Content about Human Interest

Maurer Productions Onstage will take audiences back to a time when beautiful music, colorful costumes and screwball comedy were the height of entertainment with the “The Drowsy Chaperone” at Mercer County Community College’s Kelsey Theatre. Dates and times for this Tony Award-winning show are: Fridays, June 8 and 15 at 8 p.m.; Saturdays, June 9 and 16 at 8 p.m.; and Sundays, June 10 and 17 at 2 p.m. Kelsey Theatre is located on MCCC's West Windsor campus, 1200 Old Trenton Road. A reception with the cast and crew follows the opening night performance on June 8.

"The improbable triumph of the humble Malbec -- the Seabiscuit of grapes." -Benjamin Wallace, author of The Billionaire's Vinegar

For generations, Argentine wine was famously bad-­oxidized, unpalatable, and often mixed with a low-class French grape called Malbec. But then in 2001, a Cabernet Sauvignon / Malbec blend beat all contenders in a blind taste test featuring Napa and Bordeaux's finest. Today, Argentina and its signature wine are on the tip of every smart traveler's tongue. How did this happen?

This community-wide celebration of school gardens, healthy living and sustainability is now in its second year – last year attracted several hundred visitors and this year we expect even more will attend to enjoy live music, local food, gardening and nutrition demonstrations, sports clinics, and arts and crafts in our beautiful school gardens.

West Windsor, N.J. – It’s Bobby’s 35th birthday and it’s a complicated affair. Pierrot Productions presents the Tony Award-winning musical “Company” at Mercer County Community College’s Kelsey Theatre. Dates and show times for this Sondheim classic are Fridays, May 18, 25 and June 1 at 8 p.m.; Saturdays, May 19, 26 and June 2 at 8 p.m.; and Sundays, May 20, 27 and June 3 at 2 p.m. Kelsey Theatre is located on Mercer’s West Windsor campus, 1200 Old Trenton Road. A reception with the cast and crew follows the opening night performance on May 18.

The Mercer County Holocaust-Genocide Resource Center and Congregation Beth Chaim of Princeton Junction will be commemorating Holocaust Remembrance Day with a screening of the documentary “Only a Number” on Wednesday, April 18, at 7 p.m. at the Congregation Beth Chaim, 329 Village Road East, Princeton Junction.

West Windsor, N.J. -- Buckle your seat belts for a ride back to 1960s Baltimore when hairdos were high and the music was boppin’. Join Mercer County Community College Theatre students, community actors from the James Tolin Memorial Fund (JTMF), and several other community actors for the unforgettable musical “Hairspray” at MCCC’s Kelsey Theatre. Dates and times for this colorful comedy are Friday, April 13 at 8 p.m.; Saturdays, April 14 and 21 at 8 p.m.; and Sundays, April 15 and 22 at 2 p.m. Kelsey Theatre is located on Mercer's West Windsor campus, 1200 Old Trenton Road.

The Liechtenstein Institute on Self-Determination’s Program on Women in International Relations in cooperation with Princeton Against Sex Trafficking will convene a workshop on human trafficking March 30-31 on the Princeton University campus. The two day event will bring together policy makers, practitioners, activists, and academics to address the politics and economics of trafficking, the successes and limitations of on-the-ground interventions by NGOs, and ways to address the global problem of trafficking in the United States and abroad.

Patricia de Stacy Harrison, president and chief executive officer of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), will participate in a public talk at the Woodrow Wilson School at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 18, 2012. Harrison's talk is part of the School's "Media and Public Policy" thematic lecture series.

West Windsor, N.J. – The talents of 76 Mercer County artists will be on display at the Gallery at Mercer County Community College in the exhibit, "Mercer County Artists 2012," which runs from March 6 to April 5. The community is invited to the Opening Reception and Awards Ceremony, to be held Wednesday, March 7 from 5 to 7:30 p.m. The awards ceremony will begin at 6 p.m. with representatives from the college, the county and the West Windsor Arts Council on hand to make presentations.

Journey to a world of witches, wizards and munchkins in the Yardley Players’ production of the musical, “The Wizard of Oz” at Mercer County Community College’s Kelsey Theatre. Dates and show times for this enduring classic are: Fridays, March 23 and March 30 at 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays, March 24 and March 31 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; and Sundays, March 25 and April 1 at 2 p.m. Kelsey Theatre is located on Mercer's West Windsor campus, 1200 Old Trenton Road. A reception with the cast and crew follows the opening night performance on March 23. (Note: Earlier start time for family audiences.)

The Philadelphia Flower Show may be larger, but Mercer County Community College (MCCC) will host a horticulture event that is closer to home – and free! MCCC is the site of its first ever Horticulture Expo from March 16-18, which is expected to draw 300 students from 28 high schools across the state. On March 17 and 18, from 9 a.m.

