This Week's Highlights: March 10 - 16

Montclair High School's ensemble of sixty-two dance students will, on March 12, 13 and 14, perform a program of original dances set for them by guest choreographers.

Denise Brown, MHS Dance Company's artistic director, reached out to celebrated choreographers and created opportunities for the students to know them, perform their work and to express their creative spirit in this year's show.

The show will feature a diverse range of dance traditions, including ballet, pointe, tap, modern, jazz and swing, and culminates in an energetic hip-hop piece choreographed by MHS' student dancers.

Students began rehearsing in November, when dancers were cast for each piece based on their individual style and strengths. Rehearsals were held after school hours, requiring commitment beyond the students' required time in the studio during the school day.

Continue reading "MHS Dancers to Perform March 12-14" »

Since I was born, my parents have referred to me as "Buddy". It was a pet name that, at the time, nobody believed would stick and become my nickname. The name came from my father, who I am named after. My mother called him "Bobby". As the story goes, my father came back into the room minutes after I was born, looked at me in my mother's arms, and spoke his first words to me -- "Hey, Buddy." The rest is history.

In the twenty-one years since, I have become known as "Buddy" to virtually anyone that has come into contact with me. Chances are that if you go into my town and ask for "Buddy", it will, somehow, lead to me. My entire extended family knows me as "Buddy", including some that cannot remember my actual given name. Throughout grade school and even high school, I have carried the nickname. As I got older, it sounded more and more childish and something that I was too old to be called. When I came to college a few years ago, I tried to shake free from the name. I felt that it was fine when I was eight, but not when I was eighteen. I was also looking to get a career and felt that the nickname was too unprofessional. However, the name has followed me into college.

Despite believing that I have outgrown "Buddy", I know that I will always be that little boy to many people, including my parents. No matter how old I become, they always have the ability to bring me back down to earth. The name stands as a reminder of where I came from and what I represent to people. I think that every parent should develop a nickname for their child; nothing too embarrassing, just in case it catches on outside of the family.

I haven't thought about what I will name my children if I ever have any, but I know that a nickname is most likely in his or her future. To many, I will always be little "Buddy" and I don't think I would have it any other way.

The signs are all there: local pools are taking memberships, summer camps are open for registration and spring break is next month. It will be swimsuit season soon! Are you dreading it? There's a new organic spray tan spa in Baristaville and they want to help make you look and feel your best.

We all know that the sun is damaging and tanning is the worst thing you can do for your skin, but now you can enjoy natural, safe color. Even pregnant woman can add to their glow. Olive Organic Tan Spa, located in downtown Montclair, uses an organic spray tan formula. Set in a serene and stylish spa, you meet with a tanning specialist who will explain the process, help you find your perfect shade of bronze and give you a tan that dries in 20 minutes and lasts for about 10 days. Besides using all-natural ingredients, the women of Olive Tan Spa are most happy that the tan they offer is a golden bronze with not a hint of orange.

They are generously offering a full body spray tan and a special exfoliator which prepares the body for an airbrush tan application. A value of $68.

To enter the contest, keep reading...

Continue reading "Giveaway: Free Organic Spray Tan From Olive Tan Spa" »

Swimming and summer seem far away, but good weather must be coming our way because I just got my dues notice from Glen Ridge Community pool. Last year, I cheaped out and froze my membership. But I missed our family swims, so I'm not going to cheap out again. Here are a few of the local options.

Glen Ridge Community Pool is my first choice because of the great little kid facilities and the price. A new member can join now for $1250, click to their site for an application. Prior members, like myself, have to pay $750. My dues are--oops--overdue. It's no-frills, no-fuss fun, see left.

Continue reading "Which Pool Are You Joining?" »

The Montclair Cooperative School Chess Team placed 4th in the New Jersey Scholastic Chess Championship, Elementary School, Primary Section (K-3) on Sunday, February 28th.

In a field of 80 players, Montclair residents, kindergartener Nicholas Feigelson and 3rd graders, David Feigelson, James Lukenda, and Jaron Bernard, from Glen Ridge, combined their scores to secure the Fourth Place trophy. Individually, Jaron Bernard came in tied for 4th overall out of the 80 participants and Nicholas Feigelson came in 3rd among the kindergarteners. David Feigelson and James Lukenda also posted excellent scores in the competition.

The results were all the more significant, since this was Montclair Cooperative's first year of tournament play during which the team faced traditional state powerhouses. The team's next major competition is May 1 at Princeton.

Congratulations and good luck in May!

This month's free parenting workshop, sponsored by Alma Schneider of Take Back the Kitchen, Terra Tea Salon and the Montclair Public Schools Health and Wellness Partnership, is all about the dreaded topic of lice. Every parent cringes when she receives the notice from school that lice is going around, but there are ways to try and prevent it and good ways to treat it quickly before everyone in the house is itching.

Lice Specialist (she's not offended by the name) Susan Kaufman will lead the workshop on Thursday night and share what she knows about the prevention and treatment of lice, selling equipment for people who want to have the product in-house, and answering questions.

