Category Archives: Around Town

Personal posts — some social justice (Not in Our Town), some faith-related (Princeton United Methodist Church), some I-can’t-keep-from-writing-this

Muzzle Not the Ox: Crowd Funding for the Arts

Dance and the other arts, , , ,
Something sudden swept over her? That phrase is from the title of Susan Tenney’s new collaboration with her brothers, a work that premieres in New York on June 5. But it wasn’t sudden. She’s done marvelous Tenney and Company collaborations for years. And she is crowd-funding the production on the Web, as is entrepreneurial actor/singer/composer Scott Langdon. 
Susan Tenney

Steven Mark Tenney wrote the script for Something Sudden Swept Ov3r Me (and the 3 is not a typo) with a plot that goes like this: Norbit Ufowatchin is a graduate student about to leave the field of Advanced Alien Artifacts, assume a prestigious residency, and write The Novel of His Life, when his professor entrusts him with a powerful device capable of changing planetary history. Who is the professor really, and who is his beautiful daughter?

It runs at varying times, a,Planet Connection production, from June 5 to June 16 at the Robert Moss, 440 Lafayette Street. Another brother, David Tenney, has provided music. Susan Tenney is raising money for the production through the New York Live Arts website.


In contrast, Langdon is looking to the far future for his productions, because currently he is in “Mame” at the Bucks County Playhouse with Andrea McArdle.  Some of his projects are faith-based, such as the wonderful one-man versions of “All Eyes on the Cross” and “According to Mark.” Some are secular, like a one-man version of Charles Dickens “A Christmas Carol” that he toured to wide acclaim.  

For what he calls the Scott Langdon Project, he aims to “crowd fund” through Indiegogo. His goal: “to enrich the lives of all people, everywhere, by presenting audiences with transformative performing arts pieces through which people are challenged to see the world, and their role in it, in new and exciting ways” 
Potential contributions start at $10 and $25 (for which you get an old-fashioned, paper mailed thank you note plus a CD of the Dickens evening.)
Support your local artists and you get it back in delight. As my father used to say, quoting Deuteronomy 25, Muzzle not the ox that treadeth out the grain. Just because actors and dancers love their work, they still need to be paid.

Now and Then: the Spirit of Princeton

Around Town
Now and Then, soldiers rest after the Spirit of Princeton Memorial Parade

Responding to Abundance: Cornerstone Community Kitchen

Faith and Social Justice

Cornerstone Community Kitchen serves free dinners every Wednesday, in partnership with the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen, at the corner of Nassau and Vandeventer Streets, just inside the doors of Princeton United Methodist Church. Everyone is welcome, no questions asked. From 5 to 6:30 p.m. volunteers serve plates heaped high with a main dish, vegetables, salad, fresh fruit, and dessert — with plenty of take-home bagels available. Cornerstone Kitchen is well into its second year of “never miss a Wednesday.”

Lots of people help serve this abundance, and here are three examples — one from a congregation, one from a small business, one from an individual.

Jeannette Timmons of The Jewish Center of Princeton volunteers weekly. Now that the Methodist church kitchen is undergoing renovation, the “prep” for the fresh veggies and salads is being done at the Jewish Center. Jeannette Timmons, a weekly volunteer, wrote this account of how the gift of a stove has warmed the friendship ties between the two congregations.

Evan and Maria Blomgren, of the Rocky Hill Inn , furnished the main course last Wednesday. Owner and chef at the Rockh Hill Tavern, Evan prepared delicious chicken masala, roasted potatoes, and asparagus and peppers. Panera Bread and the Bagel Hole regularly donate baked goods, and Zorba’s Brother has also donated a meal. More donors welcome!

Maurice Galimidi, of Allegra Printing, made a generous donation to CCK, and he tells why:

I am not a well-to-do man but I try to remember that in spite of that – I live in abundance.
My father taught his children to never feel that they are better than others just more lucky.
If I can make a small donation to allow myself a sense of connection to those with less than I have, it will keep me in my Father’s graces (he is now resting in peace).
I am a Jewish refugee from Egypt.  One of the most powerful images from Egypt  that my Father left me was on the eve of each Sabbath before going to temple he would go to the local bakery.  He would ask the baker if he can buy the remaining bread that was yet unsold – and he would purchase the lot. He left the bakery without the bread and homeless people would be on line in the street waiting for their chance to take a loaf of bread. It was different time in another country but it was testimony that he felt he was living in abundance.
I thought I would share.

