Whitney Museum of American Art to Reopen on Sept. 3

New York City museums have eagerly been awaiting Governor Andrew Cuomo’s permission to reopen their doors to the general public. The announcement finally came last Friday when Cuomo told reporters that New York City museums, aquariums, and other “low risk” cultural institutions could reopen on August 24. In response, the Metropolitan Museum of Art announced a target reopening date of August 29. The Whitney Museum of American Art will follow suit on September 3, and the Morgan Library and Museum on September 5.  more

Asbury Ocean Club Closes Record-Breaking Penthouse, Its Highest Listed Residence

Listed for $5.9 million, the residence is the most expensive home sold in Asbury Park history

Asbury Ocean Club (AsburyOceanClub.com), the 17-story residential property that introduced luxury living to the Jersey Shore last summer, recently closed on its largest residence. Listed at $5.9 million, the sale marks a record in Asbury Park’s history and is a testament to the luxury design and lifestyle of the oceanfront oasis, which includes a full suite of amenities and luxury services. Asbury Ocean Club is just 70 minutes from Manhattan and less than an hour from many prominent New Jersey communities. Residents soak in coastal surroundings from every corner of the property, all while being at the center of Asbury Park’s vibrant city by the sea, offering miles of boardwalk and beaches, an active arts culture, and an established and growing restaurant scene. more

ALTO Rooftop at Montclair’s MC Hotel Now Welcoming Guests

Boutique Property Reopens Rooftop with Stunning Views of New York City Skyline

The MC Hotel, in the heart of Montclair, has reopened its doors to its popular ALTO rooftop, the city’s only rooftop bar. Located on the ninth floor of the hotel through the building’s Bloomfield Avenue entrance, the spacious rooftop space is now open for drinks Wednesdays-Sundays, with reservations encouraged through opentable.com. Guests can sip on a glass of sparkling rose or a handcrafted cocktail while enjoying sweeping views of the New York City skyline. more

Cycle, Run, or Hike for the Sourlands, Sept. 5-13

All are welcome to participate in the ninth annual Sourland Spectacular to enjoy the great outdoors and to “Save the Sourlands.” Typically, the event takes the form of a cycling rally, but this year’s event invites registrants to choose their own route (and fee) to cycle, run, or hike anytime during the nine-day event.  more

New Jersey African American Museum Receives COVID-19 Grant Award

The Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum (SSAAM), central New Jersey’s first African American Museum, is one of 82 organizations to receive a new COVID-19 Response Grant from the New Jersey Council for the Humanities (NJCH) with funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the federal CARES Act. more

“Charlie Chaplin: A Man of the World”

Documentary Feature Focuses on the Romani Roots of Cinema Legend Charlie Chaplin 

Director-writer Carmen Chaplin is directing Charlie Chaplin, A Man of the World, a theatrical documentary feature that adds a hardly-explored new facet to the creator of the Tramp, one of the most iconic cinema characters in popular consciousness, plumbing Chaplin’s Romani roots and heritage.  more

NJ Artist Named Recipient of Nation’s Highest Honor in the Folk and Traditional Arts

The National Endowment for the Arts recently announced the recipients of its 2020 National Heritage Fellowships. Onnik Dinkjian of Fort Lee is among the nine recipients to be honored this year. These lifetime honor awards of $25,000 are given in recognition of both artistic excellence and efforts to sustain cultural traditions for future generations.  more

PSRC Premier Fall Fundraiser Event with Senator Al Franken

The Princeton Senior Resource Center (PSRC), a community nonprofit whose mission is to help older adults thrive, offers programs for enrichment and lifelong learning, no-cost social services, resource referrals, and much more. Its 2020 fall fundraiser on Saturday, October 17 at 6:30 p.m. includes VIP Virtual Cocktails, humor, and discussion with Senator Al Franken. more

