Talk of the Town
from wire & staff reports

Massage therapist honored for research

Kim LeMoon of Highland Park was awarded the second place Silver Award in the inaugural 2007 Practitioner Case Report Contest sponsored by the Massage Therapy Foundation. Her report is titled "Clinical Reasoning in Massage Therapy." As a Silver Award winner, Ms. LeMoon received a $2000 cash award, and an invitation to present her case report at the 2008 AMTA national convention in Phoenix this fall.

The abstract of LeMoon’s award winning report is viewable online at: http://www.massagetherapyfoundation.org/PractitionerContest.html

The Practitioner Case Report Contest encourages the writing of case reports to provide an opportunity for massage therapists to develop research skills and enhance their ability to provide knowledge-based massage to the public. The Massage Therapy Foundation is a 501(c).3 public charity, with a mission to advance the knowledge and practice of massage by supporting scientific research, education, and community service. For more information, visit www.massagetherapyfoundation.org.

Highland Park Spring Fling - April 5 & 6

Help save our environment by keeping garbage out of the dump. Recycle your unwanted stuff -- anything from clothing to building materials -- and make one personís garbage into another personís treasure.

It is similar to a garage sale, but everything is FREE. Whatever you want to give away, just tell us. We need to register what items will be out, and the location, so that folks are not just driving around producing more smog.

Register by email to hpspringfling@yahoo.com; call Brenda Teed at M.W.L. Preferred Properties 732.985-5484; or stop by 822 Raritan Avenue.

The organizers will put up a sign on each participant's property before 3:00 PM on Friday, and they will remove the signs by 7:00 PM on Sunday. We will also provide the H.P. garbage collection rules at the time of your registration. After the weekend, you can put any remaining articles at the curb for pickup, so long as they comply with the borough collection rules.

Annual food drive supports communities nationwide

Curves of Highland Park will be participating in the Curves Food Drive to benefit local food banks. Please drop off non-perishable food items at Curves, 75 Raritan Avenue, Monday through Friday during business hours throughout the month of March.

"The Curves Food Drive promotion is always exciting," said Karen Agosta, the owner of the Highland Park club. "We have a chance to help so many people at a time when the food banks are lowest."

Last year, the Curves Food Drive collected almost 11 million pounds of food for local communities all over the world. This year, weekly themes give people fun options and help them pick healthy foods to donate. The schedule includes: Week 1-Empty Your Pantry of Healthy Staples; Week 2: Foods From Around the World; Week 3: Souper Suppers; Week 4: Family Friendly items, including healthy snacks for kids and baby necessities.

For more information, contact Karen Agosta at 732-249-8400 or visit www.curves.com.

Y'all come!

Join the Stockdale Family Band for two benefit concerts in Highland Park! Enjoy Bluegrass, Gospel, and Appalachian music with a touch of comedy for good measure.

Saturday, March 15 at 8 PM at the Reformed Church, 19 South Second Ave., to benefit Project Zambia. $8 adults, kids under 10 free with an adult.

AND

Sunday, March 16 at 7 PM at the H.P. Library, 31 North Fifth Ave., to benefit the library. $12 adults, $6 kids 12 and under.

For more information, call the RCHP at 732.249-7349; the library at 732.572-2750; or visit www.stockdalefamilyband.com.

Intimate performance supports library, schools, community arts

Artists Now celebrated Black History month with an audience of about 100 Highland Parkers on Wednesday, February 13 to benefit the Highland Park Public Library. Jazz legend Dr. Eddie Henderson and renowned poet Dr. Evie Shockley executed an "Exploration of Creativity in Time and Place" around the Harlem Renaissance.

As a result of the community's response, Artists Now will be delivering a check in the amount of $7,500 to bolster the library's collection of African-American history, biography, and literature.