Thank you, everybody.

Just 24 Notes, ‘Taps’ is Hard to Play

Around Town

Having played “Taps” for more than 40 years, the “Lone Bugler” talks with authority on sounding it. “There are only 24 notes, but it is difficult. ‘Taps’ is an emotion; music is an emotion. It is the only time you are laying someone down for the love of the country.”

Three trumpet players, I am pleased to say, are in the Fox family. My son, George Jr., was the lead trumpet during his time in the Princeton High School Studio Band, and two of his children are on the way to being fine players. I love hearing brass play, whether on the parade field or at church. 

So my heart warmed when I read the paragraph above, part of an article, in this week’s U.S. 1 Newspaper.  Dan Aubrey interviewed First Sergeant U.S. Army Retired Richard Pinter, also known as the Lone Bugler, about what it means to play the trumpet at a military funeral. Click here for a read that befits Memorial Day.  

The Money Man (Bernanke) and The Wit (Remnick)

Around Town, ,

See live broadcasts when Ben Bernanke speaks at Princeton University on June 2 at 2 p.m. and David Remnick speaks on Monday, June 3. 

Here is the info I got from the Princeton University publicity folks: a summary of the graduation events leading up to and including Princeton’s 266th Commencement. I have deleted mentions of how to pick up journalist credentials and, no, I don’t plan to do that myself. 

The Bernanke and Remnick speeches will be simulcast on Channel 27 for Comcast subscribers and Channel 21 for Verizon FIOS subscribers. The events also are scheduled to be webcast live and archived online for later viewing at www.princeton.edu/WebMedia/. For more information, visit the Commencement website at http://www.princeton.edu/commencement/events

—The Baccalaureate service will take place at 2 p.m. Sunday, June 2, in the University Chapel. The speaker will be Ben Bernanke, chairman of the Board of Governors of the U.S. Federal Reserve. 
 
—The Class Day ceremony for seniors is set for 10:30 a.m. Monday, June 3, on Cannon Green (Jadwin Gym in the event of severe weather). The speaker will be David Remnick, editor of the New Yorker.

— The Hooding ceremony for advanced degree candidates will begin at 5 p.m. Monday, June 3, on Cannon Green (McCarter Theater in case of severe weather). The guest speaker is Sheryl WuDunn, a graduate from the Class of 1988. 
 
—The Commencement program begins with the academic procession at10:20 a.m. Tuesday, June 4 on the front campus on Nassau Street. The University’s 266th Commencement ceremony is slated for 11 a.m. on the lawn in front of Nassau Hall (Jadwin Gym in the event of severe weather). Princeton President Shirley M. Tilghman will preside over the event and address the graduates. Several honorary degrees traditionally are conferred, but names are not announced until that day. 

PLAN FOR THE TRAFFIC! 
 

RIP Merrill Brockway: He Brought Dance to America

Dance and the other arts

Other than grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the single best Good Thing that happened to dance in the ’70s and ’80s was Merrill Brockway, who began producing dance for public television in 1976 with Dance in America. 

Millions of Americans got to see the greats — we really had great, seminal choreographers then. Graham, Balanchine, Cunningham, Robbins, Taylor. Because I was a dance critic from ’78 to ’86, PBS would send me  the review tapes. What treasures! Until then, dance history scholars and would-be dance critics had to hover around 16 mm projectors in darkened rooms. These tapes — we could play them over and over again until the dances were etched in our DNA.

He taped his programs so the dancers could be ‘full figure,’ not showing “dancing feet” as was the custom until then.

And our “sisters and our cousins and our aunts” in Kalamazoo and Great Neck and Puddle Jump Illinois now knew what we were talking about when we talked about Balanchine.

Brockway died at 90 on May 2 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Here is the New York Times obituary.

