Opening Notes

This warbler's weekly musings and feathered observations

Tweet tweet, neighbors!

Mother Nature apparently decided my old trashcan had outlived its usefulness during our recent windstorm - first the lid took flight to parts unknown, then a car finished the job by turning the can itself into sidewalk pancake. But every cloud has a silver lining! This cosmic intervention gave me the perfect excuse to create the most gloriously bright yellow mobile billboard you've ever seen, proudly advertising The Woodbury Warbler as it sits curbside each week.

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Isn’t it amazing?!?

Speaking of exciting developments (and yes, I may have buried this news last week because I was still buzzing about Senator Kim sharing our Farmer's Market on Instagram - seriously, how cool is that?), The Woodbury Warbler now has an official website!

Don't worry - this newsletter isn't going anywhere. You'll still get all the local happenings delivered straight to your inbox just like always. But now we have a digital nest with a quick reference page for local government information, a community directory, and space for those longer deep-dive articles about issues like LNG rail transport and ANCOR property tax relief that deserve more than a newsletter chirp.

I'm excited to swoop into some of the big topics that the flock is chirping about around town - our water quality concerns and those eye-watering energy bills that have us all doing double-takes at our monthly statements. These are the issues that matter to our daily lives, and they deserve thorough coverage.

The website is all about making the information we share here as accessible as possible to as many neighbors as we can reach. Think of this newsletter as your personal news delivery service, and the website as our community bulletin board that's always open.

Thanks for sticking with me as we build this thing into something truly valuable for our community. It's been quite the adventure so far, and honestly? We're just getting warmed up. Next stop: find other trashcans in need of a glow-up!

On that note, there’s a LOT going on this week so let's get into the good stuff happening in our nest!

This Week's Migration Pattern

Where the local flock is gathering

Wednesday, August 20

Senior Bingo

For Deptford residents ages 55 and up, ID required to win.

Back-to-School Backpack Giveaway

Evergreen FSC is holding a backpack giveaway with limited quantities available on a first come, first served basis. Contact: 856-848-7150 ext. 418

Cowboy Kevin – a family sing- and dance-along

Brought to you by Gloucester County Parks & Recreation

Thursday, August 21

BINGO!

Food Pantry

Free emergency food offered by The Greater Woodbury Cooperative Ministries Food Pantry

West Deptford StreetFEST Market & Music Series

Last StreetFEST of the season brings us an Earth, Wind, and Fire Tribute Band, along with local vendors, food trucks, and all your family and friends!

Drag Queen Bingo

Oak Valley Fire Company presents an evening of bingo hosted by Donna Ria Montgomery, featuring special guests Lena Marie St. Cartier and Ariel Versace from RuPaul's Drag Race Season 11! 8 bingo games, drag show, silent auction. BYO daubers, food & drinks. Bring singles to tip the queens! 21+ event - ID required

Fiction Addiction Book Club

Join Words Matter Book Shop for a discussion of "All Fours" by Miranda July - a brilliant novel about a semi-famous artist's spontaneous journey of self-discovery that transcends expectation and explores life as a forty-five-year-old woman.

Friday, August 22

BINGO!

End of Summer Bash

The Woodbury City Police Department and Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office present a community event with FREE back-to-school haircuts, snacks, games, and school supplies for kids!

Woodbury Fresh for All

Free produce for the community!

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.

Saturday, August 23

Woodbury Farmer’s Market

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

Yard Sale at Zion United Methodist Church

Everything must go, make an offer at this church yard sale!

Sip, share, and swap

Come chat about great books! Bring a book you enjoyed, share why you loved it while sipping something refreshing, then swap it for another book someone else loved. To prevent repeat titles, please DM on Facebook or email info@wordsmatterbookstore.com to let them know you'll be joining and which book you plan to swap.

National Park Back Porch Farm Stand

Food Pantry

Free emergency food offered by The Greater Woodbury Cooperative Ministries Food Pantry

Victory Group Food Pantry

Drive-through food pantry every 3rd Saturday at the food pantry next to Victory in Christ Christian Center. Emergency food distribution is available, too, call 856-853-2688 ex. 327. Have enough to share? They’re always looking for food, clothing, personal care items, and volunteers.

