Camden Doctor Leading Campaign Against Sepsis

Dr. R. Phillip Dellinger, a critical care doctor at Cooper Hospital in Camden is the guideline writing chairman of the Surviving Sepsis Campaign.

Rutgers Camden Enrollment Up

The Camden campus of Rutgers University has a notable increase in enrollment, up nearly 15% for both undergraduate and graduate students. Welcome to all the new arrivals!

Riverwalking Notes

Earlier this week I got a glimpse of that beautiful brick building at 3rd & Market. Work on it is progressing nicely.

Arts Forum

Here's an interesting way to pass tomorrow afternoon:

STRENGTHENING DIVERSE COMMUNITIES THROUGH THE ARTS

*

** FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2008
1:00 PM to 4:00 PM (reception follows)
WALTER K. GORDON THEATER
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Campus at Camden

A symposium on the topic of why and how the arts can provide a path to stable, inclusive & prosperous communities. Integrating the arts in community and economic revitalization to celebrate diversity is a strategy that is transforming New Jersey's cities, towns and neighborhoods.

Keynote: Anna Aschkenes, Director, Middlesex County Cultural and Heritage Commission and Councilperson, New Jersey State Council on the Arts

Two panels will provide research data, strategies, best practices, and resources as well as New Jersey success stories.

REGISTRATION IS FREE AND REQUIRED: online at www.opensoc.org

Temporary Street Closings

For your information:

The U.S. Federal Marshall's Office has announced that, starting Monday,
Sept. 29, traffic patterns on Cooper Street will change and remain
altered throughout the duration of the "Dix Six" trial at the U.S. Court
House.

The two eastbound lanes (heading away from the Delaware River) of Cooper
Street between Fourth and Fifth Sts. will be closed. One westbound lane
(heading toward Lot 7 and the Delaware River) will continue to carry
traffic in that direction; the other westbound lane will be dedicated to
traffic heading in the opposite direction.

Street parking on the 400 block of Cooper Street will not be permitted
during this trial, which is expected to last throughout the remainder of
2008.

Camden Urban Gardens Tour

For those who garden and those who just enjoy looking at gardens:

The online magazine DIG IT! and the Camden City Garden Club, Inc. are co-hosting an autumn garden tour with a twist on Saturday, October 4.

‘The Garden People of Camden’ will showcase stories of urban horticulture by the people who live it – and love it. The self-guided tour starts at 11 a.m. from the Camden Children’s Garden, 3 Riverside Drive on the downtown Waterfront.

“When we started talking about this tour, someone in a suburban garden club told me ‘there are no gardens in Camden,’” says Mary Jasch, the magazine’s editor. “We want people to know that not only are there some great gardens in Camden - there are great gardeners, too. This is a chance for them to share their stories.”

The stops on the tour will include the home of Josephine, a container gardener who’s created a gracious oasis in her East Camden backyard; a once-vacant lot where Paulito and fellow high-rise tenants grow a truly global variety of fresh edibles; and a South Camden garden whose proprietor, Sam, epitomizes the old-fashioned values of hard work, neighborliness and civic pride.

Adding a dash of seasoning to the tour: A garden of aesthetic delights. The guide, Bernie, will usher visitors through a sculpture park that’s a showcase for the work of four well-known artists – and the backdrop for a fascinating story about restoring public space.

“This is a storytelling tour, a horticultural heritage tour and a historical tour all in one,” Jasch says. “Some of these gardeners bring with them the knowledge their families gained over generations.”

Tickets are $8 for Camden City Garden Club members and $15 for non-members and can be purchased at the Children’s Garden on the day of the tour, or in advance at www.dig-itmag.com. Participants are welcome to bring lunch to the picnic pavilion at the Children’s Garden, which will offer reduced-price admission for tour-goers. In addition, Triple Oaks Nursery, in Franklinville, will offer tour-goers a 20 percent discount on all nursery plants Saturday and Sunday, October 4 and 5.

