Culture&Heritage News UpdateVolume 3 | Number 2 | Spring 2017

OPPORTUNITIES

For artists, historians, and related organizations.

MERCER'S HISTORY

Page 7

Check out the many things to see and do in Mercer County.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Pages 4-6

A letter from Mercer County Executive Brian M. Hughes.

COUNTY EXECUTIVE

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Page 6

Learn about local people and places.

The Princeton Abbey, Princeton University, 75 Mapleton Road, Princeton.

2016 Capital Singers of Trenton, Winter Songs 10, Classical to Gospel.

America Sings! in April with the Capital Singers of Trenton

This April, the Capital Singers of Trenton will honor American composers at their annual spring concert. The two-day series, which is scheduled for April 29 - 30, will fea-ture solos, small ensemble pieces, and full choral masterpieces spanning the 1700s to present day. The concert will also be per-formed in two of the region’s most noted architectural and acoustic treasures: Princ-eton Abbey, April 29, 4 pm, followed by Sa-cred Heart Church, April 30 at 4 pm.

“America Sings!” marks the group’s first concert comprising entirely North Ameri-can music, including arrangements of tra-ditional spirituals and folk songs, American Moravian music, and selections based on the poetry of Robert Frost. The program in-cludes “Songs of the American Revolution” arranged by Richard Loatman, “Choose Something Like a Star” by Randall Thomp-son, and Bob Chilcott’s arrangement of “And So It Goes” by Billy Joel.

The ninety-plus-member chorus is com-plemented by a smaller ensemble, which will perform additional selections includ-ing “David’s Lamentation” by William Billings, Alice Parker’s arrangement of “The Hebrew Children,” and “Gloria” by Vincent Persichetti. The concert will also feature percussionist Kathy Goff and cel-list Linsay Setzer.

Performing a repertoire of both sacred and secular music, the chorus strives to promote the art of choral singing, enrich the cultural life of New Jersey, and serve as ambassadors for the City of Trenton through concerts, special performances, and community outreach.

For more information about the Capital Singers of Trenton or to purchase tickets, please visit capitalsingers.org, facebook.com/CapitalSingersofTrenton or call 609-434-2781.

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Mark Your Calendar: June 17 — The 7th Annual Mercer Co. Cultural Festival

Mercer County Executive Brian M. Hughes and the Board of Chosen Free-holders present the 7th annual Mercer County Cultural Festival, Satur-day, June 17, rain or shine, from 11 am to 7 pm at the Mercer County Park, West Windsor. This one-day festival will celebrate the many diverse cultures of Mercer Coun-ty through traditional art demonstrations, live cul-tural music, dance per-formances, kids activities

and more! 2017 brings back the popular interna-tional Food Trucks featur-ing amazing dishes from some of the best ethnic Food Trucks in the region as well as the popular bi-ergarten! Admission and parking are free.To learn more about the event, visit nj.gov/coun-ties/mercer/commissions/cultural/culturalfest.html, find us on Facebook at face-book.com/mercercounty-culturalheritagecommis-sion or call (609)989-2712.

A Mercer County Gem: The National Guard Militia Museum of New Jersey at the Lawrenceville Annex

Did you know right here, in our own backyard, is the National Guard Militia Museum of New Jersey - Lawrenceville Annex? This gem of a museum is locat-ed at 151 Eggerts Cross-ing Road, Lawrenceville and has quite a selection of items exhibited from weapons, to uniforms and numerous other equip-ment from various periods of service. Hundreds of its artifacts tell the story of New Jersey soldiers from Colonial times to the pres-ent day. Two rooms alone are dedicated to military memorabilia from the Civil War and a "Model Room" houses over one hundred small-scale mod-els of military equipment. In the Drill Hall, which is the work area for the Can-non Shop, there are several pieces of military machin-ery on display. Accompa-nying the exhibits inside are about 20 tanks, and a cannon is on display out-side. This place is definitely worth a trip!The museum is now open on Saturdays in addition to its normal schedule of Tuesdays and Fridays, 9 am - 3:00 pm and admis-sion and parking are free.If you have any interest in military history, this place is definitely a must see! For more information about the exhibits, the museum,

group tours, or volunteering, please contact the mu-seum curators at NGMMNJ-LV@outlook.com or call (609) 530-6802.

Local Arts (LAP) & History Grant Deadline Approaches

Don’t forget the FY18 ap-plication deadline to sub-mit either the Local Arts Program (LAP) or His-tory Grant is July 14. For more information about the application process, guidelines or questions, visit nj.gov/counties/mer-cer/commissions/cultural/grants. The commission's Program Development Specialist, Tricia Fagan, is also available to assist potential grant applicants with questions or con-cerns, (609) 989-6418.

