Kinnelon Library 50th Anniversary Kickoff Event on June 8, 2013

Happy 50th anniversary to the Kinnelon Public Library!

The library's 50th anniversary year-long celebration kickoff event takes place on Saturday evening, June 8, from 5:00 to 7:00 pm at the Kinnelon Library.

I hope you'll come with your entire family!

This specific event represents a partnership with the Kinnelon Public School District to present a “Student Starlit Showcase” when students in grades 3 through 8 and their parents are invited to browse through and experience the writings of Kinnelon's students. It is masterminded by fellow Kinnelon Public Library Trustee (and amazing Pearl R. Miller English teacher) Aileen Florio!

Other highlights on the Kinnelon Library 50th anniversary kickoff event include:

• Brief student presentations about their experiences writing 
• High school students will lead presentations about new and popular apps and other engaging information technology
• DJ music provided by Al Louis Music - including the talented Mr. T (aka Alan Tedesco) from Stonybrook School!
• Light refreshments and coffee bar, and 
• Raffle prizes. 

From a practical perspective, if you don't yet have a library card, this is your opportunity to sign up for one!  If you haven't yet shared your email address with the Kinnelon Public Library - so you can receive a copy of the Library's newsletter - you'll be able to do so.

From a community perspective, this is a wonderful opportunity to experience the kind of community magic we experienced when everyone in Kinnelon was hanging out at the Kinnelon Library after Hurricane Sandy.

You'll also have a chance to meet all of the Kinnelon Library Trustees: Anne Vosatka, Linda Farmer, Mike Odian, Bernadette Morrisroe, Aileen Florio and myself.

Mark your calendars. Prep your kids. Get ready to start the celebration of 50 years of the Kinnelon Public Library on June 8th by spotlighting "the citizens and leaders of the next 50" as Kinnelon Superintendent of Schools Diane DiGiuseppe explains in Kinnelon Public Library Celebrates 50th Anniversary with Stonybrook, PRM Student Writing Showcase.

I hope you'll come.

Kinnelon Security Shredding on May 4, 2013

With tax season over, you can turn to clearing out the unwanted paperwork and getting it securely and confidentially banished... 

How? With Kinnelon's Security Shredding Event taking place on May 4th, 2013.

Here are the details so you can start collecting and preparing now for those documents you want disposed of securely!

SECURITY SHREDDING - Confidential and Secure 

WHEN: Saturday, May 4 from 9 AM until Noon… 

WHO: Security Shredding of Morris Plains, NJ 

WHERE: Behind the Borough Hall where Volunteers will be ready to help you 

WHY:  For a multitude of reasons!

• A unique opportunity for confidential and secure treatment of your personal information 
• Optimum security… Dispose of important but obsolete personal documents. Don’t just toss personal information in the trash…especially after tax season. 
• Using the latest state-of-the art equipment…Done in the most secure way while you watch. 
• Fully bonded and insured. 
• Makes disposing of documents easy, safe and economical. 
• Drive in, unload your papers, drive out with peace of mind 
• It's economical and safe! 

Just a $5.00 donation per box…

Please note that boxes should be no larger than 14”W x18”L and 10” D.

Here's what particularly wonderful about this event. 

Not only is it a great opportunity to get rid of personal and tax documents, but in the process you support the Friends of the Kinnelon Library!

We look forward to seeing you and helping you with your security shredding!

Kinnelon Fine Arts Silent Auction 2012: Start Bidding Now!

Last week, while I enjoyed the Kinnelon Library - aka the only warm and connected refuge around - Ron Leavesley invited me to come preview the 2012 Artistic Delights featuring our very own artists. The artwork had just been hung despite all of power mess.

[Have you seen this wonderful article about Ron? It's titled Know Your Neighbor: Busy Volunteer Spends Time at Kinnelon Library.]

You need to check Artistic Delights 2012 out!

You'll find over 60 beautiful oils and watercolors all of which you can bid on in a silent auction now through Thursday, November 29, 2012.

Here are details!

A Fine Arts Silent Auction Featuring Area Artists

ARTISTIC DELIGHTS 2012

This Fine Arts Silent Auction is sponsored by the Friends of the Kinnelon Library and managed by the CLL, source of the artistic talent!

This fine arts, silent auction featuring area artists is sponsored by the Friends of the Kinnelon Library…. It is an exceptional opportunity to acquire quality fine art done by area artists while supporting the Friends at the same time. Your bid determines the selling price… It is that easy.

The auction will feature a variety of oil paintings and watercolors.

Artwork will be exhibited at the Library from November 5 through November 29 for you to review and bid.

Wine and Cheese Reception and Silent Auction results: Thursday, November 29. The reception starts at 7 PM, but you can still bid until 8 PM. You do not have to be present to be a winner.

If you've never participated in a silent auction, here's what's involved.

• Obtain a bidding instruction sheet and bid number. 
• Use that number to enter you bid on any of the Silent Auction artwork. 
• Bid numbers and information will be available at the Library’s circulation desk starting Monday, November 5 and up to and including the night of the auction.

I hope you'll check out the artwork, bid on as many of the art pieces as you can, then attend the reception on November 29th!

By the way, how are you enjoying the return to power and almost-normalcy? Ted and I went for a walk this afternoon and the contrast with last week was eerie. Twisted trees, snapped telephone poles, remnants of wires and phone pole debris along the roadways, some snow, warm weather, trunk-or-treating at the high school, ...

Be well.

Surviving Sandy in Kinnelon

What a week it has been since Sandy made landfall in New Jersey!  I hope everyone in Kinnelon has made it through and is back on the power grid.

