Here and There | Princeton Magazine

Walk with Friends of Princeton Open Space

(Sparrow photo by Melissa Dizik)

Join Friends of Princeton Open Space (FOPOS) for a peaceful and contemplative nature walk on Saturday, January 25 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. through the Billy Johnson Mountain Lakes Nature Preserve, 57 Mountain Avenue. Participants will meet at the Mountain Lakes House.

Led by the FOPOS stewardship team, this guided walk will offer a chance to explore the quiet, wintery landscape and discover the unique beauty of the preserve during the colder months. The walk will focus on how the local wildlife adapts to winter conditions, how plant life responds to the season, and the role the preserve plays in supporting biodiversity year-round. The stewardship team will also share insights into the history of the preserve and the ongoing land stewardship efforts that help protect the area for future generations. more

Join Princeton Recreation for a Broadway Show

For the first time, the Princeton Recreation Department is going to Broadway — specifically to bring residents and guests to see The Lion King musical on March 2.

The trip is open to Princeton residents and non-residents ages 6 and up — per Broadway policies, participants under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. more

A Holiday Survey of Luxury Coffee Table Books

By Stuart Mitchner

With the holiday season in mind, I’ve been surveying a formidable array of luxury coffee table books published by Abrams, Assouline, Phaidon, and Tachsen. My reason for beginning with Abrams isn’t merely alphabetical; it’s because the renowned poet, screenwriter, and novelist Marguerite Duras (Hiroshima mon amour) wrote the introduction to Yves Saint Laurent: Icons of Fashion Design & Photography (Abrams 2020).

While the Abrams press release calls the book “a gorgeous homage to the uncrowned king of haute couture,” Duras offers something more compelling. How does Saint Laurent go about doing what made him designer royalty? The penultimate paragraph of her introduction, from a 1987 essay, begins: “It is like a road. From the night of the intellect comes forth a road and to start the journey down that road one word is needed, or two: ‘hips,’ let us say, and ‘strut.’ Then the hips sway into motion along the road and the rest comes after: legs, arms, the top of the body — they rise out of those sinuous hips swathed in pink, the rest black or a wild blue or a secret red they call amarante, from Cayenne, like the flowers of the same name, like people, like Rimbaud, like Mozart.” more

Small Business Saturday at Cloak & Dagger and More

Shop Small Business Saturday in Princeton at stores like the independent The Cloak & Dagger Bookshop, 349 Nassau Street, on November 30. All over Princeton small businesses are preparing to celebrate Small Business Saturday with specials and events. Check Experience Princeton’s website for special promotions as the day approaches at experienceprinceton.org.

At Cloak and Dagger, from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., all in-store book purchases at the mystery bookshop will be discounted by 10 percent when the customer says “I love small shops” at checkout. more

Connect with Founding Fathers on Ghost Tour

Get ready for the 250th anniversary of America’s independence by connecting with the “ghosts” of the Founding Fathers. Every month, channel your inner George Washington and lead your friends and family to Princeton for a ghost tour and paranormal experience like none other.

The next Patriots Ghost Tour and Paranormal Experience led by Princeton Tour Company is on Friday, November 30 at 7 p.m.

On the two-hour tour, you and your troops will see locations including Aaron Burr Jr.’s childhood home, where Alexander Hamilton shot that famous cannonball; Princeton’s Tea Party; and the nation’s first Capitol and White House. There is more to learn while investigating these historic “hot spots” to connect with our famous founders. The cost is $38 per participant. more

Registration Open for Holiday Open Houses at Drumthwacket

(Photo by Andrew Wilkinson)

Rooms festively decorated in holiday spirit by the Garden Clubs of New Jersey await visitors to the official governor’s mansion, Drumthwacket, 354 Stockton Street. Online registration for December Holiday Open Houses at Drumthwacket is now open now.

The Open Houses are free to the public. Guests must register in advance online. Open Houses are offered in one-hour intervals starting at 11 a.m., noon, and 1 p.m. on December 4, 5, 6, 7, and 11.

Click here to Register Now. more

FriendsGiving at Yankee Doodle Tap Room

For those who want to break bread with their families on Thanksgiving (November 28), but also want to spend it with their friends, the Yankee Doodle Tap Room at the Nassau Inn is offering FriendsGiving.

