Compiled by Kevin Coughlin and Katrina Langer
In addition to lots of grown-up entertainment, Greater Morristown abounds with great activities for and by kids this weekend.
There is a nature walk in a swamp, a sure crowd-pleaser. And bicycling lessons. And an Egg Family Festival. Mother Goose, The Tortoise and the Hare and the Ugly Duckling all pay visits. Check out Shakespeare for young people, or a play by a college student and director.
Need more? Have a gander at our handy calendar.
THURSDAY, APRIL 10, 2014:
Share The Bounty 2014: The Community Soup Kitchen and Outreach Center Inc. is holding a cocktail reception and silent auction, starting at 6 pm at the Madison Hotel. Ticket are $60 and proceeds will help launch a new breakfast program at the soup kitchen, which operates at the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer in Morristown. Auction items include theater tickets, sports tickets, jewelry and more. For details, call 973-267-0709 or send an email.
Grow It Green Morristown concludes its Food for Thought Film Series at 6:45 pm with Big River, a 30- minute documentary by the creators of King Corn about the “ecological consequences of industrial agriculture.” The film is suitable for viewers of all ages. A discussion will follow about how to promote a healthier farm-ecology, and about local water resources. Snacks by C’est Cheese of Morristown. Tickets: $5. At the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, on the third floor at 14 Maple Ave. in Morristown.
The North Jersey American Revolution Round Table meets at 7:14 pm at the Washington’s Headquarters Auditorium in Morristown. Featuring Stephen Case, author of Treacherous Beauty: Peggy Shippen, Benedict Arnold’s Wife and the Woman Behind his Betrayal of the American Cause. Admission: Free. At 30 Washington Place.
Shaun Eli and his Ivy League of Comedy descend on the Bickford Theatre in Morris Township at 7:30 pm with a roster of comics who have appeared on Comedy Central, Late Night with David Letterman, Conan O’Brian, and at many regional comedy clubs. Admission: $25 general public, $20 members, seniors and students (18 and under or with valid college ID). At 6 Normandy Heights Road. Call 973-971-3706 for more.
FRIDAY, APRIL 11:
Center for Spiritual Living Morristown presents its Second Friday Spiritual Cinema. Spiritual shorts begin at 7 pm, followed by the feature film, The Shift: Ambition to Meaning, at 7:30 pm. Starring Wayne Dyer, The Shift is the story of the most important moment of your life – when you stop striving and start arriving. It is free, but love offerings are gratefully accepted. The Center for Spiritual Living is at 331 Mount Kemble Avenue in Harding.
Bring your flashlight for a guided twilight nature walk at the Great Swamp. Groups head out with a naturalist every 15 minutes to learn about and listen for nocturnal wildlife. For ages 5 and up. At the Great Swamp Outdoor Education Center, 247 Southern Blvd. in Chatham. Cost: $6 per person. Call 973-635-6629 for more.
Guitar fans should arrive plenty early at the Minstrel in Morris Township, because seats are sure to be scarce for this 8 pm show featuring 88-year-old jazz great Bucky Pizzarelli and Ed Laub, with local legend Grover Kemble as special guest. Bucky has performed with everyone from Benny Goodman to Tiny Tim; he recently recorded a duet with Paul McCartney. Admission: $8, children 12 and under, free. At the Morristown Unitarian Fellowship, 21 Normandy Heights Road.
Bucky’s Birthday Bash:
SATURDAY, APRIL 12:
Traffic Skills 101: Learn how to ride your bike in traffic safely and with confidence. From 8:30 am to 6 pm, at Morristown Town Hall, 200 South St., and the Visiting Nurse Association parking lot, at South and James streets. Classroom instruction and on-road practice will teach riders to:
- navigate traffic
- repair a flat tire
- avoid a crash
- learn NJ bike laws
Cost: $30 for Bike Walk Town members, $40 non-members. Participants must be at least 18, know how to ride a bike, and have a safe bike and helmet.
The Morris Museum in Morris Township promises an egg-citing day with its Egg Family Festival, from 11 am to 4 pm. Held in conjunction with the current exhibition, Egg-zibit: The Art, Science and Culture of Eggs, visitors “will be invited to create hatching clothespin chicks, make animals that live in eggs, design and decorate eggs, craft egg animals, and more.” View live chicks, too (?!). Cheryl Anne and Goosey Gander will perform Mother Goose Magic at the adjacent Bickford Theatre , with shows at 11 am and 1:30 pm. Festival tickets include Museum admission: Free for members; Non-member: $7/child, $10/adult. Combo tickets include the Festival and Mother Goose Magic: $9 for members, $15 for non-members. At 6 Normandy Heights Road in Morris Township. Call 973-971-3706 for more.
