Cherry Hill Sun

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  • Six arrested in child sexual abuse case

    A half-dozen South Jersey men were arrested in June for crimes related to child sexual abuse material (CSAM), reported Camden County Prosecutor Grace C. MacAulay.

    Paul Adcock, 51, of Franklinville; Ronald Aron, 23, of Oaklyn; Robert Cormier, 50, of Cherry Hill; Nicholas Dean, 30, of Bellmawr; Michael Howard, 30, of Pine Hill and Joel Valdez, 24, of Camden have been charged with possession of Child Sex Abuse Material (SAM).

    Adcock was also charged with three counts of endangering the welfare of a child and related charges after the Haddon Township Police Department received multiple complaints on June 10 and 11 that a suspicious male driving a black Honda – later identified as Adcock – was following children as they walked home from school. A forensic search of his cell phone found CSAM, police said. Adcock has been remanded to the Camden County Correctional Facility.

    Aron was arrested and charged on June 11 with distribution of CSAM after a tip led detectives to a Snapchat account used to possess and distribute the material. Detectives identified Aron as the account’s user, and a forensic search of his cell phone also produced CSAM. He is also being held at the county correctional facility.

    Cormier has been charged with distribution of CSAM and firearms possession, as well as other charges. A cyber tip led detectives to Snapchat and Google email accounts used to possess and distribute CSAM that identified Cormier as the user. He was arrested in Barrington on June 13 after briefly barricading himself in a residence.

    A search of Cormier’s Cherry Hill residence – where he also ran a government contracting business – yielded firearms, large-capacity magazines, bomb-making materials and suspected crystal methamphetamine, according to the prosecutor. Detectives also located a bomb disposal robot belonging to the U.S. Navy. Cormier is also being held at the county correctional facility.


    Dean was charged on June 3 with distribution of CSAM and other crimes after a cyber tip led detectives to a KIK account and cell phone used by him to possess and distribute the material. He was arrested in Bellmawr and also remanded to the Camden County Correctional Facility.

    Howard was charged on May 8 with possession of CSAM after detectives found a Dropbox account of his used to possess the material. He was arrested in Pine Hill on June 12 is being held at the county correctional facility.


    Valdez was arrested and charged on June 3 with distribution of CSAM and related charges after a tip led detectives to a cell phone and a WhatsApp account used to possess and distribute the material that identified him as the user. He was arrested in Camden and remanded to the correctional facility.

  • Two, three, four: Social dancing at the library

    Abigail Twiford/ The Sun
    Nina Rubinstein and Tony Castro demonstrate the proper posture for the rumba at a library social dance session on July 15.

    The beats heard on July 15 at the township library came from the first of three planned summer social dance nights there.

    Participants were encouraged to come out whether or not they had a dance partner; they would be matched with other solo attendees for social dancing with groups or partners in an informal setting. Instructors Tony Castro and Nina Rubinstein taught the night’s dance: the rumba.

    Jasmine Riel is the teen librarian, but she organized the adult dancing and asked Castro, her uncle, to teach the session with Rubinstein.

    “They social dance all the time …” Riel said of the duo. “What’s great about having it here is that it is free for everybody to attend, whereas in a lot of other places, it might cost money and it’s a commitment … Here, what’s kind of great about a lot of the instructional programs, whether it’s a dancing program or crafting program, is that it’s a much more informal learning setting.

    “You can get your feet wet, you can try something new.”

    Participants split themselves into two groups of leaders and followers; two partners can’t do both. Before practicing the rumba, Castro and Rubinstein encouraged the dancers to listen to the music before moving. They then partnered up with the person across from them to begin practice. 

    Besides teaching the dance moves themselves, Castro and Rubinstein offered tips on what would make partner dancing easier, such as finding a connection between two people and keeping a relaxed frame to feel the movement of the lead dancer. 

    “Don’t worry too much about the steps, because the steps follow,” Castro explained. “If your posture and your mechanics are not right, then the steps are going to be either difficult or it’s not going to be correct. And once it’s not correct, your partner will sense that, and both of you will be lost.”