Outreach to the children of Highland Park is a crucial aspect of Artists Nowís mission, and the library space was decorated that evening with colorful posters created at Bartle School by fifth graders inspired by the music of Duke Ellington. Kara Donaldson of Artists Now had worked with Bartle School music teacher Beth Martinetti to prepare fourth and fifth graders for Dr. Henderson and Dr. Shockleyís joint performance earlier the same day at the elementary school. "Beth had exposed the children to many aspects of Jazz including voice, color, and improvisation techniques," Donaldson said. "This enrichment of the curriculum prepared students for a more meaningful experience of the live performance."

Artists Now is a unique arts organization devoted to Highland Park that fosters connections between the community and the visual and performing arts. Upcoming events include a Jazz History Month Meet-the-Artist event and outreach program in April; and the Third Annual Celtic Music Week and Highland (Park) Games in early June.

A gift of hope for all women

Ten Thousand Villages is partnering with the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence in honor of International Woman's Day. Shop Ten Thousand Villages Highland Park on Saturday, March 8 between 11 AM and 3 PM. Ten percent of your purchase will help protect and aid victims of domestic violence and their families.

Celebrating Sunshine Week in Trenton

The New Jersey Foundation for Open Government (NJ FOG) is hosting a celebration of Sunshine Week in Trenton on Tuesday, March 18th at 1 PM. The event will include a panel discussion on local government transparency practices and policies in New Jersey and the presentation of the "NJ FOG Lift" Award to an individual whose actions have increased government openness in the State.

This event will be held at the State House Annex, Rooms 101/103 in Trenton. Refreshments will be served. For directions to the State House visit www.njleg.state.nj.us/legislativepub/directions.asp.

If you have questions around the event, please contact Elizabeth Mason, president of NJ FOG, at 646.339-2991 or via email (nlll@optonline.net); or contact Prof. Suzanne Piotrowski of the School of Public Affairs and Administration, Rutgers-Newark, via email (spiotrow@newark.rutgers.edu) or at 201.240-9243.

To find out more about the NJ Foundation for Open Government, visit www.njfog.org.

Schools budget seeking parley

The Highland Park Board of Education has recently formed a budget outreach task force, charged to engage the community in a broad conversation about the annual budget and the factors affecting it. This task force, which meets regularly, welcomes new members and is seeking opportunities to speak with church and synagogue boards, civic organizations, and other local groups. For more information, please contact task force chair Greg Deatz at greg@deatz.com.

Irving School hosts family songs

You're invited to this FREE event on Wednesday, February 20 at 6:30pm in the Irving Media Center. Join Pat Flynn, our artist-in-residence, along with musicians Claudio and Zach, as they lead families through an evening of musical exploration. Learn and share work songs, family songs and traditional songs. Explore what inspires us to sing and create new songs with the Irving School community. Donít worry, all singers at all levels are wanted and welcome. Just remember, this is a family event so please be sure your child is accompanied by an adult family member! Light refreshments will be served.

What's in your habitat?

All living things - plants, wildlife and people - need a place to live. And good quality habitat sustains healthy communities. Whether youíre a homeowner, public official, nature lover, or someone who just wants their habitat to be all it can be, this workshop is for you. Videos, discussion, and more!

On Wednesday, February 27, 7:30PM in the Highland Park Senior/Youth Center, meet members of the Community Wildlife Habitat Project and find out about current and future habitat projects in Highland Park. Youíll learn how you easy it is to have your own backyard certified by the National Wildlife Federation. Perhaps even discover if youíre getting all you need to satisfy your biophilia (and what it is).

Come - Discover - Get Involved.

50 years of American Hungarian Foundation

The recently published elegant coffee table edition of the 50 year history of the American Hungarian Foundation, located at 300 Somerset Street in New Brunswick, has been honored with both the Scheufelen Award for Excellence and a silver award for design from the 37th annual Creativity Awards.

In color and photos, The Hungarian Legacy in America follows the Foundation's early years at Elmhurst College in Illinois; Hungarian Studies at Rutgers-The State University of New Jersey and the Foundationís growth following its move to New Brunswick; and a celebration of American Hungarian contributions and awards, libraries, archives, future plans of the Foundation and much more. Price of the book is $69.95 plus $5.00 for shipping.

For more information about The Hungarian Legacy in America, phone 732.846-5777 or e-mail: info@ahfoundation.org.

