MLK Day of Service Rescheduled

Friends of Princeton Nursery Lands has rescheduled its National Day of Service honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., for Monday, February 18, 2019, from noon to 3 pm. For details, see our post below.

MLK Day of Service Postponed

Due to the bitter cold and serious icing in Monday's weather forecast, the MLK Day of Service in the Mapleton Preserve has been postponed until Presidents' Day, Monday, February 18, 2019.  Check FPNL for further updates as the date gets closer.

MLK Day of Service in the Mapleton Preserve

Join Friends of Princeton Nursery Lands on Monday, January 21, 2019, for a cleanup in the Mapleton Preserve on the National Day of Service honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. From noon to 3 pm volunteers will be clearing small trees, brush, vines and trash in the historic Mapleton Preserve. You are asked to bring any tools you may have, such as saws, clippers, loppers and rakes. Be sure to dress appropriately for the weather—work gloves, sturdy shoes, warm clothing and hats are a must. For more information, or if you would like to involve a group to help, call 609-683-0483 or visit the FPNL website. Mapleton Preserve/D&R Canal State Park is located at 145 Mapleton Road in Kingston. (If using a GPS, use 145 Mapleton Road, Princeton 08540 as the address.)

First Day Hike in the Mapleton Preserve

Friends of Princeton Nursery Lands invites everyone to a First Day Hike in the Mapleton Preserve on Tuesday, January 1, 2018, from noon until 2 pm. For anyone who made a resolution to walk more, this is a great opportunity to start the new year off on the right foot with an easy 1.5 mile loop hike through the Mapleton Preserve.

The walk will begin and end at the Mapleton Preserve/D&R Canal State Park Headquarters at 145 Mapleton Road in Kingston. Cocoa and cider will be served afterward. Dress for the weather, whatever it may be. The walk is free and all are welcome.  For more information, visit FPNL or call 609-683-0483.

Photo: Winter Teasel by Tari Pantaleo

Christmas Postcard

Christmas Bird Count With Kingston Greenways

Kingston Greenways Association will host the Kingston segment of this year's Audubon Christmas Bird Count this Sunday, December 16, 2018. The count begins at 7:30 am at the Kingston Locktender's House and goes until noon. After a break for lunch at Palace of Asia in Kingston, the count continues in the afternoon until 5 pm. Join KGA for morning, afternoon or both. Experienced birders and novices are equally welcome to participate. Dress warmly and bring binoculars if you have them. To register, call Karen Linder at 609-683-0483 or email her at karen.e.linder@gmail.com. For more information about the history of the Christmas Bird Count, visit KGA.

Photo: Savannah Sparrow by Tam Stuart 

President George H. W. Bush

George Herbert Walker Bush

1924 – 2018

(click to enlarge)

Photo: George Bush Presidential Library

Letter via Jon Davidson

Thanksgiving Day Walk in the Mapleton Preserve

Join Friends of Princeton Nursery Lands for a walk in the woods on Thanksgiving morning. FPNL's annual Thanksgiving Day morning exploration of the Mapleton Preserve takes place on Thursday, November 22, 2018, at 10 am. The program will begin at the main office for the D&R Canal State Park, 145 Mapleton Road, Kingston. Come work up a Thanksgiving appetite while searching for signs of what our local wildlife is having for dinner. Look for natural things that make us all grateful and enjoy the abundance and subtle beauty of late fall.

This walk is free and all are welcome, but preregistration is requested. Please call 609-683-0483 to reserve a spot. Dress for the weather—it will be a brisk morning. For more information, visit the FPNL website.

Photo: Pokeweed in the Mapleton Preserve by Karen Linder

NJ Blue Wave 2018

Before the 2016 election, the New Jersey Congressional delegation included 6 Democrats and 6 Republicans. After the midterm elections last week, in the new Congress New Jersey will have 11 Democrats and only 1 Republican. That's a remarkable accomplishment for the Resistance.

Credit: Chris Baxter, Carla Astudillo, Yan Wu/NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Armistice Day

On the 100th anniversary of the Armistice that ended World War I, we are remembering my great uncle Theodore Slamski who served our country during the war.

