Cherry Hill Sun

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  • Council meeting focuses on new grants

    Township council held its meeting of the month on June 9, when several grants were formally accepted into the fiscal year 2025 municipal budget. 

    One of them is a $70,000 Age Friendly grant from the state that would give the township money to support programs benefitting seniors and creating a more age-friendly community. Another state grant of $196,556 in clean community funding will be used for programs that support the cleanup of litter, education on the environment and community beautification. 

    Other resolutions passed at the meeting included a resolution for the purchase of office supplies, bottled water and cooler rentals from WB Mason Company that is not to exceed $40,000, and a resolution for heating and hot-water pump replacement at the library.

    Another resolution authorized an increase in the contract amount for 2024 road maintenance programs of $1,985,163, bringing the total contract value to $12,498,476. The increase was necessary to revise the quantities of line items and include additional streets not originally included in the contract details. 

    Mayor Dave Fleisher gave opening remarks upon moving from the caucus meeting to the public meeting in council chambers, specifically making mention of the township’s trail maintenance programs.

    “We’re fortunate to have such a dedicated group of trail ambassadors who often perform routine trail maintenance or lead small work groups to accomplish the improvement of many projects,” he said. 

    He also mentioned the commemoration of Pride Month and the upcoming Juneteenth celebration’s parade and festival at Croft Farm, as well as the Independence Day celebration that will take place at Cherry Hill High School West.

    “Our diversity is one of the things that makes Cherry Hill special,” noted Fleisher, who requested volunteers for Independence Day and Juneteenth.

    Public comments included residents thanking the township and council for repaving on roads in their communities, concerns about antisemitism and issues with road work that blocked access to a polling place on Primary Election Day.  

    When it came time for council members to give their own remarks, each commented on something important happening in the township. Councilwoman Sangeeta Doshi echoed Fleisher’s gratitude for the work done on National Trails Day.

    “I also wanted to say thank you to the environmental board and to all the volunteers that came out on Saturday for National Trails Day, for all their hard work,” Doshi said.

    Councilwoman Jill Hulnick thanked school district teachers and administrators for their hard work over the past academic year, and urged drivers in the township to slow down and drive carefully in school zones.

    Courtesy of the Cherry Hill Township Facebook page

  • Cherry Hill Calendar

    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. 

    June 18-25

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

    Through June 28 – School Supply Drive.

    June 18 – 10:15-11:15 a.m. – Friends of the Library Meeting.

    June 18 – 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. – Microsoft Excel for Beginners.

    June 18 – 10:30-11 a.m. – Tales for Twos

    June 18 – 7-8 p.m. – A Book Talk with Howard Megdal: Becoming Caitlin Clark: The Unknown Origin Story of a Modern Basketball Superstar.

    June 18 – 7-8:30 p.m. – Novel Writing 101: 10-Week Series. 

    June 19 – 10:30 a.m. to noon – Community Conversations: Introduction to Retirement Planning.

    June 19 – 10:30-11 a.m. – Story Time: Color Our World.

    June 19 – 2-4 p.m. – Must Watch Documentary: Will and Harper.

    June 20 – All Day – Library Closed for Juneteenth.

    June 21 – 10:15-11:15 a.m. – Yoga for Everyone.

    June 21 – 1:30-3:30 p.m. – Artist Reception: Giraffes and Gems on a Bumpy Road.

    June 21 – 2-4 p.m. – Zentangle Mandalas.

    June 22 – All Day – Library Closed.

    June 23 – 10:30-11 a.m. – Tummy Time Art.

    June 23 – 3-4 p.m. – Crafternoon: Tote Bag Painting.

    June 23 – 6:30-7:15 p.m. – Eat the Rainbow.

    June 23 – 6:30-7:30 p.m. – Tai Chi Chih Monday.

    June 24 – 10:30 a.m. to noon – Using Your iPhone/ iPad: Latest Features of iOS 18: Part 3.

    June 24 – 2-3:30 p.m. – Needlework Meetup.

    June 24 – 3:30-4:30 p.m. – Crayon Recycling Art.

    June 24 – 6:30-8 p.m. – Documentary: Whisper from the Forgotten.

    June 24 – 7-8 p.m. – Drone Photography.

    June 24 – 7-8 p.m. – Teens Cook: Smoothie Bowls.

    June 25 – 10-10:30 a.m. – We’re Going on a StoryWalk!

    June 25 – 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. – Backup Your PC: Protect Your Information.

    June 25 – 7-8:30 p.m. – Feminist Book Club: Leaving Isn’t the Hardest Thing: Essays by Lauren Hough.

    June 25 –  7-8:30 p.m. – Novel Writing 101: 10-Week Series. 

    Camden County events

    For more information visit www.camdencounty.com.

    June 18 – 9-10 a.m. – Morning Yoga, Cooper River Park, 5300 North Park Drive, Pennsauken.

    June 18 – 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. – Camden Strong Clean Up, KIPP Lanning Square, 525 Clinton St., Camden. 

    June 18 – 10:30-11:30 a.m. – Senior Line Dancing Classes, Wayne Bryant Community Center, 323 E. Charleston Ave., Lawnside.

    June 18 – 6-7:30 p.m. – R.E.A.L Sports Golf, Camden County Driving Range, 8001 Couth Crescent Blvd., Pennsauken.

