News in Brief

Trailside Park's Wednesday Matinee Series Resumes July 7

The Wednesday Matinee Series at Trailside Nature & Science Center starts July 7 and will continue every Wednesday through August 11, the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders announced in a press release it distributed Thursday.

This family entertainment series begins at 1:30 p.m. each week and runs about 45 minutes. All shows are recommended for children ages 4 and older. Admission is $4.00 per person and tickets go on sale at 1:00 p.m. on the day of each show.

"Kids in Motion" will kick off the series on July 7. JoJo Russell, a talented DJ entertainer, will take the audience on a high energy, musical journey, the press release said. The presentation encourages the children to be the stars.

On Wednesday, July 14, the series continues with "The Reading Bugs," a program that includes storytelling, musical instruments and audience participation. Animated "Mythmakers" will lead participants on a musical adventure filled with singing spiders, hissing cockroaches and dancing butterflies. The program is designed to help children discover the fun of reading, the press release said.

On July 21, "Hocus Pocus" hits the stage. Magician Joe Fischer blends magic, comedy and audience participation to create a magic show for children of all ages.

On July 28, "Wacky Science" family entertainment with science experiments that include dry ice and static electricity. According to the press release, "a mad scientist [will melt] the Wicked Witch of the West right before [audience members'] eyes."

On Wednesday, Aug. 4, "Rizzo's Reptile Discovery" blends lessons on nature and conservation to help participants learn what they can do to help reduce pollution. "Discover Green" will introduce the audience to live lizards, snakes, turtles and an alligator. It will teach them how to help these reptiles by taking "C.A.R.E. (Conserve, Awareness, Recycling, Environment)" of the planet.

Trailside's final Wednesday Matinee show on Aug. 11, "Discover Wild Foods" will introduce the audience to naturalist/author Steve "Wildman" Brill. He will bring wild herbs, greens, berries, roots and mushrooms to demonstrate how people have been using wild plants for food and home remedies for centuries. The performance will blend science, history, folklore, mythology and jazz played on the Brillophone. 

For more information about the Wednesday Matinee Series or other upcoming programs and special events, call 908-789-3670 or visit www.ucnj.org/trailside.  Trailside Nature & Science Center is located at 452 New Providence Road in Mountainside.

Fanwood-Scotch Plains YMCA Announces Swim Team Tryouts 

The Fanwood-Scotch Plains YMCA (FSPY) announced Monday that it will hold tryouts for its Piranhas swim team in July. Under fourth-year head coach Chris Feinthel, the FSPY Piranhas have established themselves as one of the top teams in the state, competing and winning at the local, state and national level. 

The team is comprised of two girls' teams and two boys' teams. The Piranhas have a talented coaching staff with a proven record of developing swimmers of all age levels and skill levels.

Tryout dates and times are as follows:

• Wednesday July 14, 2010 5:00-7:00 pm
• Saturday July 17, 2010 1:00-3:00 pm

Interested swimmers are asked to register for one of the dates above at the Fanwood Scotch Plains YMCA, 1340 Martine Ave, Scotch Plains 908.889-8880.

For more information about the tryouts or the swim team in general, please contact Head Coach Chris Feinthel at CFeinthel@fanwoodscotchplainsymca.org or visit the website at www.fspyswimming.com.

Chelsea at Fanwood Raises More Than $900 for Women's Support Group 

The Chelsea at Fanwood raised more than $900 for the Women's Center of New Jersey during Ladies' Night 2010, an evening of fun that featured martinis, food, the comedy of Plainfield's own Patricia Williams and author Arline McGraw-Oberst.

The money was raised through $10 donations from each of the guests, who came from across the Union County area to enjoy the entertainment, food and shopping that were available.

The Women's Center of New Jersey offers support for women in every stage of life with programs that include job retraining, education in many areas and services for women who are divorced, separated or whose spouse is incarcerated.

Fanwood Memorial Library Announces "Make a Splash!" Summer Reading Programs

The free reading programs, announced via press release Wednesday, will include story times, book groups, music, crafts and drama performances, children's librarian Susan Staub said.

The library is accepting registrations for the programs, which span from kindergarten to seventh grade. It runs from June 30 to Aug. 13, and will celebrate its opening Wednesday with an inflatable slide/maze on the library lawn from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

The summer drama workshop (for grades five through nine) begins Tuesday, June 29. It ends with two performances on Wednesday, July 28. All sessions must be attended, and space is limited, according to the press release.

Funding for the summer drama workshop has been made possible in part by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, Department of State, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, through a grant administered by the Union County Office of Cultural & Heritage Affairs.  This program also receives funding from the Friends of the Fanwood Memorial Library.  

