Shamong Township, NJ

From my Guest Blogger and sister, Lisa Rose:

My very first Winefest EVER! Sure I've visited wineries, did the tour, checked out the grapes, sniffed the barrels, got my free wine glass, but Valenzano Winefest 2010 was so much more!

I chose my friend Keith to be my wine tasting buddy of the day. We paid $12.00 entry as opposed to the $8.00 advanced ticket price because we both have a problem with commitment. (Ok, not really! But we both know that life has a way of happening and sometimes it just doesn't happen the way we expect it to:) So being the typical taking-no-chances-duo, we made our way to the tasting tables because we are also try-every-wine-in-front-of-us-people. Free glass in hands, we were off! (Keith's looking a bit angelic here. Don't let the clouds fool you.)

We went against all the rules! Valenzano suggests tasting all the dry wines, then move into the semi-sweets, then sweets and fruit blends, then lastly the port. We tried Red, White, and Blue Sangria which is a delightfully sweet blend of red cranberries, white cranberries, and blueberries. (Very clever Valenzano;) Of course the label is in red white and blue berries and corked with an American flag designed cork, I gravitated to the bottle like any Fourth of July "baby" would! Delightfully sweet and oh so delicious and very affordable at $9.99. For every bottle of Sangria sold, $1.00 is donated Operation Troop Aid. (Better get extra!)

Blueberry Bubbly is a wonderful sparkling wine that made me want to buy a case for New Years Eve. The Jersey Devil Port is one of my favorites and I adore the artwork of our very own New Jersey beast on the label. I'm partial to the port when there's snow on the ground. There is a perfect wine for every occasion isn't there?

Dry wines aren't as bad as I thought. We decided to live by the rules and do it right. I tried the Vidal Blanc and really loved it! A great dinner wine. I also tried the semi-sweet Pinelands Blush and learned it either has to be dry or sweet-- there's no in between for me. Blueberry was very tasty, but not my absolute favorite because of a slightly tart aftertaste. Let's just face it, I love sweet wine.

Valenzano did not forget the kids. The children's section looked very entertaining for the little ones. They had live children's music with sing-a-longs, pony rides, games, face painting and other activities by Studio Lulu. The kids seemed to have a good time.

We really enjoyed music from Gas House Gorillas. (At least we think that was them!) It seemed like perfect wine tasting tunes. We didn't hear South Southern Delta, but I liked their attire--all jazz and blues looking. They had a car show and charities for various dogs. This was truly a dog-friendly event and many people brought their dogs for the day. They offered helicopter rides of the Pine Barrens for a fee--around $50.00 a person, discounted for two and Keith said, "Nuh-uh, no way." Not in the flying mood Keith? Maybe some other time.

You could even rent party tables/tents for the day and bring your own picnic and beverages (just no outside alcohol)

Food, Food, Glorious Food! Vendors everywhere! Italian, BBQ, Snacks and Fried Oreos? Keith and I decided that was a heart attack waiting to happen. I'm still curious.

"LUCY! I am not going to be the father of that cheese!" (Ricky Riccardo exclaimed in an old "I Love Lucy" when she tried to smuggle cheese and pretended it was a baby.)
Keith and I never found the cheese tasting. We learned it was at the Pavilion on the opposite side of the field and we were hot and tired. Bummer. He promised me the Diner afterwards so I wouldn't start whining.
We cooled off a couple times by visiting the vendors under a huge tent. Woodworkers, candles, body soaps and lotions, jewelry, toys, sports souvenirs, specialty foods including honey, sauces, spices, gourmet foods, painted glassware, handcrafted items, etc. We ate honey sticks-- we each tried some kind of berry and it was yummy! I tried some crab red sauce and thought it was delicious. Also, I found the candle called "Fireside" for Keith to sniff. I had smelled it at another festival last year. No lie, it smells like your fireplace. Neato! but, is that a smell I want? We didn't buy it.

But, we each bought a bottle of Sangria to take home! Wise purchase.

Michele Rose is a Realtor and Professional Home Stager in Burlington County, NJ. She has been assisting both buyers and sellers with their real estate needs for the last 6 years. In 2007, she founded Rose-Colored Staging, a professional home staging and redesign business, to help sellers successfully market their homes with professional home staging.

I know that I've been talking a lot about all of the good news out there in the housing market, and I just wanted to take a minute to thank all of my clients, and the people like them that are making this recovery happen. I think one of the best examples of this recently were my clients at 53 Rye Lane in Shamong. They listed their house with me a little over a month ago, and it was under contract within 30 days. Now there home is in an area where several other homes have sat on the market for months, and in some cases years.

