of the Rowan String Quartet and Samuel Barber String Quartet. He has also performed with the Harrisburg Symphony, Miami Orchestra, Reno Philharmonic, Baton Rouge Symphony, and the Bay-Atlantic Symphony. He has collaborated with such artists as Hilary Hahn, Bella Hristova, Sara Chang, Jonathan Biss, Frank Sinatra

On Wednesday, April 10, Biss will participate in a PUC Live Music Meditation event at Wolfensohn Hall on the Institute for Advanced Study campus at 3 p.m. Meditation instruction will be provided by Matthew Weiner, associate dean in the Princeton University Office of Religious Life. This is a free opportunity to indulge in attentive, focused, and mindful listening. Online registration is required.

The Live Music Meditation event at the Institute for Advanced Study and book group discussions hosted by the Princeton Public Library are free and open to the public. Registration is required for both events. To register for the Live Music Meditation event, visit puc.princeton.edu or call (609) 258-2800. To register for and learn more about the book group discussions, visit princetonlibrary. org or call (609) 924-9529. There will be a 10:30 a.m. discussion in person at the library in addition to the 7 p.m. Zoom discussion with Biss and Haslett. Tickets for the Healing with Music event on April 24 are $25 general/$10 students. Visit puc.princeton. edu or call (609) 258-9220.

OLD AND NEW: Emily Cordies-Maso is among the dancers to appear in “Of Swans and Variants” at McCarter Theatre on April 4. (Photo by Harald Schrader)

ALC presented over 30 artists from Princeton, New York, and Italy, side by side with students from Legacy Arts International’s All-Abilities and Youth

Andrea Turini

Julis Romo Rabinowitz Building Room 217

Drawing from his original translation work, Andrew J. Nicholson (SUNY Stonybrook) explores the Īśvara Gītā as an important contribution that sometimes mirrors and sometimes challenges its more well-known sibling text. The talk also suggests that the text might have offered a strategy for accommodating religious conflict in its own day and continues to inform the issue of pluralism today.

Town Topics Summer Programs

Curiosity Camp Ent E ring g rad E s 1-5

Curiosity Camp Ent E ring g rad E s 1-5

CURIOSITY CAMP ENTERING GRADES 1-6

Curiosity Camp Ent E ring g rad E s 1-5

Session 1: July 1-12 Artists at Work

Session 2: July 15-26 Performing Arts

session 1: June 28-July 23

Session 3: July 29-August 9 Nature Camp

session 2: July 26-august 20

Performing arts

Session 4: August 12-23 Fun and Games Galore

Learning Through Landscapes artists at Work

session 1: June 28-July 23

Computer science and animation

session 1: June 28-July 23

Learning Through Landscapes artists at Work

Learning Through Landscapes artists at Work

session 2: July 26Computer

session 2: July 26-august 20

WWW PrinCEtonjuniorsChooL.org

REGISTER ONLINE

3270 LaWrEnCEviLLE road PrinCEton, nj kjannELL@PrinCEtonjuniorsChooL.org

Performing arts Computer science and animation

WWW.PRINCETONJUNIORSCHOOL.ORG

WWW PrinCEtonjuniorsChooL.org

90 FACKLER RD. LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ 08648

WWW PrinCEtonjuniorsChooL.org

KJANNELL@PRINCETONJUNIORSCHOOL.ORG

3270 LaWrEnCEviLLE road PrinCEton, nj kjannELL@PrinCEtonjuniorsChooL.org

3270 LaWrEnCEviLLE road PrinCEton, nj kjannELL@PrinCEtonjuniorsChooL.org

Art

“LUNA MOTH”: This photo by Sydney Vine was an entry in Friends of Princeton Open Space’s 2023 photo contest. Entries for this year’s contest, Perspectives on Preservation, must be submitted by September 8.

FOPOS Announces Perspectives

On Preservation Photo Contest

Friends of Princeton Open Space (FOPOS), a nonprofit devoted to land preservation and stewardship in Princeton, has announced its 2024 photo contest, Perspectives on Preservation, sponsored by REI Co-op Princeton.

Now in its ninth year, the annual contest originally coincided with REI’s Opt Outside campaign, which encourages people to skip the mall on the day after Thanksgiving and spend the day outdoors instead. Now accepting photos taken in any season, the Perspectives on Preservation photo contest continues to be sponsored by REI Co-op Princeton and encourages photographers to explore

the Mountain Lakes Open Space Area all year round.

“We’re grateful for the continued support we receive from our friends at REI Co-op Princeton,” said Fran McManus, photo contest cocoordinator and longtime FOPOS board member. “REI recognizes the importance of time spent outdoors, especially its benefits to our health and well-being. We couldn’t agree more.”

Each year, photo entries showcase the diverse forms of beauty photographers find in and around the Billy Johnson Mountain Lakes Nature Preserve. The contest builds awareness of the Preserve’s role in protecting biodiversity and enhancing the quality of life in the Princeton community.

“Our goal is to encourage residents to explore the natural world more deeply and for us to learn what our community loves and values most about the Mountain Lakes Preserve,” said McManus.

Adult photographers (17 and over) are invited to submit up to three photographs of the Mountain Lakes Open Space Area, which comprises the Billy Johnson Mountain Lakes Nature Preserve, Mountain Lakes North, John Witherspoon Woods, Community Park North, Tusculum Preserve, Pettoranello Gardens, and the J. Seward Johnson Sr. Trail and Boardwalk. Student photographers (16 and under) are also invited to compete in the contest to win gift cards from Princeton-based businesses jaZams, LiLLiPiES, and the bent spoon.

Photos for submission can be taken at any time of year during the past three years as long as they have not been submitted in a previous FOPOS photo contest. There is no entry fee.

Entries will be judged on their aesthetic merit, creativity, and originality and how they help to celebrate the Mountain Lakes Open Space Area as a refuge for nature and visitors. One winning photograph will be chosen in each of the three categories and the photographers will receive a $100 gift card to REI Co-op. In addition to the winning photographs, approximately 20 photos from the submissions will be selected for FOPOS’ annual photo exhibition in December 2024.

Entries must be submitted by midnight on Sunday,

MULTI-SENSORY EXPERIENCE: “Night Forms,” the third and final installment of Grounds For Sculpture’s partnership with Klip Collective, closes on April 7.

September 8. For contest details, rules, categories, and age ranges, visit fopos.org or email photos @fopos.org.

“Night Forms”

Closing Soon At Grounds For Sculpture

“Night Forms,” a sitespecific multi-sensory experience on view at Grounds For Sculpture (GFS) since November 2023, will close soon on April 7. This third and final installment of GFS’ partnership with Klip Collective has more than a dozen installations from the second season’s “Infinite Wave” along with a reprise of Froghead Rainbow, one of the most popular works from Klip’s inaugural project at GFS, “dreamloop.” The exhibition is designed to engage with Grounds For Sculpture’s art and horticulture collections and

invites visitors to explore the grounds after dark.

“Night Forms’” after-hours experience is a synthesis of light, sound, and video projection mapping, a process pioneered by Klip Collective. Each illuminated installation offers a unique, layered dialogue with either an artwork or feature from the horticultural collection. Popular spotlighted sculptures include Bruce Beasley, Dorion ; Isaac Witkin, Eolith ; and Michelle Post, The Oligarchs, as well as a favorite horticultural feature, the Red Maple Allé e. The installations are situated at intervals along Grounds For Sculpture’s Main Loop path and their patterns of light are syncopated to original soundtracks.

While viewing “Night Forms,” visitors have the

rare opportunity to explore the park at night. For those who wish to extend their exploration of the grounds, a digital tour highlighting a mix of 20 works from GFS’ horticultural and sculpture collections is offered along the Main Loop path.

“Night Forms” is open Friday through Sunday, sunset to 10 p.m.; the last tickets are available at 9 p.m.

Advance timed ticket reservations are highly recommended to ensure entry. Reservations can be made at groundsforsculpture.org/ nightforms.

IS ON

Princeton

Consignment Day

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

We invite you to auction in New York. Our Specialists will be traveling throughout the Princeton area collecting Jewelry, Watches, Art and more for auction consignment or outright purchase. Please contact us to schedule a private in-person or virtual appointment.

INFORMATION & APPOINTMENTS

Jill Bowers, Vice President New Jersey & Pennsylvania Regional Advisor DoyleNJ@Doyle.com 212-427-4141 ext. 225

Diamond Clip Bracelet. Est.

Diamond Ring. Est. $150,000-200,000. Boucheron Paris Diamond Brooch. Est $25,000-

on Nassau Street through May 19. An artist reception is on March 23 from 2 to 5 p.m.

“This Looks Familiar”

At David Scott Gallery

David Scott Gallery now presents “This Looks Familiar,” Francisco Silva’s first solo exhibition of paintings, on view through May 19 in the offices of Berkshire Hathaway, 253 Nassau Street. An artist reception is on Saturday, March 23 from 2 to 5 p.m.

After many years working as a graphic designer and web developer, 2019 marked Silva’s return to painting, primarily en plein air. He began with landscapes inspired by his backpacking trips on the Appalachian Trail. Since then, his work has grown to include still lifes, urban and rural scenes, architecture and structures, and themes portraying the struggles of the everyday person. Silva’s influences include Edward Hopper and the social realist painters of the 1920s and 1930s. The rich textiles of his Peruvian roots inform his use of vibrant color, and his brushwork is a seamless combination of loose, painterly strokes and controlled detail.

“My painting is inspired by my surroundings and the daily interactions I experience within them,” said Silva. “I use color to express and evoke emotion, preferring to mix all colors from a limited palette. The process is analytical at first, striving to create a balanced composition as a foundation for the work. When painting starts, I apply loose strokes to convey movement and energy. As the painting evolves, I refine only certain areas for emphasis and to create contrast.

“Through my work, I try to connect with the viewer by sharing my personal moments in life. As their eyes move through the painting, I want them to ask questions about the subject matter, the location, and my interpretation of that instance. I want them to react to the canvases whether they’re large panoramic scenes, or smaller pieces that are more personal and intimate.”

“This Looks Familiar” attempts to cover the full range of Silva’s language as a painter of the “everyday.” Through Silva’s lens, the viewer is invited to engage with these familiar scenes and be guided from hiking trails to city streets, beaches to farmlands, and

suburban sidewalks to corner bars. In his paintings, we are reminded of the very worthwhile practice of pausing to appreciate everything around us, no matter how seemingly ordinary.

Spring Classes at Center For Contemporary Art

The Center for Contemporary Art in Bedminster will offer art classes and workshops this spring for adults, teens, and children beginning April 1. Select classes will be offered in a hybrid or virtual format. Classes and workshops are offered for artists with all levels of expertise in a variety of media including oil and acrylic paint, pastel, watercolor, drawing, printmaking, and ceramics.

There are more than 35 spring adult classes including Intro to Drawing, Morning Oil, The Power of Pastels, Artist Studio: Your Choice, Morning Watercolor, Afternoon Oil Landscape, Chinese Brush Painting, Portrait Drawing, En Plein Air at Whittemore, Evening Painting, and ceramics classes such as Beginner Wheel Throwing, Sculpture, Glaze Chemistry, Adventures in Clay, and Advanced Ceramics. New classes this spring include Beginner Printmaking, Anime & Manga, Watercolor Portraits, From Pencil to Paint for Beginners, and Digital Storytelling. Spring one- and two-day workshops offer students the opportunity to try something new. Workshops include Still Life Drawing, Torn Paper Collage, Sketching with Watercolor, Sculpey: The Family Friendly Clay, Pen and Ink, Pastels 101, Art Appreciation: A Survey of 20th Century Visual Arts, and ceramic workshops Beginner Sgraffito and Sgraffito and Luster: Flower Stories. In-person classes are available for teens and children. For children ages 5-8 classes include Mixed Media, Painting in Depth, and Drawing in Depth; and for children ages 6-8, Pottery. Students ages 9-11 can select from Mixed Media, Drawing Intensive, Painting in Depth, and Pottery. Teen offerings include Comic Book Illustration, Pottery, and Painting Intensive.

In person classes will be offered for children with autism spectrum disorder and other special needs, ages 6-16, beginning April 8. Students

will explore a variety of art projects specifically geared to their interest and ability both in two-and-three dimensional approaches.

The Center for Contemporary Art is located at 2020 Burnt Mills Road in Bedminster. For more information or to register for a class, visit ccabedminster.org or call (908) 234-2345.

Photojournalist Agins Makes Museum Debut at Zimmerli Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Michelle V. Agins, whose images tell stories about life in America, was the second Black woman ever hired as a staff photographer at the New York Times. She built her career at a time when photo editors gave very few assignments to women — much less to women of color.

The Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers — New Brunswick now presents “Michelle V. Agins: Storyteller.” On view through December 8, the exhibit features 66 photographs taken during her 35 years at the Times. Her groundbreaking assignments offer important documentation of race relations, celebrity culture, sports, spirituality, and economic disparity in America. Agins visits the museum for an artist talk and reception on April 21. Visit go.rutgers. edu/artisttalk0421 for details.

“Agins’ practice is as a visual storyteller, with a powerful humanizing vision,” said Maura Reilly, the Zimmerli’s director, who organized the exhibition with New York Times picture editor Maura Foley, who has worked with Agins for decades. “ With a keen eye toward narrative and aesthetic detail, Agins’ images, like those of Richard Avedon and Gordon Parks, bridge the gap between photojournalism and fine art photography. The exhibition itself aligns with one of the museum’s many missions, which is to present work by underrepresented artists, and to offer them a platform to share their talents with our diverse audiences.”

“Storyteller” spans the vast array of news moments that Agins has covered for the New York Times. It features her early pictures of the protests surrounding the murder of Black teenager Yusef Hawkins in 1989 and the 1992 Democratic

Hamilton, has “Cloud Swing” through April 1, “Night Forms” through April 7, and “That’s Worth Celebrating: The Life and Work of the Johnson Family” through the end of 2024, among other exhibits. groundsforsculpture.org.

Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library, Princeton University, has “Nobody Turn Us Around: The Freedom Rides and Selma to Montgomery Marches: Selections from the John Doar Papers” through March 31. library.princeton.edu.

VISUAL STORYTELLER: James Baldwin introduces his new book, “Evidence of Things Not Seen,” at the home of Lerone Bennett in Chicago 1983. “Michelle V. Agins: Storyteller” is on view through December 8 at the Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers – New Brunswick. (Photo by Michelle V. Agins) National Convention. More recent images spotlight the Kamala Harris campaign and portraits of artist and activist Stormé DeLarverie, a Stonewall uprising survivor. Agins has captured other iconic figures, such as James Baldwin, Prince, Aretha Franklin, Serena Williams, Anthony Mason, and Anita Hill, among many others.

The exhibition also includes some of Agins’ photographs of New Yorkers who have been aided by the New York Times Neediest Cases Fund (now called the Communities Fund), as well as her 1994 series “Another America: Life on 129th Street,” which studies the effects of gun violence on a Harlem neighborhood. For more information about the artist, visit nytimes.com/ by/michelle-v-agins.

The Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers is located at 71 Hamilton Street (at George Street) on the College Avenue Campus of Rutgers University in New Brunswick. Admission is free. For more information, visit zimmerli. rutgers.edu.

Area Exhibits

Art@Bainbridge, 158 Nassau Street, has “Reciting Women: Alia Bensliman and Khailiah Sabree” through March 31. artmuseum.princeton.edu.

Artists’ Gallery, 18 Bridge Street, Lambertville, has “Gallery-Wide Group Show” through March 31. Gallery hours are Thursday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. lambertvillearts.com.

Art on Hulfish, 11 Hulfish Street, has “Christina Fernandez: Multiple Exposures” through April 28. artmuseum.princeton.edu.

Arts Council of Princeton, 102 Witherspoon Street, has “Shifting Perspectives: Capturing Moments in Ceramics and Watercolor” through April 13 in the Taplin Gallery. artscouncilofprinceton.org.

David Scott Gallery at Berkshire Hathaway, 253 Nassau Street, has “This Looks Familiar” through May 19. An artist reception is on Saturday, March 23 from 2 to 5 p.m.

Ficus Art Gallery, 235 Nassau Street, has “Embrace the Everyday” through May 6. ficusbv. com.

Grounds For Sculpture, 80 Sculptors Way,

Historical Society of Princeton, Updike Farmstead, 354 Quaker Road, has “Einstein Salon and Innovator’s Gallery,” “Princeton’s Portrait,” and other exhibits. Museum hours are Wednesday through Sunday, 12 to 4 p.m., Thursday to 7 p.m. princetonhistory.org

Michener Art Museum, 138 South Pine Street, Doylestown, Pa., has “Renewal and Change: New Acquisitions” through April 28 and “CFEVA at 40” through May 26. michenerartmuseum.org

Morven Museum & Garden, 55 Stockton Street, has the online exhibits “Slavery at Morven,” “Portrait of Place: Paintings, Drawings, and Prints of New Jersey, 1761–1898,” and others. morven.org.

Phillips’ Mill, 2619 River Road, New Hope, Pa., has “Members Art Show and Sale” March 23-24, from 12-4 p.m. phillipsmill.org.

Small World Coffee, 14 Witherspoon Street, has works by local artist Jessie Krause through April 2. Acrylic paintings by Corinne Pisauro are at the 254 Nassau Street location through April 2. smallworldcoffee. com.

Trenton City Museum at Ellarslie, Cadwalader Park, Trenton, has “Music to My Eyes” through April 7. ellarslie.org.

West Windsor Arts, 952 Alexander Road, West Windsor, has “GR8 Works” through April 6. westwindsorarts.org.

Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers, 71 George Street, New Brunswick, has “George Segal: Themes and Variations” through July 31 and “Michelle V. Agins: Storyteller” through December 8. zimmerli.rutgers.edu.

Sweet Spring

Friday, March 22 at 8pm

Princeton University Chapel

Free admission

“ABOVE THE ROOFTOPS”: This oil on canvas painting by Francisco Silva is part of “This Looks Familiar,” his solo exhibit on view at the David Scott Gallery at Berkshire Hathaway

Soprano Nicole Aldrich and pianist Eric Plutz present a recital for the season, featuring works by Dominick Argento, Franz Schubert, Claude Debussy, and Reena Esmail.

Mark Your Calendar TOWN TOPICS

Wednesday, March 20

10 a.m.-5 p.m.: 92nd Annual Bryn Mawr-Wellesley Book Sale at Stuart Country Day School, 1200 Stuart Road. $30. Bmandwbooks.com.

Princeton Public Library. Montclair State University professor Negin Nabavi leads the discussion of In the Time of Our History by Susanne Pari. Princetonhistory.org.

6 p.m .: Author Kara Alaimo is in conversation with Jane Carr about her book Over the Influence , at Princeton Public Library, 65 Witherspoon Street. Princetonlibrary.org.

11 a.m.-12:30 p.m .: Leighton Listens. Councilman Leighton Newlin is on hand at Tipple and Rose Tea Parlor and Apothecary, 210 Nassau Street, to discuss current issues with members of the public.

5:30 p.m.: Conversation with playwright, choreographer, and 2020 MacArthur Fellow Larissa FastHorse, at Drapkin Studio, Lewis Arts complex, Princeton University. Free. Presented by Lewis Center for the Arts. Arts.princeton.edu.

6 p.m .: Princeton Public Library’s Board of Trustees meets at the library, 65 Witherspoon Street. Princetonlibrary.org.

6 p.m .: Author Rachel Cohen talks with Jill Dolan, Princeton University’s dean of the college, about the updated, newly released version of Cohen’s book A Chance Meeting at Labyrinth Books, 122 Nassau Street. Princetonlibrary.org.

6:30 p.m.: Historical Fiction Book Group, via Zoom, sponsored by Historical Society of Princeton and

Thursday, March 21

10 a.m.-8 p.m.: 92nd Annual Bryn Mawr-Wellesley Book Sale at Stuart Country Day School, 1200 Stuart Road. Free. Bmandwbooks.com.

10 a.m .: Meeting of the 55-Plus Club of Princeton at the Jewish Center Princeton, 435 Nassau Street, and via Zoom. Free with a suggested $5 donation. New Jersey Superior Court Judge Edwin H. Stern will speak on “Judicial Ethics.” Princetonol.com/groups/55plus/.

11 a.m.-3 p.m .: Winter Farmers Market at Hinds Plaza. Locally grown produce, pasture-raised meats, fresh baked breads, homemade treats, and handmade gifts. Princetonfarmersmarket.com.

12:15 p.m .: Westminster Conservatory Noontime Recitals presents violist Dennis Krasnokutsky and pianist Larissa Korkina at Nassau Presbyterian Church, 61 Nassau Street. Free. Music by Bach, Glinka, Schubert, and von Weber. Rider.edu.

7-8 p.m .: Brain injury prevention workshop at Lawrence Headquarters Branch of Mercer County Library System, 2751 Brunswick Pike. Interactive event designed by the Brain Injury Alliance of New Jersey. Www.mcl.org

7 p.m .: An evening with NPR film critic Bob Mondello, and a screening of Harold and Maude , at the Princeton Garden Theatre, 160 Nassau Street. $7.75$13.50. Princetongardentheatre.org.

7 p.m .: Story & Verse open mic at the Arts Council of Princeton’s Solley Theater, 102 Witherspoon Street. “Open Theme” night, for both emerging and established artists. Artscouncilofprinceton.org.

Friday, March 22

10 a.m.-5 p.m .: 92nd Annual Bryn Mawr-Wellesley Book Sale at Stuart Country Day School, 1200 Stuart Road. Free. Bmandwbooks.com.

5 p.m.: “Performing the Peace,” film screening and

performance presented by Princeton University’s Lewis Center for the Arts and the Program for Community Engaged Scholarship, at Drapkin Studio, Lewis Arts complex. Free. Arts.princeton.edu.

Saturday, March 23

10 a.m.-5 p.m .: 92nd Annual Bryn Mawr-Wellesley Book Sale at Stuart Country Day School, 1200 Stuart Road. Free. Bmandwbooks.com.

10 a.m.: Narrated walk through the Big Woods portion on the Loveless Nature Preserve in Lawrence, curated by David Bosted. Sponsored by the Lawrence Township Environmental Education Foundation. Lawrencetwpnature.com.

10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: The International Rescue Committee: New Jersey Chapter, at Princeton Public Library, 65 Witherspoon Street. Sally El-Sadek of the IRC Welcome Corps and students from Princeton University’s Service Focus program discuss their work and how others can help. Welcome kits for new U.S. arrivals. Princetonlibrary. org.

12-5 p.m.: Winery Weekend Music Series at Terhune Orchards, 330 Cold Soil Road. Live music from 1-4 by Mark Miklos. Terhuneorchards.com.

1 and 4 p.m .: “ Trolls Movie Sing-Along” at Kelsey Theatre, Mercer County Community College, West Windsor. Participation bags, costume parade, lyrics on the screen. $16-$18. Kelseytheatre.org.

4 p.m .: Third Annual Oxtail Festival, Hopewell Valley Vineyards, 46 Yard Road, Pennington. Fundraiser for the Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum. A feast including specialties from the African American, Caribbean, and Afro-Latin diaspora. Bit.ly/ OxtailFest2024.

7:30 p.m .: “My Sister’s Keeper,” multimedia recital, part of the Celebration of Black Music festival with the Westminster Jubilee Singers, at Rider University’s Gill Memorial Chapel, Lawrence Township. $5-$10. Rider. edu or (609) 896-7775.

Sunday, March 24

10 a.m.-1 p.m.: 92nd Annual Bryn Mawr-Wellesley Book Sale at Stuart Country Day School, 1200 Stuart Road. Free. Bmandwbooks.com.

11 a.m . Book Brunch with author Rachel Shteir at Princeton Public Library, 65 Witherpoon Street. Shteir discusses her book Betty Friedan: Magnificent Disrupter with critic and scholar Maria DiBattista. Book signing follows. Coffee and pastries served. Princetonlibrary.org.

MARCH

1-2 p.m. Princeton University Carillon concert, listen on the Graduate School lawn. Gradschool.princeton. edu.

2-4 p.m .: D&R Greenway holds a reception for National Baseball Hall of Fame artist James Fiorentino and syndicated cartoon artist Patrick McDonnell, at Johnson Education Center, 1 Preservation Place. Reserve at info@drgreenway. org. or (609) 924-4646.

3 p.m.: The Richardson Chamber Players perform “A French Afternoon” at Richardson Auditorium, with works by Saint-Saens, Faure, Ravel, Schmitt, Delage, and Stravinsky. $15 ($5 for students). Puc.princeton.edu or (609) 258-9220.

3 p.m .: “The Passion According to Julia Perry,” part of the Celebration of Black Music festival with the Westminster Chapel Choir and Westminster Jubilee Singers, at Gill Memorial Chapel, Rider University, Lawrence Township. $15-$20. Rider. edu or (609) 896-7775.

4 p.m.: Gathering in solidarity with the October 7 hostages, and a call for their release. Organized by a grassroots group of Israelis in Princeton. At Hinds Plaza.

Monday, March 25 Recycling

Tuesday, March 26

7-8:30 p.m.: Artist Meetup Collab at West Windsor Arts, 952 Alexander Road. Free gathering for building artist-to-artist relationships. Registration necessary. Westwindsorarts.org.

7:30 p.m .: Reading by poet, translator, and MacArthur Fellow Khaled Mattawa and novelist Hiroko Oyamada, with translator David Boyd, at Drapkin Studio, Lewis Arts complex, Princeton University campus. Free. Arts@princeton.edu.

