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Highland Park Mayor Gayle Brill Mittler began her “state of the town” speech at the January 5, 2021 Borough Council Reorganization meeting (virtual) with the words: “What a wild year this was!” And her comments came one day before one of the wildest days of the century, when a mob stormed the Capitol in the nation’s capital. But her speech was most inspiring after the horrific scene of January 6, 2021, because it reaffirmed order and principles and a determination to what is best for the residents of Highland Park. Two Councilmembers – Elsie Foster and Matthew Hersh – were sworn in at the meeting, replacing Councilwoman Susie Welkovits who tragically died a few months ago, and Councilman Josh Fine who retired from Council. ————————————————————————————————————–

What a wild year this was! READ MORE

10HL TO DISSOLVE AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2020 LIBRARY OF CONGRESS HONORS OUR WORK WITH A COMPLETE ARCHIVE

Letter from 10 Hairy Legs Administrative Leaders:10 Hairy Legs will legally dissolve on December 31, 2020 as a result of the Covid19 pandemic. The company has been on hiatus since April 1, 2020 when all current and future engagements were cancelled. Thank you one and all for your tremendous support of our mission and vision during our tenure. We will miss you and wish you and your loved ones a bright future when dance reemerges and the pandemic is defeated.You embraced our achievements during our 8-year history as a male repertory dance company: we produced the commissioning of 17 works and curated 13 works by a diverse group of choreographers; commissioned 7 original scores; toured nationally and internationally serving more than 65,000 patrons and 16,000 students and educators. The company produced 7 consecutive annual New York Seasons. READ MORE

Customers Can Shop Online at StopandShop.com and Pickup Their Grocery Order from the Comfort of Their Vehicle

Stop & Shop continues to provide New Jersey residents with faster and more convenient ways to shop, announcing a new Pickup location in Highland Park at 424 Raritan Avenue. Shoppers will be able to place an order at www.stopandshop.com, or on the Stop & Shop mobile app, head to the store, and have a Stop & Shop associate load their groceries right into their car. To schedule a Pickup, customers can visit www.stopandshop.com, or the Stop & Shop mobile app, click on ‘order online’ and select “Pickup” at one’s preferred store. Shoppers can then head to the store at their chosen Pickup time, park in a designated Pickup spot, and call to let the store team know they have arrived. Stop & Shop team members will then deliver the order right to their car. READ MORE

The Holiday Season in Highland Park – which officially began last week with a spectacular outdoor Nutcracker Suite dance performance – kicks into high gear on Friday, Nov 26. Share the joy of the season and support the small business community by attending the Farmers Market, the Artisan Market, shopping local with all sorts of discounts, and participating in the Gingerbread House contest. Black Friday Farmers Market 212 RARITAN AVE (OUTDOORS)

Friday – Nov. 27, 11 AM – 4:30 PMMusic from Roux Bedrosian, 3 PM – 4:30 PM (weather permitting)

Holiday Artisan Market 212 RARITAN AVE (OUTDOORS)

Saturday – Nov. 28, 1 PM – 7 PMMusic from Michael Lawton, 4 PM – 7 PM (weather permitting)

Sunday – Nov. READ MORE

The Nutcracker, the thrilling ballet set to Tchaikovsky’s magnificent score, has been a joyful element of my Christmas season for nearly every Christmas since 1964, when the American Repertory Ballet (ARB), formerly Princeton Ballet, made the ballet an annual holiday tradition. I have seen the production an estimated 150 times at McCarter Theatre in Princeton, State Theater in New Brunswick, and the War Memorial in Trenton – not only because it gives me goose bumps, but also (full disclosure number one) because my daughter and my granddaughter have danced in dozens of productions. This year, COVID-19 positioned itself to be the Grinch that would steal the 2020 holiday sweet treat from not only my family, but also countless other families throughout New Jersey. But ARB and the students of its affiliated Princeton Ballet School (PBS) teamed up with Main Street Highland Park (MSHP) in a perfect pas de deux to thwart the Grinch. On Saturday afternoon, Nov 21, ARB, PBS and MSHP produced Princeton Ballet School’s Nutcracker Suite – outside, with masks, with technical dance excellence, and with unbridled joy, in front of audience members, sitting socially distant, with masks and without paying a penny for a truly inspiring show. READ MORE

In Highland Park’s uncontested Borough Council election, Matthew Hersh was elected to a three-year term beginning on Jan. 1, 2021. Matt returns to council, after serving on council from 2016-2018,  reluctantly resigning because of a job conflict. Now having a different job, he is very pleased to be able to work once again on behalf of his community. And incumbent Elsie Foster, who has been a council member since 2000, was elected to another three-year term. READ MORE

Finally, something to celebrate in 2020. The weather on Saturday, October 31, 2020 was perfect for Highland Park’s hundreds of trick-or-treaters and their parents enjoying the holiday in the sunshine, albeit under a cloud of COVID protocols. But most had no problem adjusting to the new normal of Halloween 2020 that featured creativity not only in costume but also in candy delivery. Particularly happy features of the day were: the candy chutes shooting candy from the porches into the bags of the trick-or-treaters; all the candy (this year many full-size bars!) left on tables and stoops outside of homes; and adults and kids reveling in seeing their friends non-virtually for the first time in months. Because of masks, the smiles were hidden, but the eyes sparkled with excitement. READ MORE

MASKS ARE A MUST! And we aren’t just talking about Halloween costume masks – you have to have a cloth or medical mask covering both your mouth and nose even if you are also wearing a costume mask. Keep your neighbors safe! STAY OUTDOORS AND SIX FEET APART AT ALL TIMES! Please do not go door-to-door inside businesses; help keep our business owners safe. READ MORE

The Rutgers University Board of Governors on Wednesday, October 7, 2020 appointed Denise Hien, a leader in the field of post-traumatic stress and addictions, as the inaugural holder of the Helen E. Chaney Chair in Alcohol Studies. Dr. Hien is director of Rutgers University’s Center of Alcohol and Substance Abuse Studies (CAS) and associate dean for academic affairs and professor in the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology (GSAPP). Her work has shaped current evidence-based treatment of addictions and trauma-related psychiatric disorders and their comorbidity, particularly among women. She has received sustained funding for over 20 years from the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and has served as a reviewer and work group member for federal funding institutions. 

Dr. Hien joined Rutgers as CAS director in October 2017 and has increased the center’s visibility in shaping the national conversation about traumatic stress and its role in the development and maintenance of alcohol and other substance use disorders. Over her career, she has served on the doctoral faculties of the Derner School of Psychology at Adelphi University, the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, and the City College of New York. READ MORE

..Now with masks and social distancing! Main Street Highland Park, the Highland Park Art Collective, and the Highland Park Arts Commission have teamed up to bring you the artwork of local artists in Highland Park storefronts for the fifth year in a row! This year they are offering a guided walking art crawl of the art both IN PERSON and VIRTUAL! The in-person Window Art Crawl will be on Sunday October 4 from 2pm – 4pm and will start at Garden Party (72 Raritan Avenue). The artist-led tour of the window displays will end at Pino’s around 4pm. READ MORE