“The notion there are no gardens in the city - or that nothing grows – is just plain wrong,” says Mike Devlin, executive director of the Children’s Garden. “Across the country, more and more people are gardening, because they’re worried about the economy and the environment, and are interested in healthy eating and enjoying the outdoors with their children. This is happening in Camden, too.”

Camden Riversharks Playoffs

Tonight's playoff game between the Camden Riversharks and the Long Island Ducks begins at 7:05pm. Campbells Field. There will also be fireworks!

Newark Black Film Festival in Camden

For film enthusiasts:

Rutgers-Camden Center for the Arts is delighted to welcome the Newark Black Film Festival to the Gordon Theater from September 11th through 26th @ 7:30 pm. FREE ADMISSION. Head to www.rutgerscamdenarts.org for a complete film schedule.

Since its inception in 1974, the Newark Black Film Festival has become known among its peers as the longest running black film festival in the United States. Throughout the years, it has continued to provide a progressive public forum for hundreds of emerging writers, directors, producers, performers and film buffs who enjoy African American and African Diaspora cinema. Each film selection encompasses a wide range of cinematic forms and formulas, from documentary to the avant-garde. The Festival is FREE of charge to the public and receives funding in the form of special grants from foundations and corporations. The 2008 Festival season is made possible by a grant from Bank of America.

Kids' Night at RU-C Soccer

An FYI for soccer parents:

KID'S NIGHT

Friday, September 5th
7:30pm

Men's Soccer vs. Alvernia College

Bring your kids to the game for a night of exciting soccer as your Rutgers-Camden Scarlet Raptors take on Alvernia College in the first round of the Cialella Soccer Classic

Games, Prizes and Giveaways for all kids in attendance

Autograph session with the Scarlet Raptors the 20th Ranked Team in the Nation

Special Appearance by The Raptor!!!!

Rutgers Community Choir

If you like to sing this may be for you:

This fall, the Rutgers University Choir is opening its doors to the community, staff, and faculty members. Choir rehearsals are taking place in the Black Box Theater (FA136) in the Fine Arts building every Tuesday and Thursday 1:30 - 2:50 PM. Students are required to attend rehearsals on both days in order to receive credit for the class. Non-registered singers may join us on Tuesdays and as many Thursdays as possible.

The goal of the choir is to provide our singers and audiences with a rich musical experience. Singers can expect to perform repertoire in a variety of languages (English, German, Latin, French, Italian, Spanish, Church Slavonic, Russian, Hebrew, etc.) and in various musical styles (Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Twentieth-Century), all of which will be enjoyable to the novice and experienced alike.

Professor Julia Zavadsky will be the choir director.

New Law School Courtyard

The walkway under the new bridge of the law school addition is starting to open up. There is a small courtyard on the side closest to the Ben Franklin Bridge, with some benches. It has become a popular gathering place for students.

Jill Biden, Jersey Girl

Jill Biden, wife of vice presidential candidate Sen. Joe Biden, was born in Hammonton, New Jersey.

William Still and Lawnside

For those interested in a short history of why William Still and the Lawnside community in New Jersey are important in the African American community and the history of the underground railroad, watch this video on YouTube.

Battleship Events This Month

The Battleship New Jersey has a number of special events scheduled this month:

- WOGL's Battleship Bingo, Sun., Aug. 10th. . Listen to WOGL or visit WOGL.com to win a chance to play Bingo for prizes on the fantail of the ship.

- WMMR's Band on the Battleship, Fri., Aug. 15th. Listen to WMMR 93.3 FM or visit wmmr.com to win tickets to a show by the rock group, Filter on the fantail.

- Military Vehicles Day, Sat., Aug. 16th. See jeeps, transport trucks on more on the ship's pier.

- Bedlam on the Battleship Wrestling Event, Sun., Aug. 17th. Pro-wrestling makes it deput on the Big J! Highlighted by The Patriot, pro-wrestlers will grapple on the ship's fantail.