Nobody Is Above the Law Rally

Nobody, including Donald Trump, is above the law. By appointing Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker, he has crossed a red line, violating the independence of the investigation pursuing criminal charges in the Trump-Russia scandal and cover-up. Grassroots activists are mobilizing all around the country planning events today at 5 pm (local time) to encourage Congress to demand accountability.

A rally is being held in Princeton at 5 pm in Hinds Plaza. This event is wheelchair accessible. Click here  for more information.

President Obama on the Midterms

Former President Barack Obama released the following statement on yesterday's midterm elections.

"I congratulate everybody who showed up and participated in our democracy yesterday. Obviously, the Democrats' success in flipping the House of Representatives, several governorships, and state legislatures will get the most attention. But even more important than what we won is how we won: by competing in places we haven't been competitive in a long time, and by electing record numbers of women and young veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan, a surge of minority candidates, and a host of outstanding young leaders. The more Americans who vote, the more our elected leaders look like America.

On a personal note, Michelle and I couldn't be prouder of the alumni of my administration who took the baton and won their races last night. Even the young candidates across the country who fell short have infused new energy and new blood into our democratic process, and America will be better off for it for a long time to come.

I also want to congratulate voters across the country for turning out in record numbers, and for voting for several ballot initiatives that will improve the lives of the American people – like raising the minimum wage, expanding Medicaid, and strengthening voting rights.

Our work goes on. The change we need won't come from one election alone – but it is a start. Last night, voters across the country started it. And I'm hopeful that going forward, we'll begin a return to the values we expect in our public life – honesty, decency, compromise, and standing up for one another as Americans, not separated by our differences, but bound together by one common creed."

VOTE

"Let us march on ballot boxes."

— Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Fall Back

Remember to move your clocks back one hour tonight. Daylight saving time ends at 2:00 am on Sunday, November 4.

VOTE

Photo: AP/Matt Rourke

#BlueWave #Vote

The #BlueWave Trailer by Eleven Films

ATTN: VOTE

President Barack Obama responds to the 7 weakest excuses for not voting.

VOTE

KHS Walking Tour of Kingston Businesses

The Kingston Historical Society will host a walking tour of Kingston businesses tomorrow, Saturday, October 6, 2018, at 2 pm. The walk will start at the Kingston Presbyterian Church parking lot, 4565 Route 27 (Main Street), Kingston, NJ. It will end at the Kingston Lock area on the D&R Canal State Park, where there will be a display on Kingston businesses and a demonstration of Paul Kayne's models of the lock and former "A" frame bridge in the Locktender's House.

The walk will be led by lifetime Kingston resident George Luck, Jr., who will discuss some of the village's past businesses, their owners and history. These businesses represent a time when Kingston was dependent on local merchants to supply everything from groceries to shoes, to meet the needs of residents, travelers and emerging businesses in the automotive era.

This tour is free and open to the public. Rides will be provided for those not wishing to walk back to the Kingston Presbyterian Church parking lot. For more information, visit KHS or contact Robert von Zumbusch at 609-683-4711 or RLV12@columbia.edu.

Her Lasting Impact — Dr. Christine Blasey Ford

See "How Christine Blasey Ford's Testimony Changed America" by Haley Sweetland Edwards in the October 15, 2018, issue of TIME.

Illustration by John Mavroudis for TIME

Thank You, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford

National Public Lands Day at Mapleton Preserve

Friends of Princeton Nursery Lands and Kingston Greenways Association will host the annual National Public Lands Day work session in the Mapleton Preserve on Saturday, September 29, 2018, from 1 to 4 pm. National Public Lands Day is the nation's largest hands-on volunteer effort to improve and enhance the public lands Americans enjoy. FPNL and KGA invite the public to play a part and contribute to the restoration of the Mapleton Preserve, the former home of Princeton Nurseries. The Princeton Nurseries Historic District was just placed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a significant historical site in central New Jersey.