A Midsummer’s Day Dream? Not quite. It’s a noontime performance of a Midsummer Night’s Dream, at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey in Madison. Geared for young students and their teachers. Admission: $16. At Drew University, 36 Madison Ave. At 2:30 pm, it’s Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. Call 973-408-5600 for more.
Mark Di Ionno’s new novel is titled The Last Newspaperman, which could well describe the award-winning Star-Ledger columnist after last week’s layoffs at the state’s largest paper. He will discuss his book, which explores the roots of tabloid journalism and rise of celebrity media culture, at the Morris County Library in Whippany from 2 pm to 4 pm. A book signing will follow. Registration recommended: Call 973-285-6930 or see the library website. At 30 E. Hanover Ave.
Stand Up For Paws: A Night of Comedy To Benefit Dog Rescue starts at 6 pm at The Bickford Theatre at The Morris Museum at 6 Normandy Height Road in Morris Township. Tickets are $35, and they will not be available at the door. Please call (862) 219-8660 or go to www.eventbrite.com and search for Stand Up For Paws.
Broadway Showstoppers come to Morristown’s Mayo Performing Arts Center at 8 pm. Enjoy Broadway’s most memorable moments from stars of its top musicals, including Jarrod Spector (Jersey Boys) and 2013 Tony nominee Carolee Carmello (Scandalous). Cast subject to change. Admission: $29-$49. Call 973-539-8008. At 100 South St.
Sebastian, the Argentine guitarist who has shared big stages with JLo and Marc Antony, comes to Morristown’s cozy End of Elm on Saturday tat 9 pm, as part of a new music series. No cover charge, but reservations are recommended. At 140 Morris St.
SUNDAY, APRIL 13:
After Palm Sunday morning services, members of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Morristown plan to fan out along South Street and the Green to give away free palm crosses that have unusual origins. The crosses are made by families from seven mud villages in Tanzania, and are imported by a volunteer organization. Churches buy these crosses, and net proceeds return to East Africa as non-denominational grants, said Alan Bowen of St. Peter’s.
The calendar says Spring, but the monthly Winter Farmers Market lives on, from 10 am to 2 pm at the Fosterfields Living Historical Farm in Morris Township. Brought to you by the Foodshed Alliance Famers’ Access Network and local farmers, with fresh, locally-produced meats, cheeses, artisan breads, honey, preserves, and winter produce. At 73 Kahdena Road. Admission: Free.
Lightwire Theater brings The Ugly Duckling and The Tortoise and The Hare to the Mayo Performing Arts Center at 1:30 pm. “Dazzling visuals, black light effects, music and choreograph” to delight ages 4 to 8. Tickets: $12-15. At 100 South St., Morristown. Call Call 973-539-8008.
Spiral, a play written by Fairleigh Dickinson student Ryan Kaminski and directed by FDU student Miguel Jesus Soliman, is presented at 2:30 pm and again at 8 pm at FDU’s Dreyfuss Theater, at 285 Madison Ave. in Madison. Appropriate for ages 15 and up, adult supervision necessary for anyone under 15. Admission free, donations appreciated. Call 973-443-8467 or email for more details.
Requiem for the Living by Dan Forrest will be performed at 3 pm by the Chancel Choir of the Presbyterian Church in Morristown with a chamber orchestra, conducted by Matthew Webb. Freewill donation appreciated. At 57 E. Park Place. Call 973-538-1776 for more.
Macculloch Hall Historical Museum in Morristown, celebrates New Jersey’s 350th Anniversary at 4:30 pm with its continuing Spring Speaker Series, in conjunction with its Made in New Jersey exhibit. Linda J. Barth will speak about her book, A History of Inventing in New Jersey: From Thomas Edison to the Ice Cream Cone. You may know about Edison’s “invention factory” in Menlo Park, but do you realize that M&Ms®, the boardwalk, and even baseball were invented by New Jerseyans? General admission: Adults $8; seniors $6; students (over 12) $6; children 6-12 $4. Members and children 5 and under are free. At 45 Macculloch Ave.