In addition to the great information, you get to enter a free drawing for a "do-it-yourself lice removal kit" which includes the all natural LiceBGone enzyme shampoo, The Terminator Nit Removal Comb, Fairy Tales Rosemary Repel leave-in conditioner, a magnifying glass that you wear around your head and more.

Parent Workshops
Who: Parents.
What: Free parenting workshops with various topics.
Where: Terra Tea Salon, 10 Church Street, Montclair, NJ, 07042.
When: Thursdays at 7 pm.
Cost: Free. For more information email Alma Schneider.

Montclair should be very proud. One of its own, Rob Gelberg, has walked away with the top prize in a young playwrights competition, while another, Juliana Longthorne, won an honorable mention; both teens are from Montclair Kimberley Academy.

The competition, organized by Union County College's professional theater company, The Theater Project, was open to NJ resident students, aged 13 to 18. The youngsters had to write original works of between 10 to 30 pages, typed in play format. Entries were judged by theater professionals.

Head over to Cranford on Saturday (March 13) if you'd like to see the original plays of the top three teenage winners fleshed out by professional actors.

"We received a number of high quality entries this year and the community can certainly be very proud of our area youth," said Mark Spina, artistic director of The Theater Project. "We are really looking forward to showcasing these up-and-coming playwrights and giving their original provocative pieces a deserving spotlight on our stage."

Continue after the jump to see the full list of winning youngsters.

Continue reading "Montclair Teen Takes Top Prize in Playwrights Competition" »

Everyone is Irish on St. Patrick's Day. Celebrate by attending a parade with the family, then getting a babysitter for a few pints of Guinness at a local pub. Here are upcoming events and parades:

Continue reading "St. Paddy's Day Parades and Events" »

Story by Cynthia Darling

DVD player scrambled? Ask your kid to fix it. Trouble texting? Someone small can show you how--and then poke fun. You'll get the last laugh, though, if you enforce the current trend. It was even on Oprah: Some parents are just saying no to gadgets and de-teching their families.

Rhonda Oliver of Montclair is doing it. She only allows video games on Friday, Saturday and Sunday until 7 p.m. "Video games take away too much of kids' attention. I have to literally yell my son's name to get him to pay attention to me when he's on them. With TV, we'll watch shows together." As for computer use, her kids can only surf educational sites to help them with their homework.

Elizabeth Zobitz of Summit has been de-teching for years. "Back when my daughter was five and in kindergarten, her school, Marshall School in South Orange participated in a TV turnoff week." Participating families could choose the amount of time to go without the tube. "The kids chose the 'gold' level to compete on, which meant no TV or video games Sunday at 6 p.m. through Friday after school. The habit stuck and we use the time to play, take care of our dogs, clean up, help out and read."

But there are exceptions, Zobitz says...

Continue reading "Family Gadgets: Could You De-Tech?" »

Do you have a new baby? And by new, I mean really new -- under two weeks old. Local dad and photographer Ron Holtz has a sweet offer for you.

Ron Holtz Photography is looking for newborns (from ages 4-14 days) to photograph. The shoot is free and will take place in Montclair. Participants will get a free print of their choice up to size 11x14 and can see all the images on-line. Anyone interested should call Ron at (212)738.9398 or send us an e-mail to set up a session. Each session lasts up to 3 hours. This is not a commercial assignment and no compensation other than the print can be offered.

Just look at that sweet baby. She almost makes me want another...almost.

Five local wrestlers traveled to Atlantic City this weekend for the NJSIAA state wrestling tournament. The wrestlers from Bloomfield, Montclair and Verona High Schools presented some of the best storylines of the weekend, while trying to prove that they were the best in the state at their weight.

Medals were awarded to the top eight wrestlers and losing early did not necessarily mean that the wrestlers were finished. Any wrestler that lost after the preliminary rounds were put into the wrestleback bracket. Wrestlers would be inserted into the bracket as they lost during the tournament. While being unable to win first or second place, medals for third through eighth place were up for grabs during the three-day tournament. In all, four of the five local products earned medals in the tournament.

Bloomfield High School sent three participants to Atlantic City. Junior Chris Rosetti's stay at the tournament ended early on Friday night in the 103 lbs. bracket. Rosetti was defeated 3-2 in the opening round by Brenden Calas, a freshman from Seton Hall Prep, for just his second loss of the season.

Continue reading "Local Wrestlers Shine at State Championships" »

If you read Redbook magazine, you might have recognized our own Kristen Kemp in this month's issue. "Work at Home and Get More Done" is the title of the article, which tells how organizing pro Julie Morgenstern helped Kristen find the right balance between desk time and family time. Kristen wrote about Julie's help back in January, but now we get to read the full article. Pick up a copy at newstands now or read it right here.

If you have a Montclair kid starting kindergarten in September, you've recently done the school tours and have to register your child this week. You have to rank the six elementary schools and hope you get your first choice.

Some parents question the "choice" aspect of the magnet school system. A Montclair mom of two, Melody A. Kettle, is one of them....

