Think LITTLE SOMA - Thoughts on Local Community Engagement

Cindy Hairston, South Orange  Anyone who knows me probably knows at least this one simple thing about me. I absolutely do not care for the cold. 
 So it may come as a surprise that one of my favorite days of the year in South Orange is River Day. Early May in New Jersey can still be quite miserable. In fact, it is often rainy and dreary. Trees and flowers are beginning to bloom but the air has yet to completely shake off that bite, that chill that settles into you. The kind of day that calls for reading a book by a cozy fire. Not for donning rain gear and boots and heading over to the Rahway to search and excavate trash from the river. And yet I love it and look forward to it every year. 
 There is something so deeply satisfying in physical work. I remember watching my father clearing the overgrowth behind our childhood home for hours as I played in the backyard. What my brother and I called the “forest primeval”. I had yet to understand the appeal of it all. I get it now. N

Linda Beck, South Orange Photo credit:  Linda Beck If it weren't for the societal delays we're encountering due to the COVID-19 virus, a few days ago I'd have been giving my annual SOMA Film Festival Kids Block speech to 200 + kids and their grown up companions about how especially glad I was to see the youngsters at the Woodland in Maplewood for " AUDIENCE PRACTICE ." If you haven't been, the Woodland is an outstanding place for a range of events.  It's large, so people can move above with comfort.  It has discreet entry ways and easy access to restrooms which allow the tardy to enter and those in need of the bathroom to make the trip without causing a huge disruption.  Its gorgeous wood-paneling whispers of events of decades before and its arched ceilings make it seem like the whole building is giving you a hug.  There really is something for everyone. There are many benefits to resisting the siren's call of New York City and s

Barbara Bour, SO Commission & George Finlay, SO Green Team    In this time of Coronavirus purgatory, take a little time to look up at the trees in our community!  Now is the perfect time to get to know the trees around your home and on nearby streets. Some are starting to bloom (early this year).   Interested in knowing more about our trees?  Want to lend a hand in their care? Check out some of the tree-focused work going on within the community by following us on Instagram & Facebook   (@SOGreenteam) Here are some highlights to keep your spirits up: South Orange Team and Seton Hall Working Together! We are inventorying tree data in collaboration with Seton Hall. With this data, we will quantify the value of each South Orange public tree, and enable them to "speak for themselves." South Orange Environmental Commission Wins New Jersey Urban & Community Forestry Grant! South Orange has lost a number of public trees to storms s

Linda Beck, South Orange You can and you should do it NOW - even during our social pause.   You CAN because your town needs so much help that they're willing to accept anything - in any amount - that you can offer. You WILL because we all want to be an inspiration for our kids, our friends' kids and our community and you're not exception.  Which is not to say you're not exceptional. Now that that's settled, let's get you going.  Here are a few tips to get you started in your new role as an exemplary SOMA citizen.  Congrats on the job. Offer to help in your area of interest or expertise.  Do you find yourself concerned by the amount of single-use plastic in circulation?  The South Orange or Maplewood Green Teams need you.  They are still holding meetings (virtually), working on ordinances, and planning ways to make our community more beautiful and our community more sustainability-minded.  Are you saavy in Photoshop?  Offer some graphic design