Music Event

48th Annual Delaware Valley

Bluegrass Festival

August 30 - September 1 | All Day
Salem County Fair Grounds

 

The Brandywine Friends of Old Time Music continue into their 48th year presenting and promoting traditional American folk music with the Delaware Valley Bluegrass Festival. Attend jam class, clogging class, or just relax and enjoy the sounds of main stage! 

Colonial Crafts Classes at James & Ann Whitall House September & October 2019-2020

Phone 856-307-6456 for information and registration for Colonial Craft Classes at the James & Ann Whitall House, Red Bank Battlefield, National Park, NJ.

Classes will be held on Saturday mornings from 10:00 to 12:00.  
October 26 - Dried Gourd Painting
November 16 - Tole Painting
December 14 - Fabric Holiday Candy Ornaments
January 18 - Locker Hooking
February 15-Tin Punch
March 16-Mosaics

HEARTH COOKING $30, Six Persons per class limit, 12 to 4 pm
January 18 & 25, and February 15, 22.  Participants will prepare and eat a full Colonial Meal.  All four classes are the same, it is not a series.

I have a mailing address to send the registration forms but you will need to get the forms by calling the phone number listed and ask them to mail you one or let you know where you can pick one up.  Mine came via e-mail.
G> C> Certified Gardeners
1200 North Delsea Drive, Bldg.E
Clayton, NJ 08312

Personally, they look like things I would like to try - ALL of them! And at $15 a class, you can't beat it!  You know what all the experts say about protecting your brain from dementia and Alzheimers, "Always be learning something new!"  

Happy Trails!
Also - don't forget the Re-enactment of the Battle of Red Bank with takes place in October, usually around the 22nd so check the web-site or Facebook for correct date - what a great day trip that is!  You can pack a lunch, eat in one of the lovely picnic shelters overlooking the magnificent Delaware River, enjoy the re-enactment of one of the Revolutionary Wars most important South Jersey Battles that took place on land and river!

Jo Ann 
wrightj45@yahoo.com

Today - Rancocas Arts and Crafts FAIR Saturday, August 24th, 2019

Today, an old high school friend of mine with whom I renewed an acquaintance through our Merchantville High School Reunion Group, are driving out to Rancocas Woods for the Arts and Crafts Fair and Open House!

Honestly, I can't imagine a more perfect day for it.  Have you ever noticed how the next season (in this case Autumn) is often preceded by a few days of weather inviting you to anticipate!  I am always so tired of summer by the end of August, that the two days of cool we are enjoying have been like heaven to me.  I walk my dog every day and I have felt like a melting block of cheese after our walks in the 90 degree heat.  Yesterday it was 70 and it was wonderful.  

Rancocas Woods has been one of my favorite places to visit since early youth.  My first boyfriend, when I was 16 and he was 17, had a car.  He was an automobile aficionado and collector of foreign sports cars, so we spent a lot of time on Admiral Wilson Bvd. which in the 1960's was one car lot after another.  And we spent a lot of dates driving places, which I LOVED!  

We drove to Rancocas Woods often.  We liked the little log cabins, especially me.  Since childhood and Lincoln Logs, I have always been a big fan of log houses and the ones at Rancocas Woods are CHARMING!  Also, over the many years, coffee shops and little luncheonettes have risen and disappeared like mushrooms, so we would drive there have a cup of coffee or a lunch and drive home.

I continued the day tour during my daughter's childhood as soon as I had a car.  All the shops by then were closed and it was kind of sad looking there, although our first trip was winter and the log cabins looked wonderful in the snow.  

Now, Rancocas Woods, along Creek Road is flourishing with many shops of antiques, furniture, gifts, crafts, and a small luncheon place as well as a coffee corner in an antique shop, so if you are looking for a fun place to visit, try Rancocas Woods.  I can't tell you what it will be like on Arts and Crafts Fair Day because I have never gone on a Fair day before, so I anticipate parking may be difficult.  I hope not.  But I will let you know.

If you are looking for interesting birthday or Christmas gifts, you can't go wrong at Rancocas Woods, Creek Rd shopping strip.  Hope you find your way there if not today, some time soon.  You will make it a regular day trip destination once you enjoy it.