    June 18 – 7:30-11 p.m. – Start Making Sense: A Tribute to Talking Heads/ plus Lena Fine: Sundown Music Series, Haddon Lake Park, Hillside and South Park Ave., Haddon Heights.

    June 19 – 9-10:30 a.m. – Trail Buds, Camden County Environmental Center, 1301 Park Blvd., Cherry Hill.

    June 19 – noon to 1 p.m. – Board of Commissioners Meeting, Camden City Hall, 6th Floor 520 Market St., Camden.

    June 19 – 4:30-9 p.m. – Juneteenth Celebration, Roosevelt Plaza Park, 12-98 5th St., Camden.

    June 19 – 6-7 p.m. – Afternoon Yoga, Cooper River Park, 5300 North Park Drive, Pennsauken.

    June 19 – 6:30-7:30 p.m. – disABILITIES Bocce Ball, Camden County Environmental Center, 1301 Park Blvd., Cherry Hill.

    June 20 – 9 a.m. to noon – Parks & Rec Regrow, Camden County Environmental Center, 1301 Park Blvd., Cherry Hill.

    June 20 – 4-10 p.m. – 8th Annual Summer Solstice Music Festival, Haddon Ave,. Westmont.

    June 20 – 5:30-8:30 p.m. – Barking Lot Sips & Beverages, Animal Welfare Association, 509 Centennial Blvd., Voorhees.

    June 20 – 7:30-11 p.m. – Doc Rocko’s Madcap Science/ Dog Man, Lindenwold Park, 1000 United States Ave., Lindenwold.

    June 21 – 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. – 2025 Paper Shredding Event, Woodcrest Patco Station, 200 Tindale Drive, Cherry Hill.

    June 21 – 10 a.m. to noon – Clementon Stream Cleanup, Clementon Park, 144 Berlin Road, Clementon.

    June 21 – 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. – Cherry Hill Juneteenth Parade and Festival, Croft Farm, 100 Bortons Mill Road, Cherry Hill.

    June 21 – 1-4 p.m. – Freedom Day Celebration, Connolly Park, 605 Centennial Blvd., Voorhees.

    June 21 – 1-4 p.m. – Freedom Day, Veterans Park, 1261 Chews Landing Road, Gloucester Township.

    June 21 – 6-10 p.m. – Motown Revue Featuring Rheel Menn, New Brooklyn Park, Sicklerville.

    June 22 – 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Collingswood Juneteenth: Unity in the Community Day, Haddon and Irvin avenues, Collingswood.

    June 23 – 6-7 p.m. – Mindful Monday Yoga, Cooper River Park, 5300 North Park Drive, Pennsauken.

    June 23 – 6:30-7:30 p.m. disABILITIES Dance Class, Camden County Environmental Center, 1301 Park Blvd., Cherry Hill.

    June 23 – 8-11 p.m. – Julian Marley & The Uprising: Sunset Jazz Series, Wiggins Park, 2 Riverside Drive, Camden.

    June 24 – 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Museum of the American Revolution Presents: Spies of the Revolution, Merchantville Public Library, 130 S. Center St., Merchantville.

    June 24 – 9-10:30 a.m. – Summer Sprouts, Camden County Environmental Center, 1301 Park Blvd., Cherry Hill.

    June 24 – 1-2 p.m. – Tai Chi for Seniors, Wayne Bryant Community Center, 323 E. Charleston Ave., Lawnside.

    June 24 – 6:30-7:30 p.m. – Zumba, Cooper River Park, 5300 North Park Drive, Pennsauken.

    June 24 – 6:30-7:30 p.m. – disABILITIES Fun with Fitness, Camden County Environmental Center, 1301 Park Blvd., Cherry Hill.

    June 25 – 9-10 a.m. – Morning Yoga, Cooper River Park, 5300 North Park Drive, Pennsauken.

    June 25 – 9-10 a.m. – Kid Kapers: One Man Circus, Haddon Lake Park, Hillside and South Park Ave., Haddon Heights.

    June 25 – 9 a.m. to noon – Camden County Alzheimer’s Caregiver Symposium, Camden County Office of Sustainability, 508 Lakeland Road, Blackwood.

    June 25 – noon to 2 p.m. – Billiards & Bowling for Seniors, 30 Strikes Lanes, 501 White Horse Pike South, Stratford.

    June 25 – 6-7:30 p.m. – R.E.A.L Sports Golf, Camden County Driving Range, 8001 Couth Crescent Blvd., Pennsauken. 

    Wednesday, June 18 

    Zoning Board of Adjustment meeting 7:30 p.m. via Zoom. 

    Thursday, June 19

    Board of Fire Commissioners regular meeting 7 to 9 p.m. at 1100 Marlkress Road.

    Saturday, June 21 

    Juneteenth Parade and Festival 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Croft Farm.

    Monday, June 23 

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

    Wednesday, June 25

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

  • ‘Treasure in Barclay’ hosts farmstead open house

    The Barclay Farmstead holds an open house on the first Sunday of every month to educate the community about its history and surrounding land.

    The house is more than two centuries old, built by Quaker farmer Joseph Thorn in 1816 on a 32-acre property. The site was originally 168 acres, but over the years, families who lived there sold off portions.