    He and Rubinstein demonstrated how leaders should turn their partners for part of the rumba where two people no longer hold each other by both arms, but one. They emphasized the importance of communication and trust between partners, even asking the followers to practice closing their eyes so they could be led by their partners.

    “Based on the conversation I had with most of the attendees,” Castro reported, “everybody was happy. And a couple of ladies said, ‘This is the first time I danced with my husband, and we didn’t argue about it.’”

    What Castro and Rubinstein emphasized most about social dancing was that it is supposed to be fun. They told students no to worry too much about making the wrong moves, but to focus on enjoying the dance itself.

    “I was really excited,” Rubinstein said, “because everyone was excited, and everyone came here just to have fun.”

  • Cherry Hill Calendar

    Wednesdays

    Barclay Farmstead public tours Noon to 4 p.m. Barclay Farmstead, 209 Barclay Lane (off West Gate Drive). For more information, visit Barclay Farmstead: A Living History Museum | Cherry Hill Township, NJ. 

    July 23 to 30 

    Happenings at the Cherry Hill library at 1100 Kings Highway North. For more information, call (856) 667-0300 or email info@chplnj.org. 

    All Summer- Library Closed on Sundays

    July 23 – 10 to 10:30 a.m. – We’re Going on a StoryWalk!

    July 23 – 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. – Keep Yourself Safe Online

    July 23 – 2 to 4 p.m. – Paint (by number) Party!

    July 23 – 6 to 8 p.m. – Healing Art For A Hero’s Heart

    July 24 – 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. – Introduction to Google Translate

    July 24 – 3 to 4 p.m. – Little Artists: Matisse

    July 24 – 7 to 8 p.m. – CHPL Teens on Twitch

    July 25 – 10 to 10:30 a.m. – Pop-up Storytime

    July 25 – 2 to 4 p.m. – Lego Challenge!

    July 26 – 11 a.m. to noon – Meditation for Beginners

    July 26 – 2:30 to 4 p.m. – Crafternoon: Melted Crayon Art

    July 28 to Aug. 2 – Childhelp Awareness Backpack Drive

    July 28 – 3 to 4 p.m. – Crafternoon: Painted Glass Jar Lanterns

    July 29 – 2 to 3:30 p.m. – Needlework Meetup

    July 29 – 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. – Summer Social Dance Night!

    July 29 – 7 to 8:30 p.m. – Online Genealogy Tools at Cherry Hill Public Library 

    July 30 – 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. – Buying a New PC: What You Need to Know

    July 30 – 6 to 7:30 p.m. – Outside Crafter Hours: Squirt Gun Painting.

    Camden County events

    For more information visit www.camdencounty.com.

    July 23 – 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Comic Art with Ryan Brady, Anthony P. Infanti Bellmawr Branch, 35 East Browning Rd., Bellmawr

    July 23 – 9 to 10 a.m. – Morning Yoga, Cooper River Park, 5300 North Park Drive, Pennsauken.

    July 23 – 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. – Senior Line Dancing Classes, Wayne Bryant Community Center, 323 E. Charleston Ave., Lawnside

    July 23 – 7:30 to 11 p.m. – The Moody Blues’ John Lodge, Scottish Rite Auditorium, 315 White Horse Pike, Collingswood

    July 24 – 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Superhero Story & It’s a Great BIG, Really Small World, M. Allan Vogelson Regional Branch Library: Voorhees 203 Laurel Road, Voorhees

    July 24 – 9 to 10:30 a.m. – Trail Buds, Camden County Environmental Center 1301 Park Blvd, Cherry Hill

    July 24 – 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. – Senior Line Dancing Classes, Carol Norcross Senior Center 512 Lakeland Road, Blackwood

    July 24 – 5 to 6 p.m. – disABILITIES Boxing Class, TKO Fitness 1615 Kings Highway North, Cherry Hill

    July 25 – 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. – Cardio on the Cooper, Cooper River Park 5300 North Park Drive, Pennsauken.

