The living room scene was a promotional postcard Santiago Cohen sent to art directors to promote himself. It is a scene of he and his wife in a house in Mexico, showcased in an edgy and provocative style with a hint of modern art. Photo courtesy of Santiago Cohen

The name Santiago Cohen might not ring any immediate bells; however, his artistic work has been echoed for years — it is likely that you’ve read a children’s book he has illustrated or saw a design he created and didn’t even realize it. 

Cohen is a Mexican American artist who has worked for several top television companies, including HBO, Nickelodeon and PBS. His favorite work was “Troubles the Cat,” a children’s show that ran on Cartoon Network in the late ’90s. “It was truly the first original cartoon that embodied Latino characters,” Cohen said. “I wanted to reach those kids and make them feel represented, giving a voice to a population that was typically suppressed in media.” Cohen designed 24 episodes of the animated short series. 

Cohen’s favorite work was from ‘Troubles the Cat,’ a children’s show that ran on Cartoon Network in the late ’90s. Photo courtesy of Santiago Cohen

Born and raised in Mexico, Cohen started as a cartoonist, publishing a weekly comic strip in a local newspaper. After moving to New York, he illustrated for major newspapers and magazines. While this helped him sustain a living, Cohen was also able to pursue passions in fine art. “My creative juices were satisfied by painting on weekends and nights, and sometimes I would dedicate a weekday or two solely for fine artwork.” 

While some may assume the realms of fine art and illustration to be vastly different, Cohen has been able to find the similarities (and joy) between them. One of his artistic role models, illustrator Saul Steinberg, would bridge fine art and illustration in The New Yorker. “For me, the two worlds have always been interconnected. 

“Illustration is functional. Your story must pair with and enhance the writing. Whereas my paintings sort of tell a story on their own, without a script. In one way, shape or form, they tell a piece of my life.” 

Santiago Cohen is a Mexican American artist who has worked for several top television companies, including HBO, Nickelodeon and PBS. Photo courtesy of Santiago Cohen

Having lived in New Jersey for 34 years, Cohen considers the Garden State his home and has made notable contributions on a local level. He is the artistic director of the Día de los Muertos parade in Jersey City. The annual celebration originated in Mexico City and pays homage to the people who have passed on from this life. “I took on this role when I moved here in 2014, and every year it gets bigger and better.” 

When it comes to being an artist, the likes of Van Gogh and Picasso will tell you the same: Books can only take you so far — and Cohen agrees. He received a master’s degree in Communication Design from Pratt Institute. “I had phenomenal classes in color theory and illustration, which inspired me to become a better artist, but I really learned by myself how to be an artist. 

“One can follow a presculpted mold on how to be a successful artist — or they can turn off their brain, follow instinct and hope that, eventually, people will catch up with your ideas.”  

Cohen’s latest adventure is a graphic novel he wrote and illustrated during the pandemic. He is also looking toward an installation for his Exvida project. “It is a living project encompassing nearly 1,100 small paintings in which I tell the story of my life, votive style.” 

Kendal Lambert is a freelance writer on a mission to scope out all the amazing things about the Garden State. In addition to travel, she also writes about health, home and human-interest topics.

This article originally appeared in the Summer 2022 issue of Jersey’s Best. Subscribe here for in-depth access to everything that makes the Garden State great.

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Fort Lee could be a destination for exploring Korean cuisine alone, but there’s much more than that. Photo courtesy of Borough of Fort Lee

It shouldn’t take the occasional George Washington Bridge lane-closing scandal to route you through Fort Lee to discover what that town has to offer. The little-under-3-square-mile Bergen County community is packed with history and a rich food scene to explore, too.

Fort Lee was, at the turn of the last century, the motion picture capital of America. New York City was too expensive (even back then), and there was also the natural beauty of the Palisades for filming. Did you know that is where the term “cliffhanger” came from? In 1909, Champion Film Co., a forerunner to Universal Studios, built the first studio in Fort Lee.

Speaking of movies, in 1985, bored Fort Lee housewife Roberta Glass, played by Rosanna Arquette, ventures into New York City for thrills and adventure in “Desperately Seeking Susan” and ends up in a SoHo diner. Roberta found love there, but could have at least eaten better in Fort Lee today. For elevated diner food closer to where Roberta lived, try the family restaurant, Chillers Grill.

One of the premier hot dog joints in a state known for its hot dog joints, Hiram’s has been open since 1932. Photo courtesy of NJ Advance Media

Fort Lee is named for a Revolutionary War general, Charles Lee, who was thought to be the one who would lead the Continental Army, a role that went to George Washington instead, creating a career lane closure for Lee. After a defeat to the Brits in November 1776, and Washington’s army ensuing retreat through present-day Fort Lee, Thomas Paine wrote his famous line: “These are the times that try men’s souls.” That line may also be relevant today, but Washington and Paine did not have Hiram’s Roadstand to stop at — a respite from trying times. One of the premier hot dog joints in a state known for its hot dog joints, Hiram’s has been open since 1932, and likely because the GW Bridge opened a year before. If you don’t like Hiram’s, you really don’t like hot dogs. It also was an Anthony Bourdain favorite, so if you don’t trust our opinion, you can at least trust his. And they have beer on tap, too.

Lee is the second-most common Korean surname, and although coincidental to the name of the general and the community, there exists a thriving Koreatown since before the beginning of this century. With a population that is nearly one-quarter of Korean descent and hundreds of Korean-owned businesses, Fort Lee could be a destination for exploring Korean cuisine alone.

Bada Story Restaurant was established in 2010 and has been providing premium fish selections and side dishes to its customers from the start. Photo courtesy of Bada Story

Have a craving for KFC? No, not that KFC. Korean fried chicken. Head over to Boom Boom Chicken. Bada Story, for Korean-style sushi and seafood, brings in some of its fish from South Korea. Sa Rit Gol is the eating and meeting place for locals, communing over classic dishes. Prime and Beyond, open since 2003, is a steakhouse and butcher shop, offering classic and Korean-influenced dishes and accompaniments. Speaking of movies again, Obaltan bears the name of what some consider the best South Korean movie ever made. Here, away from the main concentration of Korean establishments, you’ll find top-notch Korean BBQ. Dong Bang Grill and Taste 1080 are two other BBQ spots worth checking out. Hannam Chain is a Korean grocery store chain that originated in Los Angeles’ Koreatown. In the same plaza, you’ll find Café Trois, for a good breakfast and some Korean baked goods.

Sushi Aoki is an intimate sushi restaurant with only 10 seats, serving the freshest seasoning ingredients from Japan. Photo courtesy of Sushi Aoki

Other foods can also be found in Fort Lee. Menya Sandaime is an authentic Japanese ramen shop. Sushi Aoki is intimate to say the least, with only 10 sought-after seats. Sushi Kai offers a daily tasting menu in an elegant setting, and SOMA Sushi, only open since May, is already developing its own following for accessible pricing and dining room size, seating 90. Fudgarten’s tagline is “where life meets food,” but easier to understand is the popularity of this organic fast casual destination with well-sourced and well-made food.

Ventanas at the Modern, an American-Latin-Asian fusion spot, was named by Open Table as one of the Top 100 restaurants in America for a date (we assume to take one, not find one). Kuba serves real Cuban dishes with a dash of Asian flare. As this is New Jersey, there may be few towns without an Italian restaurant — or five. Baggio’s and Franco’s Metro are popular spots, not just for their pizzas but an array of pastas and other Italian specialties. While finding good Italian in most towns is not always difficult, finding Cajun seafood boil is, and Dancing Camaron has its customers two-stepping with joy since opening last autumn.

Dancing Camaron’s proud claim?  Real butter, real value and no cheating you with weight. Photo courtesy of Dancing Camaron

Speaking of movies just one more time, the Barrymore Film Center is scheduled to open this year. A 250-seat theatre and museum celebrating the history of Fort Lee’s role in film, there won’t be a restaurant, but a large box of popcorn and a soda seem like it may be a great local meal to have when attending future film events there.

Hank Zona writes regularly about wine, spirits and a range of other topics such as food and culture. He also has been running wine and spirits events of all sorts for over a decade. 

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This week is an excellent time to view Sagittarius and Scorpius. These constellations are quite far below the celestial equator. We can see them, but they never get high in the sky.

To see them, face the southern sky. The best time to view will between 10 and 11 p.m., when they are highest. Scorpius is fairly easy to spot. It has a bright, reddish star named Antares in it and a distinct shape. Scorpius is the scorpion, and his tail sweeps down toward the horizon, ending in a stinger (the star Lesath).

Sagittarius is a large, sprawling constellation that’s difficult to imagine as an archer, let alone a centaur. Most stargazers instead look for a pattern of stars that looks like a little teapot in the sky. The tip of the spout also represents the tip of the archer’s arrow. The star here is named Alnasl from an Arabic phrase meaning “arrowhead.” This is an apropos name for this star, given its position.

Sagittarius A* is the super massive black hole at the center of the Milky Way. It is located near the spout of the teapot shape formed by stars in the constellation Sagittarius. Photo courtesy of starrynight.com

The tip of Sagittarius’ arrow is also pointing near an interesting object. As you face this part of the sky, you are looking toward the center of galaxy. There’s an object here called Sagittarius A*; it was first discovered with radio telescopes in the 1950s.

We know now there is a supermassive black hole here at the core of the Milky Way. Back in May, a team of astronomers at the Event Horizon Telescope released the first image of it. The Event Horizon Telescope, which consists of eight radio observatories across the planet linked together to form a single “Earth-sized” virtual telescope.

The first image of the black hole at the center of the Milky Way. It was captured by the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), an array of eight radio observatories across the planet linked together. Photo courtesy of EHT Collaboration

Note that this “image” isn’t a conventional one: It was created from data collected by radio telescopes. It also doesn’t show the black hole itself, which is, of course, invisible. A black hole’s gravity is so strong not even light can escape, but we can see its “shadow.” The Milky Way’s central black hole is 4 million times more massive than the sun. Its strong gravitational pull bends light around it, forming the distinctive ring of light we see here.

The next time you have a clear night, look up to this spot between the tail of the scorpion and the spout of the teapot. Here is the core of the Milky Way and the massive black hole at its heart.

Kevin D. Conod is the Planetarium Astronomer at the County College of Morris and president of the North Jersey Astronomical Group.

Ranging from everyday observations to extraordinary tales of grit, Portraits of the Jersey Shore captures the inspiring stories that have come to define our way of life.

Photo by Gregory Andrus

“The morning of 9/11 I happened to be captain of a local first aid squad. When I saw what happened, I was in shock. And so, I called up to my work, and I said, ‘Listen, tell Lambertville — which is the next town over — and see if they can get a crew together.’ We were at least an hour away, but I knew they would need help in New York. I found out that they only had one ambulance in town. I couldn’t take the only ambulance away from them, but it actually ended up working out. Another EMT came with his son and we met at another agency in Hunterdon County, and there must have been 25 ambulances ready to go. We had a caravan going up Route 78 with the Hunterdon County Sheriff’s Office giving us an escort.  

“It was kind of surreal because, as we’re on Route 78, a contingency of ambulances from Somerset County happened to get on at some point, and they were being escorted as well. So, now you have like 50 ambulances going up Route 78 to Manhattan. I can remember we got to a certain point where you could see Downtown Manhattan, and just columns of smoke, and that was where we were headed.  

“They sent us to Chelsea Piers, and I just remember there was a hospital right there and there’s just people lined up, cheering and clapping and waving at us, and the whole thing was so surreal. We waited for all the injured people to come to be treated, but no one came. Slowly, we realized why: Anyone who would have been injured perished in the towers. It was a very sobering realization.” 

