Compiled by Nicholas Voltaggio and Kevin Coughlin:
Spend some quality time with the special lady who gave you life: Treat Mom to music, dinner, a plant sale.
Greater Morristown offers plenty of options for a memorable Mother’s Day weekend.
Scroll down for details. Check our handy calendar for even more activities–and add your own events, too.
THURSDAY, MAY 6, 2021:
Treat mom to dinner, with music by jazz favorite Grover Kemble, at Rockaway’s Caffe Navona, 147 Route 46, from 6 – 9 pm.
The Morristown and Morristownship Library presents its Virtual Book Lovers’ Circle at 7 pm. Participants have the chance to share recent reads, and gain new recommendations to add to their reading lists. Please email here with your full name and town of residence to receive the Zoom information.
FRIDAY, MAY 7:
The Junior League of Morristown marks its 19th year with Lunch with the Authors, from 11 am to 3 pm, at the Hamilton Farm Golf Club in Gladstone. Featuring authors Marjan Kamali, Fiona Davis, Steven Knapp and Carole Van Den Hende. Proceeds benefit scholarships. Read our preview for more details.
The Madison Arts and Culture Alliance presents the Renegade Jazz Band with Let’s Swing NJ, featuring big band and standards plus swing dancing, from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm, at Waverly Place.
The Folk Project welcomes jazz guitar wizard Grover Kemble to its virtual Acoustic Stayaway series at 7 pm. Kemble, formerly with Za Zu Zaz and Sha Na Na, has spent a career in music bringing his one-of-a-kind style to audiences across the globe. Free, with all donations going directly to the artist.
Madcap performer Carla Ulbrich brings her zany songs to your living room (virtually, of course) at 7:30 pm. Free; tips welcome.
SATURDAY, MAY 8:
The Garden Club of Morristown presents its annual Plant Sale, from 8:30 am to 3 pm at 22 Village Road, New Vernon. Knife sharpening will be available as well.
Maestro Robert Butts of the Baroque Orchestra of New Jersey interviews Eric Hafen, director of the Madison Community Arts Center, at 10 am on Zoom for his show, Bach, Bagels and Bob. Featuring a performance by guitarist Stanley Alexandrowicz. Free, but registration required.
Morristown will celebrate its Foote’s Pond Wood park with a ribbon-cutting at 11 am. On James Street.
Live at the Mayo Performing Arts Center, Broadway’s Kelli Rabke premieres her original show, Tiny Giants: Petite Powerhouses from Garland to Gaga. As her title suggests, Rabke will pay tribute to short-statured but mighty-voiced women who have defined the last century of music. At 3 pm and 7:30 pm, with a livestream available for the latter show. In-person tickets: $39 – $59, livestream, $25.
SUNDAY, MAY 9, MOTHER’S DAY:
Spend Mother’s Day with the incomparable Dionne Warwick, from the comfort of home. During this virtual event, shared by the Mayo Performing Arts Center, Warwick will take audiences on a musical journey through her six decades in the spotlight. Showtimes are 2 pm and 8 pm. Livestream access: $20.
If you just can’t get enough original music, join The Folk Project for Joe Guzzo’s Stayaway Sundays Show at 3 pm. Each week, Guzzo presents fans with video performances from events past, interviews with performers, and his own take on the world of music.
The Morris Museum in Morris Township pays a Mother’s Day tribute to the oft-overlooked women of the musical world. At 7 pm, Hidden Mothers, will highlight the music of female orchestral composers, played by the all-female Rhythm Method string ensemble. Live, outdoors, socially distanced. Admission: $50 for an 8-by-8 foot block on the patio. At 6 Normandy Heights Road, (973) 971-3700.
ON THE HORIZON:
TUESDAY, MAY 11:
The Folk Project’s Acoustic Stayaway continues at 7 pm, with Gathering Time taking center (virtual) stage. This folk-rock trio is renowned for its ability to elevate “the spirit of the sixties,” while incorporating a style all its own. Free, with all donations going to the artists.
Madison council candidates will square off in a League of Women Voters virtual forum at 7 pm.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 12:
Morristown Mayor Tim Dougherty and Democratic primary challenger Esperanza Porras-Field will present their platforms in a League of Women Voters virtual forum, at 7 pm.
Invite Broadway into your living room, with the latest edition of the Broadway Cast Reunion Series. This virtual event will feature leading cast members from the Tony-winning revival of My Fair Lady, the musical reinvention of George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion. At 8 pm. Livestream access: $15.
