Can you think of the perfect teacher that you had? We may remember that teacher as being funny, yet serious, strict yet fair or just plain nice. Do you recall a picnic as a reward or maybe winning a ribbon on field day? Maybe it was that you had a teacher who never gave homework on weekends. My memory of sixth grade brings back scant memories of field days or first place ribbons. Rather I recall my most memorable teacher, Mrs. Goodman in 1956 - because for one day, Oct. 8, 1956, when she allowed us a special treat for a memorable hour before the three o’clock dismissal bell. For all you …

After all the speeches were heard and all the somber ceremonies were conducted on Sept. 11, most of us got up the next day and went to work, school or drove our kids to soccer practice in our overloaded minivans. After all the podiums were stored for another special speech, and after all the red white and blue banners were rolled up and packed away for the next patriotic ceremony, most of us had our morning cereal, looked through yesterday’s bills and junk mail but went on with our mundane, daily routines. On Sept. 12, like most any other day, I like to walk in the coolness of the morning in …

For those of us who can recall a young Michael J. Fox in his Back to The Future movies, there are scenes that recall a simpler time in our country when neighbors saw each other on Main Street and said “Good Morning, how ya' doin?” Longtime residents sat on porches watching their kids playing street games - hopscotch, hide and seek and tag. As the sun turned red-orange after a steamy summer day, these same children chased fireflies and collected them in a jar before setting them free. If you’re looking for a chance to relive those days that seemed to bring out the best in a town, then set …

Before the vendors set up booths and all the hot dogs and ice cream are doled out on Cranbury Day, runners will be supporting the 3rd Annual Helene Cody 5K Run on Saturday, Sept. 10. This year’s run will have 2 components, the longer 5k run (beginning at the Cranbury Firehouse) as well as the 1-Mile Fun Run, starting at 2 Main Street. Categories for runners range from 10 years of age and under, all the way up to 80 and older. Participants can come to the Boy Scout Room at 23A Main Street to pick up an early registration packet from Sept. 6 through the Sept. 9 from 2:30 to 4 p.m., or Sept. 8 …

Growing up in the 1950s in New York City, I was lucky to play year-round on my block with kids who reveled in simple games such as tag, hopscotch and hide-and-seek.But the most annoying character on my block was Mr. West — a grouchy, retired Army captain who came out of his neat house at 7 a.m. daily and hoisted the stars and stripes on his front lawn. If our Spaldeen H-Bounce Ball dribbled into his pansies or tulips he’d rumble from his rocker on his front porch, “Don’t even think of going in there for your damn ball. It’s mine, now.”If we dared to invade his front lawn with a misguided step…

Attending a Yankee game in June, I saw splashed across the mammoth JumboTron a smiling Paul McCartney and a promotion for his July concert at the stadium.Rushing home I gushed to my wife — a McCartney fan since she fell in  love with his cute hairdo on the “Ed Sullivan Show” in February, 1964 — that we should get tickets. Navigating a ticket website, we almost hit the “purchase” button but not before we reconsidered the ultimate cost of this nostalgic trip back to the halcyon days of Paul and the Fab Four minus George, John and Ringo. Tickets? About $100 each to sit so far away from the stage…

What do June brides, prom dates and cruise vacationers have in common? For those in the greater central New Jersey area who are looking to arrive at their destination in style and on time, they know that the Cranbury Limousine Service will deliver quality, professional service beyond their expectations.Owned and operated by Christine A. Thompson and her business partner, Frank C. Vesci, the idea of launching their limousine service was born over dinner at the Cranbury Inn. By August of 2008, their business was launched and it has grown to be regarded as one of the most dependable and …

Ask any longtime Cranbury resident what business was located at 29 N. Main St. and you may get a number of answers. In the 1920s, the Central Garage was filled with the latest Dodge automobiles. An Esso (that’s Exxon for anyone younger than 30) filling station was pumping gas for much less than $4 dollars a gallon in the 1940s. In the 1990s you could look into the front glass doors and see a number of Rudy’s restored, classic automobiles.In 2003 Hollywood took over the address and restored it to resemble that nostalgic gas station of the ’40s as Jack Nicholson and Adam Sandler filmed scenes …

The Food and Drug Administration has the mission of protecting us from unsafe and unhealthy foods and drugs. However recent news articles indicate that this well intentioned agency may have gone a bit too far and crossed a line few can support. Surely, we should limit the amount of sugary treats and high levels of sodium in prepared foods. However, when it comes to our breakfast cereals, does this mean that our children will be denied access to all their beloved mascots for those crunchy and colorful breakfast treats? When a child wakes on a Saturday morning while her parents savor a much-…

When I asked my father for some extra sugar to pour in my coffee, he said, “Why don’t you just stir up what you have?”                Recent revelations about the validity of most New Jersey reading and math tests have shown that we can’t predict with any certainty if kids can read and compute. One year shows they are very proficient; the next year they are not literate at all. Should we be using these scores to determine which teachers get promoted or earn a bonus check? Should a veteran principal lose her job because her fourth graders slip in their math scores? Why not stir up some assets …