— Jeremy Colby, Point Pleasant  

After surviving homelessness, alcoholism and a near-death experience, photographer Gregory Andrus discovered a life-defining mission to reveal the worth of every person. His “Portraits of the Jersey Shore” series is dedicated to highlighting the dignity of all people in whatever form, context or background each person comes from.

This article originally appeared in the Summer 2022 issue of Jersey’s Best. Subscribe here for in-depth access to everything that makes the Garden State great. 

Best in Jersey is a themed photo gallery series from the Garden State taken by New Jersey’s most talented photographers. In this issue, we highlight the beauty of summer captured by Chad Hoover. 

A tranquil morning in Lavallette.

Sunrise on the boardwalk in Seaside Heights.

Enjoying the sun come up over the Atlantic Ocean in Belmar.

Running through the lavender fields in Monmouth County.

Late summer afternoon at Happy Day Farm.

A lazy afternoon on Cedar Lake in Denville.

Watching the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds from the waterfront in Edgewater.

About Chad Hoover

Chad W. Hoover is an award-winning photographer who lives in Morris County but spends summers with his family in Seaside Heights. His art evokes a sense of mystery; his photographs give a feeling of looking at a hidden world we don’t normally see.  As he says, “If you find good light, just shoot what’s in it!” 

Instagram: @cw_hoover 

Website: fineartamerica.com/profiles/chadw-hoover 

Contact: cw_hoover@yahoo.com 

This article originally appeared in the Summer 2022 issue of Jersey’s Best. Subscribe here for in-depth access to everything that makes the Garden State great.

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With summer in full swing, the sun shines down on us as we enjoy swimming, hiking, biking, fishing and other outdoor activities. The sun is a typical, medium-sized star. It is a ball of mostly hydrogen and helium gas nearly 1 million miles in diameter (865,370 miles, to be exact).

At the core deep inside the sun, the pressures and temperatures are such that hydrogen fuses into helium, generating tremendous amounts of energy. The temperature of the core is 27 million °F. This energy pours out of the core and heats the outer layers of the star.

The visible “surface” of the sun (called the photosphere) has a temperature of 10,000°F. It is here that the sunlight we are all familiar with originates. Traveling at 186,000 miles per second, it takes only 8 minutes for a photon to cross the 93 million miles between the sun and Earth.

The sun is a ball of hot gasses more than 800,000 miles across. Photo courtesy of NASA/Solar Dynamics Observatory

The Earth’s atmosphere protects us from the high-energy wavelengths. Only visible, infrared and some ultraviolet light gets through. We can’t see the infrared light, but we can certainly feel it as heat on our skin. The ultraviolet light is what causes a sunburn if we forget to put on sunscreen.

The sun has cycles of activity. The number of sunspots on its surface rises and falls in a period that varies from nine years to as long as 14 years. On average, that’s 11 years between maximums (or 22 years, if you want to look at the whole cycle). The sunspots are “cool” spots caused by the sun’s tangled magnetic fields.

We are in the 25th solar cycle since we started counting them in 1755. It started in December 2019 and has been rising ever since as we head toward the peak, known as solar maximum. The causes of the cycle are not completely understood but are likely due to the movements and currents of hot gases deep inside the sun.

Note, however, these varying cycles do not generally have a major effect on the weather. If we have a hot summer, a heat wave or a cold winter, that’s not caused by the solar cycle. Solar activity is magnetic in nature. The output and temperature of the sun is remarkably stable.

This recent image of the sun shows a variety of sunspots scattered across its disk. These images of the sun from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory are updated every 15 minutes. Photo courtesy of NASA/Solar Dynamics Observatory

Solar astronomers predicted that cycle 25 will peak in July 2025. We’ve seen lots of new sunspots appearing over the past few months. It seems that we are seeing more spots than expected. This could possibly mean that, in this cycle, the solar maximum will be stronger and happen earlier.

You can watch this process happen, but you will need a proper solar filter to protect your eyes. If you’ve got a pair of filter glasses left over from a recent solar eclipse, you can view the photosphere of the sun. Occasionally, as we head toward maximum, you may be able to see the largest sunspots without magnification. But you will need a small telescope equipped with a solar filter to get a good view of smaller ones.

There are a couple types of solar filters; whether they are glass, Mylar® or polymer doesn’t matter too much — they all work well. Cost runs from $50 to $120 for an 8-inch diameter option. You can also follow along online with websites such as Spaceweather. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory provides recent images of sunspots, updated every 15 minutes.

Kevin D. Conod is the Planetarium Astronomer at the County College of Morris and president of the North Jersey Astronomical Group.

Cape May County is home to some of the most popular beach destinations in New Jersey: Ocean City, Sea Isle City, Avalon, Stone Harbor, Wildwood and, of course, Cape May. Those driving there often pass through or see signs for Upper Township, Middle Township and Lower Township, the names of contiguous townships in Cape May County. More than one person has probably remarked to themselves or to their driving companions about those names going to or leaving the beaches. Those “in the know” will tell you they are not just places to drive past, or names to joke about, but are livable communities with some great places to eat and drink.

The beach communities are, today, not a part of Lower, Middle and Upper, but at one time, the entire area was known as Cape May. In 1723, it was split into the three precincts, or townships, earning them their geographically accurate names. We will start with Lower and work our way up.

Photo courtesy of Gaiss’ Market

Lower is “the birthplace of Southern Jersey,” settled well before Cape May was a beach scene. In fact, it was not the beach that led to its creation but the waters off of it, first settled in 1635 by whalers. Today, the Port of Cape May remains one of the best and biggest fishing ports on the East Coast, and Lower stretches across the peninsula from the Atlantic to the Delaware Bay. So, it’s fitting, based on the region’s origins and the present day, to mention Budd’s Bait and Tackle, in the community of Villas. Known for its top-quality blue claw crabs (live or steamed) and shrimp, there’s also other fresh hauls, like clams and scallops. If you would rather catch your own than peel or crack your own, a full line of bait, and fishing tips await there.

If “life is short, eat dessert first” is really a thing, you might want to stop at Fleck’s Ice Cream in Villas before heading off to dinner. Cooking or eating at home? Gaiss’ Market is a local institution. An almost 100-year-old business, it is a butcher shop, sandwich shop and grocery store. If you prefer to eat out, Greek-inspired Olive Branch in Villas and Yozu Sushi and Hibachi in North Cape May do some great things with that locally sourced seafood coming into the port.

Photo courtesy of Menz Restaurant and Bar

On to Middle Township. Nummytown is a section of Rio Grande in Middle that sounds like it belongs in a food article. It derives its name from Chief Nummy, the last leader of the Kechemeche tribe who lived in the area. Close to Nummytown, though, now is Menz Restaurant and Bar, another local establishment nearing its centennial, with an old-school menu in an old-school setting that is still keeping it fresh.

Cape May Court House is the county seat, and there are plenty of options to find a seat or to walk away with some fine food. Café 101 and Carvery is one top option for breakfast and lunch. Try the turkey cheesesteak. Cherry’s Natural Foods, also open for breakfast and lunch, is an organic café and market that bills itself as “New Jersey’s Favorite Organic Cottage.” Sit for a bit there, and you are likely to make it your favorite.

Photo courtesy of Provence

The Two Black Dogs Café and Take Out inside the Green Creek Country Store (in Green Creek, of course) is another rewarding quick stop for taking out or grabbing one of the handful of tables to eat in. Instead of driving or flying by, park or land at the Flight Deck Diner in Rio Grande for breakfast and lunch with some Southern flair. If you are looking for something more upscale and slower, classic and modern French cooking meet at Provence, a beautifully designed restaurant inside the beautifully restored Peninsula B&B in Cape May Court House.

Now up to Upper. Village Kitchen in Marmora, a 40-year family operation serving breakfast and lunch, bills itself as “Upper Township’s Meeting and Eating Place.” Sushi Ocean View (in Ocean View) is another Japanese restaurant that does well with the nearby ocean’s bounty. Looking for good baked goods? Blue Dolfin Sweets in Marmora and Frog Hollow Bakery in Greenfield probably have lines because it takes people too long to decide what to have.

Photo courtesy of Frog Hollow Bakery

It seems there are a lot of breakfast, lunch and takeout places mentioned, and it is intentional. A lot of folks are driving past these communities and sometimes are more focused on their ultimate destination, but Cape May County offers so much more than its beach communities, and it’s not all that far from those communities. Parks, farms, trails and other outdoor settings are one reason to get out and explore, but these townships also have a rich concentration of some of the best craft wineries, breweries and distilleries in the Garden State. Look for Slack Tide Brewing, 7 Mile Brewing, and Ludlum Island Brewery, among others, for beer; Cape May Distillery and Nauti Spirits for small-batch spirits; and wineries, like Hawk Haven, Turdo and Natali.

Most of these producers allow guests to bring in their own food, and there are many excellent options in addition to those listed here from which to choose from before visiting these great spots to enjoy a drink most times of the year. Some also host some fantastic local food trucks, like Mermaid Mutineer and Bayside Seafood. As always, look up websites or call ahead with any of these businesses to check hours of operation or any seasonal and special event schedule changes.

Remember, the beach is seasonal, but checking out the rest of Cape May County, starting with Lower, Middle and Upper Townships, is year round.

Hank Zona writes regularly about wine, spirits and a range of other topics such as food and culture. He also has been running wine and spirits events of all sorts for over a decade. 

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Kearny, along with towns such as Harrison, Elizabeth and Newark, helped build New Jersey’s reputation as a soccer hotbed. Photo courtesy of NJ Advance Media

The scene took Rob McCourt back to his childhood days: Hundreds of fans turned into thousands, packed in shoulder-to-shoulder, with night falling at Kearny High School on a chilly November night. Years ago, McCourt, the head coach of men’s soccer at Monmouth University, had played on the same field in front of countless soccer-crazy enthusiasts. 

And the state championship semifinal match between Elizabeth and Kearny at one of New Jersey’s greatest high school soccer venues lived up to the state’s legacy, too — an intense rivalry, two red cards and nail-biting drama, with penalty kicks deciding the winner. 

“If the ‘Soccertown, USA’ movie had been made a few years later, that game definitely would’ve been a part of it,” McCourt said. 

The state championship semifinal match between Elizabeth and Kearny in November 2021 lived up to the state’s strong soccer legacy. Photo courtesy of NJ Advance Media

Kearny, along with towns such as Harrison, Elizabeth and Newark, helped build New Jersey’s reputation as a soccer hotbed in the 1970s and 1980s, producing soccer stars, like Tab Ramos, a Harrison and Kearny resident who played in three World Cups and was elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2005; Claudio Reyna, a Livingston native who was the captain of the U.S. national team and is now the sporting director of Austin FC; and Gregg Berhalter, a Englewood native and former player who is the head coach of the men’s national team.  

And that’s just scratching the surface. 

In the 1970s, soccer fever hit New Jersey hard, thanks mostly to the Cosmos, the marquee club of the North American Soccer League and a team of international superstars. With legends Pele, Giorgio Chinaglia and Franz Beckenbauer on the roster, the Cosmos routinely packed Giants Stadium with crowds surpassing 60,000. 

Today, New Jersey retains its reputation as a soccer hotbed, said Scott Aimetti, who starred at the Pingry School in Basking Ridge in the late 1980s before playing collegiately at Villanova University. 

