BATSTO - Mark your Calendars

This jsust in from the Batsto Citizens Committee Newsletter

9/24/2023 ~ Fall Antique and Bottle Show 10/15/2023 ~ Country Living Fair

10/29/2023 ~ Haunting in the Pines

12/3/2023 ~ Winter in the Pines

Sadly since my eyesight has deteriorated along with knees, etc. I don't get out to the pines as often as I used to. I made weekly trips to Pakim Pond up until the Pandemic, when the age of my car as well as other concerns, put a damper on my hiking aaround the pond. Since then, I have bought a new car, but as mentioned above arthritis has been the restriction on my activities these days.

Still, Batsto was one of my favorite places to visit since my teens when neighborhood kids all piled into Joe McGuigan's car and drove out to the pines to hike and walk around the village. I so fondly recall the early days when the workers houses had actual artisans practicing their crafts, the potter, the weaver, the duck decoy carver, herbal medicine distilling, sheep sheering. Probably that was in the late 1960's or early 1970's.

While my daughter was growing up and after I got my first car, a gift from my Mother who wasn't driving any long, I made Batsto a favorite seasonal visit and hiked with my daughter on the trail along the lake and watched the sawmill buzzing through the tree trunks. We visited the Nature Center and learned about owls, beaver and turtles.

Again, in retirement, I returned to Batsto, and Atsion and all my favorite woodland haunts, most especially Pakim Pond! A couple of other things kind of drove me away, however, the hunters whose presence all along the road to the pond with their guns pointed into the woods made me nervous, and the ticks!

But I still celebrate the beauty and the history of the pineslands and in fact today I will be lunching with my old friend who has written three books about the pines, Barbara Solem. Her books include Batsto: Jewel of the Pines, Ghosttowns and Other Quirky Places in the Pinebarrens, and The Forks. W made many happy hikes to the hidden and mysterious places in our natural treasure that is the Pinebarrens.

If you go to any of the events, they are enormously popular, so be prepared to go early or park far away and make a hike to get there.

Happy Trails! Jo Ann wrightj45@yahoo.com

MEMORIAL DAY 2023

A small ceremony was held on Davis Avenue in my town, Mt. Ephraim, NJ today to honor the service of those who fought and died defending America. Around town, many of us put up our flags, and also many of us epressed our gratitude for the good fortune of having our loved ones return alive from war, at the same time as we shared the grief of those who lost a father, son, brother, husband in war.

Our family has had, on my Mother' side, a member of the Cheeseman family survive the Revolutionary War, a member of the Jaggard family survive the Civil War and Andersonville Prison, a member of the McQuiston family survive the Civil War at Gettysburg, an Uncle, Joseph Lyons, survived WW I, and my father, Joseph Robert Wright, and his uncle, Frederick Joseph Young (Yock) survive the US Navy in World War II. Dad was on a Troop Transport and Uncle Yock was on a Destroyer. My brother, Joseph Stephen Wright, a marine, came home safely from Vietnam. We have been the most fortunate of families.

When I visited the Vietnam War Memorial, like most, I cried, and thought of how that could have been our Joe on the wall and his pitiful youthful mementos placed at the foot of it, but our Joe came home.

It truly breaks my heart to think of the families who lost their loved ones It is a gap that cannot be filled. The profound awareness at holidays of the one who is missing, who didn't get to fall in love, be married, have children, enjoy holidays, and grow old. It is sad beyond measure.

But their sacrifice saved us from Hitler and the Nazi attempt to take over the world and destroy democracy. And it is our duty to see to it that the democracy they died to protect remains sacred and safe. When I saw a varity of events on television and I saw the Capitol building, I thought of that symbol of our nation and our democracy that was so recently defiled by fakers self-proclaimed militia men, all camoflage and no honor. Their grandfathers must have been turning in their graves to know their descendants smashed their way into our sacred capitol to stop the peaceful transfer of power in an American election.

Well once again, the fascist impulse to domination and destruction was defeated and democracy was maintained, so for that we also have to be grateful, and to remember the Capitol guardians who died as a result of that insurrection, those men also died serving their country!

