Compiled by Nicholas Voltaggio
Dine in a courtyard to strains of live jazz. Try some yoga, or Shakespeare, on a lawn. Enjoy a virtual folk festival. Take a hike.
Greater Morristown offers fun experiences to explore this weekend.
Scroll down for details. Check our handy calendar for even more activities–and add your own events, too!
VIRTUAL TOURS & ART SHOWS:
For 32 years, nothing has stopped the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival in the Berkshires. Through microbursts, hailstorms, scorching heat and rivers of mud, the show has gone on. And that stoic tradition continues all weekend, pandemic-be-damned, via the miracle of the internet. Sample rising talents, and savor perennial favorites including The Nields, Susan Werner, Vance Gilbert and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams. Watch the Falcon Ridge 2020 Share and Shelter in Place Fest on YouTube or Facebook; link from the website above.
The Somerset Patriots baseball team is hosting a Thursday series of family-friendly films, with seating on the field at TD Bank Ballpark. Each movie will begin at 7 pm, with tickets costing $10 per person. More information is here.
Become acquainted with the father of political cartooning, at a new Macculloch Hall lecture series, Thomas Nast: America’s Image Maker, run by collection curator Ryan Hyman. The Wednesday series will run in three parts, over Zoom, on July 22nd, Aug. 12th, and Sept. 2nd, each at 2 pm. The lectures are free for members, and others may donate a self-selected amount. Register here.
The Morris Township Department of Parks and Recreation has resumed its free summertime series of family movie nights, outdoors at Ginty Field. Movies begin at sundown, or approximately 8:15 pm. Events are scheduled for Wednesday, July 29th and Saturday, Aug. 15th. Bring lawn chairs, blankets and masks; social distancing will be observed.
Who needs to sit outside swatting mosquitoes, when you can enjoy VIRTUAL fireworks from the air-conditioned comfort of home? These pyrotechnics are courtesy of the Borough of Morris Plains.
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.
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.
Dissonance, the Morris Museum’s virtual exhibition, looks at disorder and tension. The Museum reopened its doors this month.
Check out new art, literature and more in the July edition of The Platform Review. The Review has compiled works of both original poetry and prose, with the intention of bringing diverse voices to light.
The Schiff Nature Preserve in Mendham has resumed educational and passive recreational activities — just in time for individuals and families to enjoy the great outdoors in the beautiful summer weather. Schiff also is offering a “Rent a Naturalist” program, for hour-long guided tours by an expert.
THURSDAY, JULY 30, 2020:
Greater Morristown jazz favorite Grover Kemble has begun live performances on Thursdays, on the patio of Rockaway’s Caffe NaVona, 147 Route 46, (973) 627-1606. Kemble and his guitar will play from 6 pm to 9:30 pm.
The Somerset Patriots present the movie The Princess Bride (PG) at 7 pm at TD Bank Park, as part of the team’s Thursday summer film series. Admission: $10.
The Morris Museum continues its weekly Jazz on the Back Deck series with a 7:30 pm concert featuring Dan Levinson’s Sixth Annual Midsummer Night’s Jazz Party. This show is sold out; call 973-971-3706 for cancellations. Rain date: July 31.
FRIDAY, JULY 31:
Start your Friday with yoga led by Munah Hayes at 9:30 am– which moves (weather permitting) from virtual to the lawn of the Morristown and Morris Township Library. Social distancing will be observed. Bring your yoga mat; admission to the library still is prohibited. Check here for details.
Singer-songwriter Tim Easton makes his Folk Project debut on the nonprofit’s virtual stage at 7 pm to headline the Acoustic Stayaway series. Featured in Rolling Stone, Easton is known for his poignant lyrics. “Admission” is free, with all donations going to the artist.
Singer-songwriter Carla Ulbrich specializes in making people laugh. Check out her free concert series at 7:30 pm, on YouTube and Facebook.
Singer Brynn Stanley moves her Saturday show to Friday this week, for an evening of Frank Sinatra classics from her living room, at 8 pm.
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, AUG. 1:
The Morris Plains Farmers’ Market is back, every 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.
The Great Swamp Watershed Association has scheduled tours at 10 am and noon of its 73-acre Conservation Management Area, directed by expert staff members. Tours will focus on the CMA’s unique ecological features, as well as the behavior and habitats of native animals during the summer months. At 91 Tiger Lily Lane, Harding.
Grow It Green Morristown’s summer farm stand returns, from 10 am to 2 pm. More than 670 pounds of produce are ready to be sold! The farm stand is at The Urban Farm, 31 Hazel St., in Morristown.
Singer Brynn Stanley brings her silky smooth jazz stylings to the courtyard of Morristown’s Fig & Lily restaurant from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm. She will be accompanied by guitarist Billy Jayne. At 2 Cattano Ave. Make reservations here, or call (973) 539-3999.
The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, as part of its Crazy Love summer series, presents Verily, Madly Thine, a cornucopia of Shakespeare’s wittiest and silliest love scenes, at 7 pm, on the socially distanced lawn of the Thomas H. Kean Theatre Factory, at 3 Vreeland Road in Florham Park. Tickets: $20. Call (973) 408-5600 or email here.
SUNDAY, AUG. 2:
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.
The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, as part of its Crazy Love summer series, presents a doubleheader — Edna St. Vincent Millay’s Aria de Capo, a whimsical commedia gem; and a new translation of Molière’s farce, The Love Doctor — at 4:30 pm on the socially distanced lawn of the Thomas H. Kean Theatre Factory in Florham Park. Tickets: $20. See Saturday entry for details.
But wait, there’s more: The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey continues its Crazy Love summer series with Verily, Madly Thine, at 7 pm in Florham Park. See Saturday entry for more.
