American Idol part of Wyndham's Wed Music Series

MOUNT OLIVE, NEW JERSEY – Beginning July 9th, The Wyndham Garden Hotel at the International Trade Center in Mount Olive NJ will host a special 'Summertime Happy Hour' event featuring live music from 5-7pm on Wednesday's all summer long.

In addition to the live music, special drinks and free appetizers, attendees will have a chance to win weekly prizes and be eligible for a grand prize drawing held at the end of the summer for a huge flat screen TV.

“This is a great way for folks to come on out and see what’s new at the Wyndham Garden Hotel in a casual atmosphere,” said Corporate Sales Manager Amy Connolly, formerly the General Manager of The Stanhope House. “The Happy Hour is about having fun, enjoying some music, and meeting with friends and colleagues in a relaxing environment.”

The Series kicks off July 9th with Eternal Circle, a funky entertaining duo that sings hits from the 70s and 80s.

On July 16th, American Idol contestant Stephanie White and Rob LaFalce of the New Jersey Philth Harmonic Band, will be the center of attention. White and LaFalce began collaborating after her appearance during American Idol, season 5.

Other acts include, July 23, Jessica Koppinger, a singer-songwriter who plays mostly originals; July 30, Kate & Paul, a sweet sounding pair that mixes originals with covers; and Aug. 6, Kathy Phillips - a regional singer-songwriter favorite who has an amazing repertoire of original tunes.

No matter what kind of day you've had - Happy Hour is not only open to associates of the International Trade Center, everyone 21 & over are welcome to gather with friends, family and coworkers. The Wyndham Garden Hotel has Happy Hour every day of the work week, with live music on Wednesdays.

If you would like to learn more about the Mount Olive Wyndham Garden Hotel, please call (973) 448-1100. The Wyndham is located at 1000 International Drive North, just off of Routes 46 and 80 (exit 25) in Mount Olive Township NJ.

Ham Radio for Emergency Communications

ROXBURY, NEW JERSEY - Ham Radio operators will demonstrate modern capabilities during a public demo of Emergency Communications this Saturday & Sunday: June 28-29 at Horseshoe Lake Pavilion on Eyland Avenue in Succasunna, NJ.

Thousands of Ham Radio operators will be showing off their emergency capabilities this weekend. Over the past few years, the news has been full of reports of ham radio operators providing critical communications in emergencies world-wide. During Hurricane Katrina, Amateur Radio – often called "Ham radio" - was often the ONLY way people could communicate, and hundreds of volunteer "hams" traveled south to save lives and property.

When trouble is brewing, ham radio volunteers are often the first to provide critical information and communications. On the weekend of June 28-29, 2008 the public will have a chance to meet and talk with these dedicated ham radio operators and see for themselves what the Amateur Radio Service is about. Showing the newest digital and satellite capabilities, voice communications and even historical Morse code, hams from across the USA will be holding public demonstrations of emergency communications abilities.

This annual event, called "Field Day" is the climax of the week long "Amateur Radio Week" sponsored by the ARRL, the National Association for Amateur Radio. Using only emergency power supplies, ham operators will set-up emergency stations in parks, shopping malls, schools and back yards around the country. Their slogan, "When all else fails…" is more than just words to the hams as they demonstrate they can send messages in many forms without the use of contemporary phone systems, Internet or any other infrastructure that can be compromised in a crisis. More than 30,000 amateur radio operators across the country participated in last year's event.

"We hope that people will come and see for themselves, this is not your grandfather's radio anymore" said Allen Pitts, W1AGP of the ARRL. "The communications networks that ham radio people can quickly create have saved many lives in the past months when other systems failed or were overloaded."

"Our group, the Splitrock Amateur Radio Association (SARA) will be demonstrating Amateur Radio at the Horseshoe Lake Picnic Pavilion off Eyland Ave in Succasunna (Roxbury Township) on June 28th from 2PM-8PM and Sunday June 29th from 9AM-1PM" said Ed Donnelly, KB2UNZ President of SARA. "We invite and encourage the public to stop by, see ham radio's capabilities, operate one of our radio stations, and learn how to get their own FCC radio license before the next disaster strikes."

To learn more about Amateur Radio, go to www.emergency-radio.org. The public is most cordially invited to come, meet and talk with the hams. See what modern Amateur Radio can do. They can help you get a ham license and get on the air!

About the ARRL
ARRL is the national membership association for Amateur Radio operators. There are 660,000 Amateur Radio operators in the US, and more than 2.5 million around the world. Through the ARRL, ham volunteers provide emergency communications for the DHS Citizens' Corps, the American Red Cross, Salvation Army, FEMA and thousands of state and local agencies, all for free.

