WHEN: June 21, 22, & 23, 2013

WHERE: Highlands Ridge Park Barn, 100 North Road, Chester, NJ

WHY: The Chester Lions Club has contracted a truck to bring supplies to those affected by the tornadoes in Oklahoma. With the help of the community we are hoping to stuff it to the max and send it swiftly on its way!

WHAT: Please see the list of accepted items below. We encourage everyone to pack their donated items into plastic bins with lids if at all possible, since these bins are one of the few durable things that Oklahoma residents have to pack their belongings into.
(Please NO CLOTHES or WATER)


Toiletries: Over-the-Counter Medical Supplies:
soap and shampoo aspirin
toothbrushes and tooth paste bandages
toilet paper
deodorant Bedding: (new)
feminine products sheets
diapers, wipes blankets
pillows
Cleaning Supplies: pillow cases
bleach towels
paper towels
floor cleaner Misc.:
mops, brooms, etc. Tools (hammers, screws, nails, drills, etc.)
batteries
Non-Perishable Food Items: flashlights
canned goods (soup, tuna, fruits, vegetables, etc.) plastic bins with lids
boxed goods (cereal, rice, pasta, crackers, cookies, granola bars, etc.) Gift cards to: Wlamart, Lowes, Home Depot
baby food and formula

We know great writing when we read it. We love to share it too. The awesome team at Devil Gourmet put into words the era of meeting greeting and eating that was Pals Cabin in my native town, West Orange. I have spent the last few weeks speaking to people who grew up with the Horn family, worked there, and gathered there. I sifted through memories of my own over the last 30+ years. When I read Thomas Pluck's Goodbye Pal's Cabin, I reached out to the team of writers and they graciously allowed us to repost. It could not have been written better, and it is posted as the Horn family are auctioning off the furnishings and memories from what will always be one of the home of memories for many.

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How New Jersey Honors The Bravest

Fort Hancock
In 1893, Fort Hancock installed Battery Potter, the nation's first disappearing gun battery.[3] It also was important for the defense of the vital New York Harbor throughout World War II, preventing the entrance of German submarines into the harbor. In the late 1950s Project Nike antiaircaft missiles were based there.[4] Fort Hancock was decommissioned in 1974.
The fort and its small museum are managed as part of the Sandy Hook Unit of Gateway National Recreation Area, and is part of National Parks of New York Harbor unit of the National Park System.

New Jersey Civil War Museums
The New Jersey Civil War 150 is dedicated to explaining the state’s role in the Civil War through narratives, artifacts, exhibits and collections from this period.

NJ Home of Heroes
This is a list of Military heroes who call the Garden State home. Currently there are 94 medals of honor accredited to New Jersey

Weddings for Heroes
Weddings for Heroes is a 5013C founded to help bring military couples and family together as well as wounded veterans and active duty military facing hardships. They provide a wide variety of programs through donations and out reach.

Dolce Salute to Heroes
Dolce Hotels and Resorts in Basking Ridge offers discounts to members of the U. S Armed Forces and First Responders.

As residents and business owners all over the tri-state area continue to recover and rebuild from super storm Sandy, entrepreneurs in Bloomfield are ready to lend a hand to those suffering in Oklahoma. Yesterday a deadly tornado ripped through towns flooding and destroying homes schools and businesses. The tornado was massive, over a mile wide with winds above 200 mph according to the National Weather Service, making it a Category 5 storm, the most powerful.

While damage is still being surveyed and no doubt it will be catastrophic, Anthony Lauro and Phillip Byrne of Anthony’s Cheesecakes in Bloomfield could no longer sit back and watch the destruction. They took action. Their families rode out the brutal beating New Jersey was handed from Sandy and know it was support from neighbors and friends and folks all over that got us through it.

This Friday, as Anthony puts it “is time to do what we do best as Americans or better, as human beings and that is to help as many people as we can in Oklahoma”. And he means it, 50% of Friday’s sales are going to the American Red Cross. They also will have collection jars for direct donations. They even set up a Paypal account for their non local friends and followers on Facebook , Instagram~anthonyscheesecake and Twitter.



For those of you who do not follow them, you are missing a feast for the senses, from cheesecakes and beyond; Italian specialties, salads, home made protein bars that are like non other. Don’t get me started on the cheesecakes and other bakery specialties. Just typing this is making me crave!



So New Jersey, lets do our part, like so many did and are still doing for us. Visit Anthony’s this Friday and definitely bring your appetite. Or, stop by their social media sites and make a donation. Every dollar helps as these folks, who were rocked back in 1999 with a lesser intensity storm, and are need of serious help.

For breakfast, lunch, and of course, cheesecake, come visit :
71 Washington Street
Bloomfield, NJ 07003
973-415-8885
To donate via Paypal click here

For some people 10 years is a milestone and a time to look back and celebrate years of achievement. For Joe DeFranco, in 10 years ago he hit the ground running, and has never looked back.