Gather your closest friends and enjoy FriendsGiving at the Yankee Doodle Tap Room, 10 Palmer Square East, on Sunday, November 17 at either of two seatings at 4 or 6:30 p.m. more

A Gaggle of Gifts at Sauce for the Goose

It’s holiday shopping time! Back for its 30th year, the Arts Council of Princeton (ACP) will hold its annual Sauce for the Goose Outdoor Art Market on Saturday, November 9 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Sauce for the Goose is the destination for unique, high-quality, and handmade gifts. This year’s market will feature more than 95 local and regional artisans selling their wares in ceramics, jewelry, leather, woodwork, glass, painting, and more. The one-day market is an opportunity to purchase handmade gifts directly from local artisans and crafters working in ceramics, textiles, jewelry, fine art, and apparel, and home décor.

For a full vendor list and more information, visit artscouncilofprinceton.org/artists/sauce-for-the-goose.

Vendors will line Paul Robeson Place from the corners of Witherspoon Street to Chambers Street, outside ACP’s Paul Robeson Center for the Arts.

Morven Hosts 1774 Tavern Concert and Dance

John Burkhalter, founder of Practitioners of Musick, performs on the recorder.

An evening in 1774 with a concert and dance will be re-created by the Historical Society of Princeton and Morven Museum & Garden on Friday, November 8 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Morven’s Stockton Education Center, 55 Stockton Street.

Arranged by The Practitioners of Musick, the event will reimagine an actual concert and dance that took place in Princeton on August 22, 1774 at the “Sign of the College” tavern. Located directly across from Nassau Hall, the tavern was leased by William Whitehead from Morven’s Richard Stockton. more

Book Scene: The People’s House

A Peek Inside The Home of the President and First Family

By Stuart Mitchner

This White House Book Scene features a remarkable first couple who bonded through books and reading, a shared interest that led to the creation of the first White House library. Equally remarkable is the rags to political riches back story of one of the most obscure American presidents, Millard Fillmore (1800-1874), whose personal history has a backwoods, born-in-a-log cabin, reading-by-candlelight charm that prefigures the story of Abraham Lincoln, who moved into the White House a decade later.

As Princeton University history professor Sean Wilentz points out in the lead essay in Catherine M. Parisian’s The First White House Library (Penn State University Press 2010), Fillmore “had a greater appreciation for literature and letters than most presidents.” Having grown up in rural poverty, he “prized books and libraries as the chief vehicles of his own ambitions,” and his courtship of his “doted on” teacher Abigail Powers (1798-1853) was “nourished by books.” On his various business and political journeys as a self-made lawyer and member of Congress, Fillmore “made it a point to bring books back to his wife, carton loads at a time, as presents; and well before he became president in 1850, “he had accumulated an impressive library of his own.” During his brief time in office (1850-1853), the Fillmores entertained cultural celebrities of the day, including Washington Irving, the visiting English novelist William Makepeace Thackeray, and the Swedish nightingale Jenny Lind. more

Savor the Past: It’s Tea Time at Morven

(Photo courtesy of Morven Museum & Garden)

Travel back in time with an afternoon cream tea service in Morven’s historic Garden Room on Thursday, September 26.

Experience cream tea within the walls of the over 200-year-old mansion overlooking the museum’s gardens. The “Secret Tea Room” takes particular pride in its collection of chinaware, which complements the Georgian architectural style of Morven Museum & Garden, 55 Stockton Street. Cream tea includes refreshments most often associated with the English West Country, such as Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, and Somerset. more

Budding Performers Find a Stage at Café Improv

Are you a budding musician, poet, singer, or comic? Or are you an appreciative audience member who enjoys seeing talent evolve from the ground up? Either way, live performances of music, poetry, and comedy have been entertaining the crowd in the Solley Theater in the Paul Robeson Center for the Arts at the Arts Council of Princeton (ACP), 102 Witherspoon Street, for the past 30 years.

