Greater Morristown weekend preview: Alexander Hamilton, red cabooses and Black Potatoes

Black Potatoe Fest 2013 poster
Black Potatoe Fest 2013 poster
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Compiled by Kevin Coughlin and Katrina Langer

It doesn’t seem fair to the rest of the world.

All the fun will be in Greater Morristown this weekend.

We’ve got Shakespeare outdoors, and Derby divas, too.  (As in Roller Derby.)

Choirs. Seeing Eye tours. A Sunday celebration of Morristown’s second-most famous guest. (Hint: They named a grade school on Mills Street after him.)

You can compliment someone’s caboose without getting punched out.

If you feel like a short road trip, you can savor some eclectic sounds at the 17th annual Black Potatoe Music Festival in Clinton.

Crave even more thrills? See our handy calendar.


THURSDAY, JULY 11, 2013:

Summer is the perfect time to put down the smartphones and convince the kids to do the same. Need some assistance? You’re in luck! The Frelinghuysen Arboretum is sponsoring its Unplugged event from 9 am to 4 pm at 353 East Hanover Ave. in Morris Township. Try out Butterfly Bingo, Garden-opoly, Double Take Plants & Flowers Memory Game, Walk in the Woods, and many more. See the receptionist at the Haggerty Education Center to rent a game or two and she’ll even help you find a spot on the grounds to play. Cost is $1 for each hour of play.

Did you know that during the Revolutionary War more soldiers died as prisoners of war than on the battlefields? Learn more about the hardships faced by captured patriot soldiers and sailors from a Park Ranger at Forgotten Valor: American POWs During the Revolution. Tours at the Washington’s Headquarters Museum begin at 1:15 and run at 2:15 and 3:15 as well. Admission is $4 for adults. The museum is part of the Morristown National Historical Park , and is at 30 Washington Place in Morristown.

Black Potatoe Fest 2013 poster
Black Potatoe Fest 2013 poster

The 17th annual Black Potatoe Music Festival  returns to Clinton’s Red Mill Museum Village for four days of musical magic, ranging from rock to bluegrass to jug bands.  Two stages will alternate from 6 pm to midnight tonight and Friday. On Saturday, music goes from 11:25 am to midnight, and on Sunday, it’s from 11:25 am to 10 pm. Festival performers include Ellis Paul, Chris Smither, Kathy Phillips, Eilen Jewel, Jimmy Vivino & the Barnburners, Willy Porter, the Matt Angus Thing, Byrdgrass and Wicked Knee. Admission is $25 on Thursday and Friday, and $30 on Saturday and Sunday, or $80 for a four-day pass. Rain or shine. The museum is at 56 Main St. See the website or call 908-391-0769 for more info. Watch our videos from last year’s festival here.

The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey  presents As You Like It at 8:15 pm, at the amphitheater of the College of Saint Elizabeth in Morris  Township. Shakespeare’s frothy comedy can be enjoyed by all ages. Performances on Friday and Saturday nights as well. Admission:  $35-70. Call 973-408-5600 for more.


FRIDAY, JULY 12:

The Black Potatoe Music Festival continues in Clinton, starting at 6 pm. Jersey’s own Jimmy Vivino–bandleader for Conan O’Brien–leads the Barn Burners in a tribute to The Band, of Last Waltz fame. See Thursday entry for more festival details.

Jimmy Vivino, bandleader for Conan O'Brien, leads the Barn Burners in a tribute to The Band, at the Black Potatoe Music Festival in Clinton.
Jimmy Vivino, bandleader for Conan O'Brien, leads the Barn Burners in a tribute to The Band, at the Black Potatoe Music Festival in Clinton.

Halloween fright night logoHalloween in July?  Yes, it’s the Halloween Fright Night Skate, at the inline rink at Central Park of Morris County in Morris Plains, from 7:30 pm to 10 pm.  Hosted by the Morris County Park Commission, you can skate with ladies from the Jerzey Derby Brigade and enjoy tunes played by DJ Earl. Prizes for most original, funniest, and spookiest costumes! Admission: Free.Don’t forget your skates! Call 973-3267616 or email recreation@morrisparks.net.

Rodney Crowell and Emmylou Harris perform at MPAC on July 12, 2013.
Rodney Crowell and Emmylou Harris perform at MPAC on July 12, 2013.

Next, we have Stage Fight:  It’s Open Mic Night at The Minstrel. Show your stuff, polish your act, build your nerve, starting at 8 pm.  Email Minstrel@FolkProject.org or call 973-335-9489 to reserve a performance slot. Admission: $8, children 12 and under, free. At the Morristown Unitarian Fellowship,  21 Normandy Heights Road, Morris Township.