Hats off to the Kinnelon Office of Emergency Management which has maintained a flow of information via Facebook.

Hats off, too, to the Kinnelon Nixle system for getting information out via text and email.

I'm really grateful to the New York Sports Club in Butler for a marvelous shower on Thursday evening.

I'm incredibly appreciative for the warmth and community that the Kinnelon Library offered on Friday and Saturday - not to mention free WiFi, power and running water.

NorthJersey.com published photos of the devastation in West Milford. Zillions of trees and power lines down.

[I shared some of my digital survival tips in another blog article titled 10 Digital Marketing 'Still Climbing Out' Tips: Bathroom Blogfest 2012.]

Have a great Sunday. Stay warm and safe.

Best,

C.B.

P.S.: To put Sandy into perspective, SlideShare has published the following  Crowdsourcing and curation by SlideShare community helps distribute news and photos of superstorm Sandy.

Meet Garrett P. Orr, Sr., Painter Extraordinaire!

Lane's Landing, Cape Ann by Garrett P. Orr, Sr.

Do you remember reading about Garrett Orr in St. Hubert's Chapel, Garrett Orr, Smoke Rise Memories, the story that Joan Semmler Oravits shared about art work related to the Chapel?

Thanks to that article, I received the following email from Pete Congleton, grandson of Garrett P. Orr, painter and artist extraordinaire!

Here is his message:

Dear Christine,

My wife, Carie, who happens to work in the Class Deans Office at your Alma Mater, is always on the lookout for Garrett Orr paintings that may be floating around out there.  She found your blog and I wanted you to know a little more about him.

"Gary" or "Grandpa Orr" was the father of my late mother, Sandy.  Born in "aught-seven" as he liked to say, he grew up in the little town of Caro, Michigan.  He had a knack for drawing as a boy, and after attending the University of Michigan, he attended the Art Institute of Chicago.

He married his hometown sweetheart, Elinor Smith, and they moved to New York where Gary made a living as a commercial artist, chiefly in the growing field of outdoor advertising.  I remember him explaining how he would design and paint the picture for the ad, and then block it off in sections to enable the outdoor painters to blow it up to billboard size.  During the war he did a number of paintings encouraging people to buy war bonds.

Can't recall the specific years, but Gary and Elinor bought a home in Mountain Lakes, NJ in the early 1930s, where they raised my mother and her little brother -- my namesake, "Uncle Pete."  Both Sandy and Pete graduated from Mountain Lakes H.S.

After Elinor died of cancer in the late 1950s, Gary may have moved back to New York City, because that's where he met and fell in love with Jan Brewster, who I knew as "Mor Mor," thanks to my sister Wendy's mispronunciation of "Grandma Orr." Gary and Jan married and lived for a while in an apartment in Tudor City, which Mor Mor fondly referred to as "the Tender Trap," after the Frank Sinatra tune by the same name.

Portrait of Carie by Garrett P. Orr, Sr.Remarkably, 
Grandpa painted this not long after
he'd had a stroke that initially prevented him
from being able to paint at all!

Sometime in the early 1960s, Gary and Jan moved to Montville, NJ, where they bought a house that had once belonged to a canal boat captain.  Remnants of the old canal could still be seen nearby on the other side of Valhalla Road.  Grandpa set up a beautiful artist's studio upstairs, and Mor Mor operated a small craft business from the in-law apartment downstairs ("The Witch Stitchery," and "The Naughty Needle" are two of the plaques I recall seeing).  MorMor's specialty was needlepoint and she had a book published by the title "Needlepoint Now."  There's even a stitch she invented that was named after her.

At the peak of his profession, Gary was the president of the Art Directors Institute of New York, and in retirement from commercial art, he continued to earn a living by doing portraits for people.

I'm going to send you a couple of photos of paintings we have, but in response to your commentary on his painting of the St. Hubert's Chapel, I'd like to hazard a guess.

Grandpa Orr had a good sense of humor, an eye for composition, and a love of water-- I can see him wanting to break up the monotony of the snow-covered ice in the foreground of your painting.  The painting we have over our living room mantle is a good example of his puckish humor.  The scene is a boat pulled up on a marshy shore with huge granite slabs forming a landing of sorts in the foreground (they are actually the remnants of an active quarrying enterprise that once flourished on Cape Ann on the North Shore of Massachusetts).  The focal point of the picture is a bright spot under the trees to the right of a little house. Mor Mor once told me that when Grandpa finished the painting, he asked her what she thought. She said she liked the focal point but it seemed empty somehow.  Grandpa then proceeded to paint in a tiny silhouette of himself with Mor Mor.  I know that it's him because of the way his head is cocked to the side!

Thanks for remembering my grandfather on your blog and for adding a little dash of serendipity to my day!

Cheers,
Pete Congleton

Thanks so much, Pete, for letting us get to know your grandfather, Garrett Orr!

By the way - this video titled Pete and the new Dodge, Garrett Orr Sr- outdoor artist & Jr, Jake and Sandra Congleton- 1957 [which I had come across earlier] now makes a lot more sense! Pictured here must be Pete and Sandra, your uncle and mother; Jake must be your dad. Do you know where this was filmed?

K-Fest 2012: October 7, Lake Rickabear

If you attended K-Fest last year, you'll remember what a fun celebration it was and you'll desperately want to do it all over again!

Good News! You can on October 7, 2012 when K-Fest Returns!

Here are details...

K-Fest takes place at Lake Rickabear, located at 414 Kinnelon Road, from 1:00 to 6:00 pm.

Shuttles will be available from the Kinnelon High School parking lot since parking at Rickabear is limited.

K-Fest will include...

*Live Music * Artist’s Colony * “Main Street” * Food Court *
Kidz Zone * Rides * Beach Games * Magician * Hay Rides * Bingo*

You can donate to:

*Kinnelon Food Pantry * Kinnelon Volunteer Animal Shelter * Friends of Chas

I'm sure that volunteer opportunities are still available.

Find more information by visiting www.KinnelonDay.org

This is a marvelous free community event sponsored by KAMELOT and the Borough of Kinnelon [last year, Kinnelon Borough Council members grilled some of the best hot dogs and hamburgers ever!]

Happy K-Fest everyone! Join in on the fun!

Smoke Rise History in Photos: 9/22/12 at the Inn

For those of you who love Kinnelon history, you might want to attend the upcoming History of Smoke Rise presentation taking place at the Smoke Rise Inn on Saturday, September 22, 2012 at 5pm.

The Saint Hubert's Chapel Conservation Committee has organized the photographic presentation of the history of Smoke Rise, which hasn't taken place in a while. 5 years to be exact!

The event benefits St. Hubert's Chapel.

Here's how to participate:

Contact JoAnn Brett at 973-838-8228 or email her at jobrett@optonline.net.

Tickets are $25.00 per person [children under 18 are free].

Make checks payable to "Kinnelon Heritage Conservation Society Inc."

By the way, I just heard from William Child who will attend and be available to sign maps - should you decide to purchase one!

If you are planning on coming, consider having dinner and/or drinks at the Smoke Rise Inn.  Here is a link to the dinner menu. The food is outstanding!

Gasland at the Kinnelon Library 9/27/12

Mark your calendar for 9/27/12 at 7 pm when the Kinnelon Library will present a special documentary screening of “Gasland” (2010, 107 minutes).

This movie presentation is co-sponsored by Kinnelon Conserves, the Franciscan Response to Fracking and Food & Water Watch.

Here are details:

Thursday, September 27, from 7 to 9:30 p.m, view the movie then participate in Q&A.

Josh Fox’s study of hydraulic fracturing (often called “fracking”) to obtain natural gas from shale leads him from his Pennsylvania home across the country, to Colorado, Texas, and other states, and to the Nation’s capital. He documents a dizzying number of cases of serious harm caused by this practice.

There is more to the discussion of America’s energy future than the one-sided ads from the natural gas industry. Come and learn more.

Anne Mandanayake from the Kinnelon Library shares the following additional information about Gasland the movie:

Faced with a lucrative offer to have drilling for natural gas take place on his parents’ Pennsylvania land, Josh Fox, in his award-winning documentary, travels to 34 states and talks to dozens of property owners and environmental experts on the under reported menace of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) and the truth about the dangers of fracked gas.

Seating is limited, so please be sure to call the Library to sign up: 973-838-1321.

Here is the Gasland movie trailer: [view Gasland trailer on YouTube]

September 8, 2012: Kinnelon's 36th Annual Arts & Crafts Festival!

Happy Kinnelon Labor Day! I hope you are all enjoying this last blast of summer... I hope you also have penciled into your calendar a big event happening next weekend in Kinnelon:

Kinnelon's 36th Annual Arts and Crafts Festival

This is a yearly event which takes place at the Kinnelon High School parking lot.

The 36th Arts and Crafts Festival is happening on September 8th from 10-4 rain or shine!

You'll find Artisans and Crafters from near and far exhibiting their paintings, hand-thrown pottery, gemstones, jewelry and sculptures.

You will see gift items, crafts for the holidays and art work to decorate your home.

Handmade soaps and candles, dried and silk flower arrangements are all beautifully displayed for your browsing and buying pleasure.

The Friends of the Kinnelon Library urge you to bring your family, friends, and your appetites too!

The Friends of the Library will run the food concession and offer a variety of munchies hot off the grill.

Enjoy the rest of your Labor Day and see you on Saturday!

Meet William P. Child: Smoke Rise Map Creator

William P.Child, a long time former Smoke Rise resident, is the creator of the Smoke Rise Map described in Support St. Hubert's Chapel in Smoke Rise!

He reached out to us after that article was published and shared wonderful details about the map, growing up in Smoke Rise and his love of art and music.

I'm pleased to share those details with you here.

---------
William P. Child writes,

Growing Up in Smoke Rise

I was born and lived a few years on Long Island, N.Y., but for most of my young life I grew up in Smoke Rise, living at the same residence, 445 Pepperidge Tree Lane, for over 20 years - with my family, parents Ernest (Jim) Child Jr. and Elizabeth (Betty) Child, brother Jim and sister Susan - from 1955 to 1975/76? when we moved to Lake Mohawk, in Sparta to have a lake access residence for our family deep keel sailboat and small water ski runabout.

I am proud to say I am from Smoke Rise, and have many fond memories of life there.  My dad could never beat Mr. Ray Edwards in sailing back in the day, though he tried every Sunday, so his name might not be on the sailfish winners plaque (though it might be for second place?).

I went to Kiel, Stonybrook, junior 7th and 8th grades and the first year of high school at KHS, before transferring to Avon Old Farms in Avon, Ct (same school Pete Seeger graduated from in 1936 and Kristian Bush of Sugarland graduated from in 1988 - Bush's family is renown for the Bush Beans famous product, the one with the dog on the commercial that might give out the family recipe if allowed). 

