NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) will host their annual NAMIWalks event in Mercer County on May 20. The event begins at 9 a.m. at The Gazebo at West Lake Park in Robbinsville. The goal is to make every mile and “milestone” count in this walk towards mental wellness and health support. With the aid of participants and particularly those who have chosen to fundraise for the event, NAMI takes one step closer to the goal of “Mental Health for All.” more
Join Longwood Gardens for Mother’s Day Weekend 2023 and celebrate the opening season of Festival of Fountains with the return of daily fountain performances. Guests can take in an Illuminated Fountain Performance on Thursday, May 11 through Saturday, May 13 when the gardens are open until 10 p.m. Another option is to stroll the spring flower displays where the gardens are open until 6 p.m. On Sunday, May 14 from noon to 3 p.m., enjoy guitar duo Chris Braddock and Dan Graper in the Conservatory. more
On May 26 at 2 p.m., join Labyrinth Books for a special discussion on the art and craft of fiction writing. Princeton University alumnae novelists will read from their work and speak with each other about inspiration, craft, and process. They will discuss the journey to publication, the themes that haunt their writing, completing their sophomore novels, and the lessons they took from writing at Princeton. This will be an open discussion with audience Q&A. more
Singer-songwriter Natalie Merchant
In collaboration with Philadelphia’s public radio station WXPN, Kimmel Cultural Campus welcomes singer-songwriter Natalie Merchant as part of her Keep Your Courage Tour. The event will take place on Friday, April 21 at 7:30 p.m. at the Miller Theater located at 250 South Broad Street in Philadelphia. The concert is estimated to run 2 hours and 30 minutes with intermission. more
Running from July 9 through July 22, Peddie Summer Academy (PSA) is a window into the world of boarding school and academic study. The aim is to provide summer students with the opportunity for concentrated and supportive academic growth along with extracurricular activities, socialization, collaboration, and innovation. When students are not in the classroom, they are challenging themselves on the athletic fields and in the art studio.
PSA mirrors the Peddie experience in the sense that students go to classes, pursue extracurriculars, eat meals together, and live in the dormitories. The program runs for 14 days with an on-campus “weekend” partway through. All students will live in the dormitories and stay on campus for the program duration. The days will be fast paced, with three elective courses in the morning and creative and athletic programs in the afternoon. more
Rebecca Boswell, Ph.D.
Rebecca Boswell, Ph.D., supervising psychologist at Penn Medicine Princeton Center for Eating Disorders, was recently honored in YWCA Princeton’s Tribute to Women, an annual awards ceremony celebrating professionals, volunteers, and activists who promote equity and support underserved and marginalized communities.
The Princeton Center for Eating Disorders — administered by Penn Medicine Princeton House Behavioral Health and housed at Princeton Medical Center in Plainsboro — provides inpatient treatment for adults, adolescents, and children age 8 and older who are diagnosed with anorexia, bulimia, and other eating disorders. more
The Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum (SSAAM) will celebrate Jazz Appreciation Month and the history of African American music in New Jersey with “Jazz in the Sourlands,” a series of special events on Friday, April 28 and Saturday, April 29.
On Friday, SSAAM will hold a concert and wine and cheese reception at the True Farmstead, a historically Black-owned property on Hollow Road in Skillman. Guests will be invited to the National Historic Register-listed Mt. Zion AME Church to view “From Fiddlers to Jazz Bands: African American Music of the Sourlands,” a new exhibit from SSAAM. more
This year’s Princeton Lecture Series will focus on the transition to adulthood and the importance of employment for individuals with autism. Eden Autism’s “Adolescents with Autism and the Transition to Adulthood” will be held on Thursday, April 27 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Individuals can attend in person at the Munich RE Conference Center, located at 665 College Road East in Princeton, or virtually. more
Whether your child is interested in sports, academics, arts, technology, or a little bit of everything, they will find it at George School this summer. From the “Best of the Bucks” award-winning George School Day Camp to sports camps and clinics to the Summer Academy, George School is committed to providing a summer filled with adventure, growth, and lots of fun. The top-notch camps are led by enthusiastic teachers and coaches who are passionate about what they do. more
Join the Friends and Foundation of the Princeton Public Library on April 28 from 12 to 2 p.m. for the annual Book Lover’s Luncheon, featuring author, historian, and journalist Lynne Olson. This year’s event will be held at the Nassau Inn.
