Annual Chili Challenge!!!!

This Sunday, April 23rd, from noon to 3:00 p.m., the Food Bank of South Jersey's 2nd Annual Chili Challenge will be held at Wiggins Park on the Camden Waterfront. Up to 30 teams of cooks will compete. Last year more than 2000 people attended. Five dollars will purchase 6 tickets, each ticket can be traded for a 2 oz serving of chili.

Independence National Historical Park

It's a little out of our geographic range, but those who like to cross the Delaware might have visited Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia. This park, along with four other major urban parks, are discussed in a new book, Rethinking Urban Spaces by Setha Low, Dana Taplin, and Suzanne Scheld.

Camden Waterfront Update

Today's Inquirer had an article on the Camden Waterfront and new developments there. (Read the entire article here.) Some highlights:

This summer, work should begin on the ferry terminal, the Camden waterfront's first building that is not being helped along by taxes or tolls.

An Italian cafe with a pizza oven is slated to open in the Victor Lofts. Aquarium customers will be able to scuba dive in a shark tank. And Jimmy Buffett will return to the Tweeter Center.

also:

Campbell's Field has a new carousel and rock-climbing wall. A SpongeBob 3-D movie with special effects is coming to the aquarium. The Battleship New Jersey has new exhibits. And festivals and county-run jazz concerts will help attract visitors to Camden, said Judi London, president of the Camden Waterfront Marketing Bureau.

A whole lot of shaking going on!!! (I'm rooting for the Italian restaurant and will be sure to report on it when it opens.)

Classical Studies at Rutgers Camden

A new display at the Paul Robeson Library highlights materials relevant to the new Classical Studies Minor at Rutgers Camden.

In addition, a smaller case displays a library employee's personal collection of children's books translated into Latin. Titles include:

Cattus Petasatus (The Cat in the Hat)
Quomodo Invidiosulus Nomine Grinchus Christi Natalem Abrogaverit (How the Grinch Stole Christmas)
Tela Carlottae (Charlotte's Web)
Alicia in Terra Mirabilis (Alice in Wonderland)
Ferdinandus Taurus (Ferdinand the Bull)

The display cases are located just to the right of the front entrance. Stop in and take a look.

To Die in Your Own Home ....

A group of good hearted people in Camden County allowed a 95 year old man the chance to go home and die in his own country. Evalds Ciekurs had been a resident at Innova Health & Rehab as a ward of the state. His doctor noticed that he said "Riga" often realized it was a city in Latvia. More detective work connected Ciekurs with a daughter he had not seen in decades. Employees and friends worked together to have him released to his daughter and paid for his plane ticket home. He spent his final year in his hometown and died recently. It was a group random act of kindness. Kudos to all involved.

Read details here in a column, "For lost Latvian's friends, sad ending is a happy one," by Monica Yant Kinney in the April 9th Inquirer.

South Camden Theater Company Gets a Home

I've been reading about the South Camden Theater Company in the Rutgers Camden student newspaper, The Gleaner, but hadn't seen anything in the mainstream press about it, or been able to track down much tangible information about it. Recent plays have been performed in the basement of the Sacred Heart Church. However, according to today's Inquirer ("A Neglected Corner Will Stage a Comeback" by Kristen A. Graham), Joseph Paprzycki, the driving force behind the theater company, has found a home, or at least a future home:

The once popular Walt's Cafe - his grandfather's bar at Fourth and Jasper - is a long-abandoned eyesore that will soon be transformed into the home of the South Camden Theater Company.

Five hundred people came to see the company's first production last year. The company will present Acts of War, five plays about the war in Iraq, beginning April 21 at Sacred Heart.

The company hopes to move into its new home next spring.

If You Go

The South Camden Theater Company will present Acts of War at 8 p.m. Fridays, 1:30 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, and 1:30 p.m. Sundays from April 21 through May 6 in the basement of Sacred Heart Church, Broadway and Ferry Avenue, Camden.

Tickets are $15; students and senior citizens pay $10.

For tickets or more information, call 856-456-2850 or e-mail camdentheater@aol.com.

Noontime Concerts

An announcement from Rutgers:

Starting Tuesday, April 11, the University District Concerts at Noon series will offer everyone who work and lives in or near Camden a great opportunity to enjoy the warming spring weather and listen to live music, all in the heart of the city's University District.

Sponsored by the County of Camden, Camden County College, Rowan University, and Rutgers University-Camden, this free lunchtime series will feature:

April 11: The Kate Gaffney Band will perform a concert of classic rock infused with blues, folk, and homespun Americana influences. A favorite performer at area concerts and clubs, Gaffney has recorded two CDs, "Highways" and "The New Then."

April 18: Ju Taun, billed as "southern New Jersey's answer to Boyz II Men," will perform. The five-member R&B group tours nationally with acts like Ashanti and LL Cool J, and produced a CD, "How Bad U Want It."

April 25: Webb Thomas & The Soul Patrol will perform a concert of jazz, soul, and funk.