FPNL's focus this year is removing brush, vines, invasive saplings and shrubs, caring for trees in the Flemer Arboretum, and collecting litter with the trash crew. Volunteers are asked to bring their own loppers, pruning shears, saws, rakes and shovels. Sturdy shoes, work gloves, long pants, long-sleeved shirts and hats are also recommended.

The entrance to the Mapleton Preserve/D&R Canal State Park is at 145 Mapleton Road in Kingston. For more information, visit the FPNL website or call 609-683-0483.

KGA Wildlife Ambassadors Program

Kingston Greenways Association invites the public to come meet the animal ambassadors from the Mercer County Wildlife Center at the Mapleton Preserve/D&R Canal State Park Headquarters on Sunday, September 16, 2018, at 2 pm. The Mercer County Wildlife Center is a state and federally licensed facility that cares for injured, ill and displaced native wildlife. This program will feature animals from the Center that for various reasons cannot be released back into the wild. These animals travel to schools and community events throughout the year, acting as ambassadors for their wild counterparts.

The Mapleton Preserve/D&R Canal State Park Headquarters is located at 145 Mapleton Road in Kingston. This event is free and open to the public. Please note: If the temperature exceeds 80 degrees, the event will NOT be held. Please visit KGA the night before of the morning of the program to verify that it is taking place, or call 609-750-1821. Learn more about the Wildlife Center at Wildlife Center Friends.

Photo of Barred Owl: Tari Pantaleo

Shikantaza at South Brunswick Jazz Café

The musical trio Shikantaza—Doug Miller on piano, Bernhard Geiger on acoustic bass, Brandon Lewin on percussion—will perform with guests Steve Kaplan on sax and flute and vocalist Ron Orlando at the South Brunswick Jazz Café on Friday, September 7, 2018, at 8 pm. Shikantaza explores the jazz canon and songs from the Great American Songbook. They make familiar works uniquely their own, as well as offering original compositions developed improvisationally. Their music draws inspiration from many genres. The word shikantaza, translated literally as just sitting, refers to a form of Japanese Zen Buddhist meditation. To read more about Shikantaza and to listen their music, click here.

The South Brunswick Jazz Café is located at the Herb Eckert Auditorium in the Senior Center, South Brunswick Municipal Complex, 540 Route 522 in Monmouth Junction. Admission is $6 at the door. Doors open at 7:30 pm. No reservations, no advance ticket sales. This performance is a BYOB event. For more information, call 732-329-4000, ext. 7635, or click here.

John McCain

John McCain

1936 – 2018

"Do not despair of our present difficulties but believe always in the promise and greatness of America, because nothing is inevitable here. Americans never quit. We never surrender. We never hide from history. We make history. Farewell, fellow Americans. God bless you, and God bless America."

FPNL Scavenger Hunt in the Mapleton Preserve

Friends of Princeton Nursery Lands, in collaboration with the D&R Canal State Park Naturalist, will host an "old-fashioned scavenger hunt with a modern twist" on Saturday, August 25, 2018, at 10 am. This nature- and history-themed event will take place at the Mapleton Preserve/D&R Canal State Park, 145 Mapleton Road in Kingston. Teams will cooperate to find natural objects and complete fun-filled tasks in a timed event. Digital or cell phone cameras, simple sketches and/or map annotations will be used to record any items that are too big to "collect" (bring your cell phones or cameras if you have them).

Come with your family or form an adult team, meet new friends and get your imagination working while exploring the fields and trails of Mapleton Preserve. Refreshments will be served. The event is free, and participants of all ages are welcome to join in the fun, though children under 10 should be accompanied by an adult.

For more information or to RSVP to this event, call 609-683-0483.

Aretha Franklin

Aretha Franklin

1942 – 2018

Photo: Cecilio Ricardo

Princeton Landing News

We note with satisfaction that FirstService Residential property manager David Greenwald is leaving Princeton Landing.

Trump Got the Time Cover Again . . . Kind of

Le 14 Juillet

Photo by Yann Caradec

If you can't be there, click here to celebrate!