Crier Column 9/20: Little Shop of Horrors at Blue Moon; Wolverines home game tonight; Unplugged Lights at Marlton; Fall Festival next Saturday

  FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2024

A sign of Autumn! The Woodstown FFA is selling Mums and Pumpkins at the Agriculture Center, 188 E. Millbrooke.

Hear ye, hear ye! O yez, o yez!

This Fall is shaping up to be a busy one! Soon we'll see Scarecrows popping up around town in preparation for the annual Fall Festival.

This past Thursday, I received my 2024 General Election Ballot in the mail and proudly voted. Make sure you do the same! Whether you've received a mail-in ballot, or you go to the ballot box on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024 — it's your civic duty. I've put together a list (click here) of all the candidates in the local elections. Register to vote here. Deadline is Oct. 15, 2024.

Also, I finally got around to uploading the wonderful photos from the Double Rainbow that occurred on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. What a splendid way to highlight the beauty of our community, and how lucky we are that we live in an age where we can simply pop open our phones and capture the memory. No more waiting for film to develop (though, I do miss the aesthetic of 35mm film photos ... nothing beats those colors).

It's been a quiet week for me — I came down with a case of COVID so I was housebound. Luckily, it was very mild and I feel fine now. Sadly, had to miss a wedding in North Carolina, and numerous important rehearsals for the two shows I'm in: "The Diary of Anne Frank" and "White Christmas" both in Millville at the Levoy Theatre this Fall.

COMMUNITY

FALL VIBES: The Woodstown FFA is selling Mums and Pumpkins at the Woodstown Agriculture Education Center (188 E. Millbrooke). Cost is $8 or 4 for $28. Self-service. Here is a dispatch from their Facebook:

We still have a great selection of yellow and red mums with some assorted pumpkins and corn stalks (188 East Millbrooke)  We will be restocking our sold out mum colors and additional pumpkins the end of next week just in time for the Woodstown Fall Festival! We can’t thank everyone enough for their continued support of our program and its students through the sales at our Ag Education Center. 💙  💛 🧡

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FALL FESTIVAL: The 20th Annual Woodstown Fall Festival will be held Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event will be kicked off with a W-P School District 5K Run and Kids Dash at 8 a.m. at Marlton Park. Vendors, click here to sign up (deadline is Sept. 20, cost is $50/vendor). Admission is free to the public. Here is a dispatch from the organizers: 

"Each year in September, Woodstown's historic downtown shopping district comes alive; scarecrows by the dozens keep watch along the streets; historic houses are decorated in their fall best; and vendors, crafters and local shops line their food and wares along Main Street eager to greet the thousands of tourists and towns people who come out to celebrate fall during Woodstown's Annual Fall Festival"

Make sure to say "hi" and grab a selfie with your Town Crier. I'll be spending time some time at the Pilesgrove-Woodstown Historical Society and many other locations around town. 

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PARK: While at the Fall Festival, head over to the Pilesgrove-Woodstown Recreation Association. The association is seeking community input and donations for the betterment and future of the park. This year, 20 percent of their budget will come from donations, and they are seeking to raise $15,000. I'll be paying them a visit!

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INTERGENERATIONAL: Woodstown Friends Meeting will host Intergenerational Family activities throughout the fall. See the list below:

• September 29, 2024 – 9:15 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.. -Let’s celebrate the coming of fall with the game “As the Wind Blows” and decorate and bake cookies to take home.
• October 27, 2024 – 9:15 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. – Join Teacher Kate, the popular music teacher at Friends School Mullica Hill, for an interactive hour of music making and dance. We will sing both new and familiar songs, enjoy some interactive folk dancing and play percussion instruments as a group.
• December 8, 2024 – 9:15 AM to 10:30 AM—We will celebrate the holidays with holiday-themed story and craft time. You won’t walk away empty-handed!

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COMMUNITY CHAT: The Woodstown-Pilesgrove Regional School District is hosting a special "Community Chat" to discuss the school district. Chats will be help Monday, Sept. 30 at 6 p.m. at Mary S. Shoemaker School, and Tuesday, Oct. 1 at 9 a.m. at William Roper School. Community members are encouraged to attend. Sign up here.

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FARMER'S MARKET: There will be a Farmer's Market held at Memorial Lake on Oct. 19, 2024 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The organizers are seeking vendors with vegetables/fruits, pumpkins/plants, cornstalks/flowers, breads, honey, crafters, and quilters. Contact Linda Fritz at LAFritz19@Yahoo.com.

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FLU CLINIC: The Salem County Department of Health and Human Services will host the following Flu Clinics for residents ages 3 and older. No appointment necessary.

• Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2 p.m. - 6 p.m. Salem County Fair Grounds, Rt. 40, Pilesgrove. Drive-Thru. 
• Tuesday, Oct. 1, 3 p.m. - 6 p.m. Salem County Dept. of Health. 110 5th St., Salem. Walk-in.
• Wednesday, Oct. 9, 4 p.m. - 7 p.m. Lower Alloway's Creek Fire & Rescue. 15 New St, Hancock's Bridge. Drive Thru.
• Thursday, Oct. 17, 4 p.m. - 7 p.m. Salem Community College, Davidow Hall. 460 Hollywood Ave, Carneys Point. Walk-in.
• Tuesday, Oct. 22, 4 p.m. - 7 p.m. Shalick High School, 718 Centerton Rd., Pittsgrove. Walk-in.
• Wednesday, Oct. 30, 4 p.m. - 7 p.m. Oldmans Municipal Building, 40 Freed Rd., Pedricktown. Walk-in.
• Wednesday, Nov. 13, 3 p.m. - 6 p.m. Carney's Point Municipal Building, 303 Harding Hwy, Carneys Point. Walk-in.

ENTERTAINMENT

Nicholas Renna stars as Seymour in "Little Shop of Horrors" at the Blue Moon Theatre (Woodstown Opera House) this weekend and next.

THEATRE: The Blue Moon Theatre presents "Little Shop of Horrors" on Sept. 20, 21, 27 and 28 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, September 22 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $25. The cast was just announced and features Nicholas Renna, Rachel Grodek, Greg Hanmell, Tyler Kulik, Taye Hopkins, Aimee Ferenz, Celeste Daesy Moon, Shabria Moore, and Andrew Fralinger. Click here for tickets.

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TRIVIA: Trivia Night hosted by QUIZZ HOE at Farmers & Bankers Brewery on Wednesday, Sept. 25, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Free to play. Prizes for the winning team. Enjoy $5 burgers from the Woodstown Tavern & Hotel if you order from the brewery. 

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CONCERT: Unplugged Lights, the duo of Paul Kranz and Maggie DiPalma, will perform at  Marlton Recreation Park as part of the Concert in the Park series, on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. The vent is free to the public. Bring a camping chair, blankets, and friends! Concession stand will be open for food and beverages.

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ACTORS NEEDED: A dispatch from Salem Main Street and the Blue Moon Theatre:

The 37th Annual historic Yuletide tour of Salem County is looking for reenactors to participate in their event on December 7th from 1-6 rain or shine. This is a Paid position (with donations from those involved in the event).  Currently they are looking for:

Fredrick Douglas (1st lawyer) and Fredrick's daughter a teacher, Hetty Reckless a slave who went on to help free other slaves. Her owner was the governor in Salem and his wife was very hateful to Hetty., Harriet Tubman, and a Father Christmas who could also be like a town crier, Decreeing the day dedicated to the many people celebrating the upcoming holiday season.

If you are unfamiliar with any of the characters, please research them.  You will find them to be amazing individuals. 

If you are interested, please contact Cheryl Stark at Cherstark@hotmail.com or call at 856-905-5840.

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AUDITIONS: The Blue Moon Theatre will host auditions for "RUMORS" by Neil Simon on Wednesday, Sept. 25 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. with callbacks on Monday, Sept. 30. Director Dominic Spadaccini is seeking four men, four women, and three actors of any gender for the comedy. Sign up here.

SPORTS

WHS Men's Cross Country Team (2024-2025). Photo courtesy WPRSD.

CROSS COUNTRY: A dispatch from the WHS Athletic Department:

The Woodstown Boys Cross Country Team opened their season with victories over Schalick and Overbrook. Woodstown's top finisher was Cole Lucas in 5th, Karson Chew and Jake Marino in 7th and 8th. The top 7 was rounded out by David Farrell, Jon Farrell, Michael Turner, and Pacey Hutton.

FOOTBALL: Home game Friday, Sept. 20 vs. Woodbury!

The Woodstown Athletic Department website, a hub for all things Woodstown High School sports, can be found here.

SCORES

SCHEDULE

WATCH LIVE EVENTS HERE

GOVERNMENT

Woodstown Borough Council and Pilesgrove Twp Committee meet the second and fourth Tuesday of each month.

WEEKEND WEATHER

FRIDAY: Sun. High of 81F. Low of 62F.

SATURDAY: Sun during the day, scattered clouds and showers at night. High of 81F. Low of 60F.

SUNDAY: Sunny with some wind. . High of 76F. Low of 57F.

Forecast: Temperatures cool off next week with rain Tuesday through Thursday. Sun returns on Friday. Highs from 70F to 75F.

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Woodstown Crier: Where the colors are changing earlier. Some say it was due to the lack of rain over the summer. Others say Woodstown knows what looks best. 

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Want to share your Woodstown-Pilesgrove news in the Crier Column? Email Jim Cook at WoodstownCrier@gmail.com