Summer 2014

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Matters

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Featuring Local People, Places and Things that Matter to Maplewood and South Orange Since 1990

Summer 2014

Weichert

South orange

240 MontroSe avenue

South orange

eric Schwartz 201-953-9994 (cell)

South orange

124 3rd Street

Maplewood

296 underhill road

79 woodland road

weSt orange

1363 pleaSant valley way

Maplewood

39 Suffolk avenue

South orange

chathaM

45-2 S. paSSaic avenue

cynthia grieger 973-868-0018 (cell)

Maplewood

Serving Maplewood, South Orange and the Surrounding Area.

973-762-3300 • 697 Valley St Located at historic Pierson’s Mill

350 n. ridgewood road

edwin nourSe 973-986-5578 (cell)

natalie farrell 917-514-7541 (cell)

Maplewood office

261 n. wyoMing avenue

natalie farrell 917-514-7541 (cell)

laura auer 908-577-7821 (cell)

157 fairview avenue

natalie farrell 917-514-7541 (cell)

South orange

Bernadette Sperduto 201-264-8475 (cell)

terry orr 201-709-5975 (cell)

South orange

®

eric Schwartz 201-953-9994 (cell)

cynthia grieger 973-868-0018 (cell)

South orange

25 Mayhew drive

Real Estate Mortgages Closing Services Insurance

150 oakland road

eric Schwartz 201-953-9994 (cell)

The Window of Opportunity is NOW! High Demand + Low Inventory + Low Interest Rates = High Affordability

“We are in the hottest market we have seen in many years. Now is the time to list your house. Now is the time to buy. Don’t delay and call me today. You won’t be disappointed.”

Debbie Rybka-Howard Sales Associate

CALL DEBBIE FOR THE RESULTS YOU DESERVE.

(908) 591- 4886 Circle of Excellence 2013 GOLD Level Award

973 376-4545 [email protected]

Cozy Moroccan Lounge Reservations only Traditional Moroccan cuisine including Falafel-ly Yours favorites Belly dancers Thursday, Friday, Saturday Sunday Brunch Wednesday is Moroccan Night Jazz Tuesdays Moroccan bread baked on premises daily 50 W. South Orange Ave. SOUTH ORANGE Tel: 973-313-1333 FalafellyYours.com

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ON THE COVER

Matters E

Vol. 24 Issue 4

Summer 2014

contents Heart of the Matter Angel in the fairway

Artist and Maplewood resident Krysia Woods’, solo exhibition “Fresh” ran through May at the Denise Bibro Fine Art gallery, in Chelsea, New York City. Woods, a native of Australia, is also a successful speaker, charming audiences with her wit and creative observations on the differences between Aussies and Americans as well as educating them on her philosophies concerning art and creativity. Trained as a pharmacist, her career path has taken her around the world and now she, along with her Aussie husband, are raising two boys. This piece entitled, “Summer’s Path” is acrylic on canvas and small edition prints are available. Visit denisbibrofineart. com for details. “I am really excited to think that every different professional experience that I have had in my life has prepared me for what I am doing now,” she says. Currently working on a book, Woods can be reached at [email protected]

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Local Matters 9 Around the towns

Molly Matters The fireworks

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38

Drawing D-Day12

Side-Street Stewardship

25

Promposal

30

Tips from the Top

34

Home holds history

Historical discovery

The Art of Travel 17

Turning the asking into an event

Let some locals be your guides

A Different Kind of Bookie Esoteric book arts

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22

Local realtors dish some ideas

Pure Sunshine 38

Yellow sensations

Resource Guide

44

Final Matters

46

Local sources

17

Going Hybrid

Featuring Local People, Places and Things that Matter to Maplewood and South Orange Since 1990

Fan us on Twitter at Facebook! mattersnj

It’s going to be a hot summer at TowneRealtyGroup.com

378 Thornden Street, South Orange $625,000

SOLD

37 Burnett Terrace, Maplewood $675,000

SOLD

UNDER CONTRACT

Carol Greenberg

973-216-6666 www.TRGhome.com

6 Tillou Court, South Orange $1,050,000

Stephanie Mallios 201-404-1972 www.6Tillou.com 69 Burnet Street, Maplewood $729,000

Jennifer “Jen” Lieberman

Henry ‘Christian’ Quaritius

285 Glen Avenue, Short Hills $700,000

160 Highland Ave, Short Hills $3,750,000

973-454-2133 www.69BurnetSt.com

917-584-4913 www.1SouthStanley.com

973-477-2301 www.37BurnettTerr.com

Daniel Cannizzo

Karen Bigos

973-865-4144 www.285GlenAve.com

31-41 Church Street #201, South Orange $459,000

UNDER CONTRACT

Tina Chen Erway

1 South Stanley Road, South Orange $450,000

201-417-1600 www.ShortHillsPondViews.com

46 Elmwood Place, Short Hills $895,000

UNDER CONTRACT

Janet Painter

973-715-2108 www.31-41Church.com

511 Millburn Ave. g Short Hills, NJ 07078

973-376-8300

Independently Owned & Operated, Towne Realty Group, LLC, Licensed Realtor

Sharon Preston

201-618-0853 www.46Elmwood.com

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heart of the matter

Summer 2014

Matters

Featuring Local People, Places and Things that Matter Since 1990

PUBLISHER & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Karen Duncan MANAGING DIRECTOR Rene Conlon SUPERVISING EDITOR Joanne DiPasquale ADVERTISING SALES Ellen Donker H. Leslie Gilman Eileen Collins Neri Erin Rogers Pickering GRAPHIC ARTISTS Lyman Dally Joy Markel COPY EDITORS Nick Humez Tia Swanson CONTRIBUTORS Adrianna Donat, Caitlin Lowe, Sarah Hersh, Elissa Caterfino Mandel, Kristen Ryan, Marcia Worth-Baker

Please address all correspondence to:

Visual Impact Advertising, Inc.© 9 Highland Place Maplewood, NJ 07040

973-763-4900

mattersmagazine.com Matters Magazine© is owned and published by Visual Impact Advertising, Inc., 9 Highland Place, Maplewood, NJ 07040. Published monthly, Matters Magazine is free, with editions directly mailed 7 times a year to the residents of Maplewood and South Orange and distributed to businesses and surrounding communities totaling 17,000. Subscriptions are available to non-residents for $30 (U.S.) $40 (Foreign) annually. No part of the publication may be reprinted or otherwise reproduced without written permission from Visual Impact Advertising, Inc. CIRCULATION VERIFIED BY U.S. POSTAL RECEIPTS. READ & RECYLE

An Angel in the Fairway

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BY STEPHEN TERHUNE

So back in Palm Desert to attend to our father’s ongoing travails, the day came where my mother’s obituary was printed in the local paper. Just like my sister on this Mother’s Day, I was so suffocated with grief for my mom I could hardly breathe. Losing her was unexpected, and we were devastated. Caregivers were with Dad, so my brother and sister suggested – actually ordered – that I take a few hours off and go play golf. My brother reminded me of his instruction to square up my shoulders and feet, and let it rip. I took my father’s long-unused clubs, and off I went, a solo. Not many were out playing. It’s very hot out there in the California desert. I joked to the staff that this could get ugly, me being in my emotional state and playing with clubs that were not my own. Not so. The first drive with this thing called “Goliath” (really no bigger than what everyone uses now) ripped down the center of the fairway at least 30 yards farther than I had ever hit it there before. I striped an iron directly at the hole, and the ball went long and into the rough. Hmmm....what’s going on here? It continued, my drives 20-plus yards longer than I can remember, and my irons one club too many. I was on fire. About the third hole, I realized that something was terribly wrong with Dad’s grips, and before I knew it, my hands, fingernails, face, shirt, shorts, golf ball, and club shafts were covered in black goo. Undaunted, I keep blasting away, but now I was on my hands and knees at every lake and mud puddle I could find,

washing, scraping my hands on cement, desperately trying to remove the black ooze. The 9-iron and wedge were the worst. At the 13th, a par 5, I hit my drive under a tree. I selected a 4-iron to punch out low, and proceeded to drill it almost 200 yards. I could not have hit a 3-wood from the fairway any better. A wedge to the green (and two more coats of black paint on my hands), and I drained a 20-footer for birdie. I fell down on my knees laughing and crying. I couldn’t help it. I couldn’t believe it, and shouted aloud to no one, “Did you see that?” As I finished the 15th, I saw a single approaching the green. I waited for him and said, “I’m lonely, I’m crazy, and I’d like to finish with someone.” He said, “Sure,” and I said I’d meet him at the16th tee. I couldn’t shake his hand, and I had to somehow explain why I looked like a three-year-old who had gotten a hold of a tub of black paint. I took out an 8-iron, and knocked it into the hole! This is my first hole-in-one in my life!! Well, I went on to finish double bogey, bogey, but it was good enough to post a 79, a very good score for me. And I bought my partner a drink. Was it the clubs? Was it my brother’s corrections for me? I’m not sure. But I do know for sure that the guardian angel of my entire life, my dear sweet Mom, was inside the ropes, watching over me all afternoon. Stephen Terhune is the younger brother of Matters Magazine publisher Karen Duncan. Their mother, Joan Pepper Terhune, passed away on May 4, 2014.