Jo Ann

this weekend

THE 42ND ANNUAL MAY FAIR

Saturday May 27th | 10 AM - 5 PM Haddon Avenue

Collingswood, New Jersey will be bursting with art, music and activities for all ages on Saturday, May 27, 2023 as Collingswood Partners hosts the 42nd Annual May Fair. What began in 1979 as a small “clothesline art exhibit” now encompasses more than a mile of the business district! Multiple stages of live music will feature blues, rock, folk and more. An antique & classic auto show adds to the festival’s appeal. Visitors will also find several Food Courts complimenting the downtown restaurants and cafés.

“Unheard Voices of the American Revolution”

Now through May 31st | Downtown Haddonfield

“Unheard Voices of the American Revolution” is a free, seven-part lecture series telling the stories of Quaker pacifists, African Americans, Loyalists, Jewish people, Freemasons and women, as well as the role of disease during wartime.

And there wil be an opening of an exhibition ofsmall Landscape paintings on Canvas at the Markheim Art Center (also in Haddonfield) May 31st from 5:30-6:30, please check via google for more information

Lots to do this wekend - don't forget to honor the sacrifice of so many by attending a local Memorial Day ceremony

FREE BOOKS AT Newton Friends Meeting, Cooper St. in Camden, NJ

I just saw a quarter page ad in the Camden County Historical Society magazine about this project to give away free books and I loved it, so I wanted to share the information. I copied this from site named "Indy" which you can find by googling Free Books at Newton Friends Meeting, if you wish:

"The Newton Friends Meetinghouse was built in 1872 to serve as a spot for people of the Quaker faith to pray. It’s still in use today, though the purpose it serves has changed and expanded over the years.

Every Saturday from 9-2, it serves as a free bookstore for Camden residents and for the greater Delaware Valley. The bookstore is an extension of the Free Books Project (formerly the Camden County Pop-Up Library) headed by Tom Martin. Martin had always dreamed of opening a free bookstore. Since 2017, he has handed out books on the streets of Camden, and him and his team installed “book arks” around the city to house books.

After attending a few meetings at the meetinghouse, he found willing partners for the bookstore with the folks at the Meetinghouse. Cindi Kammer, the Meetinghouse’s clerk, was looking for more ways for the community to use the building anyway, and so the Free Books Project and the Meetinghouse were a match made in heaven.

“I started attending meetings here every once in a while,” explains Martin. “I started talking to Cindy and she was mentioning how she wants to utilize the building to help the Camden community. And I was like, I want to do the same thing. I need a building and she needs a cause. So we took my cause and her building. It ended up being perfect.”

The cause of literacy is a hard one to argue against, and it’s one that Martin has been taking up for a while now. Getting books into the hands of children is important and it’s something that Sean Brown, an East Camden resident and book ark volunteer has witnessed firsthand.

“My mom was a teacher and I grew up with a lot of books,” says Brown. “But, unfortunately, a lot of younger people are more inclined to digitally read books than read a paper book. Research shows that having a book in your hands and actually being able to read it is very helpful. But also children read more when their parents read. I can’t tell my children to read if I don’t read. So to set an example, we have reading time in our house.”

Brown sets the example by reading a ton of business books, and his kids are big into the Dog Man series. There’s a little bit of everything at the bookstore and that includes popular titles such as those by James Patterson and self-help books. There are also books that are written in Spanish as well for Camden’s Hispanic population. Julie Beddingfield, owner of Inkwood Books in Haddonfield, was a huge help in making this happen.

“We have books in Spanish that are primarily thanks to Julie purchasing them,” explains Martin. “Last year we got a $5,000 grant from the Domenica Foundation to purchase books in Spanish. We have a giant Spanish-speaking population in Camden and we haven’t really tapped into that market.”

Beddingfield always had a book in her hands when she was young because her parents didn’t want to hear their children complain about being bored. Her love of reading grew and grew, and eventually she met Martin. Beddingfield appreciated the simplicity of Martin’s goal, which was to get books into the hands of people that needed them.