Exhibit at The National Guard Militia Museum of New Jersey at Lawrenceville Annex.

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Dear Friends,

With winter behind us, it’s time to start looking forward to the wealth of cul-tural activities the spring season brings to Mercer County.

This edition of our Culture & Heritage newsletter takes a look at some excit-ing events taking place during the coming months, including the Capital Singers of Trenton’s annual spring concert, a two-day series that will hon-or American composers; Princeton University’s Chamber Concerts series, which is celebrating its 50th year; and the seventh annual Mercer County Cultural Festival, which celebrates our region’s diverse cultures through traditional art demonstrations, live cultural music, dance performances and more. Also featured is a story about the Port Mercer Canal House in Law-rence Township, near the borders of West Windsor and Princeton, which was built in the 1830s as housing for a bridge tender and his family.

Abundant opportunities to enrich our lives through history, arts and culture can be found in this newsletter, from choral concerts to theatrical produc-tions to art exhibits and more. I encourage you to explore all that Mercer County has to offer this season.

Sincerely,

Brian M. Hughes County Executive

Princeton University's Summer Chamber Concerts Celebrate Their 50th Summer SeasonMusic lovers are in for their annual gift, as the Princ-eton University Summer Chamber Concerts series is almost here.The series offers four free concerts by top-class mu-sicians in June and July. This summer's series is particularly special as they are celebrating their 50th year. To kick off this year's celebration, the Chamber has scheduled the musical stylings of WyndSync, a woodwind quintet, which is set to play on June 28. This group will perform "The Long and Short of It," a work by Paul Lansky commissioned through the Library of Congress. The series will continue on July 9 as the Brentano String Quartet takes the stage and performs "The Fifth Book," a recent work by Stephen Hartke. On July 18 the Lysander Piano Trio will perform "Around the Cauldron," a work that was commis-sioned from Gilad Cohen

in 2016 by the Concerts Artists Guild. The series will wrap up on July 26, with the Argus Quartet, which will perform "Satellites" by Garth Knox.The Princeton University Summer Chamber Con-certs begin at 7:30 pm at Richardson Auditorium in Alexander Hall on the Princeton University cam-pus. Tickets are free and available online at princ-etonsummerchambercon-certs.org, beginning one week before each concert. Remaining tickets will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis at the Richardson box office at 6 pm on the night of each concert. For more WyndSync will perform on June 28, at Richardson Auditorium.

information, please visit princetonsummercham-berconcerts.org or call 609-570-8404.This program is made pos-sible in part by the Mercer

County Cultural & Heri-tage Commission through funding from the Mercer County Board of Chosen Freeholders and the New Jersey Council on the Arts.

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AuditionsJune 13, Youth Orchestra of Central Jersey. New Student Au-ditions for YOCJ at West Wind-sor-Plainsboro High School North. Visit YOCJ.org for re-quirements and to register.

Concerts April 2, Spring Small Ensemble, Youth Orchestra of Central Jer-sey, 3pm, Plainsboro Recreation and Cultural Center, 641 Plains-boro Rd, Plainsboro. For more information visit YOCJ.org.

April 2, Spring into Song Con-cert, The Hopewell Valley Cho-rus, 2pm, Central Church, 2015 Pennington Rd, Pennington. Free. For more information visit hopewellvalleychorus.org.

April 8, "Songs of Wonder and Triumph", VOICES Chorale, 7:30pm. They will perform at Mildred and Ernest E. Mayo Hall, The College of New Jersey, 2000 Pennington Rd, Ewing. Tickets are $25 for adults and $5 for students. Contact TCNJ's box office at tcnjcenterforth-earts.tcnj.edu/tcnj-box-office. For more information visit voice-schorale.org.

April 9, Barging Ahead: Chan-neling Songs of the Delaware & Raritan Canal, Mercer Coun-ty Library, Lawrence Branch, 2pm. 2751 Brunswick Pike, Lawrenceville. The Lawrence Historical Society and The Friends of the Lawrence Library are co-sponsoring a concert by Westminster Choir College stu-dents, who will be performing songs related to the Canal and the time period of its heyday. Registration is suggested. For more information or to register contact lawprogs@mcl.org / call 609.989-6920.

April 20, Classical Chamber Mu-sic Recitals, Westminster Con-servatory at Nassau, 12:15pm. Niles Chapel of Nassau Presbyte-rian Church, 61 Nassau St, Princ-eton. Free admission. For more information visit rider.edu/con-servatory / 609-921-7104.

