The poetry is in Newark, but it’s presented by a Morristown foundation–so check out the festival.
Celebrate 125 years of choral music at St. Peter’s, or 30 years of concerts at the United Methodist Church.
Catch a pair of legendary acts at the Mayo, see a first-rate dance troupe, marvel at a blind pianist.
Along the way, carve your pumpkin and show it off downtown.
Yes, it’s another jam-packed weekend in Greater Morristown!
And don’t forget to check our handy calendar for even more entertainment options!
THURSDAY, OCT. 23, 2014:
The 15th biennial Dodge Poetry Festival runs from 9:30 am to 10 pm, and continues on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, at nine venues in Newark’s Downtown Arts District. Poetry readings, workshops and musical performances are scheduled. Check the program for a complete listing. Tickets are available for single days, evening performances, the weekend and the entire four days, with special parking rates, too. Sponsored by the Morristown-based Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation.
The Morristown & Township Library concludes its Russian film series with Window to Paris, “a bizarre, comic parable of an ex-teacher’s fantastic adventure from Saint Petersburg to Paris, during perestroika in the 1990s.” Released in 1993 ; PG-13. Doors open at 6:30, movie starts at 6:45. Admission: Free, refreshments will be served. At One Miller Road, Morristown.
Preschool Advantage holds its annual gala, 6:30 pm, at the Wyndham Hamilton Park Hotel on 175 Park Ave., Florham Park. The Morristown-based nonprofit provides preschool scholarships for needy children in Morris County. This year’s Turning Leaves gala will honor W. Steven Barnett, Director of the National Institute for Early Education (NIEER) at Rutgers University. For ticket information, see the Preschool Advantage website.
Why are we so obsessed by our Civil War? Ask Rutgers Professor Jonathan Lurie, at the North Jersey Civil War Round Table meeting at 7:14 pm. He will be joined by Professor Maxine Lurie, co-editor of The Encyclopedia of New Jersey. Donation: $5; first-time visitors, students and members free. At the Frelinghuysen Arboretum, 353 E. Hanover Ave., Morris Township, opposite the Morris County Library.
Mike Love and Bruce Johnston, original members of the Beach Boys, bring the endless summer to Morristown’s Mayo Performing Arts Center at 8 pm. Tickets: $59-$99. At 100 South St. Call 973-539-8008 for more.
FRIDAY, OCT. 24:
The Dodge Poetry Festival continues in Newark. See Thursday entry for details.
The Bickford Theatre hosts Just Jazz 3, a benefit concert for the New Jersey Foundation for the Blind, featuring Justin Kauflin, an award-winning contemporary jazz pianist who became blind at age 11. Wine and cheese reception at 6 pm, concert at 7:15 pm with vocalist Alexis Cole and the NJFFB Drumming Troupe. Tickets: $35. The theater is at the Morris Museum, 6 Normandy Heights Road, Morris Township.
Folk-rock artist Dave Nachmanoff , an accompanist for Al Stewart, was so impressive as an opener last month that The Minstrel invited him back as the headliner, at 8 pm. The folk duo of Mark Mandeville and Raianne Richards will open this time. Admission is $9 for adults; children 12 and under are free. At 21 Normandy Heights Road, Morris Township.
Smokey Robinson, Motown legend, comes to Motown (East) at 8 pm to perform a half century of hits that include Tears of a Clown, Tracks of My Tears, Shop Around and Cruisin. At the Mayo Performing Arts Center, 100 South St. Tickets: $79-$129. Call 973-539-8008.
SATURDAY, OCT. 25:
The Dodge Poetry Festival continues in Newark. See Thursday entry for details.
Learning to ride a bike is as easy as … riding a bike! If your childhood missed this crucial learning experience, make up for lost time with coaches from TransOptions. This how-to session runs from 10 am to noon, at the Visiting Nurse Association of Northern New Jersey at 175 South St. in Morristown. Sponsored by Bike & Walk Morristown and TransOptions. The $20 registration fee includes a new helmet. Bring your own bike.
Morristown High School’s varsity football team (2-4) hosts Morris Knolls at 2 pm at Memorial Field.
Costume the family and compete for prizes in a Spooky Scavenger Hunt at the Morris Museum, from noon to 3 pm. Free for members; $7 child / $10 adult non-members. At 6 Normandy Heights Road in Morris Township. Call 973-971-3700 for more.