Emmylou Harris and songwriter Rodney Crowell will perform songs from their new duet album Old Yellow Moon–and many other favorites–at Morristown’s Mayo Performing Arts Center, starting at 8 pm. Admission:  $49-89. At 100 South St. Call  973-539-8008 for more.

 


SATURDAY, JULY 13:

Take a guided tour with The Seeing Eye, July 13, 2013, in Morristown.
Take a guided tour with The Seeing Eye, July 13, 2013, in Morristown.

Make your reservations early for this weekend’s tour with The Seeing Eye, the oldest guide dog school in North America.  The walk starts at 10 am at 14 Maple Ave. in Morristown, and is led by Jim and Ginger Kutsch of The Seeing Eye–with a little help  from their trusty dogs, Colby and Pixie.  The Kutsches will field questions, and take you along routes that have trained countless faithful guide dogs. Cost: $12 per person.

Journey back to a simpler time at the Vintage Carnival Family Festival, which includes activities at the Morris Museum and Acorn Hall from 11 am to 4 pm. Kids and adults are invited to partake in Victorian crafts and activities. Take a family portrait in period clothing, decorate a family scrap book, play carnival games ,and more. The Morris Museum is located at 6 Normandy Heights Road in Morris Township. Admission is free for members; $7 for children and $10 for adults. Acorn Hall is at 68 Morris Ave. in Morristown; Admission is $6 for adults, $5 for seniors, $3 for students; children under 12 are free.

VICTORIAN FUN & GAMES: See how the other half lived, in the 19th century, at the Morris Museum and Acorn Hall on July 13, 2013.
VICTORIAN FUN & GAMES: See how the other half lived, in the 19th century, at the Morris Museum and Acorn Hall on July 13, 2013.

The Black Potatoe Music Festival continues in Clinton, from 11:25 am to midnight. See Thursday entry for details.

The Eltham College Choir of London will perform a free concert at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Morristown, at 7 pm. Directed by Alastair Tighe, the choir will perform works by Vivaldi, Bach, Handel, Purcell, Bernstein, Bruckner and Rutter. (No, that’s not a law firm!)  A free will offering will benefit the St. Peter’s Choir School. The church is at 70 Maple Ave.


SUNDAY, JULY 14:

The Morristown Farmers Market is back for another season, running every Sunday through Nov. 24 from 8:30 am to 2 pm. It’s in municipal parking lot 10, behind the post office, and is operated by the Morristown Partnership. Live entertainment is promised this morning!

The Black Potatoe Music Festival continues in Clinton, from 11:25 am to 10 pm. See Thursday entry for details.

The Alexander Hamilton Awareness Association winds down its annual weekend with a visit to Morristown, where young Alexander wooed his future bride during the Revolutionary War.  Free events include a 1 pm tour of the Morristown Green, including the site of the former Arnold Tavern and statues of Hamilton, Washington, and Lafayette; a 2 pm visit to the Schuyler-Hamilton House, where Alexander courted Elizabeth Schuyler; a 3 pm visit to the Ford Mansion, where George Washington and his staff (including Alexander) were headquartered for the winter of 1779-1780; and a 4 pm talk on “Washington’s Indispensable Partner” by Rand Scholet inside the Washington’s Headquarters Museum. This will be followed by a Q&A and a meet-and-greet. Keep an eye out for William G. Chrystal, portraying Alexander Hamilton. Go easy on the Aaron Burr questions; old grudges die hard.

ALL ABOARD! The Whippany Rail Museum is running excursions on July 14, 2013.
ALL ABOARD! The Whippany Railway Museum is running excursions on July 14, 2013.

Take an Excursion Train Ride at the Whippany Railway Museum this weekend. These aren’t just any trains – the collection features restored vintage cabooses from historic New Jersey rail lines of the past. Or, upgrade your excursion for a ride in the elegant 1927 Club Car “Jersey Coast,” with all the amenities of the 1930s. Trains depart on the hour starting at 1 pm from the Whippany Station at 1 Railroad Plaza. The last train departs at 4 pm. Admission is $14 for adults, $9 for kids 12 and under, and free for infants (1 year and under).

 

Hub Hollow music returns to Morristown
Hub Hallow music brings "a new kind of old time" back to Morristown

Hub Hollow brings its entrancing mix of bluegrass, rock and “old-timey” music to the garden of the Macculloch Hall Historical Museum in Morristown, at 4 pm. Bring blankets, lawn chairs and picnics. No dogs, please. If the weather is inclement, the show moves into the museum. Concert tickets are $12; $10 for members, seniors, students, and those who purchased a Museum tour ticket that day. Free for children under 12. At 45 Macculloch Ave.

 

 

 

 

 

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