Each month (usually on the fourth Saturday), the live show runs from 7 to 10 p.m. Admission is $2, and $1 for ACP members. The next show is on Saturday, September 28. more

Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month at NY Botanical Garden

(Photo courtesy of NYBG)

The New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) celebrates Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month through October 15 with on-site and digital programs that spotlight the important contributions and histories of the plants and people of this diverse community.

Expand your knowledge of plants and Hispanic culture with behind-the-scenes stories of adventure and discovery through the work of NYBG scientists and collaborators in Latin America and the Caribbean. more

Make Fresh Mozzarella in a Cheese Class at Olsson’s

The Mozzarella Making class at Olsson’s Fine Foods is a true hands-on experience and a must for those who want to use only the freshest mozzarella in their cooking (or eating). Participants will leave with a fresh ball of mozzarella after learning how to properly stretch, heat, and mold the cheese. Olsson’s says: “Get those Jersey tomatoes ready!”

Classes fill quickly, but are constantly being added. Upcoming classes are on Saturday, September 14, 28, and October 5 at 9 a.m.; and on Thursday, October 17 at 7 p.m.

Young Patriots Day at Battlefield State Park

Calling all young patriots! Learn about colonial life and the American Revolutionary War at Young Patriots Day at the Princeton Battlefield on Sunday, September 15 from 12 to 3 p.m.

Activities for school-age children and families begin with a flag raising at noon with Gen. George Washington and the Princeton Girl Scout Service Unit.

Activities include demonstrations and drilling with the New Jersey Grays; a talk with George Washington and Ben Franklin; demonstrations including weaving, woodworking, Colonial Spies, and 18th Century Medicine; artillery and musket firing; information tables from historical organizations and sites; and tours of the Thomas Clarke House and Museum.

Families who plan on attending can register at pbs1777.org/young-patriots-day/.

Celebrating 45 Years of Scarecrows in the Village

Celebrate fall! An autumn tradition kicks off on Saturday and Sunday, September 14 and 15 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Peddler’s Village in Lahaska, Pa. For six weeks, more than 100 scarecrows line the brick pathways of the Village. Some are inspired by famous characters, some are humorous, some are scary, and all are handmade by area residents and organizations. The display is free and on view daily through October 27. Guests are invited to vote on their favorite scarecrows, and the creators of the winning scarecrows receive prizes.

The festival includes entertainment, outdoor treats, pumpkin painting, and scarecrow-making workshops. Click here for the schedule of events.

Wicoff House Museum Celebrates Five Years

Celebrate the fifth anniversary of the Wicoff House Museum in Plainsboro at its first outdoor History Faire on Saturday, August 31, from 12 to 4 p.m. Learn about the rich history of the 18th and 19th centuries during a day full of fun, education, and nostalgia.

The Wicoff House Museum is located at 641 Plainsboro Road, inside the municipal complex. It was the home of John Van Buren Wicoff, who led the successful effort of the residents of Plainsboro to incorporate the Township in 1919.

Old Barracks Tavern Night Supports Student Field Trips

Tavern Night at the Old Barracks Museum in Trenton on Friday, September 6 from 7 to 10 p.m. is a celebration of 18th century Colonial American history.

Enjoy savory hors d’oeuvres and an open beer and wine bar in an 18th century tavern. (No one under age 21 is permitted.) Share drinks, play card games, and learn dance steps to the most popular songs with ladies and gentlemen from the period as well as modern guests. Period dress, while not required, is not discouraged.

This fundraiser supports educational programming for thousands of New Jersey students through the Barracks “Meet the Past” field trips. Tickets, not sold at the door, are available here.

Experience the Past on Saturdays at Howell Farm

Take a step back in time to the year 1900 at Howell Living History Farm with its special Saturday events. Try Canning & Pickling on Saturday, August 17; a Fiddlin’ Contest and Picket Fence Art Show on Saturday, August 24; and the 41st annual Plowing Match on Saturday, August 31. The events are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the farm, a facility of the Mercer County Park Commission, located at 70 Woodens Lane in Hopewell Township. more

Visit the Flower Garden at Pretty Bird Farm

View the colorful flowers in the private garden and more at Pretty Bird Farm in Rosedale, Hunterdon County, on August 24 through the Garden Conservancy’s Open Days Program. The farm will be open to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with a $10 donation to the Conservancy. more