April 21 - 22, Pride & Prejudice, Princeton Symphony Orches-tra, 8pm. Matthews Theatre, McCarter Theatre. Tickets: $50, $44, $34, $20. For more informa-tion visit the capitalsingers.org

April 22, In the Mood, Capital Philharmonic Orchestra, 7:30 pm. Patriots Theater, War Me-morial, Trenton, (609)558-2292. For more information visit cap-italphilharmonic.org.

April 29, Annual Spring Con-cert: America Sings, Capital Singers of Trenton, perform at Princeton Abbey, 75 Mapleton Rd, Princeton, 4pm. For more information visit the capitalsing-ers.org.

April 30, Harp Concert, West Windsor Branch, Mercer Coun-ty Library, 3pm. 333 N Post Rd, Princeton Junction. Students from local music studio Harp4Y-ou will perform an open con-cert. Registration is suggested. Registration begins on March 22; call 609-799-0462 with ques-tions or to register.

April 30, Annual Spring Con-cert: America Sings, Capital Singers of Trenton, perform at The Church of the Sacred Heart, 343 South Broad St, Trenton, 4pm. For more information visit the capitalsingers.org.

May 12, Spring Concert, Tren-ton Children's Chorus, 7pm. Covenant Presbyterian Church, 471 Parkway Ave, Trenton. All six choirs comprised of children from grades K through 12 will perform songs from a variety of genres. The concert is free and open to the public. Ample parking is available For more information call 609.278.0822 or trentonchildrenschorus.org.

May 18, Classical Chamber Mu-sic Recitals, Westminster Con-servatory at Nassau, 12:15pm. Niles Chapel of Nassau Presbyte-rian Church, 61 Nassau St, Princ-eton. Free admission. For more information visit rider.edu/con-servatory / 609-921-7104.

May 21, Spring Large Ensem-ble Concert, Youth Orchestra of Central Jersey, 3pm & 7pm, West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North. For more infor-mation visit YOCJ.org.

June 11, Johannes Brahms' Ein deutsches Requiem, Central Jersey Choral Society, 4:30 pm, 79 One Mile Rd, East Windsor. Question and tickets available by calling 609-616-2527, by visit-ing cjchoralsociety.org, or e-mail-ing steward@cjchoralsociety.org.

June 16, VOICES GALA Week-end, VOICES Chorale, Brahms' Ein Deutsches Requiem and Randall Thompson's Frostiana, 8pm. Richardson Auditorium, Princeton University, 68 Nassau St, Princeton. This concert cel-ebrates Lyn Ransom's 30 years as the Artistic Director of VOIC-ES. This will be the third per-formance of Brahms' Requiem, each at 10 year anniversaries over VOICES' 30-year history: 1997, 2007, and 2017. Tickets are $45, $35, $25 and available at tickets.princeton.edu/

June 17, VOICES GALA Week-end, VOICES Chorale, "Raising Voices in Honor of Lyn Ransom, Washington Crossing Inn, 6pm. Please join us to celebrate Dr. Lyn Ransom's 30 wonderful years as VOICES’ Artistic Director after her final concert on June 16. The GALA Dinner (Black Tie Op-tional) is a Benefit for Voices, a premier semi-professional audi-tioned community chorus with singers from Pennsylvania and New Jersey. It includes cocktail reception, live entertainment, silent and live auctions, dinner and dancing! Tickets are $165 and available at voiceschorale.org, or by calling 609-658-2636.

June 28, WINDSYNC: The Long and Short of It, Princeton Uni-versity Summer Chamber Con-certs, 7:30pm. Tickets available online one week before each concert through the University Ticket Office. For more infor-mation visit princetonsummer-chamberconcerts.org.

DanceApril 15, El Baile De Primave-ra, Hosted by the Puerto Ri-can Parade of Trenton, 7 pm. Dance to the music of Kombo Latino, Klave Mayor and DJ Coqui at The Trenton War Me-morial, 1 Memorial Dr, Tren-ton. Tickets are $25 in advance, $30 at the door. For more in-formation call (609) 577-3569 / (609) 977-7466 / (609) 209-5106. April 20, Classical Indian Dance Demonstration, Law-rence Branch, Mercer County Library, 3pm. 2751 US Highway 1, Lawrenceville. Students from The Shishya School of Perform-ing Arts, Lawrenceville, will perform classical Indian dances. Registration is suggested. Email

lawprogs@mcl.org or call 609-989-6920 to register.

Every Tuesday night, Interna-tional Folk Dance, Princeton Folk Dance, 7:30pm. Kristina Johnson Pop-Up Studio, Princ-eton Shopping Center, 609-921-9340 Lesson followed by dance. $5. princetonfolkdance.org.

Every Wednesday night, New-comer Dance, American Ball-room Dance Company, 7pm, $10. 609-931-0149. For more information visit americanball-roomco.com.