Learn about Air Force drones--unmanned planes–at a free 2 pm talk at the Morris County Library. The talk is hosted by Air Force Association Chapter 195 and features its secretary, Toby Terranova. The library is at 30 E. Hanover Ave., Whippany. A noon lunch precedes the 90-minute presentation, at Charlie Brown’s, 522 Southern Blvd., Chatham Township. To make a $20 lunch reservation, contact Howard Leach at 973-540-1283 or drop him a line.
Discover Morris County’s real-life Frankenstein story: The strange case of 19th century murderer Antoine Le Blanc, whose grim story did not end with his hanging on the Morristown Green. Historic Speedwell in Morristown will “use primary sources and the novel Frankenstein to dissect this bizarre event in local history focusing on the American justice system and Gothic literature.” From 5 pm to 7 pm, at 333 Speedwell Ave. Tickets: $5 per adult, $4 per senior (65+), $3 per child (4-16), under 4 is free.
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society hosts a Light the Night fundraising walk from 5 pm to 9 pm, starting at Headquarters Plaza in Morristown. Free to attend.
The calendar may say autumn, but there still is time for one more outdoor movie: The Goonies comes to Ginty Field in Morris Township at 7 pm. Enjoy a Halloween bonfire, too, and music from a deejay. Admission is free! Bring lawn chairs and dress warmly. Presented by the Township’s Parks and Recreation Department.
Get your Beatles fix with the tribute band Beatles Faux Sale, at 7 pm at the Morristown Jewish Center. Tickets: $25 general admission, $18 under age 18, $45 includes after-show dessert reception. At 177 Speedwell Ave. All are welcome.
St. Peter’s Episcopal Church will celebrate 125 years of great choral music in Morristown with a concert at 7:30 pm. The church’s Boys, Girls, and Adults choirs, led by Music Director Josh Stafford, will team with alumni to perform anthems and hymns by Britten, Howells, Parry, Rutter, and Vaughan Williams. A festive reception follows in the Parish Hall. Admission: Free. At South Street and Miller Road.
The Hanover Wind Symphony celebrates its 30th anniversary by kicking off year 30 of the Abendmusik concert series at the Morristown United Methodist Church, at 7:30 pm. The concert, entitled New Horizons, will be conducted by Matthew J. Patterno. Suggested donation: $20 for adults, nd $15 for senior citizens. For advance tickets($17 adults/$12 seniors) call the church at 973-538-2132. Students with ID are admitted free. At 50 Park Place, facing the Morristown Green.
SUNDAY, OCT. 26:
The Morristown Farmers Market still has a few more weeks in its 24th season, courtesy of the Morristown Partnership and its sponsors. From 8:30 am to 2 pm, you can find produce from North Jersey farms, baked goods, and more, in municipal parking lot 10, behind the post office. Lots of entertainment and wellness events will be sprinkled throughout the year. The Farmers Market is open on Sundays through the end of November.
The Dodge Poetry Festival continues in Newark. See Thursday entry for details.
For 50 years, the nursery school at the Presbyterian Church in Morristown has been churning out happy little citizens. Meet some of them at the 10 am service, which will celebrate this milestone. And feel free to remind the early graduates: “My, you’ve gotten so big!”
The Carolyn Dorfman Dance Company returns to its old hoofing grounds, the Morris Museum’s Bickford Theatre, for a 2 pm techno performance, Interior Designs, with excerpts of Love Suite Love, set to music by Patsy Cline. The show is preceded by a reception at 12:30 pm. Tickets for the dance are $20 for members/seniors, $25 for non-members and $12.50 for students 18 and under or with valid college ID. For the dance and reception, it’s $30/ $35 / $22.50. At 6 Normandy Heights Road, Morris Township. Call 973-971-3706 for more.
Bones and Stones:Who’s Buried at the Presbyterian Church? Find out by taking the Morris County Tourism Bureau tour at 3 pm. Led by Carol Barkin of the Morristown Historic Preservation Commission, the tour starts inside the church at 57 E. Park Place, Morristown (facing the Green) and will proceed to the 1733 graveyard. Tickets are $15. Call 973-631-5151, or make a reservation online.
It’s Pumpkin Illumination time again! For the fifth year, Morris Arts invites you to bring your carved pumpkin to the Vail Mansion reflecting pool on South Street in Morristown. Artist Dan Fenelon will lead an art workshop and community light parade prior to the pumpkin lighting. It’s free fun for all ages.
