2024 Memorial Day

INFORMING, SERVING AND CELEBRATING THE LAKE REGION 

ake Hopatcong News 

MEMORIAL DAY 2024 VOL. 16 NO. 2 

Telling Stories 

Roxbury film producer Kelly Sheehan talks 

about making documentaries, including one 

regarding New Jersey’s Passaic River. 

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From the Editor 

grew up in West Caldwell, very close to the borders of North Caldwell and Fairfield. It was the 

1960s and 1970s. My parents had built the first house on our short, little street — the last property 

on the right before the road ended. It was flanked by woods on one side and wetlands beyond the 

backyard. It was a radical move for my city-dwelling parents, who both grew up and met in Jersey City. 

In those years of my youth, there were a handful of other northern New Jersey towns I remember 

visiting often: Jersey City (both grandmothers lived there), Paramus (my dad’s family), Wayne (my 

mom’s family), Belleville (location of my dad’s photo engraving business) and Lincoln Park (location of 

a swim club and nine-hole golf course, where we were members for about six or seven years). 

In traveling to these places, at some point, we had to do two things — cross over the Passaic River 

or travel alongside it. 

If you are from northern New Jersey, you have likely heard of this infamous waterway. Whenever 

there is a catastrophic rain event, local news outlets are talking nonstop about this river. It’s the river 

everyone watches, and the Lincoln Park/Fairfield area is usually ground zero. 

Maybe you grew up in one of its many riverside towns. Maybe, like me, it was always a part of your 

life, just right there, unaware of it until a weather event made you aware. 

From our house to my cousins in Wayne or to the swim club in Lincoln Park, we traveled Passaic 

Avenue to Twin Bridges, where, because of the winding nature of the river, two bridges were necessary 

to get from one side to the other. 

At this location, the river acts as a natural border between Fairfield and Lincoln Park. A left turn after 

the first bridge took us to the swim club that, by the way, sat on the banks of the Passaic and could 

not escape high water in heavy rains. 

A right turn took us to the second bridge (remember how skinny it was!), which then took us to 

Wayne. Both routes skirted the river for miles. 

(If you haven’t been there in a while, a new, wider second bridge has been built. The old skinny 

bridge is now part of a walking path.) 

I remember this area being very picturesque: the big, leafy trees; the cabins and waterfront homes 

arranged here and there; the gaggles of ducks and geese that were always in the roadway; and the 

fishermen standing on the shoreline or sitting in a rowboat. My child’s eye never saw the pollution or 

the decay or the squalor, which was just as much a part of the river. 

I also remember that the river, like today, always flooded, and traveling in and out of West Caldwell 

had its challenges. 

The early spring rains that caused flooding this year were no different. Getting to my childhood 

house (mom still lives there!) was a navigational nightmare. Portable electronic road signs got right to 

the point: Don’t even think about driving into Fairfield. 

I tell you all this because the terrific cover profile about Kelly Sheehan, a local filmmaker, revolves 

around her 2021 release, “American River,” a documentary about the Passaic River. (See Mike Daigle’s 

story on page 22.) 

About a year ago, I watched the film with my friend, Donna Macalle-Holly, who is the grants and 

program director for the Lake Hopatcong Foundation. Fun fact: Donna’s early childhood was in one of 

those riverside towns, Paterson. While watching the movie, we both excitedly pointed out places we 

knew from our childhoods. 

Aside from a couple of 60-something-year-olds reminiscing, we both 

found this film to be fascinating. It was a beautifully shot, well-told 

story that captured the history of the river in a meaningful and visually 

appealing way. 

I’m putting the finishing touches on this column on Mother’s Day. It’s 

raining hard. In a few hours we’ll be heading to West Caldwell to spend 

the day with my mom. And as I always do, I will glance at the river when 

Yep. That’s the Passaic 

we drive over it from Route 46 to get onto Bloomfield Avenue. 

River behind me. 

Just to see if it’s running high. 

— Karen 


BIRCH BEER BIZ 

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS 


MEMORIAL DAY 2024 VOL. 16 NO. 2 

Telling Stories 

Roxbury film producer Kelly Sheehan talks 

making documentaries including one about 

New Jersey’s Passaic River. 

ART TEACHER 

JEFFERSON AT 220 

ON THE COVER 

Kelly Sheehan stands next to the Passaic 

River in Kearny. 

—photo by Karen Fucito 

KAREN FUCITO 

Editor 

editor@lakehopatcongnews.com 

973-663-2800 

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Hopatcong, N.J.: ‘We Call It Lake Life’ 


Birch Beer is Their Business 

Story by MICHAEL DAIGLE 

Photos by KAREN FUCITO 

Ryan Kovach does not look like a 

corporate mogul. 

In his company tan apron and matching green 

ball cap, he looks like a 16-year-old selling birch 

beer at a local farmers market. 

But he’s both: The co-founder and chief 

executive officer of Dad and Ryan’s Birch Beer 

LLC and a 16-year-old selling birch beer at local 

farmers markets. 

The other thing about Ryan is that he has a 

learning disability. 

Here’s how he describes himself: “My name 

is Ryan. I have a learning disability. I have 

problems reading because I can’t put two 

words together. I like to play with Legos and 

Xbox, and I like cooking. I’m on the bowling 

team at Hopatcong High School and an 

associate member of the Roxbury Company 

No. 1 Fire Department.” 

“Dad” — Mike Kovach — fits the birch beer 

company into a busy schedule. 

He works in information technology, is an 

emergency medical technician for the Morris 

County Office of Emergency Management and 

a volunteer firefighter at the Roxbury Fire Co. 

station in Succasunna. The Kovach family lives 

in Succasunna. 

Kovach said they started the company in 2018 

as a way for him and his son to work together 

on a project that Ryan was interested in. 

Birch beer. Ryan likes birch beer. 

So, why not? Dad said. 

“We started from scratch,” Kovach recalled. 

They assembled the necessary equipment: 

stainless steel cooking pots, thermometers, 

chillers, carbonators, a bottle capper, boxes for 

six-packs, labels, and, of course, bottles. 

Brown bottles. 

Would it be birch beer 

without brown bottles? 

Most important, Ryan and his 

father said, was a recipe. 

Which they will not disclose. 

Their birch beer is rich and 

lightly carbonated, sweet with 

a mix of spice and fruity flavors. 

There was a lot of 

experimentation, Ryan said. “A 

lot of trial and error.” 

An early version of the product was red. 

“The floor of our kitchen at home was 

covered in red sticky stuff,” he said. “And when 

you’d walk you’d make a ‘scrich, scrich’ sound 

as your shoes stuck.” 

Of course, the floor still goes “scrich, scrich,” 

because accidents happen and hot sugar water 

is sticky, especially when pouring the hot 

simple syrup into a narrow-mouthed chiller. 

Now, production is split between the 

firehouse and the family kitchen. 

On an April day at the Roxbury fire station 

when Ryan and his father did a demonstration, 

Ryan let his father make the hot pour. 

Ryan’s mother, Danielle, a special education 

teacher in Hopatcong where Ryan goes to 

school, said she was glad they stopped making 

red birch beer. 

“There was red sugar everywhere,” she said. 

It takes several days to process a final batch, 

Mike Kovach said. A day each to brew, cool and 

carbonate a batch, then there’s the bottling, 

capping and labeling. 

“Labeling is the hardest,” Ryan said. 

He peels a rectangular label from the contact 

paper and with care lines up the top edges 

before smoothing the label on the round 

bottle. 

Then he does it again. 

“It has to be straight and square. Otherwise, 

it looks sloppy,” Ryan said. 

In the kitchen at the Roxbury fire station 

during this demonstration, Ryan and his father 

divide the tasks — father brewing and cooling, 

son labeling and capping, while nearby a few 

Ryan Kovach watches as his father, Mike 

Kovach, prepares to let carbonated soda flow 

into bottles. 

brown bottles of their birch beer with gold 

caps await special labels to commemorate an 

upcoming wedding. 

They banter back and forth, teasing each 

other about their work and skill. Ryan, as CEO, 

seems to get in the last, joking word. 

It’s about learning, the elder Kovach said. 

On the company website bestbirchbeer. 

com, Kovach said, “At first this started as a 

fun thing for us to do, but now I’m seeing the 

positive educational and social impacts this 

has had on my son. Our birch beer is more than 

a beverage. It is my way of teaching Ryan how 

to lead a fulfilling life in doing what you love, 

regardless of the challenges you face.” 

Ryan has two brothers: Michael, a special 

education teacher, and Joe, a student at 

Kutztown University. 

Kovach said they are also both firefighters. 

In the Roxbury firehouse kitchen, he said, 

the birch beer business is about giving Ryan, a 

special education student, an opportunity to 

build something for himself that might last. To 

date, online sales, farmers markets and special 

events keep the duo busy. 

At school, Ryan is on the bowling team and 

in the drama club. In a recent podcast, Ryan 

said he mostly works backstage during plays, 

but would soon be appearing onstage as an 

actor. 

Danielle Kovach said the business provides 

Ryan with an introduction to a larger world 

that he is able to translate to his 

schoolwork, handling the sales, 

meeting new people, selling. 

An email from Ryan’s parents said: 

“We want people to see Ryan for 

who he really is rather than just his 

challenges. Despite facing difficulties, 

Ryan is a great kid with a kind heart, 

6 


Left to right: Ryan Kovach adds sugar 

to hot water, the first step to making 

birch beer. Mike Kovach and Ryan 

Kovach in the Roxbury Fire Co. station 

kitchen, getting ready to label bottles.

who is determined to make his business 

successful. His persistence and determination 

have enabled him to grow his company from a 

few six-packs a month to thousands of bottles 

a year. His motivation and drive inspire us every 

day.” 

Ryan said he enjoys working the farmers 

markets and meeting new people, but mostly, 

he said, “he likes making the money.” 

He said he also is glad the company helps 

organizations that helps kids in special 

circumstances. 

Kovach said the birch beer company has 

supported Unique, a United Kingdom-based 

company that provides support to children 

with rare chromosome disorders. Since 2021 

the business has contributed $500 to Unique, 

which can be found at rarechromo.org. 

“My dad and I send money to Unique 

because I have reading problems. I think if I 

send money to Unique, other kids won’t have 

the same problem I always have, and those kids 

can get more help,” said Ryan. 

Dad and Ryan’s Birch Beer is available online 

from their website and at seasonal farmers 

markets. 

As Ryan leaves the firehouse — the place 

he first tasted birch beer and where the idea 

of him and his father making their own was 

hatched — a firefighter at the door yells out, 

“Hey, there goes the birch beer kid.” 

Ryan smiles. It’s good to be the boss. 

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Fire Departments 

Rescue Carnival 

Story by KATHLEEN BRUNET 

Photo by KAREN FUCITO 

The Jefferson Township volunteer fire 

departments are coming to the rescue yet 

again. 

Fire Company 1 in the Oak Ridge section 

of Jefferson and Fire Company 2 in the Lake 

Hopatcong area are joining forces to ensure the 

community’s annual carnival tradition continues. 

This year’s festival, now known as The Firemen’s 

Carnival, will feature carnival rides, food trucks, 

games of chance, special exhibits, craft vendors 

and the township’s annual fireworks display. 

The Firemen’s Carnival takes place Wednesday, 

May 29, through Friday, May 31, from 5 to 10 p.m., 

and Saturday, June 1, from 4 to 11 p.m. behind the 

Jefferson Township Middle School, 1000 Weldon 

Road, Oak Ridge. Admission is free. 

Fireworks are expected to blast off at about 

9:30 p.m. on Saturday, with a rain date of Sunday, 

June 2. 

This marks the first time the fire departments 

are hosting the carnival, which came about 

through the merging of two events. Previously, 

there was a carnival held in the spring at Our 

Lady Star of the Sea Roman Catholic Church 

in Lake Hopatcong and an annual Jefferson 

Township Day with fireworks was held in July, 

coordinated by the Jefferson Arts Committee. 

In 2022, the two events merged and expanded 

under the direction of the Jefferson Township 

Education Foundation. 

Travis Luecht, president of Company 2, said 

the fire departments were asked to assume 

responsibility for the four-day event, which 

requires a plethora of minds and hands to 

administer. 

“We felt it was a great opportunity for us to 

All seats are taken on the giant swing ride at Jefferson’s carnival in 2018. 

work together on something fun,” said Luecht 

of East Shore Estates. “Typically, when people 

see us it’s during an emergency. This puts us in a 

different light by placing us in a setting where we 

can have conversations with people so they can 

get to know us and we can get to know them.” 

“For the past few years, it’s been great for both 

fire departments to run the 50/50 raffle,” added 

Mark VanDyke of Lake Swannanoa, president 

of Company 1. “When we were approached 

to run the carnival this year, we felt it was an 

excellent idea for the departments to be out 

with the residents of Jefferson and surrounding 

communities.” 