Every Thursday night, Viva Tango, 8pm. Suzanne Patterson Center, Princeton. 609-948-4448, $15. For more information visit vivatango.org.

Every Friday night, Friday Night Social, American Ball-room Company, 7:30pm. Locat-ed at 1523 Parkway Ave, Ewing. 609-931-0149, $15. For more information visit americanball-roomco.com.Every Wednesday, Contra Dancing, Princeton Country Dancers, 8pm. Suzanne Patter-son Center, 1 Monument Dr, Princeton. Live music always. No partner needed. Free for first-time beginners! (908) 359-4837. For more information vis-it princetoncountrydancers.org.

Exhibitions Now - April 16, Rider University Art Gallery: Aubrey J. Kauff-man. Located at the Bart Luede-ke Center, Rider University. For more information visit rider.edu.Now - April 30, Essential Paul Robeson, Trenton City Muse-um. For more information visit ellarslie.orgMay 6 - June 25, Ellarslie Open 34, Trenton City Museum. Gal-lery talk about exhibition Sun-day, May 21, 2pm. For more in-formation visit ellarslie.org.May 8 - June 24, Dharma in the 21st Century, West Windsor Arts Council, 952 Alexander Rd, West Windsor. For more infor-mation visit westwindsorarts.org.Now - May 21, 2017, Bruce Spring-steen, A Photographic Journey, Morven Museum, 55 Stockton St, Princeton. For more information visit morven.org. (W,V)

1. Mercer County Cultural & Heritage Commission cannot be responsible for errors or omissions. Please call ahead to confirm times and prices. Deadline of May 15, 2017 for the July, August and September 2017 Newsletter.

Calendar of Events1

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Now - June 30, Sculpture by Pat-rick Strzelec, Graves Terrace, Arts Council of Princeton, 102 Witherspoon St, Princeton. For more information visit artscouncilofprinceton.org.

Now - April 30, 2017, Toy World, New Jersey State Museum, 205 West State Street St, Trenton. Toy World, a fun-filled exhi-bition will focus on the little known stories of the important role New Jersey played in the his-tory of the American toy indus-try. For more information visit state.nj.us/state/museum. (W,V)

Now - June 11, The Berlin Paint-er and His World: Athenian Vase-Painting in the Early Fifth Century B.C., Princeton Uni-versity Art Museum. For more information visit artmuseum.princeton.edu. (W,V)

Now - Jul 1, Written in the Rocks: Fossil Tales of New Jersey, New Jersey State Museum, 205 West State Street St, Trenton. For more information visit state.nj.us/state/museum. (W,V)

Now - Jul 2, Revealing Pictures: Photographs from Christopher E. Olofson, Princeton Universi-ty Art Museum. For more infor-mation visit artmuseum.prince-ton.edu. (W,V)

Farmers Markets Capital City Farmers' Market, Ev-ery Thursday, 11am, beginning May 11 through October, Mill Hill Park, 165 E. Front St, Trenton. The market features Jersey Fresh farm produce, artisanal food, specialty produce, baked goods, handmade crafts, jewelry, all nat-ural body and face care products, entertainment and much more. For more information visit desti-nationtrenton.com

West Windsor Community Farmers' Market, Every Sat-urday, 9am, beginning May 6 through the Saturday before Thanksgiving, Windsor Athletic Club Clarksville Rd, West Wind-sor. Produce, meats, woven fi-bers, honey, wine, flowers, baked goods, and prepared foods. For more information visit west-windsorfarmersmarket.org

FestivalsApril 1-2. Trenton Film Fes-tival, Trenton Film Society, 8pm, Mill Hill Playhouse, Tren-ton, (609) 331-9599. For more information visit trentonfilm-society.org

April 8 – 9, Punk Rock Flea Mar-ket, Roebling Machine Shop, 10am. 675 S. Clinton Ave, Tren-ton. For more information visit trentonpunkrockfleamarket.com

April 30, Communiversity, Arts Council of Princeton, 1pm. Nassau St, downtown Prince-ton. For more information visit artscouncilofprinceton.org.

May 7, Cultural Diversity Fes-tival, 12 – 4pm, Lawrence High School Commons, 2525 Princ-eton Pike. Featuring food from local restaurants and live per-formances celebrating culture, ethnicity, and community. Free. For more information visit law-rencetwp.com/com-hr.html.

May 13, Mother Nature Festival, Lawrence Nature Center At the Rink House, 11-4pm, 481 Drex-el Ave, Lawerenceville. Wildlife shows, plant sales, children's activities, music by Tommy and Abby Anton, and more. Rain or shine. Free admission. For more information visit lawrencenatu-recenter.net.

June 10, Puerto Rican Parade of Trenton - Music Festival, Mercer County Park - Festival Grounds, 3pm. For more information call (609) 209-5009.