Wednesday, March 27

11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: Leighton Listens. Councilman Leighton Newlin is on hand to discuss current events with members of the public at LiLLiPiES, Princeton Shopping Center, 301 North Harrison Street

7 p.m.: Virtual program, The Lindbergh Nanny, author talk with Mariah Fredericks, sponsored by Mercer County Library System. Register at mcl.org

Thursday, March 28

10 a.m.-1 p.m.: The Garden Club of Princeton hosts the annual spring flower market at the corner of Nassau Street and University Place. Proceeds fund civic projects, including caring for the All Wars Memorial

6 p.m.: Author Joyce Carol Oates discusses her writing life and two recent anthologies of crime and horror stories written by women, which she edited, with feminist critic and scholar Maria DiBattista, at Labyrinth Books, 122 Nassau Street. Princetonlibrary. org.

6 p.m .: Larry Kidder lectures on “The Revolutionary World of a Free Black Man,” at the Old Barracks Museum, 101 Barrack Street, Trenton. Free. Barracks.org.

7:30-10 a.m.: Princeton Mercer Regional Chamber’s Trenton Economic Development Committee presents “Economic Development, More Than Just Brick and Mortar,” at Cooper’s Riverview, 50 Riverview Executive Park, Route 29. Panel discussion. Princetonmercer.org .

Friday, March 29

6 p.m.: Gavin Steingo discusses his book Interspecies Communication: Sound and Music beyond Humanity with Gary Tomlinson at Labyrinth Books, 122 Nassau Street. Labyrinthbooks.com .

7:30 p.m.: “Resonance,” a dance concert by Princeton University’s Lewis Center for the Arts Program in Dance, at Hearst Dance Theater, Lewis Arts complex. Free. Arts.princeton.edu.

8 p.m.: Princeton University’s Lewis Center for the Arts presents the musical She Loves Me at the Wallace Theater, Lewis Arts complex. $12-$17. Arts. princeton.edu.

Saturday, March 30

10 a.m.-4 p.m.: Bunny Trail Spring Festival at Terhune Orchards, 330 Cold Soil Road. Family activities, playing on the farm. 12-5 p.m.: Winery Weekend Music Series with live music from 1-4 p.m. Terhuneorchards.com.

2 and 7:30 p.m .: “Resonance,” a dance concert by Princeton University’s Lewis Center for the Arts Program in Dance, at Hearst Dance Theater, Lewis Arts complex. Free. Arts.princeton. edu.

8 p.m.: Princeton University’s Lewis Center for the Arts presents the musical She Loves Me at the Wallace Theater, Lewis Arts complex. $12-$17. Arts. princeton.edu.

Sunday, March 31

12-5 p.m .: Winery Weekend Music Series at Terhune Orchards, 330 Cold Soil Road. Live music from 1-4 p.m. Terhuneorchards.com.

2 p.m.: “NASA and Space Technology,” an interactive, hands-on workshop for future space explorers ages 5-12. At Princeton Public Library, 65 Witherspoon Street. Registration required at princetonlibrary.org.

10 a.m.-4 p.m.: Bunny Trail Spring Festival at Terhune Orchards, 330 Cold Soil Road. Family activities, playing on the farm. 12-5 p.m.: Winery Weekend Music Series with live music from 1-4. Terhuneorchards.com.

4 p.m.: Gathering in solidarity with the October 7 hostages, and a call for their release. Organized by a grassroots group of Israelis in Princeton. At Hinds Plaza.

Ottoburger Reopens at New Location in Hopewell, As Customers Line Up to Sample the Tasty Treats

There is a new look at 65 East Broad Street in Hopewell. Ottoburger, the popular restaurant that closed in 2022, is back! It just reopened this month in expanded quarters at the site formerly occupied by the Brick Farm Market.

IT’S NEW To Us

“There were so many disappointed customers when the original Ottoburger closed, and we kept getting inquiries about it,” says owner Otto Zizak. “People started coming even before we had opened! Now they’re coming all the time. We are so glad to be back!”

Feel-Good Place

The new location offers far more space than was available at the original site, and this opportunity has led Otto and his wife and co-owner Maria to offer an intriguing, even surprising, new look.

In fact, it is reminiscent of a combination ice cream parlor/ diner of the mid-20th century. This was a deliberate choice of the Zizaks, Otto explains.

“I’ve traveled extensively in the U.S., and I always loved the old diners that I saw across the country. I wanted to incorporate some of that feeling here. We are a feel-good place, relaxed and unpretentious. And what is new is that we will now offer milkshakes, ice cream, and donuts, both classic and baked.”

These additions to the menu are also reflected in the restaurant’s redesign and decor. A counter with 18 aqua-topped bar stools does evoke memories of an ice cream parlor of the past, and round tables and booths offer more seating.

Customers are also delighted to know that the signature Ottoburger and several other hamburgers are prominently featured on the menu, and the emphasis of fresh farmto-table food remains a strong focus of the restaurant.

The Zizaks, who have been serving customers the best food and unique recipes for many years, have a special story to tell. Growing up in what was formerly Czechoslovakia, Otto and Maria have known each other since the second grade. The importance of eating good food, with healthy ingredients, was always emphasized.

“My family were food people,” says Otto. “We enjoyed cooking, and eating good food.”

“As a little girl, I helped my mother and grandmother with cooking,” adds Maria, who oversees the Ottoburger kitchen. “We had our own garden, and we did a lot of preserving, including jams, pickles, etc. I also helped with baking.”

High Praise

Otto moved to the U.S. when he was 14, and Maria followed later, after graduating from college with a M.B. in economics. They were married, and later were involved in five restaurants, including two in Brooklyn, N.Y.: Brooklyn Korso and Brooklyn Beet Co. The focus was on Central European food with an informal menu, especially including their unique hamburgers.

The Korso Burger was acclaimed by customers and critics alike, earning the “Best Burger in NYC” award twice from the Village Voice, and was featured on the Food Network and the Travel Channel. They also received high praise in numerous publications.

Despite such resounding success in Brooklyn and the Big Apple, Otto, Maria, and their three children wanted a change.

“We had been looking for a farm so we could grow our own vegetables and provide farm-to-table service for our customers,” explains Otto. “We were able to find a farm here in Hopewell with 53 acres. It is near our restaurant, and we grow beets, beans, potatoes, carrots, lettuce, strawberries, and organic alfalfa for the cattle on the nearby Double Brook Farm.”

“We had been drawn to the culture, values, and agricultural riches of central New Jersey,” he continues. “We especially like Hopewell. It has the feeling of a country town, and a bit of European flavor, with friendly people walking around and interacting. A real community.”

The opportunity to have the farm has been an important factor, he emphasizes. “I’m European. and the way restaurants in Europe functioned was that you brought in products from the farm. We try to do that here by having a local supply chain. As restaurateurs, we like the ‘no sticker’ appeal. There is no distributor/warehouse, etc. Everything comes right from the farm. It results in the freshest ingredients and also reduces the impact on the environment due to transportation, unnecessary packaging, and such.”

Guilty Pleasure

Since their arrival in Hopewell, the Zizaks have not only focused on their farm, but of course on the restaurant as well as on a new online operation — Hopewell Farm Works.

“I do have a guilty pleasure in taking on new projects,” reports Otto, with a smile. “I enjoy planning and seeing them happen.”

He is also intrigued with the history of the 65 East Broad Street building. Originally built by the Arena family in 1933, it then housed both their Italian American grocery store and an automobile dealership and garage.

It changed hands over the years, and was the location from 1955 to 2010 of the Malek Chevrolet dealership. Accordingly, as a reference to that history, a 1958 aqua Chevrolet pickup truck is prominently displayed in the restaurant. Not only is it an authentic piece of automotive history, it is a conversation piece as well. And because the area is so spacious, the truck fits very smoothly within the overall decor.

In addition, an upstairs dining area is available for private parties, family gatherings, kids’ birthday parties, and more. It also has a counter with barstools, a large center table, and booths.

As an added attraction, a vintage 1948 red Jawa Czechoslovak motorcycle is on display. “My grandfather had one,” explains Otto. “I

seasonal outside dining.

Lunch, dinner, and takeout are all available daily from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

think it ties in with the automotive history of the building and the blend of cultures — American hamburgers made with a twist by Eastern Europeans.”

Award-Winning

Of course, Ottoburger’s menu specializes in hamburgers, including beef and veggie, among others. The award-winning Korso Burger is among the very popular choices, and features all grass-fed beef patties, a special deep-fried Langos bun, apple-smoked Heritage bacon, emmentaler cheese, spicy beet house-made mustard, and pickled farm vegetable of the season.

“The burger is wrapped in rising Hungarian dough and deep-fried,” explains Otto. “All our buns are baked in our special brick oven, which has a very high temperature.”

Other burgers include The Otto, with a blend of 100 percent grass fed local beef, baked potato bun, Lancaster cheddar, field greens, New Jersey tomato, and sriracha aioli.

The veggie Beatnik features Otto’s own beets, black-eyed pea root, guacamole, goat cheese, celery, and arugula. Other burgers include turkey, pork, chicken, or shrimp base. All burgers are served with french fries or salad.

Not Burgers are available as weekly specials, and include a number of favorites, such as Bryndzove Halusky with petite hand-cut potato noodles, bryndza cheese, crisp bacon bits, and fresh chives.

In addition, there is Otto’s Goulash, a spicy beef brisket stew with crisp spatzle, caramelized onions, and organic salad. Special hot dogs are also available.

Local Sourcing

As Otto has pointed out, local sourcing is a priority, and that includes meat that is humanely raised at the Double Brook Farm and other local farms.

Now, on to the milkshakes, ice cream, and donuts! These new additions have contributed a sweet pop of flavor to the customers’ palates, and the response has been very enthusiastic.

Milkshakes include vanilla, chocolate, and seasonal berry. Homemade soft serve ice cream is available in vanilla, chocolate, and swirl.

Classic donuts — frosted, berry, and chocolate — are offered, and special baked Hopewell Cream, hazelnut, and seasonal berry donuts are also on the menu.

Ottoburger blend coffee, cappuccino, and espresso are available, as are homemade lemonade, local fruit mixers, and organic orange juice. A variety of sodas, including old favorites such as sarsaparilla and birch beer made for Ottoburger by a boutique soda company in Hackettstown, are also offered.

In addition, bottles and half bottles from Wine by Unionville Vineyards in Ringoes are on hand.

Prices cover a range, with drinks from $3 and up, specials from $9, and burgers (a half-pound of meat) at $16. A children’s menu is complimentary for kids up to 10 years old for dine-in service.

Sixty customers can be seated, and there is also

Hopewell Farm Works

Six months ago, Otto and Maria added a new online venture to their thriving culinary operation: Hopewell Farm Works.

“We offer quality healthy food, including meat, seasonal produce, and baked goods such as bread, croissants, and pastries,” reports Otto. “A big part of it is that we deliver free to a wide area, including Princeton, Hopewell, Flemington, Lambertville, and New Hope.”

Otto and Maria Zizak are proud that they have the opportunity to offer customers fresh, quality food from nearby farms, including their own.

“I love to cook, and it is a pleasure to serve our customers,” says Maria. “We feel we are a real part of the community, and can truly get to know people. We hope everyone will come and enjoy our food and spend time with us.”

“We’ve had this dream to have our own farm and restaurant, with real farm-to-table service,” adds Otto, who is involved in every aspect of the business. “I came to this town unknown, and have been able to acquire the farm, open the restaurants, and try to make a difference, providing people with good food. This is magical for us, and there is a lot to look forward to.”

For further information, call (609) 388-7333. Visit the website at ottoburger.com.

—Jean Stratton

SUCCESS STORY: “We are looking forward to getting back to our original concept and vision of Ottoburger. We will offer accessible value-based real food, with friendly service in an informal, down-to-earth atmosphere.” Maria and Otto Zizak are shown in the new location of Ottoburger, their popular restaurant, which will also have some surprises in its spacious location.

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Mitchell Helps PU Women’s Hoops Roll to Ivy Title, Tigers to Face West Virginia in NCAA 1st Round Clash

With the Princeton University women’s basketball team clinging to a 57-54 lead against Penn in the Ivy Madness postseason tournament last Friday, Ellie Mitchell put her body on the line to help the Tigers.

Princeton senior forward Mitchell hustled to the baseline and took a charge from Jordan Obi, sprawling to the floor as the Tigers regained possession. Madison St. Rose went on to make two free throws for Princeton to close the deal in a 59-54 win.

For Mitchell, the threetime Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year, leaving it on the floor was business as usual for her.

“At the end of the day, no matter how the game is going, we are going to grit it out,” said Mitchell, a 6’1 native of Chevy Chase, Md. “We are going to have each other’s backs. We are going to trust in our defense and that is what got it done.”