I was in one of the first "rock" bands, The Aztecs, that played for Kinnelon Junior and High School dances back in the mid 60s and am friends on Facebook with an original member of the Aztecs and Smoke Rise neighbor, Gregory Applegate Edwards. (I'm friends on Facebook with several old friends from Smoke Rise and Kinnelon.)

I have myself written over 135 original songs (copyrighted 31) and am in the Jefferson Township Community Chorus, which performs on Jefferson Day (super nice fireworks display at night too!), including a song I wrote in 2005 "My Sweet Home Jefferson," that we have sung there the last 5 years. Music and art, and Nature are major aspects of my makeup and it all started in Smoke Rise during my youth.

For fun you can hear some of my songs on Youtube or at Reverbnation.com

The Smoke Rise Map

I extensively hiked the terrain, trails, etc. of beautiful and misty at times Smoke Rise on many short hikes (many off-trail) several times a week for many years, keeping written logs and rough sketches of all springs, rivulets, interesting rock formations (Sacred Mesa is one discovered? and shown on my map just west of Hawks Wing - my given name to Green Hill just south of Pine Tree). All of the Indian (Lenape or Delaware) names, as stated in the Legend on the map itself, were derived from various books mostly those of Herbert Kraft and M.R. Harrington. 

Other interesting names were derived from my investigation/knowledge/creativity. It was a long painstaking process (you should see my normal handwriting.. ugh) to get all the details onto the board with quill pen and nib and ink, and brush on the water color layers for elevation visual aid -- all with no major uncorrectable or cover up for "mistakes".

I finished the map original and, it being the country's bi-centennial in 1976, thought it might be great to have copies made and sell them door to door, framed or unframed (interesting that many of the frames were obtained at the present frame shop in Sparta before I was the resident framer as I am presently). I went to The Fairfield Press in Fairfield, N.J. and agreed to pay for 400 copies (a mere start and about 30 second run, then stop the 4 color separation offset litho process large machine).

The original map (in my attic) had a much darker blue to the ponds and lakes but the artists at the Fairfield Press colored them in with the blue you see on the copies now. I still have some of the original copy run in my back porch. I recently sold one to Ms. Karin Rohrer who lives in New Hampshire now (if I remember correctly).

I signed the map in the lower right hand corner with my then abbreviation "logo" C (wrapping around wp) Child/William Phillips. After obtaining a Master Arts degree in Painting, from Long Island University in Greenvale, N.Y., I decided it was better on new projects to spell out, clearly, my name for future clarification of the true artist.

St. Hubert's Chapel

I wish you all good luck with the fund raising program for a very worthy continued preservation of St. Hubert's Chapel (I've rowed and sailed there many times). It's a GEM of a structure like a jewel in a "jewel of a lake" as well. Check out the structure's (reddish stone Old English Cotswold (name of Smoke Rise Mansion, too) style and symbolism of Avon Old Farms, funded and designed by the first woman, Theodate Pope Riddle, architect licensed in Connecticut, who was a survivor of the Luisitania (refusing to take up room in a lifeboat that more needy needed, grabbed a life jacket and jumped overboard). She vowed if she survived to use any power or monies her family had to make a school for young men, that they might make a better world for all (students actually worked the farm in the early years).

I actually found out about Avon Old Farms School through a good friend, Bob MacGinnis (sp?), back in the day who attended Avon as well. His parents may still live in Smoke Rise (I haven't been in touch with Bob for years). See how influential Smoke Rise was to my life! The map was pretty much a labor of love.

Thank goodness beautiful and historic Smoke Rise is still going and I hope doing well in these tough times.

Sincerely and flattered,
William P. Child

--------
Thank you, Bill!

Do you have memories of life in Kinnelon and Smoke Rise? Which were your favorite haunts? Let me know!

St. Hubert's Chapel, Garrett Orr, Smoke Rise Memories

The recent article about Support St. Hubert's Chapel in Smoke Rise has generated wonderful email messages!

Joan Semmler Oravits, who contributed an article about Growing Up in Smoke Rise (at 153 Green Hill Road), recently forwarded me photos of "some old Smoke Rise treasures" that she has had for years. They are pretty marvelous as are the details that she shares with us below.

First, Memories About Living in Smoke Rise

Joan has the following to say about Laurel Lane.

"I remember Laurel Lane. There was a wonderful lady who gave us piano lessons in the early 1960s who lived on that road. Her last name was Wycke (not sure of spelling) and she gave lessons to what seemed like then half of the Smoke Rise kids! She would hold recitals several times a year in her home, always a nerve wracking time so I remember those quite well. She was a dear lady and, unfortunately, passed away from a heart attack about 2 years after our lessons started."

About Tom Kline, Joan says,

"Did Tom have a brother named Phillip? I believe Phillip Kline (also on Ski Trail) graduated the year before I did from Kinnelon High in '68."

[FYI - Kinnelon High School is holding a 50th anniversary event on September 15th, 2012 from 7 to 11pm at the Sheraton in Mahway. Here is a link to the KHS 50th Anniversary flyer with information and to a message from Debbie Bartkowski Annaheim '77 [if the message doesn't work for you, let me know. I came across it on the Facebook Page for the KHS 50th Anniversary Gathering.]

Second, St. Hubert's Chapel Items

Joan shares two items where St. Hubert's Chapel features prominently.

First is a tile which Joan  framed. As she explains, "it shows a black/white drawing of the Chapel with "St. Hubert's Chapel, Smoke Rise, New Jersey" on the front. This belonged to my mother (Rita Semmler) and she had it for a good many years hanging in our kitchen on 153 Green Hill Rd. so it has to be from the late 1960s or early 70s. I think it must have been a Smoke Rise fund raiser item for whatever cause, possibly for the Smoke Rise Community Church."