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T h e T h e l m a K . Re i s m a n Preschool of Congregation Beth El, 222 Irvington Avenue, South Orange, recently held a celebration to dedicate its new Outdoor Classroom to the memory of its Rabbi Emeritus, Jehiel Orenstein.The family of Lisa and Felix Buber also dedicated Nan’s Garden, in memory of Lisa’s grandmother, Lilyan G. Kreitchman. Congregation Beth El has announced the selection of Rabbi Jesse M. Olitzky as its next spiritual leader. Rabbi Olitzky, originally from North Brunswick, New Jersey, will join the community in July. For more information call 973-763-0111 or visit bethelnj.org. 1978 Arts Center, VFW and the Maplewood 4th of July Committee will again sponsor a community art project created by B. John Kaufman for the 4th of July. Participants pick a square on a grid, collect a backing board and

then, using whatever materials and techniques they like as long as they stick to the color in their chosen box, help to duplicate a photo of an American flag. Workshops will be held at 1978 on June 14, 21 and 28 from 10 a.m. to noon (if necessary), and the project will be assembled and displayed on the baseball backstop in Memorial Park on July 4. For more information call 973-885-8905 or email [email protected]. The

mattersmagazine.com

Natalie knows: what it takes to shine.

All your Home is a Stage!

Is your home ready for its closeup? Interiors, exteriors, it all needs to look good. So give me a call today. Time to put on a great show! The Buber family dedicated Nan’s Garden at Thelma K. Reisman Preschool in South Orange.

Molly Matters

NatalieFarrell M DTOWN D RECT

Office: 973 762-3300 Cel Ph: 917 514-7541 [email protected] www.nataliefarrell.com A G E N T

© Dally/Duncan 2014

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localmatters

Summer 2014

NEED YOUR OWN VACATION? Send the k ids tO us.

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Hannah Sorkin, Rose Epstein, Miles Goodstone and Amelia Traub enjoy Beth El’s new outdoor classroom.

SUMMER CAMP June 30-AuGUst 8 BROADWAY BABIES (AGES 3-6) 1 WEEK SESSIONS

SPOTLIGHT SENSATIONS (AGES 7-13) 2 WEEK SESSIONS

B. John Kaufman will coordinate another community art project sponsored by 1978 Arts Center and the local VFW post, to be displayed in Maplewood’s Memorial Park on July 4th.

VFW is also sponsoring a writing contest with three prize categories: grades K-4, 5-8 and 9-12. A $250 cash prize goes to someone in each category who writes a winning essay of 100 words or less that answers the question: What do you think our flag represents? Submissions should be mailed to: VFW Contest, PO Box 173, Maplewood, NJ 07040 by July 2. The Community Coalition on Race will present its first Cultural Heritage Festival in Maplewood Memorial Park June 14 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (rain date June 15). Enjoy foods of many cultures and browse crafts and merchandise from around the world. The festival will feature performances by children’s Japanese Biwanko, East Indian dancers, a Dixieland band, African

dancers, hip-hop dancers, Irish step dancers and Hawaiian dancers. Interactive activities include Tai Chi, belly dancing, multicultural Zumba for adults and children, Israeli dancing, drumming and break dancing. Admission is free. For more information call 973-761-6116 or visit twotowns.org. In addition to the popular children’s programs, the South OrangeMaplewood Adult School offers a summer semester for adults, beginning on June 17. Besides a selection of returning favorites, new classes have been added. Make your own earrings with Fran Phillips, adjunct professor of art at Seton Hall University; learn which plants to add to a garden for a colorful bloom with Bruce Crawford of Rutgers University Gardens; and take a two-

Creations Dance Academy will perform classical Indian dancing during the Coalition Cultural Heritage festival.

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FOR EVERY OCCASION 973.313.2722 • thetenthmusegallery.com 170 Maplewood Avenue

localmatters

mattersmagazine.com

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Biwanko Children’s Taiko will perform traditional Japanese drumming during the Coalition Cultural Heritage Festival.

hour walk with Risa Olinsky, founder of Count on Yourself coaching. From creative arts and performing arts, to computer classes, fitness and recreation, there is something for everyone. Most classes will take place at South Orange Middle School, 70 North Ridgewood Road, South Orange. For more information call 973-378-7620 or visit somadultschool.org. 1978 Arts Center, 1978 Springfield Avenue, Maplewood will present Water Media, an exhibit of work from Evelyn Graves’ three adult watercolor classes; the show runs through June 27. The Friends of 1978 exhibit featuring many local artists will be shown from June 29 to July 20. Promises, Promises, a surreal site-specific exhibit designed by Anne Dushanko Dobek, exposes the realities of sex trafficking in this country. Students continued on page 41

Risa Olinsky of Count on Yourself Coaching will hike with adult students through South Mountain Reservation in a class offered by the Adult School this summer.

The Roofing Specialists SLATEMASTERS Historic Restoration

This watercolor painting by Rudy Martin and others by adult students will be on display as part of the Water Media exhibit at 1978 Arts Center through June 2

• New Vermont slate roofs and repairs • New Ludowici tile roofs and repairs • Copper and sheetmetal services • Chimney flashings and Valley replacement • Yankee gutters rebuilt and resloped • Custom carpentry • Brick, stone and masonry repairs and water proofing • Chimneys rebuilt, repointed and stuccoed • Annual maintenance programs

Bruce Crawford, Director of Rutgers University Gardens, will teach Best Summer Blooming Shrubs and Perennials at the Adult School during the summer semester.

(973) 673-8900

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Terrence B. Lowe, President

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Summer 2014

Coming down from the bluff, only bodies piled as far as he could see

The beach and obstacles moments before landing

Drawing D-Day

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This year, marks the 70th anniversary of D-Day. Maxine Giannini became an “accidental historian” of that remarkable day. Omaha Beach, June 6, 1944

BY MARCIA WORTH-BAKER

Six months after her his death, 37 years after they married, and 49 years after D-Day, Maxine Giannini learned the great secret of her husband’s life. Ugo Giannini, a professor and artist, who died in 1993, had told his wife to wait six months after his death to enter his studio. But when his wife, Maxine, entered the room in their South Orange home, she found a cache of pen and crayon sketches in an oaktag

A map Ugo drew for his commander outlining the battle plans leading up to D-Day.

folder. “It was the kind of folder you might put kindergarten work in,” she remembers. The sketches took her breath away, and, as she says, “made her an accidental historian.” Ugo Giannini fought in World War II, hitting the beach at Normandy Beach on D-Day. That Maxine knew, though she didn’t meet her husband until after his return to the United States. However, he almost never spoke about his wartime experiences.

mattersmagazine.com

Maxine explains that her husband and his fellow veterans “didn’t speak about the war. They came back as strangers, since no one understood.” But Ugo’s drawings, spare and direct, showed Maxine what her husband had witnessed in France. The nightmares that plagued him throughout his life became vivid to her. And soon she realized what she had to do. “The drawings needed to be seen,” she explains. “I had to decide how to make that happen. Artists are witnesses.” Maxine collected Ugo’s work and edited a collection of his wartime letters that she also discovered. Most were letters Ugo

exchanged with a longtime girlfriend. “That was another surprise,” says Maxine with a laugh. In addition, she had the letters Ugo wrote to his mother, Clara, during the war. She wrote to him in Italian, despite the years she lived in East Orange. He wrote to her in English. After the war, Ugo’s mother found him nearly unrecognizable. “What have they done to my son?” she asked. Having compiled the letters and drawings, Maxine published the collection as Drawing D-Day, An Artist’s Journey Through War. She also contacted veterans’ groups and ensured that the drawings were displayed in France, near where they

A self-portrait of Ugo in France and below, Maxine today next to a portrait Ugo drew of her during their early courtship.