Showing her grit, Mitchell pulled down 12 rebounds in the win. In so doing, Mitchell moved to 1,100 rebounds in her career, the most in Princeton history, male or female.

“It is really special, it is cool to have my name in conversation with all of the greats who have come before me,” said Mitchell, who surpassed the previous mark of 1,099 held by Margaret Meier ’78. (The legendary Bill Bradley ’65 holds the men’s career record with 1,008.) “It is also a team accomplishment in a sense, it is not a one-player job.”

A day later, Princeton defeated second-seeded and host Columbia 75-58 in the final to win its fifth straight Ivy Madness title and earn the league’s automatic berth to the NCAA tournament.

“The last game that we had there, we didn’t play very well and lost by two (67-65 on February 24),” said Mitchell, who had a double-double in the title game with 12 points and 10 rebounds as the Tigers improved to 25-4 overall.

“Columbia is a great team. It wasn’t our best basketball before with Penn so we came back and focused. It is always about us. We wanted to give our best effort and play the way we are capable of. It was really exciting. Defense always fuels our offense, we got stops. We were all on the same page, shooting the ball well. Everyone was firing on all cylinders.”

To open play in the NCAA tourney, the Tigers will head to Iowa City, Iowa, where they are seeded ninth in the Albany 2 Region and will face eighth-seeded West Virginia (24-7 overall, 12-6 Big 12) in a first round contest on Match 23. The victor faces the daunting prospect of a second round matchup two days later against topseeded Iowa and its record breaking superstar Caitlin Clark, who will play the victor of No. 16s Holy Cross/ UT Martin who are playing a First Four game.

Beating Columbia on its

home court in the final to earn the Ivy Madness title was a good test for the Tigers heading into the NCAAs.

“It is really special, it is really great to be able to continue the legacy from the past,” said Mitchell. “It never gets old. Our fans were great, we had a huge turnout. That made a big difference. It is tough to play in that gym, they always pack it with a lot of fans.”

In reflecting on Princeton’s success this winter, Mitchell cited the squad’s ability and unity.

“I think it is really unique that we are such a young team; we have so much talent and they are very confident and composed,” said Mitchell. “Sometimes it takes years for that to develop. Our team is very close. We have great team chemistry, we have a lot of a fun. You play your best basketball when you are playing with your best friends. It makes it easy.”

Mitchell is hoping to have fun on a return trip to Iowa as Princeton lost 77-75 in overtime to the Hawkeyes on November 20, 2019 during her first college season.

“My freshman year we played at Iowa, actually that was our only loss that season,” said Mitchell. “It was just me and the coaching staff because everybody is gone now. It was a good game. I don’t know much about West Virginia. We are both close in the seeding, it should be a good game. We are excited, it should be a good atmosphere.”

Winning NCAA first round games the last two seasons, topping Kentucky 69-62 in 2022 and N.C. State 6463 in 2023, the Tigers can draw on that experience this weekend in Iowa City.

“It is different because a lot of these girls are young and are necessarily in the roles that they were in the past or they are freshmen,” said Mitchell. “Being able to look back on what we achieved in the past is a boost of confidence. Ivy League basketball is great, we can handle these big programs. Anything is possible, it is March. Our staff does a great job, they are all over it. They are really good at preparing us.”

With Princeton falling just short of advancing to the Sweet 16, losing second round nail-biters to Indiana in 2022 (56-55) and Utah in 2023 (63-56), Mitchell is hoping the Tigers can take the next step.

“We have had games in the past where we have had ups and downs throughout the game,” said Mitchell. “We need to piece together a full 40 minutes. On defense, we all have to be on the same page and communicating. We are at our best when we are sharing the ball, any one of the five can score.”

Princeton head coach Carla Berube acknowledged that Penn gave the Tigers a hard game to start their postseason run.

“They were aggressive, they were tough,” said Berube. “They just made it really

difficult for us. It was hard playing them days after we had faced them. They made some big plays down the stretch and cut it to three.”

Mitchell’s toughness down the stretch helped Princeton pull out the win.

“Ellie takes a charge, the timing of that one was pretty big, that is the Defensive Player of the Year,” said Berube. “That wasn’t our best game. But to survive and move on and play in the championship game, we just got it together on Saturday in a timely fashion.”

Berube sees Mitchell’s rebound record as a testament to her intense play.

“It is an amazing accomplishment, deservedly so that she is now at the top of the record books here,” said Berube. “She is that blue collar worker. She puts her body on the line defensively for rebounds, for loose balls. She impacts the game in so many ways. You just want that kind of player on your team that is going to get you extra possessions and is going to fight tooth and nail for every defensive board so your opponent doesn’t get those second chance opportunities. I am really proud of her.”

The performance by the Tigers in the win over Columbia in the title game made Berube proud as well.

“We just locked in on Saturday morning during shootaround, during film,” said Berube, whose senior guard Kaitlyn Chen was named the Most Outstanding Player of Ivy Madness and was joined on the All-Tournament Team by sophomore guard St. Rose. “I saw in their eyes that they wanted to win this championship. Everybody just played really, played together. The defense was clicking, we were communicating well. We were sharing the ball well on offense. We were not as patient and poised on Friday, we turned that around on Saturday.”

Winning the program’s fifth straight Ivy Madness title was special for Berube.

“It is so exciting, it is our third as a staff,” said Berube. “It says a lot about the legacy that we have here. Many great teams have come before this team, you want to keep winning. There is that tradition of excellence within our program, but also within Princeton athletics. It never gets old. It is an amazing feeling to cut down those nets.”

Berube has had an amazing experience coaching this year’s group.

“They are just a lot of fun to be around; for our sophomores, juniors and seniors who started this journey in Barcelona and Greece in August, they have been together for quite a while,” said Berube. “Then we added this amazing freshman class. We haven’t skipped a beat. They are a lot of fun to coach, they work really hard at practice every day. For the young players, I think the upperclassmen really take them under their wing and just mesh really well together. It is a joy to coach them every day.”

THE RECORD:

Continuing that journey in Iowa City will be fun for the Tigers.

“We are excited to be back there, we were there our first year; it was a tough game, we were right there at the end,” said Berube, whose team will get a tough challenge in the first round from a West Virginia squad that averages 74.6 points and causes 24.0 turnovers a game and spent nine weeks in the Top 25 this season. “We will get to know West Virginia here quickly. They play in the Big 12. We have a common opponent in Oklahoma that they have played.”

The potential matchup against Iowa and national sensation Clark, who has scored the most career points, male or female, in NCAA history, with 3,771 and is averaging 31.9 points a game this season would be a bit of a reunion for Berube.

“I got to coach Caitlin Clark with USA basketball back in 2017, she was 14 or 15 on the under-16 national team,” said Berube. “It is exciting. She is one of the best basketball players in the country and the world. What she has been doing for this game has been amazing. I am looking forward to hopefully getting the chance to play her.”

Princeton’s first round success under Berube gives it self-belief heading into the weekend.

“It is preparation, confidence, you know how to get the job done,” said Berube. “We won’t let the moment be too big for us. We are just

excited to get out of the Ivy League and play somebody else. It will be quite a challenge, but we are looking forward to that. We have had success but we are not going to rest on what we have done in the past. The lessons that we learned, the experience, and how it all goes helps.”

In order to make the jump to the Sweet 16, Princeton needs to stay in the moment.

“I don’t think it is any one thing with the matchups, Utah was a really great team and two years ago Indiana was amazing,” said Berube.

“It is not something that we need to do differently, it is just stick to who we are and

be as prepared as we possibly can. It is make sure if we do get past the first game to rest up and be ready for that second game if we are lucky enough to get there.” Michell, for her part, is prepared to put it all on the line. “This is my last go, it is bittersweet,” said Mitchell. “A lot of teams don’t get this opportunity, so we are very grateful for that and very cognizant of it. Obviously I want to stretch it out as long as I can. I think everyone feels the same way. We have worked really hard throughout the year. We are looking forward to it, I think it will be good.”

—Bill Alden

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Princeton University women’s basketball player Ellie Mitchell, left, hauls in a rebound in recent action. Last Friday, senior forward Mitchell had 12 rebounds to help topseeded Princeton defeat fourth-seeded Penn 59-54 in the semis of the Ivy Madness postseason tournament. In so doing, Mitchell moved to 1,100 rebounds in her career, the most in Princeton history, male or female. A day later, the Tigers defeated second-seeded and host Columbia 7558 in the final. Princeton, now 25-4 overall, will be playing in the NCAA tournament where it is seeded ninth in the Albany 2 Region and will face No. 8 West Virginia (24-7 overall, 12-6 Big 12) in Iowa City on March 23. The winner will take on the victor of No 1 Iowa and No. 16s Holy Cross/UT Martin who play a First Four game in the second round. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

After Getting Stunned by Brown in Ivy Madness Semis, PU Men’s Hoops Aims to Rebound as it Hosts UNLV in NIT

Mitch Henderson has fond memories of the last time that he played UNLV.

The Princeton University men’s basketball head coach is hoping his Tigers can make good memories against the Runnin’ Rebels when they host them in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) this Wednesday night, March 20, at Jadwin Gym.

“It’s a testament to the seniors that the country and committee recognized the value and excellence of what they’ve done to give us a home game,” said Henderson. “We absolutely love being able to compete again together. We had our moment of feeling a little down, but we’re beyond that and we get to host a game on Wednesday against a good UNLV team. We’re absolutely thrilled.”

The Tigers had hoped to be playing in the NCAA tournament, but a 90-81 upset loss to fourth-seeded Brown in the Ivy Madness postseason tournament on Saturday at host Columbia ended their chance at an automatic bid to the NCAAs. Princeton did not receive an at-large bid to the NCAAs despite an RPI (rating percentage index) of 24, but the chance to play in the NIT as a No. 2 seed at home is a silver lining.

“You say goodbye to your home court on your last home game, that’s it,” said Henderson. “We anticipated being in the NCAAs, but what a cool thing for our seniors and our fans and our program. We’re really thrilled to still be competing, and getting a chance to do that at Jadwin in front of our own fans is special.”

The winner of Wednesday’s game meets the winner of Providence and Boston College in the second round on March 23-24. The semis are set for April 2, with the final slate for April 4 in Hinkle Fieldhouse at Butler University in Indianapolis, Ind. ESPN analyst Tom Crean, a former Division I coach, on air picked the Tigers to win it all there.

“It’s great,” said Henderson. “That’s a testament to the guys and their body of work over time. I love it and I love that a former coach is recognizing what these guys have done. It means a lot.”

Princeton will take on a UNLV team, now 19-12 overall, that finished fourth in the Mountain West Conference. They have fi ve players that average double digits in scoring led by Dedan Thomas Jr.’s 14.1 points per game. The Runnin’ Rebels beat NCAA tournament teams Stetson, Creighton, New Mexico, San Diego State, and Akron, and lost to another, Saint Mary’s, in overtime.

“They have really athletic, long defenders and players,” said Henderson. “They have really good players. They play in a really tough Mountain West Conference with some NCAA tournament caliber teams. What also stands out is we don’t know each other very well yet. And what’s kind of the fun here is we’re going to be a little behind on some of the things they do, and probably the same for us with them. So that’s fun.”

Henderson was a senior on the 1998 team that topped UNLV 69-57 at the Hartford

Civic Center in Hartford, Conn., in the fi rst round of the NCAA tournament. The Tigers were higher seed in that game as well.

“I remember that game really well,” said Henderson. “We were a 5 seed. I think they had won the Mountain West Conference tournament to get an automatic qualifying bid. We got up by seveneight points in the first half. I remember they were a really talented team and it was fun to play them. We also played them I think when Kit Mueller was the center and they had those great UNLV teams in maybe’90 or ’91. That was a good team and those UNLV teams were terrifi c. There’s some history to the game which is fun.”

Last Saturday at Columbia’s Levien Gym, the Tigers became the first top seed to lose in the semifi nals of the Ivy tournament when the Bears won their seventh straight game before falling to second-seeded Yale in the Ivy title game Sunday. Princeton was plagued early by miscues and finished with 11 turnovers, while Brown shot the ball well all game.

“We turned the ball over early which was dangerous,” said Henderson. “We played the hottest team in the league on a neutral court. They were really on fire.”

Princeton fell behind, 4431, at halftime. The defi cit swelled to 22 points only three minutes into the second half before the Tigers mounted a comeback behind reserve Dalen Davis. The freshman guard scored all of his team-high 21 points in the second half as Princeton whittled away at Brown’s lead.

“He was great,” said Henderson. “He was awesome. He was a real bright spot. I’m happy for him. He saved us. He put us on his back as a freshman. He looked like a senior.”