The Pennington Players perform magic on roller skates with their upcoming performance of the hilarious musical fantasy “Xanadu” at Mercer County Community College’s Kelsey Theatre. Dates and show times for this spirited take on 1980s popular culture are: Fridays, March 9 and March 16 at 8 p.m.; Saturdays, March 10 and March 17 at 8 p.m.; and Sundays, March 11 and March 18 at 2 p.m. Kelsey Theatre is located on Mercer's West Windsor campus, 1200 Old Trenton Road. A reception with the cast and crew follows the opening night performance on March 9.

Jared Cohen, director of "Google Ideas," will present a public talk titled, "The New Digital Age: The Future of Citizens, States, and Business," at the Woodrow Wilson School as part of the School's "Media and Public Policy" thematic lecture series.

Created in 2010 with Cohen at its helm, Google Ideas is a cross-sector, inter-disciplinary "think/do tank" dedicated to understanding global challenges and applying technological solutions to these worldwide problems. Google Ideas further positions Google to influence global cultural, political and social issues.

“Keeping Politics out of Women’s Health” will be the topic of a public talk at the Woodrow Wilson School presented by Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, on Wednesday, March 28, 2012. Richards is visiting the Wilson School as part of its “Leadership and Governance Program,” which brings prominent policy makers to Princeton for a multi-day visit so that students can meet and learn from exemplary public leaders.

The YWCA of Princeton’s 29th annual Tribute to Women Awards Dinner will take place on Thursday, March 1 at the Hyatt Regency Princeton beginning at 5:15 pm. Ten women will be inducted to the YWCA’s prestigious list of honorees who embody its mission of eliminating racism and empowering women. Suzannne McCroskey will be the recipient of the esteemed Waxwood Award in recognition of her numerous contributions as a YWCA volunteer for more than a decade.

29 years of Recognition

West Windsor, N.J. – Rejoice in a pirate’s life when Gilbert & Sullivan’s classic musical “The Pirates of Penzance” sails into Mercer County Community College’s Kelsey Theatre in January. Show times for this renowned operetta are: Fridays, Jan. 13 and 20 at 8 p.m.; Saturdays, Jan. 14 and 21 at 8 p.m.; and Sundays, Jan. 15 and 22 at 2 p.m. A special daytime performance will be held Friday, Jan. 20 at 10 a.m. Kelsey Theatre is located on the college’s West Windsor campus, 1200 Old Trenton Road.

Princeton Writers’ Block performs short comedies by Shel Silverstein, Christopher Durang, David Ives and Lily Tomlin.

The co-author of a study on PILOT – an acronym for payments made voluntarily by tax-exempt nonprofits as a substitute for property taxes – recommended at a Township Committee meeting Monday that a collaborative approach would be better than “public shaming”, a process she called “highly contentious.” 
 

Womanspace is calling for volunteers to help organize its signature campaign, “Communities of Light”, to raise awareness of domestic violence and sexual abuse.  Patricia Hart, Executive Director of the Mercer County nonprofit, says the goal is to “join together with one voice to say domestic violence is wrong.” 

Four groups of students from Mercer County schools will compete in a fridge painting contest at Mrs. G TV & Appliances to benefit Susan G. Komen of Central and South Jersey. Using a theme to bring attention to Breast Cancer Awareness Month, students will use symbols like the color pink and the pink awareness ribbon to create a design on retired refrigerators.

As Joyce Carol Oates, contributing editor of this volume of brand-new stories by a remarkable set of writers, of whom we are thrilled to have several gathered at the store to celebrate the publication of New Jersey Noir, writes: New Jersey seems to be a place like few others where "corruption isn't aberrant but rather a way of (political) life." Please join us for readings from this book, all of which are set in New Jersey.
 

Mrs. G TV & Appliances calls on all young artists in grades 6 through 12 to show their talent in the “Paint Our Fridge Pink” refrigerator decorating contest to support breast cancer awareness. The top 3 artists will be invited to the Mrs. G showroom in Lawrenceville to paint their designs on retired refrigerators and meet renowned graffiti artist and Jersey Fresh Jam founder Leon Rainbow. A public online voting will determine the Grand Prize winner who will receive a $150 savings bond and free attendance to one of Leon Rainbow’s graffiti courses. Mrs.

Starring Vanessa Redgrave, Uma Thurman, and Edward Fox, this film is about a group of English and American vacationers at Italy's Lake Como, circa 1937.  Part of the Friday Film Cafe Series.

A small-time hood struggles to succeed on the streets of New York's Little Italy in this film directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Robert DeNiro and Harvey Keitel.  Part of the Monday Movie Mania Series.