π₯΅ (enough said)
Opening NotesThis warbler's weekly musings and feathered observations When I was a nestling in elementary school, opening my tin Fox and the Hound lunchbox might as well have been the modern-day equivalent of microwaving fish and broccoli in the office breakroom β instant social exile. Picture it: domestic ham and American cheese slathered in a heroic layer of Miracle Whip on Wonder Bread. Egg salad sandwiches. Liverwurst and onions. π Itβs a wonder I had any friends at all. As a result, I steered clear of eggy, mayonnaisey concoctions well into adulthood, needing a couple of decades to recover from my lunchbox trauma before willingly rejoining polite societyβs cold sandwich circle. I'm not sure why, but I picked the hottest day of the year (::Homer Simpson voice:: The hottest day of the year so far) to mop the steps leading up to the third floor of my 200-year-old house which does not have central air conditioning. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but then I was hungry and didn't want to cook dinner. Or move. I found myself craving my new favorite comfort food: Sardine and Egg Sandwich (recipe at the bottom of the newsletter). I know.This combination of food makes no sense. But it's so so good as long as you don't let it sit in your lunchbox for a couple of hours #mistakesweremade In other related news, the tomato plants I was able to salvage are now in groundhog proof containers. And while Iβm not entirely sure the image below counts as hard science, it never hurts to be kind to our critter neighbors. Many of our furry, feathered, and four-legged friends are feeling the heat just as much as we are. A shallow dish of water in a shady spot goes a long way when the mercury rises.
Setting science-adjacent animal fact Facebook posts aside, I hatched this little newsletter with one goal in mind: to give you truthful, reliable, neighborly information about whatβs happening right here in our corner of the world. Honestly, itβs gotten downright squawky out there trying to find out when the town councilβs meeting, where the good hoagie sale is, or what time fireworks are set to fly. Between clickbait farmers gobbling up the algorithm feed and AI-generated nonsense clogging the wires, it feels like weβre all left chasing crumbs. Not on The Warblerβs watch! This flock looks out for its own β with real info, real heart, and a few bird-brained puns thrown in for good measure. So let's get into it, there's a whole lot of fun going on!
This Week's Migration PatternWhere the local flock is gathering Wednesday, June 25π Food PantryβWoodbury 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. π Woodbury Junior-Senior High School, 25 N. Broad Street ποΈ 9 - 11 a.m. π΅ Free! Please bring valid ID and proof of income. π¨ Sticker Collages with Mr. AaronNOTE: LOCATION CHANGE DUE TO HEAT! Nestlings, you're invited to swoop over to the library to make sticker collages with Mr. Aaron in the air-conditioned comfort of the upstairs gallery of the Woodbury Public Library. π Woodbury Public Library ποΈ 10:15 a.m.-12 noon π΅ Free! πΌ Movies in the Park - Kung Fu Panda 4π Veterans Park, W. New Jersey Avenue, Woodbury Heights ποΈ Dusk π΅ Free, bring your own lawn chairs/blankets Thursday, June 26π° BINGO!More chances to yell BINGO! than feathers on a blue jay. π VFW Post 679, 275 Wilmer Street, Glassboro ποΈ Every Thursday, doors open at 7:30 a.m., book sales begin 9 a.m., games start at 10 a.m. π΅ Games, bagels, donuts, pretzels, and beverages pay-as-you-go. π Ask a PriestHave questions about life, the universe, and everything? #samesies Fr. Byerley is available to answer your questions at St. Patrick's Church. Feel free to ask questions directly or submit them anonymously, no carrier pigeon required. π St. Patrick's Church Basement, 81 Cooper Street, Woodbury ποΈ 6:30 p.m. π΅ Free, light refreshments provided. Questions? Reach out to Brenda at havolunteer@holyangelsnj.org or 856-534-0400 Friday, June 27π° BINGO!π VFW Post 2174, 640 Tacoma Blvd., Westville Grove ποΈ Every Friday at 12 noon π΅ Games, light beverages, and food pay-as-you-go. βΎ The Woodbury Little Leagueβs Annual Beef and Beer (June 27) - time to batter up for a good cause! Celebrate Woodbury Little Leagueβs 75th Anniversary with a DJ, dancing, prizes, Phillies tickets giveaway, food, and beer, naturally! American Legion Post 133, 1018 Washington Avenue. 