    July 25 – 9 a.m. to noon – Parks & Rec Regrow,  Camden County Environmental Center 1301 Park Blvd, Cherry Hill

    July 25 – noon to 1:30 p.m. – Virtual Crisis Response Training Series, Virtual Event.

    July 25 – 5 to 8 p.m. – Camden County Police Summer Fun Nights,  Alberta Woods Park 29th & Fremont Ave, Camden.

    July 25 – 7:30 to 11 p.m. – Ryans Unplugged Entertainment / Moana 2,  Lindenwold Park 1000 United States Ave, Lindenwold.

    July 26 – 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Mlanjeni Magical Theater Storytelling,  Anthony P. Infanti Bellmawr Branch 35 East Browning Rd., Bellmawr

    July 27 – 2 to 3 p.m. – Together in Song,  Virtual Event

    July 28 – 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Magic Shows with Brian Richards,  Merchantville Public Library 130 S Center St, Merchantville

    July 28 – 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Comic Art with Ryan Brady,  William G. Rohrer Memorial Library – Haddon Twp Branch: Haddon 15 MacArthur Blvd., Westmont

    July 28 – 6 to 7 p.m. – Mindful Monday Yoga,  Cooper River Park 5300 North Park Drive, Pennsauken

    July 28 – 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. – disABILITIES Dance Class,  Camden County Environmental Center 1301 Park Blvd, Cherry Hill

    July 28 – 8 to 10 p.m. – Dumpstaphunk: Sunset Jazz Series,  Wiggins Park 2 Riverside Drive, Camden

    July 29 – 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Musical Instrument Petting Zoos with Keep Music Alive,  South County Regional Branch Library 35 Cooper Folly Road, Atco

    July 29 – 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Rock & Rhyme with Mr. Jon and Friends,  Anthony P. Infanti Bellmawr Branch 35 East Browning Rd., Bellmawr

    July 29 – 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Rock & Rhyme with Mr. Jon and Friends,  M. Allan Vogelson Regional Branch Library: Voorhees 203 Laurel Road, Voorhees

    July 29 – 9 to 10:30 a.m. – Summer Sprouts,  Camden County Environmental Center 1301 Park Blvd, Cherry Hill

    July 29 – 10 to 11 a.m. – Strengthening Community Wellness Training Series,  Virtual Event

    July 29 –  6:30 to 7:30 p.m. – Zumba,  Cooper River Park 5300 North Park Drive, Pennsauken

    July 29 – 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. – disABILITIES Fun with Fitness,  Camden County Environmental Center 1301 Park Blvd, Cherry Hill

    July 30 – 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Rock & Rhyme with Mr. Jon and Friends,  Gloucester Twp-Blackwood Rotary Public Library 15 S. Black Horse Pike, Blackwood

    July 30 – 9 to 10:30 a.m. – Morning Yoga,  Cooper River Park 5300 North Park Drive, Pennsauken

    July 30 – 6 to 7:30 p.m. – R.E.A.L Sports Golf,  Camden County Driving Range 8001 S Crescent Blvd, Pennsauken 

    July 30 – 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. – Bob Mould / plus Maria Mirenzi: Sundown Music Series,  Haddon Lake Park Hillside and South Park Avenue, Haddon Heights

    Wednesday, July 23

    Wellness Walk 9 to 10 a.m. at Cherry Hill Mall. 

    Thursday, July 24

    Rent Review Board Meeting 6 to 10:30 p.m. at N. John Amato Council Chambers and via Zoom.

    Friday, July 25

    Pop Up Story Time 10 to 10:30 a.m. at Croft Farms

    Saturday, July 26

    Hook, Line and Community 8 to 10 a.m. at Croft Farms.

    Monday, July 28

    Township Council Meeting 7 to 9:30 p.m. at  N. John Amato Council Chambers and via Zoom.

    Tuesday, July 29

    Music Under the Stars: American Soul Brand 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Barclay Farmstead

  • Library hosts Bingo with a Disney twist

    Abigail Twiford/The Sun
    Library teen volunteer Jake Chan (standing) checks a Bingo card while teen librarian Jasmine Riel (right) talks with the players.

