Events are subject to change or cancellation without prior notice.
Residents will have an opportunity to meet all candidates running for local office next week. The Jefferson Township Chamber of Commerce has invited the local candidates to attend the organization’s regular “Networking Happy Hour” on Thursday, October 18. The event takes place between 6 and 8 pm at the Stone Water restaurant (125 Route 181, Lake Hopatcong).
Chamber non-members and members alike are invited to attend. They can meet and ask questions of local candidates from both the Republican and Democrat parties.
All four candidates vying for two open seats on the township council have confirmed their attendance to meet and greet residents: Democratic candidates Daniel Malloy and Douglas Helmstetter, and GOP candidates Debi Merz and Melissa Senatore.
“The Networking Happy Hour is being sponsored by the great people at Nisivoccia LLP,” according to a Chamber spokesperson. “Due to the generosity of Nisivoccia, the first 30 members who sign up will only pay $10. After 30, the fee goes up to $20 for members. Non-members pay a flat fee of $25,” he added. All attendees will receive a ticket for two free drinks, and appetizers will be provided by Stone Water.
Those interested in attending may purchase tickets for the event at https://jeffersontownshipchamber.org/event/networking-happy-hour-3/.
Hey kids! You’re invited to a cider, donut, and pumpkin decorating party with local police officers on Saturday, October 20. Come to Donagels Donuts and Bagels (725 Route 15 South, Lake Hopatcong) from 9-11 a.m.
There is no charge for children to enjoy snacks and festive pumpkin decorating. The event also provides an opportunity for kids and Jefferson police to become acquainted in a comfortable setting – building relationships, one donut at a time!
From Donagels, it’s a short drive to Camp Jefferson (81 Weldon Road, Lake Hopatcong), where families can participate in Fall Fest and the annual spooktacular Haunted House, both hosted by the Jefferson Township Recreation Department. Check the details in our articles.
The annual Fall Festival will be held at Camp Jefferson (81 Weldon Road, Lake Hopatcong) on Saturday, October 20, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. This event and all activities, hosted by the Jefferson Township Recreation Department, are free to the public except as noted.
Entertainment will include music by DJ Earl Heller of Sound Solutions, Wallaby Tales’ Eyes of the Wild live animal show at 10:30 and noon, Freedom Fields Farms’ pony rides and petting zoo from 10-2, and the pumpkin bouncer and inflatable maze activities from 9-3. There will also be daytime hayrides, a fall coloring activity, pumpkin decorating, pumpkin picking, and a corn maze. Contests will include Guess the Weight of the Pumpkin and Candy Corn.
The BD&W Model Train Club display will be open. Information will be available from representatives of several Jefferson recreation sports leagues, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service, The Feisty Pepper, and the Jefferson Educational Foundation. Tentatively scheduled are the Jefferson Rescue Squad, Milton First Aid Squad, Jefferson Police Department Community Services, and Smokey Bear. There will even be a special appearance by Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
Refreshments can be purchased throughout the day, with proceeds to benefit Operation Camp Jefferson – a scholarship fund providing a summer day camp experience next year to needy children. Members of the Middle School Student Council and Red Cross Club will volunteer at the refreshment table; the Student Council members will also sell Gertrude Hawk chocolate bars to benefit their community programs, including food and toy drives.
Take a night-time haunted hayride (nominal fee) throughout the spooky camp grounds during the Haunted House activities, with proceeds benefiting the Jefferson Teen Scene program.
When approaching Camp Jefferson, follow the directions of the volunteer parking attendants. Continuous shuttle service will be provided by the Camp Jefferson bus and Dial-a-Ride vans to and from two off-site parking locations in Lake Hopatcong: Board of Education building (31 Route 181) and Ellen T. Briggs Elementary School (1 Jefferson Drive, off Espanong Road).
The Recreation Department will accept donations of non-perishable food items, paper products, toiletries, and household cleaning products for local pantries throughout the day’s events.
For additional information about the Fall Festival, call the Recreation Department at 973-663-8404 x4 or x5; visit www.jeffersontownship.net, Departments, Recreation; or email cpunturieri@jeffersontownship.net.
Jefferson Recreation will present the 30th annual Halloween Haunted House on Saturday and Sunday, October 20-21. The anniversary show, “The Night of the Scarecrow,” promises to be spooktacular! Both the Haunted House and the annual Fall Festival (preceding the Haunted House on Saturday, October 20, from 10-3) will take place rain or shine at Camp Jefferson (81 Weldon Road, Lake Hopatcong).