6:30 p.m. Tickets are 2 for $50 or $30 each, and can be purchased from your coach or get in touch with the Woodbury Little League on Facebook. πΈ Free summer concert series at Lot 323!Crimp your hair and pop your collar (maybe leave the leg warmers home, it's hot out there!), it's 80s Night at Lot 323! Music brought to you by Class of '84 and Kick it Out, a Heart cover band. Live mural paintings during the concert by John Morris, Casey Jewell, and Iris Richardson. Food trucks this week are Weenie Genie, Just Fork It, Las Olas, and Crave Pitman. Swoop by the beer hut for brews from Eight & Sand Beer Co., Armageddon Brewing, Death of the Fox Brewing, and Wander Back Beerworks. π Lot 323, 115 S. Broad Street, Woodbury ποΈ 6-9:30 p.m. π΅ Free, food trucks and local brews available pay-as-you-go. Saturday, June 28π Woodbury Farmer's MarketIt's that time again! PS there's a giveaway this week, head over to their FB post and drop a tomato! π Railroad Avenue parking lot ποΈ 9 a.m.-1 p.m. π΅ Pay as you go 𧨠Woodbury Firework CelebrationFood trucks, music by DJ Jam and DJ Fire and Will Power, a Tower of Power tribute band conceived out of love and an appreciation of Funk, takes the stage at 7 p.m. Bonus: That Kid the Hot Dog King will be there with hot dogs, Joe Tea, and snacks! π Woodbury High School Stadium, 25 N. Broad Street (see map below) ποΈ 5-10 p.m. (fireworks start around 9:15 p.m.) π΅ Free, food and beverages pay-as-you-go 𧨠Westville Fireworks Celebration! This warbler searched high and low for details about this event and could find only basic information! It's my understanding that there will also be food trucks and music, but no concrete details. π River Drive, Westville ποΈ Car show at 10 a.m., fireworks at dusk π΅ Free, food and beverages pay-as-you-go βπΏ Glassboro's 6th Annual Juneteenth FestivalHonor Black history, freedom, and excellence with a vibrant, family-friendly festival packed with energy and purpose. Live performances, cultural cuisine, kid-friendly activities, and a diverse vendor marketplace where you can shop and support local businesses. Bring your lawn chairs, bring the family, and bring the loveβthis celebration is for everyone. π Glassboro Sports Complex, 230 Wilmer Street, Glassboro ποΈ 2-8 p.m., Juneteenth Community Awards begin at 5:30 p.m. π΅ Free, food and vendors pay-as-you-go Sunday, June 29πΈ Acoustic SundaysEase into your Sunday with live acoustic music, local art, coffee, and snacks, brought to you by FAF, On the Record, and BestBuds! Make a day of it and stick around for the Pride Celebration happening right next door! π Gather, 115 South Broad Street, Woodbury ποΈ 10 a.m.-1 p.m. π΅ Free, food and activities pay-as-you-go π³οΈβπ Woodbury Heart & Soul Pride CelebrationLGBTQ+ artists, pop up yoga, food trucks, music, activities. π Lot 323, 115 South Broad Street, Woodbury ποΈ 2-5 p.m. π΅ Free, food and activities pay-as-you-go π° BINGO!This game benefits Holy Angels Catholic School and the students who receive financial aid. π Holy Angels Parish Center, 96 Green Avenue, Woodbury ποΈ Every Sunday, doors at 12 noon, games begin at 2 p.m. π΅ Games and concession stand pay-as-you-go, free parking! Monday, June 30π Mondays in MantuaMeet up with the car enthusiast flock and enjoy some pizza from Salβs and some ice cream from Dippyβs! πOld K-Mart Parking lot across from Dippyβs, 245 Bridgeton Pike, Mantua π Every Monday from around 4 p.m. to around 7:30 p.m. π΅ Free (food and beverages from the various shops are pay-as-you-go), all makes and models welcome, and as the flyer says βNo BS!β (no doing donuts in the parking lot, racing, etc.) Tuesday, July 1βΎοΈ Phillies Feelings WorkshopAn outdoor workshop for boys who love baseball and want to become all-stars at managing their emotions. Through games, activities, and discussion your child will explore big feelings and learn helpful words / coping tools. π Chestnut Branch Park, 401 Main Street, Sewell, NJ ποΈ 6-7:30 p.m. π΅ $40, email selinanutshell@gmail.com to register Wednesday, July 2Busy birds need to take a day off sometimes! Flock StewardshipKeeping our nest tidy and our community thriving π Woodbury City Council Meetingπ City Hall, 33 Delaware Street, Woodbury ποΈ Wednesday, June 25, 6:30 p.m. π [Agenda link] π¦Ί West Deptford Safety TownRegistration is open for West Deptford's FREE summer safety education program for children entering Kindergarten in Fall 2025. Your nestlings will learn safety around fire, poisons, strangers, playgrounds, animals, traffic, etc. They're also looking for teen volunteers who will receive community service hours for being involved! π Red Bank Elementary School, 192 Philadelphia Avenue, West Deptford ποΈ Four sessions throughout the summer as listed on the registration page π΅ Free! Register here. π¦ In the most literal interpretation of flock stewardship there ever was, NJ Fish and Wildlife will be giving the geese at Stewart Lake in Woodbury some fancy bracelets today (June 25). There will be about 10-14 people wrangling the geese, the geese won't be harmed in the process, and I imagine this will be very entertaining to watch because our geese are feisty. I'm on #teamgoose! πΏ Westville: the PFNA (perfluorononanoic acid, one of the "forever chemicals") in your water is above drinking water standard. In July of 2023, routine monitoring detected levels of PFNA that were higher than the standards provided for by the New Jersey Safe Drinking Water Act. Westville had one year to remediate this, and it did not meet that deadline. Right now, Westville is serviced by a drinking water plant on Crown Point Road. The current average of PFNAs for Westville is still elevated at 0.011 parts per billion (ppb), but is under the NJDEP limit of 0.013 ppb. Westville is currently working on procuring and installing filters to remove PFNA from your water. Exposure to PFNA has lasting health consequences, and there are a list of things you may wish to consider doing to limit your exposure on the notice from the borough. πΏ Relatedly, West Deptford property owners recently received a similar (repeat) notice. In West Deptford, remediation efforts have been underway on a number of wells. The wells currently in use (5, 6, 7 and 8) have no detectable PFAS. However, in October, Well 4 tested PFNA levels at a running average of 0.019 ppb, which is higher than the standards set by the NJDEP. That well was taken out of service on October 28, 2024, and a PFAS treatment system was scheduled to go online by May 31. There are other efforts underway as discussed in this notice from the township. πΏ In Woodbury, one of the other towns impacted by the Solvay contamination, PFAs were undetectable in the water system as oftesting data in 2024. π You can look up your water system here. It's important to note that these kinds of notices are only sent to property owners. People who rent, live in assisted living facilities, or work in these downs do not receive these notices, which used to also be published in our local newspapers. Widespread awareness of issues affecting our towns went away when social media became our town square. I'll be doing a deep dive into our water systems next month because we all deserve to understand how safe our drinking water is. Crowing about our kids!Supporting and celebrating our community's future leaders π¦ Congratulations Vincenzo Joseph Francis Bilotti of West Deptford on achieving the Eagle Scout Award! Vincenzo was honored by the West Deptford Township Committee during their June 18 meeting. Good Eggs and New NeighborsHighlighting the wonderful humans who make our community soar Got some good news? New in town? Just want to say hi to all your neighbors? Send a carrier pigeon to editor@woodburywarbler.com. Our Animal FriendsBecause every creature deserves a loving nest πΆ Need a running buddy or a sled dog? Oreo would like to meet you! Huskies are a treat, iykyk hahaha! Mine used to pull me around while I was ice skating back when the lakes here used to freeze. Check out Zillow Snoop and Swoop below and then circle back up here after you decide to move to Alaska! πΊ Staying on theme, I'd like to introduce you Snow, a gorgeous adult kitty! She's good with other cats and children. Both of these sweethearts are waiting for their forever families at the Gloucester County Animal Shelter - donβt let them fly away to someone else! Got a furry, scaly, floofy, or feathery friend youβd like to show off? Send us your photos! We love celebrating all of our community critters! Bulletin BirdCommunity announcements that'll make you chirp π Last chance to get tickets for the Woodbury Heights Fire Department 2nd Annual Truck Raffle! - This prize will make you fly off your perch! Your $25 raffle ticket enters you into a drawing to win a 2025 GMC Sierra 1500 (!!!) with second and third prizes of $3,000 and $2,000. The drawing is on July 1. You can drop off cash at the Woodbury Heights Fire House, 534 Elm Avenue or send them a Venmo here (put truck raffle and your phone number in the comments): βΎοΈ South Jersey NABA is currently accepting free agents to play in its 18+ adult wood bat league. Games are played on Sundays. π Are you ready to be an Eagle? Registration for West Deptford Youth Football is open now! Open to boys and girls aged 5-14, no experience necessary. If you register by July 1 you get to choose your own jersey number! The final registration deadline is September 1. Sign up and additional details are here. π Woodbury's Warbler Yellow (editorβs note: I made this color up) 2015 KME Panther Rescue Engine is still up for grabs! Last time I checked the highest bid was $11,200. They didn't get the price they were looking for so it's been relisted with an opening bid of $50,000 (these types of fire trucks usually cost around half a million dollars, so it's still a steal!). This new auction closes on June 30. Good luck bidders! π The Woodbury Fire Department is hiring two full-time firefighter positions! Send