I'd like to tell you that this quick sale was all due to my innovative marketing methods and my incredible negotiation skills, but those weren't the only factor's involved in finding a buyer so quickly. I believe that the most important factor was my clients willingness to price their home realistically for the market. Notice I didn't say give their home away, I said price it realistically. After looking at the few comps that were in the area, we figured out an approximate value for the home, and then priced it very close to that value. When I suggest this method of pricing to many clients, they are afraid to do this thinking that they will only get low-ball offers, but these clients were savvy sellers and understood that maximum traffic leads to the highest sale price. Now we did receive one low-ball offer, but with a little negotiation, that offer turned into a very close to full price offer.

It's realistic sellers like my clients here that are creating the environment for the housing recovery. If you are interested in learning where you should price your home in today's market, give me a call.

Joseph Cacciapaglia, MLERE
Realtor Associate®
R&I Realty
15 Potter Street
Haddonfield, NJ 08033
Office: 856.795.3111 x268
Cell: 979.218.2286
Jcacci1@gmail.com

The Shamong Township decision makers, who are also residents, try to avoid the use of pesticide, but will also make weighted decisions and take action when necessary to avoid larger ecological damages.

Such is the case with the 2008 Gypsy Moth program that is begin carried out under state (and U.S. Forestry Service) guidelines and control.

Gypsy moth egg mass surveys, conducted by the New Jersey Department of Agriculture (NJ DOA), indicate that gypsy moth populations will be very high during May and June 2008. Leaf feeding by the caterpillars of this pest will cause severe defoliation of many of our trees. Consequently, the municipality has entered into a cooperative control program With the NJ DOA and the U.S. Forest Service. This program is being operated on an integrated approach, utilizing a pesticide with a naturally occurring active ingredient to reduce defoliating populations of this forest pest. The aerial spraying will be employed around residential and recreational areas to reduce thee loss, while natural control agents will be encouraged to reduce pest levels in remote, uninhabited areas.

In our area, only the biological Insecticide, Bacillus thuringiensis var kurstaki (FORAY 768, EPA Reg.#73049-49) will be applied once by aircraft at a dosage rate of 38 B.I.U.s (64 oz.) per acre by Downstown Aero Crop Service (DEP Lic. # 90029), 339 Harding Highway, Vineland New Jersey. The spray operation is expected to begin on or after May 1, 2008 through June 1, 2008 or until completion. The exact date of application will depend on climatic conditions and the development of the caterpillars and trees in you area.

A municipal contact person may be reached at 609-268-2377 x301 to answer any questions you may have about the exact timing and dates of treatment.

To insure precise placement of the spray material, aircraft will conduct treatments only when there is little or no wind. Daily spray operations normally are conducted early in the morning between 5:30 a.m. and 2:00p.m. and possibly between 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. in the evening. However, no pesticide application for gypsy moth control will take place between 7:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. during operations Monday through Friday only.

Although S.t.k. has very minimal risk to humans or wildlife, individuals wishing no exposure to either themselves or their children, before or after this one hour no spray shutdown time should remain indoors during the treatment. if you must go outside, wear rain gear or use an umbrella to prevent contact with the spray material, especially If you bear the aircraft working in your area.

Trained personnel from the New Jersey Department of Agriculture and our municipality will assist 10 the program. Pilots will be carefully briefed to insure that the spray material is being applied m the proper areas as directed.

The program is being conducted to protect and preserve the municipalities and your valuable shade tree resources. Your understanding and cooperation will be very much appreciated.

Individuals wishing additional information about pesticides may contact the National Pesticide Information Center at 1-800-858-7378. For emergencies call the New Jersey Poison Control Information and Education System at 1-800-222-1222. For pesticide regulation information, pesticide complaints, and health referrals call the New Jersey Pesticide Control Program at 1-609-984-6507.

Upon request, the pesticide applicator or applicator business shall provide a resident with notification 12 hours prior to the application, except for Quarantine and Disease Vector Control only, when conditions necessitate pesticide applications sooner than that time.

Source: NJ DOA


Click here for more information about the New Jersey Department of Agriculture's 2008 Gypsy Moth Suppression Program, spraying schedules for other spray zones, and change updates.

Copyright 2008 by Lawrence Yerkes. All Rights Reserved.

To keep up with local Shamong Township news and events, the official Shamong Township web site maintains a community events calendar as well as local township news on their township home page.

Lenape Regional School District has announcements and news about individual Shamong Schools, including Seneca High School and also about the Lenape Regional Performing Arts Center which provides local and top professional entertainment.



Additional information is available at...

Shamong Township School District

Shamong Trails and Parks

Shamong Foundation

Burlington County Library - Medford

By the way, if you want to learn about Shamong's past, visit the Indian Mills Historical Society  and Shamong History.

Local Area Newspaper: Central Record

For additional information at the county level:
Burlington County Library - Westhampton (Main HQ)
Burlington County Resource Center

Copyright 2008 by Lawrence Yerkes. All Rights Reserved.