    In order to keep kids and teens occupied during the summer, the township library hosts several weekly events aimed at children and teenagers.

    One of them was Disney Bingo on July 9, an activity open to students in grade six through 12. 

    “Some things only middle schoolers are interested in, or there are some things that only high schoolers are interested in, but I do find that Disney, across the board, is a pretty loved theme or topic that kids and teens just love in general,” said teen librarian Jasmine Riel.

    Bingo was broken into two rounds with cards that had the titles of Disney and Pixar movies in each square. The library version of the game also involved trivia. Instead of just movie titles called out to the players, they got a clue from which they figured out a title.

    “I wanted to do Bingo to give away prizes,” Riel noted. “Giving away prizes is always fun. But also I wanted to make it a little bit more tricky. So instead of just obviously saying the movies and having them cross it out, I did hints. So I kind of made them use their brain a little bit.” 

    Clues included clips from Disney songs, movie stills, scrambled titles, character silhouettes, fill-in-the-blank letters and movie plots described in haikus or emojis. 

    “I like testing their knowledge,” Riel explained, “but also like the feeling of success when they’re like, ‘Yes, I know that one. Oh, but I don’t have it.’ There’s just a lot of emotions that kind of erupt throughout the program, which makes it more of a fun experience, an interesting experience.” 

    A mix of old and newer Disney films was selected for answers, so players would be challenged but also have the ability to find answers for films more familiar to them. When one of the players got Bingo, teen library volunteers would read their answers. 

    Jake Chan was one of them.

    “It went great as always, with Jasmine running it,” he noted. “It was a good time; I had a good time. I was one off from Bingo. But, you know, it’s how the cookie crumbles. But looks like everyone had a good time, and that’s what matters.”

    Two bins contained one prize each for tiers one and two. Tier-one prizes were larger items wrapped in red paper and gold ribbons to surprise the winners. Tier-two prizes included Disney-themed pens and multi-colored hair bows with Mickey or Minnie ears attached, all unwrapped so winners could choose based on their preferences.

    Six tier-one prizes were opened at the completion of the second Bingo round: a water bottle with Stitch from “Lilo and Stitch”; a Winnie the Pooh figural night light; a “Toy Story” mug; a Mickey Mouse Funko Pop; a three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle of Tigger from “Winnie the Pooh”; and an adventure book, a blank replica of the scrapbook made by the characters in “Up.”

    Bingo winners could use them for their own memories and photos.

  • Book sale raises funds for library

    Abigail Twiford/The Sun
    Shoppers look over choices at one of six days of sales this month, all sponsored by the Friends of the Cherry Hill Public Library.

    The Friends of the Cherry Hill Public Library recently hosted six days of book sales that began on July 7 and raised funds for the facility.

    The Friends also supports the library – and itself – through donations, volunteer services and memberships. But the largest fundraisers are the library’s annual book sales.

    Tierney Miller is the library director.

    “We’re really appreciative of the Friends of the Library,” she said. “There’s so many great volunteers that we have … It (the sale) is really a joint effort. The volunteers from the Friends do all the sorting all year long, so that we can have these sales, and then they do so much work to help the sale get off the ground in conjunction with the staff.” 

    The book sales are held three times a year, one each in spring, summer and fall. Most items for the July sales were donations collected by the Friends, though some of the titles were among those removed from circulation, usually because there are more copies than necessary. 

    The Friends collects and sorts donations of books, audiobooks, CDs and DVDs that are set up for shoppers on the lower level of the library. Friends’ members got early access to the July sales on the first two days.

    “The sale is going wonderfully,” noted Marlyn Calitan, president of the Friends of the Library, “and we really appreciate the township putting their effort behind it and coming out and buying our books.” 

    Books for adults from all genres – fiction, cookbooks and nonfiction, among others – were set up in the conference center, CDs and DVDs were on the lower level and children’s books were placed in the Joyce Alexander Walker Multicultural Room. 

