Get ready for an action-packed, back-to-back James Bond feature presented by Princeton Garden Theatre on Thursday August 17 at 6:30 p.m. and 9:15 p.m. With the purchase of the Double Feature ticket, patrons get access to both screenings. The evening will include a shaken, not stirred showing of From Russia with Love (1963) starring Sean Connery and The Living Daylights (1987) starring Timothy Dalton. Both films are entirely different interpretations of the classic James Bond role. more
Based on the success of last year’s art show “Celebrating Old Trees,” Terhune Orchards’ Art Show and Sale will return September 9 through December 10 with the theme of barns. Barns of any kind, anywhere may be depicted in this art show. Furthermore, all media is accepted, so artists should not feel limited to painting or drawing. more
On Wednesday, October 4 at 7 p.m., experience the Oscar-winning Disney Pixar classic Coco at McCarter Theatre Center. This unique showcase includes a screening of Coco accompanied by a live musical score. Grammy-winning composer Michael Giacchino’s musical score will be performed and conducted by Esin Aydingoz. more
As the 2023-24 school year approaches, HomeFront has announced its annual Back-to-School Drive that aims to provide children affected by poverty with school supplies and support for a successful start to the academic year.
The Back-to-School Drive runs through August 18. The program is a testament to HomeFront’s commitment to empowering the next generation to thrive and be prepared for their academic journey. more
NBC10, Telemundo62, and NBC Sports Philadelphia are sponsoring their annual Clear the Shelters pet adoption and donation campaign for the ninth consecutive year, now through August 31. As part of the event, these news stations have partnered with local animal shelters and rescues to promote pet adoption and to help raise funds for Philadelphia’s greater animal welfare community. more
Voices Chorale NJ (VCNJ) invites all singers to attend an open summer sing featuring excerpts from the upcoming 2023-2024 repertoire including Saint-Saens’ Christmas Oratorioa and Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass. Scores will be provided, and light refreshments will be served.
It’s an opportunity for singers to practice sight-reading; meet the director, Dr. David A. McConnell; and learn some fascinating history and context about the compositions. Meet other singers and consider setting up an audition to join VCNJ. more
On August 15 from 6 to 8 p.m., visit the Princeton Shopping Center for a Summer Reading Wrap-Up Party hosted by the Princeton Public Library.
The fun will begin at 6 p.m. with face painters, a scavenger hunt, and games on the lawn. Stop by a table hosted by Taim Mediterranean Kitchen and spin the wheel for some free samples of their award-winning falafel, hummus, za’atar pita, and tahini sauce. more
Dean Svecz, a 16-year-old resident of Hamilton Township and a vocal student at School of Rock Princeton (SoR), will be a member of the School of Rock AllStars, which is a touring ensemble of some of the top teen musicians from School of Rock franchises from across the country. Svecz and his AllStars bandmates will perform at venues across four midwestern states from July 31 through August 5 to support mental health awareness as well as raise funds for the Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide (SPTS). more
One of Latin America’s most influential artists, multiple Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Lila Downs is known for her charismatic performances and unique compositions that combine genres and rhythms as diverse as Mexican rancheras and corridos, boleros, jazz standards, hip-hop, cumbia, and North American folk music. more
Interfaith Caregivers of Mercer County congratulates Project Healthy Bones Program Coordinator Maria Sergio on her well-deserved Community Advocate Award from New Jersey’s Interagency Council on Osteoporosis (ICO) for her work in osteoporosis prevention. more
(Photo by Vicki Chirco, historian, D&R Canal State Park)
From its history as a 19th-century form of transportation to its recent renovations, D&R Canal State Park remains a major asset to the region
By Ilene Dube
How lucky are we to live in Central New Jersey, with the D&R Canal State Park coursing through our landscape. The 70-mile-long linear park is a thriving wildlife corridor, where dragonflies fall in love, turtles sun on logs, great blue herons wade along the shore, and bald eagles nest overhead. A recent bird survey found 160 species, 90 of which nest in the park. more
Alan S. Blinder teaching in 1983. (Princeton University, Robert Matthews)
On Money, Inflation, and the Current Banking Crisis
Interview by Donald H. Sanborn III
Alan S. Blinder is the Gordon S. Rentschler Memorial Professor of Economics and Public Affairs at Princeton University, and a regular columnist for the Wall Street Journal. Blinder served as vice chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System from June 1994 until January 1996. Before becoming a member of the board, Blinder served as a member of President Clinton’s original Council of Economic Advisers from January 1993 until June 1994. During presidential campaigns, he was an economic adviser to Bill Clinton, Al Gore, and Hillary Clinton. more
Gardens of Vatican City, Rome, Italy. (Shutterstock.com)
By Anne Levin
It all began with the Romans.
