Saturday, March 13, 2010

ROUND-UP: March 2010 [Updated 3/17!]

CLICK HERE to read about the British raids on the Millstone Valley in an authentic 1777 edition of the London Chronicle recently acquired for the Kells Swan museum collection at Washington Crossing State Park!

CLICK HERE to get involved with one of the wonderful organizations that sponsor these exciting historical and environmental events!

CLICK HERE to find out how you can have your private or corporate event in a beautifully restored historic house!

Mar 27 PRESENTATION ABOUT THE FISK JUBILEE SINGERS!
Mar 27 WALK THE TOWPATH TO ROCKINGHAM--FREE!
Mar 21 BIKE THE TOWPATH, GRIGGSTOWN-LAWRENCE--FREE!
Mar 20 ROSIE THE RIVETER TALK, VAN WICKLE HOUSE--FREE!
Mar 13 STORY OF THE D&R CANAL, BWM CANAL HOUSE--FREE!
Mar 5 EVE. WOODCOCK WATCH, MAPLETON PRESERVE--FREE!

MARCH 27: Presentation About The Original Fisk Jubilee Singers!

This event was originally scheduled for February 20 to celebrate Black History Month, but was canceled due to weather and--fortunately--re-scheduled for the 03/27/10!

Please join the Meadows Foundation's celebration of Black History Month with a presentation by noted musicologists Charlie and Pam Horner about the original Fisk Jubilee Singers!

DATE: Saturday, March 27, 2010
TIME: 2:00PM to 4:00PM
PLACE: The Hageman Farm
209 South Middlebush Road, Somerset
TKTS: $10.00 per Person
RSVP: Reservations by phone or email strongly recommended.
PHONE: (732) 560-1977
EMAIL: Meadowsreserve@aol.com


[From the Meadows Website]
"In 1871, the Fisk University Jubilee Singers left Nashville on a series of tours to raise funds for their impoverished school. They battled prejudice and oppression, as well as the hardships of the road. But through their perseverance they sang their way into the hearts of the nation and the world.

Our 2010 salute to Black History Month about the original Fisk Jubilee Singers features noted musicologists Charlie and Pam Horner. Their presentation will include a brief analysis of the importance of spirituals during slavery, including their use in communication, secret meanings to lyrics, etc.; history of the Fisk Jubliee Singers’ 1871–78 tours of the U.S. and Europe, including performances for President Grant, Mark Twain, and Queen Victoria.

In addition, the talk will include photos of Jubilee singers, their songbooks and memorabilia, and sound clips of spirituals. The presentation will also touch on the use of Black quartets in productions of Uncle Tom’s Cabin and minstrel shows, and the influence of spirituals on our American musical heritage."

Why not become a member of the Meadows Foundation or volunteer and get in on all the fun?

MARCH 27: Walk to Rockingham!

Enjoy a fresh, spring morning with a D & R Canal State Park historian and naturalist guided walk along the towpath from the Mapleton Preserve to the Rockingham Historic Site for a house tour, and then back again!

DATE: Saturday, March 27, 2010
Weather Permitting
TIME: 10:00AM
MEET: D&R State Park Office
145 Mapleton Road, Kingston
WEAR: Weather-appropriate clothing, comfortable hiking shoes
RSVP: Pre-registration Requested
REGISTER HERE

ADMISSION IS FREE!!!

From the park headquarters, this 3.5 walk will first pass through a portion of the former Princeton Nursery grounds and by the historic Kingston Canal House on the way to the D & R Canal towpath. The group will then proceed along historic towpath to the beautifully restored Rockingham house, George Washington's 1783 headquarter during the American War of Independence!

Why not join one of these organizations and get in on all the fun?
Friends of the Princeton Nursery Lands
Kingston Greenways Association
D & R Canal Watch


MARCH 21: Bike the Towpath to Lawrence Township!

D & R Canal Watch invites you to get some exercise, enjoy a fresh morning bike ride, and learn about the history of the canal with canal expert, Bob Barth!

DATE: Sunday, March 21, 2010
TIME: 10:00AM
MEET: Griggstown Causeway, Franklin Twsp.
BRING: Bike, Helmet, Lunch
INFO: Bob Barth, (201) 401-3121

Bob Barth will lead you on this 26-mile ride along the towpath, all the way to Lawrence Township and back and explain structures and history of the canal as you go!

Thursday, March 11, 2010

MARCH 20: "Rosie the Riveter" at the Meadows!


The Meadows Foundation is thrilled to invite you to "Salute Women's History Month" with Trish Chambers' original presentation on Rosie the Riveter!



DATE: Saturday, March 20, 2010
TIME: 2:00PM
PLACE: The Van Wickle House
1289 Easton Avenue, Somerset
TKTS: $10.00 per person
RSVP: (732) 560-1977 or meadowsreserve@aol.com

[from the Meadows website]
Attendees will learn how middle-class women had to fight cultural blockades to get into the workforce, how various women's volunteer and military groups fit in, the working conditions of women photojournalists such as Margaret Bourke-White of Middlesex, NJ, and how the seeds of the '60s Cultural Revolution were sewn.

Why not become a member of the Meadows Foundation or volunteer and get in on all the fun?

MARCH 5: Evening Woodcock Watch

Please join Audubon volunteer, Arlene Oley, and D & R Canal State Park naturalist, Stephanie Fox, for a dusk-time walk into the Mapleton Preserve in search of fanciful Woodcock!

DATE: Friday, March 5, 2010
TIME: 6:30PM
PLACE: D & R Canal Park, Kingston Office
145 Mapleton Road, Kingston
BRING: Flashlight, for walk back to parking area

ADMISSION IS FREE!!!

In addition to enjoying the delightful sights and sound of the adorable woodcock, the group can also expect to hear the chirps and peeps of the frogs and toads who also call the preserve and Central NJ their home!

MARCH 13: "The Story of the D&R Canal" at the Blackwells Mills Canal House

Please come to the historic Blackwells Mills Canal House for a presentation about the history of the canal by the D & R Canal State Park's historian!

DATE: Saturday, March 13, 2010
TIME: 2:00PM
PLACE: The Blackwells Mills Canal House
598 Canal Road, Somerset
RSVP: Registration NOT required, but seating is limited, so please arrive early.

ADMISSION IS FREE!!!

This hour-long, PowerPoint presentation will feature historic and modern photographs will be included to illustrate the past and present life of this active waterway.