As far as we’re concerned, there is only one place to be this weekend: The MorristownGreen.com Music & Arts Showcase, and its sister celebration, Earth Day Experience 2012.
Okay, that’s actually two places to be. But they are both in the same DeHart Street Parking Garage.
From noon to 6 pm on Sunday, we will be on the garage roof (one level down, if it’s raining) introducing some great local singers and musicians. We’re working with Sustainable Morristown and WDHA Radio, while Sustainable Morristown is orchestrating a variety of Earth Day exhibitions and tours along with a town-wide tag sale.
Of course, lots of other stuff is going on. Highlights are below; even more options await your persual on our handy calendar.
THURSDAY, April 19, 2012:
Celebrate Leonardo da Vinci’s 560th birthday with the Arts Council of the Morris Area, from 5:30 pm to 7 pm at the Hyatt Morristown’s Qube Lounge. It’s also National Creativity Week, so bring a bright idea with you to the cash bar!
Religion in the Civil War: The North Jersey Civil War Roundtable tackles this meaty subject at 7:14 pm, at the Haggerty Education Center of the Frelinghuysen Arboretum, 53 E. Hanover Avenue, Morris Township (opposite the Morris County Library). John Fea, history chairman at Messiah College in Pennsylvania is the guest speaker. His topic: BOTH PRAYED TO THE SAME GOD. “The Civil War was not a war of religion, but both sides believed that God was on their side. Many of the soldiers carried the bible, read from it and prayed from it; it this aspect of religion that Dr. Fea will develop. Reread Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address to fully appreciate this lecture.” Admission: $5. First time guests and students: Free.
Comedy Central comedian Gabriel Iglesias comes to Morristown’s Mayo Performing Arts Center at 8 pm. Tickets: $67-$37. Call 973-539-8008
FRIDAY, April 20:
The 12th annual Canine Cotillion to benefit homeless pets at St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center starts at 7 pm at the Westin Governor Morris at 2 Whippany Road in Morristown. It’s a chance to party with your pooch, eat and bid on silent auction items. Cost: $275 (includes one dog). Call 973.377.7094.
Songwriters won’t want to miss this twin-bill at the Minstrel in Morris Township: Don Henry and Craig Bickhardt are two of Nashville’s finest. Both can tug at your heartstrings or your funny bone. Don’s repertoire includes Harley, Mr. God and Beautiful Fool. Craig’s 800 songs include numbers recorded by Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson. Showtime is 8 pm, at the Morristown Unitarian Fellowship at 21 Normandy Heights Road. Admission: Adults $7, children 12 and under are free. Jersey Arts cardholders get two-for-one admission. Call 973-335-9489 for more.
Everyone’s favorite roller derby team, the Jerzey Derby Brigade, dares you to step up to the mic at 8 pm and sing out against cancer.
Call it Karaoke for a Cure: The music plays for two hours at Tiffany’s, at 231 Speedwell Ave. in Morris Plains. It’s a fundraiser for Relay for Life. Just sing what the ladies tell you, and nobody gets hurt.
The Dance Theatre of Harlem dances into Morristown’s Mayo Performing Arts Center at 8 pm. Tickets: $27-$57. Call 973-539-8008.
SATURDAY, April 21:
It’s that time of year again: Spring cleaning. The Morristown Clean Communities Committee needs volunteers for two hours to tidy up parks, playgrounds, parking lots and roads. Individuals, families and groups are invited to meet at 9 a.m. behind Morristown town hall, at 200 South St. Assignments will be divvied up, and light refreshments will be served. Heavy rain date: April 22. For more details, contact Kathleen O’Neill Margiotta at 973-644-4363 or k-margiotta@townofmorristown.org.
Want to become a blacksmith? Historic Speedwell in Morristown offers a daylong beginner’s course, starting at 9 am, for ages 13 and up. Cost: $15. Call 973-285-6535.
Benedict Arnold went from hero to zero… but how? Find out at 10 am at Washington’s Headquarters Museum, at Washington Place in Morristown. Learn how Arnold became synonymous with treason right here in Morristown. Cost: $4 per adult.
Celebrate Earth Day at Lewis Morris Park in Morris Township from 11 am to 4 pm with games, music, food, live animal shows and nearly 100 vendor booths featuring green-themed products and services.
Sona Thirteen in Morristown is hosting a special birthday party at 7 pm. Kristin Dunn just turned 30–a happy milestone for someone with cystic fibrosis. The Eric Hayes Band will help Kristin celebrate–and raise money for research to find a cure. Tickets are $65 in advance and $75 at the door, with all proceeds going to cystic fibrosis research.