    “The materials are a really, really diverse array of things,” Miller pointed out. “We have tons of music CDs … everything from ’80s pop to classical music to modern, newer things. And the books, just all night, I’ve seen people coming up with brand new hardcovers, and then a book that might be decades old.” 

    Library staff and volunteers from the Friends worked the sale, helping customers by holding large piles of books at the checkout table, counting the items and assisting them with loading shopping bag books. While donations had been collected throughout the year, they continued to arrive at the library during the sale.

    Rob Schumacher is a member of the Friends and one of the volunteers who worked the sale.

    “Once that book sale sign goes out in front,” he said, “cars just pull up in the back with more donations of books. We appreciate that as well.” 

    The next book sale will be held from Nov. 11 through Nov. 16.

  • Rain doesn’t get in the way of township fireworks

    Photos by Abigail Twiford/The Sun
    The annual township celebration of July 4 is planned about a year in advance, according to Mayor Dave Fleisher.

    Cherry Hill held its 4th of July celebration one day early – with some rain delays – at the Jonas C. Morris Stadium at West High.

    Though gates were originally supposed to open at 7 p.m., weather conditions caused a 30-minute delay. Updates were posted on the township Facebook page, with assurances that the show would go on regardless of rain. 

    Mayor Dave Fleisher was involved with the event’s planning and decision-making.

    “We start months in advance, really a full year in advance, pulling together elements that create, hopefully, an unforgettable night for our residents,” he said. “So that involves the fireworks display itself, food trucks, live music, the DJ and coordinating all the resources and volunteers to make it happen.” 

    Volunteers were stationed throughout the stadium – including at the front gates – to make sure minors were accompanied by adults and to answer any questions. The township police and fire departments were on the stadium field.

    A stage was set up across that field from the entrance gate, where a DJ played music. The Cherry Hill Education Foundation had several booths at the stadium for sales of raffle tickets, snacks, candy, water and Gatorade that benefit district schools.

    Jon Cohen is the the foundation’s president.

    “It’s a great turnout,” he enthused. “People still stayed even though the weather is pretty bad … All the money that we raise goes right back to the classrooms. Most of it is to improve the classrooms for the teachers, money that the budget can’t cover, so we’re an all-volunteer group just trying to raise money to help teachers.”

    Families and individuals set up camping chairs and blankets at the stadium or sat directly on the turf to wait for the fireworks. Some residents were adorned for the occasion, wearing everything from suits covered in stars and stripes to hats with American flags on top to Captain America T-shirts. Children could play within netting on either side of the field that kept the public away from the fireworks staging area. 

    About an hour after the gates opened, the wind started to pick up and the rain returned. Some attendees ran to their cars or to the treeline near the field for cover.

    “The rain was a little bit surprising, but I’m just glad that they’re going to be able to put the fireworks on,” said Mullica Hill resident Sarah Shockey.”I love watching fireworks, and for me personally, I’m not going to be able to see any on July 4. So this is going to be really cool to get to experience it as a little pre-game to Independence Day.”

    The rain slowed as a live band began to play and the national anthem was sung. But it picked up again shortly after, and an announcement came for attendees to return to their cars to watch the fireworks. 

    “Mother Nature gave us a run for the money this year, but it ended up being a huge success,” Fleisher observed. “The residents’ feedback has been very positive. Residents have really, really enjoyed the show this year.

    “They didn’t let a little bit of rain get in the way of that.” 

    Rain returned in time for the start of fireworks at 9 p.m., so they were delayed to about an hour later, when it left. People watched from their cars or got out to sit in parking lots, but the show went on.

  • Township’s new Roy Rogers gives $500 to library

    Years after its heyday in South Jersey and around the country, a new Roy Rogers restaurant opened to anxious crowds in Cherry Hill on June 25.

    Lines wrapped around the front of the building and overflowed onto the right lane of Haddonfield Road, where fans eagerly awaited their burgers, fries and chicken tenders. The restaurant hosted a ribbon cutting at 10 a.m. and opened to the public half an hour later.