Peach Month at Peddler’s Village

August is peach month at Peddler’s Village, and every day the Bucks County location will offer special peach-themed food and drinks at restaurants and eateries. There will also be live entertainment on select weekends. On Saturdays and Sundays, guests can enjoy made-to-order sandwiches and burgers at the Water Wheel Food Tent. more

29th Annual Arts Festival in Doylestown Goes Virtual

The 29th annual Arts Festival in Doylestown, Pa., is going virtual for the safety of its participants, attendees, and community. Normally it is the biggest weekend in Doylestown, this year, patrons will be celebrating from home on September 12 and 13. Browse all of the 2020 participating artists at dtownartsfestival.com. Expect virtual demos, studio tours, performances, and more on social media leading up to and throughout the festival weekend. more

Purnell School Announces Appointment of Tracy Haswell as Dean of Academics

Purnell School in Pottersville, N.J., the only college and preparatory boarding and day school for girls in grades 9-12 who learn differently, announced the appointment of Tracy Haswell as dean of academics, a position that serves on the school’s executive leadership team. more

38th Annual New Jersey Lottery Festival of Ballooning Postponed

The 38th annual New Jersey Lottery Festival of Ballooning in Association with PNC Bank, traditionally the largest summertime hot air balloon and music festival in North America, has been postponed due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus. more

Panel Discussion: A Garden for Solace

Thursday, July 30, 5:30 p.m.

Gardens, those plots of land that have been nurtured and formed by the human hand, have found appeal as places of solitary or group refuge, renewal, and enjoyment by societies across the globe and throughout history. more

Local Life Coach Wants to Help People Live Their Best Life

Beth Fitzgerald, head of Fitzgerald Life Coaching at 259 Nassau Street in Princeton, is a certified life coach, certified John Maxwell Coach, Master ETF Practitioner, international speaker, and trainer. She believes that coaching is the act of empowering the individual to harness their goals, dreams, and aspirations. more

Gustafson Named Interim Director of Zimmerli Art Museum

Donna Gustafson has been appointed interim director of the Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers University, one of the nation’s largest and most respected university-based museums. more

No Golf Classic Raises Over $150,000 for Front Line Workers

If you have ever played golf, two terms you want to avoid are “whiff” (which means you totally missed the ball) and “duff,” which is a very bad shot. Even worse, COVID-19 and pandemic possess detrimental connotations. So, when Community Options had to postpone their annual golf tournament at TPC Jasna Polana, Community Options Enterprises Chairman Phil Lian decided to have a golf tournament avoiding all of these negative outcomes. The new mission was to have a tournament with no green fees, no dinner, no club costs, no missed balls, and most importantly, no chance of virus spread. more

Cost of Attending TCNJ Drops for Undergraduates

In an effort to limit the financial burden on The College of New Jersey’s campus community during the COVID pandemic, TCNJ’s Board of Trustees approved a budget at its June 30 meeting that will result in a lower overall cost of attendance for undergraduate students for the coming academic year. more

Fresh Terhune Crops in Farm Store Daily

Terhune Orchards farm store is filled with fresh fruits and vegetables all year long. The Princeton-based farm grows over 40 varieties of crops and many varieties of each crop. The harvest also changes each week. The staff at Terhune pick every day to ensure that patrons are getting the freshest and most nutritional produce available. more

Rutgers University’s Virtual Alumni Career Fair, July 22

Rutgers University’s Alumni Association will present a Virtual Alumni Career Fair on Wednesday, July 22 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The HireNew York-Metro Virtual Alumni Career Fair will include Fortune 500 companies, start-ups, well-branded franchises and retail stores, state and local governments, federal agencies, and nonprofits looking to hire full-time, salaried employees. more

WXPN’s XPoNential Music Festival Summer Celebration

In place of its now-canceled, annual three-day XPoNential Music Festival taking place on the Delaware Riverfront in late July, fans will be able to revisit past years’ performances online as WXPN presents “XPNFest Fridays.” Two complete, back-to-back complete sets from the festival archives will be available every Friday night at 7 p.m. during July, with full sets by Courtney Barnett (2015) and Low Cut Connie (2019).  more

