On May 30, 75 years ago, the All American Girls Professional Baseball League was formed to fill the stadiums Emptied by World War II. Chicago Cubs owner Phillip Wrigley gave women a chance to enter the professional world of sports for eleven years.
It seems quaint to us now, as we live in the age of Venus and Serena Williams, and the All American Women's Basketball League, and big money drawing women golf stars, to think of a day when many if not most American citizens didn't think women could or should play professional sports.
In the world of "Where were you when___________happened," I can tell you I was in a bar in Philadelphia when Billy Jean King played Bobby Riggs in the Battle of the Sexes tennis match. I was frightened to death. I didn't want to see Billy Jean King somehow defeated and humiliated and I didn't want to be humiliated by the loud and belligerent bar patrons that night.
Having grown up in the gritty world of blue-collar, brick row house culture in Philadelphia in the 1940s and 50's I was already effectively and profoundly intimidated and did not challenge male power. Men were bigger, stronger, they made the money and called the shots. It was exilherating and unnerving to see Billy Jean King succumb to the publicity stunt challenge of Bobby Riggs, and though I knew she was young and strong and talented, it had never been my idea that we were physically stronger than men, only that we should have a fair opportunity to do what we could and equal pay for equal work. I didn't want to be my Dad, or be an Ironworker, or a sailor, which he had been. But I also didn't want to be my mother, though she was blissfully happy in her role as mother and housewife. I wanted to be an artist, a writer, a teacher. I wanted to go to college, and in the time that I reached college age, college acceptance for women was neither fair nor equal, nor was the distribution of tax money to support college athletics.
So, a lot has changed and it is good to look back and see how far we have come.
Talking about remembrance, June 5th is the 60th anniversary of the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy (1968). Some people wish they could go back into the past and be young again. I am not one of them. We lived in interesting times, but I am quite content in the comfort and the progress of the present!
Since sports seems to be the subject of this post, it is worth mentioning that we saw the ghostly empty stadium of Patterson, New Jersey on Mother's Day when my daughter kindly drove me there to see the water fall. Factory towns are another item lost in time. We visited the Patterson Museum, also, and I couldn't help but wish I could see/hear/learn more about the individuals who worked in the factories. Factory work was another entry point into the world of independence and equality for women, some of the first labor strikes were women workers such as the silk girls strike and the shirt waist factory strike and the strikes of the mills in New England. I could almost hear the voices of the men in the stadium beside the water fall, shouting out encouragement to their fellow workers on their baseball teams, on their rare days off from the dark factories.
I worked in a mill myself, once, Alchester Mills in Camden, NJ. I was a college student earning money for tuition through summer work. It was tedious, exhausting, and the air was filled with what I am sure must have been dangerous fibers. But, I only had to work there for one summer. Other women had been there for decades.
Happy Trails,
Jo Ann
Wednesday, May 30, 2018
Tuesday, May 29, 2018
Alexandria Quarterly Press @ The Station
On Jun1 1, 2018, Nicole Eiland and Jeremy Guay feature the Grand Opening of AQP Headquarters (Alexandria Quarterly Press) a pop-up bookstore, vintage shop and center for writing.
As a hand-made book artist, a painter, and a writer, I am very much anticipating this event!
Just today I took another friend (the 8th so far) to see the paintings in the gallery upstairs before the show changes. Two of my friends have works in the show, painters Diane Paul, of Main Street Art, and Colleen Hammond.
When I visit, I like to have another look at Nicole Eiland's magnificent hand-made book sculpture in the western corner of the gallery. It is monumental!
I am not sure what is going to happen at the event, but I am looking forward to finding out and always delighted to see more Art events happening in our area!
Happy Trails,
Jo Ann
Oh yes, AQP @ the Station is at 10 E. Chestnut Street in Merchantville, NY
As a hand-made book artist, a painter, and a writer, I am very much anticipating this event!
Just today I took another friend (the 8th so far) to see the paintings in the gallery upstairs before the show changes. Two of my friends have works in the show, painters Diane Paul, of Main Street Art, and Colleen Hammond.
When I visit, I like to have another look at Nicole Eiland's magnificent hand-made book sculpture in the western corner of the gallery. It is monumental!
I am not sure what is going to happen at the event, but I am looking forward to finding out and always delighted to see more Art events happening in our area!
