BORDENTOWN CITY: West Point Jazz Knights city bound

Music of America

By Mike Mack, Special Writer
   BORDENTOWN CITY — The West Point Jazz Knights will be coming to town to put on a free concert for the community this spring.
   ”We’re going to roll out the red carpet for them, “ Mayor James Lynch said at the City Commission meeting Monday night. The concert is set to take place April 5 in the Bordentown Performing Arts Center at Bordentown Regional High School.
   According to the mayor, both the city and Jazz Knights are excited about the opportunity.
   In addition to the concert, plans include clinics for instrumental students hosted by the Jazz Knights.
   Mayor Lynch said that tickets should be available at City Hall by the end of the week.
   The Performing Arts Center sits up to 942 people.
   The Jazz Knights, according to the U.S. military academy’s website, is composed of graduates from some of America’s most prestigious music schools.
   According to its Facebook page, the Knights were founded in 1972 and have been wowing audiences for 40 years, including performances with Benny Goodman at the Lincoln Center in 1982 and the Duke Ellington Orchestra for the 200th anniversary of the New York State Legislature.
   Aside from the upcoming concert, Mayor Lynch said negotiations between the city and Ocean Spray regarding the ball field on Spring Street are “about 99 percent clear.”
   ”That’s looking good,” Mayor Lynch said. “We’re on the right track there.”
   The municipality is receiving land from Ocean Spray that includes the ball field, however, the deal the two parties have worked out is more of an exchange.
   ”They’re going to basically trade that piece of land for a lot that we own,” said Commissioner Zigmont Targonski on Tuesday. The area that the city is receiving is larger than the lot that it will be relinquishing to Ocean Spray, which is adjacent to the property it already owns, he added.
   As previously reported, Ocean Spray is planning on closing its city plant this fall and relocate to Pennsylvania.
   Also on Monday, Mayor Lynch and the rest of the commission presented two local restaurants with Zagat awards. Toscano’s and Oliver a Bistro both received the honors.
   Zagat, a restaurant rating guide, gave Toscano’s a 26 out of 30 while Oliver a Bistro received 27 out of 30.
   Both restaurants are on Farnsworth Avenue.