June 17, Mercer County Cultur-al Festival, Mercer County Park, West Windsor, 11am to 7pm. Rain or Shine. Free admission & parking. For more information visit us on facebook at Mercer County Cultural & Hereitage Commission or call 609-278-2712.

June 17 - 18, Art All Night,Histor-ic Roebling Machine Shop, 675 South Clinton Ave, Trenton, 609-635-6736. Free. For more infor-mation visit artallnighttrenton.org.June 24, Mercer County Free-dom Fest, Mercer County Park, West Windsor, 3pm. This festival features a wide range of activ-ities for the entire family. Fire-works at 9:30pm. For More info mercercountyparks.org.

Garden TourJune 10, 26th Annual Mill Hill Garden Tour, Old Mill Hill Soci-ety, Mill Hill District, Trenton, 12pm. Tours of one of Trenton's oldest neighborhoods. $15. Tour starts at Artworks, 19 Everett Al-ley, Trenton. For more informa-tion visit trentonmillhill.org.

Historical ActivitiesApril 15, Early American Wind-sor Chairs, 1719 William Trent House, 1pm. Lecture by David Bosted. $10 non-members, $8 members. For more infor-mation call visit williamtrent-house.org.May 11, The Debris Left Behind, Mercer County Library, Rob-binsville Branch, 7pm. Very

often, a physical object or a sto-ry told about a late relative trig-gers an interest in finding out more about your family’s histo-ry. Come and learn how to en-hance or add to your genealogi-cal research through the objects made or used by your ancestors. For more information call (609) 259-2150.May 20, Architecture of the Trent House, 1719 William Trent House, 1pm. Lecture by Kevin Joy. $10 non-members, $8 mem-bers. For more information call visit williamtrenthouse.org.June 3, Ice Cream Social, 1719 William Trent House, 1pm. Free ice cream, games and tours of the Trent House Museum. For more information call visit wil-liamtrenthouse.org. Every Third Tuesday of each month, Stamp Collecting, Ham-ilton Philatelic Society, 7:15pm, Hamilton Library. For more in-formation visit hamiltonphila-telic.org (W,V)

Every Second Tuesday, Cen-tral Jersey Genealogical Club, Hamilton Township Library, 7 pm. For more information vis-it cjgcnj.com (W,V)

Howell FarmApril 8, Spring Beekeeping, Howell Living History Farm, 11am. 70 Woodens Ln, Lambert-ville, 609-737-3299. For more vis-it howellfarm.org.June 17, Milking & Butter Making, Howell Living Histo-ry Farm. Featured activities include music, wagon rides, games and contests, a children’s craft program. For more infor-mation visit howellfarm.org.

June 24, Wheat Harvest, Howell Living History Farm. For more information visit howellfarm.org.

Literary LecturesApril 12, The Marconi Revolu-tion , Mercer County Library, Hickory Corner Branch, 7pm. 138 Hickory Corner Rd, East Windsor. Born in Bologna, Ita-ly, in 1874,Guglielmo Marconi was a Nobel Prize-winning physicist and inventor credited with the groundbreaking work necessary for all future radio technology. Marconi was a busi-nessman as well as an inventor. He utilized his knowledge of business to make wireless tech-nology a commercial success in New Jersey. Local historian Michael Hyduk will talk about Marconi and his impact. Please register. For more information or to register contact hcprogs@

mcl.org / call 609.448-1330.

April 20, Room 3; Poets at the Library, Princeton Public Li-brary, 7pm. Co-sponsored by the Princeton Public Library, US 1 Poets' Cooperative, and Dela-ware Valley Poets. (609) 924-9529 x228. princetonlibrary.org. (W,V)

May 18, History of the Hinden-burg, Mercer County Library, Robbinsville Branch, 7pm. Learn about the history of the doomed airship and of what is now Joint Base McGuire/Dix/Lakehurst. For more informa-tion call (609) 259-2150.

May 15, Room 5; Poets at the Library, Princeton Public Li-brary, 7pm. Co-sponsored by the Princeton Public Library, US 1 Poets' Cooperative, and Dela-ware Valley Poets. (609) 924-9529 x228. princetonlibrary.org. (W,V)

June 19, Room 5, Poets at the Library, Princeton Public Li-brary, 7pm. Co-sponsored by the Princeton Public Library, US 1 Poets' Cooperative, and Dela-ware Valley Poets. (609) 924-9529 x228. princetonlibrary.org. (W,V)

Nature & WildlifeNow - October 29, At The Es-sence: Wildlife Reliefs, Tulpe-haking Nature Center, 157 Westcott Avenue, Hamilton. Features the work of artist Su-san Hoenig, whose “Wildlife Re-lief” paintings on burlap merge the essence of land and animal through vibrant color and dis-tinct geometric form. Meet the artist as we welcome this new ex-hibit to the nature center. FREE. For more information visit mer-cercountyparks.org/facilities/tulpehaking-nature-center.

