Mercer concert series
Mercer County Executive Brian M. Hughes and the Mercer County Park Commission invites residents to kick back and enjoy themed summer concerts at the Mercer County Park Festival Grounds in West Windsor.
Local Legends Night, featuring Paul Plumeri Blues Band and the Ernie White Band, is scheduled for Aug. 9, from 6-10 p.m., when these local legends will play a wide repertoire of blues and popular songs from today and the past half-century. Paul Plumeri Blues Band specializes in blues and the Ernie White Band specializes in rock, but features other musical pieces.
Disco/Funk Night, featuring Papa Deluxe & the Main Street Groove and the Philadelphia Funk Authority, closes out the Summer Concert Series on Aug. 22, from 6-10 p.m., performing music that will take concert-goers back to the ’60s and have them reaching for those dancing shoes.
Admission to the concerts is free. All concerts for 2014 are doubleheaders, with the first band playing 6-8 p.m. and the second band playing from 8-10 p.m.
Concert attendees also will be able to purchase food, dessert, ice cream and smoothies, and have access to a beer and wine garden.
The park has entrances on Old Trenton Road and Hughes Drive in West Windsor.
For more information, visit www.mercercountyparks.org. For up-to-the-minute information on the scheduled performance, call 609-448-1947.
Cultural heritage
festivals slated
Mercer County and the surrounding areas boast a dizzying array of ethnicities, languages, religions and beliefs. In celebration of this great richness of culture, a series of cultural heritage festivals will take place at Mercer County Park Festival Grounds on Old Trenton Road in West Windsor in late August, September and October.
— On Aug. 30 and Aug. 31, the 12th Grand Indo-American Fair will take place from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Mercer County Park Festival Grounds. Tens of thousands of people are expected to attend to celebrate and explore cultural delights of South Asia. The event will draw many talented artists and performers as well as vendors from many states, and will showcase Indian art, jewelry, traditional dress, paintings and brass work.
Admission is $2. For more information, visit http://indoamericanfair.com or contact the organization at 609-937-2806 or 609-240-2350 or 609-937-2800. For general inquiry, call 609-712-6782 or e-mail [email protected].
— On Sept. 6 and 7, the fourth annual Mercer Irish Fest will be held at Mercer County Park Festival Grounds. Festival hours are noon-10 p.m. Saturday and noon-8 p.m. Sunday.
The festival, sponsored by the Trenton Irish Heritage Association, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, will provide entertainment for all ages, many vendors of Irish goods, cultural education and performances by local bands. Admission is $5. For more information, visit www.merceririshfest.com.
— Central Jersey also is well known for its large Italian-American population, the culture of which will be celebrated at the 15th annual Italian American Festival of Mercer County on Sept. 26, 27 and 28 at Mercer County Park Festival Grounds. The three-day extravaganza, organized by the Mercer County Italian-American Festival Association, will feature a piazza of delicious Italian food, an Italian market, a heritage pavilion with more than 200 displays of memorabilia of famous Italian-Americans and other Italian products, a bocce area, a cultural theater, folk dancers and singers, big band music, opera, known performers, amusement rides and a fireworks display.
Festival hours are Sept. 26, 3 to 11 p.m.; Sept. 27, noon to 11 p.m.; and Sept. 28, noon to9:30 p.m.
Admission is $5 for adults and $4 for senior citizens; children 12 and under can attend for free. For more information, visit www.italianamericanfestival.com.
— To cap off the season, Mercer County Executive Brian M. Hughes and the Board of Chosen Freeholders will present the annual Mercer County Cultural Festival, also at Mercer County Park Festival Grounds, on Oct. 11 from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. The festival will celebrate diverse cultures through traditional food, live music and dance performances, and will also feature artists exploring their heritage in their art and crafts. Admission and parking are free.
For more information, or if interested in being a vendor, call 609-278-2712 or e-mail [email protected].
Passports: How to apply
Want to update your passports? The Mercer County Clerk’s Office processes U.S. Passports and U.S. Passport Cards at two locations six days per week.
However, federal offices are taking a bit longer this year to process them, from approximately six-eight weeks (or longer, in some cases), so don’t wait to visit Mercer’s agents to submit applications.
The Mercer County Clerk’s Office processes passports in the Trenton Office weekdays from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, with late hours on Wednesdays until 6:45 p.m. at 209 S. Broad St. in the Courthouse Annex.
The location in Hamilton, at the Mercer County Connection satellite, at Route 33 and Paxon Avenue, is open Mondays through Saturdays for passports. The Hamilton office offers late hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays until 7:30 p.m. There are limited hours on Saturdays as well, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. for the convenience of Mercer residents. Passport pictures will be taken at both locations.
If you want to apply for a U.S. Passport or Passport Card, residents will need 1) Proof of Citizenship in the form of a state-certified birth certificate (long form), a U.S. naturalization certificate or a previously issued U.S. Passport; and 2) Proof of identity in the form of a current driver’s license or a state-issued identification card. Detailed requirements can be found at the County Clerk’s webpage at www.mercercounty.org when you click on "County Clerk," "Services" and "Passports."
U.S. travel requirements include having passports for air, land and sea ports outside of the U.S., including the Caribbean islands, Canada and Mexico. The passport book is accepted for all travel while the passport card has a more limited use and is generally used at seaports and border crossings.
The regular passport fee, which must be in the form of a check or money order, costs $110 for adults and $80 for children. There is also a $25 processing fee for the county. Photos are a separate fee.
Adult passports are valid for 10 years and a child’s passport is valid for five years. For a child under age 16, both parents must appear in person for the application process.
Free air conditioners
Mercer County again will team up with its partner agencies to offer free air conditioners to qualified senior citizens and those with disabilities through the Medi-Cool program.
Mercer County Executive Brian M. Hughes said seniors and people with disabilities should inquire now to find out if they qualify for this program.
The Medi-Cool program is facilitated by Catholic Charities, Diocese of Trenton, and partner Rise Inc., of Hightstown, via the use of county funding provided by the Office on Aging.
Seniors age 60 and older with a documented health condition and who meet income eligibility requirements can receive a voucher that entitles them to a free air conditioner. Residents 18 years or older who have a disability may also qualify. All applicants must provide: proof of residency, proof of income, prescriptions and proof of assets.
Catholic Charities and Rise will screen applicants for eligibility. Interested residents should call either 609-394-8847, ext. 2529, or 609-443-4464.
The supply is limited, so apply soon.
Historic records exhibit
Mercer County celebrated its final program in the yearlong celebration marking the 175th Anniversary of its founding with the unveiling of a permanent display of records at the office of Mercer County Clerk Paula Sollami Covello.
The permanent display will showcase the earliest maps, election results, and deeds recorded in Mercer County, along with artifacts and relics of Mercer County when it was established in 1838.
On display now are the deeds of county luminaries and historic figures such as Woodrow Wilson, the 28th U.S. president who also served as governor of the State of New Jersey and president of Princeton University.
Other Mercer residents highlighted will be Albert Einstein, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, aviator Charles Lindbergh, Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf, Mary G. Roebling, and actor/singer Paul Robeson.
