Don’t cry over raw milk? Find out at the Morristown EcoCenter. And make sure to plan ahead for Mother’s Day. Plenty of ideas are below. Or check out our great calendar for more options–and add your own suggestions, too.
Happy Mother’s Day!
THURSDAY, May 5
New Jersey Young Professionals offers a Cinco de Mayo After Work Fiesta for Young Professionals from 6 to 8 p.m. Mexican-themed drink and food specials, and “a party that proves Thursday night is still the new Friday.” At the Famished Frog Side Bar, Washington Street, Morristown.
There’s a lecture by Patricia Reid Herold starting at 7 pm at the Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms. Ms. Herold is the author of Mountain Lakes 1911 – 2011, and presents “Six Degrees of Separation: Gustav Stickley, Herbert Hapgood and the Mountain Lakes’ Craftsman Way.” At 2352 Rt. 10-West, #5, Morris Plains. Admission: $10 Member; $12 Non Member. Call 973-540-0311 for information.
Also at 7 pm: A Raw Milk Forum at the Morristown EcoCenter. Raw milk is illegal in 10 States, apparently. Tonight you have a chance “to learn the pros and cons from a dietician who is also the co-founder of Garden State Raw Milk, a Rutgers science professor, and a farmer who’s preparing for legalization in NJ.” Registration required. Register with Tammy@thehealthshoppes.com, or call The Health Shoppe at 973-538-9131, ext. 120. At 55 Bank St, Morristown.
It’s An Evening with Asia – the 1980s rock group – at the newly-renamed Mayo Performing Arts Center (“Morristown’s Community Theatre since 1937”) starting at 8 p.m. Original band members Steve Howe (Yes) and Geoff Downes (Yes and The Buggles) , Carl Palmer (Emerson, Lake & Palmer) and John Wetton (UK) will be on hand, performing songs like “Only Time Will Tell,” “Heat of the Moment,” and “Sole Survivor,” as well as favorites from Yes and ELP. At 100 South Street, Morristown; tickets $37-$75. Call the box office at 973-539-8088 for more information.
FRIDAY, May 6
The Presbyterian Church offers another of their Fridays-on-the-Green Free Midday Concerts starting at 12:15 p.m. with The Jeff Ausfahl Band: Guitarist Jeff Ausfahl, bagpiper/organist James Hicks, and guest musicians. They’ll perform Celtic and Appalachian folk music as well as some contemporary fare. At 57 park Place, Morristown. Free. Call 973-538-1776 for more information.
The Visiting Nurse Association of Northern New Jersey presents its 14th annual gala, Lighting the Way, Brightening the Day, at the Madison Hotel from 7 p.m. till midnight. An elegant evening includes a cocktail hour, a formal dinner, entertainment throughout, a silent auction, and an awards ceremony celebrating prominent local citizens and corporations. All proceeds from ticket sales and auction will go to provide funding for “initiatives like hospice and respite care, adult daycare services, nursing and rehabilitative therapies for Morris County, New Jersey residents.” Tickets are $250; additional sponsorship opportunities available. Please contact Amanda DeFelice at 973-451-4169 for more information. The Madison Hotel is at One Convent Rd. in Morristown.
Anne Hills plays The Minstrel starting at 8 p.m. Well-known for her lovely singing voice (listen for yourself at her website), Anne has sung for Tom Paxton, Michael Smith, and as part of the vocal trio, Herdman, Hills, and Mangsen. She’s also a songwriter and collector, and, we’re told, has a “high-spirited and feisty stage presence.” Sounds like fun! At the Morristown Unitarian Fellowship, 21 Normandy Heights Road, Morristown. Admission: Adults $7; children 12 and under get in free. Call 973-335-9489 or see the the Folk Project website for more information.
SATURDAY, May 7
The Friends of the Frelinghuysen Arboretum hold their 16th Annual Plant Sale today from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. They tell us that “this is the largest plant sale in the area, featuring a wide selection of trees, shrubs, perennials and annuals” — and that certainly seems to be true. Plant advisers are on premises to answer questions, too. I’ve always enjoyed the day, I must say; one year I bought a new Rutgers variety of holly advertised to grow “seven feet in seven years” — and so it did. Free admission, and you can just wander around without buying anything, too. We love the Arboretum. At 353 Hanover Avenue, Morris Township. Call 973-326-7601 or see the Morris County Parks website for more information.