The two volunteer fire companies serve more 

than 20,000 residents. Company 1, stationed 

on Milton Road, Oak Ridge, has more than 55 

volunteer members. Company 2, located on 

Route 15 in Lake Hopatcong, has more than 

35 members. Over the past year, they have 

collectively responded to more than 500 calls. 

Jefferson Township Mayor Eric Wilsusen is 

particularly grateful the fire companies agreed 

to organize the carnival. In 2004, he spearheaded 

the launch of the carnival at Our Lady Star of the 

Sea Roman Catholic Church. 

“It’s an event everyone looks forward to,” said 

Wilsusen. “I’m glad to see that it’s continuing.” 

This year’s festival is expected to draw about 

3,000. 

Along with learning about the fire companies 

and their volunteers, Luecht and VanDyke view 

the carnival as an opportunity for people to 

discover more about the township, including 

its history and its abundance of outdoor 

recreational areas. 

Those attending this year’s carnival will have 

the opportunity to take part in several special 

events. On Thursday night, there will be a Touch 

a Truck event, featuring equipment from the 

township’s fire departments and rescue squads. 

On Saturday, more than a dozen vendors will be 

selling handcrafted and other specialty items. 

New this year will be ax throwing by Who Axed 

You of Lake Hopatcong. 

Each day will feature more than 20 rides 

from Campy’s Blue Star Amusements. The cost 

for advanced wristbands for unlimited rides is 

$40 (deadline May 28 at midnight) and can be 

purchased at https://campys.com. The price at 

the event is $45. 

“The carnival will have something for 

everyone,” said Luecht. “It’s going to be a lot of 

fun.” 

For more information, search The Firemen’s 

Carnival on Facebook. 

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College basketball phenom turned 

WNBA player Caitlin Clark has ignited 

a firestorm of interest in women’s basketball, 

consequently shining the spotlight on women’s 

sports in general. But before Clark became a 

household name, an eager squad of girls at 

Jefferson High School began tackling a sport 

that, until recently, only boys played. 

Welcome to the new Friday night under the 

lights game — flag football. 

For the past three years, the sport has seen 

success as a club sport, with 83 New Jersey 

high schools participating. This is Jefferson’s 

second year with a team. 

Yandi Esteves, a senior co-captain who plays 

center and linebacker, grew up playing football 

in her backyard with her brother and father 

and has been empowered by joining the team. 

“It’s a great program — it inspires all girls to 

shoot for the stars. To have a bunch of schools 

in New Jersey do this, it shows what we are 

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capable of,” she said. 

Maggie Gesek, senior co-captain, said she 

grew up watching football on television with 

her father but never fully understood the 

game. Joining this team has been a literal 

game-changer for her. 

“Now that I can play, I can watch football and 

understand it. I feel like I have empowerment 

now that I can play a guy’s sport and prove 

people wrong,” said Gesek who plays a variety 

of positions, including wide receiver, punt 

returner and middle linebacker. 

She’s also learned a few life lessons 

participating in the program. “It really makes 

me mentally tough; I didn’t realize how tough I 

could be,” she said. And, if flag football weren’t 

an option, she said, she would “100 percent” 

want to play on the boys team. Her parents, 

however, would not be so open to the idea. 

“My parents would definitely say no,” she 

confessed. 

Both Esteves and Gesek said playing flag 

football — traditionally a boy’s sport — has 

given them new-found confidence, something 

they will carry with them when they begin 

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their college careers in the fall. 

In December, the New Jersey State 

Interscholastic Athletic Association announced 

that girls flag football would officially become 

a pilot program for the spring 2024 season. 

“The approval of a two-year pilot program 

will provide notice to member schools that 

girls flag football may become an NJSIAA 

sanctioned sport,” NJSIAA Executive Director 

Colleen Maguire wrote in her proposal to the 

NJSIAA program review committee dated 

December 4, 2023. According to Maguire, 

the proposal was passed by the executive 

committee at its December 2023 meeting. 

“We’re in the first year of a probationary 

period with the NJSIAA,” Marcus Thompson, 

Jefferson’s head coach, explained. “After the 

two-year probationary period, schools have 

the option to pick it up as a full-time varsity 

sport.” 

Thompson, who oversees 26 players and 

four team managers, is optimistic the NJSIAA 

will pick up flag football as a full-time sport. 

“We’re not exactly sure if the rules we are 

playing with now are going to be the ones 

they’re going to institute. We’re not even 

exactly sure if it’s going to be a fall sport or 

a spring sport — that’s up to the NJSIAA. If 

it is going to get picked up, then we’re going 

to have to see which schools decide to keep 

going with it. I would imagine most schools 

would because there are new schools popping 

into the league every year.” 

Flag football in New Jersey is typically played 

seven-on-seven on a shortened football field, 

both in length and width, according to NFL 

FLAG. The game is also played with a smaller 

football. 

Jefferson’s flag football program is also a 

member of the New York Jets High School 

Girls Flag Football League. According to the

Left to right: Playing defense, Brooke Kuba is ready to rip a flag from the waistband of a Morristown 

High School opponent. Quarterback Havana Lopez-Sosa gets ready to launch a bomb to teammate 

Sydney Paese. Yandi Esteves zeros in on a Morristown player’s flag. Running back Charlotte 

Sinisgalli slips past two Morristown High School defenders. Receiver Maggie Gesek sidesteps a 

Morristown High School defender for a slight gain. 

Jets official website, the league is committed 

to empowering girls by building character, 

perseverance, teamwork and dedication skills. 

“The Jets donated everything for us in 

terms of the flags and footballs and kind of 

just jump-started things for us, which is really 

cool,” said Aidan Sinisgalli, assistant coach. 

“All the first-year programs go to the Jets 

facility for a clinic right before the season. The 

Jets’ coaches picked drills and ran them, which 

was fun,” he added. 

In addition, the girls got the opportunity 

to play an away game at the Jets facility in 

Florham Park. 

For sophomore players Aubrie and Charlotte 

Sinisgalli, flag football is a family affair. Aidan 

Sinisgalli, a 2017 Jefferson High School graduate 

and former high school and college football 

player, is their brother. 

“The most enticing reason for me to coach 

is because my two sisters are playing,” said 

Sinisgalli. 

Backup quarterback and wide receiver Aubrie 

Sinisgalli joined the program as a freshman and 

has loved playing football since she was a little 

girl, even participating in football camps. 

“Last year was the first year doing the 

program, so it was fun, and this year we just 

want to keep growing and growing until it can 

become a full varsity sport,” she said. 

If flag football weren’t an option, she said 

she would have considered playing on the 

boys football team. “This is a great thing to do. 

All these girls doing this, having never been 

able to. It’s a really good change.” 

Charlotte Sinisgalli is equally enthusiastic 

about the program and said she got interested 

in football watching her brothers play and her 

dad coach. “I like to get the ball. It’s fun to run,” 

said the running back. 

“I didn’t think I was going to be that good at 

it, and I gave it a try and I learned that I’m not 

that bad at it. It gave me more confidence to 

try something new.” 

Melissa Senatore, mom to senior Taylor, had 

reservations about her daughter joining the 

flag football team. Specifically, concerns that 

playing football — any type of football — 

would be too physically aggressive, especially 

since most of the teams Jefferson faces are 

established programs. Taylor Senatore joined 

the team last year and her mother now fully 

supports her daughter’s involvement in the 

program. 

“It’s such a great sport to keep the girls 

active,” said Melissa Senatore just before the 

start of a home game in April. 

Player Cassidy Ball does not shy away 

from physically aggressive sports. The senior 

running back is headed to West Point next 

year and will play on the women’s rugby team. 

This is Ball’s first year playing flag football and 

she said the program has helped her to grow 

as a person. 

“I’ve become more of an outgoing person 

because of this team. Everyone is trying new 

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things since everyone is new 

to this sport,” she said. 

Ball is encouraged that 

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playing high school sports and 

making a team is becoming 

more competitive. She said 

games are well attended by 

parents and some friends 

but admitted that “random 

students” aren’t sitting in 

the bleachers. Ball is hopeful 

more students will become 

spectators of flag football as 

the program progresses. 

Thompson agreed with Ball’s 

assessment of attendance. 

“It’s minimal to start, but I 

think that is more indicative of female sports 

in general. We have had some students starting 

to come and I think the more this grows, I 

anticipate it almost rivaling what we see on a 

Friday night,” he said. 

For junior Shannon Mallory, who admittedly 

comes from a football family — “we know 

football in our house” — flag football is 

different than any other sport she has played, 

including her passion sport, soccer. 

“It’s a lot of work. There are so many different 

plays to learn … and rules,” she said. 

But despite that, she said, the game is so 

much fun to play. 

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State and Local Police Increase Presence on Lake Hopatcong 


It’s a digital world. 

So how better to reach the Lake 

Hopatcong boating public than through their 

electronic devices. 

That’s what Hopatcong Police Lt. Ryan Tracey 

thought when he created QR codes that link 

users to boating safety videos produced by a 

squad of lake region law enforcement officers. 

The codes have been posted near marinas and 

other sites available to boaters. 

“Everyone is looking at their phones, so why 

not?” Tracey said, explaining his effort. 

The QR codes were developed to promote 

water safety on the lake and are one of several 

coordinated efforts among law enforcement, 

ENTION BOATERS 

SCAN THE town QR and CODE nonprofit BEFORE HEADING officials. OUT 

MPORTANT MESSAGE PROVIDED BY 

W JERSEY Just as STATE the 2019 POLICE harmful algal bloom (HAB) 

RINE that SERVICE hampered BUREAU that lake season and pushed 

lake area officials to address lake environmental 

OR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 

ABOUT conditions, BOATING SAFETY this new police enforcement effort 

CAN follows HERE recent boating deaths and an increase in 

nuisance boating activity. 

This effort, which blends enforcement and 

education, has brought together police from 

Hopatcong, Jefferson, Roxbury and Mount 

Arlington, the New Jersey State Police Marine 

Division (housed on the lake in Jefferson) and 

the Morris County Sheriff’s Office. In addition, 

mayors from the four lake towns, the Lake 

Hopatcong Commission and Lake Hopatcong 

Foundation are supporting this effort. 

To make the lessons stick, they are reaching 

out to the current and next generation of 

boaters, marina owners, schools, boat renters 

and multi-language speakers. 

“The effort is to reinforce rules that support 

the quality of life for all lake users and instill 

those values in a new generation of lake users,” 

said State Police Marine Services Bureau Sgt. 

Anthony Buro. 

Buro, Tracey and Morris County Chief Warrant 

Officer Jack Ambrose detailed the plans during a 

commission meeting in April. 

The plans include off-lake programs to educate 

boaters and other lake users, and increased 

patrols on the lake, the officers said. 

The videos cover such topics as safe vessel 

operation tips, boating equipment, personal 

watercraft safety, anchoring tips and techniques 

and watersport safety tips. 

Off-lake efforts, Ambrose said, include 

meeting at marinas periodically with boat renters 

to discuss safe operating methods and to ensure 

boat renters have completed the required state 

14 

Scan the QR code with your 

phone’s camera to view the 

boater safety videos. 


certification course before taking a boat on the 

lake. That course can be completed the day of 

the rental, Ambrose said. 

At Lee’s County Park Marina, efforts will be 

made to reach new and experienced boaters 

and multi-lingual boaters, Ambrose said. 

Lee’s Marina, operated by the Morris County 

Park Commission, is the largest public access 

boat launch location on Lake Hopatcong, 

Ambrose said. 

The Morris County Sheriff’s Office took over 

supervision there when it absorbed the county 

park police department, he said. 

Buro said the education effort has included 

numerous school visits across the North Jersey 

region over the past two years. The lessons 

include boating safety instruction for older 

students and water safety courses — including 

ice safety courses — for younger students, Buro 

said. 

Also, HOPE ONE, the Morris County Sheriff’s 

Office mobile recovery access vehicle, will visit 

the lake region several times this summer. 

HOPE ONE offers critical support for persons 

struggling with addiction, with the goals of 

preventing drug overdoses and deaths, as well 

as providing mental health services. It is staffed 

by a Sheriff’s officer, a licensed mental health 

professional and a certified peer recovery 

specialist. 

On the lake, Tracey said, lake users can expect 

to see a visible police presence. 

He said Hopatcong police have secured the 

use of the Boston Whaler boat previously used 

by the State Park police. 

State and local police and the sheriff’s office 

patrol the lake on a variety of watercraft. 

That number was increased on April 30 when 

it was announced by State Sen. Anthony M. 

Bucco and Morris County Sheriff James Gannon 

that Gannon’s office was awarded a $250,000 

grant by the state Department of Community 

Affairs to help purchase two new inflatable 

patrol boats. 