“New Jersey has an amazing reputation on the national level,” Aimetti said. “The thing that sets New Jersey apart is the grit factor — the way New Jersey teams compete and the grit that they have. When everyone is equal technically, it takes that competitive nature, it takes the grit, it takes the fight that the New Jersey kid has. That’s the reputation that separates New Jersey from everybody else.” 

Tab Ramos, a Harrison and Kearny resident who played in three World Cups, was elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2005. Photo courtesy of NJ Advance Media

In those North Jersey towns, soccer is still a way of life, even as other sports have grown in prominence. While growing up, McCourt and his friends played soccer on their way to school and during lunch, then raced to the playground after school to play some more. 

“It’s a part of life in Kearny,” said Bill Galka, Kearny High’s longtime boys’ soccer coach. “It was a magical time being in Kearny and seeing all the great players before me. If you talk to my friends, their fathers played and their older brothers and sisters played. It’s a tradition in Kearny that gets passed along. The makeup of the town is different, but it’s still there and still strong.” 

The list of prominent New Jersey high school teams, public and private, seems to grow each year. St. Benedict’s in Newark has been one of the top-ranked teams nationally over the past decade, while other private schools, like Delbarton in Morris Township, Seton Hall Prep in West Orange and Christian Brothers Academy in Lincroft, have earned national recognition. Kearny, West Orange and Clifton high schools have been premier teams, and Delran and Washington Township have helped South Jersey stand out. 

Meanwhile, New Jersey is still producing iconic players. Mason Toye, The Star-Ledger’s Player of the Year in 2016, is a striker for the Montreal Impact of Major League Soccer. Branden Aaronson, a Medford native, is a member of the U.S. men’s national team. Alex Borto left Gill St. Bernard’s in Gladstone after his sophomore year in 2019 to play for Fulham of the English Premier League in London. 

St. Benedict’s in Newark has been one of the top-ranked teams nationally over the past decade. Photo courtesy of NJ Advance Media

Dozens of New Jersey high school players move on to Division 1 college programs each season. 

“In terms of developing elite college level players, New Jersey is still producing so many,” West Orange boys soccer coach Doug Nevins said. “New Jersey has always been a hotbed of soccer because of places, like Kearny, and people, like (former Columbia coach) Gene Chyzowych. They were ahead of the game. They had knowledge of the game that the rest of the country didn’t have.” 

Many of the high-profile high schools play schedules that include prominent out-of-state opponents, who discover there’s a reason New Jersey has a national reputation. 

“We play ACC schools, we play Big East schools,” McCourt said. “We’ve gone down and beaten North Carolina. We beat UConn in the NCAA Tournament. They know we’re well-coached, and we have a coaching staff here that are Jersey guys. Jersey players are kids with personality who aren’t afraid of the moment.” 

The melting pot of cultures in New Jersey has played a role in soccer’s growth. Scottish immigrants fueled Kearny’s soccer community in the ’70s and ’80s, and the game has an even more diverse makeup now. 

“It’s still the same from when we grew up, it’s just different immigrants,” McCourt said. “The state tournament this year was probably as exciting as some of the state tournaments when we were in high school. When we played, for our state games, we probably had between 5,000 and 10,000 fans for every game. It was an absolutely crazy environment.” 

Haddonfield has joined Delran and Washington Township in helping South Jersey stand out in the soccer landscape of the state. Photo courtesy of NJ Advance Media

And that’s true in places all over the state: Soccer is a part of New Jersey’s sports DNA. 

“The soccer culture is getting better in the rest of the country because the MLS is improving, (but) our kids, they grow up in soccer homes, a lot of them,” Nevins said. “I’m really blessed in my town that we have kids from Central America, South America, the islands, Africa, Europe and American kids. All of them grow up in soccer homes.” 

Added Domenick Raimo, who played at Delran in the early 2000s: “There’s such a high knowledge of soccer here. New Jersey certainly still is a hotbed.” 

Brian Deakyne is a high school sports reporter who covers boys soccer, girls basketball and girls lacrosse across the state.

This article originally appeared in the Summer 2022 issue of Jersey’s Best. Subscribe here for in-depth access to everything that makes the Garden State great.

Red Bull Arena is an ideal venue to take in a game and continue New Jersey’s rich soccer tradition. Photo courtesy of NJ Advance Media

Meagan McClelland has played in big games across the country and all around the world. She was the starting goalie for Rutgers last fall when the Scarlet Knights reached the Final Four. She also was a keeper on the youth National Team that played the 2016 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Jordan, and she is now a member of the U-23 Women’s National Team.  

One of the best players in the nation, McClelland grew up in Kearny in the shadow of Red Bull Arena and remembers a 2.5-mile trip to the 25,000-seat stadium in high school for a county championship game. The chance to play on the big stage in an arena that has featured some of the best players in the world left an indelible mark. 

What once was an industrial wasteland is now home to a soccer beacon in Harrison — just a PATH ride from New York City. It’s a must-see attraction for soccer fans, the host arena for Major League Soccer’s New York Red Bulls and, as of last fall, the National Women’s Soccer League’s NJ/NY Gotham FC — a club owned by Gov. Phil Murphy. 

Red Bull Arena is the third-largest soccer-specific stadium in the United States and has a curved, tension-fabric exterior shell made of fiberglass. Photo courtesy of NJ Advance Media

Red Bull Arena has coaxed international crowds to Harrison, too, with national teams from Ecuador and Colombia playing there, along with Bayern Munich, Arsenal, Manchester City and Juventus. 

“To have that championship environment and to be able to play in an arena and on a field that the pros play on is inspiring,” McClelland said. “It’s a moment you’ll never forget. It’s awesome to have something like that so close to home and know that soccer in our area is going to continue to grow with the arena there.” 

Red Bull Arena opened in 2010, when the Red Bulls beat the Chicago Fire in front of a sellout crowd. That long-awaited moment brought to life a plan that began in the summer of 2004, when the club, known then as the MetroStars, announced it would move from Giants Stadium to a soccer-centric arena. 

After years of planning, the state-of-the-art stadium rose just off Frank E. Rodgers Boulevard in Harrison and has since sparked development in that area, including luxury apartments, storefronts and a rejuvenated PATH station a few blocks from the arena. 

Red Bull Arena is the third-largest soccer-specific stadium in the United States and has a curved, tension-fabric exterior shell made of fiberglass. That roof feature allows natural light to come in, but also makes sure that every seat in the stadium is covered. 

It’s an ideal venue to take in a game and continue New Jersey’s rich soccer tradition. 

Soccer star Carli Lloyd, a Delran native, played the final home game of her professional soccer last year for NJ/NY Gotham FC at Red Bull Arena. Photo courtesy of NJ Advance Media

Basking Ridge’s Tobin Heath and Delran’s Carli Lloyd are local stars who helped the United States win the World Cup, and their careers have been marked by milestone games at the arena. Lloyd played the final home game of her professional soccer last year for NJ/NY Gotham FC at Red Bull Arena. Fittingly, she had scored a goal in the final match of Gotham FC’s first full season at the stadium. 

Gotham FC played a pair of games at Red Bull Arena in 2019, but making the move there full time last season was a big moment and signified the growth of the club. When the news was announced, General Manager Alyse LaHue said Red Bull Arena “was the perfect venue to host (Gotham FC) and showcase this incredible league.” 

The stadium has twice been selected from all the professional sports and entertainment venues in the New York metropolitan area as J.D. Power’s “Best in Fan Experience.” 

The stadium has twice been selected as one of J.D. Power’s ‘Best in Fan Experience.’ Photo courtesy of NJ Advance Media

Now, players in New Jersey have stars to look up to right in their backyard. 

Harrison native Omar Sowe played at Red Bull Arena in high school, taking on Kearny in the Hudson County final. Harrison’s all-time leading scorer played in his first match for the Red Bulls in that same arena in 2021 — a full circle moment for the hometown hero. 

Sowe was on hand this past fall to watch Harrison and Kearny meet in the county final again as a new group of soccer players lived a dream of playing in a pro stadium. 

“It’s a great experience and something they’ll never forget,” Kearny boys soccer coach Bill Galka said. “To play in a stadium of that caliber is a great thrill for anybody involved — players, coaches, parents and spectators — and something they can always look back on.” 

Brandon Gould is a high school sports reporter for NJ Advance Media, including NJ.com and Jersey’s Best.

This article originally appeared in the Summer 2022 issue of Jersey’s Best. Subscribe here for in-depth access to everything that makes the Garden State great.

Startled by the sound of a loud thud against a glass window of your home, you go outside to  see the cause of the commotion, only to find a tiny sparrow dead in the mulch. While you feel terrible for the accident, you toss it up to being just that — an unfortunate, but rare fate for the small songbird. 

However, bird-building collisions (as they are called) are the second-most common, human-induced cause of death among birds. Primarily hitting clear or reflective windows, bird-building collisions cause an estimated minimum of 365 bird deaths in the United States every year, according to a study published in ornithological research journal, Condor.  

Primarily hitting clear or reflective windows, bird-building collisions cause between an estimated minimum of 365 bird deaths in the United States every year. Photo courtesy of NJ Advance Media

Finding A Bird-Friendly Solution  

During the day, birds strike windows because they believe the reflection to be a reality of open space to fly — not a barrier. Because many songbirds migrate at night, they are attracted to the bright lights of urban areas. The lights disorient the birds, prompting them to fly in circles around the light source and, ultimately, cause them to drop in exhaustion, later hitting a building in the early morning light.  

To decrease bird-building mortality, buildings can use less-reflective glass, including opaque panes, panes covered in visible patterns or panes covered in vinyl films so they appear opaque on one side and clear on the other. Additionally, integrating special lighting systems and shutting lights off in and around buildings at night significantly cuts down bird crashes, many studies have shown.  

In March 2021, U.S. Representatives Mike Quigley (D-Ill.) and Morgan Griffith (R-Va.), and Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) reintroduced the Bird Safe Buildings Act, which would require all newly built, acquired or significantly altered federal buildings to include “bird-safe” design features and building materials. Quigley first introduced the bill to Congress in 2010, and it is now in its sixth version with the House of Representatives. Cities such as San Francisco and Oakland have passed legislation requiring bird-friendly building codes, but, to date, there are no such laws in New Jersey. 

While the country waits for the bird-friendly standards to be passed for public buildings, or new laws to be created at a state or local level, bird advocates within New Jersey are working hard to prevent window strikes. Part of the Atlantic Flyway, millions of birds pass through the Garden State during fall and spring migration. With much of the Eastern Seaboard urbanized, bird-friendly solutions will prevent millions of annual bird fatalities.  

An ovenbird stands in a rehab box at The Raptor Trust after injuring its wing in a building collision. Photo courtesy of The Raptor Trust

Recognizing Important Patterns 

In 2016, a group of New Jersey Audubon volunteers noticed a high number of dead or injured birds along the ground near Newark’s tall, glass PSEG building. Once the utility company became aware of the problem, they quickly partnered with New Jersey Audubon and funded a project that would evaluate and reduce the collisions. 

In the spring of 2017 and the fall of 2018 and 2020, a team of New Jersey Audubon technicians and volunteers surveyed for birds that had struck windows around 12 large buildings in downtown Newark. Over several months, the team examined the area in the early mornings, when collisions most often occur, and circled each building three times. They documented the species and location of all dead and injured birds, as well as the weather, to create a geographic information system (GIS) database and account for patterns.  