Happy Trails!
Jo Ann

A lovely way to spend a day - Rancocas Woods EVENT

RANCOCAS WOODS CRAFT CO-OP
10th Annual
Fall Open House
August 24th 9-5

We're ready for Fall...
And loaded up with fall goodies!
Enter into a drawing to win a $50 Co-Op
Gift Certificate!!
Don't forget the outdoor craft show!
Amazing vendors, live music,
Beer Garden & yummy food!
show hrs 10-4

***next Rancocas Woods Antique Show***
Food Truck event with live music...
Sept 8th 9-3pm

Of Skulls and Skeletons - Am. Rev. Roundtable Event

Sunday, Sept. 8, 2 pm
Burlington County Lyceum of History and Natural Sciences
1st Floor Community Room
307 High St., Mt. Holly, NJ
**Please Note: $5 admission for nonmembers**

Robert A. Selig is a historical consultant who received his Ph.D. in history from the Universität Würzburg in Germany in 1988. He serves as project historian to the National Park Service for the Washington- Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail Project. He has also served and continues to serve as Project Historian for the American Battlefield Protection Program since 1997. His articles have appeared in William and Mary Quarterly, Eighteenth-Century Studies, American Heritage, Naval History, and Military History Quarterly.

Hate Speech unacceptable in New Jersey

Cooper River Indivisible -  next meeting is September 11th at 7:00 PM in the Collingswood Library. We're going to focus on immigration, and try out a different meeting format we think you'll enjoy. Now for the headline: Yeah, you read it right. On August 31st in Pitman, there's an alt-right conference scheduled that lists holocaust deniers, people who advocate violence and harassment towards women, racists, transphobes and homophobes, white supremacists, and online far-right trolls amongst its panelists.  Who are the speakers, you ask? A quick selection:  Carl Benjamin, proponent of pedophilia (seriously: https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/8956117/top-ukip-candidate-says-its-ok-to-rape-young-boys-in-sick-youtube-rant/) Mark Meechan, convicted of hate crimes in the UK for teaching his dog to do the Nazi salute: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-43864133 Aydin Paladin, a holocaust denying YouTuber who has suggested that there were no death camps outside Poland in WW2 and that 6 million Jews killed during the Holocaust is an "insane figure": https://tockify.com/idavox/detail/19/1567263600000?fbclid=IwAR2JDZPaBwHSfTC5TOhldh5h4oQoxCvN1r5HtEpIuL-rc6jR1RiXh-2ISWg The list goes on (and on), but you get the idea. It's truly amazing that they think they can come to South Jersey and spread their nonsense and their hate. CRI is joining with a coalition of our fellow progressive and community groups in South Jersey to demand the theater cancel this abomination.  So far, the theater is pushing back on these demands. They need to be getting 100 calls every day until they relent. We're well on our way to this number already from online posts about it, so let's keep this going. Please dial 856-589-1911 and ask the theater why they refuse to ban these people from their establishment. Leave a message if they don't pick up. This isn't about free speech; we've seen where this kind of speech goes in El Paso, Pittsburgh, and too many other places. They're not welcome in South Jersey.   If the theater will not change its mind, we will continue the pressure campaign to convince them they're wrong, so stay tuned for updates. You can read more about the deplorables attending this conference at this link: https://tockify.com/idavox/detail/19/1567263600000?fbclid=IwAR2JDZPaBwHSfTC5TOhldh5h4oQoxCvN1r5HtEpIuL-rc6jR1RiXh-2ISWg Please reply to this email after you make your phone call so we can track our progress.

Hate

Am. Rev. Round Table of South Jersey Event

American Revolution Round Table of South Jersey

August 16 at 6:38 PM · 

"Of Skulls and Skeletons," will be presented by Robert A. Selig at the Lyceum on Sunday, September 8, at 2 pm. Bob is a historical consultant with a PhD in history from the Universität Würzburg in Germany and has served as project l for the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route (WR3) since 1997. He will be in town for a couple of days in September, and was able to make time in his schedule to talk to us. Join us for what promises to be an interesting talk on an unusual topic. For more info see the flyer below.

Eiland Arts

I have three paintings on display in the group show at the Merchantville Railroad Station Cafe and Art Center.  It is a beautiful show on the theme of trees and flowers.  Stop by and enjoy the art and have a cuppa!

Crossroads of the Revolution Events calendar for the rest of the summer

In case you are not on the mailing list, here are the events listed!  I am especially happy to see White Hill on the list as it was just in the process of being saved and cleaned up by a friend of mine (Loretta) who led the struggle to conserve and open the house when I first toured the beautiful Revolutionary era house.

