Happy Holidays to All!

I want to wish everyone the best during this winter holiday season. I will be posting a "year end" essay over the weekend as we prepare to enter the new year.

"Black Nativity" Performances Today and Tomorrow!

Black Nativity. Photo courtesy of M.PoWeR Arts.

Tonight, Union County theatergoers can join me to enjoy the holiday musical classic Black Nativity, at the Parish Hall Theater, located at the First Unitarian Society of Plainfield, 724 Park Avenue in Plainfield. Performances continue today, Saturday, December 15, at 2:00 pm and 8:00 pm, with the final performance tomorrow, Sunday, December 16 at 6:00 pm. 

In addition, theatergoers will also be able to purchase items at the Black Nativity Holiday Bazaar, which will be open throughout the show's run. 

Brought to you by M.PoWeR Arts, with the producing and directing team of Onyx Keesha and Danielle Tucker, with Chevan Thomas as Music Director and Quincy Pronker as Choreographer, this production of Langston Hughes’s “Gospel Song-Play” is a must-see for the holiday season. Tickets are still available--call (908) 912-4396 to purchase tickets. See the poster with the performance times and ticket prices below!
(cross-posted on my Freeholder Blog: http://freeholderrebecca.blogspot.com/) 

I hope to see you there! Support the arts in Plainfield!

"Black Nativity" Holiday Bazaar: Dec. 14 - Dec. 16--Vendors Needed!

In December, Union County theatergoers can enjoy the holiday musical classic Black Nativity, at the Parish Hall Theater,located at the First Unitarian Society of Plainfield, 724 Park Avenue in Plainfield. Performances begin on Friday, December 14, and continue through Sunday, December 16, 2018. 

In addition, theatergoers will also be able to partake in the Black Nativity Holiday Bazaar, which will be open throughout the show's run. If you want to participate as a vendor, call (908) 912-4396. More information is contained on the flier at right.

Brought to you by M.PoWeR Arts, with the producing and directing team of Onyx Keesha and Danielle Tucker, with Chevan Thomas as Music Director, this production of Langston Hughes’s “Gospel Song-Play” is a must-see for the holiday season. 

"The Colored Museum" Hits the Stage in Plainfield This Weekend!

This weekend, Danielle Tucker Productions and Onyx Keesha present The Colored Museum, George C. Wolfe's amazing and painfully funny comedy, which satirizes pretentious aspects of African American theatrical culture, at the same time skewering racist assumptions about black culture. 

Directed by Plainfield's own Danielle Tucker,* whose fine-tuned directorial skills are on display once again, the show will be presented at the First Unitarian Society of Plainfield's Parish Hall Theater (located at 724 Park Avenue in Plainfield) on Friday, September 21 and Saturday, September 22 at 8:00 pm, and on Sunday, September 23 at 5:00 pm. 

Tickets for the performance are only $18. To order, call (908) 912-4396 or click on the link: The Colored Museum - Tickets

The Colored Museum originally premiered back in 1986 at the Crossroads Theatre in New Brunswick before moving to Joe Papp's legendary Public Theater on Lafayette Avenue in New York City. Wolfe's play takes no prisoners, as he gleefully wounds the sacred cows of African American theater history, such as Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun, with "The-Last-Mama-on-the-Couch Play." 

I am looking forward to seeing this piece again, and I am glad that it's being staged right here in Plainfield. Danielle Tucker is part of a re-energized performing arts wave that is hitting Plainfield, and she is joined in this production by her frequent collaborator Onyx Keesha of M.Power Arts.


*Director Danielle Tucker most recently directed the sold-out performances of Annie, Jr., The Vagina Monologues, and August Wilson's Fences.

New 2nd Street Youth Center Grand Opening on Wednesday, Sept. 19!

This Wednesday, September 19, at 12:00 noon, the City of Plainfield, in partnership with Plainfield Avenue Urban Renewal, invites you to the Grand Opening and Ribbon-Cutting ceremony for the Second Street Youth Center (SSYC) at its new location, 200 Plainfield Avenue (at S 2nd St.). SSYC will be celebrating its 50th anniversary in the new space, which features a new Early Childhood Educational Center and an Agricultural and Food Education Center. 