Happy Trails,
Jo Ann
Oh yes, AQP @ the Station is at 10 E. Chestnut Street in Merchantville, NY
Monday, May 28, 2018
Memorial Day Picnic 2018
For today, I should probably be posting Memorial Day evens but I haven't finished the Sunday papers yet and I don' know what' going on. I do know that Saturday was May Fest in Collingswood and the Classic Car Show, but I only know because I was walking my dog in Knight's Park, as we do every day, my brown Lab Trixie and me, and I saw all the cars parked and the people walking towards Haddon Ave. I am not one for crowds in general and although from time to time on a holiday, I will brave the throng, yesterday was so peaceful and green in the park, I wouldn't have traded it for the hustle and bustle of Haddon Ave.
What I wanted to mention today was your Memorial Day Picnic menu! I am not a cook and rarely do cook HOWEVER as you may recall I began this blog when my fellow teachers, all retiring at roughly the same time, were talking about wondering what they would do when they didn't work any more. Since I had gone first and had more things to do than days in the week to do them, I promised I would post them so they could refer to this blog for ideas.
Well, here is something new to the blog that I think is worth adding, healthful eating. Lately I have watched at least three documentaries on Netflix about our obesity epidemic in America and the resulting health crisis older Americans are facing with diabetes and heart disease, not to mention less disastrous be related issues such as knees going bad from the strain of carrying 50 or more extra pounds around every day.
The three latest docs I have watched are: Take Your Pill, Hungry for Change, and Fat to Finish. I have been interested in nutrition and ecology since the 1970's when I became a vegetarian (which I still am- though I lean toward vegan eating now.)
Most of my friends are vegetarians, the healthy ones. Anyhow some of the things they talk about in these new docs on health and food as medicine, are the addictive nature of sugar and the disease producing inevitability of processed foods.
On my coffee table right now is an article from last week's Sunday Courier Post about Ironman Triathletes who have switched to vegan diets to improve their conditioning.
I will talk more about this at other times, but for now I thought I would share my menu for today - an old artist friend from college is coming over to do some yard work and we are having a Memorial Day picnic after the lawn is mowed.
Veggie burgers - with smoked gouda cheese (almond milk based)
Salad - (baby kale leaves, mushrooms, black olives and a cranberry vinaigrette)
for dessert - strawberry, banana smoothies with apple
No triglicerides, no cancer causing additives, no sugar - just healthful and delicious!
For Memorial Day itself I alway like to remember and thank my grandfather Joseph Lyons who served in World War I, my father, Joseph Wright who served in World War II in the navy, and my brother, Joe, who was a marine and served in Vietnam. I, myself, have been a peace activist, but I thank everyone who served our country for keeping it free so we could all live our own individual conscience!
Happy Trails, happy meals!
Jo Ann
What I wanted to mention today was your Memorial Day Picnic menu! I am not a cook and rarely do cook HOWEVER as you may recall I began this blog when my fellow teachers, all retiring at roughly the same time, were talking about wondering what they would do when they didn't work any more. Since I had gone first and had more things to do than days in the week to do them, I promised I would post them so they could refer to this blog for ideas.
Well, here is something new to the blog that I think is worth adding, healthful eating. Lately I have watched at least three documentaries on Netflix about our obesity epidemic in America and the resulting health crisis older Americans are facing with diabetes and heart disease, not to mention less disastrous be related issues such as knees going bad from the strain of carrying 50 or more extra pounds around every day.
The three latest docs I have watched are: Take Your Pill, Hungry for Change, and Fat to Finish. I have been interested in nutrition and ecology since the 1970's when I became a vegetarian (which I still am- though I lean toward vegan eating now.)
Most of my friends are vegetarians, the healthy ones. Anyhow some of the things they talk about in these new docs on health and food as medicine, are the addictive nature of sugar and the disease producing inevitability of processed foods.
On my coffee table right now is an article from last week's Sunday Courier Post about Ironman Triathletes who have switched to vegan diets to improve their conditioning.
I will talk more about this at other times, but for now I thought I would share my menu for today - an old artist friend from college is coming over to do some yard work and we are having a Memorial Day picnic after the lawn is mowed.
Veggie burgers - with smoked gouda cheese (almond milk based)
Salad - (baby kale leaves, mushrooms, black olives and a cranberry vinaigrette)
for dessert - strawberry, banana smoothies with apple
No triglicerides, no cancer causing additives, no sugar - just healthful and delicious!
For Memorial Day itself I alway like to remember and thank my grandfather Joseph Lyons who served in World War I, my father, Joseph Wright who served in World War II in the navy, and my brother, Joe, who was a marine and served in Vietnam. I, myself, have been a peace activist, but I thank everyone who served our country for keeping it free so we could all live our own individual conscience!