Next is an oil painting that Joan had an artist paint of the chapel in 1977. As Joan describes,

"One of my mother's best friends in those days worked for an art gallery in Kinnelon and my mother used to have items framed there. On one visit there with my mother where we were viewing some paintings by local artists I suggested that St. Hubert's would make a wonderful subject and I would be so interested in talking to an artist who would be open to the idea of doing one. Long story short - the gallery owner must have talked to a few artists and one, Garrett Orr, agreed to do the painting for me!"

Joan continues,

"It was so long ago, but I think he must have started this painting in the winter and maybe walked across the ice at some point to take some preliminary photos for sketches. 

His first finished item had the ice all around the chapel and I felt like it did not show "water" was around it so he redid that section and broke up the ice so I could see water. He was a wonderful man and I think did a wonderful job of capturing the little chapel as it was during that time. 

I'm not sure what happened to him as I was living in New York City then and only came home on weekends to visit my parents. I did not know then how special that painting would be to me as time went on and today it hangs in a special place where I can see it every day. It is one of my favorite items and has survived through 2 major tornadoes here without a scratch!"

Thank you, Joan!

By the way, here's what I located online re: Garrett Orr:

From Outdoor Advertising Collections in the Hartman Center - Garrett Orr Papers, ca. 1890s–1994 "Orr started out as a graphic artist and went on to become the Art Director of Outdoor Advertising Incorporated (OAI) and the President of the Art Directors Club of New York. This collection documents his artistic output and includes original drawings, water colors, and paintings produced by Orr for the outdoor advertising campaigns of Gillette, Ipana, Lucky Strike, Mazola, Seagram, Verney, Viceroy, and White Rose."

If you have photos and stories you'd like to share, let me know.

35th Annual Kinnelon Book Sale: Donate Aug 1, Buy! Aug 24

It's that time again: the Annual Kinnelon Book Sale, now in its 35th year!  Here follow details in two parts.

Part I: Book Donations Needed, August 1-17, for Kinnelon Library’s 35th Annual Book Sale August 24-27

Your book donations are welcome starting August 1 through 17, 2012. Don't wait until the last minute, though, to donate as the Firehouse can only hold so many books. Beyond a certain safety point, your donations will be turned down and you'll have to wait until next year.

As you may have read already, "Why not clear out your book shelves and support the Kinnelon Public Library by donating hardcover or paperback fiction, non-fiction, children’s books, videos or books-on-tape in good condition?" 

That's right!

Keep in mind that there are items that cannot be accepted. More specifically, 

No magazines, textbooks, encyclopedia sets, Reader’s Digest Condensed or records, please.  

When you have your book donations ready, please only bring them to the Kiel Avenue Firehouse and not to the Kinnelon Library starting August 1 until the 17th.  

Be warned, if you try to leave books at the Library rather than at the Firehouse, you will not be successful :-)

Part II: The Kinnelon Used Book Sale from August 24 through 27

The Book Sale will be held on August 24 to 27 at the Kiel Avenue Firehouse which is located at 103 Kiel Avenue in Kinnelon.

The hours of the Book Sale are as follows:

• Friday 8/24/12:      9am to 6pm
• Saturday 8/25/12:  9am to 4pm
• Sunday 8/26/12:    11am to 4pm
• Monday 8/27/12:   9am to 4pm

If you've never been to the Kinnelon Annual Used Book Sale - proceeds from which support the Friends of the Kinnelon Library - you are in for an amazing event: thousands of bargain priced fiction and non-fiction books to choose from. 

Books are organized by subject and author with special sections for children’s books and gift-quality editions.   

For more information and especially if you'd like to volunteer to help out, be sure to call 973-838-1321 or visit the Friends of the Kinnelon Library online. You can also email FLCLL@yahoo.com.

Didja Know? The Smoke Rise Green House

Here, from Cornie Hubner's marvelous "Didja Know?" series, an article about The Green House in Smoke Rise.

-----

The Green House located on the John Talbot Estate once provided, all year, fresh flowers, fruits and vegetables for "The Cottage," home of the Kinneys.  Designed by Lord and Bernamin, famous landscape architects, in 1904, it consisted of six, 500 ft. square, connected glass buildings heated by coal and wood burning furnaces. As a hobby of the younger Kinney, Morris, it soon enjoyed popular interest.

Supervised by an experienced English gardener (enticed from a Long Island Estate), each unit provided the required conditions for different, unusual and often exotic horticultural experiments. Neighbors were welcomed to marvel at the all year harvest of flowers, fruits and vegetables. It is possible that some local gardens still contain a hybrid phlox that Morris distributed when an experiment produced blooms that he did not like.

The Hot Houses of his many friends provided transplants that brought trees and bushes to early fruition. Figs, oranges, nectarines, grapes and berries were among the off season ripenings. Roses, orchids, lilies and among others a rare red flower, clivia, formed centers around which all kinds of cut flowers were grown. Vegetables were raised in two sections, augmenting the available supply during World War I. Annual flower plants were grown for early spring planting at the "Cottage" and transplants for the vegetable garden outside the Green House assured early crops of all vegetables.

At one time the stellar attraction was a fig tree reaching to the ceiling with lattice like branches spread over an entire wall. It was rumored that each of the 200 cuddled figs actually had names.  The was almost confirmed by the furor created when one fig disappeared. An intensive investigation exonerated all Estate employees when the mystery was solved by the confession of a delivery boy, unaware of the enormity of his crime.