About the Splitrock Amateur Radio Association (SARA)
The Splitrock Amateur Radio Association (SARA) began in 1972. The original group of interested amateurs built an amateur radio repeater, from used commercial equipment, on a radio tower on the north end of Rockaway Township, near the Splitrock reservoir.

For membership and meeting info please visit www.splitrockara.org

Mount Olive Carnival and Community Week 2008

MOUNT OLIVE TOWNSHIP - It's time for the 3rd Annual Mount Olive Carnival and Community week.

July 23rd - July 27th 2008 at Turkey Brook Park. Fireworks will begin at 9:15pm on Saturday 7/26 with a rain date on 7/27.

The Mount Olive Carnival will open Wednesday, July 23rd from 5pm to 11pm. Carnival rides include bumper cars, carousel, giant slide, roller coasters, and kiddie rides for the younger crowd. There will be games for kids of all ages, like the water gun, skee ball, and whack-a-mole... all with great prizes. Come enjoy live music in the pavilion, Kiwanis Club Dunk Tank, classic car show and monster truck rides on Webslinger.

This year will be a little different with the addition of Theme Days beginning Thursday with "Outta this World" laser tag. On Friday, "It's a Shore Thing" with volleyball and basketball tournaments, sand castle contest, games, and music provided by Mountain Top Church. Show your "Mount Olive Pride" all day Saturday and join the Cameos on Sunday for the "Doo Wop & Classic Car Show".

Carnival and Community Week hours
Wednesday 7/23 5pm until 11pm
Thursday 7/24 5pm until 11pm
Friday 7/25 5pm until 11pm
Saturday 7/26 1pm until 11pm (fireworks scheduled for 9:15pm)
Sunday 7/27 1pm until 9pm (fireworks rain date)

Shuttle bus service will be available all 5 days from 5pm until closing at Blue Atlas at 155 Flanders Netcong Road. In addition, on Saturday(Fireworks Day) the shuttle bus service will be available 6pm until closing to and from the Mount Olive High School on Corey Road. Additional Service and locations will be announced shortly.

For additional information visit the Mount Olive Township website or email recdept@mtolivetwp.org

Budd Lake family seeks four-legged solution

BUDD LAKE, NEW JERSEY - No offense to cat lovers out there, but this Budd Lake family has a need only a furry canine can fulfill, and they need your help.

Bill and Roberta Polak are raising funds on behalf of 4 Paws For Ability, a non-profit organization specializing in training and placement of service dogs for disabled children. The Polaks are committed to raising $11,000, the cost of training an autism service dog for their 7-year-old son, Will.

Will has faced more challenges in his short life than others might face in a lifetime. Born with autism, verbal apraxia, and sensory processing disorder, Will is practically non-verbal and has severe developmental delays. Children with Autism tend to wander away and are unaware of environmental dangers such as traffic, bodies of water, or the ill intentions of a stranger. Will needs a strong companion at his side trained to provide the special assistance he needs. In addition to providing constant companionship and unwavering friendship, these four-legged wonder dogs are specially trained in search and rescue skills.

Based in Xenia, Ohio, 4 Paws For Ability strives to provide service dogs to families and children that struggle with life’s daily challenges and who would otherwise be turned away by many other agencies. 4 Paws trains a variety of assistance dogs, including but not limited to seizure assistance, mobility assistance, hearing ear dogs and autism assistance dogs.

“We have discovered a magic that exists between children and dogs," states the 4Paws website "a magic that can become a life-saving miracle for a child paired with one of our Autism Assistance Dogs.”

You can help bring some magic to Will’s life
The 4 Paws For Ability website offers tax deductible donation through 'Network for Good' and 'PayPal'. Your donation is safe, secure, and private www.4pawsforability.org. To help the Polak's reach their goal, make sure your donation is pledged in Will's name.

Donna Williams and Deb Millard of Hearts and Hands will be holding a garage sale on June 21st. The Sale will be at 38 Queens Road, Rockaway, New Jersey from 9:00am to 3:00pm. Hearts and Hands, run by Bethlehem Church in Randolph NJ, is a support group for moms of special needs children. All proceeds will be donated to 4 Paws For Ability in Will's name.

Do you know a special needs child who needs a service dog?
4 Paws for Abilities works with families to enrich the lives of people with disabilities. 4Paws specializes in training and placement of service dogs for assistance with Autism, Hearing Ear, Mobility Assistance, Seizure Assistance, and In Home Companion - to name a few. 4paws service dogs are trained on a case by case basis, For more information call (937) 374-0385 or visit www.4pawsforability.org.