Continue reading "Montclair's Kindergarten Registration Starts Today" »

Montclair kids can now enjoy Deerkill Day Camp in Suffern, NY with door-to-door transportation -- a trip which takes about 40 minutes. Built on 15 wooded acres, this family-owned camp celebrating its 53rd season in the same family offers a full swim program in its over 7,000 square feet of heated pools with diving boards and water slides, including a shallow pool for beginning swimmers, arts & crafts, digital photography, ceramics, woodworking, ropes, gymnastic, dance, theater, graphic arts, tennis and much more.

Extra perks of the camp are monthly field trips and weekly trips for older campers, special event days, shows and, what I think is the best of all--a free family weekend pool club. The families of Deerkill campers can use the pool with lifeguards and athletic facilities for 8 weekends from 12 pm - 5 pm at no extra charge.

Deerkill Day Camp
Where: 54 Wilder Road, Suffern, NY. (845) 354-1466
Who: Kids ages 3 - 14
What: A fun-filled day camp with many outdoor and indoor activities in Suffern, NY, Door-to-door transportation from Montclair.
When: June 28 - August 10. New campers may enroll for 2 weeks or more. All other may enroll from 4 - 8 weeks. Camp runs from 9 am - 4:15 pm.
Cost: Varies by age group: 3 - 4-year-olds: 2 weeks ($1,275) - 8 weeks ($3,600) / 5-6-year-olds: 2 weeks ($1,275) - 8 weeks ($3,600) / 7-14-year-olds: 2 weeks ($1,600) - 8 weeks ($4,550). Cost includes all activities (except horsebackriding) family weekend swimming, door-to-door transporation, hot lunches, field trips and supplies, group photo, camp shirts, gym bag and DVD yearbook.

In addition to our awesome Upcoming Events calendar, we try really hard to make Barista Kids the place to go for the most comprehensive summer camp list around. Check out what Baristaville has to offer on the Summer Camp links on our sidebar.

We'll be providing you with up-to-date summer camp information and ideas for helping you get through camp season. We'll also be including a word from our "camp" sponsors with a series of Camp Highlights posts throughout the summer camp registration period. If you happen to sign your kid up for one of the camps you learned about here, show us some love and tell them you learned about their camp on Barista Kids.

First up -- Deerkill Day Camp...

It's Oscar night! If you have young children, chances are you have seen most of the Oscar nominated Animated Feature Films. Which one is your kid rooting for? Which was your favorite? And who will win tonight's Oscar?

Continue reading "The Oscars: Who Will Win For Animated Feature Film?" »

If you haven't gotten your Girl Scout Cookie fix yet, Montclair Brownie Troop 44 will be selling today, March 7, outside of Kings in Montclair from noon until 2 pm.

Continue reading "Got Cookies? " »

Tomorrow's sermon at The Central Presbyterian Church on Park Street in Montclair: Uncooperative Children. Will it be a place of respite for stressed out parents of uncooperative children or a lesson in discipline?

See any interesting and/or fun things around town relating to kids and their parents? Send the pictures here.

Thanks to Debbie Galant for the photo.

Baristaville Alert! It's rare that New Jersey audiences get to see a brand new musical that's not only virtually certain to move across the Hudson, but which needs very little polishing before doing so. It's even rarer when that musical has an appeal to teens as well as adults (at least if my two, who usually hate musicals, are any barometer).

But such is the case with "Calvin Berger" at the George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick through March 14. With a smart and economical book, peppy score, and uncommonly witty lyrics, all by Barry Wyner, this four-character show transposes "Cyrano de Bergerac" to a modern-day high school and expands Rostand's romantic triangle into a quadrangle.

It's a bit of a stretch to buy the Cyrano ruse in today's teen world, but once you accept the anachronistic conceit there's a good bit of fun to be had. Noah Weisberg, as the "nose-y" title character, is full of both bounce and humanity as he leads the totally winning ensemble under Kathleen Marshall's sharp direction.

For those of you worried about the extra cost of taking the kids, half-price tickets to most performances are available 48 hours in advance here. Who knows whether such a deal will be available once it reaches off-Broadway?

~~Reviewed by Stephen Wells

Calvin Berger
Who: Ages 12 and up and their parents.
What: Play about a modern day Cyrano.
Where: George Street Playhouse, 9 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ.
When: Through March 14.

Click here for a list of special family events tied to the show.

I scare easily. I cannot watch horror movies, unless I don't want to sleep for weeks. Maybe it stems back to my mother taking me to see Jaws when I was 2-years-old. She was only 20-years-old and wanted to catch a movie with friends, and took the chance that her toddler would be quiet. I swear I still remember how loudly I screamed when that massive shark showed up on the big screen.

Jaws was a movie for adults, but these days it seems that movies made for kids make Jaws look like a joke. Where the Wild Things Are and Tim Burton's latest, Alice in Wonderland, which opens today, are both rated PG and have trailers that scare the heck out of me. What kind of nightmares will they inflict upon kids?

Continue reading "Terrifying Movies For Kids" »