Happy Trails, happy meals!
Jo Ann
Tuesday, May 22, 2018
American Revolution Round Table of South Jersey
Putting the pieces together.
A few years back, I volunteered at several historic sites that had some significance in American history. At each of the sites, I learned a great deal that I hadn't known before. I spent varying amounts of time as a volunteer in these places and engaged in a variety of jobs. The one where I spent the longest amount of time was the James and Ann Whitall House at Red Bank Battlefield.
You really could spend an entire lifetime learning the American Revolution, and half of that lifetime you could spend doing research to fill in the missing pieces. My knowledge of the American Revolution prior to my volunteer work at Red Bank Battlefield, was meager to say the least. Although I had grown up in Philadelphia and had been fortunate enough to work at a library during the bicentennial, I still had a spotty and disconnected idea of what had gone on.
One experience that really helped me begin to put the pieces together was a program performance enterprise into which I had invested with a friend, after we had both retired. We called it Moments in Time and we had, to begin with, three programs that we offered, one called Red, White and Blueberries, about Clara Barton and the Red Cross, and Elizabeth White and the cultivation of the Blueberry. Another was about the Underground Railroad in New Jersey, and the third was about the American Revolution in South Jersey.
To understand the Revolution, my colleague and I made a large map and using a chronological approach as well as a geographical one, we figured out, more or less, what had happened. It turned out to be surprisingly and dauntingly complicated. In the process, I came to understand that the most famous actions, such as Bunker Hill, in New England, were really less significant than what happened in New Jersey. I became acquainted with The Crossroads of the Revolution and astonished by the number of battles, skirmishes and significant events that had taken place in our own state. Who knew?
During the learning period, a really fun time for me, whatever the subject, I did a lot of roaming around in South Jersey, a place neglected in a neglected state. So many interesting and significant events took place in New Jersey, not least of which was the Battle for the Delaware River! We had our own tea burning in Greenwich, New Jersey!
Greenwich, by the way, has a main street that is studded with historic houses and looks much the way it may have in the 18th century, sans horses and wagons and the tall masts of ships on the Cohansey River. The Marquis de Lafayette took his first military action in Gloucester Towne, which by he way, celebrated its tricentennial when the rest of America celebrated the bicentennial.
Anyhow, tonight, a few more pieces found their way into the giant and colorful puzzle that has been my learning about the American Revolution in South Jersey. At the Voorhees Branch of the Camden County Library, I heard a very informative lecture on the battle at Hancock's Bridge.
Hancock's Tavern historic site is a favorite visit of mine. I love the little village, the beautiful 18th century Friend's Meeting House, and I have often driven down to Alloways Creek to spend some time at this favorite site. There is a re-enactment at Hancock's Tavern that is well worth the trip, and a fantastic textile expert who gives talks and demonstrations in the adjacent building. She teaches spinning and weaving in Mount Holly at Woolbearers.
At Hancock's, one summer, I heard a totally engaging woman present on midwifery in the 18th century. She had a vast collection of medicinal artifacts, some harrowing, others mystifying, and knew a great deal about herbal medicine. Another speaker there gave a talk on her upcoming doctoral thesis on a farm wife in Salem during the Revolution. I wish I could remember her name or find whatever I wrote it on at the time.
These memories came flooding back to me as I listened to the lecturer, at my first visit to the American Revolution Round Table, which meets monthly. They will meet again in June at the Haddon Township Library. I will be sure to be there and I hope you will too. For more information, visit their new and excellent Facebook page: American Revolution Round Table of South Jersey.
The lecturer, very well informed and interesting was Pete Michel. It was encouraging to see so many young people there and so many young women! Well Done!
Things I wish we knew more about:
1.The Battle of Gloucester Towne
2.The effect of the Revolutionary War on ordinary citizens in South Jersey
3.The Hessians in South Jersey
4.The Quakers in South Jersey
5.South Jersey Women in the Revolution
Happy Trails and Good Night!
Jo Ann
A few years back, I volunteered at several historic sites that had some significance in American history. At each of the sites, I learned a great deal that I hadn't known before. I spent varying amounts of time as a volunteer in these places and engaged in a variety of jobs. The one where I spent the longest amount of time was the James and Ann Whitall House at Red Bank Battlefield.
You really could spend an entire lifetime learning the American Revolution, and half of that lifetime you could spend doing research to fill in the missing pieces. My knowledge of the American Revolution prior to my volunteer work at Red Bank Battlefield, was meager to say the least. Although I had grown up in Philadelphia and had been fortunate enough to work at a library during the bicentennial, I still had a spotty and disconnected idea of what had gone on.