2008 Memorial Day preparations

The Veterans Alliance of Raritan Valley, The City of New Brunswick, and The Borough of Highland Park request the honor of friends, neighbors, groups and organizations to participate in the 2008 Memorial Day Parade.

We hope your group or organization will march in the Parade that begins in New Brunswick at 10:30 a.m. on May 26, 2008, stopping on the Albany Bridge for a short ceremony and wreath toss into the Raritan River. Highland Park marchers meet at the "Y" and join the parade at approximately 11:00 a.m. which goes along Raritan Avenue to the Doughboy Monument, the site of the concluding ceremony.

Come out and honor our veterans by marching in the parade, lining the streets, and join us for the ceremony following the parade. We look forward to seeing you there.

Refreshments will be served after the parade in the Bank of America parking lot. Watch for details! For info call Jackie Wieczorkiewicz at the Department of Community Services, 732-819-0411.

Highland Park Spring Fling

Help save our environment by keeping garbage out of the dump. The first annual Highland Park Spring Fling, April 5th and 6th, is a weekend to recycle unwanted stuff -- anything from clothing to building materials -- and to make one personís garbage into another personís treasure. Itís similar to a garage sale, but everything is FREE.

Whatever you want to give away, just tell us. We need to register what items will be out, and the location, so that folks are not just driving around producing more smog. There are three ways to register: by email to hpspringfling@yahoo.com; call Brenda Teed at M.W.L. Preferred Properties 732.985-5484; or stop by 822 Raritan Avenue.

The organizers will put up a sign on each participant's property before 3:00 PM on Friday, and they will remove the signs by 7:00 PM on Sunday. The signs will be stored and re-used each year.

We will also provide the H.P. garbage collection rules at the time of your registration. After the weekend, you can put any remaining articles at the curb for pickup, so long as they comply with these collection rules.

Hands & shinguards across the water

NYU undergrad Sara Broderick reports back from her semester in Ghana, where she worked in a middle school and helped organized a girls' soccer team. In October she put out the call to the soccer-loving H.P. community to contribute any teen-sized cleats and equipment.

"All 37 girls now have a pair of cleats that fits them. The girls love to play and are very excited. The staff at the school is also excited [and they] have promised to continue the team when we are gone. Thank you for making this all possible."

A short explore but deep

Celebrate African American History Month at a special program with Bartle School teachers, parents and children at the Highland Park Public Library, 31 North Fifth Avenue, on Tuesday, February 26 at 6 PM. All are welcome as we share African music, dance, and art as well as information about the oral tradition of storytelling in Africa.

"Exploring Our Roots" will trace African American lives through storytelling, music, dance, art, and family trees. Each participant will receive a family tree handout and information on how to fill it out with their own histories. A teacher will discuss her own search for her family roots and information to help others, including where to obtain DNA testing.

ìI want to discuss the importance of knowing the history of great African Americans,î says Karen Cox, a Bartle School teacher and organizer of the event. "Knowing your past can inspire you to succeed in the future."

For more information about the program call the library at 732.572-2750 or visit www.hpplnj.org.

Bartle students gear up, gear down for Odyssey of the Mind

The Bartle School Pillowfighters, a group of seven 2nd and 3rd grade girls, are excited to be competing in this year's Odyssey of the Mind. The Pillowfighters is one of five teams from Bartle School to compete.

Team members are Zenobia Murphy, Mara Myers, Lucia Camacho, Audrey Somalwar, Jayati Penumarti, Sarah Taylor, and Lily Smith Mullen.

The Odyssey program encourages children to work together and creatively solve long- and short- term challenges. The teams choose among long-term problems such as building structures, controlling vehicles, or creating an original skit. The Pillowfighters chose one of three theatrical problems: "The Eccentrics!," sponsored by NASA, features original, eccentric characters who solve a problem in one of the earthís systems.

The Pillowfighters have been working hard since November on "The Eccentrics!" and also practicing their skills in "Spontaneous" problems, in which they seek inventive solutions to short-term challenges. At each Odyssey of the Mind competition, they will be scored on both their effectiveness and creativity.

