Decoration Day Weekend: Civil War Remembrances
MORRISTOWN, NJ – Commemorate the Civil War’s 150th anniversary by discovering how former resident, General Joseph Warren Revere, made a costly decision at the 1863 Battle of Chancellorsville. On Saturday, May 25, from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., relive a chapter from the annals of the Civil War at Decoration Day Weekend during “Civil War Remembrances” at Fosterfields Living Historical Farm in Morris Township. Historian, author, actor, educator, and recipient of the North Jersey Civil War Roundtable Lifetime Achievement Award, William R. Chemerka portrays the general and recounts the details of his action which resulted in a court martial. Joining Chemerka at the Revere’s Gothic Revival home, The Willows, is Debbie Chemerka who shares a woman’s perspective as Mrs. Rosanna Revere.
This event provides a unique opportunity to view an extensive collection of original Civil War artifacts owned by author and 33rd New Jersey Infantry re-enactor, Robert Jones, at Fosterfields. On display are period weapons, letters, and personal items used by individual soldiers during war, as well as relics from the Gettysburg battlefield, as well as a shaving mirror used by Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, who was featured in the movie Glory commanded the all-Black 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment. Another unique artifact is a dinner plate from the Lincoln Presidential dining service ordered by Mary Todd Lincoln in 1864.
Both guests, Bill Chemerka and Robert Jones, are esteemed authors. Bill’s literary accomplishments include books about Davy Crocket and the Battle of the Alamo and his most recent feat, General Joseph Warren Revere: the Gothic Saga of Paul Revere’s Grandson, which will be on sale at Fosterfields for $20 each. Robert Jones has authored: “Children at the Battle of Gettysburg: Their Unforgettable Summer;” “The Civil War Canteen;” “Battle of Gettysburg: the Relics, Artifacts, and Souvenirs”, and his most recent, “Civil War Artillery- A Pictorial Introduction.” For more information, please call 973-326-7645.
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Morris County Park Commission, is one of the region’s best park systems in the state of New Jersey, currently protects and maintains 18,600 acres at 38 distinct sites and a year-round calendar of events and activities.
This event provides a unique opportunity to view an extensive collection of original Civil War artifacts owned by author and 33rd New Jersey Infantry re-enactor, Robert Jones, at Fosterfields. On display are period weapons, letters, and personal items used by individual soldiers during war, as well as relics from the Gettysburg battlefield, as well as a shaving mirror used by Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, who was featured in the movie Glory commanded the all-Black 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment. Another unique artifact is a dinner plate from the Lincoln Presidential dining service ordered by Mary Todd Lincoln in 1864.
Both guests, Bill Chemerka and Robert Jones, are esteemed authors. Bill’s literary accomplishments include books about Davy Crocket and the Battle of the Alamo and his most recent feat, General Joseph Warren Revere: the Gothic Saga of Paul Revere’s Grandson, which will be on sale at Fosterfields for $20 each. Robert Jones has authored: “Children at the Battle of Gettysburg: Their Unforgettable Summer;” “The Civil War Canteen;” “Battle of Gettysburg: the Relics, Artifacts, and Souvenirs”, and his most recent, “Civil War Artillery- A Pictorial Introduction.” For more information, please call 973-326-7645.
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Morris County Park Commission, is one of the region’s best park systems in the state of New Jersey, currently protects and maintains 18,600 acres at 38 distinct sites and a year-round calendar of events and activities.
What Is A Tree Cookie, Anyway?
Morristown: Natural ‘tree cookies,’ more special than any store bought cookies, are round slices of tree trunks, not edible, of course. They are now available for purchase at the Great Swamp Outdoor Education Center in Chatham Township. Available in four different sizes, they are professionally carved and personalized with a person’s name, anniversary, birthday, special event, team, or scout troop – you choose! What is truly special about these unique ‘tree cookies’, which make incredible gifts, is that their purchase is a donation to the Great Swamp Outdoor Education Center. The completed ‘tree cookies’ will be displayed in a mosaic on the outside walls of the Great Swamp for everyone to enjoy and share your special commemoration.
Since opening its doors 50 years ago, the Great Swamp has been a place of preservation and education. Now, the GSOEC is getting ready to spread its message of conservation and human/wildlife interdependence in an entirely new way. Professional educational exhibits that illustrate the center’s important role as the border between populated towns and the wilderness of the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, as well as the Morris County Park Commission’s unique part in the fight to save the swamp from becoming an airport in the 1950s, will be installed in the center’s auditorium. Fundraising for the design and fabrication of the exhibits for the auditorium is underway, and your purchase of ‘tree cookies’ can help!
