AROUND CRANBURY: New work set for Gourgaud, PHS Studio band wins competition, Civil War re-enactors coming to town, and more.
By: Loraaine Sedor
This evening, sway to the sounds of Cranbury Jazz at 8 p.m. in the Cranbury School’s Large Group Room.
The five-piece combo featuring Cranbury musicians and friends was invited to perform for the community by the Cranbury Public Library.
Admission is free.
The Woman’s Club of Cranbury has cordially invited the Easter Bunny to visit Village Park on Saturday, April 7 at 1 p.m.
The Bunny will be leading children from three years old through third grade in an Easter Egg Hunt, rain or shine.
Children are reminded to bring a basket, and parents are reminded to bring a camera.
Crocuses are blooming along Main Street on Brainerd Lake.
The spring display is courtesy of Rocky Brook Garden Club members, who took the time last fall to plant hundreds of the tiny bulbs.
The next exhibit at the Gourgaud Gallery will be "Paintings in One Color" by Watercolorists Unlimited. The exhibit will run from Tuesday, April 3 through Sunday, April 29.
Because of the holiday week, there will be no First Friday reception; however, there will be an Artists’ Reception scheduled later in the month on Friday, April 20 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., so visitors to the Gourgaud Gallery will have an opportunity to meet the artists, several of whom are from Cranbury.
The Gourgaud Gallery will host the second annual Student Film Festival later in April. This event will take place on Sunday, April 29 from 1 p.m. to 4 pm in the gallery.
The deadline for entries is Monday, April 23 and entry forms are available in the Gourgaud Gallery or online at www.rockinthebury.com.
The Princeton High School Studio Band, under the direction of Joe Downey, won first place at the 39th annual Berklee College of Music High School Jazz Festival, in Boston, on Saturday, March 17.
With almost 3,000 student musicians and more than 200 ensembles from the Northeast and beyond, this is the largest high school jazz festival in the country.
Sam Smith, a senior, who performed a trumpet solo, won the Judge’s Choice award.
In addition to the first place trophy, The Studio Band received a $10,000 scholarship for student musicians interested in participating in the summer programs at Berklee, and the opportunity to have a master clinic, taught by Berklee College of Music faculty, hosted at Princeton High School.
Civil War re-enactors of Company H, 14th Regiment NJ Volunteers will have a spring encampment at Village Park the first weekend in April.
The re-enactors are members of the New Jersey Civil War Association, which holds encampments and educational programs. Members range in age from 13 on up. According to the association’s Web site, the original 14th Regiment New Jersey Volunteer Infantry was recruited in the summer of 1862 in response to President Lincoln’s call for 300,000 volunteers.
The regiment was under the command of Colonel William S. Truex and was trained at Camp Vredenburgh near Freehold, New Jersey on the grounds of the Monmouth battlefield of 1778.
The regiment’s companies came mostly from central New Jersey, including four companies Trenton and Elizabeth and six from Monmouth, Ocean and Middlesex counties.
Formal and party attire is still being collected as part of the second annual Prom and Party Dress Drive of St. Paul’s (Princeton) youth group.
Mike Stehn, of Cranbury, is one of the volunteers assisting in the collection.
If you have a dress and accessories to donate, either new or vintage, please call 409-9232 to schedule a pick up.
The drive will run until the end of this month.
Residents may contact Ms. Sedor by phone at (609) 655-3386, by e-mail at [email protected] and by mail at 32 Evans Dr., Cranbury, NJ 08512.

