Mannos perform in Chatham

Cynthia Wiese Manno and Jeff Manno performing at the Cornerstone Coffee House at Stanley Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, 94 Fairmount Ave., Chatham. This husband-and-wife team performed standards from show tunes to light jazz to pop tunes that were familiar to all who attended. For more information on upcoming Cornerstone Coffee House events and worship services at Stanley Congregational Church, visit www.stanleychurch.org or call 973-635-7723. (Photo: Carl Shesler)

Chatham High School Fashion Show

The annual Chatham High School Fashion Show will take place on Friday, March 26, 2010 in the CHS gym.  The basket and silent auctions will start at 6:00 PM, and the fashion show will begin at 7:30 PM.  The evening features CHS senior models with a special ensemble of pieces designed by student artists and a performance by SNAPS. 

Pictured is Samantha Kennedy the winner of the cover art contest for the event's invitation.

The fashion show is the only Chatham High School PTO fundraiser for 2010.  It will help underwrite senior scholarships, Project Graduation and various student awards and activities.

The event is open to the general public including middle school age children and above.  Tickets are $35 for advance purchase and $40 at the door. For more information, please contact Jane Maltby at janemaltby@yahoo.com

Scenes by Chatham Twp. photographer

For your viewing pleasure, a selection of photos submitted by Chatham Township photographer Elizabeth Niesuchouski. (Click for full size)

Red Barn and Waterfall, Chester, Vt.

"Welcome to Madison"

Fallingwater, Pa.

Christmas tree in Chatham Borough (from a previous year)

(Do you have photos? Post them yourself. Or send the files, along with some information about them, to me at jake@injersey.com)

Cafe Beethoven hosts Chatham grad’s first photo exhibit

Photographs by Melanie Ruskin will be on display at Cafe Beethoven, 262 Main Street, Chatham, from March 6 through April 17.

An opening night reception will be held on Saturday, March 6, from 7 to 9 p.m.

Ruskin is a 2007 graduate of Chatham High School and is currently majoring in photography at the County College of Morris. This is her first photo exhibit.

To dye for? Pysanky workshop at Madison museum

Pysanky

The Museum of Early Trades & Crafts invites visitors to learn the ancient egg-decorating art of Pysanky during a workshop on Saturday, March 27, from 2 to 5 p.m.

Space is limited and pre-registration is required by Saturday, March 20. To register call 973-377-2982 x14.

Admission is $15 for Members & $20 for non-members (includes all supplies).

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Need note cards? Designs by Madison artists to help Haiti

Madison resident Lauren Cantor hopes a project involving 17 artists and 100,000 note cards will continue raising money for disaster relief in Haiti in the months to come.

Scott Farbman, Lauren Cantor and Melanie Tomaszewksi all helped bring Hearts for Haiti to life. / Photo by Dawn Benko

Professional artists from Madison, Morristown and other towns created and donated designs for note cards that are being sold by a non-profit Cantor started to raise money for the American Red Cross's Haiti relief efforts.

Called Hearts for Haiti, the program was launched by Cantor after talking with her 8-year-old daughter about ways to help the victims of the earthquake that devastated Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, on Jan. 12. Haiti's government estimates 230,000 people were killed in the 7.0-magnitude quake.

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Shakespeare Theatre volunteer helps wherever she’s needed

By Allison Ickowicz
Special to MadisonChatham This Week

Convent Station resident Monika Mangan volunteers at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey in Madison. (Photo courtesy Shakespeare Theatre)

Convent Station resident Monika Mangan is a jack-of-all trades when she helps out at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey in Madison — and nothing makes her happier.

   Mangan first found out about the theater's volunteer opportunities in 1998 through a colleague at work who was also a former theater trustee.

   "When I first moved to the area, I didn't even know you could volunteer at the theater. So when I was approached, I was more than happy to help. I started out by helping with the annual gala, and then I moved to more regular volunteer jobs."

   Mangan has volunteered at the concession stand and gift shop, but her usual role is either ushering or taking tickets.

    "Whatever they ask me to do, I'll happily do. I'll help out wherever I'm needed. At the gala, I helped with the silent auction, which is also a fundraiser. I would stand near some of the artwork and answer patrons' questions about the art. And last season, the theater conducted a raffle to win a trip to Denmark, so I helped sell tickets for the raffle before the performances started."

  
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All-gal band covers the classics

From right, Beth Turkel, Karen Kahn and Jackie Fried perform with The Mood Swings at 54 Main Bar and Grill in Madison recently. (Photo by Sarah Rice)

By Katelyn Farago
MadisonChatham This Week

In between carpooling and helping their children with homework, seven local mothers have found something all their own: They've formed a classic-rock cover band.

Established in fall 2005, the Mood Swings have been going strong for more than four years, playing at a variety of venues in Morris, Union and Essex counties and making a name for themselves as an all-female rock band.

