Hot Fun in the Wintertime

By Pat Tanner

OK, so we all can’t head to a tropical resort this time of year. The next best thing? Revel in the cold weather, which the folks in two adjacent Delaware River towns have been doing every January for years now. Activities at the Lambertville – New Hope Winter Festival, which runs from January 27th through the 31st, span both sides of the bridge between New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Among the impressively long list of proceedings are a jazz concert, cabaret, and many other musical performances; a parade complete with Mummers; ice sculpting demos; and children’s activities.

All fun and interesting, but let’s cut to the chase: the food and drink.

Each town is blessed with its own brewery - Lambertville has the award-winning River Horse; New Hope has one of the popular Triumph Brewing locations. Both will be featured at one of the festival’s premiere events: the Sunday chili cook-off. Eleven eateries are competing this year, and ticket holders get to cast a vote for the People’s Choice Award. If chili is too hot to handle, head over to Triumph the previous day for the Rotary’s hot roast beef sandwiches, accompanied by brews and live music. Better yet, do both!

Kids will enjoy the puppet theater, the Little Rockers concert, and their own obstacle course, while adults (and more sedate children) may prefer to take in the beauty of these two historic towns via several house, museum, and walking tours.

The full schedule of happenings – and there are many more – as well as prices and ticket information are all at winterfestival.net.

Dog Days

By Brianne Harrison

In all the holiday bustle, there’s one thing that a lot of people tend to overlook—in a couple of weeks, 2009 will end, and that calendar on the kitchen wall is going to be rendered obsolete. Which means, of course, that you’ll need a new one. Now, there’s no shortage of calendars out there for pet lovers—stores are fully stocked with “Adorable [insert breed of choice] Puppies of 2010”, but if you’re a New Jersey dog lover, why not be a little different and grab the 2010 Dog Days of Lambertville calendar instead?

The calendar (which was sadly absent last year) is the brainchild of Adrien Gerson, a Lambertville local who wanted to showcase the many dogs that live in the area as well as the town’s charming Victorian architecture. Adrien, who was diagnosed with MS 9 years ago, finds inspiration in Lambertville, its canines, and the humans who love them.

The Dog Days of Lambertville features 69 dogs from in and around town. Some of the notable new additions include Charlie D.O.G. Jones, the calendar’s first disabled dog (not that he lets having only three legs stop him!) and Emma, a formerly shy rescue dog who’s blossomed into a happy, bossy pup who delights in herding her four feline companions.

The calendar can be bought for $10 at Rojo’s, Tirpok Cleaners, Homestead Farm Market, Lambertville Animal Clinic, Picky Paws, Sojourner, Pet Shop Girls, No. 63, Secondhand Sams, Boxwoods, and Blue Raccoon in Lambertville. It can also be purchased online for $10 + $4.95 shipping and handling at lambertvilledogs.com. One hundred percent of the profits from the sale of the calendar is donated to Animal Alliance, Hunterdon Humane Animal Shelter, and Make Peace with Animals.

Harry’s Bag—Helping Pets in Need

By Brianne Harrison

For many years, Harry, a rescue Scottie, was the unofficial greeter at his owner, Doreen Phillips’ Lambertville shop, No. 63. But after six happy years with Phillips, Harry passed away from cancer.

Not one to sit back and mourn, Phillips decided to honor Harry’s memory (and his habit of snooping in handbags searching for treats!) and founded Harry’s Bag. Harry’s Bag is a fund that provides funding for area pets in need of medical procedures their owners can’t afford.
“We have a lot of people in our community who own and love dogs but may not have the means to pay when unexpected health issues arise,” says Phillips. “When you experience the bond and love of an animal like we did with Harry, you can’t fathom all animals not having the same love and care.”

Harry’s Bag is starting to move beyond medicine—Phillips will be partnering with Picky Paws in Lambertville for Harnesses for Harry, providing harnesses for any dog who needs one.

What can you do? No. 63 is accepting good condition, resellable vintage bags as well as donations. One hundred percent of the profit from the sale of the bags goes to animals in need. Bags and donations can be sent to Number 63, 10 N. Union St., Lambertville, NJ, 609.397.2121. The shop is open Wednesday through Sunday, 11-6. If you know of anyone in the New Hope/Lambertville area who owns a dog who needs medical care or treatments and the owner is of limited means, contact the shop and speak with Phillips.

In other news…

Monmouth County SPCA has lots of cats—over 500, to be more precise—who are desperately in need of homes. In an effort to house these homeless felines, the shelter is offering deals: kittens up to four months of age are two for the price of one, and adult cats older than one year can be adopted for any donation. Potential adopters must meet the shelter’s criteria for adoption. For more information, visit monmouthcountyspca.org.

Music on the Waterfront

By Brianne Harrison

Judging from the recent weather, it seems like Mother Nature is almost trying to make up for that chilly, rainy June we had. Hopefully, the beautiful weather will hold for the first River’s Edge Music Fest, which is scheduled for Saturday, August 22.

The Music Fest—which will, appropriately, be set up right on the Delaware River, in Lambertville—will feature an arts and crafts fair starring local artists, food and refreshments served by the Hibernia Fire Squad, and, of course, plenty of music. The day’s lineup includes JB Kline, The Legendary Johnny Pompadour, John Sonntag, Bosco and Peck, The Shackers, Acoustic Mellowdrama, and Mixxtape, amongst others.

Tickets to the all-day event can be purchased for $15 before the 22 at City Market, Caffe Galleria, Buck’s Coffee Shop, and Rojo’s Roastery in Lambertville. You can also buy tickets at the door for $20. For more information, visit riversedgemusicfest.com.

