Crier Column 10/29: Happy Halloween! No fires! Coach Huck celebrates 300; Leave the Leaves; Bullhide Brewery construction; Cantare at NJ School Board; Ruby Bridges walk

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2024

I had the great honor of reading the Mayor's proclamation at the grand re-opening of Bee Inspired Yoga on Main Street in Woodstown, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. Rebekah Zoe Mulford runs a fantastic business, inspiring members of our community to 'bee' their best! Make sure you 'buzz' over to her shop and get in a strong yoga session!

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

It'll be a busy week for your Town Crier!

HALLOWEEN: First, I'll be roaming around town on Thursday, HALLOWEEN, and spending a good deal of time camped out at the Woodstown White House — aka. the historic home next to the First Baptist Church, where Lance Bird and Kate Dilks host a fabulous Halloween stop in town.

HISTORY: Then, visit the Pilesgrove-Woodstown Historical Society from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, as I man the museum. Stop in for a tour!

MUSIC: On Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024, I'll be at the piano and organ at the First Baptist Church of Woodstown on Main Street. Hymns this week are "Gentle Shepherd," "Savior Like a Shepherd Lead Us," "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross," and "Hallelujah, What a Savior." We'll close with the refrain from "Because He Lives," in place of the alternating "Doxology" - "Blessed Be the Ties" during post-communion. But, wait, is it too early for me to start slipping in Christmas tunes?

FIRE: The state of New Jersey is under a Stage 3 Camp Fire Restriction, meaning all fires in wooded areas are strictly prohibited unless contained in an elevated stove using propane, natural gas, or electricity. Absolutely no charcoal fires are allowed. No bonfires this Halloween, y'all! 

It's been nearly two months without a proper rainfall. The last rain was a very light shower in the early morning hours of Sept. 28, 2024. And the last rainfall where we accumulated more than an inch (1.11 in) was on Aug. 30, 2024.

COMMUNITY

NEW BREW: In the "What's Up, Woodstown" Facebook group, a member asked about the new construction alongside Cowtown Cowboy Outfitters in Pilesgrove. Owner Suzanne Bickford Zigo, owner of the store, responded:

"[W]e are adding on three separate sections. Additional retail space for our store, a food area, a brewery, brewing area, a warehouse and in the back there will be a courtyard. The site work was started a year ago when our site work contractor was available so we said go ahead. Our builder’s engineer took a lot longer than we expected to finish the final prints so we could get quotes to complete the project. We decided to move on to a new builder as well as a new bank. That said our new builder is moving at an incredible pace. We are moving forward and you can expect to see more improvements daily. You can follow us at Bullhide Brewery or feel free to stop in and I’ll show you around. I am very excited about these improvements to our community. I can assure you our additions will only accentuate our town."

LEAVE LEAVES: Woodstown's Leaf Collection is temporarily out of service. Although, it may be back, I'm not sure ... the equipment needs some repairing. Personally, I don't mind because the image of colorful leaves scattered across Woodstown yards is really exquisite this time of year. Though the service is important for road safety, it may not be totally necessary for your lawn. Not raking, or, at least, mulching them with a lawn mower instead of bagging them, is great for lawn care and ground-dwelling insects. Click here for an insightful report from Popular Mechanics, shared by Woodstown Mayor Joe Hiles, about the case for ... well ... leaving the leaves where they are.

WALK: The W-P Regional School District and Woodstown Borough will host the Ruby Bridges Walk to School event at 7 a.m. (morning) on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. The parade will assemble at the Snelbaker house at 50 South Main St, walk down Dickinson Street, right onto W. Wilson Ave., and a left onto Macaltioner Ave, then proceed to the Woodstown High School gymnasium and Middle School entrance. The event will feature members of the WHS Drum Line, uniformed sports teams, local Scout troops, and members of extracurricular groups. The walk commemorates Ruby Bridges, the first African American child to desegregate an all-white school in New Orleans in 1960.

VOTE: Elections will be Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. Many local offices are on the ballot. Here are some important deadlines:

3 ways to vote: 

VOTE-BY-MAIL 

Everyone can vote by mail in New Jersey for any reason! If you have not received a mail-in ballot.

Oct. 26: Deadline to request a ballot online

Nov. 4: Deadline to request a ballot in person

Nov. 5: Deadline to postmark your ballot - your ballot must be in the mail by this date

EARLY IN-PERSON VOTING

Saturday, Oct. 26 - Sunday, Nov. 3

10am - 8pm Monday-Saturday | 10am - 6pm on Sundays

Note: Your Early Voting polling place may be different from your Election Day polling place. 

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

• 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

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.

• 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

CANTARE, an elite vocal ensemble composed of musicians from the prestigious Woodstown High School Chamber Choir, performed last week at the 2024 N.J. School Boards Association Workshop in Atlantic City, N.J. The group is directed by Mr. Kahlil Gunther.

CHOIR: CANTARE, an elite vocal ensemble within the WHS Chamber Choir, under the director of Kahlil Gunther, performed at the New Jersey School Boards Association Workshop in Atlantic City. The group is frequently invited to perform at school and community events, acting as musical ambassadors to the High School's phenomenal music program. 

CONCERT: The Blue Moon Theatre is hosting Laura Cheadle on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20. Click here for tickets.

SPORTS

WHS Varsity Men's Soccer Coach Darren Huck celebrates his 300th win in October 2024.

MILESTONE: Coach Darren Huck celebrated his 300th win leading the Woodstown High School Varsity Men's Soccer team. He is also responsible for the newly installed WHS Soccer Wall of Fame that was unveiled earlier this school year. The team beat Pitman 2-1. 

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

HALLOWEEN: Sunny, clouds in the evening. High of 79F. Low of 58F. Don't worry about warm jackets during trick or treating hours. Temps will range from 77-72F from 4 - 8 p.m.

FRIDAY: Sun and clouds. High of 76F. Low of 50F.

SATURDAY: Sun and clouds. High of 59F. Low of 41F. 

SUNDAY: Sun and clouds. High of 63F. Low of 37F.

FORECAST: The temperatures are really going to see-saw this week a bit, but mostly remain high. Of note, a 35% chance of rain on early Monday morning, but the weather system seems to be taking such a path that we may see none. 

♦

Woodstown Crier: Where the jack-o-lanterns are carved, the candy bowls full, the costumes prepared, and we're ready for one of our favorite nights of the year — Happy Halloween!

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