your resume to Cheif B. Huass via email to bhauss@woodbury.nj.us. More details in the Facebook post. π₯ VFW Post 2174 Peanut Butter & Jelly Drive VFW Post 2174 has teamed up with Joseph's House of Camden to make approximately 200 sandwiches for individuals in need. They're looking for donations of peanut butter, jelly, sliced bread, and sandwich bags. Wanna help make sandwiches? Head on over there on June 30! π VFW Post 2174, 640 Tacoma Boulevard, Westville ποΈ Donations can be dropped off June 27-29. Sandwich making is June 30 at 6:30 p.m. π΅ Free, sandwich making supplies provided, byo hair tie if you're making sandwiches π· Gateway Marching Band is looking for new members (incoming grades 7-12)! This year's halftime show will be music from Queen!! Rehearsals start July 21 at 5:30 p.m. For more information and a link to the interest form, here's the FB post. Zillow Snoop and SwoopDream nests near and far Snoop:My dad was the proud owner of the old firehouse in Bridgeport, which was built in 1922. When he bought it, it was a shell used for storage space. He transformed the second floor into a gorgeous one bedroom loft apartment, and there was a second apartment and garage down below. He wasn't a builder by trade, but he had a vision: high ceilings, lots of light, airy living space, an open kitchen with commercial appliances, a wrought iron balcony off the second floor, and a spacious bathroom with an open stone shower inspired by the ones he loved in his many travels to Costa Rica. He kept the original wood floors and spent weeks meticulously repairing and rehabilitating them in ways that showed their history and imperfections in their best light. He used the medical cabinets left behind by the person who owned the building before him to create the kitchen. I love his firehouse so much. Its twin is for sale in Woodbury right now, and I wish I could buy it. Swoop:BYOH (build your own house)! Since it's a little hot out, let's play a game of how far away from the equator can we get and still be in the United States? I think we've found the winner in Barrow, Alaska! I'm not sure how they arrived on this price for that house because it's a little...rustic...but it has an unobstructed view of the Arctic Ocean and right now that sounds pretty perfect! Many construction materials are included in the price and stored in the onsite shipping container. Property taxes are astonishingly low up there! One last warble...Final chirps before I fly away until next week You may not know this, but writing this newsletter is a full time job! I understood on a high level how challenging it is to find information about what's going on in our area, but it wasn't until I started writing this newsletter that I truly appreciated how disconnected we are from important information about things like PFAs in our water, fireworks displays, and food banks. Every business, organization, and form of government has a unique way of sharing information. Some post information on their website (which often isn't easy to navigate), some create Facebook events, and some just post flyers on Facebook and IG (which frequently leave out key details like when and where!). My mission is to follow up on those details and share them with you, even if it takes hours and hours, because connected communities are stronger and I want that for all of us. Until next time! Singing the songs of our shared communities, Jen Russell, your neighbor and Editor-in-Chief, The Woodbury Warbler β PS β Thank you again for being an early bird to The Woodbury Warbler. This is a pre-launch birdseed-sized newsletter while Iβm organizing information and building the nest. Anything youβd like to see more of? Hate the format? Too many bird puns? Donβt want to hear about my This recipe was created by New Orleans chef Lena Richard, who was was the first Black person to host a cooking show. She also owned restaurants, had a line of frozen foods, and founded a catering company and cooking school. In addition to showcasing the Creole dishes of New Orleans, βLena Richardβs Cook Bookβ included a whole chapter on sandwiches for luncheons and tea time. This recipe has four ingredients and takes about five minutes to make if you have hard-boiled eggs on hand. Ingredients for two sandwiches:
Instructions:
I was a little skeptical the first time I made this recipe! How could sardines and eggs together turn into something delicious? I'm glad I tried it, though, because it is a perfect, easy-breezy, not heating up the kitchen kind of recipe that can be whipped up with staples many of us have on hand. The Wild Planet sardines at Costco are very good. Thumbnail image: "Yellow Warbler [30/100]" by timsackton is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. Β©οΈ2025 Caged Bird Media, LLC β |