Clinton Township Newsletter

2 5 o c t o b e r 2 0 2 1 d o r o t H y s t i C k n e y l o C a l a r t i s t s e r i e s r e s u m e s t H i s f a l l Unless otherwise noted, programs will be held at the Bouman- Stickney Farmstead, 114 Dreahook Road, Whitehouse Station. For GPS use Lebanon. Donations for all programs are gladly accepted. Readington Museums, P.O. Box 216 Stanton, NJ 08885 908.236.2327 | readingtonmuseums@gmail.com www.readingtontwpnj.gov/community/readington- museum The Bouman Stickney Farmstead was once home to a famous Broad- way couple and this fall Readington Museums is showcasing performances in their honor. Events are free, but seating is limited and by reservation only. Each performance will be held in the historic Wade-Wycoff barn at the Bouman- Stickney Farmstead located at 114 Dreahook Road in Readington. The "Bouman-Stickney Farmstead" was named after its first and last property owners. The original Dutch settler who built the home in 1741 was Thomas Bouman but the second name came from a 20th century owner of the home – Dorothy Stickney who was a popular star of stage and screen at one time. In recognition of her remarkable talent and her love of the arts, the Readington Museums has created this tribute to Stickney in the form of the Dorothy Stickney Local Artist Series. This ongoing program provides an opportunity for a wide variety of local community members to share their artistic talent with the community at large. In 1935, Playwright/Producer/Actor Howard Lindsay and his wife, a noted Broadway actress named Dorothy Stickney, bought the Farmstead as a weekend getaway and a place to relax from their busy life in New York City. Lindsay paid $6000 for the old Dutch house with its 65 surrounding acres as a gift for his wife and today it is one of Readington's most cherished museum properties. Lindsay and Stickney are most famous for their long Broadway run together in the play, Life with Father. Lindsay also wrote the play in collaboration with his partner Russel Crouse in 1939, basing it on a semi- autobiographical collection of short stories by Clarence Day. The play featured Lindsay as Clarence, the father and Stickney as Vinnie, the mother. It still holds the record for the longest running play in the history of American Theater. Lindsay and Crouse began their writing partnership in 1934, col- laborating on the book for the musical Anything Goes. They went on to write and produce plays right up to Lindsay's death in 1968. Their successes include The Sound of Music, Mr. President, Tall Story, One Bright Day, Remains to be Seen, Life with Father, Call Me Madam, The Prescott Proposals, Happy Hunting, Arsenic and Old Lace, and the 1946 Pulitzer Prize-winning State of the Union, among many others. l e n a p e l i f e w a y s : f o o d W a y s , G a r d e n i n G , a n d f o r a G i n G On October 3, 1:00-4:00 p.m., Susan McLellan Plaisted, proprietress of Heart to Hearth Cookery, a food history business based in Bucks County, PA, will be presenting a program on Lenape lifeways focusing on foodways, gardening and foraging. This program will be outside on the grounds of the Bouman-Stickney Farmstead. Plaisted grows Lenape corn, beans and squash from original seed and processes Puhwem (Lenape white flour corn) into hominy. She will be discuss- ing the use, processing and preservation of grown, hunted and foraged foods. Plaisted was a Pennsylvania Commonwealth Speaker on Lenape Foodways for many years and has been interpreting Lenape foodways since 1988. She has a BS in Food and Nutrition and an MS in Health Education. t H e H u n t e r d o n H a r m o n i z e r s October 10 at 3:00 pm The Hunterdon Harmonizers will share their unique a cappella vocal talents in a medley of songs from the golden years of Broadway, including selections from the Lindsay/Crouse musicals The Sound of Music and Anything Goes. To reserve your spot, visit our website or call the museum! t H e f r i e n d s o f t H e H C l i b r a r y Do you love the library like we do? The Friends of the Hunterdon County Library (FOHCL) is always looking for new members and support. For more information, visit: www.hclibrary.us/friends.htm or email: fohclfriends@gmail.com.

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