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Harmonium Event to Support the Arts

Harmonium Choral Society’s A Taste of Harmonium auction fundraiser and concert Saturday, February 6, at Grace Episcopal Church, 4 Madison Avenue at Kings Road, Madison, will celebrate its 30th anniversary season and support the group’s educational, outreach, and commission activities.

Harmonium Choral Society. Photo by George M. Aronson.

Doors open at 7:00 pm_. Tickets for the fundraiser are $50. To get tickets, call 973-538-6969 or go to www.harmonium.org. The snow date is Saturday, February 20, 2010.

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New Exhibit Opening- Museum of Early Trades and Crafts

Museum of Early Trades and Crafts, 9 Main Street in Madison

A new exhibit, Lenape: Tools & Daily Living, is now open at the Museum of Early Trades and Crafts in Madison.  Visitors to the museum will learn about some of New Jersey's native people as they lived, worked and played.

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Broadway In My Heart

Looking for an activity this weekend?  On Saturday January 30^th, the Madison Public Library will host “Broadway in My Heart.”

Karen Luschar, who has performed on and off Broadway, will present a program of favorite Broadway songs.  The program begins at 2:00pm in the Chase Room and is free for all.  No reservations are required.

The Madison Public Library is located at 39 Keep Street.
For questions, contact Carrie Thompson at 973-377-0722, Ext. 226.

Poetry at Cafe Beethoven

 An open poetry reading takes place Tuesday, Jan. 26, at Cafe Beethoven, 262 Main St., Chatham, at 7 p.m. Listeners are welcome.

   Cost is $10 which includes coffee, cake, tax and tip. Readings are limited to 5 minutes. For information and reservations, contact, Marcia Ivans, marciaivans@aol.com or 973-301-3256.

Join us for PULP Jam at Chatham High School

PULP Jam, a fundraiser featuring a night of music, poetry, drama and the spoken word, takes place from 7 to 9 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 29, in the Chatham High School auditorium. The event is open to the public, and there will be free refreshments provided with ticket purchase. Tickets cost $7 for adults and $5 for students. Tickets can be purchased at the door or by e-mailing lroper@chatham-nj.org. (Photo courtesy Chatham High School)

Diane Celler-Samiljan helps out

By Allison Ickowicz
MadisonChatham This Week

Diane Celler-Samiljan

Madison resident Diane Celler-Samiljan's love of the Museum of Early Trades & Crafts, or METC, goes back to her childhood. When she was 13, she volunteered at the METC, helping restock books when the building served as a library. She reconnected with METC after reading in a community newspaper about the need for volunteers.

   "I've been a member of the Herb Society of America for about nine years now. So after I saw the information in the newspaper, I called the museum directly and told them I was a member of the Herb Society and asked if there was any way I could use my skills to help. It turned out, they were really interested in doing some programs with herbs and they also needed some assistance maintaining a small garden that they had."

   As a member of the Herb Society, Celler-Samiljan assists in maintaining some of the gardens at Jockey Hollow, which is part of the Morristown National Historical Park. There she helps preserve the wet garden and the herb garden at Wick Farm, which contain a collection of annuals and perennials from the colonial period.

   "The work at the museum isn't as complex as Jockey Hollow. At Jockey Hollow, all the herbs and plants need to be kept the way they would have looked in 1752, so some plants are rather obscure. For the museum, I help with their more basic gardening needs. I weed the garden and cut it back before winter weather arrives. I also take care of two herb containers that the museum uses for educational programs with children. I'll spruce those up every year so they're fresh and always have a rotating variety of seasonal herbs."

  
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Something to sing about

By Katelyn Farago
MadisonChatham This Week

Kaleigh Young, a senior at Madison HS, plays the piano and sings an original song during the Play It By Ear concert. (Photo by Karen Fucito)

At a time when movie tickets cost $11 and concert seats often top $80, Caitlin Moriarty of Madison set out to bring her community together through the arts without breaking the bank.

A 2008 Madison High School graduate and a music-industry major at Syracuse University, Moriarty founded Play It by Ear — an arts advocacy organization — in October. On Jan. 8, she produced a concert at Madison High School that featured 15 acts performing musical styles from Broadway to funk to reggae. Moriarty charged only $5 for admission; she said she didn't want money to be the roadblock to attending.

"I want music and art to be accessible," she said. "In many cultures, music and art is part of your daily routine. But here, it's not."

The concert line-up included performances by Universal Rebel, a hip-hop dub band, and Busterman, a modern funk Americana band. Madison High School teacher Caryn Elefante and her husband, Joe, also performed. The closing number featured Moriarty and the Madison High School Jazz Chorus singing an original song written by Syracuse University sophomore Ryan Whitman.

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