https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNTTg8-NxrM
Video by Annette Espinoza/The Wall
TASK and Capital City Farm Celebrate Halloween
A new organization held several events to celebrate Halloween in Trenton.
Until recently, a vacant lot was located in the heart of the East Trenton community, angering local residents and business owners. Last year, D&R Greenway Land Trust opened the Capital City Farm along North Clinton Avenue. Many vegetables are grown outside on the property, and there is an on-site greenhouse. Now, the farm, which is one of a kind in urban Mercer County, is playing more of a role in the community.
From 3:30pm to 5:00pm on October 31st, there were a variety of on-site activities for children and adults all ages. A corn maze was held in the field, and several volunteers from The College of New Jersey and a Hamilton Township-based company handed out free pumpkins, tomatoes, and peppers to community members who were either trick-or-treating or just passing by. Dozens stopped by the farm stand, many of whom said that the free produce ‘made their day’.
The events were held in conjunction with the Halloween party at the neighboring Trenton Area Soup Kitchen on Escher Street, which was presented by volunteers and students from TCNJ and Rider University.
Clinton and Trump Hold Rallies in Philadelphia Area
Both of the leading presidential candidates came to rallies in Southeastern Pennsylvania this weekend that were attended by thousands of people.
Republican Donald Trump spoke at an event at an athletic club in the suburban Bucks County township of Newtown on Friday evening. Topics addressed by Trump ranged from immigration to Common Core, and he also discussed manufacturing in the region, stating that “just a few miles from here, there’s a famous bridge that says Trenton Makes, The World Takes. Under a Trump administration, I can promise you we are going to start making things in America again.” At one point, after making claims regarding crime rates in the country, Trump said “you don’t hear that from these dishonest people back there, meaning the media, look at them”, at which point the entire crowd turned around and booed, chanting ”CNN sucks” and other lines.
The following evening, both Democratic candidate and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and vice-presidential candidate Senator Tim Kaine took the stage 30 miles south on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, with the Center City skyline in the background. Clinton, speaking outdoors on one of the coldest nights of the season, mentioned mass incarceration, the economy, higher education, and other issues. Additional speakers included candidates for Pennsylvania state offices and Katie McGinty, a candidate to represent Pennsylvania in the United States Senate.
One of the 7,000 attendees at Clinton’s rally was resident Michael Grant, best known as Philly Jesus, who told The Wall that having events like this in Philadelphia is “nice”, but that he is “on the fence” about which candidate he supports.
Event Discusses Preservation Opportunities in Trenton
By Jared Kofsky
An event was held this week to raise awareness of historic buildings throughout the City of Trenton.
The Trenton Historical Society held the ‘Trenton’s Top Ten Preservation Opportunities’ program on Wednesday evening atop the Broad Street Bank Building on East State Street in the city’s Downtown. The building, once used for commercial purposes, later became abandoned, but now contains apartments. Local architect and program host John Hatch called it “one of the most prominent buildings in the City of Trenton”.
Hatch cited other successful revitalization projects in the city, such as the Ferdinand Roebling Mansion on West State Street, which now serves as the headquarters of the New Jersey League of Municipalities, and the Golden Swan Building on South Warren Street. Many of the event’s organizers hope that many buildings across the city can undergo similar transformations.
Dozens of Trentonians and area residents were in attendance, including Trenton Mayor Eric Jackson, Councilwoman Marge-Caldwell Wilson, and Diana Rogers of the Trenton Division of Housing and Economic Development.
“This is an awesome event”, said Mayor Jackson, adding that “it talks about historic preservation which is vitally critical to our city.”
Sites on the list ranged from the vacant Trenton Junior High School #1 on Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard to the former East Trenton and Skelton Branch Libraries to the Trenton Savings Fund Society Building, which lies abandoned in the heart of Downtown Trenton. Suggestions of future use for these spaces included housing, offices, retail space, and a bank branch. Other properties mentioned include the Mercer County Court House, the Horsman Doll Factory, the Trenton Psychiatric Hospital, The Hermitage, the Higbee Street School, The Residence at 320 Spring Street, and the Prospect Street Presbyterian Church.
“I applaud as well as support the Trenton Historical Society for the great work and commitment they have to our city”, Mayor Jackson told The Wall.
Click here to view all of the speeches.
Local Residents Honored at The White House
By Jared Kofsky
On Thursday, President Barack Obama honored the recipients of the National Medal of Arts and the National Humanities Medal in the East Room of The White House in Washington, DC.
Elaine Pagels, of Princeton, was one of the honorees. It was announced at the event that “through her study of ancient manuscripts and other scholarly work, she has generated new interest and dialogue about our contemporary search for knowledge and meaning”. Pagels is a professor at Princeton University. James McBride, an author from Lambertville, received the National Humanities Award “for humanizing the complexities of discussing race in America”.
Other honorees included the Prison University Project, which allows incarcerated people in California to take college courses, Terry Gross, the host of Fresh Air on WHYY 91 FM, Mel Brooks, and Berry Gordy.
Click here to see photos from the event.