In announcing the grant, Gannon said, “We 

take our public safety responsibilities very 

seriously. Ensuring boater safety measures are 

followed in accordance with the law on Lake 

Hopatcong is a primary responsibility of ours.” 

One of the key areas of concern has been 

Byram Cove, where hundreds of vessels 

congregate on weekends. Complaints by cove 

residents have been presented to local and state 

boards for years. 

At a Lake Hopatcong Commission meeting 

in March, Buro, Tracey and Ambrose outlined 

the patrol and investigative efforts that have 

been taken, including drone patrols, undercover 

officers and increased boat patrols. 

In 2023, between Memorial Day and Labor 

Day, 22 Byram cove details were conducted by 

Hopatcong police, with 12 summonses issued for 

NEW JERSEY STATE POLICE ON 

LAKE HOPATCONG IN 2023 

• 418 Law Enforcement Stops 

• 384 Violations 

• 49 Vessel Assists 

• 85 Noise Complaints 

SUMMONS OR 

VIOLATION WARNINGS ISSUED 

Careless Boating 65 

Fish and Game 

80 

Hull ID 

31 

Navigation Lights 2 

Registration Number 121 

Safety Certificate 14 

Under the Influence 2 

unlawful noise. 

Tracey said with the new boat, Hopatcong will 

increase its Byram Cove patrols, but does not 

envision permanently stationing the vessel in 

the cove. 

The goal, he said, is increased presence and 

potential deterrence of bad acts, not a heavyhanded 

effort to take the fun out of boating in 

the cove. 

Buro said one of the major complaints in 

Byram Cove and other key spots around the lake 

is the volume of noise from boat sound systems 

and other uses. 

He said he was encouraged that the four lake 

towns are working to develop a standard noise 

ordinance that would apply across the lake 

region. Instead of each town trying to enforce 

its own noise rules, there would be a consistent 

standard, he said. 

The proposed new rules also change the 

intent of the enforcement, Buro said. 

The new rules would focus not just on the 

volume of the noise as measured in decibels, but 

on its potential nuisance effect, he said. 

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ERIKA SIMMONS 

LOCAL 

VOICES 

Admittedly, Erika Simmons, 35, has lived in quite a variety of places since early adulthood, including Hackettstown, 

Sussex Borough, Stowe, Vermont and London, to name a few. But her roots, she said, are planted firmly in two 

places: the Stockholm section of Hardyston Township in Sussex County and Lake Hopatcong. 

“I always say I grew up half in Stockholm and half at Lake Hopatcong. My Oma had a house on the lake, and I spent so much of my 

childhood and early adulthood there,” said Simmons, who now calls Sugar Loaf, New York her home. 

This all might seem a bit familiar — and it is. Simmons is the daughter of Lake Hopatcong News food columnist Barbara Simmons, who 

writes often about her husband and kids, about growing up at the lake and about learning to cook from her German mother, Erika’s Oma. 

WHO MAKES UP YOUR FAMILY? 

My wonderful parents, Aaron and Barbara Simmons. My hysterical brother, Francis Simmons, and his fantastic wife, Brittney, and their son 

(my precious nephew), Julien. My baby angel dawg, Luna, unfortunately passed in October of 2022. But she is with me always in spirit. 

DESCRIBE THE TYPE OF PERSON YOU ARE. 

I am someone who is trying their best to live in the moment. I am deeply in tune with my senses — chock that up to my Taurus nature! 

I give people my undivided attention when I’m with them. I value connection, curiosity, a good sense of humor and an open mind. 

DESCRIBE BRIEFLY YOUR LIFE’S JOURNEY—HOW DID YOU GET TO THIS POINT? 

Wooooo, and this is supposed to fit in three sentences? It’s been a wild trail, let me tell ya! I worked so many different kinds of jobs, fell 

in love, moved to London, got a divorce, apprenticed under a very well-known interior designer, moved back to the States after my visa 

expired, fell in love again, went to school for interior design and now own my own company, Conscious Interiors. (In a nutshell!) 

WHAT’S BEEN YOUR LIFE’S MOST REWARDING EXPERIENCE? 

Helping to change the lives of my clients by elevating their spaces. Hearing things like, “Now I can’t 

wait to go to my office” or “This is the first time in four years that my wife and I had the space to sit 

and finish a whole television series together!” or “All I want for Christmas is Erika Simmons!” 

Ha — one of my favorites! 

WHO HAS HAD THE MOST INFLUENCE ON YOU? 

Gosh, people come into your life at all different stages. But there are two women who have 

influenced me in so many ways: my mom, Barbara Simmons, and my Oma, Gertrude 

Kertscher. My mom’s artistic and creative eye. My Oma’s worldly openmindedness. 

My mom’s unconditional love and support. Both of their 

confidence and attention to detail in the kitchen. And boy, have I been 

spoiled by their cooking! They both taught me to appreciate and host good 

company, how to take care of a home and how to love our loved ones. 

And last but not least, the freedom to laugh. 

HOW DO YOU EARN A LIVING? 

Well, I mentioned earlier my interior design business. It began in 

September 2021. I help people see their space in a new way and 

bring out their own personal stories that they may struggle to 

express visually. The balance within my childhood of the woods 

and the water motivates me to capture the overall peacefulness 

each of those elements bring to us in every design. I aim to infuse 

nature into the lives of others. 

ANY HOBBIES? 

I love music. I’ve recently started singing in an all-girls band. 

We’re called the Ciabatta Bings. I’ve also gotten “back on the 

wheel” and have started throwing pottery. Spending time in 

nature is very important to me, too. For the last year I have 

been using the sauna and cold plunge religiously, and I am 

hooked! 

DO YOU VOLUNTEER? 

I do not but will add that to my 2024 goals! 

IS THERE ANYTHING MOST PEOPLE WOULD BE 

SURPRISED TO LEARN ABOUT YOU? 

I was a New Jersey state champion ski racer for four years 

in a row! I also raced on my high school boys team! 

original creative funny 

I AM I AM I AM 


For Local Artist and Teacher, 

Inspiration is in the Details 

Story by KATHLEEN BRUNET 


Local artist and teacher Sue Miller has a keen 

attention to detail. It’s an ability she has 

put to good use in her artwork and one she has 

sought to share with her students. By focusing 

on the details of the natural world, Miller finds 

peace and joy. 

It could be the color and pattern of fallen 

leaves at the edge of a lake, how swans move as 

they glide through the water or the expression 

on two squirrels’ faces as they cuddle together in 

a birdhouse whose opening they enlarged. 

This attention to detail can be found in her 

watercolors and photography and has been 

shared with the more than 1,000 students she has 

taught over the decades. 

Today, that ability to focus on details is known 

as mindfulness. Miller, however, learned it long 

before it became a popular way to reduce stress 

and increase contentment. 

A resident of one of the smaller lake 

communities in Jefferson, she credits her ability 

to see distinct details, along with her artistic 

savvy, to her father, who began working with her 

at an early age. 

A child of the ‘50s who grew up in a seaside 

village in Massachusetts, Miller recalled her 

father taking her on outings to teach her how 

to observe details and to capture what she saw 

artistically. 

Her father, Tony Pacheco, was a World War 

II veteran, artist and musician, who opened a 

studio when the Beatles arrived on the scene 

“and everyone wanted to learn how to play 

guitar,” recalled Miller. 

Known for her colorful images of 

angels, fairies, animals and people, 

Miller, 73, has an extensive portfolio 

of work that includes thousands of 

paintings and magazine, book and 

CD covers, along with a series of 

postcards. 

She has painted the covers of 

Wisdom magazine, a publication 

focused on holistic health and 

spirituality, for over a decade. She 

also creates many of the covers for Pathways 

Magazine, which offers information on the mind, 

body and spirit. 

In 2008, she and her husband, Vern, who is a 

musician, composer and songwriter, produced 

a book together, “Funtasy Art and Poetry,” 

featuring her artwork and his poetry. She also 

spearheaded the design and production of a 

coffee table book, “Pure Inspiration’s Fantasy Art 

Collection,” featuring the work of 16 well-known 

fantasy artists. 

“I feel I was raised in a fairy tale where I was 

taught to appreciate the wonder that surrounds 

us,” said Miller. “My dad helped me to develop 

a respect for nature and the things God has 

created. He taught me how to see and paint 

all the beautiful things that so sadly often go 

unnoticed in today’s busy world.” 

In her artwork, she explained, “I try to lift 

people by creating pieces that are colorful and 

upbeat. I get so excited about nature and how 

other creatures are just trying to get through the 

day like the rest of us; it’s something I want to 

share. I try to paint things that create happiness 

and cheer.” 

Most of her artwork features a main subject 

surrounded by a 

mosaic of bits of 

nature, be that 

leaves, flowers, 

small bugs or 

something similar. 

It’s what she calls 

her “magic.” She 

also enjoys hiding 

small details, such 

as a ladybug in a 

young girl’s hair, for 

people to discover 

and enjoy. 

Miller draws a 

great deal of her 

inspiration from 

her lakefront 

backyard where 

Top to bottom: Sue Miller in her home studio 

surrounded by some of her paintings. Miller’s art 

students gather at the Lake Shawnee clubhouse 

for the first student art show, circa 1995. (Photo 

courtesy of Sue Miller.) 

she is visited by lots of wildlife. Not only is she 

able to get up close to take their photos — that 

she later turns into paintings — but two birds 

once came to her with their injured baby, which 

had gotten caught up in a fishing hook. Miller 

took the baby bird to the vet to treat and then 

returned it to its parents. 

While she had a love for art as a young child, 

she did not initially envision living life as an artist. 

Again, it was her father who guided her. When 

she graduated high school and was uncertain 

about what to do, he advised her to pursue a 

career as a commercial artist. 

She attended what was then Southeastern 

Massachusetts University (now the University of 

Massachusetts Dartmouth) and then gained an 

entry-level art position in a department store, 

back when stores produced their own work for 

advertisements and flyers. 

“I started at the bottom and learned everything 

the old-fashioned way with a T-square and a 

18 


Clockwise, from left: Miller painting in her studio. The 2020 painting 

“Save It All” that appeared on the cover of both Wisdom magazine out 

of the New England area and Pathways Magazine in the Washington, 

D.C. area. Miller adds color to a new painting.

triangle,” she said. 

When the field started to become digitized in 

the 1990s, Miller was laid off as the demand for 

artists diminished. At the urging of her husband, 

she ventured out on her own. 

She began licensing her work for commercial 

use and started teaching students from ages 4 

to senior citizens. At the height of her teaching 

career, she was working with 130 students a week 

in her home studio. Many of them have gone 

on to pursue artistic careers. The technique of 

seeing details is one she sought to pass on to her 

students, in addition to developing their artistic 

skills and confidence. 

“I started going to Sue’s art studio when I was 

around 4 years old. It gave me a creative outlet 

that has lasted with me to this day,” recalled Katie 

Della Terza, of Blairstown. “Sue’s teaching style 

was one that was always encouraging and never 

critical. Whenever I felt I had made a mistake on 

a painting, Sue would call it a ‘happy mistake’ and 

show me that no matter how bad I thought it 

was, I could fix it, and that’s a lesson I still use not 

only in my art today, but for life in general.” 

“I took painting lessons with Sue while 

I was in high school. Sue was a wonderful 

teacher, balancing technical instruction with 

encouragement to explore new ideas,” said Alicia 

Morici, formerly of Jefferson, who now lives in 

upstate New York. “She was always cheering me 

on, encouraging me to find new ways to express 

myself and feel more confident. Sue helped me 

find my voice and figure out who I wanted to 

be. I went on to college to study art and many 

years later still work in design. Now with children 

of my own, I hope to do the same for them — 

foster a love for art and creative expression.” 

Miller and her husband met when she was 

21, and he was playing in a band. “We totally 

connected. It was meant to be,” she said. They 

have been married for 43 years and share their 

A-frame home, affectionately known to locals 

as “The House of Art and Music,” with their 

goldendoodle Sadie. 

“I feel like we live in a slice of paradise,” said 

Miller. 

Sitting in her home studio, three of her 

watercolors are displayed behind her: a painting 

 

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While the pandemic ended her art teaching 

days, it has given Miller more time to focus on 

painting and marketing her work. Her latest 

project is a book cover for “Be There: My Lived 

Experience with My Sister’s Bipolar Disorder,” 

written by Linsey Willis. 

Speaking of her work, Miller said, “I feel God 

gave me a gift that I really appreciate and want to 

share. Art is my life and life is my art.” 

Miller’s artwork can be viewed and purchased 

at suemillerart.com. 

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The Butcher, The Baker, The Documentary Film Maker 



The noun “producer” seems entirely 

inadequate. 

