In Town
Plainsboro Department of Recreation & Community Services has placed community giving trees at the municipal building, the public library, and the recreation center. Each tree has tags with a holiday wish — a toy, an article of clothing, a game, a gift card — for someone less fortunate. Donors can select a wish through early December. All gifts must be new, unwrapped, and delivered by Monday, December 10, to the cultural center. Cash donations will also be accepted and used to purchase unfulfilled gift items.
The township is also requesting donations of non-perishable holiday fare in December. Donations will be accepted at the Plainsboro Municipal Building. Call 609-799-0909, ext. 1712 or visit www.PlainsboroNJ.com.
Maurer Onstage has auditions for Avenue Q on Saturday, December 1, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday, December 2, from noon to 5 p.m. Visit www.mponstage.com, E-mail auditions@mponstage.com, or call 609-882-2292. Performances are weekends at Kelsey Theater, Fridays to Sundays, March 1 to 10. Actors auditioning for puppet characters must audition with a puppet. Prepare an up tempo musical theater song in your natural singing voice. You may be asked to sing a portion using a character voice. Bring a copy of sheet music. Be prepared to dance.
Available roles include Brian, Christmas Eve, Gary Coleman (played by a female), Kate Monster, Lucy T. Slut, Mrs. T, Nicky, Princeton, Rod, Bad Idea Bears (two male or female), and Trekkie Monster. There are also parts for ensemble and puppet support.
The show is not for children. Auditioners must be 18 and up.
DanceVision and Parkinson Alliance offer Princeton Dance for Parkinson program for people with Parkinson’s disease, their caregivers, friends, and family members. The series is held at on Wednesdays from 1 to 2:15 p.m. at PDT Studio, Forrestal village, 116 Rockingham Row, Plainsboro. Classes are free, but donations are invited. No dance experience is necessary. Visit www.dancevisionnj.org, E-mail info@dancevisionnj.org, or call 609-520-1020.
Mercer Community College has released its 2012 Kelsey Review. Free copies are available at public libraries. The interactive version may be found at www.mccc.edu/kelseyreview.
Writing contributors include Elaine M. Gutterman and Ken Jaworowski of Princeton Junction, and Gwen Jones and Lavinia Kumar of Plainsboro. The deadline for submissions for the 2013 edition is Wednesday, May 15. E-mail Kelsey.review@mccc.edu or visit www.mccc.edu.
Beth Chaim Pre-School is asking for donations of new gloves, mittens, and socks for people in need in our community. Bring to Congregation Beth Chaim, 329 Village Road East, West Windsor, from Monday, December 3, to Wednesday, December 12. Call 609-799-9401.
Leigh Visual Imaging is collecting jackets, coats, sweaters, pants, socks, underwear, shoes, boots, sneakers, gloves, hats, scarves, and blankets to help victims of Hurricane Sandy. Donations are accepted through Thursday, December 5, at 45 Everett Drive, Suite 100, West Windsor. Call Janice at 609-799-8880.
Audition
Somerset Valley Players seeks actors for “Play It Again, Sam.” Auditions are Sunday and Tuesday, December 9 and 11, at 689 Amwell Road, Hillsborough, from 7 to 10 p.m. Three adult males and eight adult females are needed. Visit www.svptheatre.org or call 908-369-7469.
Call for Plays
Lawrence Library seeks works for a 10-minute staged reading in April for its annual One-Act Play Festival. Submit plays by Saturday, December 15. Scripts may be E-mailed to akerr@mcl.org or brought to the library’s reference desk. Include two title pages: one with the play title only and the other with play title and name, address, phone, and E-mail of author. The playwright’s name should not appear in the script. Call Ann Kerr at 609-989-6922.
For Teens
Princeton Photography Club and D&R Greenway Land Trust seek photographic entries for “Plantscapes,” a high school student photographic juried show. High School students may submit up to three jpeg images. There is no entry fee. Awards range from $50 to $500.
Use the open space around you, whether park or preserve, to photograph a natural landscape. E-mail images to tiffanyso@drgreenway.org. Each image should be accompanied with your name (last name_first name), E-mail address, your high school, the title of the image, size of matted image, medium, sale price, and insurance value. Winning images need to be matted. Visit www.drgreenway.org. Submission deadline is Monday, February 25.
