Greater Morristown weekend preview: Automata, anyone?

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Ready to crank up the fun this weekend in Greater Morristown?

Check out the mechanized marvels at AutomataCon…marvel at the machine precision of real ballerinas…celebrate a shiny new gazebo.

And don’t stop there.

Comedy, concerts and cleanups await you. Bargains beckon.

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


THURSDAY, MAY 19, 2022:

The Morristown & Township Library presents yoga on its side lawn at 10 am. Free. Please bring your own yoga mat and equipment. At One Miller Road, Morristown.

The library also presents Attentive Walking: Outdoors, at 6 pm at the James Street entrance to Foote’s Pond Wood. Free, for adults. Led by Anita, who has led the library’s Mindful Meditation and Mindful Movement classes.

Jazz favorite Grover Kemble performs at Rockaway’s Caffe Navona, 147 Route 46, from 6 – 9 pm.

At 6:30 pm, the Schiff Nature Preserve in Mendham presents An Eco-Friendly Life & Home: Taking Inventory & Making Changes,  an hour-long talk about making lifestyle changes reflecting the concepts of reduce, reuse and recycle. Fee: $20-$25. Advanced registration required. At 339 Pleasant Valley Road

The Morristown & Township Library hosts a 7 pm Virtual Evening Book Club discussion, featuring Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Email here  with the subject line “Virtual Evening Book Club” for the Zoom link. Please include your full name and town of residence.

Morristown’s Mayo Performing Arts Center presents Piff the Magic Dragon and Puddles Pity Party: The Misery Loves Company Tour, at 7.30 pm. Tickets: $29-$69. At 100 South St., 973-539-8008.


FRIDAY, MAY 20:

The Morristown & Township Library will be closed for the day for a staff event.

AutomataCon returns to the Morris Museum in Morris Township for a weekend of mechanized marvels and their marvelous mechanics. It kicks off with a reception at 6 pm, and continues with programs on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets and ticket packages from $30 to about $300. At 6 Normandy Heights Road, 973-971-3706.

Video: A sampler of AutomataCon:

Morristown’s Mayo Performing Arts Center presents The Orchestra, Starring Former Members of Electric Light Orchestra, at 8 pm. Tickets: $29-$59. Note: Evil Woman, originally scheduled to perform on May 20, had an unforeseen scheduling conflict and has been replaced by The Orchestra. At 100 South St., call 973-539-8008.


SATURDAY, MAY 21:

Morris Township’s town-wide garage sale runs today and Sunday. Registration required. Call 973-326-7371.

Morristown needs volunteers for its annual spring cleanup, from 9 am to noon. Starts at the town hall parking lot, 200 South St. Register online or call 973-292-6629.

The Morristown United Methodist Church’s 27th Annual Rummage Sale concludes from 9 am to 2 pm. Proceeds benefit the church’s summer Appalachia service project. At the church, at 50 South Park Place.

Volunteers at the 2022 Morristown United Methodist Church rummage sale. From left:. Debbie, Robin, Katlyn, Sue, Jane, Christine and Adina. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

Morris County residents can drop off hazardous household wastes from 9 am to 2 pm at the county Public Safety Training Academy at 500 West Hanover Ave. in Parsippany.

Automatacon, a convention for automata enthusiasts, continues at the Morris Museum in Morris Township with programs from 10 am to 6 pm. See Friday entry for details.

The Masterwork Chorus presents works inspired by Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring, with Carol Walker on dulcimer; and a new piece by Martin Sedek, at 7:30 pm in the Concert Hall at Drew University in Madison. Tickets: $35-$75. At 36 Madison Ave., 973-479-4020.

Morristown’s Mayo Performing Arts Center presents New Jersey Ballet Repertory Evening, Featuring Pas de Deux by George Balanchine and Christopher Wheeldon, at 8 pm. Tickets: $29-$59. At 100 South St., call 973-539-8008.


SUNDAY, MAY 22:

Automatacon, a convention for automata enthusiasts, concludes at the Morris Museum in Morris Township with programs from 10 am to 3 pm. See Friday entry for details

The Morristown Rotary celebrates its centennial at noon by dedicating a $90,000 gazebo it has donated to the town at Lidgerwood Park. The two-hour event will include live music (you never know who you might see on stage!), arts and crafts, fun family games and a food truck.

The Great Swamp Watershed Association presents its fifth annual Great Swamp Great Music Festival, from noon to 6:30 pm, rain or shine, at Giralda Farms in Madison. Tickets: $20-$35; children 13 and under, free. Gates open at 11 am. Live music; food, beer, wine, cider and merch vendors; spacious picnic area. Proceeds benefit environmental conservation. At Dodge Drive and Madison Avenue, 973-538-3500.

Morristown’s Mayo Performing Arts Center presents New Jersey Ballet: Cinderella, at 1:30 pm and 4:30 pm. Tickets: $15-$25. At 100 South St., 973-539-8008.

New Jersey Ballet's Cinderella.
New Jersey Ballet’s Cinderella.

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