Two Days: Dinosaurs roam all over New Jersey this weekend

Dino-related attractions in Newark, Morristown, New Brunswick and elsewhere

Earth Day in Morris Township: Half of a drumming doubleheader for John Nally

If you attend the Earth Day festivities at Lewis Morris Park in Morris Township on Saturday, April 30, make sure to swing by the Groovetopia concert at 11 a.m. to wish drummer John Nally good luck.

After banging out some rock and roll with his boyhood pal, guitarist P.J. Brutzman, John will grab his drumsticks and dash to Princeton to compete in the New Jersey state jazz finals with the Morristown High School Spectrum Jazz Ensemble.

The high school senior has been pounding the skins ever since fourth grade at the Normandy Park School. But things really got serious the next year.

“My parents got us a drum set at Christmas time. It was the best present they ever got us,” said John, who shared the kit with his older brother, Ryan.

They only were allowed to play during afternoons, he said, to keep the neighbors happy.

The brothers took lessons at Star Music, a store that used to be in the Burger King strip mall on Morris Street.

John developed a love for jazz in the Falcons Jazz Band at the Frelinghuysen Middle School, under the direction of John Schumacher.

At the same time, John Nally started exploring rock and roll at Paul Green’s School of Rock in Chatham. He formed his first band with P.J. around this time.

John’s first brush with fame came with Timeless Jazz, the first winners of Morristown’s Got Talent!  That was a large group and members shared the $1,000 prize in 2008.

“We all got $100. I got new cymbals,” John said with a smile.

That year his brother also competed in the talent show, as drummer for the rock band Charlie and the Vanilla Faces.

Michael Russo, band director at Morristown High, described John as a great student in his Music Theory class and an excellent musician in the school’s Wind Ensemble and Marching Colonials. With Spectrum, John shows confidence and keeps a steady tempo on drums, the director added.

John is rock steady as a person, too, as evidenced by a moving talk that he delivered this month to freshmen about the value of community service. (Watch the video.)

“What fulfills my spirit is helping other people,” John told the freshmen.

“You can help yourself and do things for yourself to a certain point. But there’s always going to be a little part of you that’s not fulfilled, because you haven’t done anything to benefit the world and the people around you.”

John serves as a mentor in a school program called Peer Group Connection, which has created a movement called CaRevolution to focus on service.

Teacher Brian Vagnini, an adviser to Peer Group Connection, said John has earned a reputation as  “an incredibly hard-working student who takes nothing for granted. He is someone who gives back to the community as much as he takes from it.”

“He is someone I can always count on and someone I know I can turn to when I need something completed,” said Claudine Priola, an English teacher who oversees the mentoring program.  “He is dependable, personable, and always finds a way to make me smile. John plans on becoming an educator; I would be proud to call him my colleague some day.”

John plans to pursue a career in special education.

Right now, however, the burning question is about drumming:

Does he prefer rock or jazz?

“Rock is about laying down time,” John said. “Jazz gives us a rough outline. It’s definitely more challenging.”

Earth Day activities run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Here is a complete roster of events.

Morristown applauds the royal newlyweds

We’re guessing there are some bleary eyed people around Morristown right about now, courtesy of the royal wedding this morning.

Yet the enthusiasm level was high around lunchtime at Century 21, where shoppers stopped for a cup of tea with Melody McGinley Whitelaw, “caterer to the stars” from The Main Event.

Please click icon below for captions.

Lisa Merrill, who works for an architectural firm in Morristown,  said it was hard to ignore the Will & Kate Show.

“It’s a fairy tale,” she said. But she only caught a snippet this morning. “I saw the kiss, and that was it. It was not that great of a kiss!”

Lisa’s friend Lou Ann was more bowled over by Kate’s sister, Pippa Middleton, whose tight-fighting, low-cut white dress generated lots of buzz.

Nataliya Nucklos, who works in the cosmetics area, watched the proceedings before work.

“I almost cried,” she said. “When I saw the people so happy, it was beautiful.”

Her colleague, Valerie Jean-Louis, said she understood why this was such a big deal. “There hasn’t been a royal wedding in a while, since Diana.” Still, she wasn’t that obsessed with it. “It’s a British thing.”

The wedding provided a much needed splash of cheer in a world dominated by dour news, said Chef Melody, who served teas by John Harney & Sons Fine Teas.

(You also can sample Chef Melody’s tasty treats on May 3 at our MG Songwriters Night: The Magic Behind the Music, at the Morristown EcoCenter, 55 Bank St.)

Walt Albee, a salesman, watched the nuptials from the treadmill at his gym in Basking Ridge. “It’s very exciting, a spectacular event,” he said. “It’s great to have that kind of tradition and history. We really don’t have anything like that in this country.”

Morristown council candidate booted from ballot for second time

Morristown council hopeful Chris Kehrli has been disqualified from running in the June primary for the second time.

Town Clerk Matt Stechauner reviewed 20 signatures on Chris’ nominating petitions on Friday and found that only 17 were valid–one shy of the 18 he needs to get on the ballot.

“I am not certifying him to be placed on the ballot,” said Matt.

On Thursday, a judge had given Chris until noon today, April 29, to resubmit his petitions with corrections to errors he had made regarding who had collected the signatures.

Earlier this month the town’s Democratic chairwoman, Mary Dougherty, challenged the petition on those technical grounds, a challenge that the town clerk upheld.