In the years after the Civil War, many states, in both the North and the South, began remembering those soldiers who lost their lives in that war. The tradition of decorating the graves of the fallen gave rise to the term “Decoration Day.” This evolved into what we know today as Memorial Day. This summer, Cranbury will be honoring those who died in two significant ways. On Friday and Saturday, Cranbury will dedicate a new Civil War monument donated by the New Jersey Civil War Historical Association. Reenactors, portraying New Jersey’s 14th Regiment, Company H, will set up camp overnight on …

Here’s the riddle of the day: What’s the difference between the jobs of a hairstylist and a pet groomer? Answer: Pets are easier to work with because they rarely complain about the completed style. If you walk into the newly opened Pawz & Clawz Pet Grooming Shop at 62 North Main St. in Cranbury, you can quickly see that the outgoing and confident owner, Susan (Susie) Iafelice, is an animal lover. “We were located in that strip mall behind Walgreen’s on 571 and 130 for about three and a half years starting in 2007, but since I live in town, I found it easier to have my shop here in Cranbury,” …

When I walked into the front door of the gift shop, I had that eerie feeling that I was that one middle aged guy sitting in the audience at one of Oprah’s television broadcasts surrounded by a circle of excited ladies who were about to win a prize. But that unsettling nervousness faded as I was asked by one of the store associates, who said, “Hi there! Let us know if there is anything we can help you with.” This was among my first forays into one of Cranbury’s most successful and inviting shops on Main Street, since my wife had left her wish list for the holiday at the front desk. I was about…

Too often we think of our local business people only in their roles of managing their stores or going over their accounts at the end of the day. But one aspect of their business that should not be overlooked is how they give back to their community and to other charities in our central New Jersey area. Here is a small sampling of the good things that the Cranbury business community is doing: The newly opened Deli and Bagel Shop and owner Vinny Iannaci did not waste any time in promoting a charity dear to him. The St. Baldric’s Foundation supports research in childhood cancers. To raise funds…

Now that Cranbury residents can enjoy a double scoop of Coffeelicious at Gil & Bert's and snack on a chocolate bar at Jack’s Candy Shack, do you folks think it might be time to perhaps shed a few pounds and tone those muscles for the summer at the shore? With the milder weather, there is no reason not to venture out and make your way up to Maplewood Avenue, where you will find Bill DeSimone’s Optimal Exercise and Personal Training Studio. Since 2007, DeSimone — an American Council of Exercise (ACE) and National Strength and Conditioning Association-certified physical trainer — has helped many…

On a camping trip that ended in Fairbanks Alaska, we spotted a billboard on the Alcan Highway that boasted “FREE COFFEE — 1 mile.” We pulled over and got our “FREE” coffee and then discovered upon a closer reading of the menu that a slice of apple pie was $8.95.  We’ve all fallen for this scam. Buy one bottle of your favorite soft drink — get the second one free. Answer a brief survey online, get a free coupon code and redeem it for a free burger at your local fast food restaurant as long as you purchase a small drink and a large order of fries. Get office supplies for free after instant …

Nine-year-old Jackson McCarthy was enjoying a few bites of his brick oven pizza slice at Cranbury Pizza with his family last summer when the idea hit him. “How about opening a store across the street in that vacant shop?” he offered. The family tossed around a few ideas that Jackson felt would appeal to kids in town. An arcade with a collection of video games? That didn’t seem to generate excitement. What do kids like, can afford or just crave? It did not take long for the brainstorming session to conclude that kids love candy—chocolate bars, taffy pulls or sugarcoated gumdrops. Thus was born…

Did you ever have ice and snow along with your first scoop of butternut crunch to kick off another season of ice cream enjoyment? With the temperature in Cranbury hovering a few degrees above freezing there were still many ice cream lovers braving the elements and standing in line at Gil & Bert's Hand Dipped Ice Cream Stand in Cranbury on April Fool’s Day. The large poster announcing, “No, We’re Not Foolin’,” and marking the countdown to the official opening of Christine Ondocin’s walk-up ice cream emporium had finally come down and even with snowflakes landing on the bright, yellow canopy …

When I walked this week into the Super Fresh that I’ve known for the last 20 years, I had that eerie, awkward feeling similar to when you pay your respects at a wake for a close family friend. The regular faces of the long time cashiers, managers and customer service people were at their posts but I got the sense that although their bodies were there, their spirits had departed this workplace. Most employees were open to discuss the corporate decision to shutter this East Windsor store. However, I had the feeling that they would rather not be quoted directly or offer their names in fear of …

In 1859, 26-year-old George Huntington Hartford and his partner, George Gilman, experimented with the idea of selling loose tea for 30 cents a pound out of their storefront on Vesey Street in Manhattan. Their food stores would all be known for their flaming red façades with cupolas and red roosters on their roofs. By the 1860's, the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company had stores in the Northeast and was selling tea, coffee and spices. When Gilman sold his share to Hartford, the company then promoted its his own brand of Eight O’Clock Coffee. The A&P was the first American super market. The…