Cranford Calendar
As we have all heard, the COVID-19 pandemic is continuing to impact our society. For the safety of our guests, donors, volunteers, and students, the Foundation made the difficult decision to make this year’s Beach Ball Gala virtual. While we will be virtual, there are BIG plans in place to make this virtual gala a great time for our guests and a night to remember. We will be bringing back our virtual casino! This event is very special because we are honoring two important donors, DSM as our Corporate Partner of the Year and Mary Zimmermann, class of 2001, as our Fiat Lux award winner. We hope that you can join us on Thursday, February 24, 2022 at 6:00 PM to celebrate our wonderful honorees, while helping to ensure we have the ability to continue accelerating the pace of student success. For more information on this year’s exciting event, please call the Foundation office at 908.709.7505, e-mail us at [email protected] or click below to purchase your ticket today!
After an 1891 homicide near the South Street Seaport, New York’s coroner announced Jack the Ripper had arrived. As panic grew, authorities charged a North African immigrant with murder. He was finally freed over a decade later when a prominent New Jersey resident produced a mysterious artifact. Recently, author Luke Jerod Kummer discovered new evidence in this unsolved case, inspiring his Audible Original drama, “Takers Mad” (adbl.co/3ttLvrr). On Saturday, April 23rd, the Cranford Historical Society will host a special event for Kummer to present his findings and discuss this strange chapter in local history.
Join us for our 30th Annual Golf Outing on April 25, 2022. Your support of this year’s golf outing will have a generational impact on student success. With your help, our Foundation is able to provide over $1 million annually in scholarship support, invest in programs and equipment, and provide vital support to the College’s food insecurity program for students in need as we help accelerate the pace of student success.
We are thrilled to welcome back Raconteur Radio for another in-person radio play! Join us at the Cranford Community Center on Wednesday May 11 at 7pm. Raconteur Radio stages theatrical presentations of vintage radio plays, classic works of literature/film, and pop culture parodies for live audiences at traditional and improvised venues throughout the Tri-State area. They’ve been called “family friendly guerrilla theater” by the New York Times and one of “the 7 best things to do in NJ” by the Newark Star-Ledger. Sponsored by the Friends of the Library.
Join us on Zoom Wednesday, May 18th at 6:30 pm for a Q&A with Tiffany D. Jackson, a New York Times best-selling, award-winning author of novels for young adults. Monday’s Not Coming, a book based on the unexplained, unresolved disappearances of Black children in America, received the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award for New Talent from the American Library Association in 2019. Her novel Allegedly, about the struggle of a recently incarcerated teen girl, was an NAACP Image Award nominee. In 2021, she co-authored “The Awakening of Malcolm X,” about the activist’s adolescent years in jail, with his daughter Ilyasah Shabazz.
Please register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/
In the spirit of Ken Burns’ breakout PBS documentary series on American country music, acclaimed guitarist and music historian Joey Leone presents “The History of Blues in America” a one hour program covering the history, influence and social impact of American blues music through songs, stories and historical facts. Joey highlights the influence of blues on virtually all styles of contemporary music over the past 7 decades playing a variety of songs on multiple guitars from his personal collection.
In addition to the live music segments, he touches on recurring themes of how the blues transcended racial boundaries, brought people together in times of celebration and times of healing, and show the blues followed the migration from the rural south to the urban north. Joey also ties in his upbringing in Brooklyn NY, and how important the Public Library System was for his discovery, passion, and education about music and music history. A lifelong career musician, he has toured and recorded as a guitar player for many high profile artists including Etta James, The Coasters, Sam & Dave, Wilson Pickett, Chaka Khan, and many more.
Sponsored by the Friends of the Cranford Public Library.
Beatles expert and rock historian Vinnie Bruno is back for another engaging lecture! Bruce Springsteen’s new album came out in November! If you love Bruce Springsteen, you won’t want to miss this program. Sponsored by the Friends of the Cranford Public Library.
Join us at the Community Center on Thursday, March 9 at 7pm!
Registration is appreciated: www.eventbrite.com/e/bruce-
Union County’s 2023 Paper Shredding Events will continue in June. There are two shredding events that will be held during the month. The first event will take place on Wednesday, June 7th at the Clark Public Works Yard, which is located behind the police station at 315 Westfield Avenue in Clark (please use Wilson Road for access to the event). The second event will take place on Saturday, June 10th. This event will take place at Union College, which is located at 1033 Springfield Avenue in Cranford. The event will be held in parking lots 5A and 5B. Both events will run from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm, unless the shredding trucks fill to capacity first. These events are drive-up only.
Union County’s 2023 Paper Shredding Events will continue in June. There are two shredding events that will be held during the month. The first event will take place on Wednesday, June 7th at the Clark Public Works Yard, which is located behind the police station at 315 Westfield Avenue in Clark (please use Wilson Road for access to the event). The second event will take place on Saturday, June 10th. This event will take place at Union College, which is located at 1033 Springfield Avenue in Cranford. The event will be held in parking lots 5A and 5B. Both events will run from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm, unless the shredding trucks fill to capacity first. These events are drive-up only.
Oktoberfest is about gathering, togetherness, and boisterous celebration. At a time full of sports, school, and scheduling conflicts, we find time to come together as a community to welcome in
the fall season.
This year, we are excited to hoist our tent, once again, at Union College on Saturday, October 7th, for the Cranford Jaycees’ Annual Oktoberfest Fundraiser!
Tickets include beer and wine in a souvenir mug, games, food vendors, and live music throughout the night. We’re excited to welcome back our headliner band Mushmouth, alongside NYC’s Street Beat Brass, bringing the authentic Oktoberfest sound.
All proceeds support the Cranford First Aid Squad and other local charities. Oktoberfest sells out yearly, so please purchase your tickets early.
Thank you for supporting Oktoberfest, the Jaycees, and the Cranford First Aid Squad. See you under the tent on Saturday, October 7th.
PROST!