Poor Man's Springsteen Concert and Carny Tradition

I debated about what title to give this post as it started with seeing a Springsteen knock-off band, and ended with honoring a recently deceased carny worker. 

Maybe this should be two posts instead of one long one.

Tonight we went to Mercer County Park to see the B Street Band play at the annual L.E.A.D Fest State Fair. LEAD stands for Law Enforcement Against Drugs and Violence. Over the years I have heard about the event, but it wasn't until I saw a Facebook post on the Spring-Nuts page that I was enticed to attend. 

For $5 we could hear the B Street Band, the world's longest running tribute band. Or, as I thought of them, the poor man's Springsteen concert. Looking at their website, they perform quite frequently in the area driving distance to Asbury Park, NJ. The lead singer is great. If you closed your eyes, he sounds a lot like The Boss. We had a great time. Hopefully they were not too disappointed to only be performing to a couple of dozen fans. As a bonus, there was a great fireworks show as they were closing out with "Born to Run."

After the show we walked through the carnival. Carnivals have never quite been my scene since I started thinking about the safety of rides I see being transported in pieces down the highway. There used to be a carnival that was connected with my parents' church. They would take the grandchildren to it, while I adopted a "what I don't see won't hurt me" approach. 

There never was a problem.

The weather was perfect. No hint of the heatwave coming later in the week.

As the event was not that crowded, leaving would not be a challenge. Still we took a stroll through the carnival side and compared things to Disneyland. 

Fireworks. Check!

Mousetrap ride=Mickey. Check!

Carousel. Check!

Then I noticed the lead horse, which is Jingles at Disneyland, was turned backwards and had a sign attached to it. It took me about a split second to identify that as a tribute. Game over. No Disneyland equivalent, but my curiosity was piqued.

Gloria passed away two days ago. She was traveling on the road with Reithoffer Shows up until she was 93 years young. Carny tradition is that the lead horse is turned around as a tribute. Someone with the parks was able to answer our questions about the tribute, and tell us it is an industry tradition, which then made me wonder about other carnival traditions.

May her memory be a blessing.

 

Basking Ridge, NJ: Lord Sterling Manor

For years Stacy has been telling me about Lord Sterling. His wife, Lady Sterling, was the focus of her graduate dissertation. Since the early 2000s she has been involved with this site. When I heard they were having a public archaeology day, I decided to make the hour-long drive to Basing Ridge to see the place for myself.

Atop where Lord Sterling's 18th century home stood is a 1923 Marshall Fields catalogue home. I happen to think that is more exciting than his original home. The dig site is trying to learn more about what happened.

In the 1980s Mr. Cooper did extensive archaeology. He uncovered over 80,000 artifacts. Even after culling the collection, there were still 50,000 left. Some of the highlights were on display inside the house. Outside students were excavating place where Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) identified there were things of interest under the ground, such as a cistern on either end, part of a hearth, etc.

I showed up at lunchtime so I did not see the students at work. There are students doing field work for college credit, and Hunter Research professionals on hand.

It is so much fun to see the underground world they are uncovering.

I left with archaeology envy. It is clear they are well-funded. The metal trays they use for drying artifacts have holes in the bottom for draining and rest inside a metal cart. Throughout the site were similar hints of money behind the project -- things the students involved likely do not even appreciate.

As today was the last digging day I asked if they were filling in the sites by the end of the day. They looked at me funny and said, no someone else will do that later. Someone from the county, or maybe from Hunter Research. People will study it before sealing it all up again. Yup, they don't know how spoiled they are. 

I'm glad I made the trip. I wish it was closer.

NYC Ferry System

Back when the cherry blossoms were in bloom Don and I went into NYC to see them on Roosevelt Island. Instead of a beautiful Spring day, we had a dreary one. We took the tram from the 60th Street station, and flew over the East River. In trying to figure out the best way back a couple we passed suggested taking the ferry. All this years we have visited New York City and neither one of us realized the city has an active ferry system. The fare is higher than the subway ($4.50 vs. $3), and on bad weather days it does not run, but it seemed like a fun way for us to get from Roosevelt Island to the theater district in time to see Schmigadoon at the Nederlander.

We learned there is a serious space limit on the ferries. We were not even close to making the boat we wanted to be on. Along with dozens of others, we were left on the dock with the next ferry not set to arrive for another half an hour. 

When we looked at the ticket, we realized it was good for three months. Surely we would have a chance to use it before July 3.

We have been back to New York City several other times, but never with enough time to take a joyride. A couple of weeks ago we intended to use it when we decided to get distracted at the REI store before it was set to close. 