Also at the Fanwood Memorial Library through the summer:

On Monday Nights:

July 12: Beauty and the Beast storytellers

July 19: "The Turtle Stage Show," hosted by author and turtle specialist Steve Woyce, who will bring live turtles and tortoises

July 26: "Pirate Magic," Mark Dolson, magician

Aug. 2: "Marine Science Party," hosted by Diane Gitler, marine biologist

Aug. 9: "Bubble Night," be prepared to get wet

Sponsored by the Friends of the Fanwood Memorial Library

Also: Craft sessions every Wednesday at noon, from July 7 through Aug. 11, for children from kindergarten through fifth grade. Prior registration is not required.

Visit the library at North Avenue and Tillotson Road for details on the summer musical workshop, Three of a Kind, and additional programs. You can also call 908-322-4377 or check out the events calendar at www.fanwoodlibrary.org.

Union County Calls for 4-H Group Leaders

If you have a hobby, interest or passion you'd like to pass along to a group of enthusiastic youngsters, the Union County 4-H Club has asked for your help.

No previous experience in working with children is required, the club said in a press release it distributed Thursday. Trained 4-H staff members provide guidance and supplies, while another adult provides supervision for the children.

4-H club meetings generally take place once a month, from September to June, at the Rutgers Cooperative Extension Office at 300 North Avenue in Westfield. All clubs are small, with a limit of 10 children or less.

The clubs are formed based on the interests of 4-H members, who range in age from kindergarten through high school.  This year, club leaders with an interest in cooking, dog obedience training, horse care, acting, pet care, and anime are in particular demand.

For more information, contact 4-H Agent James Nichnadowicz at 908-654-9854 or jnichnadowicz@ucnj.org.

4-H is a program of the Rutgers Cooperative Extension, supported in part by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders.  Its mission is to provide the community with science-based information on nutrition, food safety, home environmental health, family well-being, agriculture and 4-H youth development.

New Home for the New Jersey State Golf Association

The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders and the Union County Department of Parks and Community Renewal announced in a press release Friday that the Galloping Hill Golf Course's new 40,000 sq. ft. clubhouse in Kenilworth will be the official home of the New Jersey State Golf Association (NJSGA).

The clubhouse, which will be equipped with a 300-person banquet facility, conference center, golf shop, bar and grill, private dining room and an outdoor terrace overlooking the golf course, is on schedule to be completed by the start of the 2012 golf season. 

"The fact that an organization such as the NJSGA has decided to locate their headquarters here solidifies the reputation of our golf courses as among the state's best," Freeholder Chairman Daniel P. Sullivan said in the press release.

Formed in 1900, the New Jersey State Golf Association is dedicated to serving golf in New Jersey while it promotes, supports and ensures the quality, traditions and development of the game of golf for everyone throughout the State of New Jersey.

"The NJSGA is excited to be part of the major improvements that Union County has made at Galloping Hill, improvements that will add to the enjoyment of the golf experience offered there," John B. Murray, president of the NJSGA, said in the press release.

Built in 1928 by Willard G. Wilkinson, with renovations made by Stephen Kay in 1998, the Galloping Hill Golf Course is a 27-hole layout with the natural terrain of rolling hills and valleys. Construction of a new driving range, fitting and learning center at Galloping Hill is currently under way.

Fanwood Scotch Plains Rotary Names Officers for 2010

New 2010 officers of Rotary of Fanwood Scotch Plains assumed leadership from current officers at a dinner June 16, according to a press release distributed Monday. 

Karen McNally of Park Avenue Printing in Scotch Plains will take over as president, relieving Janet Strunk after a successful two-year tenure as president.  John Crisafulli of Two River Bank in Fanwood will be vice president.  Crisafulli had been secretary previously.  The 2010 secretary will be Bill McClintock, a political database consultant.  Taking over from current treasurer Sean Duffy is Darren Mills, tax and investment advisor at The Mills Group, LLC, of Scotch Plains. 

Scotch Plains mayor Nancy Malool attended the dinner as the speaker of honor. In her remarks, she cited Rotary International's global health and economic advances, as well as the local chapter's regional contributions, such as its distribution of dictionaries to third graders, a gift that the mayor's own children long benefited from.  "Rotary touches our lives locally and worldwide in a range of programs well rounded and far reaching," Malool said. 

The club also celebrated other recent achievements at the dinner, which included raising $15,000 for relief of Haiti earthquake victims in the form of "Shelterboxes," tents that are able to house 15 groups of 10 people, along with subsistence equipment for months of use.

Rotary of Fanwood Scotch Plains meets for lunch Wednesdays, 12:15 p.m., at the Stage House Restaurant, 366 Park Ave.,  Scotch Plains.  Interested people may contact Michael Dietrich at 908-789-3175 or membership@fsprotary.org.