April 2, Spring Lifestyles of the Local Native Americans,Nature Center at Washington Crossing State Park, Titusville, 1:30pm. Jim Wade, former archivist and researcher with the N.J. State Museum will discuss primitive stone tool use by Native Ameri-cans in central New Jersey. Em-phasis will be on the significance and importance of the Indian way of life during the spring sea-son, focusing on the activities of community fish gathering, hunt-ing and village life. The program will include a slide presentation and Native American artifacts will be on display. Free.

April 8, Pine Board Birdhouses, Nature Center at Washington Crossing State Park, Titusville, 1pm. With the breeding season underway, several species of common cavity-nesting back-yard birds will be looking for places to nest. Come out and

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Opportunities

Art• Folk Arts Apprenticeships

Deadline: April 5, 2017

Grants to individuals to en-courage cultural communi-ties to continue passing on their valued art forms in traditional settings by pro-viding stipends to master folk artists and craftsper-sons that can help appren-tices develop greater skills. Since 1995 these modest grants have supported more than 100 apprentice-ships in dozens of different cultural communities and scores of different art forms, reflecting the rich array of traditional arts in our state. Applications are available in the winter with a deadline for submission in the spring and awards announced in July. For guidelines and an application visit nj.gov/state/njsca/dos_njsca_grants-artists.html

• Regional Artists Wanted! Art on the Boardwalk Sponsored by The Golden Nugget, Lambertville & Artworks, Trenton Registration Required.

The Golden Nugget and Artworks have teamed up to offer an opportunity for "Art All Night" registered Artists to display and sell in this new area free of charge on Saturday mornings starting April 1st. All par-ticipants need to do is call the Golden Nugget directly. Call (609) 397-0811, space is limited.

build a simple nest box that will accommodate these feathery critters. Bring your own ham-mer. $7 per box. Advanced reg-istration and payment required. To register and pay for the event please contact the WCSP Visitor Center at (609) 737-0623.

April 9, Caves of the Grand Can-yon, Nature Center at Wash-ington Crossing State Park, Titusville, 1:30pm. Join Robyn Henderek, former cave paleon-tologist for the park, as she de-scribes some of her research cor-relating paleontological remains with a 4,000-year-old hunting rituals performed in the caves. Free.

TheatreKelsey Theatre April 1,7,8 at 8pm; April 2, 9 at 2pm. Big Fish (The Musical), Kelsey Theatre, Mercer County Community College, 1200 Old Trenton Rd, West Windsor, (609) 570-3333. $20 adults, $18 seniors, $16 student/children. For more information visit kelseytheatre.net. (W,V)

April 21, 22, 28, 29 at 8pm; April 23, 30 at 2pm. Blood Wedding, Kelsey Theatre, Mercer County Community College, 1200 Old Trenton Rd, West Windsor, (609) 570-3333. $18 adults, $16 seniors, $14 student/children. For more information visit kelseytheatre.net. (W,V)

May 6 at 8pm; May 7 at 2pm. The Mercer County Dance Ensemble, Kelsey Theatre, Mercer County Community College, 1200 Old Trenton Rd, West Windsor, (609) 570-3333. $18 adults, $16 seniors, $14 student/children. For more information visit kelseytheatre.net. (W,V)

May 12, 13, 19, 20 at 8pm; May 14, 21 at 2pm. The Boy From Oz, Kelsey Theatre, Mercer Commu-nity College, 1200 Old Trenton Rd, West Windsor, (609) 570-3333. $20 adults, $18 seniors, $16student/children. For more information visit kelseytheatre.net. (W,V)

May 26, June 2 at 8pm; May 27, June 3 at 2pm & 8pm; May 28, June 4 at 2pm. Disney's The Little Mermaid, Kelsey Theatre, Mer-cer Community College, 1200 Old Trenton Rd, West Windsor, (609) 570-3333. $20 for all. For more information visit kelseythe-atre.net. (W,V)

June 9, 10, 16, 17 at 8pm; June 11, 18 at 2pm. The Glass Menagerie, Kelsey Theatre, Mercer Commu-nity College, 1200 Old Trenton Rd, West Windsor, (609) 570-3333. $18 adults, $16 seniors, $14 stu-

dent/children. For more informa-tion visit kelseytheatre.net. (W,V)