Today we set aside a couple of hours to ride the ferry. We walked from the World Trade Center PATH station to the Wall Street ferry station. Unlike Roosevelt Island, though, the Wall Street Station has about a half-dozen different docks. We wandered around and asked advice before opting for the local ER boat. 

Once we boarded we walked through the indoor area, up the stairs to deck. Unsure if we were allowed to stand, we played a silent version of musical chairs and snagged two seats and rode to the first stop: DUMBO (otherwise known as Down Under Manhattan Bridge Overpass). That looked like a lively area. We hardly ever cross the East River and explore the neighborhoods. Maybe we should sign up for a tour someday.

That was the longest stop. We paused at both South and North Williamsburg, Greenpoint, Hunters Point South, and ended at the 34th Street port, which is a terminus. We were surprised the stops varied in length. Unlike our day on Roosevelt Island, everyone who wanted to get on did.

After that first stop we decided to stand near the front of the boat and act like tourists. Based on the number of people we saw posing for selfies and taking pictures of both Brooklyn and Manhattan, most people upstairs seemed to be tourists. As we left, we noticed a worker with a serious toolbox. He looked like his shift was over for the day. Taking the ferry has a relaxed pace, vs. taking the subway or a bus. I commented to Don I am glad to not live someplace where I am dependent upon a ferry to get to work.

We enjoyed ourselves. The ferry has views of both sides of the river, plus Roosevelt Island. I don't know if we'll ever do it again, but we are glad we did it once. As Don said, it was the best $4.50 spent in NYC. At free, the Staten Island ferry is a better deal, plus it passes the Statue of Liberty, but this ferry showed us a part of New York we never visit.

NYC Peace Museum

Wandering around New York City's Finance District we stumbled upon this bicycle:

As it was covered in fake flowers and attached to a street sign, it caught our attention.

On the front is a sign:

PEACE

Peace Museum NY

The world's smallest mobile museum

PEACE MUSEUM NY on Facebook @peacebike #peacebike on Instagram

Looking at the bright bicycle I couldn't help but think this is as good a symbol of peace in New York City as anything else. We haven't earned the right to have a brick and mortar museum dedicated to peace since it is fleeting and doesn't sit still. Nor is it very large.

Concord's Thinking Man

"At first I seem delirious, but once explained, I'm nothing serious."

This Into the Woods quote floated in my head as we were approached by an older gentleman wearing a bright yellow vest with the words Thinking Man on them. I knew we were in for a long conversation that would either be annoying or life altering, but would definitely leave us with a story.

Last year John was interviewed by the local NPR station, WGBH. Reading his transcript sounds exactly like what he told Don and I as we walked from our car, across the North Bridge, on our way to the Concord Historical site. We were pressed for time, but John is very persuasive and he encouraged us to pause and listen to him. As we parted Don asked if we could take his picture, which he readily agreed to.

A decade ago John's cardiologist diagnosed him with congenital heart failure and told him to step away from screens and get out and walk. I feel a smidge of guilt typing this on my screen when I should be following his advice and going out for a walk on this rainy day.

John, a retired Harvard history professor and finance guy by trade, started walking around Minute Man National Park. He decided to start saying "Hi" to strangers. He has a knack for languages and decided to sing their national anthem to international visitors. Sometimes this meant learning their songs. He has a  repertoire of 46 songs from around the world. He sings in the park because his family does not like his singing voice.

He was nervous when he reached out to his first person, a woman from France. After breaking out into La Marseilles, he was afraid she would think he was crazy and he would be banned from the park. Instead, she told him he made her day. He repeated this with the next person, a woman from Mexico. When he meets someone from a country where he does not have a song at the ready he asks them for their favorite song.

"What a dopamine rush!" He says enthusiastically lifting his arms in a cheer as he describes the feeling he gets when people are moved when they hear their song. Each positive experience encourages him to meet more people. The negative ones sadden him, but he continues. I'm glad we stayed and talked, even though my instinct was to press on.

Upon meeting us he asked where we are from. When we said New Jersey he listed positive things about our state, leading with Albert Einstein lived there. 

Reading his story it says he launched a short-lived presidential campaign in 2024. I wish he had won. His positivity is infectious. 

We ended with his eight-word mantra:

Inhale with gratitude.

Exhale with kindness.

Repeat.

I was to mull this over and get back to him in three days letting him know if I agreed with him or had a better one. It has been more than three days, but I am still mulling.

He asked us for our best advice. A tough thing to come up with on the spot.

Mine was: always bring a book; always keep moving.

Don's was: invest early

He rises early each day to write before he embarks on his walks. I am not following his blog.

Blacksmithing Lesson

This is a different sort of post for me as I do not have any notes. I'm not sure what I will say. I'll let my fingers do the writing.

