Clinton Township Newsletter

1 3 A u g u s t 2 0 1 5 F l e m i N g t o N B u s i N e s s i m p r o v e m e N t It's the summer of Music in Flemington and Thursday Night Lights (TNL) is set with an incredible lineup of musicians, street performers and artists. The Flemington Business Improvement District (BID) hosts events with a mission of bringing activity to the streets of Flemington to support the local merchants who stay open with evening hours on July 30 and August 13 and 27. Participating stores will light up their facades with many lights as a show of being opened for business during this fun, free outdoor event that runs from 6:00 pm until 10:00 pm. The event(s) are located throughout the downtown area including Main Street, Turntable Junction, Stangl Rd., Fulper Road and more. The BID will have sales of its "Shop Small" t-shirts, the continuation of the "Spend $100, Win $100" campaign, and is hosting a Chalk Art Facebook Contest with prizes totaling $250 in BID Bucks. Over twenty five bands and musicians playing different kinds of musical genres will be playing, and the list continues to grow each day. Some of the performers are returning from last year's first annual Thursday Night Lights (TNL). Various crafters and artists will be exhibiting in different areas. We've created special groupings of areas such as a Psychic Alley at Unity Bank. The former Hineline property on Main Street will host theatrical performances by the Downtown Performing Arts Center and Indecorous Productions. Turntable Junction, in addition to music, will have a Kids Area with lawn games, Christine's Glitter Tattoos and a craft table courtesy of The Family Success Center. Additional fun activities include a free Children's Open Air Photo Booth, while Jen the Face Painter and Constantine the Magician will be roaming the streets of downtown Flemington's unique commercial neighborhoods. A Chalk Drawing face book contest will be held on the sidewalk next to the County's historical courthouse! Speciality food trucks will be located on Main Street. Support Flemington by shopping and eating in the downtown Flemington area this summer on Thursday nights! The Flemington BID is a 501c3 not for profit organization whose mission is to support the business district of the borough through revitalization, retention and recruitment. For more info, please visit www.downtownflemington.com t H e H u N t e r d o N C o u N t y C u l t u r a l a N d H e r i t a g e C o m m i s s i o N B y F r a n k C u r C i o The U.S. was not a great producer of graphite. This paucity of production was signaled by the U.S. Geologic Survey's Mineral Resources Report to Congress for the year 1907. In the 900 page document, graphite takes up not quite two pages. Much of the ink used on those pages discussed US business involvement with graphite mining in Canada and Mexico, and the record–breaking production of artificial graphite. At that time, nine states and Alaska produced all the U.S. graphite with the highest grade graphite from New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. In New Jersey deposits were small and located in the state's hills, meaning the heavy ore was expensive to transport out of the region. The graphite deposits ranged, in a northeasterly string, from Annandale in the south to the New York State border with Passaic County in the north. Between 1848 and 1931, there were at least 14 attempts to commercially mine graphite along the Annandale—NYS diagonal. The graphite was processed in mills in Passaic and Morris counties, and in Annandale. The Bloomingdale Graphite Mill in Passaic and the Annandale Mill were the largest and most productive mills. Unfortunately, mine and mill owners were secretive about their operations, so production data was either not recorded or recorded by fantasy fiction writers, complicated by the varying ratio between the ore and the amount of extractable graphite—all with an eye on attracting investors, establishing pricing of the product and foiling competitors. The NJ Geological Survey reports that in 1928, the Annandale Mill processed 45 tons of ore – how much graphite that produced was not reported. The local graphite champ is Asbury Graphite Mill, established in 1895. From the beginning it processed imported graphite—originally from Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and Korea. Now primarily from Mexico. The Asbury company is now a world player, which changed its name to Asbury Carbons when it began processing graphite's kissin– cousin, anthracite. Meanwhile, the little Annandale Graphite Mill has the distinction of being the state's last full graphite producer, that is both mining and processing. Its last years have left a vivid impression on Annandale residents now in their late 80s and 90s. More next time (October) – F r a n k C u r C i o H e l p S u p p o r t t H e " F i e l d o F d r e a m S " p l a y g r o u n d r e v i t a l i z a t i o n p r o j e c t ! The "Field of Dreams" Playground was built in 1995 down the hill from the Immaculate Conception Church (located at 314 Old Allerton Road, Annandale, N.J 08801). Over the years many children have enjoyed the playground, including the disabled, as it was made handicap accessible. Time has taken its toll on the playground after 20 years. The Clinton Township Recreation Department and North Hunterdon Rotary Club are sponsoring the revitalization of the playground. As this will be a costly endeavor, we are asking for donations from families and business sponsorships to help support this project. Please donate and help us bring this amazing playground back to new for our children to play on for years to come! Any amount of a donation would help! Please make donations payable to: Foundation of North Hunterdon Rotary Club "Field of Dreams". This revitalization project is a NJ registered 501 c (3) and all donations are tax deductible. (FOUNDATION OF THE NORTH HUNTERDON ROTARY CLUB INC. FED ID # 52-1759941). Mail or drop off to: Laura Rowe, care of Provident Bank, 178 Center Street, Clinton, N.J. 08809. Call Laura at: 908.238.3230 for more information. All donations over $100.00 will purchase a brick paver with your name engraved on it displayed at the playground. 4 X 8 Brick Paver 3 lines/13 Characters per line Name to Be Engraved on Brick Contact Name Address Phone Email Donation Amount "e first week of August hangs at the very top of the summer, the top of the live-long year, like the highest seat of a Ferris wheel when it pauses in its turning. e weeks that come before are only a climb from balmy spring, and those that follow a drop to the chill of Autumn..." ~ Natalie Babbitt, Tuck Everlasting R o u n d V a l l e y R e c R e a t i o n a R e a i n a u g u s t 1220 Lebanon-Stanton Rd, Lebanon, NJ 08833 • 908.236.6355 Pre-registration is recommended for these events August 9, 10:00 am to 11:30 am: Snakes of New Jersey! $3 fee for ages six and above and park entrance fee in effect. Get to know and lose fear of our native snakes. This is a live demonstration of non-toxic snakes. Area is ADA accessible. August 16, 10:00 a.m. to noon: KIDS DAY $3 fee for ages six and above and park entrance fee in effect. For kids of all ages, 3 to 93. Bugs & and Butterflies: Camouflage & Mimicry. Not every insect is a bug! Discover what insects do to stay alive. August 29, 10:00 am to 11:30 am: Raptors of New Jersey! $3 fee for ages six and above and park entrance fee in effect. This is a presentation by the Raptor Trust, including live raptors! ADA accessible.

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