Topiary, those shrubs carved into fanciful shapes representing everything from the animal kingdom to wedding cakes, has been in practice at least since the first century. It was then that the lawyer and author Pliny the Younger, known for his detailed accounts of life during the Roman Empire, described the cypress animals, figures, inscriptions, and obelisks on the grounds of his villa on the Tuscan coast.
Photographs courtesy of Mylestone Equine Rescue.
By Taylor Smith
Mylestone Equine Rescue is New Jersey’s first all-breed horse rescue, meaning that all breeds and pedigrees of horses are welcome to its relaxing and scenic pastures. The organization, located in Phillipsburg, was founded 29 years ago by Susankelly Thompson and her husband Bruce. The couple’s children Samuel and Austin have grown up with the rescue organization and have also participated in the care and keeping of the horses, making it truly a family affair. more
Harvey S. Firestone Library, Princeton University. (Shutterstock.com)
As Libraries Write New Chapters
Compiled by Wendy Greenberg
Libraries, like most other organizations, have seen a decade adapting to new technology, to shutting down completely in the pandemic, taking on new community roles, and reopening, some with changes. Through it all, librarians have been steadfast leaders of their staffs and captains of their physical spaces. more
Steven Mackey. (Photo courtesy of Kah Poon, @kahpoonphoto); (Stage image courtesy of Sarah Kirkland Snider); Sarah Kirkland Snider. (Photo by Shervin Lainez)
Princeton Composers Sarah Kirkland Snider and Steven Mackey
By Donald H. Sanborn III
Born and raised in Princeton, composer Sarah Kirkland Snider writes music that The New Yorker has described as “genre-erasing.” Her website describes her music as an organic synthesis of a “diversity of influences to render a nuanced command of immersive storytelling.”
Her works have been commissioned and/or performed by the New York Philharmonic, the Birmingham Royal Ballet, and soprano Renée Fleming. The Washington Post named Snider one of the Top 35 Female Composers in Classical Music in 2019. Elsewhere, she has been cited by critics as “a significant figure on the American music landscape,” an “important representative of 21st century trends in composition,” and “one of the decade’s more gifted, up-and-coming modern classical composers.” more
Princeton Lavender. (Photo courtesy of Princeton Lavender)
Why These Industrious Pollinators are Sacred to Our Food System and Ecological Health
By Taylor Smith
When settlers from England brought the first honeybees to North America in 1622 (blog.education.nationalgeographic.org), the area was already populated by thousands of different species of bees. Some of these native species functioned as solitary insects where female bees would search for pollen and raise their young as a solitary unit, rather than part of a hive. more
Dining Destinations at the Jersey Shore
By Laurie Pellichero | Cover image from Shutterstock.com
It’s summertime, and escapes to the Jersey Shore offer sun, sand, and a plethora of delicious dining opportunities. Here’s a sampling of waterside restaurants just an hour or so away… more
Health systems account for nearly a tenth of the nation’s carbon dioxide emissions, a main cause of climate change. Penn Medicine Princeton Health is dedicated to doing its part to reverse that trend.
In the restaurant at Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center (PMC), staff members and visitors end their meal by placing trays stacked with plates, utensils, and uneaten food and drink bottles into a conveyor belt that slowly carries them out of sight. more