On Monday, Christine and I met up with Dan, The Hebrew Hammer Blacksmith. For me this journey began a month earlier when I saw a flyer at Lawrenceville's annual Spring Fling about blacksmithing lessons. A couple of weeks later I signed up to go on an archaeological dig at James Madison's blacksmith shop this September. I thought it would be fun to do some hands-on blacksmithing before then.

I reached out to Christine to see if she would want to join me. Christine knows Dan from her work at Howell Living Farm. She is also the type of friend who is always up for a new adventure. Unbeknownst to me, in 2019 she won a blacksmithing lesson but between the pandemic and life, she hadn't cashed it in.

We were good team. More importantly, Dan is a great teacher.

Dan is currently the sole blacksmith at the shop in Trenton. When I parked my convertible across the street, my immediate thought was this is a sketchy part of town. One I don't visit very often. There is litter strewn about on the side street. His shop is on North Olden Avenue, directly across from an abandoned factory, where there is talk of building a skating park (as in skateboard). As I was leaving, though, I was warmly greeted by a woman walking her dog. I should try to be less judgy. If you feel inspired to take blacksmithing lessons after reading this, please note that he has his own parking lot.

The shop has been a blacksmith shop since 1823. It was originally smaller, later expanded closer to the sidewalk, eliminating the space where a carriage may have once parked.

Don sports a wiry, red beard. It seems to match his identity as an historic blacksmith. He fell in love with blacksmithing when he was seven years old and met his first blacksmith at Howell Living History Farm. He is only 34 years old, born two weeks after I graduated from college.

In addition to running his shop, he is an historic blacksmith at several sites. I saw him in 2024 on a super hot July afternoon at Howell Living History Farm barely break a sweat working with the hot fire demonstrating his trade to the crowd gathered as we fanned ourselves and stuck to the shade. It was impressive. He works at other historic sites, as well as Renaissance Fairs, and other places a blacksmith is welcome. He has a travel-sized forge he takes on the road.

He also told us about the time he was in the background in the recent Springsteen movie Springsteen: Deliver me from Nowhere. He met Springsteen for about ten seconds and had the wherewithal to have a coherent conversation about a musician they are both fans of.

Having Christine along was perfect. As coworkers, she and Dan fell into easy conversation as we waited for the iron to heat up. It made the experience more relaxing than had I gone alone.

Dan told us in addition to homeschool he has hosted bachelor parties where the gents bring pizza and hang out for a few hours while making items. Christine is now thinking of creating an event for a singles group she belongs to. He is comfortable working with groups of up to ten people. While his workshop is spacious, there is still a lot one could get into.

His first question to use was the hardest: what do we want to make? 

We decided to make low hooks perfect for hanging plants on. Oddly, neither one of us had given it any thought. He suggested a piece of jewelry, or a hook, or a nail. We both wanted something practical that we would use. Dan explained we would each leave with a plant holder.   

This was actually my second biggest challenge of the day. The first was finding clothes to wear that are 100% cotton. I have plenty of shirts I thought were 100% cotton, only to read the labels and see they have a lot of polyester or spandex in them. I wore one of the shirts Don used to wear when he worked for corporate America. Christine wore an old t-shirt. We both tucked our hair back from the embers.

At first glance, the shop is dark with the walls painted black, and many pieces of metal all over the place. As I relaxed into the place, I noticed just how neat and tidy it all is. The floor is swept clean. The metal pieces are organized in crates, bins, and on shelves. Tools are exactly where they belong. I have the sense that if you quizzed Dan, he could find anything immediately. 

Dan did the heaving lifting. After cutting our piece of wrought iron he heated it in the furnace and explained the rules. We were each given a hammer. He would point to a spot. I would whack it, then Christine would take a swing and we would repeat. When it came time to create the curve, Christine paused the swinging and took pictures of me. When we made the next one, I took pictures of her. 

We worked as a good team. We both trusted the other would not swing and miss. We both wanted to work. We both wanted to take pictures. Most importantly, we both wanted to enjoy the experience.

Dan said the plant holder we made, he could create in seven "heats." I tried to keep track of how often we had to reheat the iron, but it was much more than seven. We both felt the second one went much faster, but again we lost track.

An hour after we arrived we said good-bye to Dan.
Christine wants to create another outing and do this again. I'm looking forward to my dig in September.

More pictures:

Ewing's: Revolutionary Patriots: Alive in Ewing!

The Ewing Township Historic Preservation Society is hosting two dates of cemetery tours at the Ewing Church Cemetery. If upon reading this you want to attend, the next day is Sunday, July 12 every hour on the hour at 2, 3, and 4 pm.

The weather was stunning. Sunny with low humidity. 