Today and tomorrow you can take in the 17th Annual NAGA World Grappling Championship No-Gi &Gi Tournament. It runs from 10 a.m. – 7:30 p.m. at the William G. Mennen Sports Arena, 161 East Hanover Ave, Morristown. You can find out exactly what this is at their website. Admission is $10 in advance, $15 at the door. On Saturday, it’s adults and on Sunday, kids and teens; admission wrist bands are good for both days.
Historic Highlights of Morris County: Willow Hall from 10 – 11:30 a.m. Be among the first to visit this historic home, previously a private residence for 160 years. Built by George Vail (proprietor of the Speedwell Iron Works), the home was recently placed on the National Register of Historic Places and is now the headquarters of the Passaic River Coalition. The public is invited to tour the buildings and grounds; admission is free. To reserve a space, call Morris Township Recreation on 973-407-1938. Willow Hall’s phone number is 973-532-9830. At 330 Speedwell Avenue, Morristown. More at Morris Township’s website.
Anne Hills, who played at the Minstrel last night, offers a songwriting workshop today from 10:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. She’ll teach “Songwriting with a Purpose,” an assignment-oriented workshop for all levels of songwriters. Bring any instrument you use along with your voice, some writing materials, comfortable clothes, and a brown bag lunch. Cost is $30. See the Folk Project website for information; for workshop location and more information call 908-591-6491.
You can attend the Macculloch Hall Historical Museum Annual Wine Tasting Benefit from 6 – 9 p.m. Louis Manzo (of Gary’s Wine & Marketplace) will present fine wines from around the world; there will also be complimentary hors d’oeuvres, a silent auction, and a 50-50 raffle in the museum’s atmospheric house and gardens. At 45 Macculloch Avenue, Morristown. Tickets are $75 for juniors (up to 35 years) and $125. Call 973-538-2404, ext 15, or see the museum’s website for more information.
If you’re more in the mood for contra dancing, enjoy Donna Hunt & Rockadillies at Swingin’ Tern, from 7:30 – 11 p.m. Donna Hunt will return (from Delaware) to her roots at Swingin’ Tern Dances. Mark Schaffer on fiddle; Kris Lamb on flute and whistles; Liz Kozack on keyboard; Jeff DeSmedt on bass; Robin Schaffer on percussion; and Joel Glassman on fiddle and electric mandolin. Conventional contras, rock contras, and rock ‘n’ roll dances, too. First Presbyterian Church, 14 Hanover Road, East Hanover; admission: $10 per adult and $5 per student. See the Folk Project website, or call 973-551-4441 for more information.
SUNDAY, May 8
Sunday Morning Seminar at the Presbyterian Church is a weekly (through May 15) adult discussion/study from 9:15 – 10:15 a.m. Various topics, including hymnody, dealing with loss, the Bible, theology, current issues. At the Parish House, 65 South Street, Morristown. Free. Call 973-538-1776 for more information, or see the church’s website.
Over at St. Peter’s, retired Bishop of Newark Jack Spong will probe the Resurrection story in the New Testament by asking “Who, where, when, and how?” at Adult Forum in the Parish House starting at 10 a.m. He’ll preach at the 11:15 service as well. Free. The Parish House is at 70 Maple Avenue, and the church is at the corner of South Street and Miller Road in Morristown. Call 973-538-0555 for more information.
Macculloch Hall offers a Mother’s Day Garden Tour today – with free admission for moms – from 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. The grounds consist of three acres of plantings, including nearly sixty varieties of roses, many considered “heirloom.” Daffodils and bulbs in spring, followed by fragrant wisteria, and in early summer the sweet smell of roses. At 45 Macculloch Avenue, Morristown. Not-Mom adults: $6; Seniors & Students $5; Members and children under 12 are free. Call 973-538-2404, ext 10 for more.