    The ribbon cutting incuded remarks from company officials and a welcome from Mayor Dave Fleisher, along with an American flag raised by the JROTC during the singing of the national anthem. The Roy Rogers company then presented the township library a check for $500, a donation to the community it left in the 1990s, according to the company itself. 

    Hope Holroyd is the library’s public relations and marketing coordinator.

    “They had contacted us a few months ago, saying that the opening was coming up,” she recounted. “They were starting to work on their advertising and marketing for it. And then, as part of the opening, they just wanted to provide a local donation and they reached out to us first.”

    The library was the only local recipient of a donation from the fast-food chain, and members of its staff and the Friends of the Library organization attended the opening to accept the restaurant’s check. Also there were library leaders Tierney Miller, director; chief of operations Jennie Purcell; board of trustees member Kathy Judge; and Friends of the Library president Marlyn Kalitan.

    The fast-food company’s ceremonial check featured a giant company logo and background drawings featuring the hat of Roy Rogers and a cactus. The chain was founded in 1968 and named for Rogers, a cowboy movie actor and singer.

    “It was hot, but it was really fun to see everybody come out,” Holroyd noted of the restaurant opening. “The community was really excited, and that’s one thing we were excited to see, the amount of people who were just lined up and excited for the food and cheered us on for getting the donation.” 

    In addition to the monetary contribution, the company also gave the library prizes for its children’s summer reading program, including wooden tokens that can be exchanged for free ice cream with a purchase and achievement certificates acknowledging a child’s success in maintaining reading skills during the academic off-season.

    “It was just a really nice welcome back to the town and everything,” Holroyd noted, “because they hadn’t had a restaurant in town for a really long time.”

  • ‘I definitely like it all’

    Ccourtesy of Pretty Poison
    When asked what she prefers – live appearances or writing and recording – Pretty Poison’s Jade Starling said she “loves it all.”

    The ’80s may be over, but Pretty Poison’s career isn’t.

    The Cherry Hill-based dance-pop group – known for its 1987 hit “Catch Me (I’m Falling)” – continues to tour and release new music, acquiring new generations of fans in the process.

    The group’s latest single, “Freedom,” is a fresh, house-music reworking of its 1987 recording, “Let Freedom Ring,” that listeners can hear on their favorite streaming services.

    For Jade Starling, the crimson-haired siren of Pretty Poison, “Freedom” couldn’t be more relevant.

    “The song delivers a message of love and unity,” she explained, “and we’re in a time where we need songs that bring us together, not tear us apart.”

    To that end, Pretty Poison is known for its loyal advocacy of the LGBTQ community and regularly performs at Pride celebrations.

    “(The LGBTQ community) have followed us and supported us for years,” noted Starling, “because they know we have that message of acceptance and non-judgment.”

    In addition to “Freedom,” Pretty Poison has released a holiday song, “Alone at Christmas.”

    When the band was formed, it was not a dance-music outfit.

    “We were influenced by the early Pretenders, Blondie to a certain extent, and the artists of the time, like Pat Benatar,” said Whey Cooler, Pretty Poison’s founder, keyboardist and co-songwriter with Starling.

    Cooler, however, soon became inspired by the synth pop coming out of England. He bought two drum machines, and, gradually, Starling and Cooler’s vision of the band’s sound became more rhythmic and syncopated.

    Pretty Poison’s breakout single, “Nightime,” was released by Svengali Records in 1984 and re-released on Virgin Records in 1988.

    “We were embraced by Power 99, which was still a relatively open-formatted station,” Cooler recalled. “They liked that our music fit their format.”

    That was followed three years later by what would be the group’s signature song, “Catch Me (I’m Falling),” ultimately released on Virgin Records, with its video used to promote the 1987 Jon Cryer film, “Hiding Out.” Cooler and Starling had no idea the song would become such a sensation.

    “I had the song on a cassette in my pocket,” Cooler remembered. “We wrote it for somebody else.”

    “We never thought that this little song would make so much noise and become the iconic song that it is today,” Starling remarked.

