MORRIS COUNTY – The great outdoors awaits! Discover the best spots to sled, ice skate, cross-country ski, snowshoe, and more, all right here in Morris County. Make the most of this season, and experience the exciting programs and winter activities the Morris County Park Commission has to offer.

Grab your hats and gloves, and head to the Doe Meadow Hill at Lewis Morris County Park for an afternoon of sledding down one of our largest hills. Cross-country ski through the beautiful trails at Loantaka Brook Reservation in Morris Township and Hedden County Park in Randolph Township, or lace up your skates, and glide across the ice at the flooded, in-line skating rink at Central Park of Morris County in Parsippany.

Looking to try something new? Experience the unique and exhilarating sport of snowshoeing.

Join a guided snowshoe adventure at Pyramid Mountain Natural Historic Natural Historic Area in Montville Township on select Sundays in January, February, and March. Enjoy a brisk afternoon exploring the beautiful winter scenery and looking for signs of wildlife – all while getting a great workout!

Experts are on hand to help fit your snowshoes and answer questions. If you are an experienced at snowshoeing, or prefer to venture on your own, there are one-day snowshoe rentals available at Pyramid Mountain Natural Historic Area as well.
If indoor ice skating is more your style, check out Mennen Sports Arena, the best three surface ice arena in the area. Don’t have ice skates? No problem, both hockey and figure skates are available to rent.

Embrace one of New Jersey’s most cherished seasons this winter. There is so much fun, excitement, and adventure waiting for you! For more information, including a full list of outdoor recreational sites and activities, visit morrisparks.net.

The Morris County Park Commission features one of the region’s best park systems in the state of New Jersey. It currently protects and maintains 19,653 acres at 38 distinct sites plus offers a year-round calendar of events and activities for all to enjoy!

MORRIS COUNTY — The Morris County Historic Preservation Trust Fund is accepting grant applications for the 2019 funding round. A historic resource must be listed or certified as eligible for listing on the New Jersey and the National Register of Historic Places to be eligible for a matching grant.

Eligible applicants are municipalities, qualified non-profit organizations and the county.

Application forms, rules and regulations for the 2019 grant round of the Historic Preservation Trust Fund are available by clicking here.

Please note the following schedule:

January 30: Application Workshop at the Morris County Cultural Center;

February 28: Declaration of Intent due at Morris County;

March 29: Grant Application Deadline;

The Morris County Office of Planning and Preservation will conduct a workshop to explain the grant application process on Wednesday, January 30, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Morris County Cultural Center, 300 Mendham Road. (County Route 510), in Morris Township.  A snow date for the workshop is January 31.

MORRIS COUNTY — The Rotary Clubs in our area are offering an international scholarship for students who are interested in pursuing further study abroad.  Applicants must live in Essex, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Morris, Somerset, Sussex, Union or Warren Counties, and must be interested in planning a career in one of the following subject areas:

• Peace and conflict resolution
• Disease prevention and treatment
• Water and sanitation
• Maternal and child health
• Basic education and literacy
• Economic and community development

Candidates must be accepted to a foreign university at the time of application.  The scholarship is competitive, and the main factors considered are a scholar’s experience, the graduate program of study, and career goals.  Of added importance is having a plan with a clear-cut purpose.  Additional information may be found in the Rotary Foundation Section of  www.rotary.org, or by contacting Eva-Pia Reich at [email protected]

Applicants should send their resume, college transcripts, and proposal (to include the program of study and a description of a career path) to Eva-Pia Reich, 24 South Shore Road, Denville, NJ 07834 or [email protected]

The deadline to apply is May 1, 2019 with interviews to follow.

To learn more about Rotary in your community click here.

MORRIS COUNTY — The Morris County Sheriff’s Office will be donating $1,500 to the Carol G. Simon Cancer Center at Morristown Medical Center thanks to the efforts of some of its officers who wore custom designed pink patches on their uniforms in October for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

The pink patches personally were purchased by officers from the Morris County Sheriff’s Office to raise the $1,500. 