The first tournament is at Piscataway High School on March 8th. Teams that do well advance to the state level competition, and then possibly to the World Odyssey competition in Maryland. Go Pillowfighters!

Save gas, earn more gas

Keep Middlesex Moving, Inc (KMM) continues to offer Carpooling Makes $ense, an incentive program that awards $100 gas cards to commuters who form and maintain carpools. Over 100 carpools have qualified for the program since it was introduced in May 2006, saving money, reducing traffic and helping the environment while earning a gas card reward.

Funding is provided by the Federal Highway Administration and the New Jersey Department of Transportation through KMM, the non-profit transportation management association of Middlesex County.

Commuters interested in participating in Carpooling Makes $ense must register with KMM and record their commute mode weekly. In order to receive the $100 gas card, carpoolers are required to carpool at least 24 times over two months. Both the registration and the weekly recording can be done online at www.kmm.org. Gas cards will be awarded to qualified carpools at the end of the two month period. For more information, contact Cristina C. Fowler at 732-745-4318.

Uninsured eligible for free cancer screening

You may qualify for a free mammogram (breast cancer screening). Women over 40 years of age, who live in Highland Park, and have no health insurance may qualify for a free mammogram. Call 732.777-6013, leave your name and phone number and you will receive a call back to see if you qualify. This event is sponsored by the Highland Park Board of Health.

Pottery classes this winter

IM art center has been hosting pottery classes for a few months; classes are for both beginners and advanced levels. There are no sign up fees, the first class is always free with no pressure to join.

Every Tuesday they have Daniel Lipper, a studio potter who makes good sturdy pots. Shirley Bhatnagar is an accomplished ceramic artist who teaches handbuilding, stamp and mold making. The art center is also inviting Gloria Singer, a talented artist who makes interesting works using both Handbuilding and throwing techniques.

Poetry open mic at PJ's Coffeehouse

The NJ Slam Youth Poets will host the Last Word Open Mike from 7 to 10 PM on the last Saturday of the month at PJ's Coffeehouse, 315 Raritan Avenue. The next one will be on Saturday, February 23. Sign ups begin at 6:30 PM. For more information, call PJ's at 732.828-2323 or visit www.njslam.org.

Raritan River Art Walk

Send us sketches for the 2008 season! For more information on the art walk project, visit Albus Cavus at http://albuscav.us/raritanwall/. Submission info for artists is also at this site, see http://albuscav.us/raritanwall/artists.html.

Umm, children flying through the air?!

"Jersey Photos: Life in the Garden State" is on display at the Highland Park Public Library, 31 North Fifth Avenue, through February.

Highland Park resident Grant Saff, an associate professor in the department of Economics and Geography at Hofstra University has taken many photos of the borough and other Jersey locales.

He has caught the eager faces of little league players behind the mesh of chain link, a Memorial Day parade with a main street lined with lawn chairs, and gleeful children flying through the air in Donaldson Park. His photos have a timeless quality that celebrates the small town feel of Highland Park and childhood days.

For more information about exhibits at the library call 732-572-2750 or go to the website at www.hpplnj.org.

Ahh... Children flying through the water!

As has become a time-honored tradition at Highland Park High School, the senior class will embark on a midnight-to-dawn boat trip that leaves from Manhattan and cruises up the Hudson River and/or around New York Harbor. The night is filled with dancing, food and entertainment. It is the culmination of their time together as classmates and a real celebration of everything they have accomplished.

HPHS parents are working to raise the funds for this drug and alcohol free celebration. The winter fun-raising event is a "Leap Year Dance," Saturday, February 23 from 7:30-11:30 at the Victorian Manor in Edison. Dinner, dancing, raffles and fun are all included in the $50 per person ticket price. There will be a cash bar.

To help, advertise in the event journal, or buy tickets to the dance, please e-mail the committee at HPHSPROJECTGRADUATION2008@GMAIL.COM; or call Debbie Walsh -- 732.846-9124 or Sheryl Magaziner -- 732.545-3686.