As a stand out football player at Bergen Catholic High School, the mecca of high school football in New Jersey, and bound for the NFL Joe had life changing surgery that would end his football playing days. He decided then, that if he couldn’t play football he would train players to be the absolute best they can be. He rented space in a local gym and made a name for himself. He never looked back.


Joe’s talent to find the “strong” in athletes could no longer be contained to the lower level of Odyssey Fitness. He opened his own place in an industrial complex in Wyckoff. This was a perfect location, not some fancy gym with pretty personal trainers and a smoothie bar. This was a place where work got done, chains are lying on the floor, and 500 lb tires in the back alongside sledge hammers. If you are looking for a bar, try the thick bar, the perfect “strong man” style beast to build massive upper body strength. Joe has just about every one ever made along with cables to attach to them. He has studied every style of training in every country and is called upon for his expertise by the NFL the WWE and athletic institutions all over the world.



He has run his own combine, preparing NFL hopefuls to such perfection that the NFL combine had to raise their standards of competition. Houston Texan defense dominator Brian Cushing has trained with Joe since high school. New York Giants offensive tackle Dave Diehl trains there regularly. On any given day you will come across professional athletes or those aspiring to be . But make no mistake, they are there to work, and they work alongside everyone else who trains there. Fame is not a prerequisite, a die-hard work ethic, respect and drive are. Joe lives them all every day.

His father led his family with morals ethics and a drive like no other. He trains just as hard as any athlete in that gym, and has raised the bar for every “washed up meat head” on the wall. He also takes care of Joe’s mom, diagnosed with MS early in life. Mr D. will easily admit “she is the strongest one in the family” Needless to say, Mr. D also never looks back.

Even while the likes of WWE legend Triple H flips tires in his gym, Joe’s proudest when his twin baby girls are throwin down on the turf. Granted, they are throwing baby toys, but they always bring a smile to his face. When he decided to expand the gym, it was the support of his wife and family that got him through. Once again, he never looked back.




Ten years after his first client ever hired him, Joe is still looking to improve his brand. There is no part of strength he does not research, examine, redefine and improve. His gym consistently is written up everywhere from glossy fitness magazines, to hardcore strength websites. He is quoted and consulted constantly. He is the master of all entrepreneurs. Put simply he loves what he does and he does what he loves. Congratulations Joe. Its only fitting to say, we can’t wait to see what the next ten years will bring.

www.defrancostraining.com

follow Joe on Twitter

www.strongmovie.com

The NJ Cigar Festival will be held on May 11, 2013 11am-4pm,at the Park Avenue Club in Florham Park New Jersey. Your ticket price not only gets you a humidor full of cigars and a buffet lunch, but the opportunity to meet some of the cigar industry’s heavy hitters including Jersey’s own, Antonio Lam of Reinado Cigars.

Established in 2010 by Lam, Reinado Premium Cigars continues
to leverage their unique blend and signature fermentation process,
receiving critical acclaim for their recently released Grand Empire
Reserve, a “soft box pressed” Nicaraguan puro robusto named
“Elegidos,” which has been included in three lists of “Top 10 Cigars
of 2012.” The Grand Empire Reserve was also awarded with a 91 Rating
from Cigar Snob Magazine, which has fueled demand on a nationwide
level. “Our focus has been to develop superior depth, richer
undertones, and enhanced overall complexity for the palates of cigar
smokers. Based upon the year-end rankings, Reinado has delivered and
has been recognized alongside some of the most distinguished cigar
brands in the world,” said Lam.

Reinado will be adding four more sizes to its popular Grand Empire line at this year’s IPCPR trade show and convention in Las Vegas. The entire line will be known as the Premium Collection Grand Empire Reserve. The company will add a Corona Gorda (5 5/8 x 46), Toro (6 x 52), Gordo (6 x 60) and a limited edition Petit Lancero (6 x 38).


Come out for an afternoon of fine tobacco sharing and meet the best in the business

www.njcigarfest.com

www.twitter.com/njcigarfest

http://www.reinadocigars.com/

When I moved to Mendham, I felt like a fish out of water. I knew 1 person in the town and my kids were babies. The very first recommendation made to me, “You have to go to Burrinis”. So I did. The sights sounds and wonderful aromas were so comforting, it felt like, well, home. After many years of enjoying the treats of this magical market, I sat down with Pete Burrini.

Originally Burrinis was a butcher shop in Mendham peacefully sharing the mini mall with several small businesses and Kings Supermarket. By 1993, some shady paperwork and a competition clause had forced the family to rethink their home. Pete’s father, the master butcher had a following, they had added a kitchen to fulfill the family’s vision to begin catering and specialty dishes, and some prime real estate was available in Pete’s hometown, Randolph.