Two generations of the Dumper Family occupied the apartment over the garage and supervised all seasons productivity until the mid '40s. A unique grape, grafted on local stock and the result of many trials rewarded the experimenters when it ripened during this time. It was the headliner of the Estate's many exhibits at important shows that attracted the interest of commercial and amateur growers.

The Ray Moody family took charge after World War II and continued with gradually reduced plantings until 1979.  Part of the capacity was used for several years, by a grower for raising Taxus seedlings. Many thousands were transplanted in nearby nurseries to protect the succulent needles, greatly enjoyed, for dessert by our always hungry herd of four legged friends.

One of the original sections is still operating and "Cotswold" is enjoying flowers and the many annuals that bring brilliance to the sunken gardens and sunkist lawn on the lake.

-----
Pretty wonderful, no?

Smoke Rise Flowers: Readers Remember

My recent article titled June Kinnelon Flowers: Multiflora Rose generated two responses from former Smoke Rise and Kinnelon residents. I share them with you here.

From Kim Vawter

Hello-

Not sure if this "rose hedge" was planted or if it grew across what was 716 Orchard Road. I remember a long hedge of multifloral roses on a hedge that ran across the front of our property a few feet from the road. Of course none of the roads of the Smoke Rise area of Kinnelon had sidewalks so this plant (ing) would have been where a side walk would have been. It was always the backdrop for Easter pictures. I recall that it was almost as tall as a spirea bush and just about as dense. 

We also had wild honey suckle around the area and you could suck the end of the blossom to get a tiny bit of sweetness! I recall wild blueberry bushes to the left of the property. (I could never remember North, South East or West in Smoke Rise. I had to learn that here in the midwest where everything is flanked by the "River" Missouri River to the EAST.)

Not all smells were wonderful. Back in the woods where you could dig up great batches of good rich black dirt you also may have encountered bad smelling "skunk cabbage." If you were very careful and you took a walk deep into the forest you might find the tiny pale "lady's slipper" or the fragile "jack in a pulpit."

From Lynn

Hi Christine,

Have memories of the beautiful Pink Mountain Laurel everywhere in Smoke Rise but especially on our Brush Hill Road property. The had a lovely scent best left in the wild. Apparently it is somewhat poisonous and affected a Ruffed Grouse my brother Peter had found on the way home from school. Ever the Good Samaritan, Mother nursed it by eye dropper and put it in a basket covered with a towel in the living room unbeknownst to me. When I arrived late at night, of course I had to investigate, at which point Mr Grouse took flight around the house until we gave him his freedom.

My earliest memories were prior to living in SR at a charming house on Long Island where Mother had a North flower bed tucked next to the house filled with tiny fragrant Lily of the Valley. Forever a delicate and favorite scent.

Best regards,
Lynn

Thank you, Lynn and Kim!

By the way, after desperately searching for it, I finally came across some honeysuckle last weekend. Emma and I enjoyed tasting the sweet nectar.

Happy Summer!

Support St. Hubert's Chapel in Smoke Rise!

There's lots afoot with St. Hubert's Chapel in Smoke Rise! Not only in preserving the Chapel, but also in  opportunities to support the Chapel restoration and preservation.

Sadly, I missed the Smoke Rise Days tour of the Chapel, but I'm told by a reputable source that regular scheduled tours may be in the works. That's a good thing because so much has been accomplished to bring St. Hubert's Chapel back to its former glory. I'll keep you posted as I learn more.

In the meantime, there's now a wonderful way to support the historic restoration and preservation of Kinnelon and Smoke Rise's beautiful landmark, St. Hubert's Chapel! Now available for sale are T-shirts, tote bags & maps of Kinnelon. 

More specifically (and shown in the photo below):

• Shirts for $15.00, 
• Tote Bags (zippered) for $20.00 

• Maps for $20.00 (see slide show). 

As you can tell from the photo, the shirts are dark green with a beautiful white print of St. Hubert's Chapel.

The tote bags are all black with the same white print of St. Hubert's Chapel. 

Two maps are available for sale. One represents a map by William P.Child (a long time previous Smoke Rise resident, hiker and lover of the very bedrock and all natural formations and living creatures - flora and fauna included - that make up the foundation of why most want to call Smoke Rise, home) of the Kinnelon area. The other is the historic map of Smoke Rise in the time of Francis Kinney.

All items are great conversation pieces for your summer visitors and college bound kids. Each college dorm should have at least one map of Kinnelon on its walls!

Check out the slide show below, courtesy of Thomas Hannigan. [Note: you can also access the St. Hubert's Gift Items photo set by viewing it directly in Flickr.]

To order these items, please contact JoAnn Brett via phone: 973 838-8228 or email jobrett@optonline.net.

 

Please share this message with others you know who might be interested in helping support St. Hubert's Chapel.

June Kinnelon Flowers: Multiflora Rose

I wrote this article about June Kinnelon Flowers Multiflora Rose last summer. By the time I had it finished, summer was over. As I look out my office window, I spy the Multiflora Rose already blooming... which means that my timing is perfect!

I'm always amazed at the intensity of memories brought on by flower scents - particularly wild ones. Take honeysuckle or multiflora rose.

Per the Wisconsin department of natural resources, multiflora rose is considered a nuisance weed and can neither be sold or propagated.

The New York State Ski Blog: Wild Roses says "They have, IMHO, the most intoxicating, beguiling, and alluring aroma ever."