The cost range from $25 for a tree cookie with a six inch diameter to $200 for a twelve inch diameter. For more information, visit www.morrisparks.net or call 973-635-6629.
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The Morris County Park Commission, the largest park system in the state of New Jersey, currently protects and maintains 18,600 acres at 38 distinct sites and a year-round calendar of events and activities.
Celebrate National Volunteer Week: Volunteers are Honored at Morris County Park Commission
MORRISTOWN, NJ – The Morris County Park Commission is joining communities and organizations across the nation to celebrate and honor American volunteers during National Volunteer Week, April 21 to 27, 2013. The Morris County Park Commission in a private event is honoring their 500 volunteers who contributed their talents, skills, and time totaling over 14,000 hours. The Independent Sector valued a New Jersey volunteer’s time at a rate of $25.91 per hour equating to a value of $362,691 of unpaid services to the Morris County Park Commission and its residents! According to the Independent Sector, in 2011 the number of volunteers reached its highest level in five years, as 64.3 million Americans volunteered through an organization, reflecting an increase of 1.5 million from 2010. Americans volunteered a total of almost 8 billion hours, an estimated economic value of roughly $171 billion.
“Without question, Morris County volunteers add a level of quality to our organization and the community that is simply irreplaceable,” states David Helmer, executive director of the Morris County Park Commission. “We honor more than 500 individual volunteers who generously contributed over 14,000 hours delivering a myriad of services this past year. Without these volunteers, we simply could not deliver the same quality of programs and services to the residents of Morris County,” he added.
The volunteers provide a variety of services, including conducting tours, coordinating school programs, staffing special events, assisting with historical collections, planting and maintaining gardens, performing historical research, leading docent interpretative tours, staffing reception desks, and assisting in trail building and maintenance.
Ron Luna of Montville Township is the consummate Park Commission volunteer devoting over 1200 volunteer service hours. As a designated Morris County Adopt-A-Trail Regional Leader, Ron works at least 5 days per week supervising 26 trail maintainers, assisting with Eagle Scout projects, and managing the northern section of the Morris County Park Commission trails.
A 14 year veteran chairperson of The Friends of The Frelinghuysen Arboretum Plant Sale, their largest fundraiser, is the Morristown resident Sue Acheson. Over the course of one year, Sue volunteers in excess of more than 500 hours to plan this important event that supports many educational programs and visitor amenities at The Frelinghuysen Arboretum, the center of horticultural activities in the region.
Hugh Merritt, a 12 year veteran volunteer from Towaco, is a Master Gardener generously donating over 200 hours annually. At Pyramid Mountain Natural Historic Area in Montville Township, Hugh maintains the native gardens to ensure, for example, that specific insects have the flowers and plants they need to survive. When he is not out in the garden, Hugh is performing office duties.
According to Helmer, “Our volunteers understand their critical role in the delivery of vital services to Morris County through the Park Commission, and we greatly appreciate their contributions. We recognize the tremendous value of their volunteer services.” Morris County is a vibrant community working in partnership for the enhanced lifestyle of all its residents.
In addition to individual volunteers, organizations and corporations also have contributed to the community through generous donations and volunteer programs. Daiichi Sankyo headquartered in Parsippany, as part of their legacy of donating 3,000 cherry trees as a symbol of friendship between Tokyo and Washington, D.C., celebrated their 100 year anniversary by donating 100 cherry trees to Central Park of Morris County in Parsippany. Now called, Cherry Lane, it is a one-quarter mile stretch of cherry trees on Central Avenue that runs through the center of the park, a facility of the Morris County Park Commission. More than 75 volunteers from Daiichi Sankyo arrived to assist in the planting of the trees.
Goldman Sachs of New York City annually sends corporate volunteers who live in the Morris County area to assist in many gardening activities, such as removing invasive species at The Frelinghuysen Arboretum. At Willowwood Arboretum, Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical of Raritan corporate volunteers recently helped with an array of gardening activities, as well as the staff and seventh graders from The Willow School of Far Hills who spent a day volunteering. Located in Florham Park, BASF routinely maintains the Traction Line trail that begins in Morristown and traverses into Madison, and recently they supported the Park Commission efforts to replace the exercise equipment along the trail. Novartis Pharmaceutical located in East Hanover and Mars Corporation in Hackettstown are significant contributors to maintaining the Morris County Patriots’ Path trails.