    “Catch Me” was a massive success, making it to No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Club Dance Play chart and peaking at No. 8 on the music trade magazine’s Hot 100 chart. It remained in the Top 40 for 14 weeks.

    Its popularity led Pretty Poison to appearances on “American Bandstand,” “Soul Train,” “Solid Gold,” “The Arsenio Hall Show” and “Top of the Pops.” Along with “Nightime,” “Catch Me” also became a prime example of the freestyle dance movement of the 1980s, a high energy, Latin-infused type of electronic dance music associated with groups and singers such as Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam, Stevie B, The Cover Girls, Expose and Shannon.

    According to Cooler, “Catch Me (I’m Falling)” has been used in 32 major films and television shows – most recently the MTV series, “The Challenge,” and an episode of last season’s “Will Trent” on ABC – and he plans more inclusions of the song.

    Today, Pretty Poison shows no signs of slowing down: Band members continue to perform and unleash new music at a prodigious rate. When asked what she prefers – live appearances or writing and recording – Starling doesn’t hesitate to answer.

    “I definitely like it all,” she said.

    “We split the time between touring and recording,” Starling pointed out. “Actually, we’ve had a pretty full schedule this year, and I’m grateful that our schedule allows us to have time to record, to write, and to be out there, touring and performing.”

    For more information about Pretty Poison,visit the www.prettypoisonmusic.com website.

  • Library occupies teens with after-hours programs

    Summer at the township library can be appealing to teens and young adults, who have more time to read and participate in activities outside school extracurriculars.

    Among the offerings they’re attracted to is the library’s after-hours programs, held about three to four times a year.

    “They’re really special because they’re after the library’s closed,” explained Jasmine Riel, teen services librarian, of the programs. “It’s just us and a couple staff members and it creates a very unique experience for them in the library.”

    While some of the programs are planned by Riel, most are created and planned by the library’s teen advisory board, an exclusive group of volunteers who have to apply and interview for their place on the board. The most recent after-hours program, on June 27, was a themed escape room planned by member Amelia Siegel with a certain movie in mind. 

    “She came up with it entirely herself,” Riel noted. “So she planned it. She wanted to do it. She said to me, ‘Jasmine, I want to do the next after-hours program and I want it to be “Hunger Games” themed …’ So she planned everything herself.” 

    The escape room was originally planned for April, but put off because of construction on the library’s upper level, where the children and teen sections are located. Riel worked on finding the June date so the teens didn’t have to wait for fall.

    “We knew the ‘Hunger Games’ would be a big hit,” Riel noted, “especially with the new movie coming out (in 2026). And especially over the summer, when teens and kids have more time to read, the most popular series, like ‘The Hunger Games,’ ‘Twilight’ and stuff like that tend to be checked out all the time.” 

    Inspired by Suzanne Collins’ “Hunger Games” books, the escape room had a variety of puzzles with answers that involved trivia and knowledge from the novels. If accurate, each answer gave the two teams a new clue. 

    “We know teens love those books,” Riel pointed out. “So it’s pretty easy to create an escape room that will hook them and make them want to come.”

    After completing a puzzle, the teams found a volunteer to check their answers so they could get clues for the next one. Puzzles included searches of words and names inspired by the industries in the “Hunger Games” series.

    “She (Siegel) designed it in a way so that they had to complete as many of the puzzles around the library as possible to be able,” Riel said, “to get the most clues to be able to solve the final puzzle.”

    Siegel tested her escape room with friends in advance to ensure its difficulty level was appropriate and that it would engage participants. Riel had prizes ready for the participants at the end, including necklaces and stickers inspired by “The Hunger Games.”

    Riel emphasized the importance of and impact of teens planning their own programs.

    “It’s different when a teen runs a program for teens, as opposed to me as an adult running a program for teens …” she observed. “There is a very special connection between a teen leader and teen participants that I really try to embrace and create opportunities for that kind of special connection as much as possible,”  

    The next after-hours program will take place in August and be themed around the movie “Night at the Museum.”