Buttons: World’s Smallest Antiques

Around Town, Dance and the other arts, , ,

Buttons like these will be on display at the New Jersey State Button Show and Sale on Saturday, May 11, 9 to 4 p.m. at the Union Firehouse in Titusville. Here is the article in U.S. 1 Newspaper. It’s fun to see all the different kinds of buttons — and you might just find some you “have to have.”

One of the categories for this show is enamel buttons, as on the left. Below, a card of buttons that are are actually in the shape of what they depict: bird, rooster, crab, bear, elephant, flower, thimble, etc.

The NJSBS show is held twice a year for New Jersey and tri-state button enthusiasts who enjoy the artwork and history of buttons, including their manufacture and design. “Our shows attract quilters, crafters, antique collectors, reenactors, and those seeking special buttons to wear,” says Lillian Buirkle, president of the 71-year-old organization.

The fire hall is at 1396 River Road (Route 29), at the intersection of Route 29 and Park Lake Avenue in Titusville, opposite the Delaware River and D&R; Canal State Park (within easy access to the canal park), a half mile north of Washington Crossing State Park in Hopewell Township, and some five miles south of Lambertville and New Hope, PA. Admission is $2 for adults at the door, free for juniors to age 17. Also that day is the New Jersey History fair across the road in the Washington Crossing State Park. 

Johnson Frazier, a button historian and dealer, will present a 1:30 p.m. program, “Banners on Buttons,” showcasing buttons that display ribbons and flags in their designs, some as early as the 18th century, along with a brief history about the buttons pictured. Throughout the day there will be a variety of activities, including the judging of button trays entered into competition, an educational display of buttons worn on gloves, and a button raffle.
The fall show will be Saturday, September 7, at the same location. Contact Lillian Buirkle, (732-691-1776), email: buttonlady@optonline.netor visit http://newjerseystatebuttonsociety.org/

Both Ends Burning: Entrepreneurial and Parental Dedication

Faith and Social Justice, Technology & Innovation

Entrepreneur Craig Juntunen adopted his three children from Haiti seven years ago, and realized how dysfunctional the adoption process was. He formed Both Ends Burning, a nonprofit dedicated to reforming the system, and produced a documentary, “STUCK,” designed to educate the American public about the 10 million children around the globe victimized through disinterest and unnecessary bureaucracy. 


Juntunen will speak about his cause tonight, Friday, May 10, in the computer science building, Room 104. A reception follows. He will premiere the film on Saturday, May 11, at the Montgomery Cinema, at 7 p.m. For tickets, click here. Juntunen is wrapping up a national tour for the film, and his appearance at the university is sponsored by the Keller Center. 

Speak . . . For Your President is Listening

Around Town, Faith and Social Justice,

Princeton University’s new president, Christopher Eisgruber, tells an Associated Press reporter , Geoff Mulvihill, that Princeton is a warmer place than it used to be (thanks in part to more ‘inclusiveness’ among students). He lauds the idea of a liberal arts education versus a job training period. (Andrew Delbanco’s book, just out in paperback, College: What Was, Is, and Should Be, takes the same tack.)Yet Eisgruber regrets that current students can’t share the experiences he had when arrived as a freshman in 1979, and here I’m quoting Mulvihill: 

‘Full faculty members sometimes served as discussion leaders for colleagues’ classes, it was more common for non-recruited athletes to walk on and join sports teams, and students weren’t so competitive from the moment they arrived on campus. But the last part, he said, is unlikely to change.’

In Not in Our Town discussions (NIOT holds discussions. ‘Continuing Conversations,’ on first Mondays at 7:30 p.m. at the Princeton Public Library),  that very subject — aggressive competitiveness — has come up several times. These discussions are open to the public but are “private,” not divulged afterwards. 

However, one of the discussion moderators, Roberto Schiraldi, published several documents on the NIOT blog. Schiraldi has retired from a job as a Princeton University counselor. He shared an open letter to the current university president, Shirley Tilghman, He also posted part of a paper, A White Man on the REZ: “Higher” Education In A Culture of Fear: A Journey Through Alienation and Privilege to Healing. 

The question: Have student values of competition — getting the best grades and the best job — superseded  humanistic values? 

The future president of Princeton University says he plans to “just listen” during his first year in office. If Eisgruber is listening, now is the time to speak.

Stand Against Racism — Today

Around Town, Faith and Social Justice, ,