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Summer 2014

Night patrol, 29th infantry division

October 4, 1944 enlarging the gap through the Siegfried line.

Ugo Giannini of the 29th Infantry Division

In 2003, as the last of Ugo’s studio was cleared, his final work was discovered. Four feet by five feet it is an immense structure of crosses. Requiem, Omaha Beach, D-Day, June 6, 1944

Making Dreams Come True 9 Mayhew Drive, South Orange 2 Oakland Terrace, Maplewood

Sue “Suki” Marsh-Shikiar Heather Gilheany 973-820-5751 [email protected] 7 Lewis Drive, Maplewood

Listed for $574,000 and sold for $623,000 with Multiple offers

Debbie Rybka Howard 908-591-4886 [email protected] 34 Kensington Terrace, Maplewood

Sue “Suki” Marsh-Shikiar Heather Gilheany 973-820-5751 [email protected]

49 Woodland Road, Maplewood www.49WoodlandRoad.com

Listed for$515,000 and Under Contract with Multiple offers

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30 Kensington Terrace, Maplewood

Listed for$525,000 and sold for $550,350 with Multiple offers

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Listed for$455,000 and Under Contract

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$745,000 Victoria Carter 973-220-3050 [email protected]

Weichert Short Hills 973-376-4545 505 Millburn Avenue Short Hills, NJ 07078 Weichert.com

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Summer 2014

Mini Camp at Far Brook School Short Hills, NJ

6 weeks of fun! June 23 to August 1 For ages 3–8 years old

Under the direction of Paula Levin • Donna Deltz • Bill Deltz

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were crafted. The work was featured in a television documentary shown in Europe and has been shown widely at museums and galleries. And Maxine regularly travels to Normandy to meet veterans who knew her husband, or had shared his experience. On one such trip, she met a former GI who said he knew her husband’s artwork. She protested. “Nobody had seen that work,” she said. But a few months later, the veteran was able to show Maxine reports from the war. These “After Action Reports” (see above photo) were generated at least monthly during the conflict; and Ugo had illustrated the cover of each report. The covers include the unit’s symbol, the yin and yang, as well as other markers of the conflict. In one image, an American eagle is destroying a swastika. Another shows a soldier returning home, the Statue of Liberty ahead of him. The drawings are simple, but deeply evocative. “Their perspective is dead on,” says Maxine. The works

are unlike the abstract paintings that he did after the war, though Normandy and its aftermath would not emerge in his work until his death. Maxine and Ugo travelled to France in 1993, intending to visit Omaha Beach. But on their first weekend in Paris, Ugo fell ill. At the American Hospital, he was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis. The couple returned home for treatment. “He never got back to the beaches,” said Maxine. “but his drawings went there.” She has traveled with the works to France on the 50th, 60th and now 70th anniversary of D-Day. Ugo Giannini’s work has been seen by thousands in a quonset hut on the side of a battlefield and in a hospital rebuilt after the war. What would her husband, who never spoke of his wartime work, say if he knew his drawings were known to the world? “The war changed everything about him,” said Maxine, “but I think he would be happy.” Marcia Worth-Baker is grateful for the private viewing she had of Giannini’s work.

mattersmagazine.com

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The ART of

Travel Want to paint Europe? Let two local artists be your guides.

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BY CAITLIN LOWE

Geralyn Robinson and Tara O’Leary want to take you on the artistic adventure of a lifetime. Robinson, artist and owner of Geralyn’s Art Studio in Maplewood, and O’Leary, a local artist, share their lifelong passion for art and travel by hosting European painting and cultural trips. As Ireland native Robinson laughingly recalls, “My mother joked that from four years of age I painted everything from my height down, blue.” Educated in art and computer programming, she started her career in graphic arts and programming. When offered a “temporary” move to the U.S. for her husband’s career, they headed off for three-year stints in Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, then a move to New Jersey. The couple assumed they would return to Ireland, until moving to Maplewood in 1994. “I thought it was just like a village in Ireland,” Robinson remembers. “I realized this was home.” She eventually enrolled in classes at Val’s Art Studio. Art became more than a hobby when she began teaching classes herself, and then took over the studio upon Val’s retirement. “I absolutely love my job and will be doing it till the day I die,” she says. Today Geralyn’s Art Studio is a fixture in Maplewood, offering classes seven days a week, to both children and adults.

TOP: Tara O’Leary and Geralyn Robinson in Greece; ABOVE RIGHT: Ireland; RIGHT: O’Leary painting in Italy.

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Summer 2014

The Beach is Open!

LEFT: Dining in Italy after a day of painting (below). FAR RIGHT: Inspiration in Italy.

Ocean Grove is thriving at the Jersey Shore. “Ocean Grove Named #8 Best Beach on Fodor’s List of Best Beaches in the World”

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One of the talented teachers at Geralyn’s, O’Leary also fell in love with art early on. “My mother said I was an easy child to raise because I was always in a corner painting,” she says. After earning her BFA at the School of Visual Arts in New York, O’Leary spent 17 years in ad sales until her son, then two and a half-years-old, gave her the courage to pursue art full-time. “I get to do what I love,” she says. “I also get to see his face when I come home.” Today, O’Leary’s career is flourishing, with a focus on landscapes and still life using pastels,

acrylics and encaustics. (Encaustic uses hot wax colored with pigments applied to a canvas or other surface.) In addition to having her own studio in Maplewood Village and being shown at the Tenth Muse Gallery, she also teaches workshops at Geralyn’s. Anyone meeting the pair would assume they have been friends forever, but they actually met just five years ago through local art events, with Robinson eventually hiring O’Leary to teach at the studio. A painting trip to Tuscany in 2009, complete with searching for the perfect espresso

mattersmagazine.com

19

Robert Northfield & Team Now at Keller Williams

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Summer 2014 Home Collection

and all-night chats, cemented their friendship and inspired them to host their own trips. “We have the same sense of adventure,” says O’Leary. “Just being out of your day-to-day can really allow you to let go as an artist.” The trips are now in their fourth year, and the duo has no plans to slow down. Robinson and O’Leary try to keep the groups small, at about 10 participants per trip. A typical day usually includes a few hours devoted to a painting or photography lesson, an excursion, and meals at their lodging or a local

restaurant. Free days include cooking lessons or the leisure to explore local culture, and plenty of time to soak in the surrounding beauty. Anyone is welcome, from novices to experienced artists. “Some people go because they have heard the trips are good fun, and some go for the art culture,” says Robinson. Those who don’t care to participate in the art lessons can pursue personal interests such as going for a walk, taking photos or reading. In addition to art, food and exploration, the trips offer a

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Summer 2014

Original artwork by Erin Rogers Pickering

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103 Baker Street 973-275-1966 geralynsartstudio.com

174 Maplewood Avenue 973-327-3227 hopscotchathome.com

9 Highland Place 973- 821-4852 perchhome.com

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163 Maplewood Avenue 973-313-3171 madelinemoss.com

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21

You will be well taken care of. That’s my promise.