Olson is the New York Times best-selling author of Madame Fourcade’s Secret War, Last Hope Island, Those Angry Days, and Citizens of London. She has been a consulting historian for the National WWII Museum in New Orleans and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. more
On Saturday April 15 and 22, join the Watershed Institute for the 17th Annual Watershed Streams Cleanup. Over the years, thousands of volunteers have removed over 141,000 pounds of trash, helping to make the watersheds healthier, protecting the environment, and beautifying the local communities. There are 15 cleanups on the schedule located throughout Central New Jersey. To learn more and find a session close to you, visit https://thewatershed.org/stream-cleanups/. more
On Thursday, April 20 from 5:30 to 7 p.m., the Arts Council of Princeton invites the community to partake in a Downtown Princeton Gallery Crawl to celebrate and enjoy the current exhibits now on view in downtown Princeton and in the Taplin Gallery of the Arts Council of Princeton. more
The Princeton YWCA presents a two-part documentary at Princeton Garden Theatre entitled The Price of Silence: The Forgotten Story of New Jersey’s Enslaved People. The event will take place on Thursday, April 6 at 7 p.m.
Part 1 of the film offers an overview of the state’s history of enslaved people and shares the poignant family stories of its earliest freed slaves. “New Jersey is known as the Garden State,” Beverly Mills says in Part 1. “We’re known for our blueberries. We’re known for our corn. But we’re not known for the slaves that were here tilling the soil. We’re not known for the whole history of slavery connected to New Jersey and how slavery was the underpinning of much of the wealth of New Jersey.” more
Adapted for neurodiverse audiences, including children with autism or other special needs, the Chamber Music Society (CMS) of Lincoln Center and host Rami Vamos will offer a unique musical experience on Saturday, May 20 at 1 and 3 p.m. at the Lewis Arts Complex’s Lee Rehearsal Room on the campus of Princeton University.
The interactive musical performance will be centered around the works of Antonín Dvořák. Vamos and the CMS artists will lead the audience in outward expression and enjoyment of the music. This is a judgement free environment, and the less formal setting is encouraging of supportive sensory, communication, movement, and learning needs. more
On Friday, April 14 at 8 p.m., McCarter Theatre presents The Moth, a storytelling experience that celebrates the ability to tell true, personal stories in front of a live audience in an effort to better understand the gift of shared humanity.
The Moth’s work allows people from all walks of life and all parts of the world to see that we are not so different from one another. Whether it’s an astronaut, a dental hygienist, a hot dog eating champion, a high school student, a mechanic, or an exonerated prisoner, we all have something to teach and share with one another. more
On Tuesday, April 4 at 7:30 p.m., the State Theatre New Jersey welcomes humorist David Sedaris.
Beloved for his personal essays and short stories, Sedaris is the author of Barrel Fever, Holidays on Ice, Naked, Me Talk Pretty One Day, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, When You Are Engulfed in Flames, Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls and Calypso, which was a Washington Post Best Book of the Year. more
“Barns” by Louise Palagyi
During the month of April, the Gourgaud Gallery in Cranbury will host a watercolor exhibit entitled the “Four Seasons” by Louise Palagyi. The show will run from April 3 through April 26 and will be open to the public Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Palagyi is a local artist, gallery board member, and Cranbury resident. more
On Saturday, May 13 at 4 p.m. at Trinity Church in Princeton, Voices Chorale NJ (VCNJ) presents Fields of Gold: Songs in the Key of Hope. The program features music from a range of modern composers, including arrangements of songs by Sting, Dolly Parton, and Carly Simon. In this concert, VCNJ also concludes their rendition of “Folk Songs of the Four Seasons” by Ralph Vaughn Williams with the spring and summer sections of the work. more
The Old Barracks Museum in Trenton is looking for volunteers to help with some spring cleaning on the grounds of the property on Saturday, April 15 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Grab some gloves and a rake and join the other volunteers in prepping for another season of programming at the museum. Those who can offer their trucks for the hauling away of some larger logs and debris are especially needed. There’s plenty to do around the property. Guests should provide their own work gloves and rakes and the Barracks staff will be ready with lots of coffee and donuts. more
Dear Princeton Magazine Readers,
Late in January there was a “meet and greet” event to launch the new “Experience Princeton” program with the tagline, “Discoveries Around Every Corner.” One of the attendees came up to me and mentioned how much he enjoyed my Publisher’s Letter, saying that he read the letter before he explored the rest of the magazine. more