WheatonArts Family Art Workshops

Have fun creating and learning from home with a collection of WheatonArts Family Art Workshop video tutorials (https://www.wheatonarts.org/learn/family-activities/family-art-workshops/). Great for all skill levels and ages, each tutorial is paired with engaging discussion questions and links for further learning. A new video is added each week. more

“Sunday with Dorie” Friends of PPL Fundraising Event

Cook along with five-time James Beard Award winner and New York Times best-selling cookbook author Dorie Greenspan in this special virtual fundraising event for Princeton Public Library (PPL) on Sunday, July 12 from 4 to 5 p.m. more

Hopewell Elementary School Graduating Fifth Graders Leave Their Mark

On June 18 through June 24, Sourland Conservancy hosted the Hopewell Elementary graduating fifth graders and their family to commemorate the moment by planting a pollinator meadow. The families each chose a 30-minute time slot, in order to maintain strict social distancing, to plant in the Foraging Forest in Hopewell Borough Park, which is right next door to their school. more

Walk to Fight Alzheimer’s at ETS Princeton, October 11

Alzheimer’s New Jersey’s Walk to Fight Alzheimer’s is scheduled to take place at Educational Testing Service’s Princeton campus on Sunday, October 11, 2020. One hundred percent of money raised will support New Jersey individuals and families. Participants can choose to walk virtually or in-person at 660 Rosedale Road. Registration opens at 8:30 a.m. on the day of the event and the walk will begin at 10 a.m. Festivities include refreshments, music, and door prizes. Parking is available on site. Register online in advance at https://alznj.akaraisin.com/ui/walkalznj2020 and choose from one of five walks: Point Pleasant Beach (September 26), Liberty State Park in Jersey City (October 3), Princeton (October 11), Morristown (October 18), and/or Paramus (October 25). more

Urban Insider: Summer Cookout

Image Source: Cookingchanneltv.com

Get into the great outdoors for a summer cookout.

 more

“Pay What You Want” Yard Work, Housework, Grocery Shopping, and More: How Creative College Students Serve a Community in Need

Twelve New Jersey students have joined forces this summer to operate Hopewell Helpers LLC, which matches area college students with at-risk populations in need of services like yard work, housework, child care, technology assistance, grocery shopping and delivery, trips to the pharmacy, and more.  more

Goat Yoga & Wine Tasting at Terhune Orchards, July 26

Unplug and venture outdoors for a fun and unique opportunity to explore the orchard, meet goats, practice yoga, sip wine, and create memories! Terhune Orchards on Cold Soil Road in Princeton will offer this program of events on July 26 at 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. The cost to attend is $50.20 per person and includes a 45-minute easy flow yoga class accompanied by goats and tasting a flight of five Terhune wines.  more

The Asbury Hotel Reopens June 25

Asbury Park property welcomes guests back with new sanitation protocols, socially distanced spaces, and dining offerings

The Asbury is reopening on June 25 after a temporary closure due to COVID-19. Launched in 2016, The Asbury is an architectural nod to the shore town’s Victorian-era history and rock n’ roll present. more

Morven “July 4th in a Bag” Free Giveaway

Declaration of Independence, 1818. John Trumball (1756-1843). Collection of the Architect of the Capitol.

Register by June 25

Curbside pick-ups scheduled on July 1

Every year, in honor of Independence Day, Morven hosts a free event to celebrate American heritage at the home-turned-museum of Richard Stockton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.  more

Green Leaf Pet Resort: Where Luxury Meets Love

Whether it’s training, grooming, daycare, or boarding, your pet will feel right at home at Green Leaf Pet Resort. With two state-of-the-art locations in Millstone Township and Oakhurst, Pet Leaf also boasts a staff of professional dog lovers, grooming, boarding, swimming, and training evaluations. more