Kathleen Galvin

Sales Associate

973-879-3176

www.kathleengalvinhomes.com 488 Springfield Ave., Summit | 518 Millburn Ave., Short Hills Office: 908-273-2991 ext. 347

Traveling in Ireland.

remarkable bonding experience. For example, during dinner in the final days of a trip to Lake Como in Italy, five of the women, who were strangers before the trip, discovered they were all cancer survivors. “They still stay in touch with each other. I was sitting there with my mouth open,” says Robinson. As to the future, Robinson and O’Leary are looking forward to exploring new and familiar places. “We are open to anywhere with a

beautiful landscape, interest from attendees, and a local contact who can be our guide,” says O’Leary. Destinations for 2014 include Ireland, Italy and Greece. Robinson and O’Leary say the experience is quite affordable – not more than $250 a night for everything exclusive of airfare. Caitlin Lowe’s artistic endeavors are generally limited to crayons and finger-painting with her 2-year-old son, but she would still love to take a European art adventure.

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Le ar n m or e at ar tof tra vel tou rs. com . Vi sit ger aly ns ar tst ud io. com to lea rn m or e ab ou t Geralyn’s Ar t Studio an d taraolear y.com for more on Tara O’Leary.

“A toy store for grown-ups.”

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973 821 5145

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Summer 2014

A Different Kind of Bookie A hotbed of esoteric book arts.

W BY SARAH HERSH

With the almost exclusively digital consumption of books on, say, any given New Jersey Transit train car, one can’t be blamed for wondering what will become of the printed page. Neveretheless, some local bibliophiles are vigorously bucking the trend, not only preserving the art form but expanding its reaches. Ann Vollum is a South Orangebased artist, calligrapher, and bookseller whose work was chosen for inclusion in the recently published 500 Handmade Books, Volume 2. “I’ve been making artist books for several years now,” she says. “I make books to showcase my drawings, and I enjoy the challenge of creating a visual story and figuring out how to make the drawings work in an interesting way within the structure of the book.” Vollum works in ink, but she doesn’t draft sketches ahead of time, revise her drawings after or discard anything she starts. “Once the pen is put to paper there is no turning back,” she declares. Her book Jungle Mouse, which was

included in 500 Handmade Books, uses peephole cutouts that make the book feel like an exploration of a puzzle while featuring her signature whimsical “beasties,” as she calls them (beasties.tumblr.com). “They are creatures that come out of my head,” she says. “Some people will see another animal in them; really it’s not meant to be any particular animal, but they are primal figures.” Since 2008, Vollum’s work and passion for bookmaking has been nurtured by the South Orange based Book Arts Roundtable (bookartsroundtable.com), a local group devoted to book and paper arts. “Our community is extremely fortunate to have this resource. People come from quite a distance and from other states to participate in the workshops and classes,” she says. “We like to say that the Book Arts Roundtable (BAR) is open to anyone who can’t resist the feel of paper, the wonder of books and

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The Blodgett Group Two Great Agents. One Great Team.

Local Expertise

Susan Blodgett, ABR

Cell: 973-214-4636 [email protected]

Personal Service & Attention to Detail

Virginia "Ginny" Spiegel

Cell: 973-219-8865 [email protected]

145 Maplewood Avenue, Maplewood

Office: 973-378-8300

©2014 Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC Coldwell Banker® is a registered trademark licensed to Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. An Equal Opportunity Company. Equal Housing Opportunity. Owned and Operated by NRT LLC.

Ann Vollum, above, and her book, Jungle Mouse, shown top opposite page.

excitement of creativity,” explains its director and founder, Karen McDermott. The Roundtable is both instructional and collaborative in nature, offering workshops to beginners and experts along with open forums to create new work and receive feedback on projects in progress. Fe l l o w BA R m e m b e r Chuck Miley is a bookmaker and Maplewood resident whose work can also be found in 500 Handmade Books, Volume 2: the pop-up books Shockhead Peter and Pinocchio. It took a little more than a year from when Miley submitted his works to the publishers to having the final physical volume in his hands. When he creates a new pop-up book from scratch, Miley estimates, it takes about a month to create each page. “First I do my research and reach through the information to select each scene,” he says. “Then I

do pencil drawings in a sketch book, and next create a dummy on white paper of a possible pop-up structure, adding spots of color directly to that. The final illustration is done on frosted mylar with watercolor or magic marker and then printed. Finally, I use scissors or an X-ACTO knife to hand cut the shapes and then hand-assemble the book with glue, stitching and folding.” Miley, whose work is also displayed in the Museum of Modern Art (and can be seen at chuckmiley. com), has a passion for pop-up books and the art of bookmaking that was sparked while attending a workshop in the 1980s that, as he says “set me on fire.” For others interested in pop-up books – whether a casual fan or burning enthusiast – Miley has a lot to suggest. “Anyone interested in learning more about making popup books should try to see as many pop-ups and tunnel books as they

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Summer 2014

Shockhead Peter and Pinocchio are the works of Chuck Miley, left. Pages from these books are shown left and at the bottom of page 22.

can: Look in private archives, go to places like the Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in Manhattan,” Miley recommends. “Go out and take a look at pop-up books and see how they are engineered and try to solve the problems.” And the future of books? Bibliophiles like Miley, Vollum and McDermott are proof that there are still people out there who cherish and carry forward the love and art of books, people who, as Miley put it, “love even the smell of a book.” There is hope that the digital era is creating an enhanced appreciation for those tactile and visceral aspects of books that can’t be replicated on a screen.

“People always ask me what’s going to become of the book,” McDermott said. “But I’m not worried. As long as there are people who love the feel of a book, even the sound of its pages turning, the texture of its paper and the way it fits in their hand, books will be an important part of our lives.” 5 0 0 H a n d m a d e B o o k s, Volume 2, among other books that celebrate book and paper arts, can be ordered at Words bookstore at 179 Maplewood Avenue. Sarah Hersh lives in Maplewood with her family and works in New York. She can often be found driving around town in search of a parking spot or creating an excuse to celebrate anything with a cupcake from The Able Baker.

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Call today to schedule a personal tour: 877-230-5543

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Side-Street Stewardship Honoring the historical present in a favorite Maplewood home

F STORY BY KRISTEN RYAN

Photos courtesy of Natalie Farrell, Keller Williams

For many Maplewood and South Orange residents, one house stands out as a personal favorite– a house where we can imagine sipping our coffee in the wraparound sun room, or tinkering in the gardens – and it’s different for everyone. One such home is a stately Pennsylvania-style farmhouse at 17 Hickory Drive in Maplewood, owned by John and Kathy Ike. The 88-year-old house retains a surprising number of its original fixtures and finishes, as well as its original floor plan, and it has functioned beautifully as the Ikes’ family home. Two years after the house was built, an article appeared in the August 1928 issue of Charm magazine, written by its architect, C.C. Wendehack. He described it with obvious pride as “designed so that it retains the most desirable characteristics of a style” while simultaneously being “a distinctive expression of the owner....This is a home which is modern in its purpose, fits the owner’s needs and at the same time reflects the true spirit of early American architecture. It is safe to say that this house could not have been built around the life of any other individual but its present owner” – George Otis, a 41-year-old quarryman who dealt in bluestone, and his wife, Edith. (The couple would live there until 1962, when they sold it for $57,200.) It’s not difficult to conjure the image of a 1926 Model T in the house’s attached two-car garage, where the Ikes now store a sports car and an SUV. The maid’s quarters over the garage has its own bath and access to the kitchen, which well served the Ikes’ three children, now grown up.

The August 1928 issue of Charm magazine features an article about a stately Pennsylvania farmhouse on Hickory Drive in Maplewood, written by its architect, C.C. Wendehack.

The Ikes bought the home in 2003 after friends told them it was on the market. John Ike, himself an architect who builds striking custom homes for clients all over the country, has developed an appreciation for Wendehack’s work. “I have, like a lot of people, always admired this house from afar,” Ike explains. “I’m a history guy, too, but I knew nothing about this guy before we bought the house, but I recognized it as a good house. I immediately wanted it, but I had to talk Kathy into it.”

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The dining room looks almost exactly the same as it did in 1928. Original are the wall sconces, a large fireplace and a china cabinet which has windows on all four sides, so natural light from outdoors illuminates the treasures inside.

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In 1928 the walls of the foyer and staircase were papered to resemble stone, an aesthetic that the Ikes refreshed with a beautiful treatment made from handmade paper.