Princeton went to a fullcourt press effectively over the final half of the game and it paid off. They made it diffi cult for Brown to get the ball inbounds even, and they preyed on missed free throws by the Bears to give themselves a chance late. Princeton could only second-guess if they might have pulled it out had they gone to the press sooner.

“I thought we could gather ourselves in the second half, and we cut it to 18 quickly

and then it was 22,” said Henderson. “We’ve not been down like that, and we got beat up pretty good at Cornell but we played 28 games and we’ve had great fight and togetherness. Tonight, we were a step off at all spots. Maybe that’s my fault.”

With 2:00 left, Princeton trailed 81-74 when they got a steal and Blake Peters and Davis missed 3-pointers that could have made it a fourpoint game with still 1:37 to go. They still looked in decent shape when Matt Allocco’s 3-pointer with 45 seconds left in regulation brought Princeton to within 84-81, but Brown’s Kino Lilly, who led all scorers with 27 points, made two free throws and the Tigers got no closer.

“It’s a neutral court against the hottest team in the league,” said Henderson. “We went down. We have a hell of a team. I’m so proud of them. I hope this doesn’t take away from them. It’s very, very difficult. We’ve had a great run with this group of seniors.”

Allocco finished with 20 points while Ivy League Player of the Year Caden Pierce had 19 points as Princeton dropped to 24-4 on the season.

The painful aftermath and knowing that the Tigers would not have a chance to duplicate last year’s NCAA run to the Sweet 16 made the loss sting harder, particularly for Allocco and Zach Martini, who were facing their fi nal games.

“I said to Zach and Mush (Allocco), I’ve never been more proud of two seniors that epitomize Princeton basketball, everything that we care about and stand for, the daily work ethic,” said Henderson. “I hope that they can get over this and realize the legacy and impact that they’ve made for us. This is really, really difficult for us.”

The NIT bid gives the Tigers new life and the chance to go for another championship. Princeton looks to get back on track and extend its season with a win on Wednesday.

“We’ve done such a good job of taking care of the ball on the season,” said Henderson. “That’ll be No. 1 just because they’re so fast and athletic. And then playing our game, be us. This is what got us here and we want to make sure we’re the best version of us.”

—Justin Feil

BEARING DOWN: Princeton University men’s basketball player Dalen Davis dribbles upcourt in recent action. Last Saturday, freshman guard Davis scored a team-high 21 points in a losing cause as top-seeded Princeton fell 90-81 to fourth-seeded Brown in the semifinals of the Ivy Madness postseason tournament at Columbia. The Tigers, who dropped to 24-4 with the loss to the Bears, will be competing in the National Invitation Tournament where they will host UNLV in a first round contest on March 20.

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Freshman Midfielder Wade Steps Up with 4 Goals, But PU Men’s Lax Falls to Cornell on Last-Second Tally

Tucker Wade broke into the starting lineup for the Princeton University men’s lacrosse team in the sixth game this season and is making the most of the opportunity.

After tallying two assists in five games off the bench to start his career, freshman midfielder Wade scored two goals in a 14-8 win over Rutgers on March 10 in his first college start.

“It is always exciting to play more and be a part of this program,” said Wade, a 6’0, 195-pound native of Bethesda, Md. “I wouldn’t want to do it with any other team.”

Last Sunday as No. 13 Princeton hosted No. 15 Cornell in the Ivy League opener for both teams, Wade scored a game-high four goals, but it wasn’t enough as the Tigers fell 15-14 on a last-second goal in an exciting topsyturvy contest that was tied 8-8 at halftime and 12-12 entering the fourth quarter.

While Wade is happy to take a bigger role, his focus is on fitting in with the team.

“It is really about the whole team,” said Wade. “When we are playing our best, it is never about one player.”

In the early going Sunday, the Tigers weren’t playing their best as they trailed 8-2 early in the second quarter.

Despite the deficit, Princeton was unfazed.

“We had trust, it was still early in the game,” said Wade. “You are going to be down at some point in the game. It is always a game of runs so you can’t get too high or too low.”

With Wade scoring two goals, Princeton got on a run, scoring six unanswered goals to end the second quarter and make it an 8-8 game.

“That was definitely helpful,” said Wade, reflecting on the spurt. “We were getting shots and they finally started falling. That was good.”

Wade was happy to see his shots fall. “It is always good to see it go in, it is a result of all of the other guys drawing slides,” said Wade. “Today it was me on that end but it could be anybody.”

The Tigers got up 12-8

early in the third quarter as their run extended to 10-0 but Cornell responded with four unanswered goals to knot the contest at 12-12.

“We know what kind of a team they are, they are a great team,” said Wade. “We came back and had a six-goal run and we came out hot in the third quarter. We wished we kept it going. We had a couple of failed clears and that really helped turn the tide for them.”

Things are coming tougher for Wade as he has adjusted to the college game.

“It is a much quicker game and it is lot more of a team sport,” said Wade. “In high school, it is more individual guys. The best teams work together so making sure that everyone is flowing well is the biggest thing on offense.”

With Princeton having the No. 1 freshman class in the country according to Inside Lacrosse, Wade and his classmates are getting into the flow. Freshman attackers Nate Kabiri and Colin Burns have been starters since day one and Cooper Mueller has

been seeing action at shortstick midfielder.

“We have a bunch of talented freshman — a lot of guys haven’t seen the field yet that are incredibly talented and could easily move into one of these roles,” said Wade. “We like to think that we are starting to build something here and we are just excited to keep it going.”

Princeton head coach Matt Madalon credited Wade with earning a key role in the midfield.

“He has done a nice job all week in practice so he has earned that role up there,” said Madalon. “He shoots the ball really well on the run.”

Madalon acknowledged that the Tigers misfired in the early stages of the clash with the Big Red.

“We really just tried to settle into our game, I think we just had careless turnovers early on,” said Madalon. “Clearing was unfortunate today. There were system failures and individual failures. We just gave those guys too many possessions down the stretch.”

After building the 12-8 lead, Princeton faltered down the stretch.

“It is 12-8 and then we throw the clear away and the next thing you know it is 1212,” said Madalon. “It was the same story all day. We have to be more buttoned up on clearing and we have to

prepare our team better. You just have to play 60 minutes, we probably played about 35 minutes today.”

With Princeton, now 4-3 overall and 0-1 Ivy and ranked No. 14, playing at No. 16 Harvard (6-1 overall, 0-1 Ivy) this Saturday, Madalon will be looking for his players to be more buttoned up.

“They are a great team, that is going to be a big one for us,” said Madalon. “We have a lot of work to do.”

In Wade’s view, the loss to Cornell shows that the Tigers have a lot of room to grow.

“The real positive is that we didn’t play our best, that is the way we like to look at it,” said Wade. “If we play our best hopefully, there is a different outcome. We have to clean things up.”

—Bill Alden

Tell them you saw their ad in

TUCKING IN: Princeton University men’s lacrosse player Tucker Wade races upfield in recent action. Last Sunday, freshman midfielder Wade scored a career-high four goals but it wasn’t enough as No. 13 Princeton got edged 15-14 by No. 15 Cornell on a last second goal in the Ivy League opener for both teams. The Tigers, now 4-3 overall and 0-1 Ivy, play at Harvard (6-1 overall, 0-1 Ivy) on March 23. (Photo by Steven Wojtowicz)

Princeton Men’s Hockey Announces Coaching Change

Princeton University Director of Athletics John Mack ’00 made a change in leadership within the Princeton men’s ice hockey program last Monday, announcing that Ron Fogarty will not return as head coach.

Fogarty concluded his 10th year as head coach of the Tigers this winter and finishes with an overall record of 90-169-27 in his Princeton tenure. The Tigers went 10-16-4 in 202324 and were eliminated by Harvard in the first round of the ECAC Hockey playoffs. In 2018, he guided Princeton to the ECAC Championship and a berth in the NCAA Tournament.

A national search for the next head coach of Tiger men’s ice hockey will begin immediately.

Tiger Women’s Golf Competes at Tulane Event

Victoria Liu starred as the Princeton University women’s golf team competed in the Tulane Classic at the English Turn Golf And Country Club in New Orleans, La., earlier this month.

Junior Liu placed third individually, carding an even par score of 216 for the three-round event that took place from March 10-12.

Princeton placed 16th in the team standings with an overall score of a +75 939. Colorado State placed first at +18.

In upcoming action, the Tigers will be competing in the Wolfpack Match Play from April 8-9 at the Lonnie Poole Golf Course in Raleigh, N.C.

PU Men’s Volleyball Defeats FDU 3-2

Sparked by Ben Harrington, the Princeton University men’s volleyball team defeated Fairleigh Dickinson University 3-2 last Friday.

Senior Harrington piled up 25 kills to help the Tigers prevail 25-18, 19-25, 20-25, 26-24, 15-8.

Princeton, now 9-9, plays at NJIT on March 23.

Princeton Baseball Goes 1-3 at VCU

Scoring 26 runs in four games, the Princeton University baseball team went 1-3 in a four-game set at Virginia Commonwealth University last weekend in Richmond, Va.

The Tigers started the weekend by losing 11-7 on Friday.

A day later, Princeton got swept in a doubleheader, falling 7-1 and 6-3.

The Tigers ended the weekend with a bang, posting a 15-11 win over the Rams on Sunday as Jake Koonin powered the batting attack with two homers and six RBIs.

Princeton, now 4-12, starts Ivy League action by hosting Cornell for a doubleheader on March 23 and a single game on March 24.

Tiger Softball

Tops UC San Diego

Lauren Sablone’s clutch hitting helped the Princeton University softball team defeat UC San Diego last Wednesday.

Junior outfielder Sablone went 2-for-3 with two RBIs as the Tigers improved to 9-7.

Princeton will get its Ivy League campaign underway this weekend when it heads to Columbia for a doubleheader on March 23 and a single game on March 24.

Women’s Water Polo Loses to No. 1 UCLA

Kate Mallery played well in a losing cause as the No. 8 Princeton University women’s water polo team fell 10-6 at No. 1 UCLA last Saturday.

Junior Mallery talked two goals for the Tigers, who moved to 14-6 with the defeat.

Coming back east, Princeton hosts Iona on March 20.

Tiger Men’s Hockey Has 4 Make All-Ivy

A quartet of Princeton University men’s hockey players were named last week as All-Ivy League performers for the 2023-24 campaign.

Princeton senior defenseman Nick Carabin was a first-team selection while senior forwards Nick Seitz and Ian Murphy were named as second-team All-Ivy performers and freshman goalie Arthur Smith was an honorable mention All-Ivy selection. The All-Ivy awards are determined by a vote of the Ivy coaches and center on league games.

Carabin had 10 points in 10 Ivy games, tallying three goals and seven assists. Seitz led the Tigers in scoring during Ivy games, scoring 13 points on two goals and 11 assists. He was also chosen as Princeton’s Academic All-Ivy selection. Murphy led Princeton in goals against Ivy opponents with

five and also added seven assists. Smith was 5-1-0 in goal against Ivy opponents with a 2.26 GAA and a .926 save percentage.

Princeton Football’s Travis Receives Citizenship Award

Princeton University football senior star offensive lineman Jalen Travis has been named the male collegiate recipient of the 2024 Athletes For A Better World Coach Wooden Citizenship Cup.

The Coach Wooden Citizenship Cup is presented to six distinguished athletes from any sport — male/ female high school, male/ female intercollegiate, and male/female professional — who best display character, teamwork, and citizenship, the attributes Athletes for a Better World deems central to transforming individuals, sport, and society.

The award recognizes the recipients as athletes of excellence both on and off the field, role models both as performers and persons, the most important and distinctive honor athletes can achieve. It is named in honor of legendary UCLA men’s basketball coach John Wooden and was first presented in 2005. Travis is the fourth Ivy Leaguer and first Princetonian to receive this award.

“Receiving the Coach Wooden Citizenship Cup is truly a dream come true,” said Travis. “To be recognized as embodying the legacy of one of the greatest leaders sports have ever seen, I am extremely humbled. Thank you to Athletes for a Better World for this incredible honor and your

KARI OUT: Princeton University women’s lacrosse player Kari Buonanno, left, sprints past a foe in recent action. Last Saturday senior midfielder Buonanno starred as Princeton defeated Jacksonville 16-11. Buonanno tallied three goals in the win and scooped up five ground balls along with two caused turnovers and two draw controls. She was later named the Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week. The No. 19 Tigers, now 4-3, host Cornell on March 23. (Photo by Steven Wojtowicz)

dedication to recognizing and supporting athletes who are using their platforms to leave a positive impact on this world.”

The award will be presented in a ceremony to be held on April 25 at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta.

Princeton football head coach Bob Surace lauded Travis for his character and selflessness.