For more than twenty years, in towns across the country, the tradition known as ìProject Graduationî has been a safe way for high school seniors to celebrate their graduation. Families in Highland Park and nationwide have planned and executed a variety of events to combat drug and alcohol related accidents.

"Project Graduation is the combined fundraising effort of senior families to ensure that the seniors, on the night of graduation from high school, celebrate the occasion with a fun activity that is safe as well as drug and alcohol free," says Sheryl Magaziner, co-chair of this year's festivities.

To the Editor:

Many people are unaware of the Middlesex County RX program, which provides prescription drug discounts to county residents of all ages, resulting in savings of between ten and fifty percent on prescription medications in participating pharmacies.

Though it was originally created for senior citizens and residents with disabilities, the program has been expanded to include county residents of all ages and their dependents living in the same household. There are no income requirements to qualify and no exclusions for pre-existing conditions.

Middlesex County began this program, the first of its kind in New Jersey, five years ago. Today, it serves as a model for over 100 communities across the state.

The program has no deductibles and does not place limits on quantity of medication a person can receive or number of prescription refills. It covers both brand and generic medications that require prescriptions.

Any county resident who wishes to receive a discount card should call 1-800-633-0037 or visit http://www.gspops.com and request an application. Within ten to fifteen days, applicants will receive their discount cards in the mail.

The Prescription Savings Cards are accepted by an extensive network of participating chain and independent pharmacies in New Jersey and across the country as well as by mail order services. As a cardholder, you can obtain discounts by presenting your card at participating pharmacies along with prescriptions needing to be filled. The pharmacies then notify you of the special discounted price, and this is all you are required to pay.

These cards cannot be used in combination with any other programs such as private prescription drug coverage, Pharmaceutical Assistance for the Aged and Disabled (PAAD), Medicare Part D or Medicaid, for the same prescription purchases.

The Highland Park Board of Health encourages all residents in both the borough and Middlesex County to ease the burden of prescription drug costs by taking advantage of this unique program.

Lew Fishberg

The author writes as chair of the Highland Park Board of Health.

Well, sure he's six feet tall
The Cave after-school drop-in center remains closed while steel foundations are being set inside and outside the basement walls of the Reformed Church, for their assistive housing expansion. Students in grades 6 through 9 will have an option on Fridays in the meantime, however -- beginning September 28th, the Cave will offer a Friday after-school special at the church's first floor social hall off South Second Avenue. This free weekly event plans nerf soccer on the wood floor, ping pong on the stage, art activities and a snack at the kitchen serving window.

The social hall is in use by the NJ Dance Studio other days, said pastor Seth Kaper-Dale, or they could have offered more afternoons. Rev. Seth has, however, offered to play in the nerf soccer game.

FOOD PANTRY CLOSED SEPT 13th
Due to Rosh Hashanah, the Community Food Pantry will be open on Tuesday, September 11 instead of the usual second Thursday of the month. The Pantry will be open on September 11 for the usual morning hours from 9-11 AM and again from 6-7 PM. The second coming of the Food Pantry for September will be on the usual fourth Thursday, September 26, at the regular times of 9-11 AM and 6-7 PM.

THE CAVE OPENING SLIGHTLY DELAYED
Construction at the Reformed Church kept The Cave middle school drop-in center from opening when public school convened last week. The Cave has been available free of charge to 6th through 9th graders under an operating agreement with the school district since 2003, providing comradeship, a healthy snack, games and homework help. Homeschoolers and non-public students are also welcome. Director Jean Stockdale reports that the schedule looks very promising - she expects to open later in September while construction continues two floors above. One silver lining to the delay: the church's remodel includes an elevator making The Cave fully accessible by next spring.

REC SOCCER ANNOUNCES FALL PROGRAM
The Highland Park Recreational Youth Soccer season for kindergarten through 6th grade is gearing up for a fun and exciting Fall program. The rec season is built around helping children to develop and build their soccer skills in an environment of fun and fitness.