One experience that really helped me begin to put the pieces together was a program performance enterprise into which I had invested with a friend, after we had both retired. We called it Moments in Time and we had, to begin with, three programs that we offered, one called Red, White and Blueberries, about Clara Barton and the Red Cross, and Elizabeth White and the cultivation of the Blueberry. Another was about the Underground Railroad in New Jersey, and the third was about the American Revolution in South Jersey.
To understand the Revolution, my colleague and I made a large map and using a chronological approach as well as a geographical one, we figured out, more or less, what had happened. It turned out to be surprisingly and dauntingly complicated. In the process, I came to understand that the most famous actions, such as Bunker Hill, in New England, were really less significant than what happened in New Jersey. I became acquainted with The Crossroads of the Revolution and astonished by the number of battles, skirmishes and significant events that had taken place in our own state. Who knew?
During the learning period, a really fun time for me, whatever the subject, I did a lot of roaming around in South Jersey, a place neglected in a neglected state. So many interesting and significant events took place in New Jersey, not least of which was the Battle for the Delaware River! We had our own tea burning in Greenwich, New Jersey!
Greenwich, by the way, has a main street that is studded with historic houses and looks much the way it may have in the 18th century, sans horses and wagons and the tall masts of ships on the Cohansey River. The Marquis de Lafayette took his first military action in Gloucester Towne, which by he way, celebrated its tricentennial when the rest of America celebrated the bicentennial.
Anyhow, tonight, a few more pieces found their way into the giant and colorful puzzle that has been my learning about the American Revolution in South Jersey. At the Voorhees Branch of the Camden County Library, I heard a very informative lecture on the battle at Hancock's Bridge.
Hancock's Tavern historic site is a favorite visit of mine. I love the little village, the beautiful 18th century Friend's Meeting House, and I have often driven down to Alloways Creek to spend some time at this favorite site. There is a re-enactment at Hancock's Tavern that is well worth the trip, and a fantastic textile expert who gives talks and demonstrations in the adjacent building. She teaches spinning and weaving in Mount Holly at Woolbearers.
At Hancock's, one summer, I heard a totally engaging woman present on midwifery in the 18th century. She had a vast collection of medicinal artifacts, some harrowing, others mystifying, and knew a great deal about herbal medicine. Another speaker there gave a talk on her upcoming doctoral thesis on a farm wife in Salem during the Revolution. I wish I could remember her name or find whatever I wrote it on at the time.
These memories came flooding back to me as I listened to the lecturer, at my first visit to the American Revolution Round Table, which meets monthly. They will meet again in June at the Haddon Township Library. I will be sure to be there and I hope you will too. For more information, visit their new and excellent Facebook page: American Revolution Round Table of South Jersey.
The lecturer, very well informed and interesting was Pete Michel. It was encouraging to see so many young people there and so many young women! Well Done!
Things I wish we knew more about:
1.The Battle of Gloucester Towne
2.The effect of the Revolutionary War on ordinary citizens in South Jersey
3.The Hessians in South Jersey
4.The Quakers in South Jersey
5.South Jersey Women in the Revolution
Happy Trails and Good Night!
Jo Ann
Merchantville Train Station - New Event Opening!
JUNE 1st, 2018 from 7 to 9 pm, Join us for the grand opening of AQP (Alexandria Quarterly Press) Headquarters, a pop-up bookstore, vintage shop, and center for writing! AQP Headquarters will be open throughout the summer until the end of August. Keep an eye out for writing workshops and be sure to stop by regularly to shop the ever changing vintage selection.
Saturday, May 19, 2018
A fun way to spend a rainy May day!
Today, May 19, I had planned to go to either Pitman or Bordertown for their Craft Festivals, BUT, the weather forecast was so forbidding that rather than take a chance on getting caught behind some flooding barrier - Brooklawn Circle, going South, and I don't know what going North, I decided to stay local.
My most frequent rambling' pal is Gail K. and we decided to get lunch at our favorite place, Maritsa's in Maple Shade, on Main Street. The things I like best about Maritsa's are that the quality of the ingredients in their standard luncheonette fare are superior and delicious, and the prices are more than reasonable. You can get lunch including sandwich, cup of soup and side for $9.00! However my most usual favorites are the eggplant parmesan sandwich - which I will only get at Maritsa's, and what I had today, the spinache, feta cheese omelette! Delicious!