Ghostly spirits will inhabit the completely transformed Community Lodge. Eerie scenarios will unfold in dark and scary rooms, causing visitors to laugh and scream their way through a diverse gathering of ghosts, ghouls, serial killers, random creatures, and things that go bump in the night. Spirits will be roaming the outside grounds as well, and DJ Earl of Sound Solutions Entertainment will play some bloodcurdling music for the monster mash to get the ghouls dancing. Daring souls can take a haunted hayride (nominal fee) through the dark and mysterious woods, holding on so they don’t jump out of their skin along the road …
A matinee performance (less frightening children’s hour suggested for 5th graders and younger) will be held from 3-4:30 on Saturday, with scary performances from 7-9:30. On Sunday, the children’s matinee will run again from 3-4, with regular evening performances from 6-8.
Admission to the Haunted House is $3 (adults and children) for both the scary and matinee performances. MaMa’s Road Kill Café will offer eats and refreshments at nominal prices. Attendees are asked to donate non-perishable food items, paper products, toiletries, and/or cleaning products to the township food pantries.
When approaching Camp Jefferson, follow the directions of the volunteer parking attendants. Continuous shuttle service will be provided by the Camp Jefferson bus and Dial-a-Ride vans to and from two off-site parking locations in Lake Hopatcong: Board of Education building (31 Route 181) and Ellen T. Briggs Elementary School (1 Jefferson Drive, off Espanong Road).
To volunteer at this event, email JTHauntedHouse@gmail.com. For event updates, visit Facebook (JTHauntedHouse) or Instagram (JeffersonHauntedHouse), or call recreation director Grace Rhinesmith at 973-663-8404 option 2.
Longing for fresh local produce and products? The Jefferson Township Farmers Market returns on Sunday, June 3, for its second year of satisfying customers’ cravings. Open weekly from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. – rain or shine – the market will again be located at the municipal complex (1033 Weldon Road, Oak Ridge).
Fresh local products are provided by the following vendors: The Feisty Pepper, Sparta Mountain Farms, Corbett’s Cookie Bar Kitchen, Jersey Pickles, Olsen’s Honey and Spice Farm, and Escentually Natural. Produce will be offered in accordance with the growing season, with samples often available.
Live music on opening day will be provided by singer, songwriter, and guitarist Jeiris Cook, a regular performer at the Table 42 restaurant in Dover.
Organizer Tom Galfo, owner of The Feisty Pepper, told The Jefferson Chronicle that the market is a nonprofit enterprise established to provide for the community. “It promotes healthy living,” said Galfo. “People can breathe fresh air while shopping for wholesome products, and the market is family friendly.”
Galfo was recently appointed to the Morris County Agriculture Development Board, which is charged with preserving farmland in the county and helping its farmers. He stressed that the market will survive only with strong support from the community. “More vendors will participate if more people attend,” he explained. “We are a young organization, and we need community support to grow.”
Township officials have been very helpful in getting over the hurdles required to establish the new venture, noted Galfo, who volunteers his time to run the market. Nominal fees charged to vendors are recycled back into promotion, including signs and entertainment, and used to cover other expenses. Vendors interested in participating should contact Galfo at TheFeistypepper@gmail.com or 973-919-5657.
The farmers market will be open every Sunday through October 28. In addition, holiday markets will be set up for the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons.
Jefferson Recreation will present the 30th annual Halloween Haunted House on Saturday and Sunday, October 20-21. The anniversary show, “The Night of the Scarecrow,” promises to be spooktacular! Both the Haunted House and the annual Fall Festival (preceding the Haunted House on Saturday, October 20, from 10-3) will take place rain or shine at Camp Jefferson (81 Weldon Road, Lake Hopatcong).
Ghostly spirits will inhabit the completely transformed Community Lodge. Eerie scenarios will unfold in dark and scary rooms, causing visitors to laugh and scream their way through a diverse gathering of ghosts, ghouls, serial killers, random creatures, and things that go bump in the night. Spirits will be roaming the outside grounds as well, and DJ Earl of Sound Solutions Entertainment will play some bloodcurdling music for the monster mash to get the ghouls dancing. Daring souls can take a haunted hayride (nominal fee) through the dark and mysterious woods, holding on so they don’t jump out of their skin along the road …
A matinee performance (less frightening children’s hour suggested for 5th graders and younger) will be held from 3-4:30 on Saturday, with scary performances from 7-9:30. On Sunday, the children’s matinee will run again from 3-4, with regular evening performances from 6-8.
Admission to the Haunted House is $3 (adults and children) for both the scary and matinee performances. MaMa’s Road Kill Café will offer eats and refreshments at nominal prices. Attendees are asked to donate non-perishable food items, paper products, toiletries, and/or cleaning products to the township food pantries.
When approaching Camp Jefferson, follow the directions of the volunteer parking attendants. Continuous shuttle service will be provided by the Camp Jefferson bus and Dial-a-Ride vans to and from two off-site parking locations in Lake Hopatcong: Board of Education building (31 Route 181) and Ellen T. Briggs Elementary School (1 Jefferson Drive, off Espanong Road).
To volunteer at this event, email JTHauntedHouse@gmail.com. For event updates, visit Facebook (JTHauntedHouse) or Instagram (JeffersonHauntedHouse), or call recreation director Grace Rhinesmith at 973-663-8404 option 2.