Cooking With the Seasons Along the Canal

By Pat Tanner

In the introduction to Canal House Cooking, the first in a series of seasonal cookbooks by Melissa Hamilton and Christopher Hersheimer, these two women describe themselves as “home cooks.” Indeed they are. As Ms. Hersheimer told me, “Like everyone, we face putting meals on the table for our families every day while working long hours. We leave here at 7 p.m. - if we’re lucky - asking ourselves, ‘what’s in my fridge and on my shelves?’ We also know what is available at the supermarket. Ours is a very practical and accessible book. It is truly how we cook.”

Yes, but each woman has also enjoyed a successful career at the top of the food-publishing world. Hersheimer was one of the founders and an executive editor of Saveur magazine, where Hamilton ran the test kitchen and served as food editor. Together the pair has more than 30 years experience working with magazines such as Metropolitan Home, Food and Wine, Cook’s Illustrated, and Martha Stewart Living and on cookbooks by Julia Child, Alice Waters, Mario Batali, Jacques Pepin, Lidia Bastianich, and other notables.

In 2007 they established their own studio alongside the D&R canal in tiny Lambertville, where they specialize in food photography and styling and cookbook design and writing. Including, now, their own.

Volume one of Canal House Cooking focuses on their favorite summer recipes, with names like Tomatoes All Dressed Up for Summer and Raspberry Sandwiches. Three books a year are planned. Next up is Fall/Holiday (due out in mid-October), followed by Winter/Spring. For a glimpse at the stylish, easy, and eye-popping recipes, visit thecanalhouse.com. Check out the recipe for Melon Water, a summer cooler made with or without rum. At this time of year, who can resist a recipe that begins, “Crack open a ripe melon…”?

New Jersey: More Than Just Corrupt Politicians

By Brianne Harrison

It seems like New Jersey really can’t catch a break. Just when we start clawing our way toward respectability, some new corruption scandal erupts, and we’re back to being the subject of national jokes, much eye-rolling, and comments of “Of course, it’s New Jersey!”

Which really isn’t fair at all. New Jersey has a lot of good things going for it, although out-of-staters seem to think it’s one giant mob-run garbage dump populated with characters from the Sopranos and the Real Housewives. I grew up in and very near New Jersey, and when I think of the state, I tend to think of charming small towns like Lambertville, where I now work, and Princeton, where I now live. Or Collingswood, Haddonfield, or Westfield. I’m not naïve—I know there are lots of non-idyllic places in the state, but the charming spots are out there. People don’t think of small towns when they think of New Jersey—they think of dangerous cities. I’ll admit to falling victim to that once myself, feeling nervous the first time I had to go into Trenton on my own, but what I found surprised me. The area I was in (granted, it was the nice area of town, near the Capitol building) was lovely, and the people were quite friendly. They smiled at me as we passed on the sidewalk. When was the last time someone did that to you in New York?

New Jersey is a small state, which means it’s easy to criss cross it and take advantage of everything it has to offer. You could, theoretically, spend your morning strolling along the Delaware or popping in and out of antiques shops in Lambertville, perhaps sipping a nice, house-roasted coffee from Rojo’s Roastery; then head north and enjoy the nightlife and views of the Manhattan skyline from Jersey City or Hoboken. After you’ve slept off the night’s revelries, you can cruise down to the shore, choosing from a wide array of towns to suit your mood (hip and happening? Laid back and quiet? You’ve got it!) and work on your tan. On our way home, pick up dinner fixings at one of the many farm stands, farmers’ markets, or mom-and-pop specialty shops that dot the state. There aren’t too many places where you could accomplish all this in a single weekend, if you have the stamina.

Does New Jersey have its problems? Yes, but what state doesn’t? New York’s politicians certainly can’t brag about their squeaky-clean noses, but I don’t remember too many “Oh, of course, it's New York,” comments after the Spitzer scandal.

There will always be corrupt politicians out there. Another scandal will come, and we Jersey defenders (or apologists) will roll our eyes and cringe. When that happens, we’ll do just what we’re doing now—smile grimly at others’ jokes at our state’s expense, try to put our faith in the good politicians out there (and we do have a few!), and remind ourselves of the many great things New Jersey has to offer.

Shad Fest: Not Just About Fish

By Brianne Harrison

There aren’t too many towns (at least not in the mid-Atlantic region) that hold a whole two-day festival to celebrate one fish, but every year the picturesque town of Lambertville does just that when they hold the Shad Fest. This year’s to do is taking place April 25 and 26.

The Shad Fest has been a staple of the town’s calendar since 1981 and celebrates the annual return of the shad up the Delaware River. When the Fest was founded, the fish’s return was something of a miracle—pollution in the river decimated the Shad population, but tighter environmental laws and state and local initiatives cleaned up the Delaware and the Shad came back.

The Shad Fest is about more than just fish (although there’s plenty of it). Local chefs show off their skills, businesses throw open their doors, musicians play, and the streets become galleries, with local artists and artisans displaying their wares. This year, you can also grab a copy of the first-ever reprint of the 1982 Shad Fest Cookbook, featuring recipes from local chefs and residents. Take in one of the historic shad fishing demonstrations or bid on a poster by a local artist for the Sunday Shad Festival Scholarship Poster Auction. There will be rides, face painting, and sand art for kids as well as wine and beer tasting and cooking demonstrations for the parents.

Shad Fest will be held rain or shine in downtown Lambertville from 12:30 to 5:30