HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Wishing you a healthy and joyous 2022
GENERAL EVENT INFORMATION
South Orange Active Older Adult
Winter Recreation and Cultural Programming
Indoor programs including Beginner Yoga, Line Dancing, Chair Yoga, Project Healthy Bones, Creative Blooms Crafts, Ikebana, Canasta, and Mah Jongg are offered in the SOPAC loft beginning in mid-January. Classes are open to South Orange and Maplewood residents. Per the Village guidelines, proof of vaccination and masks are required. For class details, fees and to register go to Catalog - South Orange Department of Recreation & Cultural Affairs (rec1.com), click on Active Older Adults or call 973-378-7754 ext 2.SOMA 2021 Senior Survey
Let your voice be heard!
If you are 60 or older, we invite you to take our community-wide survey. As both towns endeavor to meet the expectations of all residents, we would like to know more about our older adult community. We want input from everyone in this age group. You can access the online version of the survey via https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SOMA_2021_Senior_Survey. This link is also on our website, somatwotownsforallages.org. Paper copies are available at both town libraries (Hilton branch in Maplewood), both Town Halls, the DeHart Center, and the Maplewood Senior Center. You can return completed surveys at the libraries, Senior Center, or our Town Hall locations. It will take about 20 minutes to complete the survey.
Many thanks to all who have already responded!
Rutgers Virtual Courses for Seniors
The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Rutgers University (OLLI-RU) is for individuals over 50 who are looking for an opportunity to expand their horizons, learn in an engaging environment, and meet new friends. OLLI-RU offers reasonably priced noncredit education that is stimulating, friendly, and informal–there are no tests and no grades! You will be part of a learning community that is full of diversity, insight, wisdom, intellectual and cultural stimulation, and friendship. The shorter winter session begins January 6th and ends on February 18th. The spring session begins February 28th. For registration and course information, go to home | Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (rutgers.edu) or call, 848-932-6554.
CALENDAR EVENTS
Monday, January 3rd
Maplewood Garden Club Monthly Speaker’s Program: “Community Planning, Community Planting", 7:30 pm, Free
Join Maplewood Garden Club on Monday, January 3, at 7:30 when a representative from Our Green West Orange will share the green initiatives OGWO has been pursuing in its West Orange community, including educational resources on native plants, tree management and identification, pesticide and weed alternatives, and environmental justice. The presentation will follow a brief business meeting and conclude with a Q&A session. For meeting details, go to MGC’s website, www.maplewoodgardenclub.org.
Tuesday, January 4th
G(r)ay Matter Book Discussion Group (Virtual), 7 to 8 pm, Free
This Maplewood Library book group will discuss works by contemporary LGBTQIA+ and Two-spirit authors in a variety of genres, including fiction, history, memoirs, poetry, science fiction, and graphic novels. Our January title is Poet Warrior: A Memoir by Joy Harjo, the first Native American to serve as U.S. poet laureate. She invites us to travel along the heartaches, losses, and humble realizations of her "poet-warrior" road. Poet Warrior reveals how Harjo came to write poetry of compassion and healing, poetry with the power to unearth the truth and demand justice. To register, go to the events calendar at Maplewood Library.
Thursday, January 6th
Essex County Weequahic Park Birding Walk with New Jersey Audubon, 8:45 am to 11 am, $10 members/$15 non-members
Visit an Essex County oasis while searching for wintering ducks, gulls and passerine birds. All can be viewed along an easy trail around the lake. Enter the park at Meeker and Empire Streets, Newark, then bear left and continue to the large parking area on the south side of the lake. Led by Dave Hall, Associate Naturalist, NJ Audubon. Pre-registration is required. Payment may be made via credit card. To register, please contact the Scherman-Hoffman Wildlife Sanctuary at (908) 396-6386.
Friday, January 7th
Special Conversations with Camile Guthrie, 1 pm, Virtual
Join the South Orange Public Library’s guest, Camille Guthrie, Author of Diamonds and other poetry books, Director of Undergraduate Writing at Bennington College, who will speak on Writing at Midlife: Humor and Heartbreak Click HERE to join.
Saturday, January 8th
Maplewood Library Yarn and Fiber Group, 10 am to 12 pm, Free
The group will meet in person once a month. The January location is 1978 Springfield Ave., Maplewood. This is a gathering for people who knit, crochet, quilt, sew, embroider or do other creative things with yarn or fabric. Enjoy a relaxing morning working on your projects and get feedback and advice from fellow crafters. Bring your own supplies. Drop in: no registration is required. All skill levels are welcome! Face masks are required.
Karaoke Night at The Fox & Falcon,19 Valley Street, South Orange
Join the Fox and Falcon and MAPSO Entertainment at the main bar starting at 10 pm for Karaoke! Take the stage, belt out your favorite tunes, and entertain a supportive local audience.
