Cranford Patch: Latest Announcements

New Teen Camp in Mountainside and Berkeley Heights welcomes non-residents

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 21:55:44 -0500

The Mountainside and Berkeley Heights Recreation Departments have joined forces to bring both residents and non-residents the summer Teen Scene Travel Camp program!

The program will feature fun bus trips for those entering 7th-10th grade to the beach, amusement parks, baseball games, and more! Participants will sign up for one week at a time. Four weeks are offered beginning July 6th.

Registration ends on March 26th. Space is limited!

For more details visit http://www.mountainside-nj.com/TeenScene2010.htm

St. Patrick's Day Parade Postponed

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 17:09:03 -0500

The 14th Union County St. Patrick's Day Parade has been postponed until Saturday, March 27 at 1 p.m. The parade will not take place this Saturday.

For more information please call 848-448-6885 or visit www.unioncountystpatricksdayparade.com.

Adopt a Watchung Reservation Trail

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:55:12 -0500

Are you looking for a rewarding volunteer opportunity? Do you need to log-in some hours for a community service project? Or maybe you're an avid hiker, equestrian or nature lover who uses the trails in the Watchung Reservation, Union County's 2,000-acre park and you want to "give something back" to improve the park. Whatever the reason, mark Saturday, March 27 on your calendar from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and plan to attend the Union County Adopt-A-Trail Orientation & General Meeting.

"By adopting a trail or participating in the Saturday work dates in the Watchung Reservation, you can realize a sense of accomplishment," said Freeholder Vice Chairwoman Deborah Scanlon, liaison to the Union County Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. "You'll work out-of-doors in the fresh air, meet new people and learn new skills in the process."

A meeting for new Trail Stewards who would like to "adopt" a section of hiking or bridle trail is scheduled at 8:30 a.m. on March 27. At that meeting, potential trail stewards will be introduced to the Adopt-A-Trail (AAT) Program and may obtain a trail assignment. AAT participants are required to adopt their trail for a period of at least two years.

Immediately following the orientation meeting for new participants, the general meeting for all Trail Stewards will be held from 10:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. Topics to be discussed will include: Watchung Reservation Historical Snapshots; Invasive Plant Management; Maintenance "How-To's"; Updates on Trail Projects; and other subjects of interest.

Trail Stewards are expected to remove litter, do minor pruning, clear drainage pipes of debris and re-mark trails as needed. All Adopt-A-Trail participants must attend an Orientation meeting and a "general" meeting each year as well as complete and submit quarterly report forms.

Both meetings will be held at Trailside Nature & Science Center, located at 452 New Providence Road in Mountainside. Light refreshments will be provided.

The Adopt-A-Trail program was implemented to complement the county's existing monthly trail maintenance program. There are approximately 26 miles of bridle trails and over 13 miles of marked hiking trails that require attention. Interested persons and trail users who are not able to make a two-year AAT commitment are encouraged to attend one of the monthly trail work days, usually held on a Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to noon (except in January and February). No experience is necessary to help out! The next Saturday Trail Work date is April 10.

Pre-registration for the orientation and general AAT meetings and Saturday Trail Work days is required. Please call (908) 789-3683 to register or obtain additional information.

CJWC 2010 College Scholarship Applications Now Available

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:13:55 -0500

The Cranford Junior Woman's Club is currently accepting applications for its annual scholarship program. Any graduating senior who is a resident of Cranford and will be continuing their education at an accredited institute of higher learning – a two or four year college, secretarial, trade, nursing, or technical school – is eligible to receive this one-year education grant.

Scholarship selection will be based primarily on a student's record of volunteer service to the community, school and other organizations. To be considered for the scholarship, students must complete an application and provide a list of volunteer activities, a brief essay outlining the student's participation in those volunteer activities, two letters of recommendation, and a copy of their high school transcript.

Applications are available at www.cranfordjwc.com as well as the Cranford High School Guidance Department and the Cranford Public Library. The deadline for submissions is April 7.

Creative Kids Announces Spring Classes: Little Maestros, Mommy & Me, Art, Theater & More

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:13:43 -0500

Creative Kids has a wide array of classes and programs this Spring for newborns up to 12 years old. From Mommy & Me to Little Maestros, Music for Aardvarks & TADA Theater to Art, Ballet Magic and Preschool Prep there is something for every child. The Spring sesson begins the week of April 5th.

For more information visit www.creativekidsnj.com, email info@creativekidsnj.com or call 908-232-4949.

How to Train Your Dragon

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:26:49 -0500

How To Train Your Dragon Community Craft Day in your town is brought to you by Patch.com, AOL, and Moviefone on behalf of Paramount Pictures release of How To Train Your Dragon. Patch's Dragon Trainers are leading craft events this weekend with projects including a diorama, word find, and coloring along with prizes provided by the movie. The Craft event that has the most attendees will earn a FREE 3-D screening in the local tri-state area!