Led by New Jersey Audubon Senior Research Scientist, Dr. Nellie Tsipoura, this is the first funded, bird-collision project managed by trained technicians in New Jersey. With analyses over three years, New Jersey Audubon formed a baseline dataset of the area and began recognizing established patterns of where and when the birds are the most vulnerable. They found that about 50% to 60% of the birds that hit the buildings were killed, while the other half were relocated to Raptor Trust, a bird rehabilitation center in Millington, to recover. With the assistance of the center, about 70% to 80% of the birds brought in for rehabilitation were released.  

“Since it is a new topic for many government officials, we’ve been talking with the Newark Environmental Commission and planning board and officials in Montclair,” Tsipoura said. We have been going out, using that data to put together a presentation to bring awareness beyond just the public — but, to the people who are in positions, that can make a difference.” 

Additionally, New Jersey Audubon is reaching out to the private sector. The organization works with a Corporate Stewardship Council comprising companies throughout the state that want to manage their properties in an environmentally friendly way. Tsipoura said she also has educated the council on bird-building collisions so they, too, can incorporate bird-friendly designs. 

Now, New Jersey Audubon and PSEG are in discussions to manage the building with bird-safe designs. New Jersey Audubon will be able to appropriately assess the efficacy of its bird-collision treatment by comparing it against the established dataset. 

Stockton University installed a mural of bird silhouettes on its double-sided glass, K-wing breezeway, using vinyl sheets. Photo courtesy of Susan Allen

Inventive Installations Take Flight 

When it comes to what types of coverings to put over reflective windows, or even new bird-friendly glass inventions, the American Bird Conservancy (ABC) is the “go-to” resource for rating and recommending bird-friendly designs. A close partner with New Jersey Audubon, the ABC conducts glass collision research and testing on a variety of bird-friendly glass to evaluate how birds respond to the distinctive patterns on the glass and to see how well each design deters birds.  

“Everyone always focuses on urban sites, but collisions are everywhere,” Tsipoura said, “So, when you’re looking at these huge numbers, it’s not how many birds are dying in the top 20 cities of the world or in the top 100 cities of the world, it’s how many birds are dying across the entire state.” 

In 2014, Atlantic Cape Community College’s Cape May County campus installed a bird-friendly film over the highly reflective glass of its three-story, 68,000-square-foot building. The school consulted with ABC’s Dr. Christine Sheppard, who conducts bird collision research. Atlantic Cape decided to apply a film over the reflective windows called CollidEscape, which is opaque to the birds on the outside, but transparent for people on the inside.  

Similarly, Stockton University followed suit in 2020 when a mural of bird silhouettes printed on vinyl sheets was placed on the school’s double-sided glass, K-wing breezeway. School alum and faculty member John Rokita logged bird strikes on campus for decades, and the breezeway was the most common culprit, with increases in fatalities during fall and spring migrations. Created by Stockton graphic designers, the mural has already made a difference. 

Katrina Rossos is a writer and editor with a passion for the environment, ecology and wildlife conservation. Her freelance work has been published in Backpacker Magazine and Backpacker.com, U.S. News & World Report, Nature World News and The Dodo, among others.

This article originally appeared in the Summer 2022 issue of Jersey’s Best. Subscribe here for in-depth access to everything that makes the Garden State great.

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As previously mentioned, many of the planets have been gathered in the morning sky before dawn, leaving the evening sky pretty empty. That is slowly changing as the outer planets drift westward over time.

Saturn is reappearing in the evening sky, and our view of it will improve as it gets closer to Earth over the next few weeks. Photo courtesy of NASA

The first to reappear in the evening sky will be Saturn. Located in the constellation Capricornus, it is far enough west that it will be appearing late at night. Although it is rising at around 10 p.m. now, you’ll have to wait until it is high enough in the sky for a decent view.

A good time to look for the ringed planet is around 11:30 p.m. At that time, Saturn will be about 15 degrees above the horizon. You’ll need a view to the southeast that is free of tall trees or buildings.

Saturn is located at the tip of the roughly triangular shape formed by the stars of Capricornus. Saturn’s brightness is 0.5 magnitude, which is brighter than the stars of Capricornus and its neighboring constellation Aquarius, so it should stand out and be fairly easy for you to find.

You won’t need much magnification to see its magnificent rings. They are 265,000 miles across, so despite the planet’s distance, the rings are easily visible in small telescopes.

Our view of Saturn will improve as we get deeper into the summer season. The planet will be rising earlier and earlier. On Aug. 14, it will reach its closest point to Earth.

This chart displays the location of Comet PanSTARRS in July and early August. It is crossing through the large, faint constellation Ophiuchus. You will need binoculars or a small telescope to see it. Photo courtesy of In-The-Sky.org

A Summer Comet

In addition to Saturn, another smaller member of the solar system is making an appearance in the night sky. Comet PanSTARRS (C/2017 K2) made its closest approach to Earth a few days ago. Although its diameter of 11 miles is fairly large, it doesn’t come close to Earth (168 million miles). This means the comet will likely reach 8th or 9th magnitude, so you will need binoculars or a small telescope to spot it. The comet is passing through the large, faint constellation Ophiuchus, which is in the southeast/southern part of the sky in the early evening.

Kevin D. Conod is the Planetarium Astronomer at the County College of Morris and president of the North Jersey Astronomical Group.

Fashion Beat is a pictorial dedicated to showcasing some of the Garden State’s most stylish people.

Photo by Lauren Listor

This feature originally appeared in the Summer 2022 issue of Jersey’s Best. Subscribe here for in-depth access to everything that makes the Garden State great.

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Delivered to your inbox every other week on Thursdays, Jersey’s Best is pleased to offer a FREE subscription to Garden Statement, highlighting the most popular Jersey’s Best content.

New Jersey is well known for several standouts and milestones — which, long ago, put the Garden State on the map. From Jon Bon Jovi to Bruce Springsteen, the first professional baseball game in Hoboken in 1846 to Thomas Edison’s lab in Menlo Park — where the light bulb, phonograph and motion picture projector were invented — the state’s residents have always been in a class all their own. 

And now there are more striking New Jerseyans to watch as they consistently knock it out of the park, too. The individuals featured below have done it all — some are small business owners-turned-patent-holders-turned-larger business owners; others have launched a product line that was always in need but never in existence; one is reappropriating the way the world views a musical instrument. Meet the 22-year-old motorcycle racing prodigy who is set to rise to the top of the ranks or get to know a teenage nonprofit founder and academic overachiever who has a résumé that is more packed than a storage facility. As their stories unfold here, you will learn all about these residents who are anything but ordinary and nothing less than extraordinary. 

Lindsay Smith, left,  and her mother Geraldine Keogh, aka the ‘Dessert Ladies of Stirling,’ launched a spinoff company focused solely on their most popular item, the Biens, and it’s been a sweet success. Photo courtesy of Biens Chocolate Centerpieces

Geraldine Keogh and Lindsay Smith 

For Geraldine Keogh, everything was riding on the moment she dropkicked a package across a warehouse floor. Keogh and her daughter, Lindsay Smith, aka the “Dessert Ladies of Stirling,” planned to launch a spinoff company focused solely on their most popular item, the Biens (a chocolate cake-like truffle), which the pair arranges in awe-inspiring and aesthetically appealing towers (and characters). But trouble arose around the logistical aspects of shipping their highly coveted truffle tower and having it arrive intact. The standard Styrofoam and toothpicks they used in the showroom and for local, high-end dessert bar events wasn’t holding up. 

As Smith tells it, the perfect cone form and material that Keogh was seeking simply didn’t exist. So, the duo went about creating it themselves. After 18 months spent in research and development with their own engineer and a 3D printer — plus a pending patent application — they finally got to have some fun testing the product by “throwing (packages) around the warehouse to make sure the dessert tower remained intact,” Keogh recalled. Some packages even “skidded across the floor. They definitely got a beating.” But the boxes, and contents therein, emerged unscathed. They had cracked the code! 

The result of this “grueling process” — to ensure that their shipped dessert displays arrived in “the pristine condition they were sent in” — was the beginning of Biens Chocolate Centerpieces.  

After 18 months spent in research and development with their own engineer and a 3D printer, the dynamic duo behind Biens Chocolate perfected the cone form for their product. Photo courtesy of Biens Chocolate Centerpieces

“We have always been obsessed with packaging,” Smith said. She explained that since Scotch Plains-based Keogh originally hails from Ireland, “we’ve done a bit of traveling and always wound up saving all kinds of packaging and gift boxes that we thought were pretty.” This passion morphed into their well-known Dessert Ladies venture in 2010, which reimagined the way companies thank corporate clients via personalized dessert arrangements, thereby turning a gesture of gratitude into a work of art. The arrangements are all the rage and have yielded the mother-daughter team the upper echelon of VIP corporate clients. So, it was only natural that, by 2018, they started kicking around the concept of a second business to emphasize the Biens centerpieces that left customers frothing at the mouth. 

On June 1, 2020, the Biens Chocolate Centerpieces production facility, dubbed the “Bien Den,” opened in Denville to create the first shippable chocolate centerpieces, just “when everything was closing,” due to COVID, Keogh said. Smith remembers how touch and go those early days were. “There were some Wild West moments at first where everyone was ordering online; they weren’t sure how long the closures would last and were still wanting some kind of celebration,” she said. 

Still, the pair persevered, and two years later Biens Chocolate Centerpieces is more than just the talk of the town — their work has generated serious national buzz, culminating in partnerships with 1-800-FLOWERS, Bergdorf Goodman and Nieman Marcus. The truffle titans haven’t stopped there — they have also become patent powerhouses, currently holding five patents for both utility and design. And, never ones to slow down, their Stirling-based showroom features decadent window displays that not only touch upon the duo’s origins in elaborate designs but also leaves folks wanting more. Because, as Keogh explained, “we eat with our eyes first.”  

Siblings Viral Modi and Avani Modi Sarkar are co-founders of the Modi Toys business, which is based in Edison. Photo courtesy of Modi Toys

Viral Modi and Avani Modi Sarkar

In 2017, siblings Avani Modi Sarkar and Viral Modi each became first-time parents when their daughters were born a mere eight days apart. While wondering what they could each do as parents to ensure that their children grew up with the same strong connection to their Indian roots that they had experienced, they were simultaneously still reeling from a fire that saw their childhood home in Franklin Park burn to the ground in 2015. So, it’s no surprise that the concept of identity weighed heavily upon the two. Working out of the basement of the now-rebuilt home, they gave birth to another creation as well — Modi Toys, the Hindu plush toy business launched in 2018 that strives to connect first-generation South Asians to their cultural and religious origins.  

When Modi’s daughter was born, he wondered: Why there are “teddy bears but nothing representative” of their faith? He noted that when “forming a relationship with our god, there are things available to adults,” like temples, “but nothing for children.” Motivated by the desire to find a toy like this for his daughter’s crib, “it shocked me that this product didn’t exist when we looked for it.” 

“In our culture, Ganesh is the god of new beginnings,” Modi said. So, it is only fitting that the first Modi plush doll the brother-sister duo rolled out in August of 2018 was the Hindu elephant-headed god, Baby Ganesh. As Modi and Sarkar were, themselves, embarking on many new beginnings — their first children, the rebuilding of their childhood home and the launch of this new toy adventure — “it was the natural choice for us” to begin with Ganesh, who came with a book titled “How Ganesh Broke His Tusk.” 

The siblings’ business plan was to release the mantra-singing dolls one at a time, with six- to nine-month intervals in between — or however long it took to sell their inventory from the previous doll release. Imagine their surprise when the 4,000 units of Baby Ganesh sold out in two weeks. 