I am really looking forward to this event, hosted by the SSYC Foundation, Inc., which will commemorate the center's longstanding commitment to Plainfield's young people as well as to the larger Plainfield community. A couple of years ago, I facilitated an 8-week college prep writing workshop for teens at the old location as part of SSYC's Youth Leadership Academy. I am looking forward to volunteering in the new location, as it was incredibly rewarding to be working with teen leaders on the cusp of adulthood. 

The SSYC continues to focus on the needs of the Plainfield community. As noted on its website, SSYC Foundation, Inc.: 

The Second Street Youth Center Foundation, Inc. (SSYC) is a multipurpose non-profit organization seeking to bring about better community relations by providing educational, vocational, cultural and recreational activities for youth and adults in this community.
Through these activities the Foundation strives to provide opportunities for self expression, the building of self-worth and an overall environment that fosters creative learning and enables people to reach their full potential. SSYC has become a recognized viable community service agency in the City of Plainfield. Each year multitudes of residents pass through this Agency as recipients of many types of services.

2nd Annual Plainfield Senior Swim Soiree at Hannah Atkins Pool!

For the second year in a row, the City of Plainfield will be hosting a great event for our older active adults! Sunday, August 26, 2017, from 3:00 - 7:00 pm, the City of Plainfield is proud to sponsor the "2nd Senior Swim Soiree" for our seniors (AKA older active adults), also at Hannah Atkins Pool, located at 508-552 West 3rd Street.Registration is required--call (908) 753-3097! Bring your own beach chair, and come and enjoy water aerobics, card games, music, dancing, and food and drink. There will also be a Bathing Suit Contest (Best Cover Up, Best Designed Bathing Suit, and Most Colorful Bathing Suit) with prizes! As always, proper bathing attire is required! 

So...come on out and have some fun to mark the end the summer pool season! 

Thursday, August 9: Rhythm Review Dance at Plainfield City Hall!

Last year's Rhythm Review Dance at Plainfield City Hall

Bring your dancing shoes, because the Plainfield Division of Parks and Recreation is presenting this year's "Thursdays in the City Summer Concert Series," kicking off with the Rhythm Review Dance, with Plainfield's favorite DJs playing a variety of music--classic house, old school, r & b, hip hop, and even favorites from the 60s, 70s, and 80s! Those of you who attended last year's dance party know that we had a blast!

The music series begins this Thursday, August 9, starting at 7:00 pm at City Hall Plaza, 515 Watchung Avenue! The rest of the summer concerts are listed below--all kick off at 7:00 pm. Bring a chair and bring a friend! And bring some water to stay hydrated! This year's finale will be a Saturday back to school jam--stay tuned. For more information, contact the Plainfield Division of Parks and Recreation at (908) 753-3097.

Thursday, August 16

Jazz Fest

Thursday, August 23

World Music

Thursday, August 30

Rhythm & Blues

Saturday, September 8

Back-to-School Jam with Young Local Talent!

National Night Out in Plainfield: Tuesday, August 7 at City Hall Plaza

Join your neighbors for National Night Out this coming Tuesday, August 7, at Plainfield's City Hall Plaza, 515 Watchung Avenue, starting at 6:30 pm. Partly sponsored by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders and the Governor's Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, the evening's festivities will include music, food, safety tips from our public safety professionals, and a giveaway of book bags and school supplies (first come, first serve). Have an event on your own block, or come to Plainfield City Hall for the festivities. I look forward to seeing you there! For more on National Night Out, click here.

Donations Needed: Book Bag Drive for National Night Out

This year, Plainfield Action Services is collecting school supplies and book bags for distribution to Plainfield's school age children on National Night Out (Tuesday, August 7). The Book Bag Drive donations are being collected in the office of Plainfield Action Services, located in the City Hall Annex at 510 Watchung Avenue (1st Floor). The deadline for donations is Wednesday, August 1st. For more information on how you can help, call Plainfield Action Services at (908) 753-3519.

Delta Academy Applications Now Available! Deadline: September 1

Applications are now available for Catching the Dreams of Tomorrow, Preparing Young Women for the 21st Century: The Dr. Betty Shabazz Delta Academy, a national mentoring program of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. The program is being offered in our area by Central Jersey Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and it provides adolescent girls (ages 11-14: grades 6 - 8) with an opportunity to explore careers in STEM-related careers. In addition, the program offers leadership training, community service involvement, field trips, and character building to prepare these future leaders for success. The deadline for applications to be submitted is Saturday, September 1, 2018. Girls in Middlesex, Union, and Somerset Counties are strongly encouraged to apply for this enriching and rewarding experience. Click on this link, Delta Academy, for more info about this life-changing program! 

