By: Merle Citron
So, now that the UPS man has gotten hitched, who is the most eligible bachelor in Lambertville?
Carol Sullivan, a South Main Street resident and recent volunteer with the Lambertville Historical Society, puts in her vote for T.J. Johnson of North Union Street.
You may have seen T.J. speeding past you on his bike. T.J. rides a modified bicycle that lets his arms do the pedaling.
According to Carol, "Lambertville has never seen bigger biceps or a more handsome face. If I were available, I would definitely be knocking on his door." (Oh my.)
Carol also thinks Gil Mayfield is great. She described him this way: "He’s a new resident of South Main Street, who may be seen early in the morning walking Rourke, his daughter, Lisa’s, dog. Gil, an accomplished pilot and W.W.II flying ace, makes Lambertville his home when he’s not traveling around the country visiting his Air Force buddies. Gil flew 35 successful missions in W.W.II."
Then Carol added, "He is also one of Lambertville’s many handsome and eligible bachelors." (Oh my.)
Pastor Cleve T. Cook of Lambertville’s Mt. Carmel Baptist Church recently was interview.
Mt. Carmel Church dates back to the late 1800s. Pastor Cook had some interesting facts. Did you know the great orator, Frederick Douglass, visited Lambertville and spoke at Lyceum Hall? Records of his appearance can be found in the archives of the Lambertville Public Library.
Did you know that Lambertville was a stop on the Underground Railroad? The Delaware River made it easy for slaves to escape further north, beyond Philadelphia. And, did you also know that Stevie Wonder once played the piano at a Mt. Carmel Sunday service after a popular concert the previous night? We’re a small town with a big history.
This Halloween proved beyond a doubt that the new folks in town love the old Lambertville traditions.
Many people went to great efforts to ghoulishly decorate their homes. The Halloween parade was a major success. Several hundred parents, children and a few dogs dressed as cows turned out. The Lambertville Drum and Bugle Corps was led by a bevy of witches.
Halloween night, droves of kids, young and old, roamed the streets, trick or treating, and everyone had lots of candy and a good time. Our small town traditions are alive and growing. Isn’t that why we live here?
Speaking of traditions, when the Ceglia/MacNeill family of York Street comes together, you’d better have plenty of food and drink because there are lots of them to feed!
Barbara Ceglia and Scott MacNeill celebrated their son, Julian’s, 11th birthday by gathering family together. Barbara even baked a cake from scratch!
There to celebrate were Barbara’s father, Vincent Ceglia, nationally known artist, Barbara’s sisters, Janet and Patty, her brothers, Jimmy and Steve, her nieces, Simone and Briana, as well as Scott’s mom, Ruth, who is visiting from Detroit.
Vincent told me that he is going to have a show with Mel Leipsig at Ellarslie, the Trenton City Museum, opening on Nov. 18th.
Last week, Scott and Terry Smith Kintzel returned from their Florida honeymoon.
Terry summed it up this way, "Yup, I’m married; I haven’t changed. I’m as ornery as ever, and Scott is still ornery, too."
To tell you the truth, I’m so surprised that Terry returned to the ‘ville without a tan because my Florida sources informed me the weather was warm and sunny while Scott and Terry were there. (Mmmmm.)
It was great to see Tom Galbraith, New Hope artist, and Cindy Wuthrich at a recent art opening.
Tom has gone through some rough times with health problems, especially during the past 10 years. Now Tom is on the mend. Although he’s lost some weight, Tom still looks like his old "scruffy" self, and he hasn’t lost his sense of humor, either. Cindy reassured me of that.
Sandy Ennis Gores of York Street and Joan Voorhees of Elm Street recently stopped to chat.
Babies were everywhere. Sandy had her 20-month-old son, Brandon, balanced on her hip while Joan had her granddaughter, Sarah, happily seated in her stroller.
Sandy was born and raised in Lambertville, is married to George Gores and has a 19-year-old daughter, Keisha. I asked Sandy about the "for sale" sign on her house.
"Not to worry," she reassured me. "We’re only moving two miles outside of town, closer to my parents’ home." We Lambertvillians usually don’t stray far from home.
Recently seen "holding down the fort" at Riverrun Gallery was Jan Lipes, local artist.
Jan lives in Solebury with his wife, Janet, and was kind enough to mind the gallery while its owner, Grace Croteau, was away. Jan loves to paint local scenes, and his work recently was shown at the Artsbridge Gallery.
In the last 10 years, much new office space has been created in Lambertville. Riverwalk is a newly renovated office complex on Route 29, which is the home of a business called Access Communications. The president is a man named Michael Fort. What makes Mr. Fort unique is he provides each of his employees with eight hours a month in which to do community service. I think his efforts and those of his employees are commendable and deserve mention.
According to Nancy Kanavel, who is the flower designer for Foster Wright Cranor, "When Joan and Bob Pierman bought this store, I just came with it, along with the rest of the equipment. I’ll be starting my 19th year in October."
She is to be commended for her perseverance. In order to get here, she drives in every day from Haycock, Pa., a 50-minute commute.
Donny Bennett lives in Buckingham and delivers Lambertville mail from Delaware Avenue to Cherry Street. He’s done this for almost 20 years.
"The very best part of my job," according to Donny, "are all the friends I’ve made. I consider them to be my second family. It’s so great to be a part of Lambertville."
Obviously, Donny loves his work and the people he’s met. For example, when Irv Johnson of Delaware Avenue was sick, Donny used to bring his mail into the house and put it on the coffee table. When Irv died, Skip Johnson, Irv’s son, gave the eulogy and thanked Donny for all of his help. That meant a lot to Donny.
The cheers of the crowd at Ely Field were for the Lambertville Ramblers football teams.
At a recent game, armed with lawn chairs and pride were Louise and Larry Decker of New Hope.
They anxiously awaited the Biddies game where their son, Jay, who is 8 years old, plays defensive tackle.
In the bleachers were Lisa Voorhees of Old York Road, who cheered mightily for her son, Daniel, a left wingback on the Flag football team. Other family members were also there to root for Daniel: Lisa’s sister and brother-in-law, Pinky and Harry Allen of Ferry Street and Lisa’s friends, Rita Bellmont of Yardley and Christine Bolles of Franklin Street.
Everyone seemed to be having a great time, all except Harry Allen, who has been bummed out because he hasn’t been fishing yet this year.
"But I’ll get there," Harry remarked. And when he gets there, he’s going to Canada to trout fish.