By the way, three of my friends have been instrumental in the saving and opening of historic houses and they are worthy of mention, remembering, and honoring:  Chris Borget with a group of devoted Alice Paul fans saved her family homestead in Mount Laurel and turned it into the Alice Paul Institute.  Loretta saw and studied White Hill for a conservation degree she was working to achieve and it became a long life's work for her to save it, clean it out, and set up a touring schedule.  Barbara Solem worked tirelessly to open up Atsion Mansion to the public and organized a group of volunteers to do tours there.  Just ordinary people can do extraordinary things in the history world!

August 18 Ice Cream Day at the Whitall House in National Park. Learn the history of ice cream and sample cold treats from the 18th century as you tour Red Bank Battlefield's Whitall House. 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. More information. The Village Inn House Tour in Englishtown. Visit the tavern that hosted a conference of Continental Army leaders on the eve of the Battle of Monmouth. 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. More information. Tour the 1760 Joseph Turner House in Hampton. Discover the story of the Union Forge and how it provided ammunition to the Continental Army during the Revolution. 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. More information. Tour the 1761 Brearley House in Lawrenceville. Enjoy more than 40 acres of parkland plus a tour of this 18th century gem. 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. More information.  August 16 Tour White Hill Mansion in Fieldsboro. Learn about the namesake family of Fieldsboro and tour their 300 year old mansion. 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. More information. August 20 Tea Rooms & Taverns Lecture in Woodbridge. Learn about the development of tearooms, taverns, hotels, restaurants and other social establishments in Woodbridge and New Jersey from historian Judith Krall-Russo. 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. More information. August 25 DAR Van Bunschooten Museum Tour in Wantage. Tour the historic home of Rev. Elias Van Bunschooten and other buildings. 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. More information. Revolutionary Intelligence Gathering at Dey Mansion in Wayne. Learn about the secret war of New Jersey and more about revolutionary espionage from historian Todd Braisted. 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.  More information. August 29  William Livingston Day at Liberty Hall in Union. Celebrate the 243rd anniversary of New Jersey's first elected governor with fun and games on his estate. 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.  More information.  Twilight Walking Tours at Historic Morven in Princeton. See the home of Richard and Annis Stockton in a new light on this combination architectural, historical, and garden twilight tour. 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Reservations and more information. September 1 Walking Tour of the Battle of Monmouth at Monmouth Battlefield State Park in Manalapan. Take a walking tour and learn first-hand about the longest battle of the Revolution. 1:30 p.m. More information. Walking Tour of Lambertville. Start at the Marshall House to walk your way through the history of this charming Delaware River town. 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. More information. Tour the 1760 Joseph Turner House in Hampton. Discover the story of the Union Forge and how it provided ammunition to the Continental Army during the Revolution. 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. More information. September 1 and 2 Historical Fun and Games at Historic Walnford in Upper Freehold. From tangrams to trap ball, enjoy a fun-filled day of activities and games for all ages. 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. More information. September 7 Comparing Country Houses: George III's America and George V's England at Wallace House and the Old Dutch Parsonage in Somerville.  Explore the similarities and difference between these 18th century New Jersey homes and British estates. 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Reservations and more information. September 8 Open House at the Garretson Forge & Farm in Fair Lawn. Visit this nearly 300-year old farmstead for a look into one family's agricultural life. 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. More information. Watson House guided tours in Hamilton. Visit the oldest house in Mercer County and take a look into the life of the Quaker Issac Watson, who came from England in 1684. 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. More information. DAR Van Bunschooten Museum Tour in Wantage. Tour the historic home of Rev. Elias Van Bunschooten and other buildings. 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. More information. September 14 Spirit of the Jerseys State History Fair in Manalapan. Join us at Monmouth Battlefield State Park and experience over 300 years of New Jersey history! Exhibitors sharing artifacts and history will be present with fun for all ages. 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. More information.

Recurring events and site tours* Every Tuesday Tour Buccleuch Mansion in New Brunswick. Visit the 18th century mansion representing Colonial, Victorian, and Federal design styles and furnishings, plus 18th century children's toys. 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. More information. Wednesday - Sunday Historical Craft and Trade Interpreters at East Jersey Old Town Village in Piscataway. Discover and learn of Revolutionary War-era trades in 14 historic Raritan Valley buildings. 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. (Open until 8:00 p.m. on Thursdays in August) More information. Every Friday Tour Morven's Reimagined Historic Gardens in Princeton. Enjoy a 45-minute tour of what's in bloom. Garden guides will share how the house and gardens evolved under each family that resided at Morven, starting with Annis Boudinot Stockton, based upon writings and journals. 11:00 a.m. Online registration and more information.