After lunch, it wasn't raining anymore and it looked so nice we decided to follow Main Street out of town towards Moorestown, the out into the countryside to Rancocas Shops on Creek Road. We visited all the shop up as far as the book store. I bought one thing - I am always on the lookout for the interesting, unusual thing for my daughter for Christmas and I pick things up all year so I have plenty of fun stuff. Today I bought a vintage Hershey Park souvenir pennant. When my daughter was little, her scout trip took summer trips to Hershey Park, and I was a parent/volunteer on the trips. It was a marvelous and magical time, especially as I look back on it.
Well after three or four shops, we were cheered up and inspired and we headed home. Our rambles usually begin around 11:30 and end around 3:30. Often my friend, Gail, and old pal from our childhood days in Philadelphia, has places to go in the evening, unlike me, the nighttime stay-at-home.
Unfortunately, I decided to go to Barnes & Noble after I walked the dog, to pick up a couple of Art magazines I can only get there. I had forgotten it was Saturday. In the peace of uncrowded shops at Rancocas and the uncrowded roads of the countryside I had forgotten how hectic it is at the Garden State Mall. People were vying for the few parking spots that opened up in the filled parking lot, and I had to circle half a dozen times until one opened up for me. That one hour at Barnes and Noble was exhausting and tiresome especially in contrast with the peace and cosy warmth of browsing the charming shops at Rancocas.
Here's to you my rambling' boy! Do you remember that folk song? It has been going through my mind all day!
Happy Trails!
Jo Ann
My most frequent rambling' pal is Gail K. and we decided to get lunch at our favorite place, Maritsa's in Maple Shade, on Main Street. The things I like best about Maritsa's are that the quality of the ingredients in their standard luncheonette fare are superior and delicious, and the prices are more than reasonable. You can get lunch including sandwich, cup of soup and side for $9.00! However my most usual favorites are the eggplant parmesan sandwich - which I will only get at Maritsa's, and what I had today, the spinache, feta cheese omelette! Delicious!
After lunch, it wasn't raining anymore and it looked so nice we decided to follow Main Street out of town towards Moorestown, the out into the countryside to Rancocas Shops on Creek Road. We visited all the shop up as far as the book store. I bought one thing - I am always on the lookout for the interesting, unusual thing for my daughter for Christmas and I pick things up all year so I have plenty of fun stuff. Today I bought a vintage Hershey Park souvenir pennant. When my daughter was little, her scout trip took summer trips to Hershey Park, and I was a parent/volunteer on the trips. It was a marvelous and magical time, especially as I look back on it.
Well after three or four shops, we were cheered up and inspired and we headed home. Our rambles usually begin around 11:30 and end around 3:30. Often my friend, Gail, and old pal from our childhood days in Philadelphia, has places to go in the evening, unlike me, the nighttime stay-at-home.
Unfortunately, I decided to go to Barnes & Noble after I walked the dog, to pick up a couple of Art magazines I can only get there. I had forgotten it was Saturday. In the peace of uncrowded shops at Rancocas and the uncrowded roads of the countryside I had forgotten how hectic it is at the Garden State Mall. People were vying for the few parking spots that opened up in the filled parking lot, and I had to circle half a dozen times until one opened up for me. That one hour at Barnes and Noble was exhausting and tiresome especially in contrast with the peace and cosy warmth of browsing the charming shops at Rancocas.
Here's to you my rambling' boy! Do you remember that folk song? It has been going through my mind all day!
Happy Trails!
Jo Ann
Thursday, May 17, 2018
Lots of goings on in South Jersey this weekend
Monday, May 14, 2018
Paterson Great Falls
For Mother's Day this year, my daughter came home to New Jersey and drove me to the Great Water Fall in Paterson, New Jersey. I had wanted to go there for many years, but it is a long drive and especially now that my eyesight is beginning to fail me, I couldn't go there on my own and none of my friends was willing to take such a long drive.
It was about 80 miles and it took an hour and 45 minutes to get there. We drove the Mill Mile and visited the Paterson Museum which featured artifacts from many of Paterson's most famous former industrial products, the silk mills Paterson was once called Silk City) and locomotives, patent medicines, aircraft engines (the one in Lindbergh's famous trans-Atlantic flight airplane), and a facsimile of the house where Lou Costello of Abbott and Costello lived. There were many other treasures in the museum, too, gems and minerals from the mines and some historical artifacts from the nursing and medical history of Paterson.
The Falls were magnificent and there was good parking beside the now closed stadium alongside the Falls.