    The land and the farmhouse are now owned by the township, but the historical artifacts and furniture are owned by the Friends of the Barclay Farmstead, a volunteer-run nonprofit that promotes historic, educational and interpretive activities there. The organization has operated for 50 years with activities that promote the preservation and restoration of the farmstead, its outbuildings and grounds.

    The site also features preserved nature trails and community gardens to continue its legacy as a farm. Tours are free for Cherry Hill residents, children under 12 and members of the Friends. Non-residents are charged $5. Farmstead tours are also offered to all the fifth graders in the township, with volunteers dressed in historically accurate costumes that are also displayed throughout the home.

    Betty Eigenrauch is a member of the Friends and a volunteer who offered tours during the June open house. The monthly events are run by Friends’ volunteers who show the first and second floors of the main building, giving attendees insight into the lives of its former residents. 

    “These people were self-sufficient,” noted Eigenrauch, who gestured at the kitchen fireplace that served as a stove, with dishes, pans and a crane for hanging pots that could be pulled from the flame or pushed over it. “They grew all the food that they ate, for instance. So, the house has no kitchen sink, has no refrigerator.”

    The home’s kitchen fireplace holds a display of dishes, pots and pans that were used to cook over the open fire.

    Eigenrauch also explained the role of the parlor, where families of the past placed more expensive possessions like upholstered furniture and fancy dishware. The family room held handmade toys, wooden furniture and materials for making clothing. 

    The Thorns made their own clothing, using flax for anything close to the body like undergarments and bedsheets, and wood for outer garments.

    “The Quakers don’t believe in slavery or war or any of that,” Eigenrauch offered. ” … They boycotted cotton. So they only used flax and wool.”

    On the home’s second floor, multiple rooms are set up to display bedrooms from different time periods and owners. Dottie Sevast pointed out that the Thorn family would have made their mattresses and pillows by filling a large cloth sack made from flax with hay and placing it over ropes strung across a wooden bed frame. 

    She also described how the Thorns eventually left the property because they couldn’t make the mortgage payments. It was then purchased by the Coopers, a wealthy Quaker family from Camden. Their daughter, Ellen Champion, married Charles Barclay, thus the farmstead’s name. A replica of her wedding dress and one of her portraits is displayed in a bedroom.

    “Back then, they didn’t wear white for weddings and things,” Sevast said. “They wore whatever was their best outfit. This is a replica. We do have the original, but it’s packed away because the sun was damaging it.”

    Sevast also offered the back story on the last person to live in the house, Helen Champion Barclay. She never married or had children, so when she was ready to leave, she sold the home to the township so it could become a museum and remain a farm. 

    “We really have such a treasure here in Barclay,” Sevast offered. “I think the signs on Route 70 have sort of rusted out and things like that. It’s a shame people don’t know that it’s here.”

    Photos by Abigail Twiford
    The front of the Barclay farmhouse on June 1. The structure is more than two centuries old and occupies 32 acres.

  • Analyst predicts recession during library talk

    As society has adapted to a post-COVID world, the economy has been a major point of contention and anxiety. 

    To help Cherry Hill residents better understand the country’s financial issues, the library hosted a lecture on June 2 by Edward J. Dodson, a retired Fannie Mae financial analyst who dubbed his talk “The State of the U.S. Economy and Our Society.”

    Dodson, who is on the faculty of the Henry George School of Social Science and Temple University’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, but is not an economist, used his two hours to dive into current statistics that give greater insight into America’s financial challenges and how it impacts citizens.

    “I am not an economist, but I worked for Fannie Mae for 20 years, and my role there required me to do market analysis, and so I started out looking at the economy in a very narrow way based on the housing market,” said Dodson, explaining how he would create a quarterly analysis on the housing market for his work.

    Upon his retirement from Fannie Mae in 2005, Dodson began more extensive study for analysis subscribers, continuing until 2019, when he found he could no longer devote that much time and energy to the work. But with a new administration in the White House, he’s back to it.

    “What prompted me to pick it up again was the election of our current president,” he acknowledged, “because I felt we needed a snapshot of where we are as a society, where our economy is right now.”

    He explained that economic cycles come and go like clockwork in a curve that takes place over 18 to 18-and-a-half years. Dodson’s best guess on the current economy is that there will be a significant downturn.

    “I don’t want to scare you on this, but next year, we’re going to have a recession,” he noted. “It could be one of the worst we ever have. (It) depends a lot on what happens this year in terms of tax policy, in terms of other legislation, in terms of what happens with the tariffs and trade and in economics.”

    Dodson went on to describe issues the nation faces, including debt of $36 trillion; individual debt largely made up of mortgages and student loans; the need for infinite growth on a finite planet; and the rising cost of housing caused in part by private equity firms buying up properties.

    “If I’m a renter, I’m paying too much rent,” he pointed out. “I can’t save for a down payment, and I don’t have any parents who can come up with the money for my down payment. And so, if the … market crashes because prices are too high for first-time home buyers, then people who are in starter homes and having babies can’t move up. So so they’re stuck in that little house.”

    Dodson also described how some older adults are staying in larger houses rather than selling.

    “A lot of us who are retired are continuing to hold on to houses we don’t need,” he said. “We should be turning them over to the younger generation of adults with children.”