Madison High School Hosts Lacrosse All-Stars

MADISON, NEW JERSEY - Madison High School hosted the NJ US Lacrosse NJJLL and HS All-Stars last Sunday, June 8th. Five Mount Olive Lacrosse players were represented in the 2008 Gil Gibbs All-Star Games.

In a series of games, the Jamboree showcases the best of New Jersey's lacrosse players beginning with 8th grade All-Star players, boys and girls, U-15 North players vs U-15 South followed, while HS All-Stars compete on a separate field.



The Jersey Jamboree, also known as the Gil Gibbs Games, have been taking place for decades, but this is the first year, a senior from Mount Olive has been selected to play. Evan Sinicin, a senior mid-fielder who will attend Springfield College in the fall, played in the HS showcase at 1PM.



Tyler Hanson, Jimmy Pastena, and Tyler McEvoy represented the 8th Garde Mount Olive Jr. Lacrosse Team in the early morning North vs. South contest. Hanson scored the first goal of the game on an assist from McEvoy. The contest ended after a single overtime session in a tie between the North and the South.



Brandyn Merkle represented MOJLC in the U-15 North South Game. Merkle was selected to be one of two goalies to represent North New Jersey in the 2008 US Lacrosse U-15 National Youth Festival held at Golden Goal Lacrosse Complex in Lake George, NY June 20-22nd. The U-15 North South Game ended in a victory for the North with a score of 12-8. Merkle made 9 saves and only allowed 4 goals.

Local WWF Wrestler Releases Debut Title

LEDGEWOOD, NEW JERSEY – Former World Wrestling Federation (WWF) superstar and local Ledgewood, New Jersey resident, Tito Santana has just released his debut title: Tito Santana's Tales from the Ring.

Santana had a stellar WWF career which extended more than a decade. Alongside Rick Martel as Strike Force, he won the Intercontinental and World tag-team belts. He was inducted into the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Hall of Fame in 2004.

“One of the all time greatest beloved heroes that I ever had the privilege and honor to wrestle was Tito Santana,” said Sargent Slaughter former WWF wrestler and author of one of two forewords in Santana's book. The other foreword author is “Mr. Wonderful,” Paul Orndorff, another former WWF wrestler.

Tito Santana's Tales from the Ring humorously reflects on Santana's years in the WWF. The book entertains even the toughest crowds with tales of flying bodies, twisted limbs, fist fights, shouting matches, drugs, deceit, and desperation. Santana takes you behind the scenes to meet such stars as the Hulkster, André the Giant, and the Macho Man.

Santana now teaches Spanish at Eisenhower Middle School in Roxbury and co-owns Santana's Styling Salon in Succasunna with his wife Leah. The hardcover book Tito Santana's Tales from the Ring will be available at Barnes and Noble, Borders, other retailers, and online at Amazon.com and SportsPublishingLLC.com for only $19.95.

New Jersey Highlands Council Build Out Analysis

CHESTER, NEW JERSEY – The New Jersey Highlands Water Protection and Planning Council released a 'Build Out Analysis' today defining developable land within the Highlands region in accordance with the Regional Master Plan (RMP).

The 'Build Out Analysis' indicates that the RMP policies, when fully implemented in the Highlands Region, allow for resource protection and smart growth development that is protective of Highlands’s water quality and quantity.

The analysis conducted by the New Jersey Highlands Council relies on extensive new and existing data that will benefit from further analysis and refinement over time. “The Highlands Council will work with municipalities during the RMP conformance process as they perform local build out analyses that will better reflect local conditions that cannot be assessed at a regional level.” Eileen Swan, Executive Director, explained, “The Highlands Council is fully committed to partnering with our municipalities to refine the build out analysis by drawing upon their knowledge and experience concerning local circumstances.”

Read the FULL press release >>

Hoops for Heart Basketball Tournament

MOUNT OLIVE, NEW JERSEY - The Elite Basketball Association (EBA) of Mount Olive is hosting 'Hoops For Heart', a 3 on 3 Basketball tournament to benefit the American Heart Association.

Hoops for Heart is a double elimination tournament which guarantees 2 games per team. Age Divisions for Girls and Boys include 8-10, 10-12, 12-14, 14-16, 16-18, Over 18, and Over 40 years of age. Prizes will be given to winning teams in each division.

Where
Flanders Park, Flanders New Jersey (Mount Olive Township)

When
Saturday, June 14th, 2008 (Rain date 6/21)

REGISTRATION DEADLINE is Sunday, June 8th, 2008
Tournament registration is available online, Cost per team $80
www.leaguelineup.com/ebatournaments

About Elite Basketball Association (EBA)
EBA is a basketball program offered in conjunction with the Community School of Mount Olive, New Jersey. For more information, email Eric ebanj01@yahoo.com