The Omni Bundle features all five of Modi Toys’ collections: Durga Devi, Saraswati Devi, Baby Hanuman, Baby Ganesh and Baby Krishna. Photo courtesy of Modi Toys

Baby Hanuman was next, followed by Baby Krishna. Sarkar noted that “these are the three most popular gods” in Hindu culture. Even better, “they all have baby forms.” And with Ganesh’s elephant resemblance and Hanuman’s head in the form of a monkey, the siblings “weren’t reinventing the wheel, just taking something recognizable and giving it a twist,” she said. Another twist is that, “just as each deity has five respective prayers, or mantras, associated with them, so do the plush dolls.” 

The principle is simple: “If you’re buying a toy anyway, wouldn’t you want to buy one that is really rooted in meaning and significance and also has the ability to teach a thing or two?” Sarkar said. “We want the toy to inspire curiosity in our future generations,” Modi added. 

With five plush deities already released, the siblings are planning for even more growth. The company has already astounded industry observers, with a reported 58% growth between 2020 and 2021 and a sales total of 60,000 units. And manufacturing began in India in February, where all toys and books are now made from recycled materials.  

Reflecting on their arrival in America with their family in 1992, Sarkar is aware of her role as being “sort of in this middle generation — of straddling between our parents and our own first-generation kids.” Modi Toys has become the symbol of hope that bridges this gap worldwide. And, since “kids don’t feel like they’re learning and parents don’t feel like they’re teaching,” it’s no wonder that their toys are a hit. 

Shreya Shivakumar is a 19-year-old wunderkind who founded nonprofit Nourish America from her basement in 2018. Photo courtesy of Nourish America

Shreya Shivakumar 

Shreya Shivakumar remembers experiencing food insecurity, and she remembers it vividly. After all, it was embedded in her psyche at a young age. And the memories never left her, not even when she moved to Edison with her family at the age of 12. In fact, they became both a blueprint and an inspiration to the 19-year-old wunderkind, who channeled those memories into a life of advocacy through Nourish America, the nonprofit she founded in 2018.  

“I remember since kindergarten that we definitely had trouble putting food on the table,” Shivakumar said of her earlier years in Washington Heights, N.Y., where she initially grew up. “It was a hard time financially. It was very stressful — even as a child I could sense the necessity and stress that was going on for my family.” 

This is what drove Shivakumar to volunteer at the Hands of Hope Food Pantry in Edison during her freshman year of high school, where she quickly noticed that the needs of some clients, especially children with food allergies, could not be met. And often, the food provided could not be taken home as a result. 

With a problem-solving approach, Shivakumar took a deeper look. “I started thinking — a food pantry is supposed to give people food to feed themselves,” she said. “If someone has a food allergy and can’t access or afford allergy-friendly food, where would they get it from?” And with this, Shivakumar’s desire to battle food insecurity — which had been percolating since the age of 12 — expanded to include the needs of food allergy sufferers.  

One year later, a 15-year-old Shivakumar not only founded Nourish America from the basement of her home (with a group of teen advisers), she even filed for the 501(c)(3) nonprofit status herself. 

Notes For Nourish is a benefit concert held to support the Hands of Hope Food Pantry in Edison, which is where Shrivakumar used to volunteer. Photo courtesy of Nourish America

The missive is straightforward: “We don’t only want to feed families in hunger, we also want to nourish them, which means giving them adequate access to healthy, organic, allergy-free food.” And so far, Nourish America has exceeded these early expectations. What began as a local, Edison-based organization now operates in three states (New York, New Jersey and Michigan), where it has distributed 4,200 pounds of food and raised $12,800 in donations. 

When not creating and overseeing nonprofits, the stellar student — who has gained recognition for her academic prowess via numerous scholarships — has been the recipient of the Girl Scouts of America Gold Award for her “Allergies For Kids” video education initiative, volunteered as a tutor for Refugee Assistance Partners (RAP) and partnered with Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE), where she now serves on the teen advisory board.  

Looking ahead, the Barnard freshman plans to attend law school and continue her advocacy with Nourish America, which she hopes will expand into more states. She also intends to work on “closing the income gap in healthy access to food.” And, considering what she’s already achieved, there is a strong possibility that she will indeed narrow that gap.  

Among Mike Hall’s accomplishments is co-founding the popular pop rock band Running Late, which not only had a successful 10-year run, but also opened for such legendary acts as Blondie and Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. Photo courtesy of Mike Hall

Mike Hall 

Some of musician Mike Hall’s first “real memories” consist of jam sessions in the family living room in Madison. “I was surrounded by musicians at a very young age,” the 32-year-old bassist virtuoso recalled. “My uncle was a piano prodigy, my cousins are extremely talented saxophone players,” along with other family members, who would “come together in the living room and just jam.” 

As Hall tells it, “There was so much joy. It was impossible to be sad.” For this reason, it is only natural that he would pursue a musical career on his own terms, and in his own way. He opted for the unorthodox path less traveled (but filled with such moments of happiness), versus the traditional, yet often joyless, route chosen by many — one filled with endless training, often culminating in a course of study at a conservatory such as The Juilliard School. 

Starting off with the largest instrument available in his third-grade music class, the cello, Hall switched to standup bass by middle school. The transition was rather seamless since the instruments are quite similar, he explained. Unfortunately, by high school, the budding musician had his first run-in with what eventually shaped his career and ultimately led him to a become a solo bass instrumentalist who has honed in on, and reinterpreted preexisting arrangements, while also creating his own. “Years of high school orchestra took the fun away,” said the Skjold Design Guitars-endorsed artist. He wanted to express himself creatively but “wasn’t allowed to offer my own interpretation of what was in front of me.”  

College was a refreshing contrast to the rigidities, and limitations, of high school musical exploration. Hall co-founded the popular pop rock band, Running Late, which not only had a successful 10-year run, but also opened for such legendary acts as Blondie and Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. “We wrote our own original songs and really focused on having fun.” Which they did. 

But ultimately, everything runs its course, and the artist began to feel stifled, unheard and consigned to the background for the second time in his life. Shortly before the pandemic began in 2020, Hall left Running Late behind, despite calling it “the only love I knew.” He reasoned that, as he got older, “I wanted significantly more than those around me.” 

The groundbreaking work of Hall has proven that the bass is far more than a complementary instrument, and is, in fact, a powerful solo instrument — just as five-time Grammy winning bassist Victor Wooten and Sly & the Family Stone’s Larry Graham had done generations before.  

And while it may sound counterintuitive to break away and go it alone in order to one day work collaboratively again — with the artists of your choosing — Hall is already hitting all the right notes. He has released a three-song EP, aptly named “The Next Step,” which features covers of contemporary songs that are undeniably “original and not carbon copies.” Not only has his groundbreaking reinterpretations of preexisting tracks been much lauded, his face has been splashed across many a music magazine cover, and his work has resulted in an (unsolicited) endorsement from Skjold Design Guitars — an 18-year-old company with a special emphasis on bass guitars — in 2021. The offer was a direct result of viewing his cover of Billie Eilish’s “My Future” on his Instagram page.  

Going against the grain and doing his own thing has not only brought success — in a strikingly short amount of time — for the multifaceted Hall, but it has also brought the smile back to his face, where it belongs.  

By the time he was 15, Anthony Mazziotto had begun competing in MotoAmerica events, the national organization that promotes the American Motorcycle Association Superbike Series. Photo courtesy of Bolt PR

Anthony Mazziotto 

When Anthony Mazziotto finished high school and his MotoAmerica motorcycle racing season in 2018, his parents sat him down and gave him the talk. No, not that talk. Rather, they discussed with the 18-year-old Hammonton road racing prodigy “how difficult it is to make it as an athlete,” he remembered. So, they discussed developing a trade for him to begin drawing an income from since, as Mazziotto explained, they had already invested heavily in his riding career. 

After some consideration, Mazziotto stepped away from his first love of racing, which began when he first rode a dirt bike at the age of 4, and took a hiatus for a few years to enter cosmetology school, eventually becoming a barber. However, this ultimately “sparked a fire under my a** to get back into racing,” which he did in the middle of the 2021 season, where he emerged as a two-time Twins Cup winner (named for the events he won during that season). 

The road that brought him here is the same one he has ridden his entire life, minus the trade school detour. At just 12 years old, he received his first two bikes as a gift from his father — a Kawasaki Ninja 250 and a Moriwaki MD 250. Both are viewed as the industry standard in entry-level sports bikes. With a local racetrack close by, Mazziotto started riding on “open track days,” which was quickly followed by professional racing. By the time he was 15, he had begun competing in MotoAmerica events, the national organization that promotes the AMA (American Motorcycle Association) Superbike Series. As a result, Mazziotto lived the dream — he was able to travel the country for competitions while completing high school. 

Mazziotto’s love for racing started when he first rode a dirt bike at the age of 4. Photo courtesy of Bolt PR

Just as he was giving thought to jumping back into the game, however, life threw another roadblock in his path when his femur was broken during a motocross training accident in May of 2020. So, recovery was new to the athlete when he jumped into the middle of the 2021 season riding an Aprilia RS 660, provided by his new team at Rodio Racing. Mazziotto described his new ride as “worked up to the gills.” And, given its weight of 360 pounds, “when you fall down it’s hard to pick it back up.” 

Which is exactly what the 22-year-old racing star has done for himself, picked himself back up. It used to be that the racing was competitive to Mazziotto. There would be trash talk among the athletes before a race, although he mentioned that “at the end of the day, we’re racing 2 inches away from each other and riding 160 mph. So, we gotta respect each other or we can get hurt.” 

This embodies his entire outlook — one that has changed since his career beginnings as a barber, which he still does with a list of private clients that fund his travel expenses for races. (Some can easily reach $1,600 per event.) While he used to race for the win and the title, he has returned from his time away with a new point of view: “I always remember that motorcycles are something I really enjoy. I try not to look at it as a competition because I like to enjoy myself. And when I enjoy myself, ultimately, I wind up doing my best anyway!”  

Vanessa Rothschild is a freelance writer and editor. She has written about entertainment, food and culture for Entertainment Weekly, TVGuide.com and NJ.com.

This article originally appeared in the Summer 2022 issue of Jersey’s Best. Subscribe here for in-depth access to everything that makes the Garden State great.

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Finally, summer! Throughout the Garden State, there are experiences that are tried-and-true, but then there’s also the new. Do something different this year. Pick a day, take a drive, explore, be amazed, relax, enjoy. 

Sterling Hill Mining Museum in Ogdensburg showcases a spectacular display of fluorescent minerals within a former mine. Photo by Michael Kucinski

Skylands Region 

Farms, balloon festivals, 4-H Fairs, Double-A baseball — that’s the Skylands. Also, there’s cave spelunking in Sussex County’s Sterling Hill Mining Museum. In Morris County, delight in the Chester Music Festival and Fosterfields Living Historical Farm, and pretend you’re in Athens watching The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey actors perform on an outdoor stage. Traveling through Somerset County, catch a Somerset Patriots game, take a yoga class with goats, or spend a weekend night in Downtown Somerville, which hosts bands, vintage cars and extensive dining options. In rural Hunterdon County, your countrified tendencies are satisfied under the stars listening to music at Deer Path Park, cheering on competitors in the annual Great Rubber Duckie Race alongside Clinton’s historic Red Mill, or biking the towpath of the Delaware & Raritan Canal State Park, which begins in lovely Frenchtown. 