But as a verb, produce – er, while merely 

functional, takes on action qualities. 

Produce. Make. Form. Do. 

At least it scratches the surface of the 

intricacies of filmmaking, to which Kelly 

Sheehan of King Cove in Landing has 

devoted 40 years of her life, including, before 

independently producing films, creating 

television series for ABC, NBC Entertainment 

and Japan’s Fuji TV. 

One of Sheehan’s latest projects was the 

acclaimed 2021 documentary “American River,” 

which tells the story of the Passaic River, which 

flows from a pristine beginning in Mendham to 

a polluted life in Newark. 

“American River” was featured at the Global 

Peace Film Festival in 2022; the Princeton 

Environmental Film Festival in 2022; the 

Environmental Film Festival at Yale, 2022; the 

RiverRun International Film Festival, 2022; and 

the Montclair Film Festival, 2022; and was 

named best of festival and best documentary 

at the 2021 Teaneck Film Festival. 

Sheehan said one definition of producer 

could be “general manager,” which to a baseball 

fan calls up the image of a guy in a business suit 

sending some sore-armed lefty to the minors. 

More simply, she said, a producer “does 

everything.” 

In Sheehan’s world it means corralling for 

“American River” the physical, financial and 

artistic pieces of a project to present a story 

that represents the vision of those involved. 

Biologist and author Mary Bruno, whose 

2012 book, “An American River: From Paradise 

to Superfund,” was the basis of the 2021 

documentary, said, “Kelly’s role displayed a 

classic left brain/right brain situation” — one 

part organizer and another part artist. 

But make no mistake about it, Sheehan 

said, “This is really Scott [Morris, director] and 

Mary’s creative project. I was there to support 

their vision.” 

At times, Bruno said, Sheehan was the listmaker, 

the organizer, the person who collected 

signed release forms from the riverside 

residents interviewed during the making of 

the film. Or, Bruno said, taking action when 

Sheehan saw a Newark police officer assigned 

to the film crew subtly walk into the shot. 

Sheehan politely reminded the officer to step 

out of the camera shot, that the Passaic River 

was the subject of the film. 

Other times, Sheehan infused planning 

discussions with a filmmaker’s eye for detail, 

Bruno said. 

Sheehan said a producer’s role is to help 

transform an idea into a finished product. 

It’s to take the idea of a kayak trip down a 

river and to help create a film that illuminates 

400 years of New Jersey history and the impact 

that history had on the lives of those living 

near the river. 

Or asking the question at the heart of a 

current project she is producing, “Staten Island 

Graveyard,” — Why is the grave of the last 

enslaved person on Staten Island, who died 

in 1900, unmarked under a modern shopping 

center? 

Sheehan’s role in these productions — that 

base word again — is to help hold up a mirror 

to the world around us, to send a drone over 

the Passaic River, which Sheehan called “that 

neglected, forgotten river,” to remind us that, 

as Bruno said, “water is magic.” Or, to place a 

viewer on that mundane, striped parking lot 

and ask, “How did this happen?” 

Sheehan’s job then is to take her own words 

and visions, and those of others, and remind 

the rest of us to remember those things we can 

easily forget. 

Sheehan and her husband, Dave Silletto, 

settled into their home on King Cove in 2022 

after moving from 

Teaneck where they 

had raised twin 

daughters Elisa and 

Rose, now 21 and 

attending separate 

colleges. 

Silletto is a 

retired museum 

and nonprofit arts 

administrator. 

He is also listed as business administrator for 

Rainlake, the film production company formed by 

Kim Connell in 2001, of which Sheehan became a 

partner in 2014 after joining Connell as an executive 

director in 2003. 

Kelly Sheehan said they wanted to live on Lake 

Hopatcong after taking their daughters on family 

trips to the region. 

Sheehan had moved to New York City where 

her career began after her 1985 graduation from 

Northwestern University with a Bachelor of 

Science degree in television and film production. 

Sheehan’s latest films have a sort of six-degreesof-separation-from-Jersey 

feel to them. 

“American River” featured Bruno, who was raised 

in North Arlington, a Passaic River town featured in 

the film, and Carl Alderson, a restoration ecologist 

and river guide who lives in Highlands at the Jersey 

Shore. The film was directed by Scott Morris of 

Mendham. Consulting editor Keith Reamer is 

based in New Jersey. 

Bruno said her grandparents had a home in the 

Lake Hopatcong region her family visited often. 

If that’s not enough Jersey for you, Sheehan said 

Heather Quinlan, the director of “Staten Island 

Graveyard,” lives in Mount Tabor, a historic village 

in Parsippany. 

Morris also directed “Saving the Great Swamp: 

Battle to Defeat the Jetport,” the story of the fight 

by Morris and Somerset county residents to fend 

off the creation of an airport on the Great Swamp, 

which is now a national wildlife refuge. 

Assisting on that film were Roger Grange, the 

director of photography for “American River,” 

and composer Ben Morris, who wrote the score 

for both “American River” and “Saving the Great 

Swamp: Battle to Defeat the Jetport.” 

Sheehan said she has taken an interest in the 

efforts to clean up Lake Hopatcong, and in October 

attended the initial meeting on a proposal to 

pump oxygen into the lower levels of the center 

of the lake to reduce levels of phosphorus, the 

lake’s main pollutant. 

One day, maybe, Lake Hopatcong could be the 

subject of a Kelly Sheehan-produced film. 

Maybe, she said. “We love the lake.” 

Rainlake has produced films on such topics 

as an annual gathering of Holocaust survivors 

(“Four Seasons Lodge,” 2008) and a championship 

mariachi band from Zapata High School in South 

Texas (“Mariachi High,” 2012). 

In 2016, the company produced “Cheshire, Ohio,” 

which detailed the rise and fall of a coal town 

and illustrated its impact of the industry on the 

residents’ health and the environment. 

Sheehan’s productions have premiered at 

major film festivals — Sundance twice, Tribeca, 

AFI Silverdocs, among others — garnering 17 

22 


Left to right: Kelly Sheehan (center) on set with Mark Mandler and Ty 

Sheridan. (Photo courtesy of Mary Bruno.) A stack of Sheehan’s movies.

Top to bottom, left to right: Kelly Sheehan in her 

home office. Director Scott Morris on a shoot. 

(Photo courtesy of AMERICAN-RIVER-Director-Scott-Morrishires-©2021-Scott-Morris-Productions-All-Rights-Reserved) 

Sheehan in her office. Videographer Rick Segal 

filming Mary Bruno and Carl Alderson (in the kayaks) 

from a bridge in Lord Stirling Park in Basking Ridge. 

(Photo courtesy of Kelly Sheehan.) A behind-the-scenes 

view of Bruno (seen on monitor) during an interview. 

(Photo courtesy of Kelly Sheehan.) 

international awards. Her films have also premiered 

on national PBS primetime and the Sundance 

Channel. 

She said picking topics is often difficult because 

she does not want to fall into a pattern of topics 

for documentaries. 

She seeks “something special, with unique 

people and something universal.” 

“Staten Island Graveyard” is one of those 

projects that is special, unique and universal. 

In the trailer for the film, director Heather 

Quinlan shows descendants of Benjamin Prine, a 

slave, dwell on their declared injustice. And not just 

for their relative, but for the families of perhaps 

hundreds of Black Staten Island residents, whose 

graves and lives have been buried under decades 

of development. 

Prine, who died in 1900, is placed at the center 

of the story because he was the last Staten Island 

resident to have been enslaved. 

It’s a story about dignity, Sheehan said, about 

remembering the forgotten lives carelessly shoved 

aside. It’s a story about angered and grieving 

families asking, “How did this happen?” 

Sheehan’s other current project, which she is 

both producing and directing, is “Liquid Light,” a 

film about the Joshua Light Show, which the film’s 

description said was called “the most psychedelic 

light show of all time by Rolling Stone Magazine 

in 2012.” 

The light show was the creation of Joshua White, 

who first set up light shows in 1967 at New York’s 

Fillmore East, lighting performances by Janis Joplin, 

Jimi Hendrix, Jefferson Airplane, the Grateful Dead 

and The Who, among others, the film’s description 

said. 

The light show features “real-time improvisations 

of handmade liquid projections, common reflective 

objects and repurposed theatrical apparatus.” 

The Joshua Light Show had its 50th anniversary 

performance in 2017. 

For Sheehan, “American River” is about the 

appreciation that persistence and education 

spawned the belief that the 80-mile winding 

path of the Passaic River does not have to only 

end in an industrial disaster. 

Mary Bruno, at the beginning of “American 

River,” said that as a child in North Arlington 

she was told not to touch the Passaic River. 

With good reason. 

It was the most polluted river in the entire 

United States, said Carl Alderson, Bruno’s 

companion on the kayak journey captured in 

the film and a river cleanup specialist with the 

U.S. National Oceanographic and Atmospheric 

Administration. 

Besides being subject to decades of industrial 

pollution, the Passaic was the dumping spot for 

tons of dioxin, the byproduct of the chemical 

process that made the defoliant Agent Orange. 

Dioxin is the most carcinogenic substance 

ever made. 

Since 1986, New Jersey and the federal 

government have been cleaning up the section 

of the Passaic called the “lower 17” and 

the Ironbound section of Newark. The film 

includes footage of crews in white moonsuits 

vacuuming the streets of the Ironbound to 

gather the dioxin-laden dust. 

But the film is more than about anger and 

disbelief that we could do such a thing. 

It’s a story about the long and ongoing 

rebirth of the Passaic and of Bruno’s newfound 

appreciation of the river she once called home. 

There is no reason to fear the Passaic, she 

said; instead, her book and this film celebrate 

the river. 

It is a celebration to see the harvester run by 

the local municipal sewer authority scooping 

trash from the water, trash that used to cling to 

the shores; to watch slim sculls from the Nereid 

Boat Club being maneuvered along the Passaic 

by agile, athletic crews; to watch families at 

Newark’s Riverside Park venture back to the 

once forbidden river; to hear the roar of the 

Great Falls in Paterson as countless gallons of 

water send vibrations through the rock channel. 

It’s to understand the 400 years of the river’s 

history and, Sheehan said, to hear an audience 

at a film showing laugh at the mention of 

Alexander Hamilton, who, besides helping 

found a nation, conceived Paterson as the 

first planned American industrial city, and later 

became a Broadway musical star. 

It’s to appreciate the work done by 

photographers working 15 cameras riverside 

and on boats in the river; to thrill at the scenes 

captured by four GoPro cameras on kayaks 

as Bruno and Alderson dodged branches and 

climbed over fallen trees spanning the channels; 

to appreciate the planning that was chosen in 

design meetings to place those cameras and 

personnel at the right places to capture vivid 

and exciting footage; to thrill at the luck of the 

draw sometimes. 

Further, to fade back from the noise and 

muck of the lower 17; to view from above what 

Sheehan called a moving and beautiful drone 

shot by cinematographer Roger Grange; to see 

the point when the Passaic River is formed in 

Mendham by two small streams, anonymous 

little trickles of water that merge in a green 

world — the scene that ends the film. 

And then to understand, Sheehan said, what 

Alderson meant when he said a river is not 

what we see at the end of its journey, but what 

it is at the beginning, when drops of rain fall 

and gather and flow to whatever life it will see. 

That life is both beautiful and ugly, “American 

River” informs the viewer. 

It is special, unique and universal. 

It is, Sheehan said, “the story of all of us.” 

“American River” is available for streaming on 

PBS Passport. DVDs and Blu-rays can be ordered 

from the website AmericanRiver.film. 


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Jefferson Township Museum Takes Visitors 

on a 220-Year Trip Through Time 

Story by MELISSA SUMMERS 


Take a stroll through a few rooms of 

the Jefferson Township Museum this 

summer and you’ll embark on a journey 

through 220 years of the township’s history 

without ever packing a bag. 

Its newest exhibition, which debuted in 

April, takes visitors through more than two 

centuries of local lore, beginning with the 

settling of the Lenape Native American tribe 

and through present time. 

Jefferson Township native and Assistant 

Director of the museum, Brian Schnell, 27, has 

curated the collection of almost 140 items 

from a combination of artifacts belonging to 

the museum, on loan for the exhibit and from 

Schnell’s personal collection, he said. 

The museum, listed on both the New Jersey 

and National Registers of Historic Places, was 

built as a private home from 1874 to 1878 by 

Amos Chamberlain for his son, George, and 

wife, Ruth Elizabeth Speaker, according to 

Museum Director Tara Howanice. The couple 

had three boys. 

“They ultimately moved to Paterson, 

though the house remained in possession of 

the family until the 1930s,” said Howanice. 

The home was deeded to the township in 

the 1960s and was the home of Jefferson’s 

library for 20 years before it was renovated 

in 1982 to reflect how the Chamberlains 

might have lived and became the museum. 