Alexander Hamilton had engineered the rise in industrial manufacture in Paterson as an antidote to dependence on British manufactured goods at the time of the Revolution. He utilized the formidable power of the falls to power the mills.
Paterson is still a city of great ethnic diversity, featuring a section inhabited by Peruvians, for example and showcasing a lively array of eateries catering to various ethnic cuisines.
It was an easy day's trip to the second greatest waterfall East of the Mississippi River (needless to say the Niagara Falls are the other one.)]
The Jim Jarmusch film Paterson, is a charming homage to the poetic spirit of the city. The star of the movie is Adam Driver who plays a poet bus-driver and there is a lovely scene at the Great Falls.
While there, we stopped in the National parks visitor's Center and met a delightful and informative Park Guard who had a been a veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. President Obama signed the National Park designation for the Great Falls in 2013. It is wonderful to know that this magnificent natural wonder will be protected.
If you go, be sure to walk on the bridge over the falls for the best viewing angle!
There was hardly any traffic on the turnpike going up to Paterson or back, and the day was delightful from start to finish despite the overcast cloudy skies. We only had a slight drizzle from time to time.
Happy Trails!
Jo Ann
It was about 80 miles and it took an hour and 45 minutes to get there. We drove the Mill Mile and visited the Paterson Museum which featured artifacts from many of Paterson's most famous former industrial products, the silk mills Paterson was once called Silk City) and locomotives, patent medicines, aircraft engines (the one in Lindbergh's famous trans-Atlantic flight airplane), and a facsimile of the house where Lou Costello of Abbott and Costello lived. There were many other treasures in the museum, too, gems and minerals from the mines and some historical artifacts from the nursing and medical history of Paterson.
The Falls were magnificent and there was good parking beside the now closed stadium alongside the Falls.
Alexander Hamilton had engineered the rise in industrial manufacture in Paterson as an antidote to dependence on British manufactured goods at the time of the Revolution. He utilized the formidable power of the falls to power the mills.
Paterson is still a city of great ethnic diversity, featuring a section inhabited by Peruvians, for example and showcasing a lively array of eateries catering to various ethnic cuisines.
It was an easy day's trip to the second greatest waterfall East of the Mississippi River (needless to say the Niagara Falls are the other one.)]
The Jim Jarmusch film Paterson, is a charming homage to the poetic spirit of the city. The star of the movie is Adam Driver who plays a poet bus-driver and there is a lovely scene at the Great Falls.
While there, we stopped in the National parks visitor's Center and met a delightful and informative Park Guard who had a been a veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. President Obama signed the National Park designation for the Great Falls in 2013. It is wonderful to know that this magnificent natural wonder will be protected.
If you go, be sure to walk on the bridge over the falls for the best viewing angle!
There was hardly any traffic on the turnpike going up to Paterson or back, and the day was delightful from start to finish despite the overcast cloudy skies. We only had a slight drizzle from time to time.
Happy Trails!
Jo Ann
Sunday, May 6, 2018
Archaeologist speaks about Native American artifacts found in digs at former shipyard site on Delaware and Newton Creeks.
Today at Camden County Historical Society, an archaeologist spoke of the hundreds of artifacts found in digs near the former shipyard site on Broadway between Camden City and Gloucester City.
What was most interesting to me, however was some remarks by Chief Sam Beeler of the Sand Hill tribe of the Lenape. He briefly and generally discussed how the current day existence of the tribe is being erased by the New Jersey Government, and when I looked it up later, I saw that it was true.
Perhaps you, like me, had gone to the Pow Wow at the Rancocas Indian Reservation in October of each year. I wondered what happened to it when I tried to go one year and found it was gone. What happened was that in retaliation for a law suit filed by the Sand Hill tribe attempting to get the government to recognize their continued existence here, funding was cut for the reservation museum and office and it was demolished! Documents were supplied proving the existence of the tribe, of which Dr. Sam Beeler is current Chief, to no avail and to further retaliate the government cut the retirement benefits of the men, who were veterans!
As Buffy St. Marie said so eloquently in one of her songs Now That the Buffalo is Gone, "And it's still going on today." From the North Dakota protest where the pipe line is cutting through Native American protected treaty land, under their river, which is their water source, to the ongoing struggle for our native New Jersey tribe the Sand Hill to even get the government to acknowledge that they exist. Unjust and depressing.
My friend, Barb Solem and I tried to find Benjamin Cooper's Ferry house at Erie Street but we got lost and gave up for today. We'll try again another time.
Happy Trail, Sad Trails, but always on the trail!
