This is an inactive blog.

Hi all,
I haven't been on here for a while.  In fact, I couldn't even FIND this blog for a while.  My domain name expired.  I haven't paid for a new domain name again, so I'm no longer at iselintimes.com, I am now here at https://hometowniselin.blogspot.com   
which isn't as exciting but, on the other hand, it IS free.  I never could make this blog make any money.  And I don't want to spend money on it for no reason.

Actually, I guess I would have been able to make money on this blog, if I had been willing to straight up lie about things.  It would have made a great fake news site, wouldn't it?  But I never even thought of it.  Well, also, I have some integrity.  I wouldn't have been able to lie and live with myself.

After a while, my interests have changed, and writing about Iselin became less fun to me.  That is the main reason it became it became inactive.  That probably won't change.

Just because the blog is inactive, though, doesn't mean I really wanted to lose it completely.  I still occasionally would like to post something about Iselin.  I still want to see the old posts I put up.  At least now I will be able to find it again.

I doubt anyone else will find it.  I doubt anyone else will be looking.

Anyway, Happy Spring!

Sue

Garage Sale Saturday 4/16/16 8AM - 3PM

So, it's been more than a year since I posted here.  Hey, what can I say... facebook is kinda all the rage, isn't it?  It kinda took over my internet life, things haven't been the same since.  Anyway, I figured... on the off chance anyone still sees this... I would post:  I'm having a yard sale this Saturday.  It's one of the designated "townwide" yard sale weekends.

So -shop in Iselin this weekend, and stop by my house, on Benjamin Avenue across from School 26.  Say hi, and maybe buy some of my incredibly under-priced yet extremely valuable items.  :)

Woodbridge Artisan Guild

The Woodbridge Artisan Guild on Main Street in Woodbridge held a closing reception tonight for the "21 and Under" art show, which was an opportunity for artists under the age of 21 to exhibit their work.  It was a lovely show with some very talented artists.

Iselin was represented with a piece of metal sculpture done by Patrick Daniels.  Pat is a resident of Iselin, but he is currently away at college - which is where he is learning to weld and work with metal. His piece, a helmet based on the "Knights who say Nee",  is shown here with his proud parents at the art show tonight.  An interesting side note - Patrick's Eagle Project was working on the landscaping surrounding Glenn Murgacz's metal sculpture, in downtown Woodbridge, and now Patrick is producing works of art of his own, in the same medium!

The Woodbridge Artisan Guild is a membership gallery.  At this show, members voted for their favorite pieces of art at the show, and prizes were awarded to the top two artists in each of the two categories:  Elementary/Middle school, and High School/College.  Here are the winners, posing with their works of art.  

Congratulations to everyone who exhibited; all of the works are impressive!

Six more weeks of winter? Hmph!

Happy Groundhog Day!

I am wishing for whatever it takes for Spring to get here SOON!  The older I get, the less I like the winter.  If the groundhog sees his shadow today, it's six more weeks of winter.  So somebody blindfold that rodent! 

glitter-graphics.com

The Knights of Columbus Lot

Did you know that the Knights of Columbus building has been taken down?  Yup, this is the lot.  They are working on the new building, which I hear is a day care.  Change happens, like it or not.

New Exit Number?

We were taking the Parkway today, southbound from North Jersey, and noticed the new exit signs being set up.  I'm really behind times, I guess, because probably everyone else has noticed this already.  Anyway, it seems like our exit is being renumbered to be exit 132.

Exit 132, formerly known as Exit 131.

Any idea when the change is officially taking place?

The Great Outdoors

After school today, I took a walk to the black top at School 26.  It is a beautiful sunny afternoon - pretty cold, but the sun is shining brightly.

Leading onto the black top is a little tiny hill.  It isn't much for sleigh riding, but it was fun when I was young, and when my kids where young.

Not only does School 26 have a lovely, though tiny, little hill, but now they also have a lovely playground.   You can see it because I took this lovely photo for you.

The sad part of this story is what I didn't find - and, honestly, what I didn't expect to find.   I did not find any kids playing outside.

No one will be surprised by this, I guess.  It is just the way things are.  No one feels safe enough to say to their kids "Go out and play, come home when it starts getting dark."  Like I said, I didn't expect to find anyone out there.  If there had been anyone on the playground I wouldn't have taken a photo, because that would be just wrong. 

Well, no one was there, so I snapped my photo and came home.  You can see that there are plenty of boot prints and sled trails, so someone was having fun yesterday, I guess.  Not today, though. 