It is maintained by the Jefferson Township 

Historical Society. 

“A prominent feature at the museum is a 

dumbwaiter that runs from the museum’s 

downstairs kitchen to the museum’s dining 

room,” said Howanice. “The concealed pulley 

mechanism ends in the upstairs sewing room.” 

The dumbwaiter was later used by librarians 

to move books between floors, she said. 

Schnell, who now resides in Long Valley, 

studied architecture and history at County 

College of Morris before transferring to 

Montclair State University, where he received 

his Bachelor of Arts degree in history in 2021. 

Currently he’s pursuing a Master of Arts 

in museum studies online from Southern 

University at New Orleans. 

Seeking experience in the museum field, 

Schnell came to the Jefferson Township 

Museum as a museum guide in 2022. He began 

doing research and helped to set up exhibits. 

It wasn’t long before he was asked to become 

the assistant director in early 2023. 

The conception of this newest exhibit 

began years ago, before Schnell knew how it 

would materialize. 

“During my undergrad, my professor said, 

‘Write a paper on an early American history 

topic of your choosing,’” he recalled. “So, I 

picked Jefferson’s history because we went 

back so far and had so much. But he returned 

the paper saying there wasn’t enough 

verifiable information. I kept that in the back 

of my mind, thinking, ‘I’m going to prove him 

wrong one day.’” 

When the time came, that’s exactly what he 

did. “Fast forward to about this time last year. 

Our [museum] President Christine Williams 

was talking about the 220th anniversary 

coming up and I said, ‘Great!’” 

Schnell is already a big collector of military 

memorabilia, so he had a head start. 

Planning the exhibition had an added 

bonus: Supplemented by a catalog of his 

work on the exhibit, it will count as a project 

towards his master’s degree, Schnell said. 

Howanice said Schnell’s enthusiasm is very 

much appreciated, but she needed to make 

sure what he wanted to do was going to 

translate well to the exhibit. 

“My task was to make sure we had visual 

interest for a wide range of visitors,” she said. 

“To come in and make it visually appealing. 

Make it more engaging.” 

Those 220 years of history are divided 

into six main sections and are represented 

in separate areas of the museum, according 

to Howanice. “This exhibition draws from all 

corners of Jefferson Township, which makes 

it unique. It has a bit on Lake Hopatcong 

history, in addition to the Oak Ridge/Milton 

side of town.” 

Costumed docents and guides welcome 

guests into the museum dressed in full 

Victorian attire, Howanice said. 

As a porcelain doll reproductionist, 

Howanice had made a living from porcelain 

dolls, doll clothing and accessories for shows 

and collectors until 2019. She got involved 

with the Jefferson Historical Society and the 

museum about eight years ago as a docent 

when she responded to an ad in a local paper 

looking for help with costuming. Howanice 

said she was appointed Museum Director in 

January 2020. 

Walking into the museum’s front parlor 

during the current exhibit, visitors will 

see displays featuring the earliest records 

of the area, said Howanice. “It includes 

Lenape/Native American history and the 

Revolutionary period, reproduced clothing 

from the regency period and the romance 

period of the 1830s.” 

The dining room has an extensive 

collection encompassing the Civil War period 

and Jefferson’s associations with those who 

fought in the conflict, said Howanice. 

Heading upstairs to the master bedroom, an 

exhibit on the Ringling Manor highlights the 

property on Lake Swannanoa once owned 

by one of the Ringling brothers. “He built a 

massive manor, which is still standing on that 

spot, where he would house his portion of 

the circus — elephants, tigers and monkeys.” 

The sewing room covers Jefferson’s mining 

history, said Howanice, and the room believed 

to have been the boys’ bedroom explores the 

Lake Hopatcong side of town, specifically 

Jefferson’s history in recreation. “There’s an 

Left to right: A collection of posters, photos 

and news clippings from Ringling Bros Barnum 

& Bailey. Brian Schnell outside the museum 

on opening day in April. Tara Howanice, in 

costume, in the dining room of the museum. 

26 


exhibit on the Windlass, Jefferson House and 

a bit on aviation,” she said. 

Each section has between three and 10 

authentic objects, according to Schnell. “The 

older the section is, the more difficult it is to 

find the actual period pieces.” 

Within the Civil War display, an area that 

Schnell specializes in, he is especially proud 

of a reproduction Civil War uniform he put 

together himself. 

The uniform is made per the regulations of 

the 14th New Jersey Regiment. It features the 

brass belt buckle, cartridge case and bayonet 

sheath of Brig. Gen. Caldwell Keppelle Hall. 

Schnell was able to purchase the rare 

pieces from a small museum that was closing 

and, through research, found to whom they 

belonged. 

“Just about everything from the Civil War 

is recreated, so to find an actual piece is like 

finding the Holy Grail,” Schnell said. “The fact 

that the belt is original leather and still able 

to be displayed on a mannequin is mindblowing.” 

The museum operates entirely through 

volunteers and a core group of officers. But 

Schnell said each person gets involved where 

they can. 

“Everyone wears a lot of hats,” he said. “I 

think that’s one of our strengths. Everyone 

is on the same level. Because we’re so small, 

nobody has any authority over each other. It 

almost feels like a bunch of friends coming 

together to put something together rather 

than director, president, curator ... the titles 

are more arbitrary rather than binding.” 

Docents and guides also participate at other 

events appearing in costume, Howanice said, 

including a recent presentation on Victorian 

fashion at the Jefferson Township Library and 

a joint concert sponsored by the Jefferson 

Arts Committee. 

The Museum Garden Club is another 

important part of the museum and also 

plays a role in reproducing the past. “They 

are responsible for handling the landscaping 

and gardening, a plant sale, and planting 

and maintaining plants, flowers and herbs 

appropriate to what would have been in a 

Victorian garden,” said Howanice. 

1/2 Inside 

Left to right: Photos of George 

Chamberlain (center) and his sons, 

Archie and Raymond, with military hats 

representing time of service. A 45-star 

flag hangs in the stairwell. 

Miss Elizabeth’s Shoppe, the museum’s gift 

shop, is in the area that originally served as 

the kitchen of the home. 

“It still has a 1913 kitchen stove and Hoosier 

cabinet among the store furnishings,” 

Howanice said of the store. “The items sold 

in the shop are also an important source of 

funding for annual scholarships given out 

by the Jefferson Township Historical Society 

every year. And we are always seeking new 

members.” 

In August, the museum will open a new 

exhibition centered around the lives of 

the Chamberlain family. It will run through 

October. 

The Jefferson Township Museum is open 

for tours the first Sunday of every month 

from April through October, from 1 to 4 p.m. 

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Morris Habitat for Humanity Receives Second 

Home from Roxbury High School Students 

Story and photos by KAREN FUCITO 

Students from Roxbury High School’s Structural Design & Fabrication class watched 

as the modular home they built for Morris Habitat for Humanity this past year was 

recently hoisted into place on its foundation at 398 West Dewey Avenue in Kenvil. 

The two-bedroom, one-bathroom home was built in two sections at the school and moved 

to its permanent location on April 30. A one-car garage will be constructed by the students 

onsite before the end of the school year, said Frank Caccavale, the primary class instructor. 

This marks the second modular home built by SDF students in four years. 

There are four properties on West Dewey earmarked for Habitat homes, including the one 

delivered in April. Roxbury High School will produce another similarly sized modular home for 

the Kenvil location by spring of 2026, said Caccavale. 

The two other larger homes will be built onsite by volunteers, said Terry-Ann Zander, vice 

president of marketing and communications for Morris Habitat. Typically, a modest-sized 

home takes 12-18 months to complete, she said. According to Zander, a family will be picked 

to live in the house via a lottery drawing in June. 

Last school year, 23 seniors in the SDF class built one side of the house. The other side was 

built by 18 seniors this school year. While the current house is smaller than the first home built 

by Roxbury students in 2021 and 2022, it was delivered with significantly more finished work 

done on the interior, said Caccavale. 

“With each build, we’re getting a little better at it,” he said, adding it is still a two-year cycle 

from the first swing of a hammer to seeing the house halves trailered off school property. 

For senior Dean Campiglia, seeing that first house come together during his sophomore year 

was his motivation for getting into the structural class. 

“And it’s for a good cause,” said the future plumber. 

The importance of building for Habitat is not lost on many of Caccavale’s students, including 

Linda Yardolo, a senior interested in pursuing a career as an architect, and Ryland Maloy, who 

grew up surrounded by contractors and carpenters. 

“This is a great program for families in need,” he said. 

Yardolo agreed. 

“To be part of being able to give someone a home is amazing, especially because homes cost 

so much now,” she said as she watched one half of the house be placed onto its foundation. 

Yardolo said the class has provided her with skills she can put to future use — including how 

to read floor plans, how to handle power tools and how things work in a house. 

“When I have my own home, I’ll be able to fix things. I know how to install a doorknob,” she 

said laughing. 

Top to bottom: The first half of the modular 

house is hoisted onto the foundation. Ryland 

Maloy saws through a temporary plywood 

wall to expose one half of the house to 

the other half. Sean Hardy, second from 

right, and Gunner Hilsinger, right, remove a 

temporary wall stud. Chuck Seipp, assistant 

superintendent of curriculum and instruction 

and Frank Caccavale, primary instructor, 

watch as one half of the house is lifted onto 

the foundation. 

30 


Current and past members of Roxbury High School’s Structural Design & Fabrication class gather to 

watch the modular home they helped build get hoisted onto its foundation.

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Fun for the whole family! 

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Hearth and Home Celebrates 30 Years in Dynamic Industry 


Customers have been cozying up to a 

Ledgewood business that has been 

warming homes for almost 30 years. 

Specializing in wood, gas and pellet stoves, as 

well as chimney repairs and cleanings, Hearth and 

Home is changing with the needs and desires of 

the community it serves. 

Prior to owning his own business, Marvin Earle 

was working in the wood stove and fireplace field 

in Syracuse, New York, before being offered a job 

in New Jersey in 1980. When he and his wife Rita 

were married a year later, she joined him there. 

According to Rita Earle, her husband spent 

several years doing fireplace installations while 

she worked in accounting. But, she said, he had 

always hoped to open his own business. 

In 1995, the couple launched Hearth and 

Home, choosing the Route 46 location because 

of its high visibility. 

“When I look back, I am amazed that we did 

this, on little money, but we had such confidence 

and both had great work ethics,” she said of the 

experience. “It is a lesson learned — take the 

jump!” 

The couple started out primarily selling wood 

stoves to customers who used them to heat 

their homes. “Oil prices were way up; people 

were trying to save money,” recalled Earle. 

Sales spiked around Y2K, “when everyone 

thought the world was going to end,” she added. 

As oil prices came down, customers became 

interested in other products like pellet and 

gas stoves, but Earle said some still prefer the 

security of a wood stove, which does not need 

electricity to run. “Some people just love having 

a wood stove for that reason,” she said. 

Pellet stoves are like a forced hot air furnace, 

as they blow warm air into the room. “They heat 

well,” said Earle. “People that have electric heat 

tend to be the biggest buyers.” 

As more and more modern townhomes 

and condos are being built, the demand for 

32 

Story by MELISSA SUMMERS 

Landscape Lighting 

973-208-0967 

www.HomesteadLawnSprinkler.com 

5580 Berkshire Valley Road., Oak Ridge, NJ 


Top to bottom: Ben, Rita and Marvin Earle in 

the showroom. The the Hearth & Home store 

entrance. 

electric products has increased, since often 

these residences can’t have gas or wood stoves, 

according to Earle. 

Another big change has come with the 

introduction and availability of natural gas in 

many of the surrounding areas. Earle said Hearth 

and Home has been doing a lot of natural gas 

fireplace conversions. 

“Our primary product is now gas fireplaces and 

gas inserts,” Earle said. 

Gas inserts, with a sealed glass front, are 

generally installed into an existing fireplace that 

might have a chimney in disrepair. “Any chimney 

that’s 30, 40 years old probably has some 

problems,” said Earle. “A gas insert puts a liner 

into it and makes it safe and provides heat. That’s 

probably our biggest seller.” 

Not only can Hearth and Home make homes 

feel good, according to Earle, they can make 

them look better, too. 

“We also do another big thing a lot of people 

might not know we do — fireplace refacing,” 

said Earle. “If someone has an old brick fireplace, 

we can re-stone them — tile, mantels. We help 

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them get what they want.” 

A business that you’d think would slow down 

with warmer weather keeps up the pace yearround 

with another popular service. 

“Summer is primarily when we do exterior 

chimney repair,” Earle said. 

Businesses like Hearth and Home also need 

to follow the news in the ever-changing energy 

industry and Earle said they are carrying more 

electric products due to a growing consumer 

interest. 

