HELP SAVE ST. MICHAEL’S TRACT

There’s lots one can do to become involved in this cause!

By Ruth Luse
   Editor’s Note: Events and activities listed below are being held for the sole purpose of helping the D&R Greenway Land Trust acquire the funds necessary to preserve the St. Michael’s property in Hopewell by the deadline date of March 15. At this point, that figure is $100,000. Those who would like to support the cause can get involved with events listed in this column, or send a check, or three-year pledge, to D&R Greenway; 1 Preservation Place; Princeton, 08540. For more information, call 924-4646.
   • A Save St. Michael’s Barn Dance will be held at the Hopewell Elementary School on March 9 from 7-8:30 p.m. The event will feature American country dances including the Virginia reel, square dances, circle dances and more, led by Janet Mills, a school district music teacher and professional caller. Dan Brown, Doug Healy, Robert Mills and Megan Templon will provide musical accompaniment. A $10 donation will be collected at the door.
   During the evening, Save St. Michael’s T-shirts will be on sale for $15 each and a silent auction will feature a quilt stitched by Hopewell Junior Girl Scout Troop 284. The quilt’s squares incorporate all of the designs created by Hopewell children for the Save St. Michael’s T-shirt contest. A dozen or more hand-made American Girl Doll dresses, created by the Mom’s Club of Hopewell-Titusville, and a wooden American Girl Doll bed hand-made by Mark Majkowski of Hopewell also will be part of the silent auction. T-shirt and silent auction purchases may be made by cash, check, Visa or MasterCard.
   Save St. Michael’s T-shirts also are available at Failte Coffeehouse on East Broad Street in Hopewell.
   D&R Greenway Land Trust thanks all the local sponsors of the Hopewell Family Barn Dance, including: Fancy Threads, Failte Coffeehouse, Salon 33 West and Zeus Lightning Rods of Hopewell Borough; Pennington Quality Market and Rosedale Mills of Pennington; Terhune Orchards of Princeton and Main Street Café, Bistro, and Catering and Sodexho, Inc., based in Gaithersburg, Md.
   • Two musical events — Music Together and D&R Greenway Land Trust will host two events on March 11 to help raise the $330,000 still needed to preserve the 337-acre St. Michael’s property. Both events will be held at Music Together’s new international headquarters at 225 Pennington-Hopewell Road (Route 654) in Hopewell Township.
   The first, "Family Hoopla for Hopewell," will take place from 1:30-2:45 p.m. Designed to appeal to music lovers of all ages, the event will include a sing-along and story-telling. Music Together founder Ken Guilmartin will lead the "Hoopla" with help from drummer Karttikeya and Music Together teachers. Music Together will give a free egg shaker to those who attend. The ticket price is $25 for adults. Children are free of charge.
   The second, "Musicians to Save St. Michael’s," will be held at 4 p.m. The event will commence with a wine and cheese reception. The program will include a performance of "Fern Hill" by The Sotte Voce Chamber Chorus of VOICES Chorale, conducted by Lynne Ransom. "Fern Hill," the poem celebrating nature by Dylan Thomas, has been set to music by composer John Corigliano. Singer Martha Elliott will perform three lyrical songs by Brahms and Schubert, accompanied by pianist Lenore Fishman Davis. The ticket price is $75 per person.
   Space for both musical events is limited. Call D&R Greenway Land Trust at 924-4646 to make reservations. All proceeds will benefit the preservation of the St. Michael’s Property.
   • Photograph fundraiser — "The Sourland Mountain," a series of black and white photographs by Rachel Mackow, will be on display at the Hopewell Public Library, 13 E. Broad St., until March 19. Ms. Mackow’s artwork portrays the subtle beauty of central New Jersey’s Sourland Mountain in all seasons. Fifty percent of sales will be donated to D&R Greenway Land Trust’s fund to preserve the St. Michael’s property. For more information, visit http://hopewellpubliclibrary.blogspot.com/ or call 466-1625.
   • Hopewell fourth-grader Callie Considine has been collecting money for the D&R Greenway Land Trust to help purchase the St. Michael’s property. She has raised over $1,000 and now is working with Community Connections in Hopewell Elementary School to raise funds during lunch on Wednesdays. Her new fundraising goal is $1,500. She also has been collecting money at Failte Coffeehouse, East Broad Street.
   • St. Michael’s exhibit — The D&R Greenway Land Trust and the St. Michael’s Preservation Committee are featuring "Save Hopewell/Save St. Michael’s: An Exhibition on the History & Future of the St. Michael’s Land in Hopewell, NJ."
   The exhibit is on display at the Marie L. Matthews Gallery at the Johnson Education Center, One Preservation Place, Princeton. The exhibit is open to the public Monday-Friday from 1-4 p.m. through March 15. It contains historic and current photos of the property, maps and information on the joint effort of D&R Greenway Land Trust and concerned residents of Hopewell Valley to raise the money needed to permanently preserve this 337-acre property. For additional information, call 924-4646.