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.