RiverLink Ferry opens this weekend.

The RiverLink Ferry opens for the season this Saturday and there is a special promotion where kids 12 and younger ride for free with adult ticket purchase from noon until 6pm.

I've taken this across the river a couple of times, its a nice boat ride and a great way to spend some time on both sides of the river for the day.

Lost Dog?

A number of people noticed a lost dog near campus this morning, a small terrier-looking dog, white but very dirty. Reports of the dog's behavior would indicate it is or was a pet. No reports of it this afternoon. If you happen to see it in the next few days please leave a comment or send an email.

Cool Breeze by the River

Some buildings on campus don't have air conditioning but there is a very cool breeze down by the river. The pepper steak and rice at the Crossroads Cafe would have been worth the trip by itself but having a walk with relief from the heat made it even better.

Professional Bull Riding- This Weekend

Looking for something interesting to do this weekend? Hop on the Riverline and check out the Professional Bull Riders, coming to the Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton. Tickets are still available and at good prices (as low as $15.00). I've been to PBR events and they are family friendly and truly entertaining. Maybe you've caught some bull riding on TV, but it is one of those events that needs to be seen live!!

Garden State Grapevine

The Philadelphia Inquirer has a news blog devoted to New Jersey politics and government.

Check out the Garden State Grapevine, http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/nj_politics/

Flyers Day at the Aquarium

The Adventure Aquarium is a special event tomorrow:

In preparation for their 2009 NHL Playoff match-up against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the one and only PHILADELPHIA FLYERS will host a Pep Rally at Adventure Aquarium on the Camden, NJ Waterfront on Tuesday, April 21, 2009.

From 9:30 am until 5:00 pm on April 21, any guest who presents at Adventure Aquarium's ticketing window wearing Flyers apparel will automatically receive $2 OFF the price of admission.

Come on out and meet Flyers' alum Bob Kelly, the team's ambassador of hockey who helped guide the Flyers to two consecutive Stanley Cup championships. The rally will also feature fun inflatable interactive Flyers games, the Flyers Delta Dental Ice Girls and Fan Patrol, photo ops in front of an impressive 20-foot inflatable Flyers jersey, and Flyers give-aways and prizes.

And don't forget to stop by our Penguin Island Exhibit, you'll see there is NO DOUBT that these penguins are Flyers' Fans!

So come on out to Adventure Aquarium this Tuesday to show your support for the one and only Philadelphia Flyers...and don't forget your Flyers gear for $2 OFF the price of admission!

Armitage Lilacs

On Friday the lilacs (?) by the side entrance of Armitage Hall on campus were not only beautiful to look at but smelled wonderful. I hope they survive the rain today.

Restaurant Review: Five Guys

Five Guys Burger and Fries has opened a store in Audubon. The street address is 130 Black Horse Pike but the store from doesn't face the street. If you turn in at Audubon Crossing (or Commons?), it is in that group of stores.

It is a large space, room for plenty of tables; they may just have opened and perhaps not all the decor is in yet.

The food is good. The menu lists the standard burgers, hot dog, drilled cheese, friends, and drinks. One note -- the little hamburger or little cheeseburger and fries will satisfy most appetites. Only those with a heartier hunger would need the regular burger.

A little hamburger, fries, and a drink is a little over $7.00. Go with a friend, split the fries, and spend around $7.00.

There are also boxes of peanuts by the door that you can take, shell, and eat. Those with allergies should take note of this.

It's about a ten minute drive from campus, twenty if you miss the turn, and take a scenic tour of the Walt Whitman Bridge.

Crossroads Cafe

A week or so ago a friend and I walked down to the Crossroads Cafe for lunch; it is across the street from the Camden Children's Garden. It is a friendly place and you can count on a smile from the staff. Every day there are lunch specials, most very reasonably priced. You can chose from soups, salads, something hot off the grill, a freshly made sandwich or a slice of pizza.

April Flowers

The campus is looking very springy these days. The grounds crew has been busy planting flowers, hyacinths, pansies, tulips, daffodils, and others. Walk through and take a look and a sniff.

Button's Birthday Bash

Yes, it's that time again. Button the Hippo is turning 12 (next up: the teen years!!!). Here's some info from the Adventure Aquarium:

From April 4 through April 19, we're transforming Adventure Aquarium into party central...HIPPO PARTY CENTRAL, that is! We're pulling out all the stops for Button's 12th birthday to throw one HIPPO-sized birthday party, and we cordially invite YOU to attend!