Jo Ann
What was most interesting to me, however was some remarks by Chief Sam Beeler of the Sand Hill tribe of the Lenape. He briefly and generally discussed how the current day existence of the tribe is being erased by the New Jersey Government, and when I looked it up later, I saw that it was true.
Perhaps you, like me, had gone to the Pow Wow at the Rancocas Indian Reservation in October of each year. I wondered what happened to it when I tried to go one year and found it was gone. What happened was that in retaliation for a law suit filed by the Sand Hill tribe attempting to get the government to recognize their continued existence here, funding was cut for the reservation museum and office and it was demolished! Documents were supplied proving the existence of the tribe, of which Dr. Sam Beeler is current Chief, to no avail and to further retaliate the government cut the retirement benefits of the men, who were veterans!
As Buffy St. Marie said so eloquently in one of her songs Now That the Buffalo is Gone, "And it's still going on today." From the North Dakota protest where the pipe line is cutting through Native American protected treaty land, under their river, which is their water source, to the ongoing struggle for our native New Jersey tribe the Sand Hill to even get the government to acknowledge that they exist. Unjust and depressing.
My friend, Barb Solem and I tried to find Benjamin Cooper's Ferry house at Erie Street but we got lost and gave up for today. We'll try again another time.
Happy Trail, Sad Trails, but always on the trail!
Jo Ann
Saturday, May 5, 2018
Some things that look like fun in May
Whenever I am out for lunch for for events, I pick up the flyers and booklets about places to go and things to do. One of the best for Camden County small towns is called Out and About. I clipped four events that looked appealing to me:
May 12 - Down by the Station Day from 10 to 3 - FREE with a number of events for families, children, and model train aficionados. I love model trains and I really like the men who have the Delaware and Susquehanna Model Railroad Club, which will have their platform up and running in the train station in Haddon Heights, there will also be train film in the Borough Hall auditorium.
May 17th Thursday night will feature Cruise Night again in Collingswood. Although I am no car expert I do enjoy the classic cars and the memories they inspire. For example one Cruise Night a few years back, there were a number of VW camper vans from the 1960's and 1970's and as I had lived and traveled in one in 2969 for a year, it brought back a lot of memories.
May 6, Clover Market just off Haddon Ave. on Irvin Street. I am sorry I will have to miss this event as I am meeting a friend for lunch and heading over to Camden County Historical Society for a lecture on archaeological discoveries about the Native Americans who lived where Camden and Gloucester City are now. The CCHS is right behind Lady of Lourdes Hospital and the talk is a 2:00 if you are looking for something interesting tomorrow afternoon. You could probably grab lunch at the Clover Market from a food truck and then head on over for the lecture - what a fun day that would be!
In Cherry Hill on June 12 at 7:00 pm. there will be a flower show at the Tilelli Community Center, 820 Mercer Street, Cherry Hill, FREE. I have never been to this flower show and I would like to go and I probably will be able to a now that it stays light longer I can attend some evening events
Last night I went to the Train Station in Merchantville for the Eilandarts 4 Corners, Nature in Art show (which will be up all month of May) and it was delightful. I ran into 2 artist friends of mine with work in the show, Colleen Hammond and Diane Paul, and we had a fine time visiting and viewing the art which was varied and beautiful and inspiring.
There is a coffee shop there and I think they serve various kinds of food along with a good many kinds of pastries to go with your coffee and many people were enjoying coffee and treats at the outside patio tables because it was such a stunningly beautiful evening altogether.
Spring is finally here in all its glory, so get out and ENJOY!
Today I am off to Pratt's Garden, 158-B County Home Rd., Pilesgrove, to see the azaleas which are in full flourish at present. Now, pay attention - that s PRATT's not Platt's. I was at Platt's Garden center three times already for plants this spring. Pratt's is a private garden opened to the public for walking and enjoying the flowers and for bridal photographs. I have never been there before and today is so gloriously perfect a spring day that I am very much looking forward to going there.
Happy Trails!
Jo Ann
May 12 - Down by the Station Day from 10 to 3 - FREE with a number of events for families, children, and model train aficionados. I love model trains and I really like the men who have the Delaware and Susquehanna Model Railroad Club, which will have their platform up and running in the train station in Haddon Heights, there will also be train film in the Borough Hall auditorium.
May 17th Thursday night will feature Cruise Night again in Collingswood. Although I am no car expert I do enjoy the classic cars and the memories they inspire. For example one Cruise Night a few years back, there were a number of VW camper vans from the 1960's and 1970's and as I had lived and traveled in one in 2969 for a year, it brought back a lot of memories.
