Compiled by Kevin Coughlin
It’s party time in Greater Morristown.
Pool parties. Memorial parties. Music parties with hitmakers from the ’50s (Dion) and the ’90s (Gin Blossoms). Ice cream parties. Shakespeare parties. Black Potatoe parties.
And don’t forget to check our handy calendar for even more ways to party this weekend!
THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015:
Shakespeare Under the Stars is back at the amphitheater of the College of Saint Elizabeth in Morris Township, with Love’s Labour’s Lost at 8 pm. This production — about four young noblemen who vow to swear off women and hit the books — runs through July 26, 2015, at 8 pm each night with an extra 4:30 pm show on Sundays. Tickets are $15-$35. Call 973-408-5600 or visit The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey. At 2 Convent Road, off Madison Avenue. Parking is free.
Rock and Roll Hall-of-Famer Dion (The Wanderer, Runaround Sue) comes to Morristown’s Mayo Performing Arts Center at 8 pm. Keith Alberstadt opens. Tickets: $59-$99. At 100 South St. Call 973-539-8008 for more.
FRIDAY, JULY 10:
It’s Tyke Time at Grow It Green Morristown’s Urban Farm! Young farmers ages 3 to 5 can explore the farm (they must be accompanied by an adult) for an hour each Friday at 10 am. Fun stories and activities await them. Youngsters are encouraged to wear closed-toe shoes and clothes that can get dirty. Suggested donation: $5. At the Urban Farm at Lafayette, behind the Lafayette Learning Center, 31 Hazel St., Morristown.
Photographing America’s History, a an exhibit featuring works by 30 area photographers and exclusive images from the collections of the late Geraldine Rockefeller Dodge and the Morristown & Township Library, is at the 70 South Gallery in Morristown. A screening room also is showing winning entriesfrom the 2015 Morristown High School Film Festival. The Dodge photos are courtesy of the Hartley Farms Historical Society.
The 19th Annual Black Potatoe Music Festival revs up two outdoor stages of indie music at 6 pm, at the bucolic Red Mill Museum Village in Clinton. Scott Sharrard and the Brickyard Band and the Chris O’Leary Band top Friday’s bill; the music resumes at 11:30 am on Saturday (The Matt Angus Thing headlines in the evening) and again on Sunday at noon (starting with Ellis Paul). More than 40 bands are lined up. Tickets are $25 for each day; $65 buys you a three-day pass. At 56 Main St.
One of Greater Morristown’s hidden gems is the Longo Planetarium at the County College of Morris in Randolph. Space Extreme! starts at 7 pm, and will take you to the edge of black holes, supernovae, colliding galaxies and more–in just one hour. For ages 8 and up. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for seniors, and free for kids under 12. Reservations recommended. Call 973-328-5076. At 214 Center Grove Road. See Saturday listings for two different space shows.
Take advantage of the open stage at 8 pm at The Minstrel in Morris Township. Show what you can do! At the Morristown Unitarian Fellowship, 21 Normandy Heights Road
Trilogy Repertory Plays in the Park presents Mary Poppins — featuring Danielle Becht of Morristown’s Got Talent fame — starting at 8 pm, with encore performances every Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening through July 25. Admission: Free. At Pleasant Valley Park in Basking Ridge, at the Outdoor Amphitheatre.
SATURDAY, JULY 11:
The Morris Plains Farmers Market is back for its 13th season, every Saturday through Oct. 10, 2015, from 9 am to 2 pm. It’s on the Merchant Block, at the Speedwell Avenue extension, just before the train trestle.
Assumption School in Morristown is holding a rummage sale from 9 am to 4 pm, to raise funds for The Village Angels of Tanzania, Africa. The program by the Franciscan Sisters of St. Bernadette pairs jobless youths and the unattended elderly poor in the northwestern corner of Tanzania, near Lake Victoria. Assumption School is at 63 Macculloch Ave.
That walking tour on the Green that we mentioned previously– it’s next week. Check back here next Thursday for more!
The 19th Annual Black Potatoe Music Festival in Clinton resumes at 11:30 am and just keeps going. More than 40 bands over the weekend. See Friday entry for details.
All are invited to the 23rd annual George Gramby Day, from noon to 7 pm at Gramby Memorial Park (the former Abbett Avenue Playground) in Morristown. This celebration of recovery and sobriety will include activities for kids, softball and basketball games, lots of food, and awards for people and organizations that make a difference in the community.
Way back in 1984, President Reagan declared July as National Ice Cream Month. Who can argue with the Gipper? Certainly not Historic Speedwell, which hosts All Scream for Ice Cream from 2 pm to 4 pm. Learn about ice cream lore and recipes from staff in 19-century costumes. Admission is $5 for adults, $4 seniors, $3 for ages 4-16, and free for kids under 4. Call 973-285-6550 for more. At 333 Speedwell Ave., Morristown.
The Longo Planetarium at the County College of Morris in Randolph boasts two mind-bending shows today: Shapes in the Sky, at 3 pm (ages 4 and up), which tells about fun myths and legends from around the world, and a Tour of the Planets at 5 pm (ages 6 and older). Each show runs about an hour. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for seniors, and free for kids under 12. Reservations recommended. Call 973-328-5076. At 214 Center Grove Road.
Ginty Pool reopened last week after major renovations… and now it’s ready to make a splash — with a Big Splash Party and Open House from 11 am to 8 pm. Scheduled entertainment includes Kelly Ford and the NASH-FM Street Team, with music by the Bottle Openers Band (a finalist in Morristown’s Got Talent) from 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm, and the Cloud 9 DJ from 1 pm to 7 pm. Admission is free for members, $5 for nonmembers. At 35 Fanok road in Morris Township.
SUNDAY, JULY 12:
The Morristown Farmers Market celebrates its 25th season, from 8:30 am to 2 pm every Sunday through Nov. 22, 2015, in municipal lot 10. That’s behind the Morristown Post Office, accessible via Morris Street or Dumont Place. Organized by the Morristown Partnership, the market features 16 area farms and specialty vendors, with entertainment offered once per month.
Worship on the Morristown Green: Join three local congregations —The Presbyterian Church in Morristown, the Morristown United Methodist Church, and the Bethel AME Church — for a 10 am service on the leafy town square. “Bring a lawn chair or blanket, lean against a tree, let your children play – relax and enjoy this casual service .” (Some chairs and benches are available).
The 19th Annual Black Potatoe Music Festival in Clinton continues with live music at noon, against the stunning backdrops of a sheer cliff and a shimmering pond. See Friday entry for details.
Hub Hollow brings its “new kind of old-time music” back to the Macculloch Hall lawn at 4 pm, for its fifth year in the garden. Concert tickets, available from 1 pm to 4 pm, are $15 for nonmembers; and $10 for members, seniors, students. Free for children under 12. There also is a special $5 ticket to the Macculloch Hall Historical Museum in the hours preceding the show, for concert-goers. They should bring blankets or chairs, no seating is available. Only service animals permitted, no pets please. In bad weather, the performance will move indoors (limited seating). The announcement will be made on the Museum’s voicemail and Facebook page during the afternoon. At 45 Macculloch Ave. in Morristown.
Revisit the musical landscape of the ’90s with Gin Blossoms (Hey Jealousy, Follow You Down, Til I Hear It From You), The Rembrandts (I’ll Be There for You, Just the Way It Is, Baby) and Fastball (The Way, Out of My Head), at 7 pm at Morristown’s Mayo Performing Arts Center. Tickets: $39-$69. At 100 South St. Call 973-539-8008 for more.