    Dodson also discussed unemployment and how big-box stores and mega-corporations are putting small owners out of business by using automation instead of human labor, at the expense of a healthy economy. 

    “Small businesses are the source of most new employment in the United States,” he observed. “So if Walmart puts out of business three local grocery stores, they’re not going to hire the same number of people that were employed by those three grocery stores.”

    Members of the library audience wanted to know what they should do to prepare for a possible recession. Dodson told them to get out of debt as best they can and accumulate at least six months of expenses in savings.

    “When all else fails,” he joked, “fill your basement up with canned goods.”

    Abigail Twiford/The Sun
    Edward Dodson, a retired Fannie Mae financial analyst, spoke in the township library’s conference room on June 2.

  • ‘A piece of the action’ caring for trails

    Photos by Abigail Twiford
    Cherry Hill Environmental Board members and volunteers gathered recently before making trail improvements at Croft Farm parklands.

    For 32 years, the American Hiking Society has held its annual National Trails Day across the country as a day of service for community pathways by participants who use and appreciate them and to promote conservation and hiking.

    Though the day is usually acknowledged on the first Saturday of June, the Cherry Hill Environmental Board moved its event to the afternoon of the first Sunday so as not to interfere with anyone’s weekend religious services.

    Lewis Gorman is a member of the board.

    “To have trails, you need to have trails made, improved and maintained,” he said. “And that’s one of the functions of National Trails Day. Another is to promote trails like, ‘Hey, they’re out there.’ Many people don’t know.”

    Gorman also explained that one of the main reasons for township trails is to help users connect with pathways for which they are more likely to care.

    “Our work is more than just managing the trail, it’s managing the habitats,” he noted. “Because we’re the environmental board and we’re interested in preserving the entire environment.” 

    The board has hosted volunteers at the Croft Farm parklands to participate in projects that maintain trail quality and the surrounding ecosystem. They include trail erosion control; trash pickup; and improvements like sign replacement, promotion of vegetation growth and invasive species control.

    The volunteers at Croft Farm on June 1 were split into three groups led by members of the board. Gorman led one of them as they replaced broken and damaged trail signage and spread compost around the banks of a fishing pier recently built on the lake. The compost would stimulate native plant growth along the lake banks and the trail; much of the natural vegetation was lost when the pier was built.

    Gorman showed the group how to load wheelbarrows with compost by laying them on their side against the pile and sweeping the compost in, saving time and labor. He also emphasized that since people who use the trails feel connected to them, the crew sent to clean up trash instead headed to nearby roads to keep trash from blowing onto the pathways.

    Lewis Gorman demonstrates how to quickly and efficiently fill a wheelbarrow with compost at Croft Farm.

    “If you maintain the trail, you’ll care about it …” Gorman maintained. “So that’s what this is, to try to develop a core of volunteers that care about trails and nature, and by getting your hands dirty, you have a piece of that action.” 

    The third crew was sent to repair areas of the trails that had eroded from rain and exposed tree roots.

    “People don’t want to walk on roots, and so they walk in further,” Gorman pointed out. “And then, the trail grows from 4 feet to 5 feet to 6 feet to 10 feet to 12 feet … We want them to be sustainable, and that’s part of sustainability. Otherwise, we’ve destroyed an extra 6 feet of nature that we didn’t need to because they’re walking on it. Once you walk on it, then it kills the vegetation.”

    The trails at Croft Farm were lined with timbers secured in place with pieces of rebar. They were filled with fine stone and tamped in place, then topped with a material called stone dust to create a smooth walking surface. Other volunteer projects included clearing downed trees from the paths and removing invasive species like English ivy, a type of vine that climbs up trees and renders them unable to breathe, causing their death.

    “There’s some habitat management going on, some invasive species removal,” Gorman concluded. “Sign, directional and surface improvement. So that’s the kind of things we do to maintain the trail areas and all the natural areas.”

  • 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. 

    June 11-18

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

    June 11 – 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. – Microsoft Word for Beginners: Part 3.

    June 11 – 10:30-11 a.m. – Tales for Twos.

    June 11 – 6:30-8:30 p.m. – Uncovering Queer Figures with the Library Company of Philadelphia.

    June 11 – 7-8 p.m. – Ace the Interview.

    June 12 – 10:30- 11 a.m. – Story Time: Color Our World.

    June 12 – noon to 4 p.m. – WHYY Pop- Up Newsroom.

    June 12 – 7-8 p.m. – Concoctions Book Club: The Hunger.

    June 13 – 10:30-11 a.m. – Music and Movement.

    June 14 – 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. – Color Our World Art Festival.

    June 15 – All Day – Library Closed.

    June 16 to 28 – School Supply Drive.

    June 16 – 6:30-7:30 p.m. – Tai Chi Chih Monday.

    June 17 – 10:30-11 a.m. – Rhyme Time.

    June 17 – 10:30 a.m. to noon – Using Your iPhone/ iPad: Latest Features of iOS 18: Part 2.

    June 17 – 4-4:45 p.m. – Fuse Bead Art.

    June 17 – 4-5 p.m. – Library Board Meeting.

    June 18 – 10:15-11:15 a.m. – Friends of the Library Meeting.

    June 18 – 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. – Microsoft Excel for Beginners.