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The exterior of the home is blue stone quarried in the northern part of New York and each piece was selected with care. The wood shingles have been carefully rebuilt to the original standards of the home. The Ikes unearthed a stone plaque with the Otis name. It leans near its original hiding place where they hope it will remain.

The Crane’s Plumbing Fixtures presentation by the architect, Clifford C. Wendehack, for Mr. and Mrs. Otis featured the most up-to-date fixtures in 1928. Many, like those shown to the left, still remain.

The kitchen, remodeled by the Ikes before they moved in, is their favorite room. It flows seamlessly into the pantry and dining room with hinges, knobs and pulls identical to the originals.

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“We had done a huge renovation in the house we were in,” Kathy confesses. “I had never noticed this house, never knew about it. Now people are always telling us that this is their favorite house in Maplewood.” And over the years, she has come to like the house and works hard to maintain its charms. Wendehack was known for designing many impressive clubhouses around the country. His works include the Montclair Athletic Club, the Winged Foot Golf Club clubhouse and the Maplewood Woman’s Club. He was also responsible for several other stately homes in New Jersey, including another beauty in Montclair. Original owner George Otis’s appreciation for the stonework in the home is inescapable. “The stone in this house is placed in an unusual way,” John Ike explains. “They are turned sideways so the layers of the rock face out. They are designed to weather and show their character over time.” In 1928 the walls of the foyer and staircase were papered to resemble stone, an aesthetic that the Ikes refreshed with a beautiful treatment made from handmade paper. Four working fireplaces, including one in the spacious master bedroom, make the large spaces feel cozy. The fireplace in the living room still has a cast-iron arm to suspend cooking pots over the flames and a dumbwaiter to bring wood up from the basement. The kitchen, remodeled by the Ikes before they moved in, is their favorite room. It flows seamlessly into the pantry and dining room with hinges, knobs and pulls identical to the originals. The dining room still clad in toile wallpaper from 1928, looks almost exactly the same. Still in use are the original wall sconces, a large fireplace and an unusual china cabinet with windows on all four sides that allows natural light from outdoors to illuminate the treasures inside. The immaculate wooden drain board in the butler’s pantry is original and visitors can picture

Edith Otis – or, more likely, her maid, Anna – polishing the stemware before a dinner party. The half bath under the stairs is original, as are most of the bathroom fixtures and tile. The 1926 Crane toilet, sink and faucets still look stylish against the black and white mosaic tile floor. A coat of glossy, black lacquer covers the walls, imparting a hint of modern glamour. The outdoor spaces of the home are extraordinary as well, with many of the original features of the gardens still embedded in the plantings. The Ikes’ dogs, Grits and Spuds, enjoy the side lawn and stone patio, built around a large, old millstone as its centerpiece. The front yard has a birdbath, also original to the house, with its own little spigot. “The birds just love that,” Kathy confesses with a big smile as she turns on the delicate stream. The house cozies up to Hickory Drive, leading with its left shoulder, and hanging back slightly. “I did a lot of houses in Brooklyn and in the Flatbush area,” John Ike says. “They’re all basically center halls turned sideways. It’s a very common technique in terms of getting a house to fit on a narrow lot.” The Otis family left their mark on the house in several ways, from the “1926” chiseled into the cornerstone to the large, stylized metal Os that still can be seen on the front and back of the chimney. Once, while gardening, Kathy unearthed a stone plaque with the Otis name. It leans against the sturdy stone house near its original hiding place, and Kathy hopes it will remain there. The house was listed for sale this year because the Ikes, now empty nesters, are planning to move to South Orange. They are excited about what’s ahead for them, and have high hopes for the future of the Hickory Drive house. “I think for a lot of properties you’re a steward,” John Ike reflects. “I hope that the next owners continue that stewardship.” Maplewood’s Kristen Ryan has always appreciated this home from afar and felt privileged to explore it.

Tracy Freeman Broker Sales Associate Cell: (917) 604-5735 Office: (973) 275-3035 145 Maplewood Avenue Maplewood, NJ 07040 www.TracyFreeman.com [email protected]

Facebook and social media are fun ways to connect. When it’s time to get serious about your real estate needs, connect with the person behind the technology. Let’s meet IRL (in real life) and discuss what I can do to get you moving! Tracy

OWpen pDOOrc nursery sachOOl • 432 W ,m yOming

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Summer 2014

Let’s Go To Prom

Promposals turn asking into an event BY MARCIA WORTH-BAKER

F

From deep in the D-wing at Columbia High School comes the sound of a guitar. Two voices take the melody, as the music travels through the hallway. Three boys appear, singing “All You Need is Love.” Suddenly one boy drops to his knees. Kneeling in front of a smiling senior girl, he offers flowers and asks, “Lila, will you go to prom with me?” Come spring in South Orange and Maplewood, unsuspecting Columbia High School students find themselves surprised and serenaded. “Promposals,” which can involve groups of friends and weeks of planning, have replaced old-fashioned invitations to the prom. Columbia High School students set up elaborate performances and scavenger hunts to invite their dates to the June prom. For an event as rich in tradition as the Senior Prom, promposals are a big change. “I think it’s exciting,” says Julia, a senior. “I was promposed to last year by a friend who sang outside my window. This year, my date spelled out my name in M&Ms, but only my favorite colors.” Promposals have become popular viewing on YouTube and Facebook, which can in turn provide inspiration. Likewise, television shows such as Good Morning America have featured celebrity-studded promposals. But local students take matters into their own hands in anticipation of the CHS Senior Prom, to be held this year on Monday, June 23, at the Westmount Country Club. Last spring, senior Harry strolled into Kate Dodd’s AP Art History class accompanied by friends, one playing guitar, another filming, still a third offering moral support. After playing George Gershwin’s “Summertime” on the sax, Harry knelt in front of fellow senior, Willa. Offering her a bouquet of flowers, he said, “Willa, will you go to the prom with me?” The class applauded at her reply.

Senior Madeleine Faust was promposed to by longtime friend Louis Kraham on her 18th birthday. She recalls, “I knew he was planning on asking me, but I just didn’t know when or where or how. I’m in love with the cookies at Cait and Abby’s bakery in South Orange and we’ve been there many times before together, so when he told me he would treat me to a birthday breakfast that morning, I had no clue he was going to ask me then.” But when the couple walked into Cait & Abby’s, says Faust, “I went over to the display case and as I scanned over the cookies to choose from, I saw a large bunny cookie in the middle of the glass case with ‘Prom?’ written on it. I was totally surprised, because usually I know or someone drops a hint by accident on what’s going on, but I had no clue of it until I saw the cookie and I’m really happy that I was surprised.”

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Experience Real Estate Success with

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David Cutler asked his girlfriend Brett Ascher to Prom by spelling it out with Sushi.

Sarah O’Connell’s prom date, Garrett Snyder, promposed during math class. “The teacher was in on it and in front of the white board there was a screen pulled down when she got to class,” says Nancy O’Connell, Sarah’s mother. “After the class did a warm-up problem the teacher pulled up the screen and it said, ‘Sarah, Prom?’” Her date then stood on a desk with a dozen roses and asked if she would go to the prom with him. O’Connell said yes. Around the halls of CHS, students have been promposed to surrounded by violin players, and serenaded by the a cappella group. Others have presented “prom pizzas,” pizzas with “PROM” spelled out in pepperoni. A memorable and visible invitation was the car covered in post-its. “Stick with me, Jess. Come to prom!” “The post-its flew off like confetti,” recalls Michael, who helped a friend cover the car. “That was unanticipated.” Other students show off surprising talents. Jordon Donald sang to girlfriend Rachel Katz during class. Tim Gray promposed to girlfriend Sam Stuppi during his performance at the Shakespeare Festival. Junior Noah Sebbane decorated signs to ask girlfriend Sadie Lewis to prom. One of the most surprising promposals of the year, though, was David Cutler’s sushi surprise. As Cutler tells it, “I invited my girlfriend, Brett Ascher, to come over on a Friday night to

have dinner, just the two of us. The night before, I ran out to Ashley Marketplace and bought five or six sushi rolls. I also went to Trader Joe’s to pick up flowers. I arranged the rolls on different plates that spelled out P-R-O-M-?” So far, so good, but Cutler upped the ante. “The next afternoon, I picked up some speciality rolls from Harusame in South Orange. Two of my good friends came over 15 minutes before she was supposed to arrive. They hid upstairs, and when she came in, we went downstairs to the basement. I pretended to order sushi over the phone, and told her that it was coming soon. We walked upstairs, and she was shocked to find the kitchen table completely cleared with a tablecloth placed on it, along with lit candles and music playing. I took the flowers and asked her to prom when she saw the sushi spelling the question out. She said yes and had no idea how I made it work. My friends came downstairs wearing black polos and acted as waiters for dinner.” Cutler notes that his girlfriend was “very impressed, and we are both looking forward to June 23rd.” Impressed and unanticipated are the words of the season when it comes to promposals. For teens, the best preparation for prom is to expect – when they hear music drifting down the school hallways – the creatively unexpected. Marcia Worth-Baker looks forward to seeing local teens dressed in prom finery on June 23rd.