“I have the utmost respect for John Wooden as a leader of young men and champion of what is right in sports and in society. To have the opportunity to celebrate Jalen Travis for receiving this award with Coach Wooden’s name on it is special,” said Surace. “The class with which Jalen carries himself and the pride he takes in lifting up those

around him — whether it is those feeling prejudice in his home town, his fellow student-athletes in need, or a group of pre-teens from Trenton who just want to see that someone who looks like them can achieve, serve and lead at a place like Princeton — Jalen is truly a man for others who embodies Princeton’s own motto of ‘In the nation’s service and the service of humanity’ on a daily basis.”

Travis forged that path by founding the nonprofit The Just Action Coalition, which aimed at promoting substantive youth engagement in policy-level advocacy on the local and state levels in Minnesota. Since then, he has interned in the Washington, D.C., office of U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, and he was a 2022 recipient

of the Leonard D. Schaeffer Fellowship in Government Service.

On campus, Travis is codirector of Minority Pre-Law Association, a Student-Athlete Wellness Leader and a member of the StudentAthlete Service Council. He is also a liaison for Princeton’s Advocacy and Activism Student Board at the John H. Pace, Jr. ’39 Center for Civic Engagement and an advisory board member for the Program for Community-Engaged Scholarship (ProCES).

In April, Travis was one of 62 students from around the country awarded a Truman Scholarship which provides funding for graduate school along with professional development opportunities to prepare for careers in public service.

With Young Players Gaining Valuable Experience, PDS Boys’ Hoops Has Solid Foundation in Place

It turned out to be a season of growth for the Princeton Day School boys’ basketball team as its lineup featured young players in key roles.

In reflecting on the campaign which saw three freshmen, a sophomore, and two juniors see the bulk of playing time, PDS head coach Eugene Burroughs liked the way youth was served this winter.

“I think my kids did a great job of progressing throughout the year,” said Burroughs, whose team posted a 7-16 record and made the Prep B state semis. “When you look at our scores and watch how we played earlier in the year, it was more focused on playing hard and competing. Then we shifted into the next phase, defending and rebounding at a good level. We improved in that area and then we shifted to focusing on offense.

The kids did a great job locking into those areas. I was proud of our team to see the development and the growth for the younger guys.”

The squad’s three key freshmen, Gary Jennings, Julian Davis, and Onyx Oschwald, showed plenty of development.

“When you come from eighth grade basketball and you are playing varsity basketball, they had to just grow and adapt because the game is a little bit faster, way more physical and way more demanding,” said Burroughs. “For me as a coach, it is trying to get them to do things consistently and develop those habits that it takes to be successful.”

Jennings proved to be a consistent threat as a point guard, leading the Panthers with 213 points.

“Gary found a way to put the ball in the basket, he has a knack of finding ways to score,” said Burroughs. “He was a guy that was thrown into that point guard role. He had some good games and some bad games, which was expected. Offensively he did some great things. For him, it is just growing and developing the other aspects of the game, making plays for his teammates, handling pressure — the things that come with being a primary ball handler at the high school level.”

Emerging as a versatile performer, Davis scored 134 points and grabbed 103 rebounds.

“Julian evolved as the year went on, I think he was really coming into his own,” said Burroughs. “When we hit the midway mark of the season, you could see his scoring pick up. He became more consistent. As the year went on, he got more comfortable which is important. I think the kid has a great ceiling. He hasn’t even scratched the surface of what he could become as a basketball player.”

Oschwald gave PDS an inside presence with his gritty play. “Onyx was just solid, he is learning his way on the court and what he is going to do well,” said Burroughs of Oschwald, who scored 51 points with 75 rebounds and 24 assists. “He had some great games where he rebounded the ball well. He played well defensively. As he progresses, the offensive side of the game is going to come for him. He is going to make more plays. I love the fact that he is an unselfish player, he loves to pass the ball.”

After emerging as a sharpshooter from the perimeter last winter, sophomore guard Jordan Owens diversified his game this season.

“Jordan had a really good year, his role changed,” said Burroughs of Owens, who scored 212 points despite missing several games due to injury. “Last year he was a kid we saw spot up and shoot threes. The Jadens (senior stars Jaden Hall and Jaden Dublin) would find him for kick-out threes. This year, he had to create offense a little more off the dribble and fit in the pass. He got to the rim a lot more this year than he did previously which was good to see; that is the next phase of his game. You know he can

shoot the ball but now you have to be worried about him attacking and getting into the paint.”

Playing Harder, Smarter Down the Stretch, Stuart Basketball Ended Season with a Bang

Displaying an attacking mentality, junior guard Adam Stewart picked up his offense, scoring 187 points and getting 110 rebounds.

“Adam had a good year too, defensively we know he is always going to compete and play hard,” said Burroughs.

“He had some great offensive games this year. He had some good games, just being scrappy, driving the ball to the rim, and making plays. He really had a solid year for us, hopefully he builds on that next year.”

After being sidelined for the first month of the season, junior Abdoulaye Seydi returned to provide PDS with some scrappy play.

“His impact for us was definitely in the defensive end of the floor,” said Burroughs of Seydi who totaled 91 points and 56 rebounds this season.

“His energy, his ability to block shots, defend, and get some rebounds was something that we needed to help us hit another stride. In the middle part of the year, I think a game or two where he had 14 points. His defense was something that really stood out for this team.”

Seniors Sebastian Rzeczycki, Thomas Poljevka, and Matt Whittaker along with sophomores Aiden Luciano, Danny Rozenblat and freshman Matthew Silverman gave the Panthers some good work off the bench.

“Seb, Thomas, and Matt were just great in their roles,” said Burroughs. “Aiden had some early minutes. Danny had a really good year for a kid that practiced with varsity last year but was a JV player. He had a great summer. For him to come in and give some minutes and hit 11 threes, that was tremendous. He was probably the most improved player in our program. Matthew had some really good games for us. For a kid that didn’t think he would be on varsity to make the varsity and also earn playing time was great to see. I am curious and excited to see his growth over the next year and how he improves.”

Burroughs is excited to see what his squad can do collectively next winter.

“It is all about the growth piece for those guys to get better and improve,” said Burroughs. “I think this group will be able to start a little faster because this past year our freshmen were learning from scratch. Next season, they should be a little more in sync with what we do and how we play. Hopefully things slow down a little bit for them. I think we did some great things. It was a year of growth and to see where we are at and where we need to get to.”

After taking some lumps as they grew, the Panthers should benefit from that experience.

“Other teams, attritionwise, will lose guys, we are bringing guys back,” said Burroughs. “That is something that will hopefully help us. As teams lose their older guys, we are bringing our younger guys back. We are really heavy on the other end. For those schools, those other freshmen and sophomores were playing JV.”

—Bill Alden

While the Stuart Country Day School basketball team got off to a shaky start this winter, the Tartans ended the season with a bang.

Stuart lost two of its first three games and had a 3-7 record in early February, but ended the campaign with three straight lopsided wins.

Tartan head coach Tony Bowman acknowledged that his squad was out of synch in the early going this winter.

“We went up to Lawrenceville and a couple of other schools and I don’t think we played as well as we should have,” said Bowman. “We didn’t play smart basketball and we didn’t move fast enough. We were a slower team in most of these cases.”

The Tartans got up to speed down the stretch, topping Central Jersey College Charter 74-21, Noor-ul-iman 74-23, and STEMCivics 6926 in their last three games to finish the winter at 6-7.

“They came around, they got themselves together,” said Bowman. “They played harder for the last five, six games.”

Sophomore star forward Taylor States played really well all season long.

“Taylor averaged 20 points, 12 boards, it was a double-double as a sophomore,” said Bowman. “I am looking to increase those numbers. It was a little bit more aggression — following rebounds and looking for her shot. She didn’t look for her shot last season as much as she did this year. She didn’t have a problem with being asked to shoot more and she did.”

The squad’s trio of veterans, junior Annarose Bourgoin, sophomore Abby Chirik, and junior Rachel Enimil-Ashun, showed aggression as well.

“Annarose is probably my smartest player on the team. She comes to practice,

she really works hard, and wants more information,” said Bowman. “Abby ended up shooting very, very well and looking for her shot. She had some decent games. Rachel was who I needed her to be at this time. She is a good rebounder and works hard.”

The Tartans boasted a quintet of freshmen — Hadassah Broughton, Myah Chennault, Ty’Ani Jones, Betsy Murphy, and Celia Struve-Auletta — who got some good minutes this winter.

“Hadassah was probably my most aggressive player,” said Bowman. “Myah is one of my better rebounders and she is my best shot blocker. She is one of the quickest players on the team as well. Ty’Ani is probably my best outside three-point shooter — she is quick as well. I am looking to get her to do more. Betsy has done well, she started off a little hesitant now she has got her big man moves down. She has bought into the system as well. She was showing promise and getting rebounds. Celia works hard every day. She comes to practice early, leaves late. She is a sponge. She is a kid that wants to work hard and find out what she can do.”

Looking to build on the late surge, the Stuart players are showing commitment over the offseason.

“Anybody who is not playing now is in weight training, we already started,” said Bowman. “Everybody will be playing or working out all summer.”

Bowman is confident that work will pay off next winter.

“I am happy about what is going to happen this next year if all of the kids come back and everybody is healthy,” said Bowman. “Everybody is gung ho about playing and ready to play next year. We are in a happy place.”

—Bill Alden

MAKING A STATEMENT: Stuart Country Day School basketball player Taylor States dribbles past a foe in a game this winter. Sophomore forward States averaged 20 points and 12 rebounds this season in helping Stuart go 6-7. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

JORDAN RULES: Princeton Day School boys’ basketball player Jordan Owens heads to the rim in a game this winter. Sophomore guard Owens scored 212 points this season to help the Panthers go 7-16.

(Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

The Program in Creative Writing presents

Althea Ward Clark W’21

Making Huge Progress in 2nd Season Back Wrestling, Princeton Resident Renda Made

Will Renda enjoyed competing for the Princeton Amateur Wrestling Society (PAWS) as a grade schooler, but he eventually got away from the mat.

The versatile Renda focused on football, lacrosse, and basketball in middle school before entering Notre Dame High in 2021.

But as he worked out after his freshman football season at Notre Dame, Princeton resident Renda started thinking about returning to the mat.

“I would be downstairs in the weight room lifting and I would see the team working out,” recalled Renda. “I was itching to wrestle; I was like, ‘Sophomore year I will try it out.’”

Renda followed through on that renewed interest and joined the Notre Dame wrestling squad for the 2022-23 season. As Renda transitioned back to the sport, he took his lumps.

“Getting back into it was an adjustment, I made my fair share of beginning mistakes,” said Renda.

Learning from those mistakes, Renda went on to place third at 215 pounds in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) District 24 tournament.

“That was big, it all stems from the program that we are trying to build at Notre Dame,” said Renda, who went on to lose in the first round of the NJSIAA Region 6 tournament to finish the season with a 17-9 record. “We have 6 a.m. practices all of the time. Most days out of the week, I am getting two workouts a day. It was working out all of the kinks, making sure I scout my opponent. That is a huge element of my success.”

Heading into this winter, Renda was determined to build on that success.

“At the end of last season, I took a pair of my old shoes and I wrote down goals,” said Renda. “I wanted to get 25plus wins, I want to be a state qualifier.”

Continuing his rapid progress, Renda achieved both of those goals, going 35-7 this winter and ending his season competing in the (NJSIAA) Boys Wrestling State Championships in Atlantic City.

“We got them, both of those things,” said Renda. “It comes down to working hard every single day in the room.”

Losing in the Region tourney as a sophomore helped motivate Renda to put in extra work.

“The level from districts to regions, that step, I thought this is where I need to be next year,” said Renda. “I just worked out a bunch, I was constantly thinking about wrestling. I wrestled with my buddies. We did some Notre Dame clinics and I always participated in those.”

In order to reach a higher level, Renda made a key technical adjustment.

“This year it was all on feet, it was just developing one good move from the neutral position,” said Renda. “In my weight class, it will skyrocket you. It will help so much to get those first two points.”

Renda’s development helped him win the NJSIAA District 21 title at 215, pinning Dream Hemingway of Steinert in the final.

States

“That was a huge accomplishment for me, I took my opportunity in the finals,” said Renda. “I got to wrestle somebody who gave me one of my first losses of the season and knocked me out of MCTs so that was very personal for me.”

In the NJSIAA Region 6 tourney, Renda topped Hemingway in the quarterfinal round and won a thirdplace consolation match with a pin of Manalapan’s Sergey Zavalnik to punch his ticket to Atlantic City.

“That was like a great moment between me and my coach (EJ Nemeth),” said Renda, reflecting on making states. “It was look, these kids are all good. You can’t go out there and wrestle scared. You have to go out there and try to score on every single guy. If you are scoring points, you are going to win the match. You just have to go out there aggressive. You can’t be thinking these guys are bigger than you or older than you. You have got to go out there and wrestle.”

For Renda, the electrifying vibe in Boardwalk Hall surrounding the state event was inspiring.