The Jefferson Township Health Department is offering influenza (flu) vaccinations to residents aged 18 and older.
Two clinics will take place at the Public Health Center (57 Minnisink Road, Lake Hopatcong): Tuesday, October 23, from 4 to 7 p.m. and Thursday, November 1, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The flu shot is free to residents with Medicare Part B. Otherwise, the fee is $15. Note that Medicare HMO is not accepted as payment.
For more information or to register, eligible Jefferson Township residents may call 973-663-0700.
All singers are invited to join the Jefferson Township Community Chorus under the direction of James Wynne, recently retired high school music educator. The chorus will prepare for the 2018 season, which includes its Christmas in the Village concert on Saturday, December 1.
Fall/winter rehearsals will be held on Tuesdays, beginning September 11, from 7:30-9:00 p.m. in the high school chorus room (1010 Weldon Road, Oak Ridge). September is open membership month. Adults, including high school and college students, are welcome to sing at a September rehearsal with no obligation to join.
Membership is open without audition to sopranos, altos, tenors, and basses from Jefferson and surrounding communities. Those who enjoy singing a variety of musical styles are encouraged to begin in September for the holiday season. The winter/spring season will begin in the new year. Chorus dues of $30 per season help fund operating expenses, primarily the purchase of quality copyrighted music and the director’s stipend.
Fall/winter 2018 marks Wynne’s first season as the chorus’s director and accompanist. He retired this year after 35 years as the high school’s highly regarded choral music director and instructor of music technology. Wynne is also the organist and director of music at Hilltop Presbyterian Church in Mendham as well as the music technology coordinator and clinician for the New Jersey Music Educators In-Service.
A well-respected educator and musician, Wynne earned a B.A. in music education at Montclair State University and an M.A. in educational administration and supervision at William Paterson University. He did graduate study in musical performance–organ (at Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University) and music education (at Boston University). Wynne and Marlene, his wife of 44 years, have three sons.
Wynne is eager to continue his love of teaching and music by working with the community chorus to help the group grow musically. He hopes to attract new members who love to sing, are looking for a venue to join their voices with others, enjoy the challenge of learning new musical arrangements, and want to entertain in public.
The Jefferson Township Community Chorus was founded in 2001 as one of several performing arts groups under the umbrella of the Jefferson Arts Committee. For a brief history of the JTCC, visit http://jeffersonarts.org/chorus_about.html.
In addition to the annual holiday concert in December, the chorus presents a spring concert and is often involved in special events and/or fundraisers. The group sings traditional folk songs, Broadway show tunes, sacred music, ethnic tunes, popular songs, classical music, and more.
Chorus information is posted on Facebook (the Jefferson Arts Committee page and the Jefferson Township Community Chorus page), on www.jeffersonarts.org, and in local news sources. For additional information, email artscommittee@jeffersonarts.org or call 973-697-3828.
Beefsteak Dinner Fundraiser
Oct 26th 6:30-10:30pm
$45 per ticket
Beefsteak, salad, fries, dessert, soda, beer.
Live band – Country Music
50/50
All proceeds go towards high school scholarships and much needed equipment for the fire department.
Longing for fresh local produce and products? The Jefferson Township Farmers Market returns on Sunday, June 3, for its second year of satisfying customers’ cravings. Open weekly from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. – rain or shine – the market will again be located at the municipal complex (1033 Weldon Road, Oak Ridge).
Fresh local products are provided by the following vendors: The Feisty Pepper, Sparta Mountain Farms, Corbett’s Cookie Bar Kitchen, Jersey Pickles, Olsen’s Honey and Spice Farm, and Escentually Natural. Produce will be offered in accordance with the growing season, with samples often available.
Live music on opening day will be provided by singer, songwriter, and guitarist Jeiris Cook, a regular performer at the Table 42 restaurant in Dover.
Organizer Tom Galfo, owner of The Feisty Pepper, told The Jefferson Chronicle that the market is a nonprofit enterprise established to provide for the community. “It promotes healthy living,” said Galfo. “People can breathe fresh air while shopping for wholesome products, and the market is family friendly.”
Galfo was recently appointed to the Morris County Agriculture Development Board, which is charged with preserving farmland in the county and helping its farmers. He stressed that the market will survive only with strong support from the community. “More vendors will participate if more people attend,” he explained. “We are a young organization, and we need community support to grow.”
Township officials have been very helpful in getting over the hurdles required to establish the new venture, noted Galfo, who volunteers his time to run the market. Nominal fees charged to vendors are recycled back into promotion, including signs and entertainment, and used to cover other expenses. Vendors interested in participating should contact Galfo at TheFeistypepper@gmail.com or 973-919-5657.
The farmers market will be open every Sunday through October 28. In addition, holiday markets will be set up for the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons.
