Article by Michael Mizov @mikemizov
Photos by Erik Renninger @erikrenninger
Welcome to the first holiday weekend in a post-lockdown New Jersey! Vaccinations are up, NJ is the sixth most vaccinated state with 47.9% fully vaccinated with Somerville slightly ahead at 55% (https://covid19.nj.gov/index.html), the weather is… weather. Give it an hour and maybe you’ll like it. Even better news, on Friday, May 28th the first phase of restriction easing goes into place: you no longer need masks indoors, the six-foot social distancing requirement is gone, and dance floors at bars and restaurants are ready for you to shake a leg (Full info: https://www.nj.gov/governor/news/news/562021/approved/20210524a.shtml). Keep in mind individual businesses may have their own rules in place, so make sure you follow their requests.
Even with all this good news, you might not be quite ready to make the jump and travel out of state or even out of town just yet, but that doesn’t mean you need to spend another holiday weekend in the house. Somerville has a ton of events going on and it’s time to get out and enjoy what town has to offer. Just to get the bad news out of the way, the Memorial Day Parade is canceled, and the bike race is postponed until Labor Day. Lucky for you, we’ve compiled a list of everything else that’s going on around town.
Friday, May 28th:
Cruise Nights are back! The Memorial Day Weekend kicks off in style with cruise nights, back once again on Main Street starting from 6 pm, though usually, they line up earlier, through the late evening. This event brings classic and unique cars out to line Main Street and was sorely missed in 2020.
Panama Dead, a new project from Ronnie Penque of The New Riders of the Purple Sage will be at Village Brewing Company at 6 PM, get your tickets in advance at Eventbrite (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/panama-dead-a-tribute-to-the-new-riders-of-the-purple-sage-tickets-145311365205). If you’re into that Grateful Dead/Country rock sound they’re worth checking out, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LODbU9xC0lA.
Baseball is back! Starting Friday the 28th the Somerset Patriots can go back to full capacity, so why not take in a game and a fireworks show? If Friday doesn’t work the Patriots will be playing New Hampshire Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, so take your pick and check out the stadium upgrades since the Patriots have become Double-A affiliate to the New York Yankees.
Saturday, May 29th:
Looking to try something new? There will be a Beginner Archery Course held at 9:30 AM put on by The Heritage Guild just down the road in Branchburg, sign up here: http://www.heritageguild.com/Events/Event-Details.aspx?EventID=9209&m=05/29/2021
Music on Division is back and presents The Outcrops, a blend of rock/blues/funk/old country/ jazz with Cassidy Rani on vocals/guitar and Bryan Schroeder on lead guitar. They go on at 6PM on the Division Street stage. Check out their music at their YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3Fgxn2qRXk
Pinot’s Palette will be doing A Day at the Dunes from 2pm-4pm. Nothing better to get you in the mood for a summer down the shore than to kick back and create some art https://www.pinotspalette.com/somerville/event/537831
Sunday, May 30th:
Duke Farms has started their outdoor farmer’s market back up and this Sunday is no exception. Head over and pick up some local foods and crafts and support local businesses. Open 10am to 2pm. https://visitsomersetnj.org/event/duke-farms-farmers-market/2021-05-30/
Monday, May 31st:
At 11 am Mayor Dennis Sullivan and the Borough Council will once again join American Legion Post 12 in their Memorial Day Ceremony at New Cemetery on South Bridge Street to honor the fallen servicemen and women that gave the ultimate sacrifice for our country.
And finally, If you’re looking to give back to the community the Somerset County Bar Foundation will be hosting a virtual 3K/5K to raise money and donations for the Somerset County Food Bank the entire long weekend. Get some exercise and give back, more info can be found on their page: https://legalrunaround.org/
Now’s your chance to get out and enjoy some music, take in a baseball game, paint a picture, try out archery, and just get your body moving after this long lockdown period. All of Somerville’s restaurants will be hoppin’ so get your evening reservations in now!
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Turn Your Memorial Day Weekend into a Staycation Event
Article by Michael Mizov @mikemizov
Photos by Erik Renninger @erikrenninger
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