    June 18 – 10:30-11 a.m. – Tales for Twos

    June 18 – 7-8 p.m. – A Book Talk with Howard Megdal: Becoming Caitlin Clark: The Unknown Origin Story of a Modern Basketball Superstar.

    June 18 – 7-8:30 p.m. – Novel Writing 101: 10-Week Series. 

    Camden County events

    For more information visit www.camdencounty.com.

    June 11 – 9-10 a.m. – Morning Yoga, Cooper River Park, 5300 North Park Drive, Pennsauken.

    June 11 – noon to 2 p.m. – Billiards & Bowling, 30 Strikes Lanes, 501 White Horse Pike South, Stratford.

    June 11 – 12:30- 1:30 p.m. – Senior Line Dancing Classes, Carol Norcross Senior Center, 512 Lakeland Rd., Blackwood. 

    June 11 – 5-6:30 p.m. – Adaptive Golf, Tavistock Country Club, Haddonfield.

    June 11 – 6-7:30 p.m. – R.E.A.L Sports Golf, Camden County Driving Range, 8001 Couth Crescent Blvd., Pennsauken. 

    June 11 – 6:30-8:30 p.m. – Uncovering Queer Figures with the Library Company of Philadelphia, Cherry Hill Public Library, 1100 Kings Hwy. North, Cherry Hill. 

    June 12 – 9-10:30 a.m. – Trail Buds, Camden County Environmental Center, 1301 Park Blvd., Cherry Hill.

    June 12 – 4-7 p.m. – Pride Walk & Celebration, Roosevelt Plaza Park, 12-98 5th St., Camden.

    June 12 – 6-7 p.m. – Afternoon Yoga, Cooper River Park, 5300 North Park Drive, Pennsauken.

    June 12 – 6:30-8:30 p.m. – Shot of Southern: Somerdale Summer Concert Series, Passanante Park, 300 Kennedy Blvd., Somerdale.

    June 12 – 6:30-8:30 p.m. – County disABILITIES Dance, Magnolia Community Center, 425 Brook Ave., Magnolia.

    June 12 – 8-11 p.m. – The Hobbs Sisters: Twilight Music Series, Cooper River Park, 5300 North Park Drive, Pennsauken.

    June 13 – 9 a.m. to noon – Parks & Rec Regrow, Camden County Environmental Center, 1301 Park Blvd., Cherry Hill.

    June 13 – 9:30- 10:30 a.m. – Cardio on the Cooper, Cooper River Park, 5300 North Park Drive, Pennsauken.

    June 14 – 9-10 a.m. – Family Variety Series: Pirate Kevin, Haddon Lake Park, Hillside and South Park Ave., Haddon Heights.

    June 14 – 9 a.m. to noon – Atco Lake Cleanup and Fishing Day, Atco Lake, Atco.

    June 14 – 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. – Pride at Peak Fashion Show, Merchant St. and Atlantic Ave., Audubon.

    June 14 – 4-8 p.m. – Second Saturdays in Collingswood: Pride Edition, 678 Haddon Ave., Collingswood.

    June 14 – 4-8 p.m. – Second Saturday, 678 Haddon Ave., Collingswood.

    June 14 – 7-11 p.m. – Will Power, LeAnna Harris Park Center Ave, Cheslihurst.

    June 15 – 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Telugu Association of South Jersey 5K, Cooper River Park, 5300 North Park Drive, Pennsauken.

    June 16 – 12:30-1:30 p.m. – Senior Line Dancing Classes, Carol Norcross Senior Center, 512 Lakeland Road, Blackwood.

    June 16 – 6-7 p.m. – Mindful Monday Yoga, Cooper River Park, 5300 North Park Drive, Pennsauken.

    June 16 – 6:30-7:30 p.m. – disABILITIES Dance Class, Camden County Environmental Center, 1301 Park Blvd., Cherry Hill.

    June 17 – 9-10:30 a.m. – Summer Sprouts, Camden County Environmental Center, 1301 Park Blvd., Cherry Hill.

    June 17 – 10-11 a.m. – Board of Elections Meeting, Virtual Event.

    June 17 – noon to 1 p.m. – Board of Commissioners Caucus Meeting, Camden City Hall, 6th Floor 520 Market St., Camden.

    June 17 – noon to 2 p.m. – Senior Bocce Ball, Louis F. Cappelli, Sr. Bocce Ball Court, 5300 North Park Drive, Pennsauken.

    June 17 – 1-2 p.m. – Tai Chi for Seniors, Wayne Bryant Community Center, 323 E. Charleston Ave., Lawnside.

    June 17 – 6:30-7:30 p.m. – Zumba, Cooper River Park, 5300 North Park Drive, Pennsauken.

    June 17 – 6:30-7:30 p.m. – disABILITIES Fun with Fitness, Camden County Environmental Center, 1301 Park Blvd., Cherry Hill.

    June 18 – 9-10 a.m. – Morning Yoga, Cooper River Park, 5300 North Park Drive, Pennsauken.

    June 18 – 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. – Camden Strong Clean Up, KIPP Lanning Square, 525 Clinton St., Camden. 

    June 18 – 10:30-11:30 a.m. – Senior Line Dancing Classes, Wayne Bryant Community Center, 323 E. Charleston Ave., Lawnside.