Similarly, in 2017, more than $1,400 was raised during the same event, bringing the combined total in two years to more than $2,900.

The Sheriff’s Office will donate the proceeds to the Carol G. Simon Cancer Center in memory of Detective Lisa di Palma Bonfiglio who lost her battle with cancer in 2009.

The Morris County Sheriff’s Office joined numerous police and fire departments across the country in this annual fundraising effort to fight cancer and support breast cancer research.

MORRIS COUNTY — The Morris County Board of Freeholders will hold its annual public reorganization meeting for 2019 on Friday, January 4 at 6:00 p.m., in the public meeting room of the county’s Administration and Records Building, 10 Court Street, Morristown.

Recently re-elected Freeholder Deborah Smith of Denville, and her running mates (former Freeholder) John Krickus of Washington Township and former Mountain Lakes Mayor Stephen Shaw will take oaths of office for three-year terms on the county governing board.

County Clerk Ann Grossi will be sworn in for a second term.

Also, Freeholder Doug Cabana of Boonton Township is expected to be formally selected as Freeholder Director for a third consecutive year, Heather Darling of Roxbury is expected to be the new Deputy Freeholder Director.

Other members of the 2019 Freeholder Board are Kathy DeFillippo of Roxbury and Tom Mastrangelo of Montville.

There will be a reception for the public at about 7:00 p.m., following the reorganization event. County residents are invited to attend.

Public parking for the event is available in the Schuyler Place garage, one block from the county administration building, and nearby public lots on Cattano Avenue, plus street parking.

Cabana is the longest serving member of the Board of Freeholders, having joined the board in April 1997. He is a former freeholder director who was elected by his colleagues to that post in 2000 and 2001. He served as deputy director in 1998, 1999, 2011 and 2012, and has been director in 2017 and 2018.

A past president of the New Jersey Association of Counties, it was under his leadership in 2006 that the association became an initial driving force behind the now popular concept of “shared services.” Cabana will continue in 2019 as Morris County’s representative to that statewide association, a role he has held since 1999.

Cabana was mayor of Boonton Township for six years and a member of the township’s governing body for 11 years. He is a member of the 200 Club of Morris County and a former president of the Morris County League of Municipalities.

Freeholder Cabana is an attorney who received his law degree from Seton Hall University School of Law.  He also has a degree in business management from Ithaca College.

MORRIS COUNTY — The Interfaith Food Pantry and Resource Center recently received a major grant in the amount of $25,000 from The Provident Bank Foundation for their Healthy Choices Mobile Pantry and Meals-On-Wheels programs.

SUMMIT — The Admission Office at Kent Place School, an independent, college-preparatory day school for girls and young women, with a coed Preschool, announces its Curriculum Panel for prospective families on Tuesday, January 8 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. The panel will feature Kent Place faculty, college advisors, young alumnae and will be moderated by Julie Gentile, Kent Place Director of Studies.

A broad range of opportunities for leadership, social development, and responsible citizenship are offered in Kent Place’s Preschool, Primary, Middle and Upper Schools. Independent thinking and personal development are integral to the learning experience at Kent Place.

They are a school community with clearly defined scholastic, moral and behavioral standards, committed to a challenging academic, creative and physical curriculum. Kent Place offers a multi-dimensional and comprehensive educational experience combining academic challenge with a richness of activities, athletics and community endeavors. Kent Place seeks motivated students who are eager to learn and take advantage of the many opportunities the school offers. They encourage applications from families of all racial, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds. We value the wide range of interests and talents that all of our students bring to the school.

Applications for the 2019-2020 school year are now being accepted and are due by January 10, 2019. For more information about Kent Place or the Admission events, please contact the Admission Office at (908) 273-0900 or e-mail at [email protected]. You may visit the Kent Place Admission Office online by clicking here.