June 23, 24, 30 at 8pm; June 25 at 2pm. Measure For Measure, Kelsey Theatre Mercer Commu-nity College, 1200 Old Trenton Rd, West Windsor, (609) 570-3333. $18 adults, $16 seniors, $14 student/children. For more information visit kelseytheatre.net. (W,V)

McCarter TheatreNow - April 2, Murder on the Ori-ent Express, McCarter Theater, Tues to Thurs - 7:30pm; Fri - 8pm; Sat - 3pm & 8pm; Sun - 2pm. For more information visit mccarter.org. (W,A,S,B,V)

Mercer County LibraryApril 29, 9th Annual One-Act PlayFest, Lawrence Branch, 7pm & 9pm. This annual free festival provides an entertaining evening for the audience and a venue for local playwrights and actors to showcase their talent. Local actors will perform the staged script-in-hand readings of the one-act plays selected for per-formance at the library. Seating is limited to and registration is required online beginning Mon-day, April 10, 9:30am.

Open Aire TheatreRagtime in Concert, June 2, 3 & 4, at 7:30 pm; June 9, 10 & 11, at 7:30 pm. Washington Crossing State Park located at 355 Wash-ington, Crossing-Pennington Rd, Titusville. For tickets or more in-formation visit dpacatoat.com.

Footloose the Musical, June 16, 17& 18, at 7:30 pm; June 23, 24 & 25, at 7:30 pm. Washington Crossing State Park located at 355 Washington, Crossing-Penning-ton Rd, Titusville. For tickets or more information visit dpaca-toat.com.

The Little Mermaid, June 10, 11, 17, and 18. Saturday at 11am / Sunday at 4pm. Washington Crossing State Park located at 355 Washington, Crossing-Penning-ton Rd, Titusville. For tickets or more information visit dpaca-toat.com.

Disney's Cinderella, June 23, 24, 17, 25. Friday and Satur-day at 11am / Sunday at 4pm. Washington Crossing State Park located at 355 Washington, Crossing-Pennington Rd, Ti-tusville. For tickets or more in-formation visit dpacatoat.com. Passage TheatreMay 4 - May 21, FIXED, Passage Theater, Mill Hill Playhouse, 205 East Front St, Trenton, (609)392-0766. Tickets $33. For more infor-mation visit passagetheatre.org.

Pegasus TheatreNow - April 9, Art by Yasmina Reza, Pegasus Theater, 952 Alex-ander Rd., Princeton Junction. This play explores the question of what is art as three friends find their relationship chal-lenged and ultimately strength-ened as a result of their differing opinions. For more information visit westwindsorarts.org.

WorkshopsApril 4, Upcycling at the Li-brary; T - Shirt Kitchen Apron, Mercer County Library, Twin Rivers Branch, 276 Abbington Dr, East Windsor. Use an old t-shirt and remodel it into a use-ful kitchen apron. Space is lim-ited; registration is required. For more information or to register contact twinprogs@mcl.org / call 609.443-1880.

April 8, In the Studio: Portrait Photography, Princeton Pho-to Workshop, 20 Library Place, Princeton. For more informa-tion visit princetondigitalpho-toworkshop.com.

April 22, Celebrate Earth Day - Make a Seed Bomb, Mercer County Library, Hopewell Branch, 12pm. 245 Penning-ton-Titusville Rd, Pennington. In honor of Earth Day, learn how to make seed bombs using local wildflowers to beautify your gar-den. Please register with Kristin at krainey@mcl.org or call the library at (609)737-2610. Space is limited; registration is required.

April 22, Tots on Tour!, Grounds For Sculpture, 11am. 80 Sculp-ture Way, Hamilton. Listen to a story and explore the grounds, make art in hands-on work-shops designed for 3-5 year olds. For more information grounds-forsculpture.org

April 25, Magazine Strip Paper Art, Mercer County Library, Twin Rivers Branch, 6pm. 276 Abbington Dr, East Windsor. Use strips of old magazine pag-es to make a decorative piece of paper art to hang on your wall. Space is limited; regis-tration is required. For more in-formation twinprogs@mcl.org / 609.443.1880.

May 6, Adobe Lightroom Basics: Small Group, Princeton Photo Workshop, 10am. 20 Library Place, Princeton. The class will teach you how to Import and Organize your Photos using the Library Module and how to Pro-cess your photos with the Devel-op Module, all in a small group setting with lots of opportunity for questions and discussion. For more information visit prince-

tondigitalphotoworkshop.com.

June 3, Adobe Photoshop for Photographers. Princeton Pho-to Workshop, 10am. 20 Library Place, Princeton. Discover how to make your good photos into great photos. For more informa-tion visit princetondigitalpho-toworkshop.com.

June 10, Getting to Know Your Digital Camera, Princeton Pho-to Workshop, 20 Library Place, Princeton. For more informa-tion visit princetondigitalpho-toworkshop.com.

