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| Avery Newkirk (Jean) and Riley Smith (Charlie) in a scene from BRIGADOON at Woodstown High School, this Thursday, March 7 and Friday, March 8 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, March 9 at 2 p.m. Tickets at CurtainCallClub.org |
Hear ye, hear ye! O yez, o yez!
Clocks forward this Sunday, March 10. We'll adjust to the lost hour when we see the big beautiful sun not setting until 7 p.m.
Scratch that — we'll see it set Monday. 80% chance of rain all day Sunday.
11 p.m. Thursday -- Scratch THAT! As of 10:30 p.m. Thursday, forecasts have been adjusted and it looks like Sunday will be windy but clear. Here comes the sun, do-do-do-do!
Over at Woodstown High School, the cast and crew of "BRIGADOON" had a tremendous opening last weekend. This weekend, we'll be welcoming nearly 100 Woodstown High School Alumni from the first two productions of "BRIGADOON," 1994 and 2009. It is now a Woodstown tradition that "BRIGADOON" is revived every 15 years, a nod to a plot point in the story that the village of Brigadoon reappears once every 100 years in Scotland. Paul Kranz (who directed the first two productions) and wife Claudia (a long-time Drama Club choreographer) are hosting the alumni at their home on North Main Street prior to the Friday evening performance and Saturday matinee. They're calling it the "Brigadunion" and we love that!
COMMUNITY
WAREHOUSE UPDATE: Lineage Logistics — the company associated with the proposed Swedesboro Warehouse on Vestry Road, which also names the mayor of South Harrison as one of the owners — has withdrawn their application. The meeting for March 11, 2024 at South Harrison Elementary School is CANCELLED.
Does this mean the proposal is dead? I don't know. They could be researching another route to have it proposed and approved, or another property. Time will tell. Stay tuned.
WAREHOUSE HEARING: I am not a warehouse-friendly Town Crier.
It pains me to see the very ugly, boring, and impersonal warehouses popping up and encroaching on Woodstown and Pilesgrove. A major boom in warehouses across the United States was a result of pandemic-era buying, but some studies indicate Amazon warehouses could become obsolete or unfilled with changes in consumer culture. It is no mystery that these warehouses work their employees unethically, are terrible for the environment and local wildlife, and add little to nothing of value to a small area like Salem County. Not to mention, they attract burdensome traffic from delivery vehicles that our roads and infrastructure are not prepared for.
A cold-storage warehouse has been proposed on Vestry Road in Swedesboro (South Harrison Twp.). This would have significant impact on Woodstown and Pilesgrove, and would take up approximately 426,000 square feet of land, or about 10 football fields.
South Harrison Township Planning and Zoning Board will review the application at a hearing scheduled for March 11, 2024 at 7 p.m. at South Harrison Elementary School at 904 Mullica Hill Road, Harrisonville, N.J. 08039.
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OF NOTE: The mayor of South Harrison is listed on the warehouse application as one of the owners of the land. He also nominates members to the Planning/Zoning Board that will vote on the variance.
CBS first reported on this in November 2023. Click here for more. I just report the news, don't shoot the messenger.
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BOOKS AND HISTORY: I spent the rainy Saturday afternoon last weekend at Barney Loves Books in Woodstown. Purchased a copy of "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" by Mark Twain, which was a summer reading book I was assigned in high school and can't remember. I bought a few VHS tapes too because, yes, I still watch movies on VHS sometimes.
I also picked up a biography of Everett Shinn, a renowned painter who's murals still adorn the Belasco Theatre (originally the Stuyvesant Theatre) on Broadway in New York City. He was born and raised in Woodstown.
Additionally, there was a wooden crate in the back of the bookshop containing a reproduced almanac published by the First National Bank of Woodstown (they were published from 1901 to 1921) and a booklet detailing the 50th anniversary of Edward B. Humphrey's Department Store on the corner of Main Street and Route 40, now gone and replaced by a gas station. This beautiful large building made Woodstown a shopping center that rivaled Philadelphia. Everyone from Woodstown shopped there — and Humphreys had everything. I'll be writing more about it soon.
Here's a photo:
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| E.B. Humphreys & Co., a department store at the corner of Main Street and Route 40 in Woodstown, N.J. This photo came from a booklet detailing the history of the beloved department store that outfitted and fed Woodstown. The booklet commemorated the 50th anniversary of the store in 1912. It was torn down years later and replaced with a gas station. |
Now, if instead of a warehouse we rebuilt this, I might oblige! Though, I don't know if a department store would have much of the same impact today as it did back in the late 1800s. Nice housing, however, would be welcomed, as we seem to have a shortage of it in town as of late. Something affordable for middle class singles and families who might pass on the mansions in Candlelight Village or the new development just off North Main going toward Eldridge's Hill.
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ELDRIDGE'S HILL HISTORY: Speaking of, did you know there's a Revolutionary War soldier buried on Eldridge's Hill? Major Christian Piercy (Continental Army) never lived in Woodstown. He was a Philadelphia man who worked in pottery.