    June 18 – 6-7:30 p.m. – R.E.A.L Sports Golf, Camden County Driving Range, 8001 Couth Crescent Blvd., Pennsauken.

    June 18 – 7:30-11 p.m. – Start Making Sense: A Tribute to Talking Heads/ plus Lena Fine: Sundown Music Series,  Haddon Lake Park, Hillside and South Park Ave., Haddon Heights.

    Wednesday, June 11

    Cherry Hill Celebrates Pride 6:30 p.m. at Cherry Hill library.

    Saturday, June 14

    Second Saturday Trail Crew Session 9 a.m. to noon, location TBA. 

    Monday, June 16

    Planning board meeting 7:30 to 11 p.m. via Zoom.

    Wednesday, June 18 

    Zoning Board of Adjustment meeting 7:30 to 11 p.m. via Zoom.

  • Library screens film about Korean women divers

    Courtesy of the Cherry Hill library’s Facebook page

    The Cherry Hill library screens what it calls a must-watch documentary every month. On May 29, it was Apple TV’s “The Last of the Sea Women.” 

    Subtitled by the library, the film follows a group of Korean women called the haenyeo, divers who harvest seafood like sea urchins, shellfish and seaweed by holding their breath for two to three minutes at a time after diving as deep as 30 to 40 feet below the surface.

    Many of the women live on and dive from South Korea’s Jeju Island, where the haenyeo traditionally originate, though some of the younger women featured in the documentary come from other areas of the country, specifically Geoje. 

    Library guests had already read Lisa See’s novel, “The Island of Sea Women,” which covers the haenyeo and Jeju Island. 

    “I try to find things that I know people will be interested in,” said librarian Jaclyn Harmon, circulation supervisor for the library. “I knew about the Lisa See book and I saw that this documentary was on Apple TV, so I thought it would be a good choice.”

    As May marks Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, the documentary was also chosen for its connection to Korean culture. 

    “Especially because May is AAPI month, so we’re trying to find something kind of that falls in those parameters,” Harmon explained. 

    The documentary highlights the concerns and lives of the ‘sea women,’ from the physical effects and danger of their jobs to the fear of their culture slipping away and being forgotten. Most of the film’s haenyeo are well into their 60s, 70s or even older, and many younger women have no interest in the trade. 

    Environmental struggles are also explored in “The Last of the Sea Women,” with trash shown accumulating along the beaches of Jeju and the divers in the film addressing how it’s become more difficult to find seafood, thus lowering their income.

    Their greatest environmental concern is Japan’s plan to release wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster into the ocean. While diluted, the water is still radioactive, and it will impact not only the livelihoods of the film’s haenyeo, but their health, too. 

    Barbara Elkan was at the library for the documentary screening.

    “I’m very grateful to the Cherry Hill library for showing this movie,” she stated, “because it would be something I would never think of. I would never know about it otherwise. It’s very, very interesting and I learned a lot.”

    The library’s next must-watch documentary, “Will and Harper,” will be screened on Thursday, June 19. The 2024 feature follows actor and comedian Will Ferrell as he and his friend, writer Harper Steele, take a a 17-day road trip across the country, with Steele having recently completed a gender transition.

  • Author’s book tells story of a Steel Pier ‘prince’

    Abigail Twiford/The Sun
    Stacy Nockowitz holds a copy of her middle-grade novel, “The Prince of Steel Pier,” after signing copies at the township library.

    May marked Jewish American Heritage Month, and the Cherry Hill library held a number of events to celebrate, including a visit by author Stacy Nockowitz on May 28.

    The talk – “Welcome home, Stacy Nockowitz: An Author Visit,” – was sponsored in collaboration with the Cherry Hill Education Association, which provided light refreshments and library media specialists from the township’s middle schools.

    Nockowitz is a township native and graduate of East High who became a published author in 2022. A former language-arts teacher and school librarian, she has spent more than 30 years in middle-school education. It is one of the reasons she decided to write her novel, “The Prince of Steel Pier,” as middle-grade fiction.

    Jasmine Riel is the teen librarian at the library and introduced the author.

    “I’m very excited to introduce Mrs. Nockowitz, whom I first met around this time last year in May at the annual New Jersey Library Association Conference in Atlantic City …” Riel recalled. “I remember the moment she mentioned that she grew up in Cherry Hill, because all of the people that I sat with at the luncheon, their heads swiveled toward me because they all knew I worked at Cherry Hill.”

    Nockowitz’s novel won the 2022 National Jewish Book Award for Middle Grade Literature and was named a Sydney Taylor Notable Book for 2023. 

    Her novel is about 13-year-old Joey Goodman, a Jewish boy working as a waiter-in-training at his grandparents’ kosher hotel who spends much of his time in August of 1975 on the Atlantic City Boardwalk. He finds himself in several dangerous situations following encounters with a mobster and his daughter. 

    “The book, though, really is about a boy trying to find his place in his big Jewish family and in the world, as kids do at that age,” the author explained.

    Nockowitz began the talk with her childhood, one of the inspirations for her novel’s setting and background. She chose to set the book in the Atlantic City of the 1970s based on her own history and showed authentic pictures of her family from the time.

    Her grandparents, like Joey’s, also owned and ran a kosher hotel on the Boardwalk. 

