This has been a big year for Morristown, and for MorristownGreen.com.
We started MG with The Star-Ledger at the tail end of 2007, and I re-launched it as an independent venture in May of 2010. My heartfelt thanks to everyone who has made this possible. There certainly has been no shortage of stories to cover!
So many, in fact, that it’s very hard to rank them. So let’s tackle the big ones in no particular order except for….
KABOOM!
My vote for Story of the Year in Morristown is the May 3 explosion at the Morristown & Township Library. Miraculously, there were no injuries. Alert staff recognized warning signs and evacuated the building moments before the blast.
Luckily, the library had not yet opened for patrons that morning. And busloads of schoolchildren coming to the Community Theatre, right across the street, were still en route when the basement explosion blew out windows and buckled floors at the library.
The cause remains under investigation. Library officials hope to reopen a portion of the structure early in 2011. We take Mayor Dougherty at his word that the cause will be unearthed–a 1994 library blast never got solved–so that library staff and patrons never are put at risk again.
The May incident has reminded everyone of the integral role the library plays in our daily lives–and how extremely fortunate we are that no precious lives were lost.
Images of 2011 from around Morristown
LOSSES
Lauren Failla, a 25-year-old member of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, died while snorkeling in India in April. She touched many lives and always will be missed.
The Colonial Symphony folded after 62 years of beautiful music in the Morristown area.
After 40 years of helping low-income families in Morristown, the Collinsville Child Care Center moved to Whippany.
CRIME
Morristown teenager Nigel Dumas was charged with felony murder and robbery in connection with the fatal beating of a Salvadoran immigrant in Summit in July.
ODDEST STORY
A St. Patrick’s Day Parade with Easter bonnets? Just about. The Morris County St. Patrick’s Day Parade was canceled moments before its scheduled start in March by town officials concerned about gusty winds. (When porta-johns started toppling, they knew it was time to pull the plug.) A sparse crowd watched the rescheduled parade weeks later, in April.
CAUSES FOR CELEBRATION
Nobody was injured when the library blew up.
Foundations, individuals and the nonprofit NJ After 3 rescued the STARS after-school program of the Morristown Neighborhood House after state cutbacks had jeopardized it.
Civic involvement is on the rise; happenings are sprouting all over town. While it might be a stretch to peg all this to Tim Dougherty being sworn in as mayor last January, his upbeat, inclusive style has sent positive ripples from town hall.
Among the year’s exciting developments:
The third annual Morristown’s Got Talent! show packed the Community Theatre and raised $30,000 for the Morris School District. The second Revolutionary Times Weekend was so successful that George Washington came to see for himself.
Grow It Green Morristown opened the Urban Farm at Lafayette--its second community garden in town.
Our Youth, Their Future, a new organization started by single moms, focused attention on solving problems facing minority youths in Morristown.
Nice crowds turned out for Sustainable Morristown’s first Festival Earth celebration, for our third annual MorristownGreen.com Film Fest, for the Arts Council’s first Pumpkin Illumination and for the first Art Around the Park gallery walk.
The Morristown Partnership’s annual fall Festival on the Morristown Green and the Christmas Festival on the Morristown Green showed off the downtown, which celebrated the holidays with its first windows decorating contest.
After a shaky start, the Morristown High School football team won its first state title since 1999. The Colonials, whose lineup mirrors the diversity that makes Morristown so fascinating, trounced Nutley, 40-6, at the New Meadowlands Stadium in December. Kevin Gaskins ran for more than 300 yards, capping a phenomenal season for the running back.
No doubt, First Night Morris County will close out this jam-packed year with more memorable moments.
We are only skimming the surface here, of course. What events get your votes for the biggest local stories of 2010? Was it a good year for you, or one that’s best viewed from a safe distance? Please add your comments below, or on our Facebook page.
And have a very Happy New Year! See you in ’11.
