Compiled by Nicholas Voltaggio and Kevin Coughlin
Greater Morristown offers a plethora of high-quality entertainment options this weekend.
Olga “Olguita” Alvarez injects Spanish flavor into the local folk scene. The Tesla Quartet returns for an encore jazz performance. Breastfest New Jersey is back with a rocking day to benefit women fighting breast cancer. And the Harmonium Choral Society presents a virtual reprise of a powerful concert about surmounting mental illness.
There’s an outdoor arts festival, too, with live music.
On a somber note, Morris Plains will host a ceremony to remember lives lost during the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. And the Morris County Freeholders will host a service at the county 9/11 Memorial in Parsippany.
Scroll down for details. Check our handy calendar for even more activities–and add your own events as well.
VIRTUAL TOURS AND ART SHOWS:
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.
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.
Take a virtual field trip to Grow It Green Morristown’s Urban Farm.
Check out the Morris Arts virtual exhibit 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.
The Morris Museum has five virtual art exhibitions available, crossing styles and media — from pottery to painting to a moving, mechanical horse.
The Schiff Nature Preserve in Mendham has resumed educational and passive recreational activities, including “Rent a Naturalist” guided tours.
THURSDAY, SEPT. 10, 2020:
Greater Morristown jazz favorite Grover Kemble performs live 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 Morristown & Township Library continues its Virtual Classics Book Club series at 7 pm with a discussion of Toni Morrison’s masterwork, Song Of Solomon, on GoToMeeting. The session is open to those who’ve had the work in their libraries for years, and to those discovering the novel for the first time.
The Morris Museum in Morris Township presents an encore performance of the Tesla Quartet to conclude its Lot of Strings Music Festival parking deck festival at 7:30 pm. Socially distanced blocks accommodate two people, $50. Call (973) 971-3700. Rain date: Sept. 11
FRIDAY, SEPT. 11:
Start your Friday with free yoga at 9:30 am led by Munah Hayes, moving (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.
Morris Plains will remember lives lost in the 9/11 terror attacks, with a 10 am ceremony at the borough’s 9/11 Memorial park, at the intersection of Routes 53 and 202. Masks required, and social distancing will be maintained.
Olga “Olguita” Alvarez and Gerry Hazel grace the Folk Project’s virtual stage for this 7 pm Acoustic Stayaway event. Born in Cuba and raised in Puerto Rico, Alvarez enjoyed a successful recording career in Latin America before becoming a broadcaster for Univision and Telemundo, and working for the federal government. Hazel is a singer-songwriter with roots in the Folk Project.
For family movie night, the Somerset Patriots baseball team is showing Jurassic Park (PG-13) at 7 pm. This Spielberg classic tells the tale of a dino DNA experiment run amok, as the culpable scientists race to prevent catastrophe.
Singer-songwriter Carla Ulbrich specializes in making people laugh. Check out her free concert series at 7:30 pm, on YouTube and Facebook.
SATURDAY, SEPT. 12:
The Morris Plains Farmers’ Market continues, every Saturday from 9 am to 1 pm, until Oct. 10, 2020. Fresh fruits and vegetables, all from local farms; Italian pastas, meats, and cheeses also will be for sale. Safety protocols will be followed, for everyone’s health.
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.
Morris Arts and the Morris County Park Commission present the Morris Arts Fest, from 3 pm to 7 pm at Lewis Morris Park in Morris Township. More than 40 visual artists and crafters will showcase and sell their work. Live music by blues/rock band Secret Sound, and singer/songwriter Gwendolyn Fitz. At the Sugarloaf section of the park, 270 Mendham Road. Masks and social distancing required.
The Third Annual Breastfest New Jersey, co-founded by Morristown breast cancer survivor Karen Rosen, runs from 2 pm to 10 pm in the spacious backyard of Bernie’s Hillside Lounge in Chester. Music by Sideshow Kings, Soular Bone, Spare Tire Band and This Old Engine. Refreshments will be for sale, or you can bring a picnic. Tickets are $50 in advance; limited tickets for $60 at the venue. Proceeds benefit the nonprofit I Love You More Foundation, which funds diagnostic breast procedures for women in need in the Tri-State region.
The Morris Township Parks and Recreation Dept. presents The Belle Tones at the Ginty Field Gazebo at 3:30 PM. Bring masks and lawn chairs or beach blankets.
For this week’s second family movie night, the Somerset Patriots baseball team is showing The Sandlot (PG) at 7 pm at the TD Bank Ballpark. This family-friendly film tells the story of a ragtag group of friends who bond over baseball at the title location.
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, SEPT. 13:
The Morristown Farmers’ Market continues its 30th season, 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 Morris County Freeholders will honor victims of 9/11 terror attacks at a 6 pm ceremony at the county 9/11 Memorial, on West Hanover Avenue in Parsippany. The featured speaker will be Hanover Township native Greg Manning, a veteran of the New York City Fire Department and 9/11 responder. The public is asked to where masks and bring lawn chairs for social distancing. The event, which is rain or shine, also will be live-streamed.
At 7 pm, the Harmonium Choral Society hosts a free watch party of Open Minds, a March concert recorded in Morristown about people facing mental challenges. The webcast will be introduced by Harmonium Artistic Director Anne Matlack, with a post-
concert interview with composer Rob Redei and poet Deborah Kennedy. Viewers may donate to the nonprofit Mental Health Association of New Jersey. Read our review of Open Minds.
