Grassroots Groundswell

From a flier picked up at the Fourth of July Parade:

The NP High School Senior Class of 2009 will be holding a fundraiser at the Stony Brook Car Wash on Tuesday, July 8, from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. “to help make our last year of high school the best!”

Stony Brook Car Wash is at Route 22 and Grove Street, across from CVS. I think you need to have a copy of the flier with you to make sure the donation portion (50%) of the car wash costs go to the fundraiser, but hopefully they’ll have copies available at the event.

By Mark Williams, Chair NPCCR

During the past two weeks I have taken advantage of the opportunity to participate in and observe some of the community activities taking place in and around North Plainfield.

First there was the North Plainfield Street Fair held on June 21st. What a great day! NPCCR had a booth setup where we handed out brochures and buttons as well as provided information about the organization. Street Fairs, like Christmas and Thanksgiving, can take a heavy toll on any diet plans; I’m a sucker for a good Italian Sausage sandwich backed up with a sugary Funnel Cake. Oh my!

For me it was also a bit of a coming of age milestone for my daughters who were allowed to ride their bikes from our home to the fair without Daddy tagging along on his bike. They do grow up fast.

I spoke with people from our town as well as Piscataway, Greenbrook and Plainfield and they all had many positive comments about the day. Well done!

The following Monday I participated, for the third time, in a golf tournament benefiting the North Plainfield Youth Sports Association. The scramble style tournament was held at the visually spectacular Apple Mountain Country Club in Belvedere, NJ. My foursome shot -3 under par. Not bad, except the winning foursome shot -13 under par. Oh well! At one point an errant shot made by a member of my group, who shall remain nameless, was headed towards a foursome in an adjacent fairway. Of course we all screamed “fore” so as to warn them of the shot coming in their direction. Damn close!

When we met up with the group at the next hole, to my surprise, the group included Councilman Mike Giordano, who wanted to know if I hit the errant shot. “Was not I,” came the response as I pointed out the guilty culprit. I gave up my golf partner in a heartbeat. We all had a good laugh. Lunch was at the Outback Steakhouse where the awards were given for longest drive, closest to the pin and of course the winning team. I’m already looking forward to next year!

This past Saturday there was a track meet held at the Lower Karausche Field where kids in grades from K to 8th participated in a variety of running, throwing and jumping events. I can’t begin to tell you how well all of the children did and how much fun they were having. Parents and other supporters of the participants were cheering on all the kids. It was funny to see some parents running with their kids all the way around the track. Not sure if I would have made it.

At the event I had the opportunity to talk with North Plainfield’s new Recreation Director, Christopher Tarver who informed me of all the summer activities planned for youth and adults. Adult softball Thursday nights, 6:30 at West End School and movie night coming in August were just two examples mentioned.

As a reminder, don’t forget the Summer Teen Evening Program at Stony Brook School. The program is up and running as of June 26th and will run until August 14th from 6pm to 9pm.

A second Meet the Candidatesʼ Night will be held at the August NPCCR meeting on August 7th at 7 p.m. at Vermeule Community Center. All candidates must be present to be recognized. No written statements will be accepted.

By Mark Williams, NPCCR Co-Chair

Hello All NPCCR Members and Supporters:

Time to step up, your help is needed!

On July 4th NPCCR will be represented in the annual North Plainfield Parade.

This year’s theme, Pride in Youth, will give the Borough yet another opportunity to show how proud we are of all of their accomplishments. It will also serve to affirm our continued responsibility, as a community, to provide the best recreational, educational and social experiences for our youth and future leaders. It is critical to their development that children and young adults are provided with quality programs and services, which nurture and support positive growth.

NPCCR, as a group, has been a strong voice related to issues with the development of the Villa Maria site. Failure to develop the Villa Maria site with the best interest of Borough residents and particularly the young people of our community seems counterproductive to providing a safe and secure community; a community where our children do not go to school and try to learn in overcrowded class rooms; a community where the demand for youth recreational space is easily accommodated and many more benefits too numerous to mention.

