Compiled by Katrina Langer and Kevin Coughlin
Where to begin?
Greater Morristown has so many great activities this weekend that it makes us dizzy just thinking about them. (Wait till you see NEXT weekend!)
You can sample the best of Broadway, and the best of Manhattan dining, without leaving South Street.
Art abounds in many colors, from abstract to combat.
There are country fairs and emergency fairs.
Relax as farms come to your table.
Ride an electric car or walk with a Seeing Eye dog; visit a flea market where fleas would feel at home.
Speaking of fleas… we’re only scratching the surface here. Scroll down for more, and don’t forget our handy calendar for even more entertainment options.
THURSDAY, SEPT. 18, 2014
The much-anticipated grand opening of the Jockey Hollow Bar & Kitchen, New York restaurateur Chris Cannon’s bold foray into Morristown, starts at 6:30 pm, in what until now has been known as the Vail Mansion. The event, a benefit for the Community Soup Kitchen, is sold out. But here’s video to whet your appetite for a future visit:
FRIDAY, SEPT. 19:
Rob Heinink.
Spice up your lunchtime with a free concert of American Songbook classics performed by the Heinink/Dalton Guitar Duo, at The Presbyterian Church in Morristown at noon. Rob Heinink and Willy Dalton kick off the church’s Music on the Green season. The duo will play in the chapel at 57 E. Park Place; concerts typically run 30- to 45 minutes. A $7 catered lunch will be available in the church courtyard after the show.
Sammy Rosenbaum
The public is invited to A Rockin Shabbas at Morristown’s Jewish Center Beit Yisrael, at 177 Speedwell Ave. Sammy Rosenbaum , a multi-instrumentalist fluent in Jazz, Funk, Folk, World Beat and Hip Hop styles, will lead the congregation in song. Check out Rock Shabbat, his interview series on the web. The music portion of the evening is free, but RSVPs are requested here. An optional Shabbat dinner follows; it requires pre-payment. Please respond here for that.
PD IV No 8, 2014, oil on canvas over panel, by Riad Miah, at the Simon Gallery in Morristown.
The Harry Simon Gallery hosts a reception for featured artist Riad Miah, from 6 pm to 8 pm at 48 Bank St. in Morristown. The gallery says that Miah “explores and reflects upon everyday observation and conceptual understanding in this recent body of work.Layered colors are built upon one another, focusing on the substantive properties of the paint and challenging the medium’s limits to generate greater nuances in behavior and movement.” The exhibit runs through Oct. 11, 2014. Call 973 538-5456 for more details.
Carlos Frias’ oil on canvas, ‘Honeycomb’ is on display at the Atrium Gallery
Some 36 artists are showcased in the fall/winter exhibit at Morristown’s Atrium Gallery, and you can meet some of them between 6:30 pm and 8:30 pm. Presented by Morris Arts, the show runs through Jan. 7, 2015, spans floors two through five in the Morris County Administration & Records Building at 10 Court St. Admission is free, and so is parking, in the county garage below the building, accessible via Schuyler Place, opposite the public garage. A question-and-answer session is set for 7 pm on the fourth floor by the Power of 11 artists; free refreshments will be available.
Painting by Iraq veteran David Keefe, of Combat Paper NJ. Photo by Kevin Coughlin
While you are at the Atrium reception, MAKE SURE to stop on the third floor to experience works by Combat Paper NJ, an organization that helps veterans deal with powerful and painful emotions through art. Participants convert their old uniforms into sheets of paper, which become their canvases.
The Morristown High School football team, fresh off a 55-8 win against Montville last weekend, take on the Rams in Randolph at 7 pm.
The Mayo Performing Arts Center opens its 20th season at 8 pm with Broadway stars Brian Stokes Mitchell and Kelli O’Hara. Dubbed “The Last Leading Man” by the New York Times, the Tony Award-winning Mitchell has starred in Ragtime, Man of La Mancha and Kiss Me Kate, among other productions. Five-time Tony nominee O’Hara is coming off a run in The Bridges of Madison County; her Broadway credits include Nice Work If You Can Get It, Pajama Game and South Pacific. Tickets are $59-$99. MPAC is at 100 South St. in Morristown. Call 973-539-8008 for more.
Kelli O’Hara and Brian Stokes Mitchell bring Broadway magic to Morristown this week.
Need some rollicking laughter? The Minstrel in Morris Township serves up a triple dose at 8 pm with Modern Man. The trio of David Buskin, George Wurzbach and Rob Carlson elevates goofy absurdity to an art form. (See video below for a hint.) Singer-songwriter Bob Cannon of Montclair must be a very brave man to open for these guys! Admission: $9, children 12 and under, free. The Minstrel is at the Morristown Unitarian Fellowship at 21 Normandy Heights Road.
SATURDAY, SEPT. 20:
Chris Neff with his BMW i3, at a Morristown event last year. Photo by Kevin Coughlin
Have some old love letters / bills / incriminating photos that need shredding? A shredder will be parked at the Assumption School driveway on Macculloch Avenue in Morristown from 9 am to 1 pm. The suggested donation of $10 per grocery bag supports Boy Scout Troop 34.
