Crier Column 12/13: Happy Holidays and see you next year! Christmas Fair at Fairgrounds; Clothing Drive at WHS; Blue Moon concert Saturday; Breakfast with Santa next weekend

  FRIDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2024

One of the many stunning historic homes on the Woodstown by Candlelight tour, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. Visitors from around the region and beyond descended on Woodstown for a night that looked like a Hallmark movie and a Rockwell painting all wrapped into one.

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

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanza, and anything else I missed!

SEE YOU NEXT YEAR: This will be my last column for the remainder of 2024. What a special year it has been as your Town Crier: last weekend's Candlelight tour, the Fall Festival, hosting tours at the Pilesgrove-Woodstown Historical Society Museum, welcoming audiences to Woodstown High School for our production of "Brigadoon," reviving The Curtain Call Club of Woodstown, and accompanying many joyful voices on many lively Sundays as the organist for First Baptist Church of Woodstown on Main Street — it's been a phenomenal year.

I'll be at the organ at First Baptist Church on Christmas Eve for the 6:30 p.m. service. At the 11 p.m. service (or as I love to call it, "Midnight Mass") I'll be not only at the organ, but I may be singing a special Christmas Carol. Don't miss it!

Do take some time to relax this holiday season — we all need that. We don't know what those drones are above us. We don't know what's coming in 2025. We don't care to follow the mainstream news much anymore for the sake of our mental health. So, between the hustle and bustle, the shopping, the gift wrapping, the cooking, the hosting, the parties, the shows ... we all deserve a break. Right? Let's all agree to do nothing in January. We deserve it!

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FOOTLOOSE: The Woodstown High School Drama Club hosted its first rehearsal for our spring musical "Footloose," based on the 1980s movie starring Kevin Bacon. I had a chance to sit in on their read-through of the script and the score. The teens this year are tremendous. They love the show, they love their drama club, they love each other. It's going to be an extraordinary production that will have audiences on their feet dancing in the aisles! 

COMMUNITY

CHRISTMAS FAIR: The Salem County Christmas Fair will be held at the Salem County Fairgrounds on Rt. 40 in Pilesgrove Twp. Cost is $10/car per day. Events begin at 4 p.m. Friday, Dec. 13 and include vendors, food trucks, kid's activities, Christmas movies, fire pits, pony rides, face painting, live nativity, ugly sweater contest, pictures with Santa Claus and much more. The event will be hosted from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. For more information, visit the Salem County Fair Association on Facebook.

CLOTHING DRIVE: The Woodstown Pilesgrove School District Odyssey of the Mind teams will be hosting a clothing drive on Saturday, Dec. 14 from 9:30 a.m. to1:30 p.m. in the Woodstown High School horseshoe. Clean out your closets while helping the kids! From their dispatch:

What we accept: Adult & Children Clothing, Shoes, Handbags, Sandals, Sneakers, Boots, Jackets, Coats, Rain Gear, Leathers, Belts, Ties, Pants, Shirts, Sweaters, Vests, Blouses, Dresses, Skirts, Robes, Undergarments, Sheets, Towels, Linens, Tablecloths, Hats, Scarfs, Gloves, Purses, Wallets, Jewelry, Watches, Uniforms, Jerseys, Backpacks and New Diapers and NOW ACCEPTING Household Items, Utensils, Hard & Soft Toys, Electronics, Bicycles, Handicap Equipment & Small Bric-A-Brac Items.

What We Don’t Accept: Thrift Store Goods, Flea Market Goods, Furniture, Books, Yard Sales or Sorted merchandise that has been picked through or separated which the better goods have been taken out as well as pillows & curtains. Any merchandise that has holes, rips, stains, mold or has an odor.

BREAKFAST WITH SANTA: The Salem Tech FFA is hosting Breakfast with Santa on Saturday, Dec. 21 from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Elmer Grange Hall by Pole Tavern. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for children. There will be a home-cooked, Jersey Fresh breakfast, and a chance to meet and get photos with Santa Claus! 

ENTERTAINMENT

The Woodstown Middle School Choir performing at Woodstown by Candlelight, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024.

CONCERT: The Blue Moon Theatre is hosting a fundraiser to purchase the entirety of the Woodstown Opera House. Their goal is to restore the upstairs (original theater) to a performance space. We're excited about that! This Saturday, Dec. 14, at 7 p.m., they'll host a fundraiser cabaret where a small group of Blue Moon performers will sing Broadways showtunes and Christmas music. Tickets are $10. I'll be performing!

SPORTS

PARKING: A dispatch from the Athletics Department: 

Spectators are reminded to park legally and be considerate of residents in the area. Illegally parked vehicles on streets surrounding the school may be ticketed and towed. Please avoid blocking driveways or creating unsafe conditions for others. This serves as a formal warning that enforcement action will be taken for parking violations. All spectators must follow the Tri-County Conference Code of Conduct, which emphasizes sportsmanship, respect, and appropriate behavior. Violations of this code may result in removal from the event and additional penalties. 