May 6, Clover Market just off Haddon Ave. on Irvin Street. I am sorry I will have to miss this event as I am meeting a friend for lunch and heading over to Camden County Historical Society for a lecture on archaeological discoveries about the Native Americans who lived where Camden and Gloucester City are now. The CCHS is right behind Lady of Lourdes Hospital and the talk is a 2:00 if you are looking for something interesting tomorrow afternoon. You could probably grab lunch at the Clover Market from a food truck and then head on over for the lecture - what a fun day that would be!
In Cherry Hill on June 12 at 7:00 pm. there will be a flower show at the Tilelli Community Center, 820 Mercer Street, Cherry Hill, FREE. I have never been to this flower show and I would like to go and I probably will be able to a now that it stays light longer I can attend some evening events
Last night I went to the Train Station in Merchantville for the Eilandarts 4 Corners, Nature in Art show (which will be up all month of May) and it was delightful. I ran into 2 artist friends of mine with work in the show, Colleen Hammond and Diane Paul, and we had a fine time visiting and viewing the art which was varied and beautiful and inspiring.
There is a coffee shop there and I think they serve various kinds of food along with a good many kinds of pastries to go with your coffee and many people were enjoying coffee and treats at the outside patio tables because it was such a stunningly beautiful evening altogether.
Spring is finally here in all its glory, so get out and ENJOY!
Today I am off to Pratt's Garden, 158-B County Home Rd., Pilesgrove, to see the azaleas which are in full flourish at present. Now, pay attention - that s PRATT's not Platt's. I was at Platt's Garden center three times already for plants this spring. Pratt's is a private garden opened to the public for walking and enjoying the flowers and for bridal photographs. I have never been there before and today is so gloriously perfect a spring day that I am very much looking forward to going there.
Happy Trails!
Jo Ann
Wednesday, May 2, 2018
Art Show at Eland Art in Merchantville, NJ
4 Corners Nature
Group Show
May 1 to 31
Eilndarts Center, 10 E. Chestnut Ave., Merchantville, NJ 08109
www.eilandarts.com
Gallery hours: Monday to Sat. 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
The sad news is that Main Street Art, the front gallery and shop, are closed. The Sip and Paint parties continue through June in the rear activity room, with parking back there too. The shop was a partnership with one partner supplying the building and the other supplying the artists and the sip and paint parties and kids classes. The Real Estate partner, the landlord, didn't make enough profit and so the Main Street Art enterprise was forced to close down. I will really miss all the art and the artists and the great effort to keep culture alive in Maple Shade.
Nonetheless, the beat goes on at the old train station in Merchantville called ElandArts. And the artist in residence at Main Street Art has work in this show. I hope you go too!
Last night at Cherry Hill Library there was a brilliant lecture on the Revolutionary War in South Jersey, in my humble opinion a very neglected topic. The speaker, Mr. Colden, I believe is his name, i currently director of Pitman Libr. formerly head of Salem County Historical Society. I took his tour of the Salem County Historical Society and that was also brilliant. He is a very good speaker and the extremely large audience was entirely engaged such that the debates and comments went on well after the lecture was over. A good sign in the history world.
Happy Trails,
Jo Ann
Group Show
May 1 to 31
Eilndarts Center, 10 E. Chestnut Ave., Merchantville, NJ 08109
www.eilandarts.com
Gallery hours: Monday to Sat. 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
The sad news is that Main Street Art, the front gallery and shop, are closed. The Sip and Paint parties continue through June in the rear activity room, with parking back there too. The shop was a partnership with one partner supplying the building and the other supplying the artists and the sip and paint parties and kids classes. The Real Estate partner, the landlord, didn't make enough profit and so the Main Street Art enterprise was forced to close down. I will really miss all the art and the artists and the great effort to keep culture alive in Maple Shade.
Nonetheless, the beat goes on at the old train station in Merchantville called ElandArts. And the artist in residence at Main Street Art has work in this show. I hope you go too!
Last night at Cherry Hill Library there was a brilliant lecture on the Revolutionary War in South Jersey, in my humble opinion a very neglected topic. The speaker, Mr. Colden, I believe is his name, i currently director of Pitman Libr. formerly head of Salem County Historical Society. I took his tour of the Salem County Historical Society and that was also brilliant. He is a very good speaker and the extremely large audience was entirely engaged such that the debates and comments went on well after the lecture was over. A good sign in the history world.
Happy Trails,
Jo Ann
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