    “Atlantic City, which for decades had been this booming tourist destination, was actually decaying … in the 50s,” Nakowitz recounted. “Air travel became a more widely available mode of transportation for people going on vacation …. the luster of Atlantic City really wore off.”

    She then addressed how mob crime and corruption became more prevalent in the city, at a time when old landmarks and family-run businesses were first being torn down and replaced with casinos.

    “So in the mid-70s, Atlantic City was in this time of transition,” she noted, “a time of kind of trying to find itself. And it is the same for my lead character, Joey Goodman.”

    Besides the setting, Nockowitz said other aspects of the book that were crucial for her to include were Jewish religious and cultural markers. In a scene with a rabbi in a synagogue for a kosher observance, Joey’s kippah and talk of religious holidays and services like Shabbat, Chanukah and Passover are all featured. 

    Cultural touchstones such as Yiddish words, Jewish foods, matriarchy and community insularity are also important details in the book.

    “When I was growing up, I didn’t see any of this stuff in books,” Nockowitz acknowledged. “I didn’t see myself in books, in the books that I read … It was like Jewish writers for children didn’t exist.”

    She went on to discuss Rudine Sims Bishop’s essay on what books for children should be: mirrors to see themselves, windows to see into and sliding-glass doors become a part of other worlds.

    “Very few of those books that could act as windows and mirrors and sliding-glass doors existed unless a student picked up a book about the Holocaust,” Nockowitz explained. “Jewish main characters were pretty much absent.”

    She then described difficulties for Jewish authors in today’s publishing world. Antisemitism was one issue brought up, as well as more recent concerns over boycotts led against Jewish authors who do not openly denounce Israel.

    Nockowitz wrapped up the event by reading a passage from the book and signing copies, putting award stickers on them if they were not already on the covers of each child’s copy.

  • 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. 

    June 4-11

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

    June 4 – 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. – Microsoft Word for Beginners: Part 2.

    June 4 – 10:30-11 a.m. – Tales for Twos.

    June 4 – 11 a.m. to noon – An hour with the Cherry Hill West Jazz Combo.

    June 4 – 7-8:30 p.m. – Novel writing 101: 10-week Series.

    June 5 – 10:30-11:30 a.m. – Get to Know Google.

    June 5 – 10:30-11 a.m. – Story Time: Color Our World.

    June 6 – 11-11:30 a.m. – Art Explorers.

    June 7 – noon to 2 p.m. – Dungeons & Dragons for Teens.

    June 7 – 1:30-3:30 p.m. – Craft Swap.

    June 7 – 2-3:30 p.m. – Needlework Meetup.

    June 9 – 2-4:30 p.m. – Movie Monday: Here.

    June 9 – 6:30-7:30 p.m. – We Are Family: LGBTQia+ Family Law Issues.

    June 10 – 10:30-11 a.m. – Rhyme Time.

    June 10 – 10:30 a.m. to noon – Using Your iPhone/ iPad: Latest Features of iOS 18: Part 1.

    June 10 – 2-3:30 p.m. – Needlework Meetup.

    June 10 – 6-7 p.m. – Fun and Easy Rainbow Washi Tape Bookmarks.

    June 10 – 7-8:30 p.m. – CHPL Book Club: The Women by Kristin Hannah. 

    June 11 – 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. – Microsoft Word for Beginners: Part 3.

    June 11 – 10:30-11 a.m. – Tales for Twos.

    June 11 – 6:30-8:30 p.m. – Uncovering Queer Figures with the Library Company of Philadelphia.

    June 11 – 7-8 p.m. – Ace the Interview.

    Camden County events

    For more information visit www.camdencounty.com.

    June 4 – 9-10 a.m. – Morning Yoga, Cooper River Park, 5300 North Park Drive, Pennsauken.

    June 4 – 6-8 p.m. – Stress Busting for Family Caregivers, St. Marys Villa, 220 St. Mary’s Drive, Cherry Hill.

    June 4 – 7:30-11 p.m. – Low Cut Connie plus Sug Daniels, Haddon Lake Park, Hillside and South Park Avenue, Haddon Heights.

    June 5 – 9-10:30 a.m. – Trail Buds, Camden County Environmental Center, 1301 Park Blvd., Cherry Hill.

    June 5 – 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. – Pickleball for Seniors, DeCou Park Pickleball Courts, Evesham and Cropwell Roads, Cherry Hill.

    June 5 – 6-7 p.m. – Afternoon Yoga, Cooper River Park, 5300 North Park Drive, Pennsauken.

    June 5 – 6-10 p.m. – Haddon Township Pride Parade & After Party, MacArthur Blvd. and Crystal Lake Ave., Haddon Township.

    June 6 – 9:30-10:30 a.m. – Cardio on the Cooper, Cooper River Park, 5300 North Park Drive, Pennsauken.

    June 6 – 5:30- 9:30 p.m. – Haddon Township Pride & Progress Community Night, Haddon Square, 51 Haddon Ave., Haddon Township.

    June 7 – 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Strong Bond Health 5K, Cooper River Park, 5300 North Park Drive, Pennsauken.

    June 7 – 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Haddonfield Skirmish, 200 Kings Hwy, Haddonfield.