The Morris County Park Commission stewards over 18,700 acres with seven facilities listed on the National Register of Historic Sites, a National Landmark, The Frelinghuysen Arboretum named Best Public Garden and Arboretum in New Jersey, a trail that is designated as part of the National Trails System, top-rated golf courses, and outdoor educational experiences second to none. The Morris County Park Commission is partially funded by the Morris County taxpayers, and operates on visitorship revenue, grants, and also relies on the generosity of others to aid in the maintenance and support of its parks and programs. Along with volunteers who provide innumerable services, the Park Commission also relies on funding from nonprofit groups, such as the Park Alliance, The Friends of The Frelinghuysen Arboretum, the Friends of Fosterfields and Cooper Gristmill, Friends of Historic Speedwell, and the Willowwood Foundation.
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The Morris County Park Commission, the largest park system in the state of New Jersey, currently protects and maintains 18,700 acres at 38 distinct sites and a year-round calendar of events and activities.
The volunteers provide a variety of services, including conducting tours, coordinating school programs, staffing special events, assisting with historical collections, planting and maintaining gardens, performing historical research, leading docent interpretative tours, staffing reception desks, and assisting in trail building and maintenance.
Ron Luna of Montville Township is the consummate Park Commission volunteer devoting over 1200 volunteer service hours. As a designated Morris County Adopt-A-Trail Regional Leader, Ron works at least 5 days per week supervising 26 trail maintainers, assisting with Eagle Scout projects, and managing the northern section of the Morris County Park Commission trails.
A 14 year veteran chairperson of The Friends of The Frelinghuysen Arboretum Plant Sale, their largest fundraiser, is the Morristown resident Sue Acheson. Over the course of one year, Sue volunteers in excess of more than 500 hours to plan this important event that supports many educational programs and visitor amenities at The Frelinghuysen Arboretum, the center of horticultural activities in the region.
Hugh Merritt, a 12 year veteran volunteer from Towaco, is a Master Gardener generously donating over 200 hours annually. At Pyramid Mountain Natural Historic Area in Montville Township, Hugh maintains the native gardens to ensure, for example, that specific insects have the flowers and plants they need to survive. When he is not out in the garden, Hugh is performing office duties.
According to Helmer, “Our volunteers understand their critical role in the delivery of vital services to Morris County through the Park Commission, and we greatly appreciate their contributions. We recognize the tremendous value of their volunteer services.” Morris County is a vibrant community working in partnership for the enhanced lifestyle of all its residents.
In addition to individual volunteers, organizations and corporations also have contributed to the community through generous donations and volunteer programs. Daiichi Sankyo headquartered in Parsippany, as part of their legacy of donating 3,000 cherry trees as a symbol of friendship between Tokyo and Washington, D.C., celebrated their 100 year anniversary by donating 100 cherry trees to Central Park of Morris County in Parsippany. Now called, Cherry Lane, it is a one-quarter mile stretch of cherry trees on Central Avenue that runs through the center of the park, a facility of the Morris County Park Commission. More than 75 volunteers from Daiichi Sankyo arrived to assist in the planting of the trees.
Goldman Sachs of New York City annually sends corporate volunteers who live in the Morris County area to assist in many gardening activities, such as removing invasive species at The Frelinghuysen Arboretum. At Willowwood Arboretum, Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical of Raritan corporate volunteers recently helped with an array of gardening activities, as well as the staff and seventh graders from The Willow School of Far Hills who spent a day volunteering. Located in Florham Park, BASF routinely maintains the Traction Line trail that begins in Morristown and traverses into Madison, and recently they supported the Park Commission efforts to replace the exercise equipment along the trail. Novartis Pharmaceutical located in East Hanover and Mars Corporation in Hackettstown are significant contributors to maintaining the Morris County Patriots’ Path trails.
The Morris County Park Commission stewards over 18,700 acres with seven facilities listed on the National Register of Historic Sites, a National Landmark, The Frelinghuysen Arboretum named Best Public Garden and Arboretum in New Jersey, a trail that is designated as part of the National Trails System, top-rated golf courses, and outdoor educational experiences second to none. The Morris County Park Commission is partially funded by the Morris County taxpayers, and operates on visitorship revenue, grants, and also relies on the generosity of others to aid in the maintenance and support of its parks and programs. Along with volunteers who provide innumerable services, the Park Commission also relies on funding from nonprofit groups, such as the Park Alliance, The Friends of The Frelinghuysen Arboretum, the Friends of Fosterfields and Cooper Gristmill, Friends of Historic Speedwell, and the Willowwood Foundation.
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The Morris County Park Commission, the largest park system in the state of New Jersey, currently protects and maintains 18,700 acres at 38 distinct sites and a year-round calendar of events and activities.
