Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Orange News Roundup: Back to School, Art Exhibition, Oakwood Avenue Updates, Soccer Tournament


A new exhibition will open this month at the ValleyArts Firehouse Gallery in Orange. The exhibition is called 'Transformed: Looking at the Age of Edison Through the Witness Trees of Glenmont', and will be on display from August 28 until October 5. The 'Witness Trees' displayed were once trees located at Thomas Edison's Glenmont Mansion in West Orange. The trees fell during Hurricane Sandy, and were turned into 'Witness Trees' by Rhode Island School of Design students. According to a press release, students created various objects out of the trees. One student created wooden fortune cookies out of bark dust and flour with messages describing the experience of Chinese immigrants in the 1800's. Others show the experiences of the working class. The ValleyArts Firehouse Gallery is located in a former Orange firehouse constructed in 1905 at 580 Forest Street. The gallery is open on Thursdays from 5pm to 7:30pm, Saturdays from 10am to 4pm, Sundays from 1pm to 4pm, and by appointment. Admission to the gallery is free.

Essex County recently announced that infrastructure updates will be made along Oakwood Avenue in order to improve access to Monte Irvin Orange Park. According to a press release, new sidewalk ramps, pathways, crosswalks, and roadway striping along Oakwood Avenue will allow senior residents of Mount Carmel Towers, Oakwood Towers and the Orange Park Apartments to easily and safely access Orange Park. These buildings are located across the street from the park. 

"The highest concentration of senior citizens in the City of Orange live in this area and we are pleased to have been able to work with the County to get these improvements completed that improve the safety of our residents,” said Willis Edwards, Business Administrator for the City of Orange. 

The City of Orange's annual Back to School rally will take place on Tuesday, September 2 at 3pm. Free school supplies will be distributed at the rally. This year's event will feature free food, a marching band, a drum roll competition, a jazz band, and more. In addition, Bill Cosby will make an appearance at the rally, which will take place in front of Orange High School at 400 Lincoln Avenue.

Mayor Dwayne D. Warren's Third Annual Caribbean Community Fair and Soccer Tournament will take place at Monte Irvin Orange Park on Saturday, September 6. The event will raise money for New Jersey Caribbean-American high school and college students who are living away from their families in the Caribbean. The tournament will be sponsored by Caribbean Sports International (CSI) of Maplewood.

"Being displaced from the Caribbean and living in the United States in order to pursue education and opportunities is a wonderful accomplishment for many", said CSI president Anselm Lebourne. "However, that must still be balanced against leaving home and the family. CSI seeks to provide scholarship funds and mentoring to these students".

Registration for the soccer tournament costs $325 per team before August 31, $375 from August 31 to September 5, and $425 on the day of the tournament. All games will last 30 minutes. Teams interested in participating can learn more here.

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