GARDEN VARIETY g a r d e n s CAN YOU DIG IT? Hands-on gardening workshop teaches about flowers. 2017 by Nenad Bach, a musician who’s performed with the likes of Luciano Pavarotti and Bruce Springsteen, and who himself suffers from Parkinson’s. When a friend invited Bach to a game of table tennis, he discovered that playing improved both his mood and his motorskill symptoms—a find he deemed worth sharing. The first PingPongParkinson site opened in 2017 in Pleasantville, <strong>New</strong> York. Soon after, Bach’s friend Elizabeth Kera, a neuropsychologist at Hackensack Medical Center, suggested he bring the organization to <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong>, and in early 2020, PingPongParkinson opened at a facility in Westwood. The pandemic shuttered the charity and the facility, the latter permanently, so in March, Ping- PongParkinson reopened in its current location in River Edge. Other United States locations can be found at pingpod. com and wearespin.com. Ping-Pong isn’t the only activity that ameliorates the symptoms of Parkinson’s, which can include tremor, rigidity, slowed movement, impaired posture and balance, and changes in speech and writing. “Any physical activity that’s challenging, nuanced, and pushes a patient to work on something that doesn’t come naturally helps prolong the life span of dopamine-producing cells in the brain,” says Elena Clar, a movement-disorders neurologist at the <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> Brain and Spine Center and, like Kera, a member of PingPongParkinson’s advisory board. Parkinson’s attacks those cells, which RALLYING Elizabeth Kera, left, and Elena Clar. help regulate heart rate, attention, movement and mood. What makes Ping-Pong so beneficial for people with Parkinson’s, Kera explains, is that, in addition to drawing on a wide range of motor skills, like hand-eye coordination and reaction time, it also exercises cognitive abilities that can be affected by the disease. “Pongers”—the organization’s term for players with Parkinson’s—“are working on visual scanning, visual tension and problem-solving,” she says. “There’s a lot of strategy involved: You might spin the ball or hit it on the side.” It’s also social—a boon to a population that may feel increasingly isolated as the disease progresses. Like many people with Parkinson’s, Cresskill resident David Falk attends physical therapy, but finds it “regimented,” whereas Ping-Pong is pleasurable and social in nature. As we speak, the paddle in his hand shakes slightly. But “my hands aren’t as shaky when I’m playing, and I’m more focused,” he says. For Andy Lieb, a ponger from Paramus, focus is key. “If my mind isn’t on myself but on a task,” he says, “I move much more freely.” Both Falk and Lieb are PingPongParkinson regulars, two of the 20 to 30 pongers who usually show up on Tuesday nights. “Parkinson’s makes you small,” Falk explains. “This,” he says, gesturing at the spirited games going on around him, “makes you a little bit bigger.” —Leslie Garisto Pfaff jardin de buis, a world-class, formalgarden estate in Hunterdon County, will host a three-day, intensive Sustainable Flowers Project workshop that takes green thumbers from soil to vase. The September 18–21 affair will be facilitated by Sustainable Floristry Network ambassadors Becky Feasby and TJ McGrath. “We will create pure magic with locally sourced, seasonal blooms as we discuss the importance of soil health, regenerative growing practices, sustainable design mechanics and the healing power of flowers,” says McGrath, a Plainfield resident. Other leading floral designers and authors will also explore groundbreaking techniques and inspire blossoming relationships among growers, designers and flower sellers. The hands-on program will happen in Califon on the 35-acre grounds of Jardin de Buis, an 18th-century dairy farm transformed into a private residence, where landscape designers and soil experts Andrea Filippone and Eric Fleisher have established and maintain vast, sustainable gardens. The fee for three days of study with industry masters is $2,800. Tuition includes catered, on-site breakfasts, lunches and a sit-down dinner, as well as all flowers and materials necessary for the zero-waste workshop. For more registration information, visit tjmcgrathdesign.com. —Susan Brierly Bush PHOTOGRAPHS: (KERA AND CLAR) JOHN EMERSON; (FLOWERS) COURTESY OF TJ MCGRATH DESIGNS 16 SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NJMONTHLY.COM
kean.edu/jazz-roots KEAN UNIVERSITY Music Festival Free Outdoor Concert at Kean’s East Campus, Hillside, NJ Saturday, September 24 Rain Date: Sunday, September 25 Live Music & F ood Trucks
Change language