Venture to Liberty State Park for outstanding views of the New York City skyline. Photo courtesy of NJ Advance Media

Gateway Region 

Notable monuments, botanical gardens, city tours, horse racing, theater, nature walks and Hackensack River eco-cruises comprise a region spanning from historic Cranbury to the recreational pleasures of Mahwah. Take in the views atop the American Dream Observation Wheel at the Meadowlands or from a seat on a Statue Cruise from Liberty State Park. Learn about our first colonial capital with a self-guided walking tour of Elizabeth. If waterfront dining or kayaking is in your plans, you can’t beat the Hudson River Waterfront Walkway area. Stop by Jersey City’s Journal Square for a delicious dessert — oh, and take a selfie with the 14-foot-tall statue of baseball great, Jackie Robinson. The Newark Black Film Festival and MTV Video Music Awards return to this large metropolis in 2022. In New Brunswick, it’s all about shows and outdoor dining in the city that Rutgers University calls home. Nine miles up the road from there, settle in for an outdoor theatrical experience with a Plays-in-the-Park performance in Edison’s Roosevelt Park. 

Spanning the length of almost three football fields and over 11 stories high along Camden’s waterfront, Battleship New Jersey is the most decorated battleship in United States history. Photo courtesy of NJ Advance Media

Delaware River Region 

Don’t let the Ivy League sophistication of Princeton, with its many wonderful shops and museums, distract you from visiting other places, like the Howell Living History Farm, Trenton City Museum, Grounds For Sculpture, Baldpate Mountain or Trenton Thunder Ballpark around Mercer County. Travel farther south, and the scenery changes to forests, wetlands and berry farms in the Pine Barrens. Head west to the Delaware River waterfront of Camden to tour the Battleship New Jersey looming large at 887 feet long, or the undersea world of Adventure Aquarium. Nearby Gloucester County hosts the annual Butterfly Festival in July. About a half hour farther south in Salem County is Pilesgrove’s iconic Cowtown Rodeo and overnight nature glamping in Pittsgrove. 

The Sandy Hook Lighthouse is the oldest operating lighthouse in the United States, and you can find it in the Gateway Region. Photo courtesy of NJ Advance Media

Shore Region 

It’s all about the beaches and boardwalk fun in Ocean and Monmouth counties — especially if surfing in LBI (Long Beach Island) or the Belmar Pro event gets you amped. Relax and breathe in the cool, ocean air while watching movies on the beach in Seaside Heights, or shopping for antiques in Point Pleasant Beach. Come for the chowder and fresh seafood but stay for the expansive views atop the many lighthouses dotting the shoreline, including the nation’s oldest at Sandy Hook. Pinball, eclectic restaurants and The Stone Pony bring visitors to the thriving beach town of Asbury Park. Inland, fairgoers attend the annual, five-day Monmouth County Fair in Freehold in July. Keep Waretown on your radar for Alpaca farm tours at Out Of Sight Alpacas and bluegrass music Saturdays. 

The grounds of Renault Winery, located in the Greater Atlantic City Region, were recently built out for festivals and leisure alike. Photo courtesy of Renault Winery

Greater Atlantic City Region 

Our shores are all so different ⁠— but, then again, you probably already know that. Besides swimming, fishing and boating in Atlantic City, nightlife, gaming and spa options abound. It’s also home to the largest arcade on the East Coast, Lucky Snake. If you can handle the 228 steps, check out the great views from the Absecon Lighthouse at 171 feet above the city. Coming in July? Head indoors for the National Sports Collectors Convention. August? Save the date for the Meet AC Atlantic City Airshow on Aug. 24. 

In this same region is the sprawling 250-acre Renault Winery, second oldest in the United States, bordering Egg Harbor City and Galloway Township, which hosts a variety of events for all ages nearly every week. The grounds were recently built out for festivals with festoon lighting, an outdoor bar, tenting and parking for hundreds of visitors to the hotel, golf course and special events, like live entertainment, beside fire pits and cabanas. In addition, every day is wine tasting day here. 

“We want people to rediscover Renault,” said Rob Pattillo, vice president of hospitality, about the year-round seasonal programming. Visit renaultwinery.com for more information. 

Rail biking is an exciting expedition that can be found in the Southern Shore Region, specifically Cape May. Photo courtesy of Revolution Rail Co.

Southern Shore Region 

Just thinking about picturesque Cape May conjures up days filled with shopping, whale watching, railbiking, concerts, golf and visits to the zoo. For birders, the Bayshore Scenic Heritage Byway from Cape May Point State Park leads to the shoreline of Delaware Bay, with wildlife observation platforms within the migratory American Flyway. Sunbathers on Wildwood’s free beaches often end their day with a stroll on the award-winning boardwalk. Love to grill? Satisfy your taste buds during the New Jersey State BBQ Championship (July 8-10). Want to party? The Beach Boys will be at the Wildwoods Convention Center (Aug. 27). Be sure not to miss the world’s largest boat parade in Ocean City in July. 

“Each of New Jersey’s six diverse regions offers fun summer adventures, whether you visit us for a day, weekend or weeklong trip,” said New Jersey Division of Travel and Tourism Executive Director Jeff Vasser. “From hiking the rugged terrain of the Appalachian Trail to climbing the tallest peak at High Point State Park to fishing and watersports along the historic Delaware River to soaking in the sun and sea air on any one of our many beautiful beaches, New Jersey promises to top your ‘must-do’ exploration list this season.” 

This summer, it’s easy to fill up your calendar app with outings. Now, it’s time to explore New Jersey.  

Debra Stevko Miller has a degree in journalism from Rutgers University and is a member of the National Association of Independent Writers and Editors. Besides crafting feature stories and profiles for various publications, she also founded BiosToGo.com and has dabbled in scriptwriting and children’s picture book poetry.

This article originally appeared in the Summer 2022 issue of Explore New Jersey, a travel booklet produced by Jersey’s Best. Subscribe here for in-depth access to everything that makes the Garden State great.

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With a growing interest in reducing carbon emissions to combat climate change, electric cars have become an increasingly common sight on the road. As consumers make the shift from gas guzzling to battery-charged vehicles, the public will be searching for plugs as they hit the road.  

Luckily, the federal government is supplying $15.4 million in funds to New Jersey for the purpose of financing a network of electric car charging stations. The Garden State will receive $104.4 million through 2026. Most of New Jersey’s interstate highways have designated alternative fuel corridors, and the state will install charging networks on these highways first. Then, the focus will shift to adding charging stations to the remaining national highways, state roads, smaller thoroughfares and at public locations such as schools. 

This financial support is part of President Joe Biden’s $1 trillion infrastructure bill, which will supply $5 billion nationwide over five years to invest in a national charging station network. The legislation’s goal is to reach 500,000 electric charging stations throughout the country by 2030.  

With both the government and consumers seeking to shift to more sustainable driving practices, car manufacturers are expected to reap the benefits. Alex Salaices, public relations specialist for electric vehicle manufacturer Lucid Motors, said that as charging infrastructure expands throughout the country, an increase in electric vehicle purchases will follow.  

Every Lucid Air Dream Edition includes the full range of available Lucid Air features, including the Glass Canopy roof, Lucid’s exclusive DreamDrive driver assistance system and a 21-speaker Surreal Sound system. Photo courtesy of Lucid Motors

Lucid Motors released a luxury sedan, dubbed the Lucid Air, in 2021. It was named the 2022 MotorTrend Car of the Year, which is the first time that the debut product from a new automotive company received the award. 

“Lucid offers the longest-range, fastest-charging electric vehicles on the market today,” Salaices said. “Designed in California and built in Arizona, the Lucid Air is a luxury sedan capable of up to 520 miles of EPA-estimated range.” 

Electric vehicles are advertised and compared based on their EPA range, which equates to approximately how many miles the car can travel in cities and on highways before the battery is drained — and the Lucid Air currently has the longest range to date. Lucid vehicles are equipped with the company’s proprietary powertrain technology that uses lithium-ion battery cells. These cells have a greater energy capacity and can tolerate repeated, cyclic fast charging. Beyond range, the Lucid Air also has muscle. With all-wheel-drive and a dual motor architecture, drivers can achieve up to 1,080 horsepower.  

New Jersey shoppers can peruse all four models of the Lucid Air at its studio within The Mall at Short Hills. All sedan models have an upscale, spacious cabin and a streamlined exterior design. The base trim model, the Lucid Air Pure, starts at $77,400, and the most exclusive, limited Air Dream Edition model starts at $169,000.  

New Jersey shoppers can peruse all four models of the Lucid Air at its studio within The Mall at Short Hills. Photo courtesy of Lucid Motors

Another new electric vehicle manufacturer on the market with a location in Short Hills, as well as one in Princeton, is Polestar. A Swedish electric vehicle manufacturer owned by Volvo, the company released an electric hybrid in 2019 called the Polestar 1. Its first fully electric vehicle, the Polestar 2, hit the market in 2020. The Polestar 2’s long-range, single motor model came to the United States this year, which has an EPA range up to 270 miles and is slightly more affordable at $45,900 MSRP than the long-range, dual motor option, which offers up to 408 horsepower.  

It’s impossible to think about a luxury electric car without thinking of Tesla. In New Jersey, Tesla dealerships are located in Cherry Hill, Lawrence Township, Springfield and Paramus, where there are two locations. As the brand name has grown in popularity and sales top the market, its vehicles have increasingly become more accessible to the public. Tesla has four electric vehicle models for consumers to choose from: Model S, Model X, Model 3 and Model Y. Depending on the model, consumers can choose from trims based on performance, standard range or long range to suit their needs. The Model X stands out from the competition as it has the highest towing capacity of any electric SUV, best-in-class storage, all-wheel drive and rear falcon-wing doors that swing up. 

In New Jersey, Tesla dealerships are located in Cherry Hill, Lawrence Township, Springfield and Paramus. Photo courtesy of NJ Advance Media

With Tesla, the software in the cars update automatically over time. These “over-the-air upgrades” for your specific vehicle automatically appear in the Tesla application, and the car updates when parked and connected to Wi-Fi.   

The vehicle’s large touch screen also sets it apart from other electric cars on the market today.  

Drivers can enter their trip destination on the car’s touchscreen, and the Trip Planner will route you to your destination while noting charging locations along the way. 

Not only does Tesla invest in creating superb electric vehicles, the company has financed the world’s largest fast-charging network. The Supercharger network has electric charging locations throughout the country. These Tesla-specific stations can recharge the car in around 30 minutes, and the Tesla application will send an alert when the car reaches 100%. The company will soon allow non-Tesla electric vehicles to charge at these locations in the near future.  

Not only does Tesla invest in creating superb electric vehicles, it has financed the world’s largest fast-charging network, which includes New Jersey. Photo courtesy of NJ Advance Media

Another vehicle manufacturer that is partnering to create electric charging stations is Nissan. 

“Nissan is constantly working with cities, states and third-party partners to expand our electric vehicle infrastructure,” said Josh Clifton, the senior manager of product communications at Nissan Motor Co. 

Nissan has always been a top name in electric vehicle manufacturing with the Nissan Leaf, a battery electric hatchback, first released in 2010. The Nissan Leaf sold as the top-selling, plug-in electric car until December 2019. Standing apart from the luxury market, the Nissan Leaf is one of the most affordable electric vehicles in the United States. In the fall of 2021, Nissan repositioned the Nissan Leaf with a lower starting MSRP that includes more standard features so electric cars can become even more accessible to consumers. The new 2022 Nissan Leaf now comes standard with a technology package, a fast-charging port and driver assistance features. 

Standing apart from the luxury market, the Nissan Leaf is one of the most affordable electric vehicles in the United States. Photo courtesy of Nissan

Currently, the Nissan Leaf is the sole electric vehicle in the Nissan lineup, but Nissan has begun taking reservations for the all-new 2023 Nissan Ariya, an electric crossover SUV that goes on sale in fall 2022. This electric crossover comes in four models, including one that has a dual motor, all-wheel drive and an extended range of 265 miles. 