“That’s why we are carrying more electric 

fireplaces for those people that do want 

something that isn’t going to have any 

emissions,” she said. “It’s going to be challenging 

to see where it goes in the next few years. It’s 

constantly changing.” 

While keeping up with the trends, there is a 

certain amount of nostalgia that comes with a 

hearth store. 

“I feel like an old-fashioned business,” said 

Earle. “People come in and they’re like, ‘I love this 

store. It’s like an old-timey store.’” 

That’s because the shop’s shelves are stocked 

with old-school bellows, blow pokes, copper 

rain chains — quality items that Earle said are 

sometimes hard to find. 

“It’s fun helping people make their home 

cozier.” 

During the pandemic, when many people were 

slowing down and staying home, Earle said the 

business was as busy as ever, even though the 

store was closed to the public. While most of 

the employees were laid off, a core group kept

the business going, offering curbside pickup for 

contractors. 

“People were home, and they wanted their 

fireplaces,” Earle recalled. “It was a surprise to 

us, but they were spending so much time home. 

It was the first time they really looked at their 

fireplace. So, I think it made a lot of people 

reassess. We had limited hours, but we were here 

every day.” 

Today, Hearth and Home employs 16 full-time 

workers. Many have been with them for more 

than five years and a few have worked there for 

over 20 years. 

Marvin Earle is the heart of the business, his 

wife said. He visits customers’ homes to put 

together job estimates. 

“I am in the office handling the accounting and 

sales aspects. We both do many jobs from sales 

to vacuuming!” 

Their son Ben, 33, is now a major part of the 

business as part owner, she added. 

“It was fun growing a business with our two 

children, Ben and Meredith, now 30, who has 

helped along the way with some showroom 

advice,” she said. 

Overall, taking that initial leap 30 years ago has 

been rewarding, said Earle. 

“There are always some rocky moments 

— hard to keep everyone happy. But overall, 

the business has been a pleasure, with many 

wonderful customers. We would not change a 

thing,” she said. 

Quality Entertainment Close to Home 

DYING IS EASY 

A trio of short plays by a local writer 

6/14 & 15 at 7:30 pm 

6/16 at 2:00 pm 

FREE SUMMER CONCERTS 

At the Bandshell at Horseshoe Lake 

6/20 5:30 pm Randolph School of Rock 

6:30 pm Rosewood 

7/11 6:00 pm We’re having a foam party! 

6:30 pm Suit & Mai Tai 

• Live-In Services 

• Alzheimer’s Care 

• Meal Preparation 

• Companionship 

• Medical Assistance 

• Dress/Hygiene Assistance 

• Housekeeping/Laundry 

• Incidental Transportation 

Services are provided by certified home-health aides, 

under the supervision of a registered nurse. 

7/18 6:00 pm Puptastic Photo Booth 

6:30 pm Hanover Wind Symphony 

7/25 6:00 pm Line Dancing 

6:30 pm Bobby Clark Band 

*Please bring a non-perishable donation for 

the Roxbury food pantry* 

www.RoxburyArtsAlliance.org 

@RoxburyArtsAlliance 

Citizens Bank Theater 

72 Eyland Ave - Succasunna 

973-945-0284 

Call the Owner 

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Lic#: HP0168700 

Lic#: HP0168700 

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(973) 512-5131 

PreferHome.com/nwjersey 


HISTORY 

by MARTY KANE 

Photos courtesy of 

the 

LAKE HOPATCONG 

HISTORICAL 

MUSEUM 

Lake Hopatcong’s interesting history goes 

beyond its storied past as a great resort. 

The lake was also home to early industries. 

While many people realize that ice was once 

cut and stored at the lake and iron ore was 

mined nearby, the idea of smokestacks and 

production lines is not one we connect with 

the lake. 

Most area residents are surprised to learn that 

a major factory produced explosives for some 

50 years on the shores of Lake Hopatcong. 

In the early 1880s, before tourists began 

arriving in large numbers at Lake Hopatcong, 

the area around the lake was considered quite 

remote. This isolation was one of the reasons 

American Forcite Powder Manufacturing 

Company decided to build on 400 acres of 

nearly empty land. 

The property chosen contained only the 

remains of a few old iron mines and fronted 

on the lake, allowing easy access to the Morris 

Canal. A December 23, 1883 article in The Iron 

Era (a newspaper out of Dover), described 

American Forcite’s facility as “about 33 

buildings” situated in a semi-circle around the 

lake and “separated from the powder line by 

a high hill ... Further back on the nitroglycerine 

hill may be obtained a good view of the factory 

and Lake Hopatcong. 

“On this hill is an immense icehouse used 

to cool the water in the nitroglycerine house. 

All the buildings where explosives are handled 

are set back into the hill, forming a natural 

fortification in case of explosion.” 

Eventually, the manufacturing plant 

encompassed over 100 buildings spread over 

the site. 

Lake Hopatcong’s Explosive Past 

American Forcite’s main product was the 

first commercially available gelatin dynamite 

in the United States. Being water resistant and 

relatively free of fumes, this dynamite was 

particularly suited for tunnel and hard rock 

blasting. It was widely used in the iron mines of 

northern New Jersey. 

The plant’s Landing location also placed it 

very close to two important customers: the 

Army’s Powder Depot at Picatinny Arsenal and 

the Hercules Powder plant in Kenvil. 

In 1897, the Lackawanna Railroad built a short 

freight spur, known as the Hopatcong Railroad, 

which connected the American Forcite plant 

to the Lackawanna Railroad at Landing. After 

leaving the powder plant, the Hopatcong 

Railroad continued a short distance north 

to the Mountain Icehouse located at Silver 

Springs in Landing. Ice bound for cities to the 

east became a major source of cargo on the 

railroad during the ensuing years. 

American Forcite was responsible for 

bringing one of Lake Hopatcong’s most famous 

residents to the area. In 1899, American Forcite 

was acquired by Eastern Dynamite Company, 

which soon became part of the DuPont 

Company. As a consultant to DuPont, Hudson 

Maxim was sent to the lake to assist at the 

American Forcite facility. He soon bought 

lakefront property, eventually owning a major 

portion of the Borough of Hopatcong’s land. 

His arrival caught the attention of the Lake 

Hopatcong Breeze, which reported in the July 

26, 1902 edition that Maxim, “the inventor of 

Maximite and other high-explosives, occupies 

Briarwood Cottage in the Styx. At present he 

is conducting experiments in his laboratory at 

the Forcite Powder Works, probably devising 

some new and mighty explosives that will blow 

everything and everybody into smithereens.” 

By 1903, DuPont controlled more than 75 

percent of the American 

explosives industry. This 

led to antitrust action 

and a 1912 agreement that 

split DuPont’s explosives 

business into Hercules 

Powder and Atlas Powder. 

Hudson Maxim, who was brought to Lake 

Hopatcong because of American Forcite, at 

work in 1906. 

American Forcite became part of Atlas Powder 

Company in 1913. 

During World War I, large quantities 

of sulfuric and nitric acids, necessary for 

producing explosives, were manufactured at 

the lake for the war effort. Following the war, 

the plant produced dynamite, nitroglycerin 

and nitric and sulfuric acids. 

American Forcite, and later Atlas Powder, 

had a turbulent relationship with the local 

community. Explosives manufacturing facilities 

of the era had terrible safety records, and this 

plant was no exception. 

The first major explosion occurred in 1886 

and leveled the facility. During its history the 

site saw at least 15 major explosions. Most 

resulted in loss of life, and several were so large 

that the blasts were heard or felt as far away as 

Morristown and Paterson. 

After a major explosion in 1916, Maxim 

tried to mute some of the criticism of the 

34 


Left to right: Unidentified employees in front of the American Forcite 

Powder Works office in 1895. A 1912 map showing Atlas Powder 

Works in Landing (below the word Roxbury).

Left to right: Employees of Atlas Powder Company during World War I, circa 

1918. A New York Times article on the explosion at Atlas Powder, May, 1916. 

manufacturing facility. The following excerpt is 

taken from an article Maxim wrote for the July 

1, 1916 edition of the Breeze. 

“The recent explosion of a quantity of 

dynamite in process of manufacture at the 

works of the Atlas Powder Company on Lake 

Hopatcong, has thrown a false fear into the 

hearts of some persons, and they imagine 

that travel, along the highway past the works 

is dangerous, and that nearby cottagers are in 

peril of seeing their houses blown down about 

their heads. 

“During the entire existence of these works 

on Lake Hopatcong, a period of more than 

thirty years, not a single person outside of the 

immediate works has ever been injured by any 

explosion, and no building seriously damaged. 

The only ones that have been killed or injured 

have been those engaged in the immediate 

vicinity of an explosion. Such explosions are 

absolutely unavoidable. No greater care is 

possible than is already taken.” 

The powder manufacturing facility also had 

a poor relationship with local fishermen, who 

blamed the plant for fish kills caused by its 

dumping of sulfuric acid waste — a byproduct 

of the manufacture of gelatin dynamite — into 

the lake. The anglers demonstrated their point 

by placing live fish in crates at the dump sites. 

The fish quickly died. 

Parts of the community were outraged, and 

litigation followed in 1890. Eventually, the jobs 

provided by the explosives factory outweighed 

environmental concerns and, after promises by 

American Forcite to do better, the plant was 

allowed to continue its operations. 

The era of explosives manufacturing at Lake 

Hopatcong ended in 1932. The once isolated 

facility now bordered on a large summer 

community. Facing high land values and high 

taxation, Atlas management decided to 

dismantle the plant and move operations to 

eastern Pennsylvania. 

Redevelopment of the site was delayed due 

to the Depression and World War II. Plans were 

unveiled during the Depression to turn the 

old powder plant site into a state park and 

legislation was introduced in the New Jersey 

Legislature in 1936 but did not advance. 

It was not until 1947 that Shore Hills Estates 

was built on the site, located in today’s 

municipalities of Mount Arlington and 

Roxbury. Developments such as Shore Hills 

skyrocketed during the postwar baby boom 

years as Americans sought family-friendly 

vacation spots. 

The development’s original summer cottages 

are now almost completely year-round homes. 

Residents occasionally still find reinforced 

concrete in various locations on their 

properties, and Atlas Road runs through the 

development. These reminders are vestiges 

of a long-forgotten part of Lake Hopatcong’s 

unique and varied past. 

cлr@e þis fer;s day @ ice’s! 

Father’s Day 

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June 16 

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DINNER 

5pm - 9pm 

RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED 

TO MAKE RESERVATIONS 

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24 NOLAN'S POINT PARK RD, LAKE HOPATCONG, NJ 


COOKING 

WITH SCRATCH © 

36 

Story and photos by 

BARBARA SIMMONS 

The kitchen in my family’s house on Castle 

Rock Road was tiny. 

Calling it a galley kitchen would have been 

generous. It was maybe 7 feet wide and 10 feet 

long, with a window at the sink end. If you 

stood on your toes while washing the dishes, 

you could see the lake off to the right. 

Walking into the kitchen from the living 

room, there was a tiny broom closet to the 

right. (Inside was the broom my mother, 

Gertrude, used to knock against the ceiling 

when I was playing my music too loud upstairs.) 

Then came the refrigerator, a teensy bit of 

countertop, the gas stove and a portable, fullsized 

dishwasher with a butcher block top that 

rolled around on wheels and had to be hooked 

up to the sink faucet. 

On the end wall by the window there were 

maybe five cabinets. Opposite the stove was a 

small table that seated us in shifts. The morning 

shift was my father, Horst Kertscher, and older 

brother, Harry, leaving for work together. They 

were usually on the road by around 5:30 am. 

Around an hour later, my mom, brother, Frank, 

and I had breakfast together before school. 

Frank and I usually had coffee with Gertrude 

at the little kitchen table at 3 pm after school. 

We’d have coffee and three cookies or a piece 

of cake from the weekend if there was any left. 

Because it was too tight in the kitchen, the five 

of us usually ate dinner together in the dining 

room. 

The kitchen was Gertrude’s workspace, her 

domain. When it came to cooking, she was all 

business. 


Can We Dance in the Kitchen? 

She was a trained professional, after all. 

She studied to be a Hauswirtschaftsleiterin 

(executive housekeeper) during the war, a 

profession encouraged by her mother who was 

neither a great cook nor a good housekeeper. 

In boarding school, Gertrude learned how 

to manage private households, hospitals, 

hotels and care facilities like nursing homes. 

During her studies, she became a qualified 

nutritionist and an expert in food preparation 

and preservation. She learned how to manage 

staff and to oversee the kitchen gardens. 

In our own home, Gertrude was very focused 

when she worked in the kitchen, cranking out 

one well-balanced meal after another that 

always included meat, a starch, a vegetable and 

a salad. And dessert. Every day. 