The Blizzard of 2015 :)

Welcome to the Blizzard of 2015!  OK, I know that we didn't get the historic levels of snow that they were talking about on all the weather channels - but hey, who cares?  I was pretty happy to have a snow day, and even happier not to have to dig out of 3 feet of snow.  It's the best case scenario!  So, enjoy the snow, stay warm, and have a cup of cocoa.  Happy Blizzard!

Happy 2015!

Hi, Iselin!  Long time, no see!
I haven't been on here very often lately.  Time goes by and other things come up.  I'm thinking about trying to revive the Iselin Times for 2015..  Does anyone have an opinion about that, one way or another?
Comment below if you care to do so... and have a great year!
-- SUE

New JFK High School Athletic Field

 

Woodbridge Township School District Facilities Improvement Project

Announces Ground-Breaking & Start of Construction

of New JFK High School Athletic Field 

(John F. Kennedy Memorial High School) - 

      Mayor John E. McCormac, Dr. Robert Zega, Superintendent, Woodbridge Township School District and members of the Woodbridge Township School District Facilities Improvement Project announced the groundbreaking and start of construction of a new John F. Kennedy Memorial High School Football and Athletic Field at a JFK High School ground-breaking ceremony.

Mayor McCormac and Dr. Zega noted that the new JFK High School synthetic turf football and multi-purpose athletic field replaces the original grass turf field built subsequent to the construction of JFK High School in 1964.  The new JFK multi-purpose athletic field will accommodate Varsity and Junior Varsity football, boys and girls soccer, the JFK Cheerleader Team and Marching Band.  The synthetic turf field will sport the JFK Mustang logo in center field and the JFK Mustang at each end zone.   

The WHS stadium is part of the larger School District Facilities Improvement Project initiative by the Township to rehabilitate School District sport and athletic fields, spectator stadium bleachers and stands, playgrounds, auditorium theatres, and other public-use school facilities.  The investment in new and revitalized public school facilities is financed through tax incentives (Payments in Lieu of Taxes or PILOT’s) that corporations and businesses pay to the Township when they locate a new business or expand an existing business.  The Township bond to finance the projects – funded via corporate PILOT agreements - will remove the financial obligation from the School Board to fund facilities projects directly from the annual school budget, allowing more funds in the school budget for curriculum and direct classroom expenditures that will serve to further improve the education of each and every student in Woodbridge Township.  As importantly, the school facility renovation and upgrade initiative benefits the entire community and serves to dramatically improve property values.  By implementing the PILOT financing, school district tax funds are not being spent on sport or recreation infrastructure, but are reserved for educational amenities.  The JFK High School football and multi-purpose athletic field is budgeted for $980,000 via funding derived from the CPV PILOT project. 

JFK Tricky Tray COMING SOON!!!

Do you have your tickets yet?  The JFK TRICKY TRAY is on Saturday, April 12th!  Doors open at 4, calling starts at 6, and tickets are $10 - get them at JFK, call the number on the sign, or call Mary Alice Jacko at 732-925-4670.  But you better get them soon, because this is a great night out, and you don't want to miss it!

The JFK Tricky Tray is known for having some great prizes, and this year is no exception!  Some of the prizes are:
ipad
Laptop
Xbox
Lots of gift certificates, to places like - the Cheesecake Factory, Bertuccis, Rugs and Riffys, Applebees, Houlihans,  Maggianos... hair salons... Disney tickets (4 one-day park hoppers!), Jenkinsons, rollerskating, Keansburg... Yankee tickets, Trenton Thunder, Somerset Patriots, Raceway park... Bob's Furniture, Gem Limousine, D'Aprile's....

There's also a Coach bag, and fabulous packages like the tiki bar, camping, and patio furniture packages. There are 50/50's, the Birthday game, a mystery prize!, and a Golden Ticket which you enter to win a ticket for every prize drawing, so you'll be in it to have at least one chance in every drawing!

The tricky supports Project Graduation at JFK High School every year.  It's a great cause and a lot of fun, so get your tickets today!

"Shop for a Cure" Fundraiser April 4th

Elizabeth Grehl Breden grew up in Iselin.  Now, though, she lives in Robbinsville with her loving husband and two beautiful daughters. 
Elizabeth's daughter Kelly, is non-verbal and has been diagnosed with Rett Syndrome since the age of 3.  In honor of Kelly, Elizabeth is holding a fundraiser/vendor show called "Shop for a Cure." 

