The upcoming first real weekend of summer here in New Jersey kicks off the season with equal parts of both: classic, very New Jersey events and typical outdoor summer fun. The New Jersey portion of the weekend is highlighted by the big 25th annual NJ State Fair, starting this Friday at the Meadowlands Fairgrounds.  You can expect lots of wild rides, live entertainment, carnival games and even the occasional freakshow exhibit at this year’s gigantic edition.  Also very New Jersey this weekend: an actual “real housewife of New Jersey” will be making an appearance at Exquisite Bride in Millburn …

A number of great to-dos to do this weekend, with Father's Day on Sunday and the continuation of LGBT Pride month.  Bhakti Barn Yoga in Millburn is offering free yoga for all dads out there, while Express Yourself Studios in Maplewood has a wonderful pizza and pottery workshop that papas and their kids can sign up for. Congregation Beth El in South Orange hosts an ice cream social for LGBT Pride month on Saturday, with both members and non-members encouraged to join in the fun.  Friday evening, St. George's Episcopal Church will be having a special movie screening of the acclaimed comedy The …

If you're not heading to the shore or grilling out in your own backyard this weekend, no worries; there's still a ton to do in our area to help you cope with the early summer heat over the next few days.   South Orange holds their huge annual downtown party, Celebrate South Orange, all day long this Saturday, which includes their famous -- and messy -- Sloppy Joe's Eating Contest, as well as the popular Community Supper feast, a big kid's play zone, retail shopping and arts and craft specials, plus a free health fair. James Maddock headlines a special Rent Party concert on Friday at the South…

After a super soppy week in our towns, wouldn't it be nice to get away from all those puddles and the mud for a few hours and enjoy something not wet this weekend?  Well, you're in luck because there is a waterfall of fun heading our way this Friday through Sunday, with a near-endless list of events to check out.   Big highlights the next few days include a concert by rock legend Dave Mason, the Mayapple Festival in South Mountain Reservation, the South Orange House Tour, the Springfield Avenue Mayfest (which was postponed from last Sunday due to, *gasp*, rain), Sierra Leone's Refugee All …

With Good Friday and Easter coming up, along with the observance of  Passover continuing through to early next week, it will be a fairly quiet and calm few days in our corner of the world this weekend.  But there still will be a few fun and worthwhile activities and happenings for you and your family to check out, in-between religious services, Easter egg hunts, or eating matzoh brei.  Here is this weekend's list, plus some highlights to come these next few months: Friday Afternoon Book Readings at Words Bookstore: Take the kids to Words this Friday afternoon for two children's book readings…

A packed upcoming weekend offers up fun happenings and exciting festivities from Friday to Sunday, with highlights including Dreamcatcher Rep's hilarious improv comedy show, Multiple Personality Disorder, in South Orange, Milliburn's 8th Annual Street Fair and Crafts Show on Sunday, a WBGO Jazz for Kids concert on Saturday in Maplewood, and The Strangedog Eat Dog and Pony Show at The Burgdorff Center, all weekend long. Here's the full rundown for this weekend plus a preview of upcoming weekend events to keep in mind and put on your calendar: The Strangedog Eat Dog and Pony Show: What Exit? …

The coming weekend in our towns is full of fantastic highlights and activities to take in with your family and friends if you get the lucky chance. In particular, music abounds in various forms, with two comic musical premieres, The Strollers' Garbage Can-tata and Columbia High School's staging of The Drowsy Chaperone, a new rock 'n' roll Rent Party at the South Orange Elks Lodge, "kindie" rock favorite Mr. Ray playing at the Millburn Co-op Nursery School Fundraiser, and New York City's Julliard-based Concitato classical trio performing at SOPAC. Other must-sees / must-dos in our area include…

At Sparkhouse late Sunday afternoon, there will be a gathering of a dozen extremely talented children's book illustrators and authors who will be talking about the art and craft of producing extraordinary picture books for kids. The organizers have alerted happy readers that rain will not be a problem; this event is sunny and bright, no matter what the weather.  The Book Maker's Dozen will be at Sparkhouse: From Sparkhouse: “You are cordially invited to a colossal children's book event with The Book Maker's Dozen,  a group of award-winning children’s book illustrators and authors whose …

Can you believe that February is almost over?  I'm personally still processing December and January.  But this upcoming last weekend of the shortest month of the year  promises to be a great one in our towns, with lots of activities and events to check out and enjoy. Highlights this weekend include a reception and design showcase for inspiring hat designer and local, Lisa Battaglia, on Friday, while just around the corner, you can meet Flash Gordon comic author, Brendan Deneen at Words on the same night.  Spa Lady in South Orange teams up with the American Heart Association for an all day …