“It was amazing, it took my breath away,” said Renda, who was seeded 21st at 215.

“As someone who plays three sports, I live for the competition. That is what I am all about; the bigger the stage, the brighter the lights that is the environment I want to be in. We are in Boardwalk Hall and there are 6,000-7,000 people there, all of them to come watch this wresting. It is, ‘Great, bring it on. I am here to wrestle. I don’t care about the results, I am going to punch you in the nose and I don’t care if you punch me back.’”

After falling 9-0 to 12thseeded Ethan Mendel of Northern Highlands in the preliminary round of the state competition, Renda punched back with a pair of wins in the third place consolations (pinning 5th-seeded Timothy Smith Jr. of Elizabeth and a posting a 6-4 victory over Bryant Mejias of Cliffside Park) before suffering a second loss (losing 15-0 to 14thseeded Ben Szuba of Brick Memorial) to end his season.

“My third match was really a dogfight — getting to AC nothing is going to be given to you,” said Renda.

“If you are going to get a win, you are going to have to fight for that. You are not just going to be handed a win, No one there is going to be pushed around, everyone is there to try to win the state

for

Notre Dame

championship. Getting two wins is a big accomplishment, especially against good wrestlers who are seeded higher or as high as you are.”

Fighting through the wrestlebacks at states has Renda fired up to make a return trip to Atlantic City next winter.

“It really just showed me how high the highest level really is,” said Renda, reflecting on the competition. “It showed me the things I need to improve on to be able to knock at that podium. It was a good experience. You are able to see what the top guys are like and what you need to do to beat those top guys.”

With his older brother Jake, who started at quarterback at Princeton High as a freshman before transferring to Notre Dame, playing tight end at Pitt, and older sister Sammy competing at lacrosse for Stevens Tech, Renda is looking to follow in their footsteps to compete at the next level. He is currently considering his college options in football and wrestling.

“Those are the ones, it took me a little bit to decide,” said Renda, a defensive lineman and tight end for the Notre Dame football team. “I loved lacrosse growing up. Wrestling and football, that is where we are trying to play at the next level.”

This spring, Renda will be ramping up his wrestling training.

“I am taking a year off lacrosse, I will be in the room all of the time,” said Renda. “I am talking to coaches with Elite Wrestling (a club located in Jackson) right now to train as much as possible with some good 215 wrestlers and to get as much mat time as possible just to improve on those things to take a knock at the podium next year. One of the reasons I am excited about Elite is that it can help me with the wrestling recruitment process a little bit.”

No matter how the recruiting process ends up, Renda knows that he made the right move by returning to the mat.

“I think it definitely helps, wrestling is probably one of the hardest things anyone is ever going to do in their whole life,” said Renda. “Like Dan Gable says, once you wrestle everything else is easy. That is totally true, wrestling makes everything about football easy. It puts you in amazing shape, helps you with the tackling, and just being tough.”

—Bill Alden

a Princeton tradition!

the third

Local Sports

Bailey Basketball Academy Offering Spring Programs

The Bailey Basketball Academy (BBA) has announced the schedule for its upcoming spring hoops programs.

Participants will have an opportunity for competitive travel play, individualized instruction, skills development, and fundamentals as well as league play. BBA is led by former Princeton Day School girls’ hoops coach and Philadelphia 76ers camp director and c linician Kamau Bailey.

The BBA spring program will include boys’ travel

teams (2nd-8th grade), weekly practices, and the Shot King Shooting Program and Player Development

one-on-one moves, defense, and other hoops skills.

Skill Sessions for elementary through high school players (boys and girls). BBA programs stress fundamentals and team play with emphasis on ball handling, shooting, passing, footwork, speed, agility, movement with and without the ball,

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Registration for the BBA spring teams and programs is now underway. The spring season skill development sessions for boys and girls will be held on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 7 to 8:30 p.m. The BBA boys’ team practices will be held Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7 to 8:30 p.m. The BBA spring hoops program starts on April 1 and runs through mid-June. All BBA activities will be held in the Princeton Middle School gym.

For more information, contact Kamau Bailey at (917) 626-5785 or kamau. bailey@gmail.com.

Princeton Athletic Club

Holding 6K Run April 13

The Princeton Athletic Club will be holding a

6,000-meter cross country run at the Institute Woods on April 13.

The 6,000-meter run starts at 10 a.m. from Princeton Friends School and is limited to 200 participants. The event is chip timed. All abilities are invited, including those who prefer to walk the course.

Online registration and full event details are available at princetonac.org.

The Princeton Athletic Club is a nonprofit running club for the community. The club, an all-volunteer organization, promotes running for the fun and health of it and stages several running events each year.

Princeton Wrestling Club

Excels at State Championships

Competing in the USA

Wrestling New Jersey Scholastic State Championships

at the Cure Arena in Trenton earlier this month, the Princeton Wrestling Club (PWC) produced an excellent showing.

The PWC qualified 15 wrestlers for the competition with fi ve reaching the podium. Those fi nishing in the top eight for PWC at the event included AJ Stover (8th grade) placing fi fth at Intermediate 120 pounds, Stella Kramer (8th grade) taking second at Girls Intermediate 91, Parker Humphrey (7th grade) placing third at Junior 100, Luca Schiavon (7th grade) fi nishing seventh at Junior 100, and Jacob Lutz (4th g rade) placing seventh at Novice 85.

a Princeton tradition!

STARTING POINT: Runners take off at the start of the Princeton 5K last Saturday morning. The event, in its 15th year, drew more than 480 runners. Dominic Lizzio, 31, a Berlin resident, placed first overall in a time of 16:23 while Iuliia Bernikova, 36, of Lawrence Township, came in at 19:32 in taking first among females and 29th overall. More than 300 finishers in the race were from Princeton while others came from nine states. The Princeton 5K is the largest annual fundraiser for the Princeton High cross country and track programs.

FIRED UP: Members of the final of the month. The team included Aryaa Panwar, Aurelie Bachner, Ava Baxter, Elizabeth Howes, Esperance Cullity, Liv Nygaard,

Maelin Meggers, Niksha Geedipalli, and Sienna Devlin.

TASTING VICTORY: Players on the Delizioso Bakery + Kitchen team celebrate after they topped Princeton Restorative Dental 14-9 in the championship game of the Girls’ 6th-8th grade division in the Dillon Youth Basketball League earlier this month. The team included Annie Harman, Claire Mcleod, Hannah Rasmussen, Isabella Gustus, Kyla McCray, Mira McCloskey, Morgan Pease, Romy Heuck, and Vivian Lutkowski.

LOUIS CLARK VANUXEM LECTURE

SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor of Environmental Biology

Rob i n Wa l l K immerer

Copies of Braiding Sweetgrass , will be handed out to the first 350 in-person attendees.

Obituaries

Richard (Dick) Bergman

Richard (Dick) Bergman

died peacefully on February 17 in Princeton, New Jersey. It was very important to him to reach his 90th birthday on January 18, 2024. He was delighted to receive over 50 cards, many with

very personal statements about how Dick influenced the sender’s life. There were also emails and drawings of dinosaurs, stars, and rainbows by grand-nieces and nephews. He loved those because he remembered

working with daughters, nieces, and nephews to stargaze and build rockets and robots.

Born January 18, 1934 to Joseph and Clara Menchel Bergman, Dick grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and Yeadon, Pennsylvania. In 1951, he entered the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he earned first a Bachelor and then a Master of Science in Chemical Engineering. MIT became a lifelong constant, and he served many roles for the institution, including as a member of visiting committees, on the Board of the Alumnae Association, as a local interviewer for prospective students, and as Secretary of the Class of ’55, during which time he wrote (and often tactfully edited) dozens of Class Notes columns celebrating the lives of his peers. He and Vicky attended every fifth year reunion, starting with the 25th and ending with his 60th.

After graduation, Dick worked first for Esso, then took an opportunity at startup Princeton Chemical Research, where he was Director of Engineering and Development. Based on work he did at these companies, he held a number

of U.S. and foreign patents. When an opportunity to start a business with a friend arose, he took the chance and they created Systemedics, Inc., in 1967 which offered the then-new computerized technology of providing information processing for medical offices. They built an office building at Princeton Air Park. After watching the planes come and go, Dick took flying lessons and enjoyed taking his daughters on flights to the Jersey shore.

Systemedics also worked with innovative physicians to develop and provide the Problem Oriented Medical Record to physician’s offices. Systemedics was ultimately bought by Equifax, while Dick was on assignment in Washington, D.C., as the Executive Director of President Jimmy Carter’s Interagency Taskforce on Workplace Safety and Health.

Corporate life wasn’t his passion, so he politely declined an offer from Equifax to join their executive ranks. He and Vicky then created Savant Associates, an environmental safety and health policy consulting service. They also incorporated Project Masters, which provided

POMR forms for doctors’ offices, and later offered medical, technical, and scientific photos used in textbooks, reference works, and ads. They retired from work life in 2020.

As a longtime resident of Princeton, Dick was known for his lively conversation, curiosity, excellent dinners, and wise — often ahead of his time — mentorship and advice. He was deeply involved in his community, including the MIT Club of Princeton which he served for two years as President, the Princeton Community Democratic Organization, Hands Across America, the Princeton Summer Chamber Concerts, and the Old Guard.

He also served as President of The Jewish Center from 1994 to 1996, and was one of four founders and long-term President of Community Without Walls (CWW). CWW was formed to bring together friends and neighbors to support each other to age in place, their own homes, or other residential locations. He brought his keen insight and sense of equality to all roles.

He and Vicky had season tickets for many decades to McCarter’s Music Series,

and also regularly enjoyed special programs, theater, and dance there. They supported the library and the Institute for Advanced Studies, attending many events at both.

He is preceded in death by his parents and his daughter Susan Hackett. He is survived and deeply missed by his wife, Victoria Bergman, who was his partner in all things; his daughter Deborah Bergman; his brother Donald Bergman and wife Susan Bergman; his grandchildren, Cheryl Hackett and Jennifer Hackett and her spouse Ash Moore; seven siblings-in-law and their spouses (thanks to Vicky’s large family); many grandnieces and nephews in six States; and beloved friends, neighbors, and caregivers.

Memorial contributions can be made to The Jewish Center, Princeton, or Planned Parenthood.

Continued on Next Page

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Rabbi Howard Hersch

Rabbi Howard Hersch, 86, Rabbi Emeritus of Congregation Brothers of Israel in Newtown, PA, and formerly Trenton, NJ, passed away on March 14, 2024.

Over 60 years ago, Rabbi Howard Hersch was elected Rabbi of a small congregation in Trenton, New Jersey, that had recently voted to become Conservative. Working together with an outstanding group of leaders they built a vibrant spiritual home for all, soon to be known as Congregation Brothers of Israel.

In addition to being ordained from the Academy for Jewish Religion, Rabbi Hersch returned to the Jew-

ish Theological Seminary and received his Master’s in Hebrew Literature, Rabbinic Ordination, and Doctor of Divinity.

During the time of radical changes in Jewish life, Rabbi was most proud of being part of a synagogue that was forward-looking, accepting of change, and building for the future, without division or losing members.

In Rabbi Hersch’s years of service, he received numerous awards and honors for his work on behalf of the Jewish community, here and abroad. He was honored by the State of Israel, The National Board of Jewish Federation, and the Recipient of The Golden Shofar Award by Israel Bonds. Rabbi Hersch served on Rabbinical Boards and other prestigious bodies for the betterment of Jewish Life and worthwhile humanitarian causes. He has been honored by several Congressional resolutions and Presidential commendations, thanking him for years of service.

Rabbi Hersch’s greatest joy was his wonderful family. He is survived by his beloved wife Joan, all of his cherished children, Avra and Elie Gordis, Seth and Renee Hersch, Jonathan and Julie

Hersch, Elicia Brand and David Leudemann, and Marni Brand and Mike Berg. The lights of his life, his spectacular grandchildren, Tamar, Ben and Amy, Rebecca and Ezra, Arielle, Shira, Noah, Carter, Parker, Isla, Kye, and Joss.

He is also survived by his sister and brother-in law, Judy and Marvin Kantor, as well as nieces, nephews, and many cousins. Lastly, the many members of his congregation, who were his family as well.

Funeral services were March 17 at Congregation Brothers of Israel in Newtown, PA, with burial at Congregation Brothers of Israel Cemetery in Hamilton, NJ.

Shiva will be observed through Thursday (March 21) at the home of Joan Hersch from 5 to 7 p.m. with minyan at 7 p.m.

Memorial contributions may be made to Congregation Brothers of Israel (CBOI.org).

Funeral arrangements are by Orland’s Ewing Memorial Chapel. For condolences please visit OrlandsMemorialChapel.com/Rabbi-Howard-Hersch.

Princeton’s

First Tradition Worship Service

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Considering Following Christ?

