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Park Commission Press Releases

Whole Foods Market® and Morris County Park Commission Team-Up for Kids Day of Service
MORRISTOWN, NJ – Three New Jersey Whole Foods Market stores located in Madison, Millburn-Union, and West Orange, have partnered with the Morris County Park Commission to offer area children an exciting day of service and inspiration at Fosterfields Living Historical Farm, a facility of the Morris County Park Commission in Morris Township, on Saturday, September 14.

This educational event encourages children of all ages to roll up their sleeves and help prepare the farm for fall and winter, allowing them to learn the process of how seasonal farms operate. Volunteer activities include harvesting pumpkins and/or potatoes, churning cream into butter, painting the chicken coop, grinding corn and chickenfeed and more! Registration is required and all attendees under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult or bring the signed Waiver Form to the event. For a complete list of activities and to sign up for Kids Day of Service at Fosterfields Living Historical Farm, please visit our EventBrite page: http://wfmfosterfields.eventbrite.com/.

“We found the perfect partner in Morris County Park Commission for our local Kids Day of Service. As a national Whole Foods Market event, Kids Day of Service is a great opportunity for customers, team members and kids to partner together in service to our community,” said Alyson Valpone, Whole Foods Market Madison Marketing Team Leader. “Fosterfields Living Historical Farm is just the place to make this experience engaging, educational and kid-friendly." The family-friendly event will start promptly at 10:00am and run for about three hours, with a build-your-own salad bar for children and adults served at 12:00pm.

According to Morris County Park Commission Executive Director, David Helmer, “The Park Commission is very excited about its new partnership with Whole Foods Market and New Jersey’s first Living Historical Farm, Fosterfields Living Historical Farm. The opportunity to provide Whole Foods Market customers and their families with a connection to Fosterfields furthers the connection between Market and Farm. I know that both Fosterfields and Whole Foods Market strive to provide the best products and experiences to its customers and Kids Day of Service is emblematic of both entities commitment to their communities.”


Fosterfields Living Historical Farm is located at 73 Kahdena Road in Morris Township, just 1.25 miles west of the Morristown Green. For directions and event information please call, Fosterfields, 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.
Impaired Driving Enforcement Crackdown to be Conducted Locally as Part of Statewide Campaign
Morris Township – Morris County Park Police will join local law enforcement officers from Morris County in cracking down on drunk drivers as part of the 2013 Labor Day “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign. Beginning August 16 and running through September 2, local and state law enforcement officers will conduct sobriety checkpoints and roving patrols, looking for motorists who may be driving while intoxicated.

“Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” is a national campaign designed to raise awareness about the dangers of drinking and driving through high-visibility enforcement and public education tools, including posters, banners and mobile video display signs. Launched across the U.S. in 1999, the program works to combat drunk driving during some of the busiest travel times of the year, including the Labor Day holiday period.

“Recent surveys indicate that many people harbor the dangerous belief that after a few drinks they’re still safe to drive,” said Gary Poedubicky, Acting Director of the Division of Highway Traffic Safety. “Even one drink can impair your judgment and reaction time, putting not only yourself, but everyone on the road, in danger.”

In 2012 alcohol-impaired fatalities accounted for 19 percent of New Jersey’s motor vehicle fatalities. As part of the initiative, the Division of Highway Traffic Safety provides grants to local law enforcement agencies throughout the state to run the two-week campaign.

Law enforcement agencies participating in the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over 2013 crackdown offer the following advice:

  • If you plan to drink, designate a driver, someone who will not drink alcohol, before going out. 
  • Take mass transit, a taxi or ask a sober friend to drive you home. 
  • Spend the night where the activity is held.
  • Report impaired drivers to law enforcement. In New Jersey, drivers may dial #77 to report a drunk or aggressive driver.
  • Always buckle up, every ride, regardless of your seating position in the vehicle. It’s your best defense against an impaired driver. 
  • If you’re intoxicated and traveling on foot, the safest way to get home is to take a cab or have a sober friend or family member drive you to your doorstep.
1920s Country Fair at Fosterfields
 
MORRISTOWN, NJ – Enjoy the latest trends, 1920s-style that is, at the award-winning 1920s Country Fair and Harvest Festival on Sunday, September 8, from 12 Noon to 5 p.m. Each year, over 1500 visitors enjoy this fun-filled event at Fosterfields Living Historical Farm in Morris Township. This recreated 1920s Country Fair has farm animals, wagon rides, music, exhibits, old-fashioned games, antique car rides, food vendors, sheep dog herding, and much more!