I agree. The smell reminds me intensely of summer. It's a spicy, peppery smell that I long for. In fact, it's a smell that I remember from childhood in McLean, Virginia, walking to the community pool. It's a smell that blends with the intoxicating Honeysuckle flowers and nectar that is now almost impossible to find given the carefully manicured landscapes.  My most trustworthy source of honeysuckle is by the movie theater, in a weedy section between the parking lot and Kakeout Road by the New York Sports Club [aka the Butler Bowl].

Getting back to Multiflora Rose. In early June, you'll notice vast expanses of these marvelous wildflowers. We have them across from us on Sleepy Hollow Road, bordering a wetlands area. These photos I took across from Our Lady of the Magnificat on Miller Road in Kinnelon.

Now that I've reminisced based on flowers and summer scents, I'd love to hear from you. Which are you favorite summer memories and what plants smells do you associate with them?

Happy Memorial Day weekend!

Kinnelon's L'Ecole Museum Garage Sale: 6/9/12

Emma back in ~2008 or so

It's that time of year again: the annual garage sale benefiting the L'Ecole Kinnelon Museum! In case you haven't read the news in the local publications or seen the signage on Kiel Avenue, here is your notice!

The event takes place Saturday, June 9 from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM.

If it rains [as it has been lately], the event will take place Sunday, June 10 from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM.

L'Ecole museum is located at 25 Kiel Avenue, across from the Kinnelon Mall [i.e., Pathmark].

You have two ways to take part in the annual Kinnelon Museum garage sale fund raiser:

1. Donate your items for the garage sale. [Note: No Clothing or Stuffed Animals Please!] You can do so every Saturday and Sunday from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM when the Friends of the Kinnelon Museum will welcome you and your donations with open arms.  By the way, all of your donations are tax deductible

2. Come buy a few items on Saturday, June 9 from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM.

All funds made from the sale will be used toward a computer projector.

Finally, if you enjoy history, consider becoming a member of the Friends of the Museum.

[Thanks to Jill Iannino at the Kinnelon Library for submitting this announcement.]

Meet Carol Sventy, Candidate for Kinnelon Borough Council

Kinnelon neighbor Carol Sventy is running for Borough Council. Have you had a chance to meet her?

I first met Carol when I had my first meeting with Ron Leavesley about the Kinnelon CLL Program. Not a surprise given her intense involvement with CLL and the Friends of the Kinnelon Library.

In case you've not had a chance to spend time with her, I want to share with you this interview in which Carol Sventy explains why she is a candidate for Kinnelon Borough Council, what she loves about Kinnelon and how she has contributed as a volunteer to our community.

You'll also find contact information and opportunities to meet with her in person before the June 5th election to discuss what's important to you.

C.B.: Carol, please tell me about yourself and your background.

Ever since I can remember, I have been a volunteer. Starting when I was very young, my mother was involved in many activities (Girl/Boy Scouts, League of Women Voters, Historical Society, School Organizations - PTA, Civic Organizations). Whenever she saw something was not quite right in our community, she did something about it … and this is where I ‘got the bug’.

I was born in Montclair, NJ and moved when I was five & grew up in a small town in Michigan. I attended public schools up until 9th grade when I attended  Culver Girls Academy. I then went on to study Business Management and Horsemanship Stable Management at Virginia Intermont College where I met my husband John.

Soon after college graduation, we moved to New Jersey, got married and moved to Kinnelon. We fell in love with Kinnelon. We’ve had a few opportunities to move to other states, but did not due to family and because we didn’t want to leave Kinnelon and the friends and neighbors we have here. I want to protect Kinnelon’s unique lifestyle and environment. We are fortunate to live in a town that appreciates and nourishes its natural environment and the people who reside here. I have always been very passionate about and actively involved in education, open space, recreation and environmental issues within the Borough of Kinnelon. All of my work has been to improve the lives and environment for our children and our residents.

C.B.: How long have you lived in Kinnelon?

29 years, in the same house, with the same husband and the same phone number!

C.B.: What do you like most about living in Kinnelon?

This is a tough one … simply because there are so many things I like and love about Kinnelon. It would have to be a toss-up between the residents of Kinnelon and the actual landscape of Kinnelon. Whenever I leave Kinnelon either to run errands in other communities, traveling to other states to visit family/friends or away on vacation … when I return to Kinnelon, I don’t need to see the borough sign saying “Welcome to Kinnelon Borough” to know that I’m home. I can ‘feel’ that I’m home and safely away from the ‘rat race’ that exists outside our community. I can take a deep breath and relax in the beauty of our community and the friendships with the residents here.

C.B.: How did you first get involved in public service for Kinnelon?

It all started when I filled out a volunteer form that had been mailed to me by the Friends of the Kinnelon Library along with a request for a membership donation. The form asked if I would be interested in volunteering for any one of a number of activities and I selected two items: Book Sale and Arts and Crafts Festival since both were things that I was interested in. I then became active with another group called ‘Ambling Along’ sponsored by the Center for Lifelong Learning … and now, as they say: the rest is history!

C.B.: Carol, what is the range of activities you are currently involved in? 

Everything blossomed from that point on to where I am now actively involved in the following organizations.

• The Friends of the Kinnelon Library Board of Governors (since 1997)
• Currently serving as Vice President (since 2002)
• The Center for Lifelong Learning Board of Governors (since 1998)
• The Center for Lifelong Learning Registrar (since 1999)
• The Kinnelon After School Enrichment program (since 2000)
• Kinnelon's Open Space Advisory Committee (since 2002)
• Currently serving as Chairperson (since 2004)
• Kinnelon's Environmental Commission (since 2004)

Then in 2011 I was honored to be named by the Lakeland Hills YMCA as Kinnelon’s Citizen of the year.

