via JENNIFER L NELSON/DAILY RECORD - Local residents needn’t make a trip into the city to visit an art museum when an opportunity to view the contemporary works of a New York photographer is coming to the Atrium Gallery in Morristown.

The Arts Council of the Morris Area will present “Seeing Art Anew and Other Works,” an exhibit of photography by Long Island-based artist Adel Gorgy, through March 12 on the fourth floor of the Atrium Gallery in Morristown. Admission is free.

An opening reception will be held from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday (Feb. 2).

Gorgy’s latest exhibit features a collection of large-scale photographs whose subjects are the familiar works of famous artists such as Pablo Picasso, Claude Monet and Vincent Van Gogh.  READ MORE >>>

 Dates: Maple Sugaring Demos: Select Saturdays and Sundays in January, February, and March (See calendar for specific dates). Maple Sugar Festival: Saturday, March 3.

Times: Demonstrations begin at 2 p.m.

Location: Great Swamp OEC, 247 Southern Blvd. Chatham Township

Cost: Demonstrations: $3 per person. Festival: $4 per person.

Contact: 973-635-6629

Morristown, N.J., has a rich Revolutionary War past and streets lined with Federal and Victorian homes. Its more recent history has included a downtown revitalization that has drawn young residents for its easy access to Manhattan and a lively restaurant scene all near the town center’s known as the Morristown Green.

The Mayo Performing Arts Center holds music, dance and other performances./Rayon Richards/ WSJ

Morristown is located in Morris County about 30 miles west of Manhattan with a commute time a little under an hour to Penn Station on New Jersey Transit’s Midtown Direct service. Morristown’s downtown train station has been one of the biggest factors that have fueled the town’s growth.

Since then, several condo and rental developments have been built near the Morristown Green and with them dozens of restaurants ranging from upscale steakhouses to ethnic bistros.

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One of the biggest new additions to Morristown’s downtown occurred at the site of the old Epstein’s Department Store, which was razed and replaced with a 76-unit condominium complex called 40 Park that opened in 2010.

The building has private parking, a recreation center with billiards and flat-screen televisions, a lounge with a catering kitchen and a gym. The units have built-in surround speakers, cherry or walnut floors and views of the Morristown Green. There are 12 units remaining there ranging in price between $800,000 and $2.2 million.

Another major addition in town has been the redevelopment of the Vail Mansion into condominiums. The structure previously served municipal offices, but had been vacant for years before two new wings were added and a total of 36 condos were built.

The building now has concierge service, a media theater and fitness center. A 2,442-square-foot, two-bedroom condo is on the market there for 995,000.

There are also new rental buildings that have gone up in downtown. The Highlands at Morristown Train Station recently opened and has 217 units. The building has a parking garage, pool and fitness center. Monthly rents range between $1,791 and $3,250.   READ MORE AT THE WALL STREET JOURNAL.COM

Take an unforgettable journey through the music of one of the world’s most successful and prolific musical theater composers, performed by Broadway vets who starred in the shows. Enjoy songs from the powerful rock musical, Jesus Christ Superstar, the thrilling strains of Evita, the playfulness of Cats, the soaring passion of Phantom of the Opera and many other Andrew Lloyd Webber gems.

 Background:

What makes this Webber show so special is that three of these performers actually starred in Andrew Lloyd Webber shows on Broadway as well as on national and world tours. Raymond Saar (Raoul in Phantom of the Opera in San Francisco and Marius in Les Miserables on Broadway), Diane Ketchie (Carlotta in Phantom of the Opera, Broadway and San Francisco) and Valerie Perri (Eva Peron in the First National Tour and Second World Tour of Evita) have combined credits from Broadway and Off-Broadway, have made guest artist appearances with major symphony orchestras, and have appeared in concert everywhere from Carnegie Hall to a command performance at the White House. The musical genius of Andrew Lloyd Webber and the extraordinary talent of these performers create a memorable and exciting evening of entertainment.

Andrew Lloyd Webber is the winner of six Tony Awards, four Drama Desk Awards, three Grammy awards, a Golden Globe and an Oscar. Mr. Webber at one time had five shows running in London and three on Broadway simultaneously. This evening of blockbuster hits will present some of the extraordinary work of this musical giant.

CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS!

First Night Morris County is almost upon us. Organizers have lined up dozens of entertainment opportunities at about 20 venues throughout Morristown for the family-friendly, no-alcohol, town-wide celebration of the new year.

Patch offers you this interactive guide to the festivities, which are expected to draw somewhere around 10,000 participants from around Morris County and beyond. Click on locations through the map above to see what’s going on. Descriptions on the map (also reflected below) are courtesy of First Night organizers.

You might want to give it a look ahead of time to plan your night, and check back from your mobile phone on New Year’s Eve as you dash around town. (Note to mobile users: If you can’t see all the features on this post, click here to load the full desktop version of this page).

We’re also including printable PDFs of the full First Night program, the schedule, and the map—so you might want to keep those handy if you won’t have an electronic device to check out on the big night (those printable guides also come courtesy of organizers). For even more information directly from First Night organizers, see their website.