Please consider walking in the parade with NPCCR. Please contact me at NPCCR@yahoo.com to sign up. This is your chance to get off the sidelines and get in the game. Who knows? You may even get your picture in the blog!

Best regards,

Mark Williams, Co-Chair NPCCR

By Marie Kushnir, NP Special Events Committee Member

North Plainfield will once again play host to Central Jersey’s largest 4th of July Parade!

This year’s theme is “Pride in Youth” in honor of the devoted, longtime service of Lou Gomez, who recently retired as North Plainfield’s recreation director. Mr. Gomez is serving as the parade’s “Grand Marshall.” This year’s parade, which will travel down Greenbrook Road from the high school to the community center on Clinton Avenue, kicks off at 10 a.m. on Friday, July 4.

It will feature bands, floats and the usual variety of marchers and entertainment that has made our parade a tradition like no other.

One of the area’s largest fireworks displays is scheduled for Sunday, July 6th 7:30 on the field at West End School. Bring your friends, family, blanket and chairs as we celebrate our great town, state and country.

We hope to see everyone at the parade and fireworks!

by Lawrence La Ronde

ATTENTION NP Adults:

I am looking to re-start the Adult Sports Program. I need input to find out which sports are of the most interest to the adult community within the borough.

I would first like to focus on the formation of a co-ed softball league. This league would be playing one night during the week and Sunday afternoons. It is my hope and goal to get North Plainfield residents out to meet each other and have some fun along the way. Any further ideas and suggestions are welcome.

Here’s the survey:

1. What sports would you like to see be available to adults in the borough (all sports are possible)?
2. What days are best for you to play?
3. Would you be able to assist with any league that is formed?

Please contact me with any questions, suggestions or comments. I can be reached via e-mail at: npadultsports@comcast.net

Thank you for your time and help.

Best Wishes,

Larry La Ronde

[Editor's Note: Anticipating reader questions: Larry cleared his plan with the Rec Commission before posting this announcement.]

by Greg Hatala

There was a recent article discussing the various committees and boards in North Plainfield. One thing I just can’t understand is how some of them have what should be the ideal situations for communication, but don’t manage it.

Case in point:

In early June, the Recreation baseball season ended. The younger boys play at East End School. The grass on the baseball fields at East End has not been mowed for, literally, a month. It got so high that you could actually lose a baseball in the field, and not see where it was.

Now, one member of the Recreation Commission is Ray Dodd; his wife is on the school board, if I’m not mistaken. Another member of the Recreation Commission is Tom Allen, and he himself is a member of the Board of Education.

Since it’s the school maintenance people who maintain these fields, wouldn’t it have made sense for someone to have suggested the grass get cut so the kids weren’t playing in what was, for them, almost calf-high grass? And since these guys have direct lines of communications, what was stopping them from addressing it?

Or do the third and fourth grade boys just not matter? And whether they’re playing at the fields or not, I imagine someone gets paid to mow the grass there; how is it that it went undone for so long, and no one even addressed it?

The Stony Brook PTA is sponsoring the Zerbini Family Circus on Saturday, June 14 at Stony Brook Field, show times at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. (more…)

Boy Scout Troop 235 of North Plainfield will be sponsoring a screening of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull at 9 a.m. on Saturday, May 31 at the Dunellen Theater. Price is $10 per ticket, includes a slice of pizza, a cup of soda and popcorn.

For tickets, e-mail Troop235@msn.com or call Domenick (after 5 p.m.) at 908-755-8098.

Somerset County Bar Foundation’s Third Annual “Meet the Chefs” a Special Tasting Fundraiser, Featuring Downtown Somerville’s Finest Restaurants, will be held Tuesday, June 3, 2008 from 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm.

$20.00 Advanced Ticket Sales / $25.00 June 3rd

Advanced sale tickets may be picked up outside of Verve Restaurant at 5:30 pm on June 3rd. Tickets may be purchased on the day of the event at participating restaurants

For more information, contact the Somerset County Bar Foundation at 908-685-2323.

[North Plainfield could do something like this with our Somerset Street restaurant district...]