In Town
High School South has a spring flea market on Saturday, June 1, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., at 346 Clarksville Road, West Windsor. Rain or shine. Spaces are $15. Vendors may sell used, gently used, and new merchandise. E-mail 2014spiritclub@gmail.com for information. All proceeds go to Post Prom 2014.
Mercer County Teen Arts Festival will be held Friday, May 10, from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., at Mercer Community College in West Windsor. The arts education program is open to all Mercer County public, private, parochial, and home-school students in middle and high school.
The festival, under the direction of the Division of Culture & Heritage, spotlights the work of hundreds of teen artists and involves scores of volunteers and more than 40 professionals serving as critics. The festival will move to the gymnasium in the event of rain.
Not a contest, the event is an opportunity for young artists to develop the perceptual, intellectual, and technical skills to create works of art. Visitors can view visual art pieces that are currently on display outside the gallery on the second floor of the communications building.
University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro is accepting applications from adults and college students who would like to volunteer as greeters from 6 to 9 a.m. on weekdays. Volunteer greeters welcome patients and visitors and escort them to destinations within the hospital.
Submit an application with a letter of recommendation from someone other than a family member or friend; commit to at least an eight-week introductory period; complete an interview; and attend mandatory orientation. Volunteers must also have a tuberculosis screening test. Apply at www.princetonhcs.org/volunteers or call 609-853-6010.
Mercer County Park Commission is seeking enthusiastic, outdoor-loving individuals, age 16 or older, to volunteer for summer camps, Baldpate Nature Camp and Aquatic Adventure Camp. Volunteers will assist in leading the campers through daily explorations, hikes, experiments, and games, in addition to other camp-related duties. The schedule includes activities such as fishing, insect catching and identification, bird-watching, orienteering, microscope lab, animal tracking, and many other nature and ecology-themed adventures.
The camps hosted at Baldpate Mountain (July 8 to 12) explore the landscape surrounding the camp lodge, following trails through the fields and forest as staff and campers perform daily activities. The Aquatic Adventure Camp (July 22 to 26) uses kayaks and a pontoon boat to explore Mercer Lake, and is designed to balance activities and games with environmental science. Contact Jenn Rogers at jrogers@mercercounty.org.
Call for History
Mercer County invites residents, past and present, to bring historical photographs, letters, and other special documents to be scanned at one of the county’s “Participate Please” events being held throughout the year. The first takes place on Tuesday, May 7, from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Lawrence Library, 2751 Brunswick Pike, Lawrence. Your material will be scanned on site and originals immediately returned to the owners. Bring a flash drive if you wish to leave with a digital image.
Bring up to three items representing you, your ancestors, or the community, especially photos taken at homes, sites, and events within Mercer County. Contributors will be asked to complete a release form granting the permission to include scanned photos and papers in Mercer County’s collections and Internet archives. You will also complete a form providing information about each item scanned.
A second event is planned at the Mercer County Connection, Route 33 at Paxson Avenue, Hamilton, on Monday, May 20, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Scanning may also be done at Mercer County’s McDade Administration Building, 640 South Broad Street, Trenton, by appointment, call 609-989-6597. Visit www.mercer175.org for updates.
Free Prom Gowns
One Simple Wish offers free prom gowns to teens in foster care and those in need. There are also gowns in the Wish Shop, at 228 Scotch Road, Ewing, for $10. Some are designer gowns from brands like Vera Wang and BCBG. The shop also has costume jewelry, clutches, shoes, and scarves for under $5.
The organization is actively seeking volunteers to staff the store, as well as hair stylists, make-up artists, crafters, food vendors, and others who wish to donate their services to the teen clientele.
Donations of gently worn prom dresses and costume jewelry are now being accepted. Visit www.onesimplewish.org/prom.
Bus Trip
The Heritage Trail Association invites you to join Linda and Bob Barth, canal enthusiasts, on a bus tour of the Delaware and Raritan Canal. Visit locks, bridges, and other structures along the canal and learn how the canal was built by local workers and immigrants. The tour visits picturesque villages that grew up alongside the canal, and you will learn about the many industries that developed along its route. $20. Choose 10 a.m. or 2 p.m. Register at www.heritagetrail.org or call 732-356-8856.
Good Cause
NJ Sharing Network the organ procurement organization responsible for the recovery of organs and tissue for the 5,000 New Jersey residents currently waiting for life-saving transplants, invites new participants. Visit www.njsharingnetwork.org or call 800-742-7365.
Donate Please
Salvation Army seeks donations of new seasonal items for residents who are still rebuilding their lives after Hurricane Sandy. “It is important to remember that many residents of the shore area lost not only winter clothing with their household items, but also warm weather attire as well,” said Brenda Beavers human services director for the Salvation Army of New Jersey.
Specific items needed include seasonal clothing, sneakers, sandals, undergarments, hygiene items, cleaning supplies, and swimwear. Call 888-247-0100.
Calvary Baptist Church will accept donations for its upcoming rummage sale from Monday to Friday, May 13 to 28, from 9 a.m. to noon. Especially desirable are clean clothing in good condition, bedding, books, jewelry, toys, household items, small appliances, and tools. Do not bring anything with Freon (air conditioners, refrigerators, freezers) computer software and hardware, magazines, text books, encyclopedias typewriters, stoves or mattresses. The rummage sale will be held Thursday to Saturday, May 30 to June 1, at 3 East Broad Street, Hopewell. Call 609-466-1880.
Music
South Brunswick Library offers a workshop to learn to play the Native American flute on Sunday, April 28, from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Must be 13 or older. Music background is not necessary. $15 includes your own flute and the ability to play with other flute players and drummers at a novice level. There will be free follow-up sessions where you can learn more. One can play jazz, blues, hymns, classical, and other kinds of music. For questions or to register, call Pat Kay at 732-274-2963.
For the Love of Books
Rutgers University, Division of Continuing Studies offers summer reading skills programs in Ewing, Princeton, and Mercerville. Eight different reading skills programs for four year-olds through adults begin the weeks of June 22 and July 28. Tuition and materials fees vary by program level.
Reading programs for younger students build comprehension and students learn the phonics and fluency skills they need to become strong readers. Programs for older students and adults are geared toward improving comprehension and study skills, vocabulary, and speed reading. The skills taught in the classes reinforce the importance of reading for pleasure. Call 888-201-2448, Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.; or Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Call for Vendors
Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association seeks vendors and exhibitors for its 13th Annual Butterfly Festival on Saturday, August 10, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., on reserve in Hopewell. Local crafts and products, art, music, photography, sculpture, will be featured. E-mail SMoran@thewatershed.org.