Was there something you always wanted to do? Eiland ARTS!

Was there something you always wanted to do and never got around to because you were working and parenting, and furthering your education?  

I always wanted to learn to play a musical instrument.  I had fantasies of playing (a guitar a piano a ukulele a drum) an instrument of some kind and singing along.  Never mind that I can't sing, have no range, and can't remember any songs.  It was a fantasy right? 

Nonetheless a few years ago on Mother's Day, my daughter bought me a ukulele and I started taking lessons in Collingswood at the music shop just off Haddon Ave next to the bakery.  My teacher's name was Scott and he was a young jazz musician and a very good teacher.  After  a year, however, I ran into financial difficulties due to car repairs and other household repairs and had to cut back.  The lessons were $30 each or $120 a month.  I gave up the lessons, Wawa, and for a time, I gave up getting my hair done.  It saved a lot of money.  Still, I kept thinking how good I would have been by now if I had kept on playing.  

It is the same thing people think who had piano when they were young and gave it up as they entered their teens.  

I never dreamed of being coming really good my modest fantasy was to be able to noodle around and play simple songs, folk songs. When I stopped my lessons, I was learning a Woody Guthrie song "All they will call you is deportees" about flying the migrants home to Mexico after they pick the crops in the US.  

Well, right now, at Eiland Arts in Merchantville (the old railway station that is now a coffee shop and Art Center) I am taking ukulele lessons again.  They ran a summer one month accelerated music course.  You pay one flat fee ($200) and you get two lessons a week for a month.  That's a discount over the regular less fee which is $30 a lesson.  And I am really enjoying playing again, though my naturally vagrant memory has forced me to go back to the very beginning on my own practice time.  That way I have a hope of keeping up with my new teacher, Matt, though he is the kind, patient and relaxed type of teacher that is necessary for someone as nervous as I am.

Zen Mind Beginners Mind, is a way of looking at things.  When you are taking up something totally new and outside your usual experience, you are not good at it unless you had a hidden gift that you are discovering.  Generally, if it is woodworking, stained glass, music, painting, any kind of craft or art practice, or for that matter a sport; you start out rather clumsy and slow.  It takes time and practice and experience to become good at anything.  So I am a clumsy, slow, and humble learner on the ukulele!

But, I am good at painting and have three paintings on display at the Gallery at Eiland Arts right now.  The opening is Sept. 6, I think, but the show is up and running and I had a chance to see it.  It is a beautiful show full of diversity in the approach of the artists to the theme which was trees and flowers.

Go grab some brunch or lunch and coffee and enjoy the show and if you too always wanted to learn to play an instrument, guitar, ukulele, piano, whatever, sign up at Eiland Arts and make your dream come true!

The Railroad Station in Merchantville is right off Centre Street, make a right into the parking lot and drive to the lot on the east side of the station.  On Saturdays they have a fun farmers market there too and live music at Eiland Arts.  It is a dream come true!  You can enjoy a nice meal, shop, and listen to music in the shade of the trees that line the rails to trails that is where the railroad once ran.

Happy trails!
Jo Ann
wrightj45@yahoo.com'

ps.  Get on the mailing list, they have pop up dinners, and all kinds of art programs there too!

United Nations Scientists Major Report on State of Planet and MORE

"CNN reporter Isabelle Gerretsen reported on the United Nations Scientis Major Report released Thursday:  Change food production and stop abusing land - Humans have damaged around a quarter of ice free land on earth, scientists warned, stressing that further digression must be stopped to prevent catastrophic global warming.  The warning comes a year after the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change concluded in a landmark report that we only have until 2030 to drasticaly reduce our dependance on fossil fuels and prevent the planet from reaching the crucial threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.  

I read this when I turned on my phone this morning and it made me think how important my talk was with the Chef and Owner of Colonial Diner in Woodbury on Wednesday.  A group of my friends who are vegan and vegetarian have been meeting there because they have a large and delicious array of vegan choices on their menu.  On Wednesday, we met the chef and praised his recipes and his dishes.  He told us he had become a vegan 6 months ago and it has changed his life.  He feels so much better and healthier and has lost a lot of weight.

