Category Archives: Columns
Ushering In The New Year With Hopes For A Mild Winter
By Joe Scavuzzo, Director, Department of Public Works
We awoke on December 15, 2016 to a dusting of snow and some black ice in spots of town. Although plowing operations won’t begin until three to four inches of accumulation, your Department of Public Works has the two-story rock salt storage building filled to the brim and ready for whatever conditions the winter throws our way.
Looking Back At 2016, Looking Ahead To Serving You Better
By Joe Scavuzzo, Director, Department of Public Works
On behalf of the crew of your Public Works Department, I want to begin this article by extending our warmest wishes to our residents, businesses, and their families during this holiday season. It is my experience that family gatherings this time of year lead to a “re-capping” of the past twelve months; remembering those who have passed away, weddings, a birth of a grandchild, perhaps even a summer vacation. As in most businesses, the end of a calendar year is a time where an organization can look back and evaluate its strengths and areas of improvement.
Turning A Tragic 36th Anniversary Into Something Positive
By Judith Kristen, AAP Columnist
For a generation of kids back in the 1960s a band from Liverpool came into our hearts and never left. Here we are 52 years later and our grandchildren are Beatles fans. February 7, 1964 is a date we all remember, the day those four mop tops walked off a Pan Am plane at Kennedy Airport and joyous American Beatlemania began.
Another date, a very sad date, came 16 years later: December 8, 1980, when John Lennon was gunned down outside his apartment house in New York City. I was 32 years old that day, but I felt like 132.
This December 8, I’ve decided to do more than call friends, play John’s music, and remember his life. I’m going to remember how he told us to “Imagine” and “Give Peace a Chance.”
Communicating With Public Works Using Technology
By Joe Scavuzzo, Director, Department of Public Works
There have been great strides in technology over the past 15 years that have impacted how we communicate. In the late 1990’s, I recall my sister having her own phone line in her room for chatting with her girlfriends. The only thing to interrupt that convenience was the dial-up internet service for the sole family computer. Now, we watch YouTube videos of people walking into telephone poles while glued to their smart phones.
Food Adventures: Eclipse Brewing Opens In Merchantville
By Rachael Rivera, AAP Columnist
Eclipse Brewing has recently joined the ranks in our local brewery selection in Pennsauken, Merchantville, and the surrounding areas. They just opened on Oct. 9; and being a craft brew fan myself, I had to explore this place. This “nano-brewery” really blew me away. I got there a little bit before they opened and got to see the hustle and bustle behind the scenes as the brew master began his work.
Autumn In Pennsauken: Preparing For Leaf Collection
By Joe Scavuzzo, Director, Department of Public Works
I hope everybody is recovering from the humid start that September had. Those that wished for summer to continue had their wishes granted, with temperatures in the mid 90’s and humidity levels high. If you’re like me, I look forward to the cooler temperatures this new season offers with a coffee or glass of wine on the front porch after dinner.
This brings us into our next season: leaf collection. Leaf collection operations generally begin in late October and are completed around the end of December. Every section of town will have leaf pickup at least twice during this time. This is, in addition to the weekly Wednesday “yard debris” pick-up, when Waste Management will pick-up your bagged/bundled items. We ask for your patience while we are working in your neighborhood, as our large equipment could end up blocking parts of the street or intersection.
The All Important Fall Gardener’s Checklist
By Kathleen Harvey, AAP Columnist
There’s much to accomplish in the fall garden before the harsh winter weather arrives. Autumn is a beautiful time of year to be working outdoors, but it can also be overwhelming with so many garden chores that need attention. It’s time to tidy up from summer and get ready for spring all at once. Ideally, we ease into seasonal changes, and plants go in and out of dormancy gradually. But nature often has other plans.
Food Adventures: Tastes Of Oktoberfest A Quick Drive Away
By Rachael Rivera, AAP Columnist
Oktoberfest is the world’s largest beer and fun festival and takes place in Germany from mid-September through early October. Imagine a carnival, circus, and holiday feast all in one!
Me being half German, I grew up eating just about everything featured at a traditional Oktoberfest feast. Bratwurst, knockwurst, schweinebraten (roasted pork), potato pancakes and my all-time favorite, cabbage rolls. In many cultures, the food you eat is a pillar of where you come from. It reminds you of your ancestry with every bite; and for people trying new foods, it gives them an insight on smells and sights from where the food originated. Traditional German food is no different.
Food Adventures: Rita Marie’s Eatery And Pizzeria
By Rachael Rivera, AAP Columnist
This month’s adventuring led me to Rita Marie’s Eatery and Pizzeria at 134 East Park Ave. in Merchantville. This corner foodie hotspot is clean and the staff there is fantastic. I walked in on the day I was to interview them; there were customers at their tables eating and watching the big flat screen in their dining area, some were in line paying for their food, while others perused the menu and boards for their next tasty selection.
A Special Postage Stamp For Labor Day, 1956
By Robert Fisher-Hughes, AAP Columnist and Amateur Historian
Since the invention of the first postage stamps in the United Kingdom in the 1840, an innovation adopted by the United States since 1847, a veritable gallery of art and history in the form of a practically useful commodity has been available to the public for a few pennies. Nevertheless, only the true enthusiasts, collectors, and scholars of philately, the study of postage stamps, fully appreciate the beauty and value of these tiny scraps of paper.
An example of the art and history embodied in a postage stamp happens to link to an icon of our local history: the three-cent, Labor Day issue of 1956.