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Wed., Dec. 21 at 7:30 pm

Thur., Dec. 22 at 7:30 pm

Fri., Dec. 23 at 7:30 pm

Sat., Dec. 24 at 1 pm

Mon., Dec. 26 at 1 pm

Mon., Dec. 26 at 6 pm

$59|$49|$39|$29|$19

CLICK FOR TICKETS!

A clockwork Santa figure from the 1890s.

Head right down Santa Claus lane to Macculloch Hall Historical Museum this month to view a special Christmas-themed exhibit. Titled “Here Comes Santa Claus,” the exhibit opened on Saturday, December 3rd.

Held in the upstairs gallery of the museum, the exhibit features approximately 30 images of Santa Claus, several of the museum’s holiday-themed Thomas Nast images, as well as candy containers and decorative Santas from 100 years ago.

“We have the largest Thomas Nast collection in the country, and he is best known for his images of Santa Claus,” said Ryan Hyman, curator for the museum.

A renowned 19th-century political cartoonist, Nast lived across the street from Macculloch Hall for about half of his life, Hyman said.

The exhibit was created through object loans from Joe and Sharon Happle of Sign of the Tymes Antiques, Lafayette; Lauren V. Rethwisch of Wooly Sheep Antiques, Robbinsville, and Barbara Silverstein, a local collector and member of the museum.   READ MORE >>>

 Jersey Club Sports kicked off December’s month of giving with its “Family Promise of Morris County Charity Event” at the Famished Frog. With the help of over a hundred JCS members and friends, the sports organization was able to raise over $1,600 for the Interfaith Council for Homeless Families of Morris County!

Patrons of the event were able to indulge in tremendous drink specials, including new sponsors Van Gogh Vodka and Cupcake Wine (my personal favorite). Some guests were busy boasting their latest triumphs in kickball, soccer or basketball, while others continued to build friendships that only JCS can offer a group of young professional athletes.

So how did Deb Nexon, owner of JCS, help raise so much money? Easy: endless amounts of tricky trays! After purchasing my fair share of tickets, I took my chances on items such as Giants vs Cowboys tickets, YMCA memberships, a snowboard, spa days and much, much more. Luckily for me, my donations paid off and I walked away with a nice “Oscar Night” basket full of goodies!

But Nexon couldn’t stop there! She outdid herself with a karaoke night. U-Rock Live Karaoke puts you on stage with a top flight rock and roll band able to play any song you want. We all knew we were good at sports, but who knew the JCS crew had such singing abilities, too!

To say this night was a success would be an understatement! If you missed out, come check out the next JCS event on December 9th when beer pong and charity meet at the Famished Frog. Click here to sign up!

Once again, I can happily share with my fellow Morristownians, another wonderful night out in town, having fun for a cause.

The Mayo Performing Arts Company choir sings at Wednesday night's Christmas tree lighting ceremony at Headquarters Plaza in Morristown. / Karen Mancinelli/special to the daily record

MORRISTOWN — The annual Headquarters Plaza Christmas tree lighting was held Wednesday night at the Hyatt hotel.

The 25-foot tall tree was turned on with much fanfare, including music, food and speeches. Members of the Marine Corps were there to collect Toys for Tots program, and Cpl. Jonathan Nicosia, who recently returned from deployment overseas, was honored.

Gifts also were presented to children who met with Santa to discuss holiday wish lists.

40 Park, the seven-story mixed-use development that replaced Epstein's Department Store on the Green, is part of the downtown living renaissance in Morristown.

When it comes to planning and redevelopment, New Jersey is friendlier to the environment than many states.

After decades of uninterrupted suburban sprawl, we have come to recognize that our small, densely populated state cannot sustain this sort of growth any longer without doing grave damage to our environment, our economy and our quality of life.

We have created unique regional planning entities in the Meadowlands, Pinelands and Highlands to preserve and protect fragile ecosystems from over-development.

We have adopted a State Development and Redevelopment Plan that, while not mandatory, encourages growth in areas where infrastructure already exists and discourages it elsewhere.

We are blessed with an extensive transit network that offers a convenient alternative to automobile use for hundreds of thousands of daily commuters.
All levels of government — state, county and local — have purchased large parcels of open space and protected them from development.

Our air and water are measurably cleaner than they were a generation ago, many of the unsightly and odiferous landfills that once dotted the New Jersey landscape have been closed, capped and sealed and some of the nation’s worst toxic waste sites have been cleaned up and put to productive re-use.

Part of being environmentally friendly is figuring out the best way to accommodate the constant population growth that is experienced in New Jersey. Scores of communities, large and small, have adopted smart-growth principles and plans, revitalizing their downtowns, converting abandoned industrial properties into thriving mixed-use developments and taking advantage of their location along one of New Jersey’s commuter rail lines to catch the new wave of transit-oriented development.

Some of these activities have been hampered in recent years by the financial crisis and its unfortunate aftermath. The ailing economy has stalled building activity, including many redevelopment plans that have been proposed or approved but now sit in abeyance for lack of funding. READ MORE >>>