With gas prices skyrocketing, new electric vehicles to choose from and an upcoming expanded charging network, New Jerseyans are primed to invest in a sustainable driving machine and a green future.

Katrina Rossos is a writer and editor with a passion for the environment, ecology and wildlife conservation. Her freelance work has been published in Backpacker Magazine and Backpacker.com, U.S. News & World Report, Nature World News and The Dodo, among others.

This article originally appeared in the Summer 2022 issue of Jersey’s Best. Subscribe here for in-depth access to everything that makes the Garden State great.

The highly anticipated first images from the Webb Space Telescope have been released. Launched on Dec. 25, 2021, NASA’s latest and largest space telescope has been undergoing deployment and testing over the past few months. Sitting in its “parking space” nearly 1 million miles from Earth, the telescope features a mirror 21.3 feet in diameter (6.5 meters). This will collect over six times more light than the Hubble Space Telescope.

Webb’s sharp near-infrared view brought out faint structures in extremely distant galaxies, offering the most detailed view of the early universe to date. Photo courtesy of NASA

Webb is an infrared telescope. This means it views the universe at wavelengths beyond human vision. The Hubble Space Telescope observed at visible, ultraviolet and infrared wavelengths, but Webb is a more specialized scope. Its mission of observing the earliest stars and galaxies, probing planet and star formation, studying exoplanets and exploring the origins of life requires the use of the infrared part of the spectrum.

NASA has now released the first images. Scientists and engineers were close-lipped about what the images will be, but we saw a hint from the alignment images released so far. Even these relatively quick, low-resolution images show remarkable detail with numerous galaxies in the background. This only hints at the incredible power of this new space telescope.

This alignment image from the Webb Space Telescope shows how sensitive its instruments are. Many faint stars and galaxies show up in the background despite the relatively short exposure time. Photo courtesy of NASA/STScI

NASA administrator Bill Nelson hinted recently that one of the new images will be similar to the Deep Field images taken by Hubble. These involved pointing the telescope at a single spot in the sky and taking many images over an extended period of time. Given Webb’s much larger mirror, we can expect such an image to show even more galaxies and reach much farther into the universe than we’ve ever seen before.

NASA had a livestreaming event July 12 at 10:30 a.m. EDT to reveal the Webb Space Telescope’s first images and data on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Twitch and DailyMotion. For more information, see nasa.gov/webbfirstimages.

Kevin D. Conod is the Planetarium Astronomer at the County College of Morris and president of the North Jersey Astronomical Group.

Photo courtesy of Getty Images

As a child, Deborah Mitchell watched the Nicholas Brothers and Bill “Bojangles” Robinson tapping in black-and-white films, and she just knew it: Tap dancing was in her soul. Her mother knew it, too. 

Her little girl couldn’t keep still; she needed to be in constant motion. Sensing her daughter would thrive in the art form, she enrolled Mitchell in a tap class at a local dance school. But when the instructor refused to advance young Mitchell in routines with her white peers, and when she purposefully moved the eager 7-year-old to the back of the line, out of sight, Mitchell’s mother withdrew her from the school on principle. 

That could have been the end of the story. Turns out, it was just the beginning. 

Deborah Mitchell, founder of New Jersey Tap Ensemble, which is based in Bloomfield. Photo courtesy of Deborah Mitchell

“The love of the art never left me,” said Mitchell, who returned to tap after earning a master’s degree in social work to begin what would be an illustrious career in the art form. She starred in “The Cotton Club,” spent two years on Broadway in “Black and Blue” and did international tours with The Rhythm Queens and dance partner, Germaine Goodson. Over the years, she has garnered many awards for her contributions to tap. 

In 1994, Newark native Mitchell founded New Jersey Tap Ensemble, the first dance company of its kind in the state, and the realization of a promise she’d made years before to her mentor and master teacher, Leslie “Bubba” Gaines.  

Years before, the late great Gaines, along with Henry LeTang and other tap giants, helped Mitchell uncover rudiments of tap — its jazz roots, its powerful rhythms and percussiveness — and the African American influence on the dance form. Mitchell brought all of these elements to the ensemble at a time when tap was beginning to experience a renaissance, but those seeking serious tap training often had to go to New York for instruction. Gaines had once told her that, someday, someone would want her to mentor them. “He said, ‘When you give that person all I have taught you, you will pay me in full.’ ” Mitchell said. “I wanted to give all this back. That was my impetus for starting the ensemble, (and) I find much fulfillment in passing it on as it was generously passed to me.”  

In the ’90s, the Bloomfield-based ensemble was one of few such organizations with a mission to preserve and promote tap dancing as an art. “Since that time, the art form has grown in popularity and respect; it has become global and highly visible,” said Mitchell, thanks to artists, like Gregory Hines and Savion Glover, and hit musicals such as “Black and Blue,” “Sophisticated Ladies,” “Eubie!,” “Tap Dance Kid,” “Bring in ‘da Noise, Bring in ‘da Funk,” “Jelly’s Last Jam” and “Shuffle Along.”   

As the beloved American art form continues its rise, the future looks rosy for the New Jersey Tap Ensemble. Photo by Vibeckedphoto

Today, Broadway musicals increasingly require tap skills as a standard in auditions. More than 50 national and five international tap dance festivals celebrate tap and its founders annually. Tap dance and its history can be found in dance curriculums in colleges and universities. There’s even a National Tap Dance Day — it’s May 25. 

Thinking of trying tap? It looks like lots of fun; so easy a child could do it, right? But there’s more to it, and the professionals make it look easy, Mitchell said. “Anyone who wants to begin tapping needs to really want to learn it and, above all, be patient with oneself. The most common expression from beginners is that it is so much harder than it appears. Tap dancing is often perceived as joyful, lots of fun and easy. But, in reality, it is quite technical and requires good listening skills, an understanding of rhythm, a good teacher and, of course, practice, practice, practice!” 

Beyond expressions of optimism, Mitchell explained, “Tap can express the themes of hard work, caring for your body and what it means to be focused.” Today’s tap dancer has an appreciation of what one can communicate through tap. The rhythm tap dancer, whose body is the instrument, can communicate to the audience emotions, like joy, sadness, pain or fear. “They are great communicators, drawing the audience toward them, having something to say. Self-expression and, at times, improvisation become the hallmarks of the dance,” she said.

New Jersey Tap Ensemble hosts free and fun Open House events on occasion, like this one with dancer Jaye Allison. Photo by Kristine Bolish

As the beloved American art form continues its rise, the future looks rosy for the New Jersey Tap Ensemble. Having weathered the pandemic, they are now preparing future collaborations with other arts groups. New performances — most notably, “A Stop on the A Train,” — will debut this fall or early 2023. While its concert performances, community workshops and forums feature the professional dancers of the First Co., the ensemble also offers classes for the general public on Sunday afternoons each month. Class levels include beginner adults, children’s tap for ages 8 and older, open classes, intermediate classes and advanced workshops. 

Essentially ageless, tap can be learned and enjoyed at any age, but the ensemble begins classes at age 8, when students can begin to understand the percussion elements. On the flip side of that, some dancers keep their tap shoes on even as they hit triple digits. 

Another way Mitchell gives back is by teaching a free Tappers of a Certain Age (TOCA) class in her Monroe Township community. Dancers aged 65 to 100 enthusiastically attend TOCA not only for fun, but to gain the positive physical effects of dance. “Tap dancing makes them focus; utilize their bodies aerobically; socialize with their peers; it fights isolation when spouses pass away; lifts their spirits after cancer and other diagnoses; requires recall and memory; and allows them to enjoy the music of their generation,” she said. “Above all, we share joy, laughter and celebrate years of life and memories.” 

Information about classes at the New Jersey Tap Ensemble can be found at njtap.org. 

Kerry Serzan is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in The Star-Ledger. A lifelong New Jerseyan, she lives “down the Shore” in Sea Girt with her husband Joe and their children.

This article originally appeared in the Summer 2022 issue of Jersey’s Best. Subscribe here for in-depth access to everything that makes the Garden State great.

There must be something in the water or the soil that makes this Garden State grow such hearty folks. Statistically speaking, New Jersey is among the Top 10 states in the nation when it comes to longevity. Statistics are great, but they’re just numbers. And numbers don’t explain the difference between longevity and living with purpose — something so many of our eldest Jerseyans have embraced, their momentum unbroken as years go by. 

For the folks you’re about to meet here, the resounding advice is, “Keep moving.” Their stories will challenge you just to keep up! 

Photo courtesy of Edie Peters Liguori

Edie Peters Liguori, 70 

Getting an appointment with Edie Liguori to talk about herself took some flexibility; she’s too hard at work in service to others to get on the horn just to toot her own. But once she starts talking, the pace is as breathless as that of the life she leads.  

President of the FBI Newark Citizens Academy Alumni Association (FBINewarkCAAA) since 2017, Edie is credited with reviving the Newark chapter, a community-based organization that she’s quick to clarify is “separate and apart” from the FBI. With Edie at the helm, the chapter’s partnership network grew, resulting in community outreach programs on such topics as cybersecurity, white-collar crime and senior fraud; the Building Trusting Relationships seminar brought leaders of different faiths to the table with FBI and other state law enforcement to share concerns and strengthen community relationships. 

Her involvement with the Citizens Academy grew from her passion for law enforcement, which grew from working 10 seasons in safety services at MetLife Stadium. 

“What got me about law enforcement was the fact that all these people run toward whatever bad things are happening,” Edie said. “I wanted to push myself to be a little brave.” 

A little brave? Edie is the definition of dauntless. Her list of accomplishments over the past decade were achieved in the wake of a 35-year career with the New Jersey State Disability Determination Services. 

“The professional relations days spent being out with people, building bridges and working with advocacy groups and doctors to facilitate benefits for the permanently disabled were the love of my career,” she recalled. 

Edie was born in Rumson but grew up in Newark, raised by her mother and aunt in a diverse neighborhood in which everyone learned to bond and look out for one another. A community spirit that’s clearly stuck. Edie, on the other hand, is never stuck. 

“My life is in constant motion,” she explained when asked what keeps her going. “You always have to learn new things, be with different people and have new experiences. If you sit still, you get stagnant. Everyone has a story — that’s my whole thing. You bring your story to others, look for commonalities, and that’s the reality of life. You may think you’re different, but in the end, you have so much in common.” 

Her faith helps, too, Edie said; she believes God has blessed her with health to do what she does. 

“Counting your blessings is so important in life. You can have all the money in the world, but if you’re not going to share it, what’s the point? You know the saying, ‘time, talent, and treasure’ … I give whatever treasure I can afford to give. Time is money, so is talent. So, that’s how I look at it.” 

Photo courtesy of Kathy Cervenka

George Cervenka, 73 

If you live in Hunterdon County, chances are you already know George. Like the coveted tomatoes and sweet corn harvested at Cervenka Farm, George is farm raised, with a genuine, salt-of-the-earth manner that makes you want to sit and chat for a spell. We caught him on a cool, rain-soaked spring day when being out on the tractor wasn’t going to happen. 

“That’s the way farming is,” he reasoned. “There’s good days and bad days, and eventually you get caught up.”  

That philosophy has worked for 102 years, ever since his grandfather’s chickens first laid eggs. And the farm will eventually get caught up on its centennial celebration, too, stalled by the “bad days” of the pandemic.  