“Because I work in books for a living, I work with a lot of literacy organizations,” says Beddingfield. “This is the only organization I know that actually stands out on the street corner or goes to a place and puts books in the hands of the readers. It’s the connection of the book and the person who is actually gonna read it.”

Lachisha Laws and her goddaughter Zania Sims of Sicklerville have been familiar with the Free Books Project for years. Sims has been an avid reader her whole life, and likes the fact that the books are free.

“I like that you can get away in reading,” explains Sims. “Sometimes not everything is going as planned in reality. So you could use a fantasy book or any type of book in general to get away from it, and there’s a lot of books that have helped me get away from it.

“Not everyone has a lot of money to spend on books and this place will help people out a lot.”

Right now the plan is to continue to grow the free bookstore and get more visitors there. Even though not a ton of people live in downtown Camden, the bookstore is located up the street from Walter Rand Transportation Center, which is Camden’s main transit hub. Beddingfield would like to see the bookstore expand to offer more services as well.

“I really think it would be great to have all sorts of books for everybody and have a place where groups can come,” explains Beddingfield. “Maybe it’s a senior center or maybe it’s an after-school program and they can come and we do storytime and everyone leaves with books.”

For more information, follow the Free Book Project on their Facebook page, The Free Books Project.

A couple of Friends and I will be going over this Sturday, May 27, if we receive a reply to an e-mail and telephone call asking for confirmation that they will be open this weekend - since it is a holiday weekend. I will let you know how it goes because you may be like me and o many of our friends who have books they want to give away but no place that wants the books! Have a safe and happy Holiday Weekend Friends!

Jo Ann wrightj45@yahoo.com

CONTACT INFO:

Hi JoAnn, Thank you and yes we'll be open. Call or text me first just to be sure? 856 308 6992

Tom Martin Executive Director

The Free Books Project

camdencountypopuplibrary@gmail.com

The Free Books Project, formerly CCPUL

Website: https://camdencountypopuplibrary.org/

FB: https://www.facebook.com/CCPUL

IG: https://www.instagram.com/ccpul/

DONATE NOW A registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization: 82-3078732

PayPal ID: GWHX59DWRC362

Venmo: @CCPUL

Places to Go and Eat and Think

Today, I was out having lunch with two close friends and we were talking about our favorite places to eat lunch. All three of us mentioned The Station, 10 E. Chestnut St., Merchantville, NJ. I love everything about this place, the ambience, the food is ot of this world and very healthful, and there is an art galery as well as, great gifts, cards, and super delicious coffee and passtry. What better way to spend a lazy spring afternoon than lunch at the Station and a coffee and pasty to take home for dessert! Enjoy the art while you enjoy the food. The chef here is a marvel! Did I mention the roasted red pepper tomato soup? That soup and a vegan blt is a perfect combination.

The Station in Merchantville https://www.merchantvillestation.com The Station / Coffee, Art, Culture. We have art classes, a gallery, live music events, cake catering, photography studio, retail store and much more all ... ‎Station Coffee Menu · ‎Eilandarts Center · ‎Events

My friends and I were having lunch at Charlie Browns in Woodbury, NJ when the discussion came up. We LOVE the SALAD Bar there and we are not salad bar peope in general. Charlie Browns salad bar is always terrifically fresh as well as full of an array of salad dishes. On top of or beside your mixed greens with shaved carrots, you could have pasta salad, rice salads, potato salads, beans, beets, olives a few different kinds of seed such as sunflower seeds, olives, grated cheese, and I could go on and on. There is also always a tray of fresh bread: today it was French bread and corn bread but my favorite is cranberry walnut bread.

One of the things I am grateful for in both of these places is that they recognize that most people come to a cafe' for lunch not for someone else's choice of music. Since my friends and I eat out often, we are especially gratified when we don'e find ourselves in a blaring din of someone's favorite music play list. We actually like one another; we like to converse when we get together, food and conversation are our main pleasures in eating out. From time to time, we have asked a proprietor to lower the music so we could hear one another, and often, they are courteous enough to cooperate, but a few places have had to be crossed off our list because the din made it impossible for us to relax or talk. I mention this with the hope that the message might find itself in the ear of food establishments. Thank you! Meanwhile, I cannot mention lunch without mentioning the go-to place of my Burlington County friends who are kind enough to come down my way since i have trouble with the highways (my eyesight has begun to fail)- MARITSA'S in Maple Shade! Always cozy, clean, and comfortable, this place is one of our regular haunts and I recommend the eggplant parmigian, my favorite! Everyone here is so warm and friendly, it is a regular!

