HOW WE LIVE

Daily Rundown, Thursday, Sept. 14

Brad Wadlow
Courier News and Home News Tribune
Canines compete at Dog Days at Lord Stirling Stable, scheduled this year for Sunday, Sept. 17.

Canine competition

The Friends of Lord Stirling Stable will host their 21st Annual “Dog Days — A Very Silly Dog Show” on Sunday, Sept. 17, on the grounds of Somerset County Park Commission Lord Stirling Stable, 256 S. Maple Ave., Basking Ridge. On-site registration begins at 2 p.m. and classes will begin promptly at 3. Entry is $3 per class. Proceeds will help fund activities and programs at Lord Stirling Stable. Visit www.flss.org. For directions, call 908-766-5955.

READ: Daily Rundown, Wednesday, Sept. 13

Christie sends airmen to Virgin Islands

Gov. Chris Christie authorized 26 Security Forces Airmen from the 108th Wing, New Jersey National Guard, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, to leave Thursday for the Virgin Islands in support of relief efforts due to the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Irma. The Airman will complement local law enforcement and have been assigned to provide security where the Federal Emergency Management Agency is staged. The Guardsmen are prepared to assist for up to 60 days. More than 120 Citizen-Soldiers and 40 vehicles from the 253rd Transportation Company from Cape May arrived in the Orlando, Florida, area on Monday to support the Florida National Guard.

PSE&G restores power to 14,000

PSE&G crews have restored power to about 1,400 Florida customers since they began work Wednesday. The utility dispatched 154 employees and 85 vehicles Sunday from electric divisions throughout the utility’s service territory to assist Florida Power & Light (FPL) following Hurricane Irma. The personnel – which include linemen, managers, engineers and support personnel – are working in the Melbourne area in Brevard County, where 93,000 customers are without power as of Thursday morning. PSE&G personnel are expected to stay for three to four weeks. Visit PSEG at www.pseg.com.

Chick-fil-A aids Alex’s Lemonade Stand

As part of National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, the 22 New York-area Chick-fil-A Restaurants in the tri-state area will host a Lemonade Fundraiser on Friday, Sept. 15, in support of Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF). The restaurants will donate 100 percent of regular lemonade sales from open to close during the event to the nonprofit, a national foundation dedicated to raising funds and awareness for childhood cancer. Visit alexslemonade.org.

Meet, greet the greyhounds

New Jersey Greyhound Adoption Program (NJGAP) will host a Meet & Greet booth from 11 a.m to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 17, at JCC Dog Day at 775 Talamini Road in Bridgewater. NJGAP volunteers and and their dogs will be there to talk to the public about greyhound rescue and adoption. Visit www.facebook.com/NJGAP. Prospective adopters should email NJGAP at njgap@hotmail.com to request a pre-adoption application. NJGAP's hotline is 908-713-9344. 

Exposition Center, Lyft partner

The New Jersey Convention and Exposition Center has partnered with Lyft as its official rideshare partner. The new partnership provides a transportation option for attendees that are heading to and from Edison for events and performances. As part of the partnership, visitors will be able to catch their Lyft at a branded, designated pickup and drop-off zone in the parking lot. Additionally, to help passengers find their ride quickly and efficiently, the Amp in each Lyft vehicle illuminates the same color as the passenger’s app, ensuring streamlined pickups. New users of Lyft can use the code NJEXPO when ordering a Lyft to receive $5 off of three rides. Visit www.njexpocenter.com.

Volunteers maintain trails at Washington Valley Park and the Sourland Mountain Preserve.

Volunteer for trail maintenance

The Somerset County Park Commission Rangers and the Volunteer Park Patrol are seeking volunteers to assist with trail maintenance projects throughout the year. With the cooperation of the Jersey Off Road Bicycling Association, (JORBA), rangers and volunteers will be performing trail maintenance at the Sourland Mountain Preserve off East Mountain Road in Hillsborough and Washington Valley Park off Newman’s Lane in Bridgewater. Call 908-231-0802, ext. 21, or visit www.somersetcountyparks.org.

Remediation, renovation celebration

 Denholtz Associates will join Mayor Phillip Kramer and Franklin Township officials to formally mark the successful remediation and renovation of a once-vacant industrial building at 655 Howard Ave. The ribbon cutting for 655 Howard Ave. marks the culmination of a project that turned a previously undesirable and vacant property into a modern and in-demand industrial space. The ribbon cutting is not open to the public. Visit www.denholtzassociates.com.

Central Jersey Fossil Fuel Project

Leaders of statewide environmental advocacy groups will join local elected officials at an educational forum to discuss a proposed gas pipeline and compressor station that has attracted widespread opposition in Central Jersey. Phil Kramer, Franklin Township mayor; Joe Camarota, South Brunswick councilman; Junior Romero, Food & Water Watch; Jeff Tittel, Sierra Club NJ director; Patty Cronheim, ReThink Energy coordinator; and Ed Potosnak, NJ League of Conservation Voters director, will be at the Stop Transco's Gas Compressor & Pipeline Informational Meeting at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 14, at the South Brunswick Senior Center, 540 Ridge Road, Monmouth Junction. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/139760043285446.

Laura M. Cummins

Cummins interviewed by Smartsheet

Laura M. Cummins of Nine Dotz Consulting was recently interviewed by Smartsheet to provide some of her thoughts on retail operations and where they are heading in the near future. Smartsheet asked marketing professionals, including Cummins, to share their insight on how to tear down the walls between physical stores and online operations, the rise of pop-up stores and the effect on operations, and what the store of the future will look like. Read the guide at www.smartsheet.com/retail-store-operations. Visit www.ninedotz.com.