- Union Members Free for Labor Day, Mon., Sept 1st. The Battleship celebrates Labor Day by offering free self-guided tours to all union members with valid ID.

Bruce Garrity Artwork

The new lobby of the Paul Robeson Library is now the temporary home of some of Prof. Bruce Garrity's paintings. They are very colorful and really liven up the space; taking in all the elements of each canvas would take several viewings so even if you've seen them be sure to look again.

Big Purple Flowers

Right outside the Rutgers Camden student center there are some very large, deep magenta hibiscus-y looking flowers. Make a point to walk past now as they are very lovely but likely to fade soon.

National Children and Youth Gardening at CCG

This past weekend the Camden Children's Garden played host to a number of visitors. From their report:

The visitors came from as far away as New Zealand and as close as New Jersey.

But in their admiration for the Camden Children’s Garden, they all came from the same place.

About 330 participants in the 16th annual National Children and Youth Gardening Symposium of the American Horticultural Society (AHS) toured the Children’s Garden on Saturday, July 26. It was the closing day of the conference, which was co-hosted by the Children’s Garden, Longwood Gardens, Winterthur Museum and Country Estate, and the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society.

“We were thrilled to be able to give people from all over the country who love youth gardening the chance to see what we’re doing here in Camden - especially with our youth employment and job training program,” said Michael Devlin, executive director of the Children’s Garden. He and his wife Valerie Frick co-founded the nonprofit Camden City Garden Club in 1985, and the club opened the Children’s Garden on the Camden Waterfront in 1999.

Local Food Network Star

Congratulations to Aaron McCargo, winner of Food Network's "The Next Food Network Star". As the winner, he will have his own show on the Food Network, "Big Daddy's House."

Camden in Flower

From our friends at the Camden Children's Garden:

More than 500 participants in the American Horticultural Society’s “Growing Fertile Minds and Communities”conference will visit the Camden Children’s Garden from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 26.

The Garden is co-hosting the conference along with Longwood Gardens, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, and Winterthur Museum and Country Estate. This is the 16th annual National Children and Youth Garden Symposium sponsored by AHS, the largest and oldest organization of its kind in the nation.

“We’re honored to be selected as a co-host, and we’re eager to have horticulture and education professionals from across the country see first-hand what we’re doing in Camden,” says Mike Devlin, executive director of the Children’s Garden.

“Gardening’s popularity has never been higher among adults and children alike, driven in part by concern about the economy, the environment, food, and obesity,” Devlin adds. “Gardening is something families can do together. Gardening enhances the ‘green’ quality of homes and neighborhoods. It’s good for the environment – and good for people, too.”

Devlin and his wife, Valerie Frick – the Garden’s director of education – last month were presented with the AHS’s Jane L. Taylor Award, which is given to individuals and organizations that inspire future horticulturalists through children and youth gardening. Devlin and Frick co-founded the Camden City Garden Club, Inc. in 1985. After hearing Taylor speak at the first National Children and Youth Garden Symposium in 1993, they went on to open the Children’s Garden in 1999.

The Garden provides youth education and employment programs and has helped 250 city youngsters stay in school and graduate since 1994 – despite Camden’s 60 percent dropout rate. The Garden Club operates Grow Lab (greenhouses on wheels) programs in most of the city’s public, private, and parochial elementary schools and helps hundreds of community gardeners citywide.


The AHS conference will be headquartered at the University of Delaware in Newark, Del.

Faerie Folklore at the Camden Children's Garden

Next Wednesday, July 16, The Camden Children's Garden is having a Wednesday Workshop:

Faerie Garden Funtasies for Parent & Child Workshop
Presented by Lorraine Kiefer, Triple Oaks Nursery & Herb Garden co-owner, and garden columnist. Attendees will be entertained with some of the fascinating folklore that has been associated with fairies through the centuries and will make their own Faerie dish garden using herbs, an alyssum and a variety of small flowering annuals. This workshop is held 10:00am-11:30am. $15.00 for Garden members and $20.00 for non-members.

See the calendar for reservation information.