Paper Mill Playhouse award Rising Star Awards for excellence in high school musical theater throughout New Jersey. The musicals are adjudicated in the spring by a group of 70 evaluators. The gala will be Tuesday, June 4.
Any New Jersey school that produces a musical between January 17 and April 14 is eligible. Applications are available at www.papermill.org. The deadline for submissions is Wednesday, January 9. More than $50,000 will be awarded in scholarships.
Princeton History
Princeton Tour Company offers one hour trolley rides every Saturday through December 29. Tours run hourly from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets are $15. Register at www.princetontourcompany.com or call 609-902-3637.
Affordable Housing
Mercer County Housing and Community Development Office offers applications for affordable housing at the Mercer County Veterans residence at 2280 Hamilton Avenue, Hamilton.
Maximum income permitted is $33,500 for a single person. Applicants must be income-eligible, have a discharge other than dishonorable from the military, and complete a self-sufficiency questionnaire. Placement is contingent upon availability.
Applications may be obtained by phone or visiting Mercer County Housing Office, 640 South Broad Street, Room 109, Trenton 08650 (609-989-6858); or Mercer County Veteran Services, 2280 Hamilton Avenue, Hamilton 08619, (609-989-6120).
Share Your 9/11 Story
Voices of September 11 seeks people to help preserve history and educate future generations with reflections on the September 11 attacks. They are looking for people who were in Lower Manhattan or at the Pentagon; people who worked for a company that lost employees, and people who worked in the rescue and recovery efforts.
Your story will become part of the permanent collection in the organization’s living memorial archive.
The meeting to record your story will take place in New Brunswick. Bring materials that will be scanned to include with your recording. Contact Suzanne Levy by E-mail at slevy@voicesofsept11.org or call 732-543-2300.
Donate Please
Mercer County Veteran Services is conducting its annual donation drive to help veterans and their families enjoy the comforts of a hot meal on each holiday.
Monetary donations go toward the purchase of Shop-Rite gift cards for veterans to purchase holiday meals. Checks payable to Mercer County Trust Fund may be sent to Mercer County Division of Veteran Services, 2280 Hamilton Avenue, Hamilton 08619. Call 609-989-6120.
Smokeout
New Jersey Department of Health offers help for smokers to quit smoking. Smoking cessation phone counseling services are available through NJ Quitline at 1-866-NJ-STOPS. Smokers can get the help they need free of charge by calling Quit Coaches who are available seven days a week.
The confidential service offers counseling in English and Spanish, plus a translation service in 120 languages. The hotline is open Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Friday to Sunday.
Volunteer Please
Mercer Alliance to End Homelessness is seeking volunteers to staff free tax preparation sites in Mercer County. Volunteers must participate in a training program held Fridays and Saturdays through December 8, at the new United Way conference room, 3150 Brunswick Pike, Suite 230, Lawrenceville. Classes include practical knowledge in tax law, and TaxWise software use, and hands-on practice. You will be required to pass a test on IRS Link & Learn to be certified to volunteer. Register with Michelle at 609-844-1008.
For Kids
Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision is accepting entries from students conducting research on scientific principles and current technologies as the basis for designing inventions that could exist in 20 years. Applications for this year’s competition are available at www.ExploraVision.org. The deadline is Thursday, January 31.
Grief Awareness
Good Grief will open its first satellite location in Princeton on February 6. Visit www.good-grief.org.
Inauguration
Congressman Rush Holt offers advice for those interested in attending the event on Monday, January 21, at the Capitol in Washington, D.C. “Begin your travel plans now, as hotels, airlines, and Amtrak all sell out quickly,” he says in a statement. “You do not need a ticket to attend.”
Certain areas around the Capitol will be open to ticket holders only. Holt has received a small allotment of tickets, and to ensure their fair distribution, his office will conduct a random lottery. All requests from the 12th Congressional District will go through the lottery.
To enter the lottery, E-mail your name, address, phone number, and E-mail address to Andrew Black at andrew.black@mail.house.gov. Each entry is limited to two tickets, and requests must be submitted by 6 p.m. on Tuesday, December 18.
