Greater Morristown weekend preview: Black Potatoes, galloping kids

2012 mg film fest enter now logo
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Friday the 13th could be your lucky day, if you are a music lover or wannabe music-maker.

2012 mg film fest enter now logoYou can try your luck on The Minstrel’s open stage, or venture to the Black Potatoe Festival to see how pros like Marshall Crenshaw and Vance Gilbert do it.

There also are church carnivals, Buddhist films, charity 5Ks, and many other amusements to tickle your fancy this weekend, as you will see below.  And you can always find more options on our handy calendar.

Of course, we know you will devote some time this weekend to finishing your comedy for next month’s Fifth Annual MORRISTOWNGREEN.COM FILM FESTIVAL!  The entry deadline is Sunday, so let’s make it a wrap!

 


THURSDAY, JULY 12, 2012:

David Wilcox performs on July 12 at the Black Potatoe Festival in Clinton
David Wilcox performs on July 12 at the Black Potatoe Festival in Clinton

The 16th annual Black Potatoe Music Festival invades Clinton at 6 pm, and returns on Friday night and all day Saturday and Sunday. Among the 100 acts scheduled to appear at the festival are the Smithereens, Marshall Crenshaw, Susan Werner, Patty Larkin, Vance Gilbert, David Wilcox, Buckwheat Zydeco, Jimmy Vivino, Chasing June and Kathy Moser. Tickets are $30 for Thursday, $35 for Friday, $45 for Saturday and $40 for Sunday, or $99 for all four days. See https://blackpotatoe.org/ for details, or call 908-391-0769. The festival is at the Red Mill Museum at 56 Main St.

Last year, the Morris County Bar Foundation welcomed more thans 450 runners, walkers, and kids to their annual Lawyers for Kids 5k run, 2 mile walk, and kids’ gallop. This Saturday marks the 8th annual 5k at the Ginty Field Complex in Morris Township.

The event raises funds for the Court Appointed Special Advocate program (CASA), a not-for-profit organization whose volunteers work with the courts to help children who have been victims of neglect, abuse or abandonment. In just the last year, it’s helped more than 300 children.

Registration starts at 5:30 pm and the 5k and 2-mile walk are at 7:15 pm, followed by the Kids Gallop at 8 pm.

Like last year, the day will conclude with the sundown Winners’ Award Ceremony in which the winning runners, walkers and kids’ gallop participants will be presented with medals.

Walkers step off at annual Morris Bar Association 5K charity event– Debra Weisberg, Esq. President of the Morris County Bar Association steps off with son Will, and Attorney Jane Simpson’s children, David and Emily.
Walkers step off at annual Morris County Bar Association 5K charity event– Debra Weisberg, Esq., president of the association steps off with son Will, and Attorney Jane Simpson’s children, David and Emily.

FRIDAY, JULY 13:

Marshall Crenshaw plays at the Black Potatoe Festival in Clinton on July 13.
Marshall Crenshaw plays at the Black Potatoe Festival in Clinton on July 13.

He’s portrayed John Lennon and Buddy Holly, but his best work is his own. Marshall Crenshaw headlines at the Black Potatoe Festival in Clinton. A full night of music starts at 6 pm, and includes the wry tunes of Vance Gilbert. See Thursday entry for details.

Old Plum Mountain

Join the folks at the Center for Spiritual Living Morristown, 311 Mount Kemble Ave., in Harding, for two events:  From 6:30-8:30 pm, photographer/singer Barbara Quinlan Tudda presents her latest exhibit, Perspectives, in the Friendship Hall Gallery (downstairs). An hour of shorts begins at 7 pm, with the feature, Old Plum Mountain: The Berkeley Zen Center, Life Inside the Gate beginning at 8:15. The 65-minute documentary takes a look inside one of the oldest, self-sustaining, lay practice centers in the country as told through the experiences of its members. The movie is free.

Friday the 13th could be your lucky night at The Minstrel in Morris Township. Open Stage begins at 8 pm for all acoustic musicians to perform a 15-minute set, and for the audience to enjoy a diverse collection of acoustic musicians. To secure a spot for Open Stage nights, call 973-335-9489 or visit the website. NOTE: As of this writing, all reserved spots are taken. There are six slots held open for those who arrive on the date of the show, and they are distributed by lottery. Admission is $7. Hosted at the Morristown Unitarian Fellowship, 21 Normandy Heights Road.