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“Golf Island” Maplewood

Junior Dustin Ramos decorated Maddy Reichman’s car.

Tim Gray promposed to girlfriend Sam Stuppi during his performance at the Shakespeare Festival.

Noah Sebbane decorated signs to ask girlfriend Sadie Lewis to Prom.

Jordon Donald sang to girlfriend Rachel Katz during class.

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from the Top Realtors in town

Summertime means singing birds, sunshine, and For Sale signs in the yard. What’s most important when selling your house? We asked our local experts for some advice.

“Listen to the market! Comparable sales are one of the best guides to pricing it right.” Natalie Farrell, 917-514-7541, Weichert Realtors, 697 Valley Street, Maplewood

“Obtaining top dollar comes at a cost; you need to maximize the exposure and availability of the home, minimize the reasons buyers walk away and understand that price is an element of the marketing plan.” Michael Pennisi, 973-378-8300, Coldwell Banker, 145 Maplewood Avenue, Maplewood

“Homes are like books: the exterior, like the book cover, is needed to draw buyers to look, while the interior is like the content, which is necessary to convince someone to buy.” Mark Slade, 917-797-5059, Keller Williams, 181 Maplewood Avenue, Maplewood

“Before you renovate to sell your home speak with your realtor; we are experts on what the consumer is looking for, it could save you a lot of time, effort & money.” Valarie Tart-Williams, 973-762-5400, Keller Williams, 181 Maplewood Avenue, Maplewood

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“Wash your windows for a sparkling clean inside and out.” Kathleen Galvin, 973-879-3176, Keller Williams, 488 Springfield Avenue, Summit

Supporting the individual & creative growth of each child within a Jewish setting REGISTRATION NOW OPEN FOR CAMP & FALL. Call for a tour.

Toddler Time • Preschool • Extended Day • Transitional Pre-K

“Everything is negotiable.”

Please contact Carol Paster, Director, at the Preschool Office 973-763-4600 • [email protected] www.tsti.org • 432 Scotland Road, South Orange

Rena Spangler, 973-876-7913, Weichert Realtors, 697 Valley Street, Maplewood

“Stage the exterior of your home, too. Buyers can picture themselves outside as well as inside.”

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• Registered Nurses • Licensed Practical Nurses • Certified Home Health Aides Homemakers/Companions, Live-in Aides • 24 hours/day–7 days/week www.nationalstaffing.org

Susan Blodgett, 973-214-4636, Coldwell Banker, 145 Maplewood Avenue, Maplewood

“Price it right, it sells overnight. Price it wrong, it stays on too long.” Karen Bigos,973-376-8300, Towne Realty Group, 511 Millburn Avenue, Short Hills

“Successfully selling and buying real estate in today's competitive market is by design, not default. Be sure to equip yourself with the knowledge and tools of a strong and experienced agent to get the job done.” Victoria Carter, 973-376-4545, Weichert Realtors, 505 Millburn Avenue, Short Hills

Phone: 973.675.1163 973.533.4477

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regIsTer TOdAy! OfferINg: TrAdITIONAl CAMPs sPeCIAlTy CAMPs Before and after camp care is available, 7:00am-7:00pm Visit our camp page for more details.

for more information, call 973 762 4145. 13 Jefferson Ave., Maplewood, NJ 07040

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Summer 2014

“You need an open dialogue with your realtor to bring your house to the top of the pack.”

“For best results on pricing your home, consult with a local, fulltime real estate professional who Debbie Rybka Howard, 908-591-4886, Weichert Realtors, 505 Millburn Avenue, Short Hills understands current market conditions and pricing trends in your neighborhood.” Pat Bannon, 973-762-3300, Weichert Realtors, 697 Valley Street, Maplewood

“Do more than declutter: make your rooms look bigger by removing even one more piece of furniture than you think you need to.” Caroline Farnsworth, 973-698-0737, Keller Williams, 181 Maplewood Avenue, Maplewood

Care and Quality You Can Trust ASSISTED LIVING • MEMORY CARE • LONG-TERM CARE As a premiere continuing care retirement community, Winchester Gardens combines superior service and high-quality care in a setting of serene beauty. Because our healthcare services include assisted living, memory care and long-term care, you’ll trust us not just for today but into the future. Together with great dining, engaging activities and a beautiful, welcoming community, you’ll also find long-serving employees who care for residents with warmth and compassion.

Pay us a visit. Meet our great staff. Experience our quality. CALL TODAY: 877-230-5543

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“Appeal to your buyers’ senses when you have showings. Your home should smell good with arranged vases of flowers and relaxing music playing in the background.”

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ANYWHERE Matters©

Robert Northfield, 973-275-3012, Keller Williams, 181 Maplewood Avenue, Maplewood

“Buyers choose homes to preview based on photos, so you have to stage your home for photos to make a good impression.” Maggie Calister, 973-913-8020, Keller Williams, 181 Maplewood Avenue, Maplewood

“Want more eyes on your property? Make sure your agent is using social media (including Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and Pinterest) to promote your home.” Tracy Freeman, 917-604-5735, Coldwell Banker, 145 Maplewood Avenue, Maplewood Maplewoodian Adrianna Donat is a freelance writer and recreational Open House tour taker.

On your laptop, Android, iPhone or iPad. On Facebook and Twitter. All issues, online, all the time.

www.mattersmagazine.com

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Summer 2014

Brighten your summer table with a glass sunflower bowl, $45, Kokoro, 172 Maplewood Avenue, Maplewood, 973-378-7988.

Make a statement this summer with yellow chandelier earrings, $49, Stella & Dot, Danielle Ward, Independent Stylist, stelladot.com/danielleward, [email protected]

Oxidized sterling silver necklace with yellow enamel, pearls and druzy stone, $640, Tenth Muse Gallery, 170 Maplewood Avenue, Maplewood, 973-313-2722, thetenthmusegallery.com.

Sunshine

PURE

Try Old Smokey Tennessee moonshine in flavors like peach, and apple pie, $24.99, Maplewood Wine & Liquor, 3 Highland Place, Maplewood, 973-763-6377, maplewoodwineliquor.com.

Enjoy lemon cake ($3 per slice) and more this summer at The Rack Bakery, 1844 Springfield Ave, Maplewood, 973-327-2353, Facebook.com/TheRackCafe.

Get a new summer “do” at Staynd Color, 2 Depot Plaza, Maplewood, 973-3133100, stayndcolor. com.

Make music this summer! For the best vibe, quality and producers visit So.i.Heard Music, 10A East Willow Street, Millburn, 973-232-5111, soiheardmusic.com.

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Add a pop of color to a room with art expertly framed at, Mona Lisa, 7 Highland Place, Maplewood, 973-762-2777, monalisaframing.com.

Refresh a room for summer with this Saffron 8 X 10 hand-knotted rug, $1895 (also available in a larger size), Michaelian & Kohlberg Warehouse, 100 Hoffman Place, Hillside, 973-371-7711, michaelian.com.

Make a home chef happy with this yellow baker motif apron, $22.95, Kitchen a la Mode, 19 South Orange Avenue, 973-8215145, kitchenalamode.net.

