Opening Notes

This warbler's weekly musings and feathered observations

Tweet tweet, neighbors!

I’m typically an unflappable bird but while fluttering through local Facebook groups this week, this warbler stumbled across a post that really ruffled my feathers - not because of disagreement, but because it was about our community's children.

Some young ones were allegedly caught spray painting, and when police were called, the poster claimed the city was taking "a light stance" on children. The comments that followed broke my little warbler heart: kids have no respect; drag them to court; charge the parents; no one will want to live here; our property values are ruined.

That's a whole lot of responsibility to place on children who, as we all know, make lots of mistakes on their flight path to adulthood! ::raises wing::

Here's what this old warbler knows: the primary definition of discipline is "to teach," not "to punish." If we have young birds vandalizing property, it's our job as the adult birds in the room to teach them better ways of expressing themselves and - more importantly - to provide them with opportunities to do just that.

In my experience, fledglings are far more receptive to learning when we see them not as destructive criminals needing punishment, but as valuable members of our flock who have much to contribute when given the chance. They're always learning from our actions and words – including what we post on social media.

When I flutter around our actual community, all I see are neighbors adding value: picking up litter, organizing markets and concerts, cleaning waterways, getting involved in local government, opening businesses. Social media is a funhouse mirror designed to keep us scrolling through drama and anger - lovely community moments aren't profitable, so the algorithm buries them.

Social media makes me feel bad, and I know it makes many of you feel bad too. That's exactly why I created this newsletter - so you can stay informed without missing anything when you choose to spend less time in those digital spaces.

I’m wondering about what kinds of opportunities we could create for our future muralist fledglings to express themselves in places other than on the doors of businesses. In many cities, there’s a lot of room for street art done well. Might ours be one of them?

On that note, let's get into the good stuff happening in our nest!

This Week's Migration Pattern

Where the local flock is gathering

First! The 4H Fair is from July 24-July 27 and there’s a LOT happening!

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You can peep the schedule here.

Wednesday, July 23

Community Fresh Market

​Woodbury City Public Schools partners with Hello Fresh to bring a Community Fresh Market in addition to proteins, fruits, veggies, and other foods provided by the South Jersey Food Bank.

Thursday, July 24

BINGO!

Ukelele Club at Wenonah Lake

A Pop of Art with Loren Dann!

This week Loren will explore Portraits and artist Eric Odartey. You’ll learn about the artist, soak up some inspiration, and then make some art of your own! Woodbury Library, 33 Delaware Street, Woodbury. Free!

West Deptford StreetFEST Market & Music Series

Rock out with the The Infernos this week!

Lee’s Circus Extravaganza

A family sing- and dance-along brought to you by Gloucester County Parks & Recreation!

21+ Trivia Night: Jaws vs. Claws

Calling all dinosaur nerds 🤓 grab your friends, name your team, and prepare to face off in a battle of the brains: prehistoric sharks v. Dinosaurs!

Art Show at West Deptford Public Library

Join Maureen Peters, Brian Marshall, and Debbie Bolton at their opening reception at what will be the last art show at the West Deptford Public Library. Unfortunately, the new library won’t have space for an art gallery. When the community shows up for events like these, it lets our towns know that we want to see more of them, so I hope you stop by to check out their amazing work!

Friday, July 25

BINGO!

Woodbury Fresh for All

Free produce for the community!

Family Movie Night (Shark Tale) at Edelman Fossil Park & Museum

Enjoy the galleries, hunt for fossils during an evening quarry dig, and shark-themed activities for all ages.

📍 Edelman Fossil Park & Museum, 66 Million Mosasaur Way, Mantua

🕐 5 p.m.-8:30 p.m., movie begins at 6:30 p.m.

💵 $24-$29, tickets available here​

Friday Night Music at Wenonah Lake

Kick off the weekend with local music by the lake brought to you by Wenonah Porch Fest. Check the schedule here.

Wenonah Lake Association Cornhole Tournament

Cash prize for the winner!

Saturday, July 26

Woodbury Farmer’s Market

Live music + farm fresh fruit and veg + catching up with all my favorite peeps, I am SO there!

National Park Back Porch Farm Stand

Beer Olympics

Woodbury Heart & Soul, in partnership with Eight & Sand Brewery, are hosting fun, games, and live music to benefit the Woodbury Community Endowment Fund.

Gloucester County Concert Series

Everyday People, a band who still holds the opinion that Sly and the Family Stone was the greatest band ever assembled.

Sunday, July 27

Rise & Roar!

If you're an early bird, roll out of bed and into the quarry for a morning fossil hunt.

Acoustic Sundays

Brought to you by FAF Coalition in partnership with Best Buds and Off the Record. Enjoy coffee, pastries, live music, and local art for sale.

BINGO

This game benefits Holy Angels Catholic School and the students who receive financial aid.

Annual Jimmy Lewis Christmas in July

Enjoy food, drinks, and live music along the river while decorated boats illuminate the evening in a festive boat parade.

