UPDATE: Due to lack of registration the Maple Sugaring event on Feb. 21 has been cancelled. Instead there will be a display of the Maple Sugaring process on the grounds from Feb. 21 through March 7.
Tomorrow morning, tap into your inner pioneer at a maple sugaring demonstration and tasting right here in Baristaville. Included in the amazing botanical collection at The Van Vleck House & Gardens is their very own sugar maple tree, in Mother’s Garden.
Witness a sugar maple tree being tapped – and with the recent weather conditions, the sap should be flowing. Families are invited to spend the morning to learn how to identify sugar maple trees and discover the steps for turning sap into syrup. And, of course, there’s a taste test at the end of each 40 minute tour. Don’t miss this deliciously sweet event…Saturday, February 21, 2009 (Rain/snow date 2/28/2009)10am – 1pm. Van Vleck House & Gardens, 21 Van Vleck St., Montclair. $20 per family for members of Friends of Van Vleck, $25 per family for others, dress warmly. Reservations required. Call (973) 744-0837 or email education@vanvleck.org.
For other weekend events, check our Calendar.

Our joyous congratulations go out to two long-time Baristanet-posters-in-good-standing on the arrival of their bundle of joy:

Amandala and Generically Named Mike announce the birth their first child, Nigel Brian.
Born: February 18th, 11:16pm
Weight: 7lbs 13oz
Length: 21″
Everyone is doing great!

Awwwww…sweet!

The editors over at MontclairKids are having a hard time deciding which cool kid’s concert to attend this Sunday. Who planned three on one day?

Parents who love to take their kids to cool musical shows have to choose between The Deedle Deedle Dees at Montclair State, Parents Who Rock at Montclair High School and The FunkeyMonkeys in Bloomfield (see photo, left).

Which sounds best to you? Click on over for more info on WTH? 3 kid concerts this Sunday. 

Looking for some adult-friendly kidtertainment tonight?  The Kid Kat Kabaret at Pianos Bar & Grill, 6-7:30pm, is a win-win.

Those mysterious red lights repeatedly seen over Morris County are no laughing matter to county officials. They’re working with the FAA, North East Air Defense Sector, Homeland Security, and State Police on the case to figure out who is pranking the skies. From NJ.com:

“These objects are going high enough to enter into the flow of air traffic and cause potential problems,” said Bianchi, who has been in touch with the Federal Aviation Administration on the issue. “They seem to be of a significant enough size to disrupt flights and have a potential to cause problems. It may be a game to someone, may seem funny, but it’s not.”

A group of Montclair teens snowboarding at Mountain Creek last Thursday night also say there was a red-light UFO sighting…

With so many small businesses struggling to survive the depressed economy, we’re happy to hear from an perky Barista whose business is bubbling. Several months ago, we wrote about The Fine Grind in Little Falls, and owner Rhonda Mallek’s drive and determination to thrive as an indie coffee house owner. The latest buzz is how The Fine Grind is not only thriving, but expanding. After four years of operation, the owners have moved their java, pannini, and patisserie shop around the corner to roomier digs outfitted with lots of comfy seating and a fireplace. Mallek, who says she didn’t lose a day of business moving from one location to the other, modestly attributes her success to her loyal customers, dedicated staff, and “community support. “I’ve had customers and other shop owners come and congratulate us and offer to help move furniture, help set up…a chain coffee shop wouldn’t get that kind of support – it’s an awesome feeling.”
“Despite a down economy, our customers keep coming. We fall into the “affordable luxury” category. You can come in for a pannini, drink and dessert in cozy, comfortable surroundings and it won’t break the bank.”

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Are the littles ones home from school? Gather them around the computer for some family bonding over cleanliness. Some friends of Baristanet have created Pluggabug: The Clean Hands Game. The game teaches kids, in a manner reminiscent of Chutes and Ladders, what to do after they sneeze, drop food on the floor (sorry, no five-second rule), or worse, encounter a dead bird. Let the kids defeat Yucky Bug and do your part to reduce future bacterial and viral infections (the game was inspired as a way to fight the rising incidence of MRSA). Leave feedback in comments or send directly here.

Now that we are experiencing a recession, the words “affordable housing” resonate with more people than ever before. In Montclair, HOMECorp is hosting an open house for a property at 19 Elmwood Avenue on February 28. The house, a single family, center hall colonial home (shown), is priced at $295,000.
HOMECorp has marketed the house as a workforce property, with a goal of attracting buyers from Montclair’s workforce sectors (police and fire personnel, municipal employees, board of education staff, hospital administrative workers). According to HOMECorp, these buyers are usually ineligible for HUD regulated affordable buyer programs because their incomes exceed the limits. They also can’t afford to purchase a home in Montclair at the average sale price of $500,000. HOMECorp’s reduced pricing on this home will give a middle income buyer a chance to become a homeowner and live in the community where they work. No income restrictions apply.
The property features three bedrooms, one bath, original hard wood floors, year-round side porch, fireplace, rear deck and two off-street parking spaces. HOMECorp is now accepting offers on the home; the open house is Saturday, 2/28, from 3-6 pm. For more information, email homecorp@verizon.net or call Gwen Battle at 973-744-4141.

Caldwell’s second “Big Read” has begun: Throughout the late winter and into the spring, the entire Caldwell community is invited to read “The Shawl,” by Cynthia Ozick, and participate in a slew of related events. You’ll find details about this town-wide reading initiative on the Caldwell Public Library’s site. Events are free, but some require registration and tickets.
“In some ways Caldwell is a small community – about 7,500 people living in just over a square mile – but The Big Read shows that the heart and soul of our town is immense,” says Caldwell Public Library executive director Karen Kleppe-Lembo. “‘The Shawl,’ with its themes of tolerance, redemption and recovery, provides a unique focus to far-reaching discussions about community.”
We’re told the goal of The Big Read is to “restore reading to the center of American culture.” In the age of iTunes, Tivo and video-on-demand, that should please the army of writers and editors who populate Baristaville. Hopefully all of Caldwell will get involved (though it really is hard to picture Caldwell’s most famous fictional resident — Tony Soprano — with Ozick’s book in hand). Meanwhile, what are you reading?