Stop by for a cool refreshing beer and stay to eat, St. James Gate, 167 Maplewood Avenue, Maplewood, 973-378-2222, stjamesgatepublickhouse.com.

Show a child a classic toy like the slinky, $6.29, Topf’s, 1885 Springfield Avenue, Maplewood, 973-762-3481.

Affordable custom made shirts using luxurious Italian fabrics from $99-169, J. Hilburn Custom & Casual Menswear, Sharon Grazioso-Bianchi, 973-761-7009, [email protected] sharon.gb.jhilburn.com

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camp countdown matters There is still time to get your children enrolled in some terrific summer CAMP programs. Take a look: Class Act Performing Arts Studio

128 Irvington Avenue, South Orange Page O’Connor, Founding Director 973-789-0191 classactpas.com Ages 3-13 Class Act offers camps from June 30 – August 8: Ages 3-6: weeklong sessions exploring music and movement and Ages 7-13: half or full day, over two-weeks, students will dance, sing, act and even put together costumes and scenery for a big studio show.

Shakti Yoga

DewLax Lacrosse Camp for Girls

So.i.Heard Music

Snyder Avenue Field, New Providence Dwayne Wilkins – Owner dewlax.com Grades 2-9 DewLax Camp from July 28-31, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., offers true connective coaching specializing in the girls lacrosse game, from beginners to experienced players; building confidence and a technical, fundamental understanding of game tactics and strategies.

Geralyn’s Art

1861 Springfield Ave, Maplewood 973-763-2288 Anna Winkler - Owner shaktinj.com Ages 8 and up Meditation for the Imagination for kids ages 8-12, Mondays from, July 7-August 11, 3:45-4:30 p.m., and Tweens & Teens Yoga Camps from July 8-August 12, 4-4:45 p.m. for ages 8-12 and 5-6 p.m. for 13 & up.  973-232-5111 Sean Killary 10A East Willow Street, Millburn soiheardmusic.com Ages 4-18 So.i.Heard Music offers two camps. Frozen in the Summer, a week where campers ages 4 - 8+ sing and perform favorite scenes from the movie and Camp SiH a full summer or drop-in program that explores all aspects of music, including songwriting, recording and performing for ages 10+.

103 Baker Street, Maplewood Geralyn Robinson - Owner 973-275-1966 geralynsartstudio.com Ages 4 and up Geralyn’s daily Summer Art Camp, June 23 to August 29, 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for ages 4 - 7 and 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. for ages 8 and up.

South Mountain YMCA

Kinder Gan

South Orange Country Day

Mickey Fried Nursery School of Oheb Shalom Congregation

The South Orange-Maplewood Adult School Summer Program

120 Parker Avenue, Maplewood Frumie Bogomilsky – Director 973-763-7455 maplewoodjewishcenter.org Ages 2-5 Kinder Gan camp from June 30 to August 1; activities include music, art, science, water play and lots of action. 170 Scotland Road, South Orange Iris Ehrlich – Director 973-762-7069 ohebshalom.org Ages 2-5 Oheb Shalom offers camps from June 23 through August 8 from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. The mini camp for 2-year-olds runs from 9-11 a.m. An 8 a.m. early drop off is also available.

Mini Camp at Far Brook School

52 Great Hills Road, Short Hills Paula Levin – Director 973-992-2192 minicamp.org Ages 3-8 The ultimate experience for 3 to 8-year-old children in a relaxed, rural environment with experienced, nurturing teachers from June 23 to August 1.

13 Jefferson Avenue, Maplewood 973-762-4145 smountainymca.org Ages 3-15 The YMCA offers a wide variety of summer day camps perfect for children ages 3 -15. 461 Vose Avenue, South Orange Annemarie Maini – Director 973-762-6451 socds.com Ages 2 ½ - 6 South Orange Country Day offers a weekly flexible schedule this summer from June 30 through August 22. 17 Parker Avenue, Maplewood Judy James – Executive Director 973-378-7620 somadultschool.org Grades 1-9 The Adult School’s children’s summer program will run from June 30 to July 25.

TSTI Iris Family Center Preschool

432 Scotland Road, South Orange Carol Paster – Director 973-763-4600 tsti.org Ages 2-5 TSTI offers a half-day camp, from June 30 to August 15 from 9 a.m. to noon, with extended day options available: it focuses on each child’s developmental needs and promotes a positive, secure and accepting environment.

localmatters

continued from page 11

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Bonita Gilliard Cell: (973) 769-2579

[email protected]

The South Orange Public Library summer reading program begins with a kickoff on June 30.

from Larry McKim’s advancedplacement art class at Columbia High School helped with the fabrication and installation of this exhibit, which will be on display throughout August. For more information about these events call 862-438-8191 or visit 1978artscenter.org. Maplewood Memorial Library, 51 Baker Street, Maplewood, will celebrate New Jersey’s 350th anniversary with a talk by Linda Barth, author of A History of Inventing in New Jersey: from Thomas Edison to the Ice Cream Cone, on June 30 at 7 p.m. New Jersey inventors and innovators have changed the lives of people around the world. Hundreds of thousands of new ideas got their start right here. What makes New Jersey the state where ideas grow? This fascinating talk will include submarines, bar codes, the electric guitar, graham crackers and cell phones. Throughout the summer, the Maplewood library will also be offering reading programs for patrons of all ages. The children’s room theme is Fizz, Boom, Read; in the Teen Zone, it’s Spark a Reaction and for adults, Literary Elements. For details about how to join and win prizes call 973-762-1622, drop by either library location or visit maplewoodlibrary.org. South Orange Librar y will kick off its summer reading prog ram June 30 with arts and crafts, live music and fun for ever yone from g randchildren to grandparents. Sign-up for participation begins June 26 and continues throughout

Author Linda Barth will discuss her book, A History of Inventing in New Jersey: From Thomas Edison to the Ice Cream Cone at the Maplewood Library June 30.

the summer. Among the events planned for this summer is an appearance by Audrey Vernick, the author of Brother’s at Bat, on July 10 at 1 p.m., which should appeal to an intergenerational audience. The library is looking for volunteers, including students in grades six through 12; those interested should send an email to volunteer@sopl. org. For more information call 973762-0230 or visit sopl.org. Solarize SOMA is an allvolunteer effort by Maplewood and South Orange neighbors to double the amount of solar power use in the two towns by educating homeowners about the benefits of harnessing the sun to generate electricity from their homes while helping the communities reduce their greenhouse gas footprint. Through Solarize SOMA, interested homeowners can get a free evaluation to determine if their location is suitable for a solar installation. For more information, visit solarizesoma.org. Solarize SOMA has launched a campaign to educate residents about the benefits of solar energy.

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Summer 2014

Where’s Waldo? In Maplewood, of course! The famous children’s book character in the striped shirt and black-rimmed specs is visiting 20 plus different local businesses this July. Waldo figures will be well hidden in these establishments. Finding Waldo is a great summer vacation activity and a wonderful way for residents to support local businesses and the Shop Local movement. To participate pick up a “Find Waldo!” passport at [words] bookstore. Visit participating businesses in order to get your passport stamped or signed for each Waldo you spot. The first 100 Waldo seekers to get their passports stamped or signed at 10 or more sites can bring their passports back to [words] bookstore to receive a fantastic Waldo button! Collecting stamps or signatures at 20 or more businesses will entitle diligent seekers entry into a grand prize drawing on July 24, with the top prize being a six-volume deluxe set of Waldo books. There is no charge to participate and the hunt lasts for the entire month of July. For more information about hunting for Waldo in Maplewood call [words] bookstore at 973-763-9500.