She always had her eye on the clock, timing 

every dish so that they would all be ready at 

precisely the same time, exactly when my 

father and brother would be finished cleaning 

up after getting home from work. There was an 

urgency in the way she cooked. You had to stay 

out of her way. 

In our house, the kitchen “triangle” was 

Gertrude’s territory. The sink, stove and 

refrigerator were just a step away from each 

other 

I learned as much as I could from her by 

mostly watching. She didn’t always have time 

to answer my questions about measurements 

and timing, but I gleaned what I could as her 

sous chef. 

As much as she loved ballroom dancing, I 

can’t say Gertrude and I really “danced” in that 

kitchen — I tried to stay out of her way. 

Looking back, there weren’t many people 

who helped her in the kitchen. 

My grandmother sometimes peeled potatoes, 

sitting at the kitchen table. There were one or 

two aunts who peeled apples for applesauce 

or pitted plums for Pflaumenkuchen, but we 

usually did that outside on the picnic table. 

Baking was different, though. It was more 

relaxed and fun when we were baking. Things 

PROUDLY SUPPORTING LAKE HOPATCONG 

AND THE BOATING COMMUNITY SINCE 1987 

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didn’t have to get done on a schedule. 

I’ve seen a few couples cook together who 

are really in sync, and I’ve had the pleasure of 

cooking with a few people who could really 

“dance.” 

My son, Francis, and his wife, Brittney, cook 

together that way — my daughter, Erika, and I 

are very comfortable together in the kitchen. 

We seamlessly step around each other, making 

way, anticipating each other’s needs — it’s a 

beautiful thing! 

In researching “managing traffic in the 

kitchen,” I mostly came across articles about 

how to keep people out of your kitchen. 

In a restaurant kitchen, good communication 

and synchronized movement are essential to a 

smooth workflow and producing consistently 

good results. 

I learned from the Escoffier.edu website 

(one of the first schools for aspiring culinary 

professionals) that in a professional kitchen, 

overcommunication is key to avoiding 

collisions: 

“Staff announce to each other ‘Behind!’ if 

you step behind someone, or ‘Corner!’ if you’re 

coming around a corner. If you’re carrying 

something hot, you say “Hot pan!” as you walk. 

Even coming out of the walk-in refrigerator, 

it’s good practice to thump the door twice to 

announce to anyone walking by that this door 

is about to open.” 

I’ve tried implementing this professional 

restaurant communication with my husband, 

Aaron, who unfortunately does not dance well 

with me in the kitchen. He is usually engrossed 

in his task and not really aware that I’m in the 

kitchen, too, or irritated that I’m in his way. 

We bump into each other, I go left, he goes 

left, I go right, he goes right. It’s frustrating! If 

he’s cooking, I’m sitting down at the table. It is 

a work in progress, though (40 years later!) so I 

still have hope. 

So, to dance or not to dance? 

Lucky for you the following recipe doesn’t 

require much prep or a sous chef, so you can 

dance solo when you try it. 

This beet upside down tart served with a 

red and green leaf salad with a honey-lemon 

vinaigrette is a beautiful combination of 

appealing colors and textures and makes a 

perfect springtime lunch.

Beet Upside Down Tart 

Serves 2-3 

Ingredients: 

1 sheet puff pastry 

½ pound beets, peeled and sliced 

(vacuum-packed beets, pre-cooked in water— not pickled 

can also be used. These are a big time-saver!) 

2 tablespoons olive oil 

Additional 1 tablespoon olive oil for pan roasting the beets 

1 tablespoon honey 

Procedure: 

1. Line a 13”x18” half-sheet pan with parchment paper. 

2. Using a 9” plate, trace a circle in the center of the parchment paper with a pencil. 

3. Thaw the puff pastry according to the package directions. 

4. Set the pastry on a floured cutting board. 

5. Preheat the oven to 390°. 

6. If using fresh beets, pan roast them with 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat, covered. Turn over after 8 

minutes and roast them on the other side. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate. 

7. Drizzle the circle on the parchment with the honey and two tablespoons of olive oil. 

8. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and the thyme leaves. 

9. Leaving a 1” border, scatter the onions inside the circle. 

10. Shingle the sliced beets on top of the onions. 

11. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the goat cheese over the beets. 

12. Cut a 9” circle out of the puff pastry using that same 9” plate and carefully place it on top of the beets. 

13. Seal the edges of the puff pastry against the parchment paper using a fork. 

14. Cross-hatch the top with a sharp knife and brush it with about 2 tablespoons of beaten egg. 

15. Bake for 35 minutes until the pastry is nice and golden. 

16. Let it rest for 5 minutes, then lay a slightly larger plate or cutting board over the top and carefully flip the tart over. 

17. Crumble the rest of the goat cheese over the top and season with additional salt and pepper. 

Salad 

Ingredients: 

2 tablespoons sliced almonds 

4 cups torn soft lettuce leaves 

2 tablespoons thinly sliced onion 

A few thinly sliced radishes 

Pinch of kosher salt 

Some crumbled goat cheese 

Salt and pepper to taste 

1-2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves 

About 3 tablespoons thinly sliced red onion 

4 tablespoons crumbled goat cheese (feta cheese can be 

substituted if your family is goat cheese averse) 

1 beaten egg 

Dressing: 

Juice of ½ a lemon 

1 teaspoon honey 

Salt and pepper to taste 

2 tablespoons olive oil 

Procedure: 

1. Spread the almonds on a small plate and make an opening in the middle of the pile. Microwave for 2 minutes until just slightly toasted. 

You can also toast the almonds in a small frying pan if you prefer. 

2. Add the lettuce, onion and radishes to a nice-looking salad bowl. 

3. Sprinkle with a pinch of kosher salt (makes the salad stay crisp). 

4. Whisk the dressing ingredients together. 

5. Dress the salad just before serving, topping with the goat cheese and toasted sliced almonds. 

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WORDS OF 

A FEATHER 

M is for Osprey 

Photos by KYLE MATERA 

Remember when you were a kid and 

you’d draw a picture? 

Maybe it was a sunny field with flowers. Or a 

baseball diamond. A bright yellow sun in a blue 

sky. You might have added some birds flying 

across that big sky. If you did, chances are you 

used a big “M” to draw them. 

Did you know then that you were quite 

accurately drawing ospreys? 

Well, okay, not literally—but almost! In fact, 

it is a great diagnostic characteristic of ospreys 

in flight. 

Their silhouettes, because of the way they 

hold their wings, often form an M shape. The 

birds are relatively large, with long, slender 

wings that span more than 60 inches. 

They have dark brown backs, white fronts 

with white underwings and dark patches at 

their wrists. Their heads are striking, being 

overall white with a dark stripe across piercing 

orangey-yellow eyes. 

Ospreys are unique raptors in North America 

because their diet is almost exclusively live fish, 

which they dive into water to catch. They are 

efficient at catching fish, with a success rate as 

high as 70 percent. (Fishermen and women, I 

can’t help but wonder how your own fishing 

success rate compares to that!) 

Ospreys spend an average of 12 minutes 

hunting before making a catch. They typically 

hunt by soaring in circles over fairly shallow 

water, often hovering in midair while they use 

38 

Story by HEATHER SHIRLEY 

Scan the QR code with 

your phone’s camera 

to hear the sounds of 

an osprey. 


keen eyesight to spot a fish. 

Then they hurtle down, 

sometimes plunging as deep as 

3 feet underwater to make their 

catch. 

Once caught, a fish almost never 

escapes the clutches of this raptor’s 

specialized talons. They have 

barbed pads on the soles of their 

feet that help grip the fish. Ospreys 

even have a reversible toe that can 

change position from a usual grip of 

three toes in front and one in back 

— useful for perching — to two toes in front 

and two in back to best grip its prey. 

Strong fliers, ospreys always hold their 

captured fish so it faces headfirst into the air 

for optimum aerodynamics. 

What is perhaps most impressive about 

ospreys is their comeback story. 

Starting in World War II, the pesticide 

DDT was used to kill mosquitoes and its 

effectiveness in doing so led to widespread 

agricultural use for pest control. But animals 

that ingested insects that had been poisoned 

also got poisoned themselves, and this radiated 

up the food chain. 

Every animal that ate another animal that 

had ingested DDT accumulated more and more 

of it in its body. This meant an osprey that ate 

a fish that ate a frog that ate a dragonfly that 

ate a mosquito had significant DDT in its body 

because the DDT of all the animals consumed 

in that chain was additive. 

The poison made it difficult for birds to 

absorb calcium, which is a critical component 

of eggshells. Less calcium meant thinner eggs 

that broke before chicks could hatch. Since 

ospreys typically brood only one or two eggs 

each season, their population was devastated. 

Luckily, the Environmental Protection 

Agency banned the use of DDT in 1972. 

DDT had a catastrophic effect on ospreys. 

According to the Environmental Defense Fund, 

in 1981, the number of breeding pairs of ospreys 

in the U.S. had plummeted to just 8,000. By 

1994, the number had increased to more than 

14,000. The Nature Conservancy cites that in 

New Jersey in 1974, there were just 50 osprey 

nests. Fifty! 

Today, New Jersey boasts a thriving osprey 

population. Their recovery has been helped 

in part through the establishment of humanmade 

nest platforms. There are now about 800 

occupied nest platforms in New Jersey and 

75 percent of ospreys use these structures to 

successfully raise chicks. 

To see ospreys on their gigantic nests, take 

a drive to South Jersey and scan along the 

Maurice or Cohansey rivers, Alloway Creek or 

in the South Cape May Meadows. If you prefer 

armchair exploration, check out the South 

Cape May Meadows Osprey Cam on YouTube. 

Ospreys are now rather common across 

Top to bottom: Osprey in flight. Osprey perched 

with fish. 

most of North America. They tend to be more 

prevalent around saltwater bays and estuaries. 

Around Lake Hopatcong, ospreys are usually 

seen when they are migrating. Sightings peak in 

April and May, then again in September. 

Their migration is something to marvel at! 

One osprey was tracked by scientists on a fall 

migration trek. It flew from Martha’s Vineyard 

to French Guiana, a trip of more than 2,700 

miles — and its journey was completed in just 

13 days. 

During an osprey’s lifespan of 15-20 years, 

it will travel about 160,000 miles. How does 

your own journey on this earth compare? How 

about when you eliminate mechanized modes 

of travel … how many miles do you think you’ve 

walked? 

Chances are, it’s not enough. There is so much 

of this glorious world to see! So many marvels 

and wonders just waiting to be experienced! 

Get out there and find your joy. Scan the 

skies for some flying osprey Ms. 

AQUATIC VEGETATION CONTROL 

Providing lake and pond management 

solutions with SCIENCE for over 33 years. 

973-948-0107 

www.lakemgtsciences.com 

Branchville, NJ

Need NEED 

more MORE 

Space? SPACE? 

Need 

more 

Space? 

Self Storage 

WOODPORT 

SELF STORAGE 

in JefferSon townShip 

U-Stor-It 

Self Now Storage renting 

20 Tierney Road 

CLIMATE in JefferSon CONTROL townShip UNITS 

• 

Woodport 

U-Stor-It 

Two locations 

Self 20 Tierney 

in 

Storage 

Jefferson 

Road 

Township! 

