-
Howell Living History Farm | Hopewell. New Jersey
Howell Living History Farm Howell Living History Farm is a working farm museum located in Mercer County, New Jersey, near the Delaware River. The farm shows visitors what farm life was like over 100 years ago. It is a simply wonderful place to take the whole family, and basic admission and parking are FREE! Some special programs may have a small fee. There are evening hayrides, “bringing in the sheaves,” corn mazes in the fall, wheat threshing, cricket walks, honey harvests, and farm animals. Children may also work as farmhands! The farm is typically open year-round, Tuesday-Saturday from 10AM-4PM. Please check the Howell Living History Farm calendar because the farm…
-
The Buzz Aldrin Rock | Montclair, New Jersey
The Buzz Aldrin Rock On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the first two men to walk on the moon. Yesterday marked the 45th anniversary of that historic feat. Aldrin was from Montclair, New Jersey, and he had attended the township schools and is probably the most famous graduate of Montclair High School. His mother’s maiden name was Marion Moon. Yes, Moon. If you don’t believe me, you can read this article about Aldrin where he swears it’s the truth. The town was wildly proud of him, and in September of that year, they threw a “Buzz Aldrin Day” celebration, complete with a parade, and…
-
Girls Just Want to Have Fun (1983)
Girls Just Wanted To Have Fun In The 1980s! Back in the 1980s, there was a fresh new face on the music scene! Cyndi Lauper debuted her solo career with this instant classic! It was so fun, fresh, and modern that the day after I first saw that video I danced down to the record store in the mall and bought the album! Yes, a vinyl record! When my mother first heard the song she said “they had to know it would be a hit!” “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” was written by Robert Hazard from a male point of view. Cyndi Lauper Cyndi changed the lyrics a…
-
Great Adventure Theme Park and Rolling Thunder | Jackson Township, New Jersey
Six Flags Great Adventure Great Adventure is a Six Flags theme park in Jackson Township, New Jersey that opened in 1974 and still is open today. It has an animal park and many rides and attractions. Roller coasters are still extremely popular at Great Adventure. But where did they come from and who invented them? The History Of Roller Coasters Roller coasters originated in Russia, and were popular in many other countries. According to PBS American Experience’s fascinating A Century of Screams: The History of the Roller Coaster: The roller coaster has its origins in St. Petersburg, Russia, as a simple slide that took thrillseekers down an icy ramp…
-
Yurts at Allaire State Park 2014 | Wall Township/Farmingdale, New Jersey
Yurts At Allaire State Park Traditional yurts used by nomads in Asia are usually made with felt or wool. Yurts have been adapted for camping in the United States. According to National Geographic: A yurt is a portable, circular dwelling made of a lattice of flexible poles and covered in felt or other fabric. They are a sturdy, reliable type of tent. Yurts have been the primary style of home in Central Asia, particularly Mongolia, for thousands of years. Yurts take between 30 minutes and 3 hours to set up or take down, and usually house between five and 15 people. Only four campgrounds in New Jersey have yurts.…
-
School’s Out for Summer! (1972)
School’s Out For Summer! I still remember the last day of sixth grade. We struggled through the half-day, getting our end-of-year report cards, and waiting with anxiety for the summer to start! Finally, our teacher smilingly said “You can go now!” and a bunch of boys went screaming out of the classroom, while the teachers laughed. My friends and I left more slowly because my mother was picking us up. No school bus for a change! Hooray! Almost as soon as we got in the station wagon, we turned the radio on and Alice Cooper started singing “School’s Out”! We started singing along and then rolled down the windows of…
-
Running Up That Hill by Kate Bush (1985)
Running Up That Hill The first time I remember seeing and hearing the English singer-songwriter Kate Bush was on Saturday Night Live in 1978. She was a bit older than me but still a teenager and she sang very well and I thought she was talented in a quirky way. I’d never seen anything quite like it before and I didn’t know what to make of her. However, I was very impressed with her talent. After all, I still remember it all these years later. I’ve never seen that broadcast again. I bought a couple of her albums but then she seemed to fade away . . . Actually, she…
-
Save the World by Swedish House Mafia (2011)
Swedish House Mafia Being of half-Swedish ancestry I couldn’t help but be intrigued by a group called Swedish House Mafia. This is such a striking video. The song is catchy but the story and visuals are what really make the video interesting. I love the heroes that save the day! You may also want to read my post on Running Up That Hill by Kate Bush. Thanks for visiting New Jersey Memories!
-
Look For the Union Label TV Commercial (1970s-1980s)
History Of The International Ladies Garment Workers Union This commercial for ILGWU (The International Ladies Garment Workers Union) ran in various forms throughout my childhood. The union had a long history. According to the School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University: The ILGWU was formed on June 3, 1900, by eleven delegates representing local unions from the major garment centers in New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Newark. These local unions’ memberships numbered about two thousand workers and were comprised primarily of Jewish immigrants, many of them socialist, who had recently arrived in the United States from Eastern Europe. Many had been active trade unionists before coming to…
-
The Brainy Borough | Metuchen, New Jersey
The Brainy Borough As I wrote in my post about the Lake Hiawatha Firehouse, many New Jersey town names are derived from Native American words. For example, the very nice borough (sometimes spelled “boro”) of Metuchen is named for the Indian chief Metuching. Metuchen is located in Middlesex County, completely surrounded by the much larger Edison Township, like a hole in a doughnut. Just about 100 years ago, Metuchen had many intellectuals living and working in the town. The prosperous community of Glen Ridge had many intellectuals of their own and they decided that they were obviously a smarter town and they would claim bragging rights to the…