 "Shop for a Cure" will be held Friday, April 4, 2014, 7:00 PM, at the Foxmoor Clubhouse at 200 Hutchinson Road in Robbinsville, NJ. All proceeds will benefit Girl Power 2 Cure.org, and in particular, "Rett University," a Girl Power on-line school for education professionals where they can share their knowledge of new technologies and strategies to teach communication skills to non-verbal children.  

At the "Shop for a Cure" vendor show, various vendors with different unique products will come together to raise money.  Thirty-One, Party Lite, Avon, Tupperware, Longaberger Baskets, Sew Cute Doll Clothes, Essential Body Wear, Cookie Lee, Origami Owl, Tastefully Simple, and Mary Kay will all be represented.  There will also be music, refreshments, baked goods and some fabulous door prizes.  It will be a fun evening out for a great cause.

Tickets to the event can be purchased for $10 by contacting Elizabeth Breden at 732-754-5620 or bethbreden@yahoo.com.

What a winter!

Hi all... long time no see! Here is a picture of my lovely lawn in the current ice storm... So far we are two days over our allowed number of snow days for the school district.  The word I hear is that (unless they've changed their minds- which I doubt they do - ) we will have to give back the day for the President's Day weekend, and now one of the days on Spring Break.  Oh well, it's still better than driving in this weather.  Stay warm!

Sewaren Public Library 100th Anniversary, December 14th!

NEW ISELIN EAGLE SCOUT

Patrick Brennan of Iselin, on the left, and Bryce Gomes of Woodbridge were awarded the rank of Eagle at a ceremony today.

This afternoon, Troop 31 of Port Reading held an Eagle Court of Honor to honor two new Eagle Scouts. Patrick Brennan of Iselin and Bryce Gomes of Woodbridge both attained Scouting's highest rank.  The ceremony took place at the Iselin Firehouse on Auth Avenue, and it was well attended by many dignitaries, friends and family members who wanted to congratulate the two on their great achievement.  In his remarks, Woodbridge Mayor McCormac congratulated both boys on completing Eagle, and thanked them for choosing projects that helped the Woodbridge Township community. 

Patrick, of Iselin, is a graduate of John F. Kennedy Memorial High School and is attending Rider College.  Bryce, of Woodbridge, is a graduate of Woodbridge High School and is attending Kean College. 

Cheryl, Patrick, and Ed Brennan of Iselin

Wear a Bike Helmet when riding your bike!

Woodbridge Township Police Department Targets Bicycle Safety

 

WPD To Issue “Safety” Summons For Wearing Bicycle Helmets

~ Summons Good For FREE Ice Cream Cone at Colonia Dairy Maid ~

 

Woodbridge - Mayor John E. McCormac and the Woodbridge Police Department (WPD) announce a summer bicycle safety campaign targeting bicyclists under age 17.  WPD officers on patrol will issue a “safety” summons to bicyclists wearing safety helmets – state law requires children under the age of 17 to wear a bicycle safety helmet while riding a bicycle, roller blades, skateboard or scooter.  The “safety” summons is good for a FREE ice cream cone at Colonia Dairy Maid (1075 St. Georges Ave., Colonia.)

Besides the benefit of possibly getting a free ice cream cone, the other benefit of wearing a helmet is possibly preventing a head trauma if your child has an accident on his or her bike... surely that is also a really good reason to make them wear a helmet...

 

 

DEER CROSSING?

I've lived here in this same house for 50 years. I've looked across at that same lawn, for the school, for my whole entire life. I have NEVER seen a deer on that lawn before. Shocked the heck out of me, to tell you the truth.

Stay Cool!

Nasty Water - but it's safe...

1:30 PM, 6/24/13:  I just ran a tub full of water and realized that the stuff coming out of my pipes here in Iselin is nasty brown.  I checked the Middlesex Water Company website ....nothing.  So, I called the Middlesex Water Company's "Hotline."

The phone rang a while before I got someone to answer, but when they answered they were extremely helpful.  The guy said that they are only doing routine maintenance, flushing the pipes, in the area.  The brown stuff is iron deposits.  If I understood it right, the iron deposits build up in the main and need to be flushed out once in a while, but they are not harmful.  Just very unattractive and unappetizing. 

The water company guy assured me that there is NO boil water advisory, and no need for one.  He said the stuff would dissipate soon.  (A lot of it just dissipated into my tub.)

So I guess I have a good excuse for not doing laundry today.