A tempting mix of activities across our towns this long-holiday weekend will be made even more attractive by the promise of warmer weather to come, (above freezing!),  so there are no excuses for you and your family to not get out and enjoy the sights and sounds that will be abundant around these parts starting Friday. Here's our full weekend to-do for easy reference and checklisting, plus more coming soon events at the bottom of the rundown: Black History Month: West African Dance Party: Springfield Avenue's Stories In Motion and host Alistair Williams brings us "the coolest Dance Party in …

The three-day holiday weekend coming up is packed with activities of all different stripes and types, with more than enough variety and enjoyment to make anyone and everyone forget about their recent snow shoveling blues.  To start, there will be several events held in our area to honor the memory of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. this weekend, including a silent peace march by the students and staff of Maplewood Middle School on Friday morning and a festive celebration in his honor organized by the South Orange/Maplewood Community Coalition on Race, at Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel in South …

2011 is set to start things off right this weekend with a wide-ranging mix of enjoyable goings-on all over our area that, no doubt, will have something to satisfy everyone's activity itch in your household at some point over the next three days.   The Seton Hall Pirates take on the Syracuse Orangemen in an exciting college basketball match-up on Saturday.  There'll be stellar rock and pop music for kids from singer Bari Koral at SOPAC twice on Sunday.  The South Orange Civic Organization holds its annual Martin Luther King Celebration with featured speaker, Dr. Edyth M. Abdulah, President of …

Time flies when you're having fun and, boy, did 2010 fly right on by.  Ride out the rest of the flight through the close of the year with local celebrations on Friday, hike and bike your way to a fit new beginning to the next year on Saturday and Sunday, and find some alternate methods to acknowledge the calendar wrap-up at some neighborhood temples this "New Year's Shabbat".  The big to-do this weekend is Friday's annual First Night party at South Orange Middle School.  This 18th edition of the beloved tradition will be filled with family friendly fare and lots of fun for the kids, including…

This weekend in Maplewood and South Orange will be plenty busy—and we have lots of fun events for you—but first a word about someone whose weekend will be busier than most. Our regular "Weekender" columnist Donald Punhas bowed out of writing this weekend's Weekender due to the joyous event of his daughter's birth.Emma Quinn Pun joined us this past Tuesday. Momma and Emma are both doing well. We are awaiting more details from Donald but apparently he's been torn away from his laptop. What's up with that? Here's a list of major happenings this weekend for those of us who won't be preparing the …

This weekend's calendar of must-see and must-do events in our area is "ginormous." There's really no other way to describe it. There are so many great things to experience from Friday to Sunday, I actually started to get a giddy butterfly feeling in my tummy as I compiled this week's list—and, no, it's not acid reflux. But, before we hit the full catalog, here are just some of the big highlights to check out.  South Orange Open House: To the likely delight of local shoppers, Main Street South Orange brings back its annual Holiday Open House event this Saturday, with many downtown South Orange…

Thanksgiving usually means a fairly quiet and subdued events weekend here in our lovely towns, as families hunker down in their comfy homes and turn their focus to huge spreads of food; cozy, and sometimes chaotic, familial catching up; holiday sports and parades on the television screen; plus lots and lots of napping once most of the turkey has been gobbled up.  But if you and yours get the hankering to leave the house eventually, there are actually lots of great activities over the next few days to enjoy together. To start out, there's the old holiday tried and true of going to the movies, …

There is no rest for the weary, or the culture-hungry, in the weekend before the big Turkey Day and the official start of this year's much-anticipated holiday season.  Over the next three days, our area will be teeming with great goings-on, including art exhibitions in Maplewood and South Orange, a welcome poetry reading by a well-known local, Thanksgiving food drives by SHU and the Community FoodBank, a choral concert, a symphony concert, concerts by a 1980s pop star and a soulful jazz singer, plus a rock musical!  Here's the full checklist for the wonderful weekend to come:   Pierro …

Before Thanksgiving madness gets out of hand in the next couple of weeks, with its required travel angst, confused and lost in-laws, and inevitable tryptophan overload, you and yours should take advantage of the already bountiful cornucopia of things-to-do here in SOMA these next few, beautiful days.  Get out, relax and enjoy yourselves, while the relaxing and enjoying are good! The Rent Party gang returns to rock the South Orange Elks Lodge for party number 11 and a good cause Friday night.  Also for a good cause, a Saturday afternoon of Bingo fun for the entire family awaits at Columbia …

This weekend looks to start out soggy but will, rest assured, rally back to beautiful and sunny autumn conditions come Saturday and so forth. And like the weather, the long list of local events this weekend will be a pleasant mixture of stormy excitement and cool and breezy moments for the entire family to enjoy. Friday evening, avoid the rain and get warmed up to great music indoors. Live funk and dancing will be the special on the menu at HighlandPlace Bar and Grill, while over at the Woman's Club of Maplewood, enjoy Cabaret for a Cause, a special two-night benefit to raise money for and …