Here's a preview of what's offered during Button's BIGGER Birthday Bash:

Meet characters from Nickelodeon's The Backyardigans™
Enjoy LIVE kids musical performances by father/daughter duo Secret Agent 23 Skidoo on April 4th & 5th
Boogie down to the fun-loving family music of Ernie & Neal on April 18th and 19th
Get crafty with the Party Maniacs on April 11th & 12th and April 18th &19th
Watch Button devour gourmet hippo treats on weekends!
Doodle on The Crayola Factory's giant birthday wall
Boogie down at Button's dance party
Help Sing "Happy Birthday" to Button and pose with her larger-than-life birthday cake!
Kids get their very own hippo party hat (while supplies last)!

Camden has the only aquarium in the U.S. where you can see Hippos in a land and water setting.

Friends Cafe

The Friends Cafe at 319 Friends St, right behind the parking lot by the business and science building, has a full menu. You can eat in or take out. The dining area has a big screen tv if you want to catch the news or your favorite tv show while you eat.

There are breakfast items for the morning crowd, all under $5.00 For the noon and evening meals there are a variety of options, cheese fries, chicken fingers, buffalo wings, salads, hoagies and sandwiches, burgers, wraps, and Asian noodles. Hours are Monday - Friday 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturdays. They will deliver, but only for lunch.

Is Your Idea MMM Good?

Campbell Soup has set up a new website to let people who don't work for Campbell submit ideas. The introduction on http://www.campbellsoupcompany.com/ideas/ states:

Dear Friend of Campbell,

Campbell Soup Company has a passion for innovation. We continually seek to improve the quality, convenience, and value of our products. We are always interested in ideas for new products, packaging, marketing, and production technologies that will help us meet the needs of our consumers and customers better, faster and more completely.

At Campbell, we recognize that valuable ideas for innovation may come to us from many sources, both inside and outside the Company. Consumers, customers, suppliers, contractors, inventors and friends often have suggestions that they would like to share with us, and we welcome their interest in doing so.

We have created this Web site to provide a convenient method for people who are not employed by Campbell to submit ideas for innovation to us. If you have an idea that you think may interest us, we hope you will submit it for our consideration.

Thank you for your interest – we look forward to hearing from you!

Douglas R. Conant
President and CEO

So if you've always thought the company should create a "cream of shrimp" soup or have any other productive ideas for Campbell, check out the site for guidelines, terms, and how to send in your thoughts. Keep it clean, keep it positive.

Camden Historian Researches Baby Books

As you always suspected, first children have completed baby books, subsequent children tend to have their milestones scribbled in the margins.

This was one of many conclusions historian Janet Golden came to when studying collections of baby books dating back to the early 1900's; this was part of a larger study on babies in American history. She also studied the use of babies in advertisements. For more information see "Camden historian researches babies across the decades," by Coleen Dee Berry in the 3/25 Rutgers Focus.

One of Golden's other finds:

“I was surprised to see how, throughout the 20th century, parents have been extremely focused on the costs of childrearing and on saving for education,” Golden said. “I always cringe when I read baby books from the 1920s and see that parents have opened bank accounts for their babies, because I know they'll be wiped out in the Great Depression.”

Matthew Henson Statue at Maritime Museum

Yesterday Michael Lang, John Giannotti, both emeritus professors at Rutgers Camden, and Father Doyle of Sacred Heart, gave a presentation on the Camden Shipyard & Maritime Museum. On April 6th, the 100th anniversary of Peary and Henson reaching the North Pole, Giannotti's statue of Matthew Henson is slated to be unveiled. To honor the contribution of the expedition's canine contingent a husky has been added to the statue; it is not in the sketch on the museum's website.

The museum is housed in the former Church of Our Savior. The parrish house was build from stones brought back from North Pole expeditions sponsored by Philadelphia area institutions. There were ballast stones from ships used on the expeditions. The parrish house was built in 1891. Matthew Henson and Robert Peary also worked in Philadelphia for awhile. Several of the stained glass windows in the church have nautical themes.

Giannotti, who created the wonderful statue of Walt Whitman which stands in front of the Campus Center, has made an impressive 8' tall statue of Henson. It is the first life-sized statue of this explorer. NJN's show "State of the Arts" will be film the statue's unveiling as part of an episode on Gianotti.