Choirs from Morristown’s Methodist and Presbyterian churches join the Morris Choral Society at 7:30 pm for America Sings, an evening of historical songs at the Morristown United Methodist Church under the direction of June Van Thoen. Suggested donation: $15 for adults, $12 for seniors. For advance tickets ($12 adults/$10 seniors) call 973-538-2132. Students with ID are admitted free. The church is at 50 Park Place, on the Green. A reception follows the show.
SUNDAY, April 22:
Captain Lung will close Sunday’s rooftop concert in Morristown.
Noon to 6 pm: The MorristownGreen.com Music & Arts Showcase offers something for everyone, in a concert atop the DeHart Street Parking Garage at DeHart and Maple in Morristown. Rock, country, jazz, roots, R & B –you name it, we’ve got it, performed by some of the best young talent in Greater Morristown! From Morristown High School, there is Captain Lung, a prizewinning indie rock trio from Morristown’s Got Talent! Another eye-opener from that contest, sixth-grade singing sensation Hanna Neil, joins a roster that includes 23-year-old saxophone star Brian Cunningham, who has been making joyful jazz at the Bethel A.M.E. Church. We’re also pleased to welcome Art of Play, competing next month for top amateur honors at Harlem’s famed Apollo Theater. Morristown’s Original Music School is sending its answer to Taylor Swift, teenaged singer-songwriter Lauren Smith. 1st Ave will charm you with its shimmery pop, while Hub Hollow — the pride of Morristown-Beard–promises a foot-stomping lesson in old-timey fun. Morristown High alum Ben Rhodes, who performed at our first rooftop show in 2009, returns with a new band, Untitled, and new compositions. We’ve got soul and R&B covered, thanks to Amor, a teen group that blends youthful verve with grownup talent. So bring lawn chairs and dancing shoes. The rooftop concert is FREE, hosted by MorristownGreen.com in association with Sustainable Morristown and WDHA Radio. Rain? We’ll just move the show down one level in the parking deck! It’s all part of Earth Day Experience 2012… see below!
THE MG MUSIC & ARTS SHOWCASE LINEUP:
Noon: Hanna Neil
12:15: Lauren Smith/ Ridiculous
1:00: Untitled
1:45: Hub Hollow
2:30: Art of Play
3:15: 1st Ave
3:45: Brian Cunningham
4:30: Amor
5:15: Captain Lung
Noon to 6 pm: Enjoy Earth Day Experience 2012 inside Morristown’s DeHart Street Parking Garage. While we showcase promising young musicians and artists from Greater Morristown on the solar-paneled rooftop, lower levels of the parking deck will feature a town-wide garage sale and an electric-hybrid car show, both co-hosted by the Daily Record. WMTR’s Green Divas Radio Show co-hosts a sustainable living expo, and Patch is co-hosting a healthy foods festival. The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, meanwhile, will lead tours through the Morristown Parking Authority’s adjoining headquarters at 14 Maple Ave., a LEED-certified, geothermal marvel of environmental design. Sustainable Morristown orchestrates this eco-symphony, which plays rain or shine.
Author Robert Sheridan will be at Morristown’s Macculloch Hall Historical Museum from 1 pm to 4 pm to sign copies of his book, Iron from the Deep: The Discovery and Recovery of the USS Monitor. The event is associated with the museum’s current exhibit, Gone for a Soldier: Jerseymen in the Civil War. Admission: Adults $8, seniors $6, students (over 12) $6, children (6-12) $4. Members and children 5 and under are admitted free. Call 973-538-2404 x 10 for more details.
Speaking of the Civil War, that’s what Joe Bilby will be doing at 2 pm, at the Morristown & Township Library at 1 Miller Road. Specifically, Joe will be discussing his book, New Jersey Goes to War. Admission: Free.
Lyrica Chamber Music concludes its 25th season at 3 pm, in the Presbyterian Church at 240 Southern Blvd. in Chatham. Two compositions will be premiered. Tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for seniors, students are free. Call 973-309-1668 for more.
Catskills on Broadway, a Borscht Belt comedy revue, visits Morristown’s Mayo Performing Arts Center at 3 pm. Tickets are $42-$67. Call 973-539-8008 for more.
The Presbyterian Church in Morristown presents Collage Concert–One World, One Language, at 4 pm. Julie Ramseyer directs this unusual production in which hoedowns, Indonesian folks songs and 17th century Spanish dances flow into each other from all corners of the church. Soloists, musicians, choirs and handbells are followed by culinary treats. Admission: Free. The church is at 57 Park Place. Call 973-538-1776 for more.
After all the Earth Day fun, unwind with pizza, pads and pencils. The Open Drawing Session runs from 6 pm to 9 pm at Zebu Forno, 9 South St., Morristown. Sketch live models with friendly artists and eat pizza, for $10. Call 770-853-9727 for more information.