Prohibited: Items such as footballs, tennis balls, and similar objects are strictly prohibited and will not be allowed in the gym. Spectators are not permitted to enter the court at any time. Any individual who enters the court will be immediately ejected. Let’s come together to support our Wolverines this winter season! We look forward to an exciting and memorable season filled with sportsmanship, teamwork, and community pride. GO WOLVERINES!

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: Clouds and sun. High of 3F. Low of 24F.

SATURDAY: Sunny. High of 37F. Low of 21F.

SUNDAY: Cloudy. High of 41F. Low of 24F.

FORECAST: Rain all of next week except for Wednesday. Temperatures are warmer, in the high 40s and 50s. Up to 61F on Tuesday. Clouds next weekend.

♦

Woodstown Crier: Where your Town Crier expresses his deepest gratitude for your reading this column over the past year and for keeping Pilesgrove and Woodstown the best two towns in America to live. We'll see you in 2025!

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

Crier Column 12/4: Woodstown By Candlelight this Friday; Donate gifts to Fire Co; Along the Road at Blue Moon Theatre Saturday

 WEDNESDA, DECEMBER 04, 2024

Woodstown by Candlelight will be held Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. Tickets are $35 for Pilesgrove & Woodstown, and $25 for only Woodstown. The event supports local businesses and the Pilesgrove-Woodstown Historical Society.

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

Happy belated Thanksgiving! Please accept my apologies for being noticeably absent from The Crier these past few weeks. I was busy performing "White Christmas" with many dear friends down in Millville at the Levoy Theatre. I’ve also been hard at work rehearsing/playing organ at the First Baptist Church in Woodstown (stop by First Baptist on Main Street this Christmas Eve at 6:30 p.m. and 11 p.m. for good music!). 

Woodstown’s tree lighting ceremony will be held during the Candlelight tour at 7 p.m. at the Woodstown White House (next to First Baptist Church on Main Street). The Woodstown High School Chamber Choir will be performing!

In the meantime, Woodstown and Pilesgrove are looking phenomenal (but don't we always?) as the holidays approach. The lights on the trees, the Santa mailboxes, and the towering candles on the Snelbaker green. We are ready for Christmas!

COMMUNITY

CANDLELIGHT: The Woodstown by Candlelight Tour will be held Friday, Dec. 6, 2024 from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. in both Woodstown AND Pilesgrove! Tickets for Pilesgrove & Woodstown tours are $35. Tickets for only the Woodstown tour are $25. Click here to purchase tickets!

PARADE: The Catholic Community of the Holy Spirit is hosting Christmas Trees on Parade, Thursday, Dec. 5 and Friday, Dec. 6 from 4 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. There will be decorated trees, holiday music, food, treasure shop and Santa! Tickets are $5 ($3 for Candlelight Tour ticket holders). Visit the Catholic Parish on Broad & Elm Streets for the event.

GIFT DONATION: The Reliance Fire Company will collect new, unwrapped toys during Woodstown By Candlelight, Friday, Dec. 6 beginning at 6:45 p.m. at the tree lighting location (Woodstown White House next to First Baptist Church). Donations will be accepted through Dec. 21 at Reliance Fire Station.

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

BREAKFAST WITH SANTA: The Salem Tech FFA is hosting Breakfast with Santa on Saturday, Dec. 21 from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Elmer Grange Hall by Pole Tavern. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for children. There will be a home-cooked, Jersey Fresh breakfast, and a chance to meet and get photos with Santa Claus!

ENTERTAINMENT

Endless gratitude to Mayor Joe and First Lady Julie Hiles for representing the great support of our hometown, Woodstown, at “White Christmas” in Millville last month. It was so nice to see them and feel so supported, and it was a tremendous honor to perform for them and all the audiences who saw our show. Woodstown always shows up — no wonder, they must have felt like home because we have the same school colors: Orange and Blue!!

CONCERT: Along the Road, featuring Woodstown’s Paul Kranz, will perform this Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024 at the Blue Moon Theatre from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Click here for tickets!

SPORTS

COMMITTED: Congratulations to Megan Donaldson for signing to Millersville University and Talia Battavio for signing to Goldey-Beacom College, both to further their outstanding record as basketball superstars! Congrats, ladies, and don’t forget about us when you’re away … remember, there’s no place like home. Now, go show them that Wolverine Spirit!!

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 37F. Low of 26F.

SATURDAY: Sunny. High of 39F. Low of 24F.

SUNDAY: Clouds of sun. High of 51F. Low of 28F.

FORECAST: Woodstown by Candlelight will be cold but clear! We all remember last year’s rain showers, so we’re elated to see much nicer weather Friday night. Bundle up! Warmer and wetter next week with temps reaching the low 60Fs. Back into the 40s by the end of the week and next weekend.

♦

Woodstown Crier: Where we had no shortage of gratitude this Thanksgiving. We pray for our hometown heroes overseas and away from their families this holiday season — I’ve been there, and it’s tough. Luckily, when they’ve returned home safe and sound, they’ll be welcomed back to the greatest hometown in America — a home decked with Christmas lights, hot cocoa brewing, church congregations caroling, bells ringing, cookies in the oven, Santa on his way. For those of other spiritualities, the first candle of Hanukkah is lit on Dec. 25 this year, so, no matter how you were raised, we know you’ll find your way home.

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