Chris, an attorney who recently switched from the GOP to the Democratic party, sued and state Superior Court Judge Robert Brennan accepted his testimony that the mistakes were made “in good faith.”

However, the resubmitted petitions still were subject to review by Matt to determine whether the petition signers were registered as Democrats or as unaffiliated voters.

The clerk said that one voter turned out to be a Republican. Another was registered in a different ward than the First Ward, and a third voter was not registered at all, according to the clerk, who is leaving on a two-week vacation.

The deadline for printing the primary ballots, May 9, will pass while Matt is gone.

Chris Kehrli could not immediately be reached for comment.

He sought to run for the First Ward seat held by Rebecca Feldman, an Independent who seeks re-election. She is a supporter of Mayor Tim Dougherty. Mary Dougherty is the Mayor’s wife. She could not immediately be reached for comment.

In court on Thursday, Chris conceded that eight additional signatures were not valid because they were gathered by a friend who does not live in Morristown. Those signatures now loom large.

Rebecca reiterated her comment from Thursday. “Should anyone choose to run against me in the November general election, I will look forward to having an open and spirited debate with them about the needs of Morristown’s First Ward,” she said.

Why can’t I get that song out of my head? Find out May 3 at the Morristown EcoCenter

You know what it’s like. A song burrows into your brain, and won’t leave.

How does that happen?

Find out on Tuesday, May 3, at MG Songwriters Night: The Magic Behind the Music. Four great songwriters will reveal their secrets for taking over your nervous system.

There will be lively discussion, music and who knows… maybe you will be inspired to get even by writing your own hit song!

The fun starts at 7:30 at the proposed Morristown EcoCenter, at 55 Bank St. (The former Mini Cooper dealership.) Admission is free.

You will get to meet:

• Grover Kemble, of Za Zu Zaz fame.
• Blaire Reinhard, a Morristown High grad on her way to stardom with the Blaire Reinhard Band.
• Brandyn (Adeo) Heppard, another MHS alum doing great things with Universal Rebel.
• Bill Griese, a singer-songwriter who has been featured in national TV ads.

Great weekend weather at last! Good news for these biking events

Finally we have a blissfully dry weekend ahead of us ... and I for one will most definitely be out cruising the trails with Betty 2.0. For those that prefer a more organized group event while enjoying your biking with the family, here's some great choices.

Video: ‘Pop-Up’ Art Show at the Morristown EcoCenter

It takes a village to raise a Pop-Up Art Show.

Thursday night’s kickoff of the three-day show at the proposed Morristown EcoCenter was a great example of the good things that can happen quickly when motivated people put their heads and hands together.

Paul Miller of Sustainable Morristown suggested a non-juried art show to Kadie Dempsey of the Arts Council of the Morris Area.

Kadie spread the word among her vast network of artists. Linda Mead and Susan Faiola joined the team. More than 20 artists agreed to supply more than 70 paintings and sculptures.

“It’s surprising how many showed up at the last minute,” Kadie said.

The Arts Council provided mounting scaffolds. Artist Dan Fenelon, Kadie’s husband, spent a marathon day installing everything. John Tetz scampered up a ladder to hang his delicate mobiles, which resemble SpaghettiO’s without the sauce.

At the appointed hour, the boys from Timeless Jazz and the Art of Play filled the former Mini Cooper dealership at 55 Bank St. with music.

Chantal Diedrich and Linda Mead enjoy music at Pop-Up Art, at the Morristown EcoCenter. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

Charles Caldwell, David Noonan (father and son), Greg Egan, Maria Lupo, Danielle and Chris Merzatta, Elaine Allen Smith, Robert Richardson and Valerie Coll are just a few of the artists whose works are on display through Saturday.

“It’s like there is this fantastic energy between artists,” Kadie said.

Tap into it tonight, April 29, and see for yourself.

And please come back to the EcoCenter on Tuesday, May 3, for MG Songwriters Night: The Magic Behind the Music.

Re-introducing…Morristown cartoonist Fred Caracci and ‘Horse’s Tomato’

MorristownGreen.com is delighted to welcome back Horse’s Tomato, a weekly comic strip by Morristown cartoonist Fred Caracci.

Fred was among the early contributors to MG, and he has created the stylish logos for the MorristownGreen.com Film Festival.

He also teaches at the Morris County Art Association, and aims to impress cartoon syndicates by gathering a large Facebook following, so please “like” his page!

You can meet Fred on May 13 at MG Cartooning Night: Doodling With a Purpose.

Panelists also will include MG cartoonist Paul Laud and Matt Keown. The free talk starts at 7:30 pm at the proposed Morristown EcoCenter, at 55 Bank St. (The former Mini Cooper showroom.) Bring your sketch pad and your questions!

Horse’s Tomato by Fred Caracci

Parsing the meaning of inflation and cost of living

The difference between inflation and cost-of-living adjustments: in general, inflation is more backward-looking and cost-of-living is more forward-looking.

Video: Morristown council hopeful Chris Kehrli on his second chance

On Thursday a judge gave Morristown council hopeful Chris Kehrli a second chance to get onto the ballot in the June primary.

Superior Court Judge Robert Brennan found deficiencies in the Democrat’s nominating petitions, but determined that the errors were made “in good faith.” Chris was given until noon Friday to correct the mistakes.

Here is Chris’ reaction moments after the ruling.

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