All concerts will be held on the Rutgers-Camden quad, located on front of the Paul Robeson Library. There are no rain dates. Admission is free of charge, courtesy of Camden County. Food will be available for purchase.

More than 8,000 students attend classes at the University District in Camden, which consists of Camden County College, Rowan University, and Rutgers. The University District is located along Cooper Street, a corridor through which more than three million guests visited the Camden Waterfront in 2005.

There are some tables and benches available. If you arrive early and bring your lunch you can stake out a good spot. The cafeteria in the campus center has a variety of selections: hot entrees, sandwiches, pizza, burgers, etc. The weather is beautiful today and a little music over lunch would surely make for a productive afternoon.

Pink Rose Pastry -- Yummmmmmm

Some kind sole brought a box of pastries from Pink Rose Pastry in Philadelphia to work today. I had the raspberry -- delicious!!!

Food Truck at 5th and Penn Back

The food truck that was at 5th and Penn for part of last year is back!!! Yes, yes, I can get my breakfast sandwich again on days that it is too hectic to eat at home. They also have good lunch sandwiches, chips, soda, soups sometimes, and so on. The proprietors are nice people, very friendly, and the prices reasonable.

Missing Monday

The first Monday of the month is designated as Missing Monday and participating bloggers highlight a missing persons case in their area.

Robert William Dornbach was last seen on November 27, 2005 in Gloucester, NJ. He has a tattoo of a cross on his right ankle and a tattoo of "D-Bach" on his left arm. Robert's nickname is Bobby. He was 17 at the time, now 18, and considered an endangered runaway. More information is available at missingkids.com.

Corzine: Impressed By Camden's Improvement

Gov. Jon Corzine visited Camden yesterday (Courier Post story here) and was pleased with what he found.

Corzine said he was "impressed" by new construction at Rutgers, expansion plans at Cooper University Hospital, and other massive upgrades. The city has built a library on Ferry Avenue and is improving its water and sewer system.

Too bad he wasn't here today -- groundskeepers at Rutgers Camden have been planting spring flowers, already in bloom. Yesterday I walked along the waterfront with only a light jacket.

New Blog on the Block

A big hidy-ho to a new South Jersey blog, merchantville.blogspot.com. The blog focuses on the goings on in, you guessed it, Merchantville.

Camden Housing Prices Soar

From today's Inquirer:

The median sales price for houses in Camden increased 81 percent between 2003 and last year, according to a new Prudential Fox & Roach Realtors analysis of five central and southern New Jersey counties.

(Mulvihill, Geoff, "Camden housing values soar," Philadelphia Inquirer March 27, 2006, p. B6).

Restaurant Review: Cafe Salad Works

In Camden and in the mood for a healthy lunch? Try Cafe Salad Works, 114 N. 3rd St. These aren't skimpy "two lettuce leaves and a carrot" salads but substantial meals. You can choose from the menu or create your own. My personal favorite is the spinach salad, but there are almost unlimited choices. Each meal comes with a large roll. That and a drink will cost about $6.00 or $7.00, maybe a little more depending on what you order. There is limited table seating, but many people opt for take out and most of the times I've been there someone comes in to pick up a large order for an office or group.

George Carlin in Sewell

This Sunday, March 26th, at 7 p.m., comedian George Carlin will appear at the Commerce BAnk Arts Centre in Sewell, NJ. No word on who, if anyone, will bring the pork chops.

Nick Virgilio Haiku Conference

THe Nick Virgilio Haiku Association and the Rutgers Camden English Department are co-sponsoring a daylong conference on Saturday, March 25, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The cost is $25.00. Nick Virgilio was a resident of Camden and an internationally known haikuist. One of the two workshops scheduled is on teaching haiku and the Nick Virgilio Haiku Association is a registered New Jersey professional development provider.

Hiatus

My apologies for the hiatus in posting to the blog. We'll try to keep up in the future.

Missing Monday

Nicholas Peter Zizzamia, of Camen, NJ, was last seen on May 12, 1979. He was en route to Villanova University and has not been seen since. For more information, seen the county sheriff's missing person's website.

Ella Enchanted Screenwriter in Camden

On Friday, March 3, author and screenwriter Kirsten Smith will be on the Rutgers Camden campus. The co-writer of the films Legally Blonde, 10 Things I Hate About You, Ella Enchanted, and the upcoming Dirty Little Secret will be speaking about her new book, The Geography of Girlhood, from 12 – 1 p.m. in the Center for Children and Childhood Studies. From 1 – 2 p.m. she will be signing books.

James Still Homestead Purchased!

Today's Inquirer reports:

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection bought the 8.8-acre spread yesterday from the Trollinger family for $875,000 and plans to turn it into a museum dedicated to Still's life.

James Still, the son of runaway slaves, became known as "The Black Doctor of the Pines." He practiced medicine for many years and was well-respected in the area. This will be a wonderful addition to the cultural landscape of the region.