Join us on April 1, 8, & 15 at 6:30 p.m. at

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Sakrid Coffee Roasters

Sakrid Coffee Roasters

300 Witherspoon St. Princeton Register at bit.ly/coffeewithSHC

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Helen C. Perone

Helen C. Perone (Sandy), 93, passed away peacefully at her home in Skillman, NJ, while surrounded by her family on March 16, 2024.

Helen was born in Princeton, NJ, in 1931, and graduated from Princeton High School.

Helen was married to her late husband Albert (Slick) Perone for 51 loving years.

She is survived by her four children: Steven M. Perone and Jill Perone of Skillman, Donna L. DePace of Hamilton, David A. Perone and Kelly Perone of Hopewell, and Thomas R. Perone and Angela Perone of Belle Mead.

Helen also leaves behind nine grandchildren: Kevin, Steve, Krista, Jenna, Justin, Zachary, Nicholas, Alexander, Damien, and four greatgrandchildren Ben, Owen, Olivia, and Lily Mae. All of those she loved and touched deeply.

Princeton University Chapel

Open to all.

Preaching Sunday, March 24 is Rev. Dr. Theresa S. Thames, Associate Dean of Religious Life and the Chapel, Princeton University. Music performed by the Princeton University Chapel Choir with Nicole Aldrich, Director of Chapel Music and Chapel Choir, and with Eric Plutz, University Organist.

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

Helen was a proud resident of Montgomery where she lived and raised her family for over 50 years.

She was a dedicated wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, and was loved by all that knew her.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. on Friday, March 22, 2024, at St. Paul’s Catholic Church, 216 Nassau Street, Princeton, NJ. Burial will follow in Princeton Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Wounded Warrior Project.

Arrangements are under the direction of The MatherHodge Funeral Home.

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 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

We pride ourselves on being a small, personal, and service oriented family business.

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 encourage you to make an appointment, with no obligation, to discuss the many options available to you.

ITS EASIER 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.

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.

ITS EASIER THAN YOU THINK TO MAKE THE PERFECT MEMORIAL

ITS EASIER THAN YOU THINK TO MAKE THE PERFECT MEMORIAL

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.

We pride ourselves on being a small, personal, and service oriented family business. With five generations of experience,

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 many options available to you.

ITS EASIER THAN YOU THINK TO MAKE THE PERFECT MEMORIAL

THINK TO MAKE THE PERFECT MEMORIAL

ITS EASIER THAN YOU THINK TO MAKE THE PERFECT MEMORIAL

ITS EASIER THAN YOU THINK TO MAKE THE PERFECT MEMORIAL

ITS EASIER THAN YOU THINK TO MAKE THE PERFECT MEMORIAL

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.

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

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 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 many options available to you.

We

We

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.

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. 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 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 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.

ITS EASIER THAN YOU THINK TO MAKE THE PERFECT MEMORIAL

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.

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.

ITS EASIER THAN YOU THINK TO MAKE THE PERFECT MEMORIAL

ITS EASIER THAN YOU THINK TO MAKE 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. 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 many options available to you.

ITS EASIER THAN YOU THINK TO MAKE THE PERFECT MEMORIAL

ITS EASIER THAN YOU THINK TO MAKE THE PERFECT MEMORIAL

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.

We pride ourselves on being a small, personal, and service oriented family business. With five of experience, we are here to help guide you through the difficult process of monument selection.

ITS EASIER THAN YOU THINK TO MAKE THE PERFECT MEMORIAL

ITS EASIER THAN YOU THINK TO MAKE THE PERFECT MEMORIAL

ITS EASIER THAN YOU THINK TO MAKE THE PERFECT MEMORIAL

ITS EASIER THAN YOU THINK TO MAKE THE PERFECT MEMORIAL

ITS EASIER 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

We encourage you to make an appointment, with no obligation, to discuss the

ITS EASIER THAN YOU THINK TO MAKE THE PERFECT MEMORIAL

ITS EASIER THAN YOU THINK TO MAKE THE PERFECT MEMORIAL

ITS EASIER THAN YOU THINK TO MAKE THE PERFECT MEMORIAL

EXPERIENCED AND

THE MAID PROFESSIONALS:

Leslie & Nora, cleaning experts. Residential & commercial. Free estimates. References upon request. (609) 2182279, (609) 323-7404. 05-29

FOX CLEANING (609) 547-9570

eqfoxcarpetcleaning@gmail.com

Residential

Carpet

Strip

Understanding Buyer Agency Agreements

A buyer agency agreement is a pivotal document in the realm of real estate transactions, solidifying the relationship between a prospective buyer and their real estate agent. By signing this agreement, the buyer grants exclusive representation to the agent, who then commits to advocating for the buyer's best interests throughout the home buying process.

This agreement outlines crucial details such as the duration of representation, the agent's responsibilities, and the buyer's obligations. It also clarifies matters regarding commission, ensuring transparency in the financial aspects of the transaction.

For buyers, a buyer agency agreement offers a sense of security and assurance. It establishes a clear framework for communication and collaboration, enabling the agent to tailor their services to the buyer's specific needs and preferences. A buyer agency agreement is more than a legal contract it's a blueprint for a successful and harmonious home buying journey, providing peace of mind and confidence every step of the way.

HOME HEALTH AIDE/COMPANION AVAILABLE: NJ certified and experienced. Live-in or live-out. Driver’s license. References available. Please call Cindy, (609) 227-9873. 03-20

MIHAI MOS LLC. ACCURATE

HOME REMODELINGS/RESTORATIONS. Precision carpentry: decorative moldings, decks and more. Licensed and insured. Serving Princeton for over 35 years. (609) 933-8880. 03-27

CLEANING, IRONING, LAUNDRY BY WOMEN WITH A LOT OF EXPERIENCE. Excellent references, own transportation. Please call Inga at (609) 530-1169 and leave a message. 04-03

STORAGE UNIT FOR RENT 10 minutes north of Princeton in Skillman/Montgomery. 10x21, $190 discounted monthly rent. Available now. https://princetonstorage.homestead. com or call/text (609) 333-6932. 04-24

HANDYMAN–CARPENTER:

Painting, hang cabinets & paintings, kitchen & bath rehab. Tile work, masonry. Porch & deck, replace rot, from floors to doors to ceilings. Shelving & hook-ups. ELEGANT REMODEL-

ING. You name it, indoor, outdoor tasks. Repair holes left by plumbers & electricians for sheetrock repair. RE agents welcome. Sale of home ‘checklist’ specialist. Mercer, Hunterdon, Bucks counties. 1/2 day to 1 month assignments. CREDIT CARDS

ACCEPTED, Covid 19 compliant. Active business since 1998. Videos of past jobs available. Call Roeland, (609) 933-9240.

tf I BUY ALL KINDS of old or pretty things: China, glass, silver, pottery, costume jewelry, evening bags, fancy linens, paintings, small furniture, etc. Local woman buyer. (609) 9217469.

10-11-24

BUYING: Antiques, paintings, Oriental rugs, coins, clocks, furniture, old toys, military, books, cameras, silver, costume & fine jewelry. Guitars & musical instruments. I buy single items to entire estates. Free appraisals. (609) 306-0613. 06-28-24

TOWN TOPICS CLASSIFIEDS

GET TOP RESULTS!

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.

06-28-24

WE BUY CARS

Belle Mead Garage (908) 359-8131 Ask for Chris

HOUSECLEANING: Experienced, English speaking, great references, reliable with own transportation. Weekly & bi-weekly cleaning. Green cleaning available. Susan, (732) 8733168.

04-24

IN-HOME MUSIC LESSONS:

Piano, acting, singing, winds, strings, drums. Very pleasant receiving instructions from, speaking with. Oberlin graduate. (609) 2131471. All ages, levels.

03-20

WHAT’S A GREAT GIFT FOR A FORMER PRINCETONIAN?

A Gift Subscription!

Call (609) 924-2200, ext 10 circulation@towntopics.com tf

PUBLIC NOTICE

Crown Castle USA is proposing to construct a 44ft tall telecommunication utility structures within Princeton, Mercer County, New Jersey at each of the following locations: 008382-PR located near 286 Witherspoon St. (40 21 27.3 N, 74 39 47.6 W). 008383-PR located near U.S. Highway 206 near the intersection with Valley Rd (40 21 38.7 N, 74 39 56.1 W). 008384-PR located near 66 Jefferson Rd (40 21 19.9 N, 74 39 28.6 W). The facilities are not expected to be FAA lighted. Crown Castle invites comments from any interested party on the impact of the proposed action on any districts, sites, buildings, structures or objects significant in American history, archaeology, engineering or culture that are listed or determined eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places and/or specific reason the proposed action may have a significant impact on the quality of the human environment. Specific information regarding the project is available by contacting EBI Consulting, Project #008382 / 008383 / 008384, CR, 21 B Street, Burlington, MA 01803, or at 978.877.3493.

At Greenwood House Hospice, our families and caregivers LOVE HOW MUCH WE CARE! AND YOU WILL,

“I am proud and honored to serve as Greenwood House Hospice Medical Director and to work alongside some of the best nurses, social workers, chaplains and volunteers in the business. Our team provides intimate and comprehensive care for our terminally ill patients. We support not just those in their final months but also their families and loved ones.”

– DAVID R. BARILE, MD Medical Director, Greenwood House Hospice

Hospice is about living the fullest life possible according to a patient’s capabilities within a life-limiting condition. In hospice, your choices guide the care we provide. Hospice care affirms quality of life. Our goal is to prevent and relieve pain, discomfort, anxiety and fear.

We provide emotional and spiritual support to patients and their loved ones. Hospice care is provided wherever a patient feels most comfortable or where they call home. We help families and caregivers prepare for endof-life challenges and find creative ways to share in life review and legacy projects so that our patient’s wisdom and memories can be treasured for future generations.

Our Hospice Team consists of:

• Hospice Medical Director, a board-certified hospice physician

• Registered Nurses (RNs) monitoring pain, managing symptoms and guiding patient’s plan of care

• Hospice Certified Home Health Aides (CHHAs) providing personal patient care and companionship

• Social Workers supporting patients and families and connecting them with community resources

• Spiritual Counselors providing emotional support and personal counseling

• Bereavement Services offering guidance and education concerning anticipatory grief to families throughout care and bereavement

• Hospice Volunteers assisting with a variety of patient and family personalized support activities

Greenwood House Hospice is a nonprofit, mission-based organization rooted in cherished Jewish traditions and an industry leader in providing high-quality senior health care in the state of New Jersey. Seniors of all faiths are welcome.

Call us today: (609) 883-6026 Or email us at info@greenwoodhouse.org

greenwoodhouse.org

@GreenwoodHouseNJ

Greenwood House is a beneficiary agency of the Jewish Federation of Princeton, Mercer, Bucks. *Greenwood House Hospice was established in memory of Renee Denmark Punia.

Introducing: Route 206 Montgomery Township, NJ | $2,320,000

Linda Twining: 609.439.2282 callawayhenderson.com/id/7ZMKWM

Introducing: Brendan Place

West Windsor Township, NJ | $1,100,000

Linda Twining: 609.439.2282 callawayhenderson.com/id/J4ZWC2

Introducing: Drakes Corner Road Princeton, NJ | $999,000

Princeton Office: 609.921.1050 callawayhenderson.com/id/C6V4BP

Introducing: Woodmont Drive

Lawrence Township, NJ | $550,000

Susan L DiMeglio: 609.915.5645 callawayhenderson.com/id/F978HB

Open House: Pettit Place Princeton, NJ | $2,100,000

Madolyn Greve: 609.462.2505 callawayhenderson.com/id/P3SRXL

Introducing: Red Oak Way Montgomery Township, NJ | $1,100,000

Patricia ‘Trish’ Ford: 908.635.9395 callawayhenderson.com/id/6WTFFD

Introducing: Constitution Hill East Princeton, NJ | $848,000

Wendy Neusner, Marilyn R Durkee: 609.234.3355 callawayhenderson.com/id/NKHW5X

Introducing: Woodmont Drive

Lawrence Township, NJ | $460,000

Jane Henderson Kenyon: 609.828.1450 callawayhenderson.com/id/M5NYBE

Introducing: Drakes Corner Road

Princeton, NJ | $1,295,000

Princeton Office: 609.921.1050 callawayhenderson.com/id/4PDXJQ

Introducing: Sunset Road

Montgomery Township, NJ | $1,090,000

Regina Perry: 908.347.0950 callawayhenderson.com/id/7MJ85Z

Introducing: Scotch Road Hopewell Township, NJ | $579,000

Margaret Foley ‘Peggy’ Baldwin: 609.306.2052 callawayhenderson.com/id/5GJLRX

Lovers Lane

Princeton, NJ | $409,000

Martha Moseley: 609.529.0421 callawayhenderson.com/id/ZW9NV7