Don recalls these types of tours happening in the past, tours led by Harriet Whitlock who passed away in 2005. These tours are being led by Helen Kull and author Larry Kidder.

The tagline of the Alive in Ewing event is Revolutionary-era citizens and militiaman share their stories in celebration of the Nation's 250th. A mouthful, but it does sum up the program.

Back in 1776 this area was actually called Trenton Township. Helen's half of the tour focused on the people, places, problems, and patriots, otherwise known as the four P's.

Ewing's history dates back to 1605 when immigrants started to come to the area in search of fertile land and woodlands. A great place to live halfway between Philadelphia and New York City. It was a great place for trading, as well as a cultural place with the original College of New Jersey up the road in Princeton.

In 1709 the 1.1 acre church area was purchased by twenty yeomen for five shillings (about $35 today). It was a communal effort. They started in 1712 with a log cabin before building a brick church, followed by the current sanctuary. The church predates the Revolution by over seventy years.

Place: the town was built by immigrants. Some were second and third sons who had nothing for them in England since only the oldest inherits. Some were affected by wars in Europe and came here to start anew. This area was founded by people from Scotland and England. There were Quakers, Reformed, and Anglicans worshipping in the area. As with the people in Lexington, some were loyal to the king, others were dissatisfied, and others had no loyalty. Exactly what we heard in Lexington, MA earlier in the week.

People: our militia was made up of farmers, yeomen (freeholders), tradespeople, merchants, artisans, manufacturers, etc., but not trained fighters. All me between the ages of 16 and 60 were required to serve in the militia, later the age was dropped to 50.

Problem: there was much civil unrest happening in pockets within the 18th century. In February the Ewing Township Historic Preservation Society sponsored a talk by Rick Durham about Daniel Coxe that went into more detail than could be covered in a few minutes during the cemetery tour. In the mid 1700s, Coxe bypassed the Quaker system of regulated land purchase and bought much of the property in the area. He then told those living on the property, people who believed they owned the land they had lived on for generations, that they were merely tenants and owed him rent. This was an early spark for the Revolutionary War, one I only learned about this year because even locally it is not taught.

Twenty minutes into our cemetery tour begin to "meet" colonists. Our first in Mr. Benjamin Moore (not the Benjamin Moore of the paint company). Mr. Moore, portrayed by Jim, a deacon at Ewing Covenant Church and passionate about history, was 58 in 1776, thus too old to serve. He did meet General George Washington on his way to Trenton to meet the Hessians.

The cemetery has just under 40 people who served in the Revolutionary War, their willingness to sacrifice everything to form a new country is amazing.

Helen moved us to a shady area where about 40 folding chairs had already been set up. Larry, an established local Revolutionary War expert, and author of many books including: A People Harassed and Exhausted, the title is in reference to a quote attributed to George Washington. He put a every day, human side to the war. "People did not all feel gung ho with war." It was required to join the militia. Signing the paper meant you were a patriot, but you had to sign the paper. The men expected part-time service protecting the area near their homes, instead they were sent for a month or longer to East Jersey, which was a week's walk from home. The men were farmers, blacksmiths, agriculturalists, in other words, they already had full-time jobs. New Jersey depended on their work so they had food.

The Continental Army was the full-time army. They were the real patriots ... or were they? Larry has a relative from a Loyalist family who fell in love with a girl from a Patriot family. To show his devotion to her, he joined the Continental Army. Many generations later, he is one of the results of their union.

There were exemptions to military service, including physical issues, religious concerns (Quakers), or jobs needed by the military (at least temporarily). Some men paid others to serve for them, or paid a fine. The war lasted eight long years.

Private William Green, portrayed by his descendent Thomas, talked about his plantation, which he built about a mile away. That's the site of my first archaeological dig. He gave a brief history of his life, before introducing us to his wife, Elizabeth Burroughs Green, portrayed by Maggie a history buff. She was excellent. She described how she had to take over the farm duties while her husband went off to war, and her other war efforts.

Lastly we were met by Major Israel Carle, portrayed by another Thomas. He won by heart when he apologized for not remembering the name of his servant and "hoping history fixes that error" (paraphrasing by me). He told us about serving in the calvary troops. This brought up the point that soldiers had to provide their own horse, guns, uniforms, bayonets, etc. Only ammunition was provided. As different muskets required different size musket balls (something I've noticed during archaeology), they often carried molds to be able to make their own bullets during battle. 

The calvary rode ahead and took messages between troops since they could move faster than those on foot. News traveled at the speed of horse.

Larry emphasized it was unknown how long people would be called to serve active duty, this made it hard to plan life. Something else I had not realized, they did not always serve with the same men, nor did their commanders have the same troops under them. This made it hard to fight as a team. 

That's just something else that does not come through the history books.