Indoor yard sale in Dunellen

Resurrection of Christ Church, 649 Bound Brook Road (Route 28), Dunellen, will hold an indoor yard sale from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16, and Saturday, Sept. 23. Items include jewelry, furniture, household items, books, toys, small appliances, CDs, gently used clothing and shoes and more. Visit www.parishesonline.com/find/resurrection-of-christ-pnc-church.

Dunellen Municipal Alliance (DMA) hosted its Overdose Awareness Day on Aug. 31.

Overdose Awareness Day held

Dunellen Municipal Alliance (DMA) hosted their Overdose Awareness Day on Thursday, Aug. 31. The event was organized to provide an opportunity for the residents of Dunellen to remember those impacted by drug overdose. It helped raise awareness of the effect substance abuse can have on, not only individuals and families, but entire communities. The police attended and shared statistics related to Dunellen’s opioid crisis. Visit www.facebook.com/DunellenMA/.

Callum Weiss and Rory Kinnard at the Clinton Boy Scout Troop 121 campfire open house.

Clinton troop holds campfire

Clinton Boy Scout Troop 121 invited all boys from kindergarten through eighth grade to a campfire open house Aug. 26 at the Valley Crest Preserve campsite. There were S’mores, games, skits and Scout craft available for all. The campfire was designed for families to learn more about the Scout program and provide the opportunity to register as a member. For more info, follow the troop on Instagram at bsatroop121clintonnj, on Facebook page at BSA Troop 121 or call Assistant Scoutmaster Mark Dau at 908-619-6289.

AKA chapter adopts Putnam Park

Tanya Clifton-White, environmental ownership chairman of the Nu Xi Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., has signed an agreement with the South Plainfield Clean Business Association to adopt Putnam Park for one year. Ten or more people will collect litter and vegetative debris from the grounds. The group is also prepared to clean playground equipment, paint structures when needed and plant flowers and trees. The agreement is for quarterly clean-ups. For more information about Adopt-A-Spot, contact the Clean Communities coordinator at 908-226-7621 or email atempel@southplainfieldnj.com.

The New Jersey Civic Youth Ballet is auditioning for dancers ages 5 to 30 for their holiday classic, "The Nutcracker."

'Nutcracker' auditions 

The New Jersey Civic Youth Ballet is auditioning for dancers ages 5 to 30 for their holiday classic, "The Nutcracker," at 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23, and Saturday, Sept. 30, at the Sitnik Theatre in Hackettstown. Auditions will be at the studios of the North Jersey School of Dance Arts, 400 D Valentine St., Hackettstown. Performances are Friday, Dec. 15; Saturday, Dec. 16; and Sunday, Dec. 17. For registration and times, call 908-850-0709. Visit www.njcyb.org.

Understanding burial pre-planning

To assist families in learning more about pre-planning and memorialization, Catholic Cemeteries of the Archdiocese of Newark is hosting open house events this fall at several cemeteries. Memorial Planning Advisors will answer questions and share information about the many burial and memorialization options and financial planning. Among the Open House weekends is 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28, and Sunday, Oct. 29, at St. Gertrude Cemetery & Mausoleum, 53 Inman Ave., Colonia. No appointment is necessary. Visit www.CatholicJourney.org. For more about Catholic Cemeteries, visit www.CatholicJourney.org or connect at Facebook.com/rcancem or Twitter.com/rcancem.

Celebrating Valerie Fund’s 40th

In honor of National Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month, Pier Village in Long Branch is hosting a "birthday party" family fun day event Sunday, Sept. 17, to support The Valerie Fund. Activities will include, New Jersey 101.5 with a special appearance from Judi Franco of the "Dennis and Judi Morning Show," Big Marks Action Park inflatable amusement rides, kid-friendly games, live entertainment by the Academy, face painting, henna artists and specialty craft vendors along with promotional companies sampling their goods. Visit www.TheValerieFund.org.

Bus safety records available online

Reinforcing the importance of the state’s stringent school bus inspection program, the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) is reminding residents of the availability of a tool that allows parents to check the safety records of their child's school bus from the comfort of their own home.  The School Bus Report Card is available 24/7 at njmvc.gov.

'Double Header' fundraising event

The Middlesex County 4-H Youth Development program has some fun activities planned for Saturday, Sept. 16. During the day, you can attend the Middlesex County 4-H Flea Market from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the  4-H Youth Center, 645 Cranbury Road, East Brunswick. In the evening, the 4-H Center will host a Comedy Night fundraiser featuring several NJ 101.5 radio personalities at 7 p.m. at the 4-H Log Cabin. Admission fee of $25 includes a light snack, and additional food items will be available for purchase. Proceeds from this event will support Middlesex County 4-H. Reservations should be made by Thursday, Sept. 14. Contact Victoria Parker at Victoria.parker@co.middlesex.nj.us or call 732-398-5261. For information on becoming a 4-H member or volunteer, call 732-398-5261. Visit www.middlesexcountynj.gov and search “extension.”

Union County Freeholder Chairman Bruce H. Bergen and Vice Chairman Sergio Granados spoke with Toni Ann Turco and Rich Erric of Home for Good Dogs Rescue and met some puppies up for adoption at the organization’s Bark B Que event at Meisel Park in Springfield. The Freeholder Board is a sponsor of the event. For more about Home for Good Dogs Rescue, visit www.homeforgooddogs.org.

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