St. Margaret of Scotland Roman Catholic Church‘s Second Annual Summer Carnival begins Friday on the parish grounds at 6 Sussex Ave. in Morristown. As the Church’s largest fundraiser, money raised at the event will support its mission to spread the Gospel, build community, and provide assistance to those in need. All activities this year are family-friendly and affordable — plus there’s a variety of food from different cultures. Father Hernan of St. Margaret’s says, “We are extremely excited about this year’s Carnival. It is a great way to showcase our amazing community and support the many worthwhile Parish programs.” The carnival, celebrating a culturally diverse congregation, supports social service projects, children’s education, and the strong Youth Ministry program. Entry fee is $1, and carnival-goers can enjoy games, a dunk tank, rides, and plenty of food. The event runs for three days, beginning Friday, 6-11 pm. Saturday 4-11 pm, and Sunday from 1-10 pm. To learn more, call the Parish at 973-538-0874, email saintmargaretchurch@gmail.com, or see facebook.com/saintmargaretchurch.


SATURDAY, JULY 14:

Need to get your kids off the couch this summer? Head to the Morris Township Tri-Harder Kid’s Triathlon Series at the Ginty Pool. The even is designed to get kids ages 4 through 15 up and active in a swim-bike-run format of a traditional triathlon. All events — swimming at the Ginty Pool, bicycling through nearby neighborhoods and distance running at Ginty Field — have age appropriate distances and groupings. This is not a competition, and all participants will receive a participation ribbon and only unofficial results will be posted.

Age groups are 4-6, 7-8, 9-10, 11-12 and 13-15. Check-in begins at 7:30 am at the pool, and events begin at 8:30 am. All participants must pre-register for $10; registration closes at 5 pm. Participants must bring their own bicycle and bicycle helmets. Please call 973-326-7371 with any questions. Pre-register online at https://www.BikeReg.com/events/register.asp?eventid=12829. Co-sponsored by the Township of Morris Police Department, Marty’s Reliable Cycle, and the Township of Morris Manatees Swim Team.

Explore Morristown's gardens with a walking tour on June 16.
Explore Morristown's gardens with a walking tour on July 14.

Join Macculloch Hall Historical Museum Trustee Alice Cutler on a walking tour of the Antique Gardens and Landscapes of Morristown at 10 am. View the Morristown Historic District’s most elegant buildings and landscaping, including the Green, Vail Mansion, Villa Fontana and the garden of Macculloch Hall on this one-mile stroll. Tickets are $12 and group size is limited to 25. Please call (973) 631-5151 to reserve your spot. The tour lasts 90 minutes and begins at 6 Court St. Presented by the Morris County Tourism Bureau.

The Smithereens headline at the Black Potatoe Festival in Clinton on July 14.
The Smithereens headline at the Black Potatoe Festival in Clinton on July 14.

Susan Werner, Patty Larkin and the Smithereens cap a full day and evening of music that starts at 11:30 am at the Black Potatoe Festival in Clinton. See Thursday entry for details.

The public is invited to enjoy a day of food and fun, including softball and basketball games, from noon to 7 pm at Morristown’s Abbett Avenue playground for the 20th annual George Gramby Day  celebration. The event honors the memory of a substance abuse counselor who died of AIDS in 1992.

Scotty McCreery, the 2011 American Idol champ, comes to Morristown’s Mayo Performing Arts Center at 8 pm. Tickets are $47-$87. Call 973-539-8008 for more.


SUNDAY, JULY 15:

The Morristown Farmers Market offers fresh produce from 15 vendors between 8:30 am to 2 pm, in parking lot 10 (behind the post office, and between Morris Street and Dumont Place). Now in its 22nd season, the Farmers Market is run by the Morristown Partnership and extends every Sunday through Nov. 18, rain or shine.

Buckwheat Zydeco performs at the Black Potatoe Festival in Clinton on July 15.
Buckwheat Zydeco performs at the Black Potatoe Festival in Clinton on July 15.

 

Buckwheat Zydeco’s foot-stomping Creole party music draws down the curtain on the final day of the Black Potatoe Festival in Clinton. The music starts at noon. See Thursday entry for more details.

'The Other Side of War' : Josephine and Charles Russell Lowell, depicted in exhibit at Macculloch Hall Historical Museum in Morristown.
'The Other Side of War' : Josephine and Charles Russell Lowell, depicted in exhibit at Macculloch Hall Historical Museum in Morristown.

See the Civil War through the eyes of the women let behind, at the Macculloch Hall Historical Musuem‘s exhibit, The Other Side of War: The Civil War on the Home Front.  While Union soldiers were fighting, the women of the war were busy starting the U.S. Sanity Commission, serving as nurses, and gathering goods and money for soldiers, among many other things.

The exhibit, running in the upstairs gallery through Nov. 11, includes stories, letters, artifacts and photographs from the war, including original poetry from Walt Whitman.

Like to draw? Bring your pencil and pad to Morristown’s Zebu Forno café and sketch live models from 6 pm to 9 pm. For $10 you also get pizza and the camaraderie of fellow artists. Call 770-853-9727 for more about the Open Drawing Session.

 Katrina Langer contributed to this article.

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