The fall season plays on Sundays at Donaldson Park. Games begin Sunday, September 23rd and continue until mid-November. Practices are mid-week. Legendary local instructor Spencer Rockman and his Rovers International Soccer crew will run October clinics on (Saturday) September 22, and (Thursdays) October 11th, October 18th, October 25th, and November 1st. Head and Assistant coaches are always welcome! Training and support will be provided throughout the season. We are also looking for experienced soccer players, 16 and older, to referee our Sunday games and to help mentor the children. For information, please call Andrea Baay at 732-819-0411, or visit the Senior/Youth Center at 220 South Sixth Ave.

ERRATUM LONGA EST
In the August 3 issue, we mistakenly identified Edwards Engineering as the designers of faulty trusswork in the Middle School gym. Edwards, a civil engineering contractor, were only responsible for site work elsewhere in the district. We regret the error.

With Malice toward none, with charity for all, The Mirror smiles quietly to itself while correcting our errors of fact.

OH, NOW I FEEL BETTER
At the August 20th Board of Ed. meeting, Superintendent David Ottaviano reported on the water problem in the Irving School playground. The first mystery: the source of the water was located in the pipes carrying roof run-off. Second, the greasy substance floating on the water has now been identified as a pesticide that leached into the playground soil from the railroad ties that previously framed the area. An engineering and remediation contractor is at work to clean up both the piping and the soil -- Dr. Ottaviano says that if the work is not completed by the start of the school year, only the affected part of the playground would be roped off.

ANOTHER LEAP FORWARD FOR THE LITTLE BOROUGH THAT COULD!
Awareness connects us all to the earth, the Universe, and our municipal tax bill. Awareness of plastics 1 through 7, since DPW has made themselves aware of a vendor who can work with the resins contained therein. According to Frank Troy, Recycling Coordinator at that agency, we now have the ability to upgrade what we are recycling. Any plastic stamped 1 through 7 will be accepted with the 'commingled' glass and metal containers.

"As long as it is straight plastic and has not been assembled with metal hardware, weíll accept it for recycling." Troy said. "That will reduce the amount of waste going into the landfill that we are paying to use as a municipality." Also, Troy clarifies that more recycling doesn't only reduce expenses -- we also get positive revenue for these materials and of course, one step further down the path to a smaller carbon footprint. Back to awareness.

BUMP-BUMP-THAT'S ALL I WANT TO SEE
Northsiders around Second Avenue are happy to take delivery on the long awaited speed humps and curb cuts. The beefed-up zebra crosswalks also show those short-cutting Edisonians we mean business. In true H.P. form, even the paint is solar powered!

SLOW DOWN YA MORON, YOU'RE MOVIN' TOO FAST
Surely a good traffic-science explanation why no humps on North Second until you're three blocks into the neighborhood and gotten up to speed?. . . . With all kudos to the roads contractor, we were starting to get used to those rough filled potholes and floating manhole covers. They did seem to work as a kind of "Old Urbanist" traffic calming system. . . . . Serious excavations continue on lower Lincoln and the first block of upper Lincoln Avenue.

MATCHSTICK MEN
The East Brunswick P.D. recently alerted area merchants to a pair of grifters targeting small Asian operated businesses. Two men claiming to be from Verizon had succeeded in talking their way into the back areas of several shops and dry cleaners, where they inspected the telephone wiring for a few minutes. On their way back to their Pennsylvania-registered van, they helped themselves to the employees' unguarded wallets. Late last week the H.P.P.D. was answering a reported sighting in the 400 block of Raritan.

The Planning Board deferred their next discussion of the Rite-Aid project to September 17 . . . Trickle Down Economics, part 6: A letter from the YMHA attorney requests that town officials give favorable consideration to an upzoning application should the property's new owners submit one. The more apartments and bigger developer's margins, goes this logic, the more cash will end up with the "Y" to fund recreation and community programs. . . . . Mona Phillips of the HP Redevelopment Agency proposes a joint committee to help the Planning Board and RDA to share their progress and interpretations of pending development applications, to help avoid conflicts and expedite both agencies' decision making.