Monday, July 28

Mondays in Mantua

Meet up with the car enthusiast flock and enjoy some pizza from Sal’s and some ice cream from Dippy’s!

Tuesday, July 29

Busy birds need a rest sometimes!

Wednesday, July 30

Busy birds need a rest sometimes!

Flock Stewardship

Keeping our nest tidy and our community thriving

Wednesday, July 23. Woodbury City Council Meeting. City Hall, 33 Delaware Street, Woodbury. 6:30 p.m. Free! [agenda link]

Thursday, July 24. Woodbury Planning/Zoning Board Meeting. City Hall, 22 Delaware Street, Woodbury. 6:30 p.m. Free! [no agenda link]

Main Street Woodbury is hunting for a new Executive Director - the nonprofit that's been the wind beneath our downtown's wings, supporting small businesses and strengthening community connections through the National Main Street Four-Point Approach®. Check out the full job posting [here] and flutter over to MainStreetWoodburyNJ@gmail.com with questions. What an amazing opportunity for someone to spread their wings and make a real difference in our community nest!

The other day I attended a webinar hosted by the Delaware Riverkeepers Network about a proposed rule change that would permit liquified natural gas to be transported by rail. I understood generally that “bomb trains” rolling through our neighborhoods is dangerous, but I didn’t understand how dangerous. Public comment is open until August 4. I’m working on this article (and a couple of others, including one about why our utility bills are so bonkers and what we can do about it) and will occasionally send them out as special editions. If you would not like to receive them, please let me know!

Here's some information about food pantries which I'm going to start incorporating into the newsletter next week. If you know of any others, please feel free to share!

Our Animal Friends

Because every creature deserves a loving nest

Do you have room in your home for a gentle giant? Porsha May is a 3-year-old Mastiff who was surrendered because her younger doggo sibling didn’t get along with her. BUT! That was a younger sibling issue, not a Porsha May issue – she gets along with everyone, even cats!

​Axel used to be a street kitty and came into the shelter as a stray. He’s a chill cat ISO a lap to curl up in.

Both of these sweethearts are waiting for their forever families at the Gloucester County Animal Shelter - don’t let them fly away to someone else!

Got a furry, scaly, floofy, or feathery friend you’d like to show off? Send us your photos! We love celebrating all of our community critters!

Bulletin Bird

Community announcements that'll make you chirp

Tickets are on sale now for Baseball Pinball! Entry fee is $15, and the event will be held Saturday, August 16 in Woodbury Heights. More info below:

Register now for the Beer Olympics! Woodbury Heart & Soul, in partnership with Eight & Sand Brewery, are hosting fun, games, and live music to benefit the Woodbury Community Endowment Fund. Beer pong entry fee is $10, corn hole (team of two) registration is $25. The fun happens on July 26 from 1-4 p.m., and you can purchase tickets on Venmo @FAFCOALITION

Zillow Snoop and Swoop

Dream nests near and far

Snoop:

BYOB! (bring your own boat) This lovely waterfront perch made my tail feathers quiver with excitement! It's a cozy one-bedroom nest on the water, but the listing chirps that it could easily be transformed into a 2 or 3 bedroom roost - perfect if you're in the market for waterfront living! The best part? All the heavy lifting has already been done for you - electricity, HVAC, and plumbing have been updated, so you can focus on making it your perfect nest without all the construction flutter!

Swoop:

This warbler literally gasped out loud when I discovered this 1930s log cabin built by Governor Erickson of Montana for his getaway roost overlooking Flathead Lake on Yellow Bay! The view is nice, I suppose, if you're into lakes and mountains and magnificent scenery in general, but I cannot stop chirping about that fireplace! And that pink and white bedroom with the adorable little bookcases and gorgeous windows? This is truly a dream nest, complete with a babbling brook serenading the backyard! Sometimes a warbler just has to swoon over the perfect mountain retreat!

One last warble...

Final chirps before I fly away until next week

We have a mystery on our hands, neighbors! Members of our Woodbury flock have been finding random pages of newspapers and newspaper articles all over the street in front of their homes. I've put my little buddy who lives under my front porch on the case since he keeps his ears to the ground:

But if you know what they are or where they're coming from, I'm listening!

Until next time!

Singing the songs of our shared communities,

Jen Russell, your neighbor and Editor-in-Chief, The Woodbury Warbler​

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PPS – Thank you again for being an early bird to The Woodbury Warbler. This is a pre-launch birdseed-sized newsletter while I’m organizing information and building the nest. Anything you’d like to see more of? Hate the format? Too many bird puns? Don’t want to hear about my groundhog skunk new metal band The Milkshake Nightmare? Your feedback is helpful and I love hearing from you! Send a carrier pigeon to editor@woodburywarbler.com with any suggestions, complaints, tips, celebrations or even just to say hi!

​Thumbnail image: "Arctic Warbler 4683b" by Arctic_Warbler_4683.jpg: Alnus derivative work: Osado is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

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