C.B.: Why are you running for office?

I have worked long and hard for positive change in Kinnelon and I have contributed and helped to improve the quality of life for ALL Kinnelon residents.

Having worked with the council for the past 10 years or more has given me a unique insight. I’m involved in local government now, and want to continue to contribute and in order to be more effective, I must run for Kinnelon council.

C.B.: What does the Kinnelon Council need and why do you think you can fill it? 

I believe Kinnelon needs a new choice – and a new voice. I will listen to what residents have to say and will take action and get results. I feel Kinnelon needs a balanced perspective. We are one community with different needs and wants for ourselves and our children and to provide these needs, we must have a balanced perspective in making the decisions that affect ALL Kinnelon residents.

C.B.: What will you bring to the Kinnelon Borough Council?

My experience in working with people in the Borough renders me an approachable, knowledgeable, well organized and effective individual that gets the results our community needs and requires.

Carol Sventy with Denise DeBernardi,
Mary Cobell & Eileen Gelenter

C.B.: Where should Kinnelon residents go for more information about you and your background?

Residents can go to my website: www.CaringForKinnelon.com where there is a calendar of events, along with additional information about me.

C.B.: I understand Kinnelon residents can meet with you and ask questions at the following sessions. Would you fill me in? 

All residents are welcome to attend any of the following Meet & Greet sessions I have scheduled. We ask that you please RSVP through my website, since this greatly helps in our planning. We wouldn’t want to run out of refreshments for any of the residents attending!

If you are unable to attend, then residents are welcome to email or call me with their questions and / or their concerns regarding Kinnelon. I firmly believe, welcome and encourage comments and suggestions. Without valuable public input, government is left to make decisions based on statistics and their own personal experience ... let YOUR voice be heard!

Monday, May 21 - 7:00pm-9:00pm - Adair, Woodchase Lane - Coffee, Tea & Cookies

Tuesday, May 22 - 7:30pm-9:00pm - DeBernardi, Daisy Ct. - Wine & Cheese Reception

Thursday, May 24 - 8:00am-10:00am - Kiel Firehouse, 103 Kiel Ave. - Bagels & Coffee

Thank you, Carol! We wish you the very best. 


Readers, I hope you'll go vote on June 5, 2012.


If you have questions for Carol, please visit her website or leave a comment and I will forward it to her. Consider, too, attending one of the sessions above to meet Carol in person.

Experience Classical Chinese Culture: 5/20/12 Kinnelon Library

This Sunday, May 20th, 2012 at 3:00pm at the Kinnelon Library you have the opportunity to experience Classical Chinese Culture in what looks to me to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity with Shen Yun Performing Arts.

According to the website [thank you, Judy Vioreanu], Shen Yun - based in New York - was "established in 2006 with the mission of reviving 5,000 years of divinely inspired Chinese culture."

The website is worth exploring as it captures a view of Chinese Culture that we don't routinely encounter.

According to the Kinnelon Library writeup that Anne Mandanayake forwarded me:

"This will be the Year of the Dragon, which is a good time to revisit traditional Chinese culture, its myths and legends. This presentation will focus on Chinese history and a brief overview of key dynasties, on classic stories and fascinating characters from Chinese literature, and on classical Chinese dance (Shen Yun) and Chinese musical instruments. It will explain how Shen Yun uses dance to express Chinese civilization and its values."

Judy further uncovered this information: "The presentation focuses on ancient Chinese history, its classic stories, rich cultural values, and art forms.

For 5,000 years, Chinese culture was heralded as a divine gift. Its values of benevolence, honor, etiquette, wisdom, and sincerity were perpetuated for generations and dynasties, all the way into the contemporary era. Through our presentation, we aim to bridge an understanding of this ancient civilization with our modern world, and thereby share some of the most classic stories in Chinese history. We use Shen Yun Performing Arts and Chinese dance as a cultural lens, both to meaningfully bring this culture into the modern day, and to explain how the virtues of Chinese history are being perpetuated by modern artists. This will surely be an educational and inspiring session!"

I encourage you to check out the video introducing Shen Yun. You might also meet the Shen Yun artists.

To attend the event, please contact the Kinnelon Library at 973-838-1321.

If you attend, I invite you to share your highlights with us here.

Thanks, Judy and Anne, for your help putting this story together!

 

Kinnelon Security Shredding: May 5, 2012

This serves as your reminder as well as mine, in case the annual Kinnelon Security Shredding seemed so far away into the future that it would never get here...

Yet, it is upon us taking place Saturday, May 5 from 9am until noon behind Kinnelon Borough Hall.

Security shredding means that you can safely and securely dispose of confidential documents, including important personal and tax-related documents that you no longer need to refer to.

Here are details:

Doing the shredding: Security Shredding of Morris Plains, NJ  

Benefits associated with Security Shredding:

• Unique opportunity for confidential and secure treatment of your personal information
• Optimum security… Dispose of important but obsolete personal documents. Don’t just toss personal information in the trash…especially after tax season. 
• Using the latest state-of-the art equipment…Done in the most secure way while you watch. 
• Fully bonded and insured.
• Makes disposing of documents easy, safe and economical.
• Drive in, unload your papers, drive out with peace of mind.

Where to go? Go behind Kinnelon Borough Hall. Volunteers will help you.

How much? It's a $5.00 donation per box… to support the Friends of the Kinnelon Library.

Important detail!  Boxes should be no larger than14”W x18”L and 10” D.

Time to get my boxes ready...