Children from the Cranbury Rec camp beat the heat last Friday by spending the afternoon at the Cranbury Swim Club. Campers cooled off in the scorching heat by splashing around in the club's pools, playing games in the shade and enjoying ice pops.

The Hightstown Library was founded in 1921 by the Hightstown Friday Club and originally housed in the Smith House in Hightstown. Ninety years later, it now makes its home at 144 Franklin St., but it took over Hightstown Memorial Park on Saturday to celebrate its anniversary.

The Cranbury School held its Class of 2011 eighth grade graduation Monday night at 6:30 p.m. in the school gymnasium. Seventy-three students participated in the commencement ceremony, with the theme "We've Only Just Begun." The evening's songs included "I'll Be There" by the Jackson Five and "Just the Way You Are" by Bruno Mars. Student Council President Shannon Pawlak gave the welcome address, Jackson Cook presented the class song, and Interim Chief School Administrator Carol Malouf and Vice Principal Michele Waldron awarded the diplomas. 

Cranbury dedicated a new Civil War monument Saturday that came from a donation by the New Jersey Civil War Historical Association. Re-enactors portraying Cranbury Civil War soldiers spent the night before the dedication camped outside the Cranbury History Center and then headed over to Memorial Park for the service.

Cranbury School held its annual Field Day Monday with a variety of events, including sack races, wet sponge relays, racing under a huge parachute canopy and tug of war. A rubber chicken race involved holding a rubber chicken between two chopsticks while running. An inflatable rock wall and slide rounded out the fun.

The Cranbury Lions sponsored the annual Memorial Day parade Monday. The event featured vets from Cranbury and Hightstown along with floats sponsored by the Cranbury Historical Society, several bagpipe bands, local politicians, boy scouts and girl scouts and members of the Cranbury Fire and First Aid squads. Fire and rescue squads from Hightstown and Plainsboro also participated. Spectators donning red, white and blue and waving flags lined Main Street despite the hot and muggy weather.

The 2011 Hightstown-East Windsor Memorial Day Parade today, Monday, morning attracted a large crowd as locals remembered those who gave their lives in military service to our country.

The 'Taste of Hightstown' event in Memorial Park Saturday raised $3,000 for the Greenway Bridge Committee, which is working to rebuild the bridge that long spanned Peddie Lake. Seven local restaurants competed for the taste of Hightstown trophy, with top honors going to Molto Bene for its Italian Cuban sandwich (also called "The Balboa Knockout") and fregola salad. Mannino's 4 Pizza and Trattoria took second place. The other competing restaurants were Basil's Lamb House and Legends Grille, Da's Slowdown Cafe & Thai Cuisine, Famiglia Pizza,the Hightstown Diner and Tavern on the Lake. Committee…

Hightstown area residents turned out Saturday morning to show off their canine companions in the 5th annual Paws Walk. Despite cloudy weather, a steady stream of dogs and their human friends could be see walking to Association Park for the event. Sponsored by the borough's Animal Welfare Committee, this year's walk featured its first-ever "Doggie Idol" competition. Summer, an Australian Sheppard from Pennsylvania, won first place in the contest. Animal Welfare Committee member Lisa Thibault, who helped organize the event, said this was the best year yet and gave an estimated turnout of about …

The 11th Annual Hightstown Borough Garage Sale was full of bargains Saturday. Residents throughout town sold new and used items, and some even took the opportunity to raise funds for a cause.

Unidad Latina En Accion NJ, with support from partners in the Hightstown community, sponsored a cultural and artistic event Sunday in the borough's Memorial Park. The event featured music and speakers with a focus on just and humane immigration policy; labor rights for all workers; jobs for all regardless of race, religion or gender; and local ID cards. The event culminated in a march through town.

The winners of the "4 Rs" poster contest at local elementary schools were recognized Tuesday night and given awards at the East Windsor Municipal Building. Children from the Grace N. Rogers, Perry L. Drew, Walter C. Black and Ethel McKnight elementary schools participated in the poster-making contest, which featured the 4 Rs: rebuy, recycle, reduce and reuse. Mayor Janice Miranov handed out the awards. For more on the contest, including a list of all winners, click here.

The Hightstown First Aid Squad sponsored a "Breakfast with the Bunny" at its Bank Street building Sunday. Breakfast included pancakes, eggs, cereal, home fries, bagels juice, toast and coffee was served from 8 a.m. until 1 pm. This year children enjoyed crafts such as birdhouse making and coloring with the help of members of the squad. Several local dignitaries turned out to greet the children and their parents.

Princeton's hottest chefs, restaurants and mixologists gathered Monday at the Westin Hotel in Forrestal Village for a culinary even to support Share Our Strength's efforts to end childhood hunger in Mercer County.  Some of the area's finest chefs and restaurants that participated in the gastronomic event were Anton's at the Swan, Salt Creek grille, Eno Terra, Village Cupcake of Cranbury, the Cranbury Inn, Tre Piani , Brothers Moon and Mercer County Community College to name but a few. In addition, there was a live and silent auction of extraordinary items such as a tour of Hunts Point Fish …

Photographer Walter Choroszewski, who has many books out on New Jersey and whose pictures inspired the slogan "NJ and You: Perfect Together," gave a presentation at the Cranbury School in late March. The event, sponsored by the Friends of the Cranbury Public Library,  featured a history of New Jersey in photos—many by Choroszewski—and a raffle of his book, "New Jersey We Love." Refreshments and book signings followed the presentation.

St. Anthony of Padua Church in Hightsown held a community health fair Sunday. Nurses from University Medical Center at Princeton conducted free screenings for cholesterol, body fat and blood pressure. There were "Ask a Doctor" and "Ask a Lawyer" booths and various health-related tables like those from the AARP and NJ Family Care. Refreshments were served—including fresh fruit.

After a brief taste of warm weather over the weekend (and an official shift to spring), winter came back with a vengeance starting Wednesday, with hail and sleet. On Thursday, it remains cold and frost covers what might otherwise be blooming plants.

On Saturday and Sunday, a crowd came out to see the juried show of 100 artisans from throughout the area. The show was held at the school for which it raised funds, the Cranbury School. Patch photographer Cindy Rashkin was there to cover it.

Hightstown High School presented the musical "Annie" this past weekend, with shows on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Area senior citizens from places like Meadow Lakes and members of local organizations, including the Hightstown Womens Club, were treated to a preview performance on Thursday, March 3.

Cranbury resident Frank Marlowe gave a presentation on former president Lyndon Johnson's role in the civil rights movement as part of a Black History Month celebration at the Cranbury Public Library on Sunday.  The event drew about 30 people who came out to hear Marlowe describe Johnson's rise to power, the circumstances that led him to his civil rights role and the reasons why he has not been granted recognition along with Martin Luther King Jr. and Thurgood Marshall. The talk, sponsored by Friends of the Cranbury Library, lasted about two hours, with a lively discussion and raffle of Doris …