Ever wanted to peer under the hood of an electric car? And maybe take one for a spin? Ask members of the New Jersey Electric Auto Association. They will show off their vehicles from 10 am to 2 pm outside the Presbyterian Parish House at 65 South St. in Morristown. Tesla Roadsters, Nissan LEAFS, Chevy Volts and a Zero motorcycle are among the EVs you are likely to see. The event is co-hosted by Sustainable Morristown and the Presbyterian Church in Morristown, which is working towards a Green Faith certification for environmental stewardship.
Hope for the best, prepare for the worst. To help with the latter, an emergency preparedness fair is scheduled for 10 am to 2 pm on the plaza at Morristown’s Headquarters Plaza. Presented by the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Morristown Office of Emergency Management, the fair will feature information booths staffed by emergency response agencies and product vendors. Admission is free; visitors are encouraged to bring food donations for the Interfaith Food Pantry of Morris County and Saint Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center. Baked goods and other items will be sold, to benefit the Jersey Battered Women’s Service and The Seeing Eye.
‘Ocean Coral,’ part of the ‘Pulp Culture’ exhibit at the Morris Museum.
Were you a master maker of paper airplanes? Then you should enjoy Pulp Culture, an exhibition that opens at 11 am at the Morris Museum in Morris Township. Paper sculptures, paper dresses, paper jewelry and more are featured through Dec. 7, 2014. Museum admission is $10 for adults and $7 for children, students and senior citizens. The museum is at 6 Normandy Heights Road, at the corner of Columbia Turnpike. Call (973) 971-3700 for more.
If your travels take you to Madison, consider stopping for a bite at Poor Herbie’s, at 13 Waverly Place. Ten percent of all sales from 11:30 am until closing will benefit Morristown-based Family Promise of Morris County, a nonprofit that helps provide shelter and services for the homeless.
Feel like a road trip? The Bedminster Charities Fall Fest runs from noon to 5 pm at River Road Park. A benefit for seven charities, the festival will feature live music, a petting zoo, a beer and wine garden, and much more. Admission is $5. Children 3 and under are free, and so is the on-site parking.
The Morris County Tourism Bureau reprises its popular history tours with walks at 11 am and 1 pm led by Jim Kutsch, president of The Seeing Eye. Jim and his wife Ginger will show guests downtown training routes and explain how The Seeing Eye has been working its magic with guide dogs since 1929. The tours start at 14 Maple Ave. in Morristown, and cost $15. Call 973-631-5151 or visit the tourism website for more details.
Alto, a guide dog, snoops for a scoop at The Seeing Eye campus. Photo by Kevin Coughlin
Janis Ian
Grammy Award-winner Janis Ian learned the truth at 17…and she’s learned a whole lot more since then, which she will share at the Sanctuary concert series in Chatham at 8 pm. The singer-songwriter grew up on a New Jersey chicken farm and spread her wings with such hits as At Seventeen, Society’s Child and Jesse. The show is at the Presbyterian Church, 240 Southern Boulevard.
Ladies of Laughter take the stage at the Mayo Performing Arts Center at 8 pm. Robin Fox, Leighann Lord, Alycia Cooper and Shelly Colman will hold forth. Mature themes, language. Admission: $25. The theater is at 100 South St., Morristown. Call 973-539-8008 for more.
SUNDAY, SEPT. 21:
The Morristown Farmers Market is back for its 24th season, courtesy of the Morristown Partnership and its sponsors. From 8:30 am to 2 pm, you can find produce from North Jersey farms, baked goods, and more, in municipal parking lot 10, behind the post office. Lots of entertainment and wellness events will be sprinkled throughout the year. The Farmers Market is open on Sundays through the end of November.
Temple B’Nai Or, celebrating its 60th year in Morristown, will hold a procession at 9 am from its first location, the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer on South Street, to the Temple on Overlook Road. Congregation members of all ages will march or ride with Torah scrolls held proudly, re-enacting the time when the scrolls first arrived at the Temple’s sanctuary. A friendly gathering will follow at the Aresty Social Hall. To all of our friends at B’Nai Or, a hearty Mazel Tov!
This is one flea market where real fleas might be expected: The 911 Dog & Cat Rescue Flea Market Fundraiser. It’s set for 11 am to 4 pm in the parking lot of George & Martha’s American Grill, at 67 Morris St. in Morristown. All proceeds will benefit rescue animals. Call 646-418- 9766 for more.
Hoop skirts, lace collars and hand-knitted shawls were all the rage during the Civil War. Learn more about fashion from that era, from models at Historic Speedwell in Morristown. They will be at 333 Speedwell Ave. from 1 pm to 5 pm. Admission is $7 for adults, $6 for seniors and $5 for children; under 4 are free. Call 973-285-6550 for more.
Sustainable Morristown’s sixth annual Locally Grown Sunday Supper features tasty farm-to-table offerings from 11 area chefs, eight farms, and four distilleries/wine shops. The event runs from 4 pm to 7 pm at the Hyatt Morristown. A silent auction of local items, an open bar and live music also are on the menu, along with awards for sustainably minded organizations. Proceeds benefit the nonprofit Sustainable Morristown. Tickets are $100, or $175 for a couple. A limited number of discounts are available through midnight on Thursday for people on tight budgets.