17 Route 17 181 Route South, • 181 Lake South Hopatcong 

Woodport 

5 x 5 to Self 10 x 40 Storage 

• 

20 Tierney 

units 

Road 

available 

17 Route 181 South, Lake Hopatcong 

5x5 to 10x40 UNITS AVAILABLE 

5 x 5 to 10 x 40 units available 

973-663-4000 

973-663-4000 

973-663-4000 

Now reNtiNg U-HaUl trUcks & trailers 

Now reNtiNg U-HaUl trUcks & trailers 

RENTING U-HAUL TRUCKS& TRAILERS 

Waterloo Canal Day 

Saturday, June 22 ND – 10:00 aM to 4:00 PM 

Rain Date June 23 rd 

Visit Historic Waterloo for a 

full day of tHings to see and do 

• Live music by the Long Hill String Band 

• Historic Building Tours 

Canal Museum, Boat Exhibit, Gristmill 

• Historic Trades 

Blacksmithing, Tin Smithing 

and Wool Spinners 

• Canal Boat Rides 

• Church Tours 

• Winakung, Native Lenape Woodland Forest 

FREE PARKING – FREE ADMISSION 

Waterloo Village Historic Site – 525 Waterloo Road 

For more information, please visit our website: canalsocietynj.org 

New Jersey 

State Park 

Service 

New Jersey 

SPONSORED BY 

Byram Township 

HISTORICAL 

SOCIETY 

Mary May, Broker/Manager 

(C)973-222-0186 

(O)973-347-3700 

marymay@realtyexecutives.com 


Vol. 1, No. 3 

Vol. 1, No. 2 

Memorial Day 2019 


THE BATTLE TO KEEP 

CANADA GEESE AT BAY 

MAKING MERRY MUSIC 

MEMORIAL DAY 2022 VOL. 14 NO. 2 

A visionary Jefferson couple turn their dream into reality for their ‘differently-abled’ adult daughter 

WOMEN’S NETWORKING 

GROUP A HIT 

IN SEARCH OF SPIRITS 

Fourth of July 2019 

Vol. 1, No. 4 

Vol. 8, No. 7 

Page 6 

Page 16 

Page 24 

Page 30 

Family reunion 

Vol. 9, No. 5 

Page 6 

Page 14 

Page 2 

Pages 28 

Holiday 2016 

Looking skyward 

Local DAR honor soldiers 

Charity on wheels 

Labor Day 2017 

FOURTH OF JULY 2023 VOL. 15 NO. 3 

Thr e-year study underway to s e if brown 

trout can “hold over” in Lake Hopatcong 

SPRING 20 2 VOL. 14 NO. 1 

WISH LIST 

ON THE MILES 

FA L 2021 VOL. 13 NO. 6 

springs to life in Jefferson 

MIDSUMMER 2021 VOL. 13 NO. 4 

Garden State Yacht Club hosts 

stre s-fr e sailing Saturdays 

HOPATCONG 

MIDSUMMER 2020 VOL. 12 NO. 4 


THE PARK 


Vol. 1, No. 1 

FOURTH OF JULY 20 2 VOL. 14 NO. 3 

Spring 2019 

Vol. 10, No. 3 

Fourth of July 2018 

• American picker 

• Olympic spirit 

• Passion for golf 

• LHC budgets for weeds 

FA L 20 2 VOL. 14 NO. 6 

directory 

CONSTRUCTION/ 

EXCAVATION 

Al Hutchins Excavating 

973-663-2142 

973-713-8020 

Global Contracting 

800-292-3268 

globalpaving.com 

Lakeside Construction 

151 Sparta-Stanhope Rd., Hopatcong 

973-398-4517 

Northwest Explosives 

PO Box 806, Hopatcong 

973-398-6900 

info@northwestexplosives.com 

Robertson Excavating 

973-398-9476 

ENTERTAINMENT/ 

RECREATION 

Lake Hopatcong Adventure Company 

37 Nolan’s Pt. Park Rd., LH 

973-663-1944 

lhadventureco.com 

Lake Hopatcong Cruises 

Miss Lotta (Dinner Boat) 


973-663-5000 

lhcruises.com 

Lake Hopatcong Mini Golf Club 


973-663-0451 

lhgolfclub.com 

Roxbury Arts Alliance 

72 Eyland Ave., Succasunna 

973-945-0284 

roxburyartsalliance.org 

HOME SERVICES 

Central Comfort 

100 Nolan’s Point Rd., LH 

973-361-2146 

Evening Star 

LED Deck/Dock Lights 

eveningstarlighting.com 

Homestead Lawn Sprinkler 

5580 Berkshire Valley Rd., OR 

973-208-0967 

homesteadlawnsprinkler.com 

J-I Renovations 

862-462-0183 

jirenovation.us 

Jefferson Recycling 

710 Route 15 N Jefferson 

973-361-1589 

jefferson-recycling.com 

Metro Supply and Service 

201 Green Pond Rd., Rockaway 

973-627-7626 

metrosupplyinc.com 

The Polite Plumber 

973-398-0875 

thepoliteplumber.com 

The Probilt Group 

973-886-3654 

probiltgroup.com 

Royalty Cleaning Services 

973-309-2858 

royaltycleaningserv.com 

Sacks Paint & Wallpaper 

52 N Sussex St., Dover 

973-366-0119 

sackspaint.net 

TriStae Lighting 

973-358-9302 

LightTheTristate.com 

Window Genie 

973-726-6555 

windowgenie.com/northwest-nj 

LAKE SERVICES 

AAA Dock & Marine 

27 Prospect Point Rd., LH 

973-663-4998 

docksmarina@hotmail.com 

Batten The Hatches 

70 Rt. 181, LH 

973-663-1910 

facebook.com/bthboatcovers 

Lake Management Sciences 

Branchville 

973-948-0107 

lakemgtsciences.com 

MARINAS 

Katz’s Marinas 

22 Stonehenge Rd., LH 

973-663-0224 

katzmarinaatthecove.com 

342 Lakeside Ave., Hopatcong 

973-663-3214 

antiqueboatsales.com 

Lake’s End Marina 

91 Mt. Arlington Blvd., Landing 

973-398-5707 

lakesendmarina.net 

Morris County Marine 

745 US 46W, Kenvil 

201-400-6031 

South Shore Marine 

862-254-2514 

southshoremarine180@gmail.com 

NONPROFITS 

Canal Society of NJ 

973-292-2755 

canalsocietynj.org 

Lake Hopatcong Commission 

260 Lakeside Blvd.,Landing 

973-601-7801 

commissioner@lakehopatcongcommission.org 

Lake Hopatcong Elks 

201 Howard Blvd, MA 

973-668-9302 

Lake Hopatcong Foundation 

125 Landing Rd., Landing 

973-663-2500 

lakehopatcongfoundation.org 

Lake Hopatcong Historical Museum 

260 Lakeside Blvd., Landing 

973-398-2616 

lakehopatconghistory.com 

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES 

Barbara Anne Dillon,,O.D.,P.A. 

180 Howard Blvd., Ste. 18 MA 

973-770-1380 

Fox Architectural Design 

546 St. Rt. 10 W, Ledgewood 

973-970-9355 

foxarch.com 

REAL ESTATE 

Kathleen Courter 

RE/MAX 

131 Landing Rd., Roxbury 

973-420-0022 Direct 

KathySellsNJHomes.com 

Robin Dora 

Sotheby’s International 

670 Main St., Towaco 

973-570-6633 

thedoragroup.com 

Christopher J. Edwards 

RE/MAX 

211 Rt. 10E, Succasunna 

973-598-1008 

MrLakeHopatcong.com 

Karen Foley 

Sotheby’s International 

670 Main St., Towaco 

973-906-5021 

prominentproperties.com 

RESTAURANTS & BARS 

Alice’s Restaurant 


973-663-9600 

alicesrestaurantnj.com 

Big Fish Lounge At Alice’s 


973-663-9600 

alicesrestaurantnj.com 

The Windlass Restaurant 

45 Nolan’s Point Park Rd., LH 

973-663-3190 

thewindlass.com 

SENIOR CARE 

Preferred Care at Home 

George & Jill Malanga/Owners 

973-512-5131 

PreferHome.com/nwjersey 

SPECIALTY STORES 

Alstede Fresh @ Lindeken 

54 NJ Rt 15 N, Wharton 

908-879-7189 

AlstedeFarms.com 

Hawk Ridge Farm 

283 Espanong Rd, LH 

hawkridgefarmnj.com 

Hearth & Home 

1215 Rt. 46, Ledgewood 

973-252-0190 

hearthandhome.net 

Helrick’s Custom Framing 

158 W Clinton St., Dover 

973-361-1559 

helricks.com 

Italy Tours with Maria 

ItalyTourswithMaria@yahoo.com 

JF Woodproducts 

973-590-4319 

jfwoodproducts.com 

Steve Lindahl, author 

stevelindahl.com 

Orange Carpet & Wood Gallery 

470 Rt. 10W, Ledgewood 

973-584-5300 

orange-carpet.com 

STORAGE 

Woodport Self Storage 

17 Rt. 181 & 20 Tierney Rd., LH 

973-663-4000 

FOR A COMPLETE CALENDAR OF EVENTS AND FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT 

WWW.LAKEHOPATCONGNEWS.COM 

Informing, Serving and Celebrating The Lake Region 


Answering 

The Call 

Firefighter honored for 70 years of service 

with Roxbury Engine Company No. 2 



Happy Campers 

Sixteen years in and Camp Je ferson is sti l a l about good ole’ fashioned outdoor fun 



INFORMING, SERVING AND CELEBRATING THE L AKE REGION 


Independence 

Day 

Mo ris Habitat helps the 

Tesfaye-Tade se family 

become homeowners 



Witch You Were Here! 

October is a bewitching good time for these ladies in Lake Rogerene 


•Qua ry Silt S eps into Lake Hopatcong: DEP Slow to React 

•Working Sma l Proves Big for Local Artist •Girl Scouts Tackle Trail Maintenance 

•New Fireboat for Lake Hopatcong 

Home Sweet Homestead 



For the Birds 

Andrew Eppedio (and his mom’s) great avian adventure 

• Algae Invades Lake Hopatcong 

Volunteers Drive 1th Hour Rescue 

• Wiffle Ba l Game Helps Raise Funds 

• Sharing Books One Li tle Free Library at a Time 



Christmas 

in the village 

Annual holiday celebration in Je ferson 

Sign, sign, everywhere a sign 



LOCALLY 

GROWN 

Je ferson farm comes alive 

thanks to third-generation 

farmer 

The tradition of telling the stories of the lake community 

continues thanks to all the advertisers. 



THRIFT SHOP BARGAINS 

STAR GAZING 

All Their Children 

Over 2 Decades, A Landing Couple Welcomed 39 Foster Children To their Home 

CARVING OUT A NICHE 

DESIGNING STUDENTS 



Catch 

Report 

Release 

LAKE COMMISSION 

TAKING CONTROL 

ROAD SALT PROVING 

HAZARDOUS TO WATERWAYS 

NONPROFIT HELPING 

LOCAL FIRST RESPONDERS 

BELTING OUT A 

TUNE WITH KIP 


INFRASTRUCTURE 


On the Water 

Come Along with Outdoorsman Jeremy Travers 

as He Explores the Areas Waterways 

THEATER PRODUCTIONS 

BEGIN AT ROXBURY PAC 

BOOK CLUB PUTS 

AREA EMS SQUADS 

MEETING THE CHALLENGE 



NATIONAL DESIGNATION 

FOR LOCAL TRAIL 

VOLUNTEERS HELP 

HOMEOWNERS IN NEED 

Summer’s 

BOUNTY 

Organic, self-sustaining mini-farm 

CUTTING COSTS BY 

GOING SOLAR 

VETERANS HONORED 

WITH BOAT RIDE 


Easy 


Breezy 

FINDING A NEW FAMILY 

GRANT MONEY 

HELPING FIGHT HABS 

HEROES HONORED IN 

INFORMING, SERVING AND CELEBRATING THE LAKE L REGION 


Helping Hands 

A l across the area, legions of people are working 

the front lines and volunteering their time 

BLOSSOMS IN 

FINDING NEW WAYS 

TO DO BUSINESS 


STUDENTS PARTNER WITH 

SMITHSONIAN AND LHF 

GREAT-GRANDSON OF 

JOE COOK OFFERS GIFTS 

AREA NURSES VOLUNTEER 

AT VACCINATION SITES 

ONE FAMILY’S 

PANDEMIC JOURNEY 


Building a 

Community 

Mo ris Habitat for Humanity finds 

a way forward despite the pandemic 


•We lne s center opens in Hopatcong 

•Children’s author penning third book 

•Bridge to Liffy Island taking shape 

•DEP says no to carp in Lake Hopatcong 


ICE JOB 

HISTORY MADE IN HOPATCONG 

AND THE BANDS PLAYED ON 

MEMBERSHIPS IN DECLINE 

CASHING IN ON COINS 

Volunt ers, including two from Hopatcong, take part in a 

century-old tradition at Raque te Lake in the Adirondacks 



RACING AROUND 

STATE BY STATE 

A LIFE IN MUSIC 

‘Study Hull’ 

makes maiden 

voyage 

WINNER, WINNER, 

CHICKEN DINNER 

BEACON OF LIGHT 

Local students schooled on fresh water aboard the Lake Hopatcong Foundation’s floating cla sroom 

40 

• Markets are open, bounty is fresh 

• Smithsonian exhibi to open 

• King House expands offerings 

• 4H standout leading the way 

Community garden turns 5 

Hiking the Appalachian Trail 

Not your average summer camp 


973-663-2800 • editor@lakehopatcongnews.com

ORTHWEST 

EXPLOSIVES 

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CONTRACTORS 

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P.O. 

P.O. 

Box 

Box 

806 

806 

Hopatcong, 

Hopatcong, 

New 

New 

Jersey 

Jersey 

07843 

07843 

973-398-6900 

Fax Fax 973-398-5623 

We We Love Love Rock! Rock! Serving Serving New New Jersey Jersey && New New York York 


Nolan’s Point Park Rd., Lake Hopatcong 

42 


livethelakenj.com • 973.663.2490 • Connect with us! 

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2024 Memorial Day

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