Go for a spin in an antique car or take a tractor-pulled wagon ride, meet and brush the Jersey cows, and lend a hand at cider pressing. Back by popular demand, head over to the demo field to watch the sheep dogs in action. It’s so amazing to watch the sheep dogs herd the sheep around the fences and gates! Try out new skills by playing old-fashioned games, dance the Charleston, and tap your toes to the rhythms of the Long Hill String Band. Visit the authentic 1920s Farmhouse where the farm foreman once lived, and compare it to the 1854 Gothic revival-style mansion, The Willows, once home to the Fosters, the previous owners of Fosterfields.  

No country fair would be complete without fine examples of handcrafts, baked, canned, and preserved goods, and floral, and vegetable displays. On the farm, watch a blacksmith, and help with a demonstration of a gasoline engine, and enjoy a sidesaddle riding demonstration.

Examine a poultry exhibit, and see the resident Belgian draft horses, Jersey dairy cows, pigs, and sheep. View fun exhibits that celebrate 1920s Girl Scouts and the Washington Valley Home Economics Club.

 Food concessions at the big tent are sure to satisfy the hungriest fair-goers. Special event fees for the 1920s Country Fair and Harvest Festival are $8 for adults, $7 for seniors (65+), $6 for children ages 4 - 16, and $4 for children ages 2 and 3. FREE for children under age 2 and Friends members, with a current membership card. 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.
Award-Winning National Night Out at Mennen Sports Arena
MORRISTOWN, NJ – National Night Out is almost here, so mark your calendars for Tuesday, August 6, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and don’t miss out on all the fun! The Morris County’s tenth annual National Night Out, hosted by the Morris County Park Police and the Morris County Park Commission, returns to Mennen Sports Arena in Morris Township. Bring the entire family to enjoy FREE food, ice skating, attractions, giveaways, and much more!

A new initiative for National Night Out 2013 is Prescription Medication Drop-Off Station, sponsored by the Shop Rite of Greater Morristown. Captain Dave Doyle of Morris County Park Commission Park Police states, “This event will take unused and outdated prescriptions out of the home, and avoid the potential of getting into the hands of children, and dispose of them correctly. This initiative ensures the safety of our community, and a police officer will be on hand to assist. We are asking residents to bring and dispose of the prescriptions safely and properly.”

Disposing of prescriptions by throwing them in the trash or flushing them is an issue of public safety. Help dispose of prescriptions in a safe manner, that’s quick and convenient by bringing all unused and outdated prescriptions to National Night Out.

This year’s event will also include special presentations from the soon-to-be-opened ShopRite of Greater Morristown. The new store’s head chef, pharmacist, and registered dietitian will be on hand to answer questions, hand out educations materials, and let customers know about the free services they will offer the community when the store opens later this year.

Fire, police, and rescue units are on hand to demonstrate a wide range of skills and equipment of the multitude of services available to the community. Scores of representatives from the United States Army and Coast Guard, Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Secret Service, as well as dozens of municipal, county, and state law enforcement agencies can answer all your questions and talk about their essential equipment. Explore the on-site emergency vehicles, such as motorcycles, ambulances, all-terrain vehicles, fire engines, and squad cars. Visit the horses of the Morris County Park Police’s award-winning Mounted equestrian Unit. There will be a police motorcycle show and demonstration, as well as mounted demonstrations. The Morris County Sheriff’s Office provides one of the most popular demonstrations, with robotics and bomb robots.

You can’t miss this FREE night of fun and activities! For more information on participation, sponsorship, or volunteering, please contact Lieutenant Dave Doyle at ddoyle@morrisparks.net. For more information about National Night Out, visit www.morrisparks.net.