Animal agriculture is one of the main factors in global warming.  Also this week I read an article about an outbreak in the midwest of  antibiotic resistant salmonella from picnics featuring pig roasts.  The animals had been raised in unhealthy conditions (needless to see inhumane as well) and were so sick the farmers pumped them full of antibiotics for pneumonia and other diseases, creating a new strain of salmonella that is resistant to antibiotics.  

It seems the general public is so stupid and ignorant as well as lacking in compassion that they will have to sicken and lose their homes before they realized that bloated gas guzzling vehicles and meat based diets are bad for us and for the planet.

When I see the state of the people in my supermarket, I am appalled.  And their carts are filled with sugary sodas (another report connects sugar laced drinks with early onset dementia) and fattening unhealthy foods.  Along side that, they are eating at fast food places.  They drag their bulging bodies through the store blindly buying salt and sugar filled and nutrition deficient foods to eat at home and feed their children.  It makes me sad.

We have had revolutions before and we will again and the chef at the Colonial Diner gave me hope!

Happy Trails,
Jo Ann
wrightj45@yahoo.com

Vegetarian News

Autumn Picnic Potluck
September 7, 2 pm
Smithwoods, part of Historic Smithville Park
Eastampton, NJ
contact Maryellen@vssj.com 609-744-8328

It is spreading - the news that vegetarian living is healthier for us and for the planet.  Get on board!  I have been a vegetarian for about 40 years and I can vouch for the delicious lifestyle and health benefits!

Happy Trails,

Jo Ann 

wrightj45@yahoo.com

Genealogy lecture at Camden County Historical Society & MORE

Today I went to the Genealogy lecture at Camden County Historical Society (located behind Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Camden).  Bonny Beth Elwell, genealogist extraordinaire was the lecturer.  She is brilliant and full of enthusiasm, so even though I haven't been doing much family history work recently, I knew I would be inspired if I attended, and I was!

The lecture today was to acquaint us with the CCHS holdings and especially if you don't know where to start or where to go from where you are, this was the one to help you.  Aside from telling us what they have it gives you a map of what to research to go forward with your already begun search.

For some of us, the family history search begins with a mystery.  In my case, the mystery was my mother's parents.  I had lots of information and even photos from my father's side of the family but nothing for my mother's side.  My mother, Mary, had been taken to the Camden Children's Orphanage as a toddler, along with her two sisters, Sally and Betty.  Her aunt eventually adopted her and her sister Sally.  Betty was adopted by another family.  I had always wondered about my mother's biological mother and father but my mother's aunt was secretive about her sister.  It was a very cold trail after her death.  

Family history is a fascinating subject to study and the more you dig, the more interesting it gets.  I did finally track down some information  on my biological Grandmother Sarah and a few bits on the man who was probably my biological Grandfather, but after a few years of research and some wonderful, unexpected trails through the New Jersey side of the family from which these two lost grandparents had descended I stopped searching.  I always wanted to go back and dig up more!

MORE:  Tomorrow, Monday, August 5th, is my Senior Get-together at the Charles Dougherty Senior Center in Mt. Ephraim.  I had hoped to interest some of the seniors in family history research but it didn't take off, so I let it go.  We have been doing general local history instead, and so tomorrow we do New Jersey's astronaut in honor of the Moon Landing, 50 years ago, and we take a look at one of the most radical and dedicated warriors in the Struggle for Women's Right To Vote also a local person from Mount Laurel, NJ  Do you know either of these historical people?

MORE #2:  Also tomorrow, I begin my accelerated ukulele lessons at the Merchantville Train Station gallery and cafe' which will be twice a week through the month of August.  I had alway wanted to play an instrument, and although my daughter bought me a ukulele, which seemed like something I might manage, after a year of lessons, I stopped because it was too expensive on a monthly basis. Now I want to begin again and I can afford one month.

Both research and learning a musical instrument are supposed to be very helpful for keeping our brains functioning and developing.  Also, I just read an article linking sugary drinks with dementia  Apparently sugary drinks increase the development of the plaques and tangles that are the sign of dementia in the brain so leave the sweet tea and soda alone and start learning something!

By the way, the lectures continue through the month of August.  The CCHS is closed this month except for the genealogy lectures which take place the next two Sundays at 1:00, so if you are free, you might like to get started or pick up where you left off.  

Happy Trails!
Jo Ann
wrightj45@yahoo.com