June 10, Traditional Guatema-lan weaving workshop with Ar-mando Sosa, Nassau Presbyteri-an Church, 10am & 1pm. Open to 3rd through 12th grade stu-dents of Mercer County. Reserva-tions required (609) 924 0103.

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A Place In Time The Port Mercer Canal HouseThe Port Mercer Canal House is a historic house along the Delaware and Raritan Canal. It is located at 4278 Quakerbridge Road in the Port Mercer section of Lawrence Township, near the border of West Windsor Township and Princeton. The house was built in the 1830s as housing for a bridge tender and his family. The bridge tender was needed to open the swing bridge when canal boats came through, then close it to allow traffic to cross over the canal. From approximately 1900 to 1934, the bridge tender was John Arrowsmith. He and his wife lived in the three-bedroom house with their eight children.

The Delaware & Raritan Canal and the canal house are now part of the New Jersey State Park system. In the 1970s, the Lawrence Historical Society began restoring the Port Mercer Canal

House to the 1890-1920 time period.

Outside the house, the grounds have been landscaped with small gardens and include an outhouse that was built just before the American Civil War.

Today, the house serves as the headquarters for the Lawrence Historical Society and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Each year in June, the Historical Society holds an open house and garden party in which the public is invited for free house tours, live music, and food. Throughout the rest of the year, tours can be arranged by

appointment.

For more information about tours or the June open house, please contact the Lawerence Historical Society at 609.896.1052 / thelhs.org.

Tucked away on Baldpate Mountain, off Fiddlers Creek and Church roads, Titusville, resides the Honey Hollow trail. This 1-acre trail is historically significant as it is known as a long-forgotten com-munity. It's believed to have been settled by free African American fami-lies from the early 19th century into the mid-20th century.

Step back in time and view the remnants of this once established settlement, Saturday, April 22, 10 am to noon, as the Hopewell Valley

A History Hike and Lecture of Honey Hollow Trail, Baldpate Mountain — Saturday, April 22

Historical Society part-ners with the Sourland Conservancy and offers a free hike and lecture with local historian Da-vid Blackwell and ecolo-

gist Mike Van Clef. The two will lead a woodland hike through the trail of-fering insights into local history and ecology. Mr. Blackwell will discuss the historical background of the mountain and point out many remains of the settlement. Included in the walk/talk will be a visit to the heaped stone walls, well-constructed double walls, and a farm-stead site. Mr. Van Clef will discuss plant species and what they indicate, as well as new plants in-troduced by human ac-tivity and the forestry ac-

tivities of John Kuser on the mountain.

If interested in the 1.5 mile hike, register with julia@fohvos.org. Please meet at the Pleasant Val-ley Road parking lot in Ti-tusville by 9:45 am. Wa-ter and hiking shoes are recommended.

To learn more about this trail or others in Mercer County, please visit ei-ther mercercountyparks.org or sourland.org.

For more information on Hopewell history vis-it hopewellvalleyhistory.org

View of the Honey Hollow Trail

Side-view of the Port Mercer Canal House

Please refer to the icons for ADA accommodations.

To have your events listed in our newsletter and online calendar, please write or email the following information: type of event, sponsor, location with street address and municipality, fees, phone number for public inquiries, a phone number for the staff to contact for questions, a website and/or email address, funding credit and ADA compliance. Please mail to : Mercer County Division of Culture & Heritage, Box 8068, 640 South Broad Street, Trenton, New Jersey 08650, or email to: c&hnewsletter@mercercounty.org. If you feel your event merits a longer story, please write, email or call (609) 989-6899.

Brian M. Hughes, County ExecutiveThe Mercer County Board of Chosen FreeholdersPasquale Colavita, Jr., Freeholder ChairLucylle R. S. Walter, Vice ChairAnn M. Cannon • John A. Cimino • Samuel T. Frisby Andrew Koontz • Anthony S. VerrelliMercer County Cultural & Heritage CommissionMilagros Medina, Chair Nora Anaños • Laura Desai • Deborah FordRichard W. Hunter • Mel Leipzig • Ted Plunkett Idamis Pérez-Margicin, Division ChiefTricia Fagan • Cheryl Reed • Lisa Tramo

Elizabeth Maher Muoio, Executive DirectorOffice of Economic Development and Sustainability Cheryl Reed, Newsletter Editor

This newsletter is available in large print. To request a copy, please call (609) 989-6899.

The Mercer County Cultural & Heritage Commission640 South Broad StreetTrenton, New Jersey 08650

This newsletter is made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey Historical Commission and New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, and by funds from the Mercer County Executive and Board of Chosen Freeholders.

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