AROUND CRANBURY by Lorraine Sedor: Scary tales at the library

Residents get ready for Halloween fun

By: Lorraine Sedor
   The Friends of the Cranbury Public Library will sponsor an evening of scary Halloween stories on Monday, October 30 at 7 p.m. Vicky Town, a familiar "scary storyteller" to Cranbury kids, will tell "creepy crawly" stories in the library’s reading area.
   The program is appropriate for children in fourth grade and older.

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   The Cranbury Lions will host their 73rd-annual Children’s Halloween Party and "Parade" on Halloween evening in the old gym at the school from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Registration begins at 5:30 p.m.
   Master of Ceremonies, Lion Richard Stannard, tells us that everything is in place for a fun event. Prizes will be given for costumes in a number of categories, and refreshments will be served.
   Additionally, the Lions will be presenting a most amazing young magician, George Murray, who has entertained the children for the past few years. George has been honing his magical talents at the Halloween party since he was 11.
   Young and old alike, in costume or not, don’t miss this act. The last time he performed at the Lions’ party, he sawed a woman in half; before that, he disappeared in front of everyone in the gym. Who knows what tricks he has up his sleeve this year?

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   The Cranbury Woman’s Club will meet on Wednesday, Nov. 1 at 12:30 p.m. in the large group room at Cranbury School.
   The club’s featured speaker will be Temple University professor Tyrone Hoffman. He will discuss "Rejuvenating your Landscape."
   At this meeting, the Woman’s Club members also will hold a cookbook and garden-book swap, and will collect monetary contributions for the annual Thanksgiving pie donation to a local charity.
   Refreshments will be served and all are welcome to attend.

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   The Cranbury Historical and Preservation Society will hold its fall potluck supper on Friday, Nov. 3 at 6:30 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall of the 1st Presbyterian Church.
   The evening’s speaker will be Mark Else, a member of the Meadows Foundation, who will speak about the restoration of some of the organization’s properties. Since 1998, Mr. Else has worked on the restoration of the Wyckoff-Garretson house.
   The Meadows Foundation, which is located in Somerset County, preserves historic sites of Dutch and early American heritage.
   Please bring a salad, main dish or dessert that will serve eight to 10 people, along with your own place setting. The society will provide beverages. Dinner starts promptly at 6:30 p.m. and the program will begin at 8 p.m. All members of the community are invited to attend.
   Also, the Gourgaud Gallery’s First Friday Reception will be held on Nov. 3 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. This month’s exhibit is entitled "Diversity," featuring mixed media works from Ruth Bruh and Stefanie Mandelbaum.
   The exhibition will run through Sunday, Nov. 26.

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   The Cranbury Lions are celebrating 75 years of service to Cranbury at their 75th anniversary gala celebration on June 23, 2007 at the Forsgate Country Club.
   The Lions plan to provide a commemorative favor to each ticket holder, but with a new twist on the old favor. This will not be a mug or tote or other typical giveaway.
   Instead, the Cranbury Lions, in conjunction with the Grape Escape Wine School in Dayton, are making wine as a club project, and will provide a split of wine to each ticket holder.
   Lion Bob Virgadamo is happy to report, "We have been barrel–testing the wine, and can say, at this point, that our 2007 100% Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon will be excellent!"
   The Lions wanted to involve the community — not by sampling the wine, yet, but by designing a label for the wine bottle.
   The Lions report that the three winning entries had much in common: good artwork, excellent theme and a depiction of the mission of the Cranbury Lions. But most striking was that each named the wine "LionsPride!"
   The winning label is so special that the Lions are hoping to keep it under wraps until the anniversary dinner; however, they are pleased to announce the winning artists.
   First prize goes to the mother/son team of Susan and Tony Adiletta. The second-place label was designed by Amy Amico, and third place went to Brenda Shaffer. The winners received gift certificates to Hannah & Mason’s, Cranbury Station and Cranbury Pizza, respectively.
Residents can reach Ms. Sedor by phone at (609) 655-3386, by e-mail at [email protected], and by mail at 32 Evans Dr., Cranbury, NJ, 08512.