Thursday, January 13th
Maplewood Library Books Now and Then Book Discussion Group (Virtual), 7 pm to 8 pm, Free
Our January title, Stoner by John Williams, is a deeply moving classic that follows the life of a quiet English professor who, after escaping his poor roots, finds only disappointment and heartache and gives himself fully to his profound love of literature. To register, go to the events calendar at Maplewood Library.
Friday, January 14th
Museum Crawl: Teatro-Museo Dali in Figueres, Spain, 12:00 pm, Free
Newark Museum of Art, Virtual
Explore the work of Salvador Dalí with a virtual visit to the Teatro-Museo Dalí, a jewel of the Fundació Gala-Salvador Dalí in Figueres, Spain. Fiona Mata, Coordinator of the Centre for Dalinian Studies, guides us on this special tour. This Museum Crawl will be offered in English and some Spanish.
Click to Museum Crawl: Teatro-Museo Dalí in Figueres, Spain Registration, Fri, Jan 14, 2022 at 12:00 PM | Eventbrite
Monday, January 17th
21st Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Observance, 4:00 pm live on YouTube
Community Coalition on Race
This year’s observance theme is “Serving Something Greater Than Ourselves", and is based on Dr. King’s call “to discover some cause and some purpose, some loyalty outside of yourself and give yourself to that something.” This interfaith observance will include performances, stories, and ways to connect to volunteer opportunities. For the link and more information go to 21st Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Observance & Luminary Lighting - South Orange/Maplewood Community Coalition on Race.
Luminary Lighting, $10/$20
At home, immediately following the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Observance
Community Coalition on Race
The observance will be followed immediately by the lighting of luminaries throughout SOMA. Luminaries can be purchased locally and come four in a pack for a suggested donation of $10 in support of the mission of the Community Coalition on Race. By popular request, there will be a special option of LED candles (suitable for indoor use), for a suggested donation of $10. Luminaries will be available for sale at Able Baker, Pet Wants, Sparkhouse Toys, True Salvage, D&I Fitness, Oh! Canary, A Paper Hat, General Store Cooperative and Words.
MLK, Jr. Day Symposium, 9 am to 4 pm, Free
Seton Hall University, Virtual
In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., one of America’s most revered advocates for racial justice and social change, the College of Arts and Sciences, in collaboration with the Division of Continuing Education and Professional Studies, will once again offer a special workshop to be held on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The day-long event will take place on Monday, January 17,.9 am – 4 pm, and will be offered online through Microsoft Teams where you can log on at 8:45 am. Registration is required, Register Here. Attendees can register for the morning, afternoon, or both sessions.
Wednesday, January 19th
First Ever New Year Celebration, 12:00 pm, $10
Maplewood Senior Center, 106 Burnett Avenue, Maplewood
Maybe by officially welcoming in 2022 it will be a great year, filled with health happiness and lots of good luck for us all. Hor d’oeuvres, sparkling cider and something sweet for a sweet new year will be served. Enjoy a little BINGO for some fun. Call 973-763-0750 to register or go to Maplewood Recreation.
Read Around the World: Ecuador (Virtual). 7 pm to 8 pm
Maplewood Library
Our January title is The Sisters of Alameda Street by Lorena Hughes. A mix of historical fiction, romance and intrigue set in the 1960s, The Sisters of Alameda Street is a sweeping story of how one woman’s search for the truth of her identity forces a family to confront their own past. To register, go to the events calendar at Maplewood Library.
Friday, January 21st
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Anti-Racism Training, 10:30 am to 12:00 pm, Free
Seton Hall University (Virtual)
Join members from the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee for an interactive workshop on anti-racism and exploring race, bias, and identity.
The DEI Anti-Racist Training: "A Conversation about Race and Racism" will help participants learn more about racism, how racism manifests itself, and what it means to be an anti-racist. This interactive workshop will help participants explore race, bias, and identity. Upon registration, you will receive a virtual link the day before the workshop. To register, go to
Special Conversations with Shelly Eversley, 1 pm, Virtual
Join the South Orange Public Library’s guest, Shelly Eversley, Professor and Interim Chair of Black and Latinx Studies, Baruch College, who will talk about Recovering a History of Black Writing and Black Resistance Obscured by Years of U.S. Censorship and Surveillance
Click HERE to join.
Sunday, January 23rd
Backyard Birding 101, 1 pm
Join the Durand-Hedden House and Garden, Maplewood, to learn about the many birds that winter in New Jersey and find out how to get started in birding, including being able to correctly identify birds and how to set up a citizen science project in your backyard.
Saturday, January 29th
Birding Walk, 8:30 am to 11 am, $10 members/$15 non-members.
Essex County Riker Hill Art Park and Becker Tract (Livingston)
Walk thought old farm fields to discover overwintering field birds. Hike along the 1B Eagle Rock Avenue, Roseland. Led by Dave Hall, Associate Naturalist, NJ Audubon. Pre-registration is required. Payment may be made via credit card. Walk-ins are not permitted. To register, please visit contact the Scherman-Hoffman Wildlife Sanctuary at (908) 396-6386.
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