Bon apetit my friends! Jo Ann

wrightj45@yahoo.com

Revolutionary War Fans - skirmish coming!

If you are a fan of the history of the Revolutionary War, you won't want to miss the Skirmish in Haddonfield on June 9th. Many people are unaware that New Jersey is known as the cockpit of the Revolution because more than 700 skirmishes and battles took place here as the armies stuggled back and forth over the East coast. South Jersey was the bread basket of the colonies, so many battles were fought here, the most famous of which was the battle for access to the Delaware River, THE BATTLE OF RED BANK. If you haven't visited it, you must go to beautiful Red Bank Battlefield in National Park, right off 295m or 139m and down Hessian Avenue from Woodbury, NJ. The historic Whitall House is often open for tours.

South of us in the Alloways Creek area is the historic Hancock House site of the infamous Hancock Massacre when British sympathizers sneaked up on sleeping Revolutionary miliatia men in the upstairs of Hancock Tavern and slaughtered them. There was nearby, the battle of Quinton's Bridge, and further south in Greenwich, the site of a historic tea burning! Yes that's right, New Jersey also had a tea party when smugglers tried to get tea into New Jersey after the ban on British tea, but their cargo was confiscated and burned in the town square. The ship had tried to sneak in on the Cohansey River.

SOON TO ARRIVE - In Camden, NJ, a new Museum of the Revolution will be here within the next couple of years, I believe the date is still 2025. You can find more information on that by visiting the Camden County Historcal Society Museum page, and by the way, the new issue of their fantastic magazine is available for FREE! It is filled with wonderful historic events and places and if you like history, you will love this magazine, so drop on over and pick up a few copies for yourself and your friends!

Happy Trails history friends! Jo Ann wrightj45@yahoo.com

Camden County Heritage Magazine FREE!

The Spring 2023 edition of the Camden County Heritage magazine is now available, with the theme of Our Stories of Camden County! This is the twelfth edition of the History Alliance’s annual publication, filled with articles and historic photos of Camden County’s past. Thank you to all those who supported the magazine through ads and donations! For more information or to receive past editions of the magazine, please email admin@cchsnj.org or contact one of the Camden County History Alliance Partner Organizations.

The above notice was taken from an e-mail I received. I want to add to the note that I LOVE this magazine and I often visit the Camden County Historical Society to pick up extra copies to distribute to my municipal building, our Senior Group in Mt. Ephraim, and our Woodbury Friends Meeting. Check the hours but I know they open tomorrow, Thursday at 10:00 a.m. The CCHS is located on Park Blvd. just behind Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital and west of Harleigh Cemetery. It is a fbulous history museum to visit and beautiful historic Pomona Hall is a must see. Exhibits at CCHS change periodically so if you have been there before, you can go back again and see something new. Their online site is also very informative. Call 856-964-3333 for more information and I suggest you sign up for their e-mail notifications of events in Camden County!

Happy Trails Friends - Jo Ann wrightj45@yahoo.com

Just saw this in Friend's E-Bulletin and wanted to pass it on

The Quaker Bakers of Greenwich Friends Meeting will participate in the Wheaton Arts ECO Fair on Saturday, May 6, 2023 with an eye towards increasing our outreach and visibility. The Fair is open from 10-4pm and is free to the public. See glass blowing, buy native plants, learn about local environmental and arts programs, peruse exhibit spaces and gift shops and stroll the grounds, which include a newly interpreted nature trail. Bring the kids and grandkids - there will be hands-on activities for children. Be sure to say hello at our table!

For more information please visit the link below:

https://www.wheatonarts.org/calendar-eventon/events/eco-fair/