Space was limited so the RSVP process is currently closed in this Patch!
Any questions, please email: HowToTrainYourDragon@patch.com

If you would like to hold your own How To Train Your Dragon Craft Event, please go here:

Diorama print outs: http://lime.howtotrainyourdragon.com/asset_center/diorama.html
Color Pages: http://lime.howtotrainyourdragon.com/asset_center/coloring_pages.html
Word Find: http://lime.howtotrainyourdragon.com/asset_center/word_search.html

How to Train Your Dragon will be in theaters on March 26th!
http://www.moviefone.com/movie/how-to-train-your-dragon/28118/main

Free seminar on colon cancer at Overlook Hospital

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 16:49:49 -0500

The Digestive Center and Community Health Department at Overlook Hospital will offer a free seminar on colon cancer from 9:30am to 11:00am on Saturday, March 13, 2010. The program, "Colon Cancer: Preventable, Treatable, Beatable," is being presented as part of National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, which is held throughout March.

Overlook experts Julie Lorber, MD, Colorectal Surgeon, and Amber Khan, MD, Gastroenterologist, will be the featured speakers at the event. The event will also offer a free continental breakfast, free screening kits, prizes and giveaways.

Colorectal cancer, which includes cancer of the colon or rectum, is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is also is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers in the United States, with more than 90 percent of cases occurring in people 50 years old or older. As many as 60 percent of deaths from colorectal cancer could be avoided with regular screenings of people 50 or older, according to the CDC.

The event will take place at Overlook's Wallace Auditorium, 99 Beauvoir Avenue, Summit, NJ. To reserve a seat, please call 1-800-247-9580.

Cranford-Based Cheerleading Teams Place in National Meet

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:49:33 -0500

The Cranford-based Central Jersey Allstar Cheerleading Small Senior 5 Team took first place, naming them National Champions at the CHEERSPORT 2010 National Cheerleading and Dance Championship in Atlanta, Georgia on February 5-7.

Central Jersey Allstars (CJA) Large Senior 4 and Small Junior 3 teams came back to New Jersey as second place winners and Small Junior 2 placed seventh.

CHEERSPORT hosts the worlds largest National Cheerleading and Dance Championships featuring Cheerleading World's Bid opportunities with over 900 teams competing.

Central Jersey Allstars (CJA) is a 14 year-old non-profit, award-winning competitive cheerleading organization for boys and girls of all ages and skill levels. Headed by Patty Ann Romero and her staff of coaches, CJA is focused on providing the necessary training for young athletes, between the ages of 5 and 19, to compete in the competitive cheer arena.

Located at 1 Commerce Drive, in Cranford athletes come to CJA from all over the New York metro area, but mainly from northern and central New Jersey.

The young athletes have a wealth of experiences as a result of their participation in the CJA program. They learn how to condition their bodies, which helps to ensure a life-long desire for physical fitness; they learn how to persevere and be poised when demands are high and the pressure is intense; they learn teamwork; and they learn to balance school work with other priorities. Above all, each athlete gains a sense of self-respect and determination that can be otherwise very difficult for young people to attain today.

To learn more above the nationally renowned, highly competitive allstar cheerleading program for girls and boys of all age and ability levels, visit www.centraljerseyallstars.net.

Friends Offer Used Book Sale to Benefit Library

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:09:00 -0500

Looking for some good reading at bargain prices?

The Friends of the Cranford Public Library invite you to visit their used book sale in the Friendly Book Cellar at the Cranford Public Library, on Thursday, March 11, from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., and on Friday and Saturday, March 12 and 13, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Items for sale include more than 6,000 adult and children’s books, as well as CDs, DVDs and recorded books. Prices range from $.25 to $2.00, except for vintage and autographed volumes, which are specially marked. Saturday is bag day: fill a bag with books for $8.00. Proceeds benefit the library.

Erika Rosera, 69

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 22:29:55 -0500

Erika Rosera (nee Rodig) of Scotch Plains died on Mar. 4 at Overlook Hospital in Summit. She was 69. Rosera was born in Elizabeth and lived in Lebanon and Nazareth, PA, before moving to Scotch Plains in 1985. She earned a bachelor's degree from Douglass College and a master's from Rider University. Rosera worked for the Science Registry in Cranford before becoming a financial manager for J. O'Brien Company in Springfield, where she worked for seven years. The funeral will be held on Mar. 9 at 10:30am at the Walter J. Johnson Funeral Home, 803 Raritan Rd., Clark.