Quality Time

By Brianne Harrison

The week between Christmas and New Year's is usually an opportunity to relax, enjoy your gifts, and get in some quality family time (since most schools are closed). At a certain point, though, pretty much everyone wants to get out of the house for a little while, so why not try out some of these family friendly activities happening this week?

Holiday Fun Week runs through the 30th from 12:30 to 4:30 at the Newark Museum. You can catch art and science workshops, scavenger hunts, planetarium laser shows, music, plays, and a puppet show. Why not learn a little while you're on vacation?

For the history buffs, there's Patriot's Week, held annually from December 26-31 in Trenton. Patriot's Week celebrates the city's unique and pivotal role in the American Revolution, with art, music, literature, battlefield reenactments, and living history events. For more information and a schedule of events, visit patriotsweek.com.

For those hoping to ring in the New Year en famille, Morris County and Ocean City are hosting First Night Celebrations. These family friendly, non-alcoholic events feature crafts, music performances, magic shows, concerts, and more. For more information, visit firstnightmorris.com or firstnightocnj.com.

This week is also your last chance to see Historic Smithville's Holiday Light Show, which features more than 100 Christmas trees, floating on Lake Meone, lighting up to the rhythm of playing music. The show ends January 3. Visit smithvillenj.com for more information.

Have a happy New Year!

Festive Feasts and Family

By Brianne Harrison

As we’re fast approaching a holiday dedicated to feasting, it seems only fitting to mention Festive Feasts and Culinary Creations, a new exhibit at the Monmouth Museum that runs through January 3.

Festive Feasts is the museum’s annual holiday exhibition, and it features trees decorated by local garden clubs and the Friends of the Museum, stories and family-friendly activities, and their traditional, ever-expanding model railroad. The museum also has several holiday and food-related activities scheduled throughout the month. Activities include a festival of songs with Maureen McCrink on November 29; Chocolate Fairies with Don Magee—a chocolate tasting featuring bittersweet chocolate popcorn and fountain dipped chocolate pretzels on December 6; stories of festival feasts with Joan Jannerone on December 13; and Who Says You Can’t Play With Your Food? where participants learn to make crafts with food items, on December 20.

Holiday programs are held from 2-3:30 p.m. The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday. Admission is $7 per person (children under 2 and Monmouth Museum members free). Visit monmouthmuseum.org for more information.

Don’t Miss…
The Thanksgiving Family Festival on November 27. Find buried treasure, uncover ancient stories, and learn to make pottery at the Newark Museum.

Annual Tree Lighting at Palmer Square on November 27. Enjoy music by Holiday Brass and the Princeton High School Choir as well as a reading of The Night Before Christmas before the 65-foot Norwegian spruce is lit by Santa Claus. Festivities will continue every Saturday and Sunday afternoon in December and on Christmas Eve.

Rock On—Raise Money

By Brianne Harrison

Summer may be officially over, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still go out and enjoy a great party while the nice weather lasts. This weekend, your best bet might be the Union County MusicFest, a two-day outdoor concert that is luring in big-name bands and an array of fans that runs the gamut from toddlers to grandparents.

On Sept. 12 and 13, Oak Ridge Park in Clark will play host to They Might be Giants (who will play two concerts—one for kids and one for adults), Pete Yorn, Uncle Kraker, Tonic, Gin Blossoms, Third Eye Blind, Tommy James and the Shondells, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, and several local bands, as well as their loyal followers.

The festival, which started in 1998, has outgrown its previous home at the 10-acre Nomahegan Park in Cranford. The 65-acre Oak Ridge Park will probably more easily accommodate the bands and crowds, along with a four-day county fair that features carnival rides, a Kids Kingdom with laser tag and bungee jumping, and food vendors.

MusicFest’s purpose, first and foremost, is to raise funds for charities. The festival raised $80,000 for cancer charities last year, and this year will boast a two-mile walk-athon and 5K run on Saturday morning. Proceeds will go towards supporting children with cancer and blood disorders in New Jersey, as well as global cancer centers.

For more information, visit ucmusicfest.com.

Get a Jump Start on the 4th: Music and Fireworks at Moorland

By Brianne Harrison

Warmer weather brings with it a deluge of outdoor concerts, picnics, and festivals. If you’re looking for all three rolled into one, you’re in luck: Music at Moorland is coming up on June 25.

This annual event, held at Moorland Farms in Far Hills, features a concert by the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, followed by a spectacular fireworks show at nightfall. Gates open at 5:30, so feel free to bring a picnic to enjoy on the lawn (barbequing, however, is not permitted). If you’re not in the mood to tote dinner, Benefactor tickets ($300) get you premium seats, an orchestra parking pass, and a country dinner buffet. A concession stand will also be available at the event.

Music at Moorland benefits the Somerset Medical Center in Somerville. Tickets are $25 (general admission), $100 (member seating), and $300 (benefactor seating). A portion of each adult ticket is deductible as a charitable contribution to Somerset Medical Center Foundation. Children under 14 are free. For more information or to purchase tickets online, visit musicatmoorland.com.