At Valley Forge, he made a kiln, and his pottery was so popular, the soldiers cleaned him out of his creations leaving him none. After the war he returned to Philadelphia, started a family, and continued making pottery.
When the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793 hit Philadelphia, he fled south but took ill. Fearing the illness, most people from whom he sought shelter would not take him in — except for Isaac Eldridge. Piercy was put up in an isolated, barn-type living space but died shortly thereafter.
His family was also stricken with the Yellow Fever and broken up; so, for fear of spreading the disease further, his body was promptly buried at Eldridge's Hill. Later, his wife placed a headstone at the site of his burial, and the Independence Hall Chapter of the D.A.R. has a marker there.
I am unsure if the grave is still maintained by the current property owner, or if the Historical Society maintains the grave, but I'll look into it. Does anybody know?
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| The burial site of Major Christian Piercy, a solider in the Revolutionary War, buried on Eldridge's Hill in Pilesgrove, N.J. He died as a result of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793 in Philadelphia. (Photo taken from 'Visit Salem County' | Facebook) |
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HEALTH: We've come a long way since MAJ Piercy. Yellow fever is now preventable through a one-time vaccine. It has been effective in the United States for 80 years. The disease is spread through mosquitos. Click here for more on Yellow Fever prevention.
ENTERTAINMENT
SPRING MUSICAL: BRIGADOON at Woodstown High School, 140 East Ave. March 1, 2, 7 , 8 at 7 p.m. March 9 at 2 p.m. Tickets click here. Directed by Shannon Sheridan. Choreography by Nicole Pries. Music direction and live orchestra conducted by Kahlil Gunther. Features students from grades 8 - 12.
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Principal Senor attended BRIGADOON for opening weekend, and his support speaks volumes to our students and staff. I hear the Vice Principal will be attending this weekend.
The many other administrators across the district stayed home. I don't know why.
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Alumni from Woodstown's 1994 and 2009 BRIGADOON productions are flying in from all over the country, some as far as Hawaii.
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TACO BAR: Odyssey of the Mind (OM) will host a Taco Bar Luncheon on Sunday, March 10 at 12:30 p.m. in the Woodstown High School Cafeteria. RSVP by March 5 for dinner tickets here. Tacos will be served while patrons get a sneak peak at the upcoming performances by OM. Any questions contact Karen Gerber at karengerber804@gmail.com.
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CREEKSIDE INN: Music at Creekside Inn with Greg Jones on Friday, March 8, and Ray McGeehan on Saturday, March 2. Jimmy Dunn on March 15, Peter McCarthy on March 16.
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AUDITIONS: "CHARLOTTE'S WEB" at the Blue Moon Theatre (Woodstown Opera House). I am directing! Auditions are Friday, March 29 and Saturday, March 30. Sign up here. If audition slots fill up and you want to audition, contact me and I'll fit you in. Everyone is welcome! Some pig :)
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OPERA HOUSE: "ARSENIC AND OLD LACE" at the Blue Moon Theatre. April 19, 20, 26, 27 at 8 p.m., April 28 at 2 p.m. A lot of great Woodstown talent in this one — Paul Kranz, Sammi Williams, Rick Thompson, Brady Thompson. Directed by Mike Russell. Tickets here.
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WOODSTOWN TRAIN: The Easter Bunny will be hosting excursions on the Woodstown Central Railroad train starting March 23. Click here for more.
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Easter is March 31. Stop by First Baptist Church in Woodstown. Your Town Crier might be there. If you don't see him, check behind the organ. I play piano but I haven't touched an organ in more than a decade. Bear with me through any wrong notes. The Lord says, "make a joyful noise" but doesn't specify skill level.
SPORTS
Nothing on the district calendar for the next few weeks. Opening day for Spring sports seems to be a string of away games on Thursday, March 21, listed below:
WOODIE BALL: (Varsity/JV) vs. Clearview
GOLF: (Varsity/JV) at Triton Regional.
SOFTBALL: (Varsity/JV)at Gloucester City.
TENNIS: (Boys Varsity/JV) at Palmyra.
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No word yet on a new Football coach. Adams is out next year and will be missed.
GOVERNMENT
MEETING: Woodstown Borough Council, Mar. 12, 7 p.m.
MEETING: Pilesgrove Twp Committee, Mar. 12, 7 p.m.
WEEKEND WEATHER
Updated: 10:30 p.m. 07 March 2024
FRIDAY: Partly sunny. High of 58F. Low of 40F.
SATURDAY: - 50% chance of rain. High of 54F. Low of 39F.
SUNDAY: - Windy but clear High of 56F. Low of 40F.
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Woodstown Crier: Where we welcome home Woodstown alumni to 'BRIGADOON,' then Spring Forward to 2039 when we'll do it again.
Want to share your Woodstown-Pilesgrove news in the Crier Column? Email Jim Cook at WoodstownCrier@gmail.com
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