Civil War buffs will find plenty to do this weekend around Greater Morristown, where at least three events focus on the Blue and Grey.
Music junkies, meanwhile, can hear two sax programs, a harpist, classical guitar- and violin concerts–and a pair of frog shows. One involves peepers in the Great Swamp. The other is a sendoff for the Blaire Reinhard Band at the Famished Frog.
The Arts Council of the Morris Area and the Interfaith Food Pantry are hosting gala fundraisers. You can rummage through some great bargains at the Morristown United Methodist Church. And an inspiring exhibition opens at Zebu Forno.
Scroll down for more, and check out our handy calendar.
THURSDAY, March 29, 2012:
You can dine and support a good cause at the same time: George & Martha’s American Grill at 67 Morris St. in Morristown will donate a portion of proceeds from lunch and dinner to CASA of Morris and Sussex Counties Inc. CASA is short for Court Appointed Special Advocates; the nonprofit goes to bat for abused and neglected children in foster care. Call 973-267-4700 for more about this offer.
WHERE’D YOU GET THEM PEEPERS? Join the Frog Jamboree for an hour, starting at 2 pm at the Great Swamp, at 247 Southern Blvd. in Chatham. Learn about spring peepers and wood frogs–if they’re not frozen solid! Cost: $3. Call 973-635-6629 for more.
Great Conversations returns to the Madison Hotel at 6 pm. This benefit for the Arts Council of the Morris Area enables patrons to dine with a roster of movers and shakers in the arts, education, sports, medicine and more. Admission: $195. See the link above for more details, and check out our podcast and video.
Blues at the Bickford features Butter and Bloom, with the Ed Palermo Big Band and special guest Rob Paparozzi (Blood, Sweat & Tears) performing songs of Paul Butterfield and Michael Bloomfield, at 7:30 pm at the Morris Museum,
6 Normandy Heights Road, Morris Township. Tickets: $20 members; $25 for non-members. Call 973-971-3706 for more.
The Del McCoury Band brings its bluegrass sound to Morristown’s Mayo Performing Arts Center at 8 pm. Tickets are $32-$57. Call 973-539-8008.
FRIDAY, March 30:
Fridays-on-the-Green concludes its March cycle at noon with a 35-minute set from classical guitarist Carlos Cuestas, at the Presbyterian Church in Morristown on 57 Park Place. Admission: Free. Lunch from C’est Cheese is available for purchase afterward.
The Atrium Gallery in Morristown showcases the future of art from 6 pm to 9 pm at the opening of the 24th annual Blackwell Street Juried Student Show. At 8 pm awards will be presented to top artists in multiple categories. Students hail from 19 high schools across Morris County; nearly 400 works were chosen from more than 600 entries. The Atrium Gallery is in the Morris County Administration and Records Building on Court Street.
The Interfaith Food Pantry of Morris County’s 13th annual Spring Gala, Building a Future of Hope, will honor Morristown Medical Center and the Notre Dame of Mt. Carmel Church at the Birchwood Manor in Whippany, starting at 6:30 pm. The fundraiser costs $250 per person, which includes cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, dinner, silent and live auctions, assorted raffles and performances by Mark Rivera, best known for his work with Ringo Starr and Billy Joel. Call 973-538-8049 x 211 for details.
The Metropolitan Saxophone Quartet performs Schubert, Bach, Cohen and more at Morristown’s Episcopal Church of the Redeemer at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $25 at the door, $20 in advance, and $10 for students. Children under 5 are free. The church is at 36 South St. Call 800-838-3006 for more.
Celtic combo Long Time Courting mixes traditional and contemporary tunes at The Minstrel in Morris Township at 8 pm, with harpist Maeve Gilchrist as opener. Admission: $7; children 12 and under are free. At the Morristown Unitarian Fellowship, 21 Normandy Heights Road. Call 973-335-9489 for more.
Loretta Lynn, who rose from Coal Miner’s Daughter to Queen of Country Music, visits Morristown’s Mayo Performing Arts Center at 8 pm. Tickets are $47-$97. Call 973-539-8008.