    June 7 – 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. – Household Hazardous Waste Collection, Lindenwold Complex, 2311 Egg Harbor Rd., Lindenwold.

    June 7 – 9-10 a.m. – Family Variety Series: Paisley Pickles, Haddon Lake Park, Hillside and South Park Avenues, Haddon Heights. 

    June 7 – 9 a.m. to noon – Tri-State Real Estate Group 5K Walk for Animal Shelter, Rancocas Valley Regional High School.

    June 7 – 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. – Cops & Bobbers, Cramer Hill Waterfront Park, State St. and Harrison Ave., Camden.

    June 7 – 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. – Grand Opening of the Cooper River Water Trail, Cramer Hill Waterfront Park, State St. and Harrison Ave., Camden.

    June 7 – 3-10 p.m. – Barrington Block Party, 1101 Clements Bridge Road, Barrington.

    June 7 – 5-8 p.m. – Collingswood Pride Pop-Up Event, Downtown Collingswood, 678 Haddon Ave., Collingswood.

    June 7 – 7-11 p.m. – Frankie & the Flat Liners, Waterford Lions Park, 236 Lake St., Upper Saddle River.

    June 8 – 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. – BAPS Charities Walk/ Run, Cooper River Park, 5300 North Park Drive, Pennsauken.

    June 9 – 10:30-11:30 a.m. – Senior Line Dancing Classes, Pine Hill Senior Center, 131 East 12th Ave., Pine Hill.

    June 9 – 6-7 p.m. – Mindful Monday Yoga, Cooper River Park, 5300 North Park Drive, Pennsauken.

    June 9 – 6-10 p.m. – Wear Orange: 11th Annual National Gun Violence Awareness Day Resource Fair & Concert, Wiggins Park, 2 Riverside Drive, Camden.

    June 9 – 8-11 p.m. – Who’s Bad: The Ultimate Michael Jackson Experience: Sunset Jazz Series, Wiggins Park, 2 Riverside Drive, Camden.

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

    June 10 – 6:30-7:30 p.m. – Zumba, Cooper River Park, 5300 North Park Drive, Pennsauken.

    June 11 – 9-10 a.m. – Morning Yoga, Cooper River Park, 5300 North Park Drive, Pennsauken.

    June 11 – noon to 2 p.m. – Billiards & Bowling, 30 Strikes Lanes, 501 White Horse Pike South, Stratford.

    June 11 – 12:30- 1:30 p.m. – Senior Line Dancing Classes, Carol Norcross Senior Center, 512 Lakeland Rd., Blackwood. 

    June 11 – 6:30-8:30 p.m. – Uncovering Queer Figures with the Library Company of Philadelphia, Cherry Hill Public Library, 1100 Kings Hwy. North, Cherry Hill. 

    Thursday, June 5

    Zoning Board of Adjustment meeting 7:30-11 p.m. via Zoom.

    Monday, June 9

    Township council meeting 6:30-9:30 p.m. at N. John Amato Council Chambers and via Zoom.

    Wednesday, June 5

    Cherry Hill celebrates Pride 6:30 p.m. at Cherry Hill Public Library.

  • Road contract, gun violence among council issues

    Cherry Hill Facebook page

    The township council meeting on May 27 – postponed from Monday’s Memorial Day – included awarding a contract to fund brick road resurfacing and approval of a Title VI program for the senior bus program.

    The township awarded a nearly $500,000 contract for the road work to Lexa Concrete LLC of Atlantic County, funded by a New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) trust fund. The resurfacing process extends use and improves the condition of existing brick roads by adding new materials. 

    The NJDOT trust fund is a state agency that finances the cost of planning, engineering and construction for transportation-related projects. 

    The township also approved a Title VI program for the township’s senior bus program.

    “This resolution approves the Township’s Title VI program to ensure that its senior bus program complies with federal civil rights requirements and remains eligible for grant funding through the Federal Transit Administration,” said council President William Carter. 

    Mayor Dave Fleisher announced receipt of a $400,000 grant from the Federal Highway Administration to conduct a study on pedestrian and sidewalk infrastructure throughout Cherry Hill.

    “We will use these funds to develop an action plan for future infrastructure improvements and continue the work that we’re doing to make our neighborhoods safer,” he noted.

    Representatives of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense – a nationwide organization aimed at combating deaths caused by gun violence – urged council to recognize June 6 as Gun Violence Awareness Day, a national observance that honors the birthday of Hidya Pendleton. The Chicago teen was killed in a random shooting there in 2013.

    The day will be marked by participants wearing orange, the color worn by hunters to announce themselves to other hunters, symbolizing the value of human life. Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense told council that the estimated number of annual gun-related deaths in the U.S. is more than 45,000.

    Council also adopted a proclamation recognizing June 6 “to encourage all citizens to support efforts to prevent the tragic effects of gun violence and to honor the value of human life,” Fleisher read from the document.

    The township also approved several resolutions on vehicles and equipment for the police department, including two new Chevy Tahoes at a cost $133,809. Council also entered into a five-year contract with the Sourcewell Cooperative – a state purchasing organization – to replace seven Taser devices, body cameras, cloud storage and related materials.

    The next township council meeting will take place on Monday at 7:30 p.m., with a caucus meeting beginning at 6:30 p.m.