Local Farmers’ Markets Maplewood

Open: Mondays from June 9 to October 27 between 2 p.m. – 7 p.m. Location: parking lot at corner of Springfield Avenue and Indiana Street Contact: 973-762-8120 x 2003, maplewoodnj.org

South Orange

Open: Wednesdays from June 4 to October 29 between 2 p.m. – 7 p.m. Location: First Street adjacent to parking lot 9. Contact: 973-378-7715 x6900, sovillagecenter.org

Millburn

Open: Tuesdays from June 3 to November 11 between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Location: Main and Essex Streets Contact: 973-379-2341, downtownmillburn.org

West Orange

Open: Fridays from June 27 to October 31 between 12 p.m. and 6 p.m. Location: Quigley Municipal Parking lot at the corner of Harrison Avenue and Mississippi Avenue (across the street from Our Lady of Lourdes Church) Contact: 973-325-4109, downtownwestorange.org

Montclair

Open: Saturdays from June 7 to November 22 between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. Location: Walnut Street train station lot Contact: 973-228-2466

Summit

Open: Sundays from May 11 to November 23 between 8 a.m and 1 p.m. Location: Maple Street and DeForest Avenue Contact: 908-277-6100, summitdowntown.org

SuMmErMuSiC

Maplewoodstock, music and art festival in Memorial Park - July 12-13

Photo credit “Maplewoodstock”

The Maplewoodstock Music and Arts Festival, a free live music and art event, will be held in Memorial Park, 160 Dunnell Road, July 12 and 13, from noon until 9 p.m. each day. Maplewoodstock, a family-friendly event, now in its 11th year, has grown from a lazy afternoon jam in the park to a lively free two-day music and arts festival. In addition to the music, there will be local arts and craft vendors, food of all varieties, a beer garden and a large KidZone with games, inflatable rides, crafts and more. Saturday’s lineup will include headline artists Robert Randolph & the Family Band. Sunday’s show will close with headliner Puss n Boots (Sasha Dobson, Norah Jones and Catherine Popper) and featured artist Raul Midon. A total of 26 bands will perform over the two-day festival, many with local ties to the vibrant Maplewood-South Orange music scene. Bring lawn chairs, picnic baskets and blankets and spend the weekend enjoying the music, arts and food in the company of family, friends and neighbors on a park hillside in the center of Maplewood. For a full line-up of bands and more information visit, maplewoodstock.com.

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Maplewood’s Annual July 4th celebration, organized by the July 4th Committee of the Maplewood Civic Association, is a full-day hometown community experience, including a circus and fireworks. Made possible by the purchase of tags and many volunteers, these festivities continue as a community-wide endeavor in the best spirit of Maplewood. All events take place in and around Memorial Park. Tags are required for admission, especially to circus, music and fireworks. A $15 tag, available at many Maplewood retailers, covers all the day’s activities including the circus and music/fireworks; new this year are $10 tags, available only at the gate on the day of the event, which include your choice of circus or music/fireworks.

Friday, July 4 schedule of events:

7:30 a.m.: Annual 4th of July 5K Run starts in front of the main library, requires separate registration and fee, organized by the Columbia High School CrossCountry Team parents and faculty. 8 a.m.: Opening ceremonies at Ricalton Square. 8:15 a.m.: The “Bikes Etc.” parade of everything push, pedal or pull, decorated red, white and blue, steps off from Ricalton Square. 9 a.m.: Dashes and races at the athletic field south of Oakview Avenue, organized by the South Mountain YMCA. 10 a.m.: Pixel/Box Art Project at the athletic field north of Oakview , presented by B. John Kaufman and sponsored by Memorial Post 10120 VFW and 1978 Arts Center. 10 a.m.: Robotics Club at Skate House; CHS Robotics Club students display and demonstrate. 11a.m.: Ice cream eating contests in picnic area next to the playground, presented by Maplewood Rotary. 11 a.m.: Tennis contests at Civic House tennis courts: fastest serve and most accurate serve; presented by Maplewood Recreation tennis program. 11 a.m.: Baking contest in Town Hall. All ages welcome, judging directed by Janet Crane. Contest entries must be at Town Hall between 9 and 9:30 a.m. 12 p.m.: Pet awards show at Town Hall steps: all types, all sizes, with support from PetSmart and emceed by Art & Willie Gartenlaub. 12 p.m.: Kids’ Percussion, organized by Children’s Music Network and Ethical Culture Society, at the athletic field south of Oakview Avenue. 12 to 3 p.m.: Play or watch adult softball at the athletic field south of Oakview Avenue. 12 to 3 p.m. Karaoke by New Jersey DJ Services LLC. 1 p.m., 3:30 p.m. and 6 p.m.: Zerbini Family Circus under the big top. Rain or shine. First come, first served. No reserved seats, seating is limited - so line up early. 2 p.m.: Robotics Club at Skate House; CHS Robotics Club students display and demonstrate. 4 p.m.: Live music begins. Picnic at the athletic field south of Oakview Avenue and enjoy performances until fireworks begin. Ice cream vendors will be available, tasty offerings from Blue Plate Special and hotdogs, soda etc. at Maplewood’s Boy Scout Troop 5 concession. 9 p.m.: Fireworks – come early.

Times are approximate. Combo tags are available at: Town Hall clerk’s office, Main and Hilton branch libraries, Recreation Department, Town Hall and DeHart Community Center. Participating vendors: Able Baker, Maplewood Stationers, No. 165, Scrivener’s, Strawberry Fields, Village Wine Shop, Words Bookstore, Gleason’s Cleaners, Edo’s Quality Cakes, HLS Juice Bar and Grill, Park Wood Diner. Tags also available on July 4th in Memorial Park at both evening event entrance gates. To volunteer call 973-339-7399; for more information visit maple4th.com.

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Summer 2014

finalmatters

Going Hybrid Confessions of a recovering gas-guzzling mom BY ELISSA CATERFINO MANDEL

I love my new grey hybrid car, but for the first three months that I drove it, it died in the garage nearly every week. This is because it came off the lot with a defective battery. I called it a lemon for a while. But it is not a lemon. It just behaved like one, until the dealer saw the light and got the big guns from Michigan to come in and test out the battery on some kind of super-duper machine that proved what my husband suspected all along: that a hybrid car that could only run for about a week at a time without needing a jumper cable to start it probably was battery-impaired. The battery on a hybrid must cost a lot. Before the dealer replaced mine, the service people tried telling me that there was something wrong with the radio controls, the lights, and the “core system” that operated the electric (whatever that means). Each time I brought the car in – three times – they fixed these things and sent me home. They even accused me of leaving the car in “drive” in my garage and walking away from it. The service people clearly don’t know who taught me to drive. My father does not leave cars in the garage unlocked without the emergency brake on. No way was I leaving this car in “drive,” and going into my house. While I have come late to the environmental table, I do love driving, and saying that, I drive a hybrid car. This way I can pretend I do good things for the environment, and can ignore the fact that many of the disagreements my husband and I have are over my putting the Saran Wrap™ (erroneously) into the recycling bin. So now I can say I am a driver of a hybrid. The car demands a tremendous amount from me, however. The car is smart. About cars, I am not. I cannot operate it via traditional dials. I have to issue it voice commands. But the voice commands it wants to hear from me are quite specific. “You idiot car!” is unfortunately not one of them. To program a street into its GPS system, I must speak, with the precision of a grammarian who has edited the Oxford English Dictionary, the magic phrase “destination street address.” These three words are not the most comfortable formula to have to roll from the tongue, particularly when one is in the process of getting lost. Hybrid car ownership has turned me into someone I do not necessarily admire or even like. After the battery was changed, the car started to smell – really rotten, as if something bad had died inside it. By this time, I was so accustomed to maligning my car, so sure it belonged in the lemon category, that I brought it back to the dealer. “I think that the new battery may be giving off some kind of weird chemical smell,” I told them. “It may be a health hazard.” If this car wasn’t going to kill me from aggravation, it certainly was proving fairly gross to ride in. This time, the service people took me seriously, and they quickly shepherded the car to the back of the shop. I finally felt that I was being heard: victory. Five minutes later the man came back with an old container of garlic from the Ashley Marketplace. “I think we’ve discovered your problem,” he said. Elissa Caterfino Mandel and her hybrid live in South Orange.

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RED DAY 2014

G I V E WHERE YOU LIVE

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We make a difference! Annually, Keller Williams takes on a local project. This year was painting the new “Woodland” formerly the Maplewood Woman’s Club. To see more photos of our GIVE WHERE YOU LIVE project at the Woodland, go to our website at www.mid-towndirectrealty.com

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