Drew University in Madison kicks off a two-day conference about the future of Civil War and Reconstruction Era studies with a keynote talk, Guerrillas Then and Now, by Daniel Sutherland of the University of Arkansas this evening. Conference registration is $50. Schedules, registration details and more are at the above link; inquiries also may be emailed to: cwconf@drew.edu.
SATURDAY, March 31:
Looking for good stuff at great prices? Look no farther than the 18th annual rummage sale at the Morristown United Methodist Church, from 9 am to 2 pm at 50 Park Place. Housewares, electronics, sporting goods and more await you; proceeds support the church youth mission trip to the Appalachian Service Project. Each year, the church sends 35 to 40 people to this program to repair homes of people who need a hand.
How do the GOP primary debates stack up with Lincoln/Douglas, the granddaddy of them all? Historian Richard Schwartz, author of The Prairies on Fire: Lincoln debates Douglas: 1858, can tell you at 2 pm, when he speaks at the Morris County Library, in Whippany at 30 Hanover Ave. Admission is free, and Richard, a history teacher at Whippany Park High School for more than 30 years, will sign specially priced copies of his book. Admission: Free. The event is sponsored by area chapters of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
The Moscow Festival Ballet brings Cinderella to Morristown’s Mayo Performing Arts Center, 100 South St., at 7 pm. Tickets are $27-$57. Call 973-539-8008 for details.
Coro Lirico, the concert opera chorus, presents America, the Beautiful – from Barber to Broadway, at 8 pm at Grace Episcopal Church, 4 Madison Ave., Madison. A reception will follow the concert. Tickets are $25, with $5 discounts for seniors and students. Call 973-887-6336 for more.
Not sure how we’re going to survive without the Blaire Reinhard Band for the next few months; Blaire and Wade are having their first baby pretty soon. At 10 pm the Band gives one last show at Morristown’s Famished Frog, at 18 Washington St., before going “on hiatus.” No cover charge, but you must be 21 or older to enter.
SUNDAY, April 1:
Does it seem like a lot of Civil War stuff is going around lately? Re-enactors are set to invade the garden of Morristown’s Macculloch Hall Historical Museum –home of the exhibit Gone for a Soldier: Jerseymen in the Civil War — from 1 pm to 4 pm. The garden is behind 45 Macculloch Ave. Museum admission: Adults $8; seniors and students $6; children 6 to 12, $4. Members and children under 5 are free. Call 973-538-2404 x. 10 for details.
Need some jazz to ease you through your Sunday? Brian Cunningham, saxophonist from Morristown’s Bethel AME Church, joins forces with keyboardist Ed Alstrom of the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer at George & Martha’s American Grill, 67 Morris St., from 1 pm to 4 pm. Here is a video clip of Brian performing at his welcome to Morristown a few weeks ago:
Max & Ruby: Bunny Party hops to the Mayo Performing Arts Center at 1:30pm. For ages 4-10. Tickets: $12-$15. Call 973-539-8008 for more.
The First Sunday concert series returns to the Presbyterian Church in Morristown at 4 pm, featuring violinist Pauline Kim Harris accompanied by Charity Wicks on piano. Admission: Free. At 57 Park Place. Call 973-538-1776 for details.
Morristown’s Zebu Forno café is hosting a reception from 4 pm to 6 pm for artists James Lane and Ellen Kane and their new abstract painting exhibit, Lane & Kane. They have been creating art with the Arts Access Program at the Matheny Medical and Educational Center in Peapack since it started in 1993. Artists in the program have challenging developmental disabilities, and are assisted by facilitators in the creation of their artworks. Keith Garletts, arts access facilitation coordinator at Matheny, says this exhibit represents “decades of work involving careful decision making, technical expertise, unlimited patience, and masterful creative decisions.” Zebu is at 9 South St.
Stick around after the reception for another Open Drawing Session at Zebu Forno from 6 pm to 9 pm. Sketch live models with friendly artists and eat pizza, for $10. Call 770-853-9727 for more information.