NOTE: CROSS-POSTED ON FREEHOLDER BLOG.

Thursday Night at Seidler Field: Academy Award-Winning "Coco!"

On Thursday, July 26, the Plainfield Division of Parks and Recreation will close out its summer film series with a screening of the Academy Award-winning film, Coco, at Siedler Field (300-354 Netherwood Avenue). The film begins at dusk. Bring the kids, bring a lawn chair, and bring some liquid refreshment to stay hydrated! Next up for "Thursdays in the City" is the Summer Concert Series on August 9, beginning with the Rhythm Review Dance Party at City Hall Plaza. Those of you who came out to dance last year will remember what a blast it was! See the flier below for the other concerts, all of which will take place at City Hall Plaza. For more information, call the Plainfield Division of Parks and Recreation at (908) 753-3097.

FREE Shakespeare This Sunday, July 22 at the Shakespeare Garden in Cedar Brook Park: "Something Shakespeare This Way Comes"

"Shakespeare Gumbo," performed by the Shakespeare Theatre of NJ's Shrew Mechanicals Troupe.

This Sunday, July 22 at 12:30 PM, Shakespeare lovers can get their final taste of "Shakespeare Gumbo" at this summer's free matinee of Shakespeare in the Park with "Something Shakespeare This Way Comes" at Cedar Brook Park in Plainfield, sponsored by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders. Performed by the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey's Shrew Mechanicals Troupe, this year's Shakespeare "medley" offers audiences a true taste of the Bard, with selections from several famous works. So, head over to the Shakespeare Garden area with your lawn chair and your picnic meal, and enjoy an afternoon of Shakespeare! 

NOTE: The previous performances took place in Linden, where Freeholder Chris Hudak and I welcomed the audience to the opening performance at Raymond Wood Bauer Promenade in Linden, and in Echo Lake Park in Mountainside.

For the bonus point, from what play does the line "Something wicked this way comes" originate? The answer is below:

Thursday Movie Night: "To Sir, With Love" at AristaCare

On Thursday, July 19, the Plainfield Division of Parks and Recreation will show the film classic To Sir, With Love, starring Sidney Poitier at AristaCare (Front Street at Norwood Terrace). In 1967, when the film was first released, Poitier was the leading box office attraction in Hollywood. The film begins at dusk. Bring the kids, bring a lawn chair, and bring some liquid refreshment to stay hydrated! See the flier below for all the films, which are being screened at various places around the city! For more information, call the Plainfield Division of Parks and Recreation at (908) 753-3097.

Recruitment: Construction Trades Pre-Apprentice Opportunity in Plainfield

On Monday, July 23 at 6:00 PM at Plainfield City Hall (515 Watchung Avenue), the Elizabeth Development Company will lead a recruitment session for those interested in learning a construction trade. This opportunity is specifically designed to increase the presence of people of color and women (of all colors) in the construction industry. According to their flier (below), they will be offering FREE CLASSES: pre-testing, training, and placement. If you are interested in this opportunity, be sure to attend this session. Light refreshments will be served. Don't miss out!

Thursday: The LEGO Ninjago Movie at Hannah Atkins Playground

This Thursday, July 12, the Plainfield Division of Parks and Recreation will show The LEGO Ninajo Movie at Hannah Atkins Playground (508-52 West Third Street). The film begins at dusk. Bring the kids, bring a lawn chair, and bring some liquid refreshment to stay hydrated! See the flier below for all the films, which are being screened at various places around the city! For more information, call the Plainfield Division of Parks and Recreation at (908) 753-3097.

Tonight at Rushmore Field! "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle"

Once again, the Plainfield Division of Parks and Recreation will play host to "Thursdays in the City: Movie Nights," starting this evening (Thursday, July 5). Tonight's film, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, will begin at dusk at Rushmore Field (1401-1503 West Third Street). Free popcorn will be served, freshly popped, so bring a lawn chair and some liquid refreshment to stay hydrated! See the flier below for all the films, which are being screened at various places around the city. For more information, call the Plainfield Division of Parks and Recreation at (908) 753-3097.