Greater Morristown weekend (virtual) preview: Farmers Markets and Farm Stands!

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Compiled by Nicholas Voltaggio

In a year that has defied all expectations of normalcy, the official transition into summer is proving consistent with the trend.

For many students, the joyous celebrations that usually accompany graduations and last days of school were replaced with the anticlimactic fading out of virtual learning programs.

And for many Americans, longer days and warmer weather have not erased the specter of the coronavirus, especially as many fear a resurgence as lockdown measures are loosened.

But Greater Morristown continues to make adjustments. We’ve seen our faith-based organizations adapt to a virtual environment, our small businesses and restaurants move toward curbside service, and our entertainment programs take to social media and Zoom.

We’ve seen friends and neighbors wearing masks, and caught up with them from six feet apart. We’ve done all this in the name of preserving our communal health, and we must remain vigilant while still taking advantage of what the Morristown area has to offer as we enter the summertime.

As you’ll see in the preview this week, Morris Plains, Morristown, and Grow It Green’s Urban Farm all are operating their farmers’ markets this weekend. Normally, families and food lovers would flock to grab fresh local produce, meats, cheeses, and fish.

Luckily, these markets are staying open, and delivering the same high-quality foods that have made them so popular. But we must acknowledge that this year will be different — there will be no taste-testing, and we will be seeing each other from behind a mask.

Nonetheless, it’s reassuring to see some of our favorite summertime traditions are persisting, even in modified forms, through an unprecedented challenge. As we weather this unique and sometimes frustrating storm, take time to visit the farmers, small businesses, and community members working hard to provide some semblance of normalcy.

Please enjoy this weekend’s offerings, and, please, stay safe.

Scroll down for details. Check our handy calendar for more activities–and add your own events, too.


 

VIRTUAL ART SHOWS AND TOURS

The Morristown and Morris Township Library has prepared an extensive array of videos on its YouTube channel, including book recommendations, storytime sessions for families, and read-alouds for beginning and young adult readers. Videos are added regularly.

Running and pizza? An unusual combination, maybe, but Superhero Events and Millie’s Meatballs and Pizza have joined forces to present Millie’s 5K Pizza Run Event. The rules are simple – sign up before June 30th, run a 5k and submit your results, then pick up a free pizza and t-shirt.

The Mayo Performing Arts Center has partnered with film studios to stream independent films, for rental. A portion of rental revenues will help MPAC.

As hard as the Morris School District is working to perfect the virtual education experience, it’s difficult to replicate a field trip. Luckily for students and families, Grow It Green Morristown has created a virtual visit to its Urban Farm. 

The Lab, a multimedia endeavor of Arts By The People, is offering high school students a chance to express themselves by creating either a one-minute video or a one-page poetry or prose composition. The theme: My World During the Covid-19 Pandemic.

Check out the latest virtual exhibit from Morris Arts,  Vanishing Worlds.

Opera at Florham is posting videos of its past events, featuring young opera singers in 10 performances.

Take a virtual walking tour with the Morris County Tourism Bureau.

Catch an original short film, courtesy of the Thomas Edison Media Arts Consortium and Black Maria Films — and try one of their healthy recipes for “dinner and a show” in the comfort of home.

Explore Isolation, a virtual exhibition of the Riverfront Renaissance Center for the Arts in Millville. Ends on June 24, 2020.

Dissonance, the Morris Museum’s virtual exhibition, looks at disorder and tension.


THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2020:

The Morristown and Morris Township Library hosts its 7 pm Book Lovers’ Circle online. Free and open to all. Log in here, where you also will find details about the Foreign Film Lovers Club (meets on alternate Wednesdays) and virtual meditation and yoga sessions,

Acclaimed harpist Merynda Adams presents a free concert at 7 pm, streamed from the  Loyola Jesuit Center in Morristown. The program ranges from Bach to contemporary composers.

Merynda Adams, harpist.

FRIDAY, JUNE 19:

Start your Friday with yoga led by Munah Hayes at 9:30 am. The weekly session is offered virtually by the Morristown and Morris Township Library.

At 12:30 pm, the Mayo Performing Arts Center is back with another live, virtual performance, this time featuring musician Amish Darr. A native of Pakistan, Darr’s travels throughout Europe and America as well as his studies in medical science prompted him to begin a mission of spiritual unification.

Singer and instrumentalist Louise Mosrie takes to the Folk Project’s virtual stage at 7 pm, as part of the nonprofit’s Acoustic Stayaway series. Mosrie blends Southern folk, americana, and bluegrass.

Louise Mosrie

Singer-songwriter Carla Ulbrich specializes in making people laugh. Check out her free concert series at 7:30 pm, on YouTube and Facebook.

More laughs–and PPE resources for frontline medical workers–are coming from National Lampoon, which streams a comedy show at 8 pm on Tuesdays and Fridays. Host Harrison Greenbaum welcomes popular comedic guests, while raising funds for the COVID Foundation.


SATURDAY, JUNE 20:

The Morris Plains Farmers’ Market enters its second week of the season, and will continue each Saturday from 9 am to 1 pm, until October 10, 2020. Fresh fruits and vegetables, all from local farms; Italian specialties include pastas, meats, and cheeses., will also be available for purchase. Safety protocols will be followed, for everyone’s health.

Grow It Green Morristown hosts its first farm stand of the season, from 10 am to 3 pm. Volunteers at the Urban Farm have 670 pounds of produce ready to be sold, at 31 Hazel Street in Morristown.

Fresh off the release of her EP Classic, singer Brynn Stanley shares her silky stylings and girl-next-door charm from her living room, every week at 8 pm


SUNDAY, JUNE 21:

The Morristown Farmers’ Market is back for its 30th season! It runs from 8:30 am until 2 pm every Sunday until Nov. 22, behind the Morristown Post Office in Municipal Lot 10, between Morris Street and Dumont Place.  Safety protocols will be maintained for everyone’s health.

The Folk Project presents Joe Guzzo’s Stayaway Sundays Show at 3 pm. Guzzo shares performances and interviews with Folk Project favorites.

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