Today Burrinis is double the size it was when they moved in, nearly completing renovations, serving some of the best prepared cuisine and hosting one the most diverse grocery selections in all of Morris County while maintaining that old world market feel. I highly recommend allowing generous time to savor every specialty Burrinis has to offer. Starting with the seafood counter, not only do I consistently get the best salmon I have ever tasted, but the selection of shellfish is beyond compare. Moving down to the butcher counter, I am always greeted with a smile and excellent customer service. Right around the corner is prepared foods, including a sushi bar, an amazing salad bar, a grab and go hot food bar including a savory soup selection and one of my new favorites, a smoothie bar. The “Burrini Greenie” is perfect after the gym and great natural energizer. While waiting for the smoothie I always check out the imported cheeses, and continue to the shelves of fine Italian imports. The far corner of the market houses a great selection of gluten free treats opposite the frozen and refrigerator section chock full every day. There’s fresh produce, a coffee bar, and my kids’ favorite, a bakery boasting every cupcake flavor you can imagine and arguably the best Italian bread for miles.

All of this is truly amazing to take in, but what got me, and drove me to want to know more, was the level of customer service I experienced every time I have stepped foot in the place. Everyone is happy to help, share a smile or suggest a daily special. One employee had me convinced to submit a resume. Three generations of Burrinis have helped establish this wonderful market for the last 47 years, a tradition and a legacy you don’t see every day.

If you are not craving after reading this, I suggest you check your pulse, or simply head on over to Sussex Turnpike and visit. Check their weekly specials online and extensive catering menu. We are just around the corner from "May Days" where the deals are hot and Burrini's famous hot dog cart brings you back in time where $1 gets you a hot dog and a soda. Let Burrinis make you next holiday, special occasion or this evenings meal something truly special.

Help one 16 year old with a strong mind and a pure heart make a difference in the lives of many. Pam is a friend and her daughter Leah is amazing and is following her heart.

This is from FunkyFleece.Com :

My 16 year old daughter is like many of the amazing youth of today...socially conscious and wanting to aid in an outreach program. She has always dreamed of going to Africa - to help in any way she can. The summer of 2012 her dream came true...and she headed to Kenya, Africa for 3 weeks of volunteering with the Me to We/Free the Children youth program. This is a very expensive venture...funded completely by the participant's family...but it was a life-changing experience in countless ways. Many hours were spent by the group of volunteering youth, helping build new school rooms for the Sikirrar Primary School in the Mara Massai region of Kenya. My daughter loved the experience so much that she plans a return trip to continue this amazing work...in the summer of 2013! My company is committed to this cause, and Funky Fleece product sales will go directly to fund this trip. A straight donation, of any size, would be SO greatly appreciated! THANK YOU so very much for your generosity - for an amazing cause! Sincerely, Pam McIntyre - owner on behalf of my amazing daughter Leah (16 yrs, grade 11 student)


Click here to donate

Fabulous Mothers Day Idea

CoFi Case has a stylish floral print case just in time for Spring, Mother’s Day or Graduation.
Protect your tablet or e-reader in beautiful 100% genuine leather
Available in two sizes for your iPad, Kindle Fire, Nook, Nexus 7, the iPad Mini and more



CoFi Case travels well encases your tablet in the finest leather with many styles available. 10% of all online sales benefit The Fetal Health Foundation. Visit CoFi Case today.

Check out all CoFi Case styles

CoFi on Twitter

CoFi on Facebook

It’s a Sunday Soiree with the WGirls! Come out and meet WGIRLS Coastal NJ Chapter and network with local professionals at Taste in Red Bank on April 21 from 3 – 6 p.m. Proceeds will go toward Project PAUL devastated by Sandy.

Project PAUL was established in 1980 to provide community outreach to local families as a part of St. Ann’s Parish in Keansburg. Starting out simply as a food pantry, Project PAUL now operates a thrift shop and furniture store, as well as provides financial assistance and educational support. Additional information can be found at http://www.projpaul.org/index.html

The WGIRLS Coastal NJ is a network of professional women who volunteer and host fundraisers to assist disadvantaged women and children across Monmouth, Ocean, Atlantic and Cape May counties. The mission of WGIRLS is to provide women and children with the support and resources necessary to achieve health, happiness, and the ability to lead productive and successful adult lives. Learn more at www.wgirlscoastalnj.org. Affiliate chapter of WGIRLS, INC, www.wgirls.org.



Those interested in attending this event can find more information at http://www.wgirls.org/wgirls-coastal-nj/.

Everyone benefits from an event like this so come on out!
Follow @WGIRLScoastalNJ on Twitter
WGIRLScoastalNJ on Tumblr