Despite setbacks, the Cervenka family farm endures, now through five generations that include his sisters who live just a stone’s throw from him on the farm, two daughters, a grandson, and five nieces and nephews. George is its patriarch, married to his wife for 52 years and working seven days a week, sunrise to sunset and sometimes beyond, doing things the “old” way: hand picking 1,000 ears of corn for the markets and baling hay behind the tractor. Even during winter, George keeps busy in the heated garage, maintaining the machinery that makes farm life possible.  

“Older equipment from the ‘60s and ‘70s is more reliable,” he said. “No computers, less complicated. Easy to fix and keep them running.” 

Not even the shelter and warmth of a heated cab on a shiny, new tractor could make him give up his trusty equipment — probably considered vintage these days. Layers and a hat will do. There are memories attached to each machine. Most of them include his father. 

“When I was 5 or 6 years old, I was always with my dad. We’d be out in the field together, and I was always watching what he did. I learned to drive the pickup at 9, and by the time I was 11, Dad put me on the tractor. That’s when I started to drive it by myself.” 

George admits an 11-year-old driving a tractor might seem frightful, but his father always trusted and led him in the right direction. 

“Sometimes we would sit in the chicken house or the old garage, and we’d put down our tools and talk about life. Dad would draw pictures of his plans, and I still see those papers in the coop, 40 years later,” he remembered, a touch of wistfulness creeping into his voice. 

Along with sharing his secret for a happy marriage (“don’t butt heads too much”), George has advice for people who might want to get into farming. 

“Go for it! Don’t question yourself, but realize it’s rough. Money will be tight sometimes; but, for your children, farming is the best life. You learn to farm, but also plumbing, mechanics and caring for animals. You might not be a rocket scientist in one single field, but you’ll have a little bit of knowledge in everything.” 

And when you need to unwind, take the tractor out in the field when the sun’s going down. George took his young nephew along one evening, stopping the engine to ask, “What do you see and hear?” The boy heard nothing but silence, and saw nothing but stars. 

“Now where else on Earth would you rather be?”   

Photo by Michael Scanlan Photography

Rev. Edwin Leahy, 76 

To those who “knew him when,” the common refrain is that Rev. Edwin Leahy looks just the same as he did 50 years ago. Running a school in the middle of Newark for half a century might age the average person, but there’s nothing average about Father Ed. 

This fall, he’ll mark two milestone occasions: Fifty years since his ordination to the priesthood, and 50 years since his election to lead the reopening of St. Benedict’s Preparatory School after its brief closing in the wake of Newark’s unrest.  

The energy he brings to his daily mission is dizzying, no doubt fueled by his fierce devotion to the students he serves, primarily kids of color — children from low-income and oftentimes dysfunctional households. And while educating young people is part of the plan, quieting what Rev. Ed calls their “emotional noise” is paramount. 

“You have to tend to their hearts first,” Rev. Ed said. “If their hearts aren’t tended to, their heads won’t work.” 

Of myriad methods he’s employed over the years to do just that — remembering all the kids’ names (present and past), driving to homes and hangouts to drag them back to class, or, on the flip side, pulling kids out of class to go get ice cream, just to name a few — nothing gets more of a universal rise from the kids than Rev. Ed showcasing his own “peak physical condition.” 

It’s not a lie — he’s in great shape — but his theatrical peacocking is a source of both entertainment and inspiration. Whether dropping to the floor to do pushups or casually removing his jacket to reveal a flexed bicep with “BOSS” tattooed (temporarily) across it during morning convocation, the running gag means everyone’s in on the joke. A simple, silly, successful antic to galvanize the spirit of community at the core of life at Benedict’s. 

Behind the silliness, however, are some serious workouts. Whether it’s doing CrossFit with the kids after school, walking as many as 12 miles across city lines and over paths through Branch Brook Park on weekends, or wearing out the gym floor doing laps indoors, Rev. Ed doesn’t miss a day of exercise. It’s a habit he recommends to everyone, young and not-so-young alike. 

“The only difference between a champ and a chump is ‘u,’ ” he quipped, smiling as he delivers yet another nugget of wisdom disguised as a dad joke. And he’s got a million of them, tossing them out in gleeful anticipation of the kids’ collective groans. 

Meanwhile, there’s the Gospel to preach and funds to raise in support of all these kids entrusted to his care. He remains ever grateful for the generosity of friends, old and new, whose donations not only keep the lights on at St. Benedict’s, but also support the programs that make the school such an extraordinary model of urban education. 

Father Ed doesn’t smoke, drink or eat red meat; and those daily workouts aren’t for lightweights. The CrossFit kids don’t go easy on Fred — as he’s affectionately known — just because he’s 76, and certainly not because he’s their head of school.  

“Being around young people all the time energizes me. And when you get as old as I am, everyone is young. So, I have an advantage,” he figured. 

Photo by Amanda Brown

Sandra Ramos, 80 

Feisty doesn’t even begin to describe Sandra Ramos, founder of Strengthen our Sisters, a shelter for battered women that’s been a haven for homeless, abused women and their children for more than 40 years. You met her in a previous issue of Jersey’s Best, but to exclude Sandra from a topic on extraordinary seniors would be an injustice to a woman who has spent her entire life fighting it. Though labeling her a “senior” seems an injustice in itself. 

Yes, she lives in a purple hut in the woods and wears purple from head to toe; but her journey through eight decades is awash with color, her eyes seeing red at every occasion of inequity, maltreatment and prejudice. Her heart of gold the force behind her crusade to make things right. 

A runaway teen and product of reform school before earning a high school diploma and both bachelor’s and master’s degrees, Sandra taught at Ramapo College for 40 years — her expertise on topics, like Women’s Changing Roles and the Dynamics of Domestic Violence, among the highly sought-after offerings. 

Her long association with Ramapo has come to an end — the college added to the list she keeps of jobs that fired her. She vividly recalled one of the first establishments on that list, a long-ago supper club she said “kept the Black and Hispanic help in the kitchen while all the white staff were waiters.”  

“One night, a woman went to the restroom during dinner and told the men’s room attendant that she was being beaten by her husband. The attendant brought the woman to me,” Sandra recalled. “I tried to help, telling the manager they couldn’t let her go home with that man and to call a cab, but I was told it wasn’t ‘my station,’ and they fired me right there.” 

Sandra is a rebel in the best sense of the word. She’s ballsy, bold, indomitable — please pass the thesaurus — but to the hundreds of desperate women and children given shelter and resources to escape abuse, she’s simply heroic. 

Shifting from activism to self-care, Sandra, a Wiccan, reveals how she nurtures her inner goddess. 

“I sing, laugh, read. I walk in the woods every day and meditate. I eat well — lots of vegetables, lemon, garlic and pepper. And I keep away from doctors. I haven’t seen one in 50 years,” she divulged. 

Sandra has an acronym for her most important secret to happiness: TAG. Thanksgiving, appreciation and gratitude. 

Tag, Sandra. You are IT. 

Photo courtesy of Bryan Gibson

Franklyn LeRoy Gibson, 100 

When Franklyn “LeRoy” Gibson celebrated his 100th birthday, the whole town of Piscataway celebrated with him. The mayor presented a plaque citing LeRoy’s accomplishments, which, frankly, could have filled a billboard. A line of police cars paraded past his house, officers singing Stevie Wonder’s “Happy Birthday” through the loudspeakers. And LeRoy’s family gathered, from near and far, to join the party. 

We’ll call LeRoy extraordinary, for lack of a better word, to capture his essence and the magnificence of his simply abundant life, spanning a century and beyond. For while age may have slowed him down a bit, LeRoy is still a busy man as he enters his 101st year. 

“You have to keep doing something instead of nothing,” he pointed out. “Retirement is not a time to sit on your fat parts! It’s a time to keep doing something else, things you’re able to do. Too many people die just sitting down and waiting for the Lord to come and get them.” 

LeRoy was born on 2/22/22 (that’s 1922), and he’s been “doing something instead of nothing” ever since. Active in high school in the band and on the track, teaching Vacation Bible School, serving as a Scout leader and singing in the Young People’s Chorus, young LeRoy was always on the move. But we’re pretty sure he came to a standstill when he met his future wife, Lillian, in the chorus. They’ve been making beautiful music together for 70 years now. 

As the song goes, Lillian was LeRoy’s paper doll — her photograph with him throughout his three years overseas serving in the Army during World War II in New Guinea and the Philippines. LeRoy was a member of the rear echelon troops, building bridges and maintaining roadways to support frontline fighting. 

“One day, we went to the rifle range, and when we returned, the motor pool had been depleted,” he recounted. “It was just one of those things.” 

Leave it to LeRoy to describe a brush with death as just one of those things.  

Returning from the war, Sgt. LeRoy Gibson didn’t miss a beat. He joined the North Jersey Philharmonic Glee Club, sang on the steps of the White House, married his girl, worked as a psychiatric technician at Greystone Park Hospital and earned a degree in respiratory therapy, practicing at several hospitals and collecting high praise from both colleagues and patients.

A Piscataway resident since 1971, he became a civic leader and volunteer to countless organizations: in the schools, the rescue squad, the Citizens Emergency Response Team, the Senior Citizens and African American commissions. His work with the Domestic Violence Assistance Team and the Piscataway Health Advisory and Cultural Arts commissions continues to this day. 

“The idea,” LeRoy said, “is to be of consequence to somebody else.” Now there’s an idea we all might take to heart, along with LeRoy’s sage advice on living well. 

“Keep learning. Keep active. Keep practicing something new. Because what is new will keep happening over and over again.” 

And the best thing about his long and well-lived life so far?  

“My son, my grands and my great grands,” a smile punctuating his response. 

Ever the gentleman, he let Lillian get the last word. 

“We have the best family in the world!” she gushed. “If you have a wonderful family, you can do all kinds of great things. It has nothing to do with money, you don’t have to be rich to have a wonderful family.” 

May wonderfuls never cease.  

Susan Kronberg is a freelance writer and Jersey girl. A married mother of two, she’s worked in insurance, transportation, marketing, newspapers and private education. Writing is but one thread that connects the patchwork of her professions.

This article originally appeared in the Summer 2022 issue of Jersey’s Best. Subscribe here for in-depth access to everything that makes the Garden State great.

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The Northern Crown is a small constellation located near Hercules. Photo courtesy of Sidney Hall/Urania’s Mirror, 1825

Corona Borealis is a small constellation first catalogued by the Greek astronomer, Ptolemy, in the 2nd century. Although it is not large or bright, this star pattern is fairly easy to spot on a clear, dark, summer night.

Corona Borealis means “the Northern Crown” in Latin. It represents the crown of Ariadne, the princess of Crete. In Greek mythology, she is best known for having helped the hero Theseus escape the Minotaur’s labyrinth.

Corona Borealis is almost overhead at 10 p.m. now. Look for it in between the constellations Hercules and Boötes, not far from the bright star, Arcuturus. Photo courtesy of starrynight.com

Corona is nestled in between the constellations Boötes and Hercules. It will be high in the sky, almost overhead at 10 p.m. Look for a semicircle of stars here. The brightest star in the crown is Alphecca.

Alphecca forms the gem in the crown. At a distance of 75 light years, it is a relatively nearby star. It is a hot star almost 3 times more massive than the sun. It also has a yellow star as a companion. Circling every 17 days, this smaller star creates miniature eclipses of the main star as it orbits.

The constellation will be visible through the night and can be seen setting in the west just before dawn.

Kevin D. Conod is the Planetarium Astronomer at the County College of Morris and president of the North Jersey Astronomical Group.