Food Truck and Craft Fair

Sponsored by Deptford Township Mayor & Council, enjoy games, craft vendors, food trucks, a DJ, and Cynical - a high energy party band doing all your favorite singalongs!

Annual Community Market Festival & Health Fair

Join Victory In Christ Christian Center for a FREE community event featuring health screenings, food, music, family games, ice cream, and more! The first 400 registered attendees receive food and a chance to win one of 10 $50 Nike Gift Cards. Free bookbags available while supplies last (must be registered and present to win). Surprise guests and giveaways throughout the event! Registration required: https://bit.ly/4f3mprp​

Wine Down Festival

Wine Down Summer might have moved from Riverwinds to Red Bank Battlefield this year, but just as in the previous 11 years you can sample local wines, delicious food, and talented artists and crafters while enjoying music and catching up with your friends!

Sunday, August 24

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.

Monday, August 25

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, August 26

Food Pantry

Free emergency food offered by The Greater Woodbury Cooperative Ministries Food Pantry

Jeanette's Closet

Free clothing and footwear for those in need.

West Deptford Class of 2027 Ice Cream Fundraiser

Enjoy ice cream, support students, easiest fundraiser ever! Show the flyer below or mention DTHS Class of 2027 at the window.

Backpack and School Supplies Giveaway

PTHA Initiative is sponsoring a backpack and school supplies giveaway open to students from kindergarten through high school. For more information visit ptahinitiative.org

Wednesday, August 27

Food Pantry

​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. If you'd like to volunteer, get in touch with Mr. Myers at vmyers@woodburysch.com.

Back to School Bash at Deptford Center

Free school supplies for the kids, plus a bounce house and complimentary pizza and Kona Ice!

Flock Stewardship

Keeping our nest tidy and our community thriving

Woodbury Heights Borough Mayor and Council Meeting

Woodbury Heights Board of Education Meeting - Rescheduled Date

The Board of Education meeting has been rescheduled from August 12. The Board may enter into Executive Session and action will be taken.

Don't Let Money Fly Away: ANCHOR Property Tax Relief is Open! New Jersey's ANCHOR property tax relief filing season is now open with some helpful changes this year – no more waiting for ID/PIN mailers, and the state may automatically file for residents under 65 using 2021 data. Don't miss the October 31st deadline to claim your property tax relief benefits! Read the full details here.

Crowing about our kids!

Supporting and celebrating our community's future leaders

Lost baseball glove! $100 reward! Have you seen this baseball glove? It's a custom made, pink, blue, and black Bradley baseball glove embroidered with #28 and "B". The glove's owner thinks the last time he saw it was at the Wenonah Swim Club. If you've seen this glove please send me an email and I'll put you in touch with the family.

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Mommy’s Time Out Preschool at Kemble United Methodist Church has some openings for children aged 6 weeks to 5 years. More information on their website or get in touch with Normajean at kemblepto@gmail.com or 856-845-1627.

Girls Rule the World! Bellmawr Hockey’s own Sophia Simpson is on a mission to grow the game for girls in ball hockey! Sign up for clinics by scanning the QR code below.

Good Eggs and New Neighbors

Highlighting the wonderful humans who make our community soar

Habitat for Humanity of Gloucester County just announced that they have three homes available and are taking applications through September 26. You can pick up an application at the ReStore in Pitman, or you can see more information and download an application from their website.

Got some good news? New in town? Just want to say hi to 300 of your neighbors? Send a carrier pigeon to editor@woodburywarbler.com.

Our Animal Friends

Because every creature deserves a loving nest

August is Clear the Shelters Month!! As a participant, the Gloucester County Animal Shelter is celebrating this nationwide event by reducing adoption fees for all dogs/puppies and cats/kittens to just $35 for the entire month of August! Included in their adoption fee is the cost of spay/neuter, age appropriate vaccinations, worming, and microchip. Dogs are heartworm tested and receive a bordatella and cats are FELV/FIV tested. If you’ve been on the fence about welcoming a furry friendo into your home, now’s the time!

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

Attention bookworms! Mark your page - there's a book club meeting at the Woodbury Heights Fire Department on the first Monday of each month. Due to the Labor Day holiday, they’ll be meeting on September 8 instead. If you’d like to join them, September’s book is Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry.

Sticker nerds! Submissions are open until October 1 for Characters Welcome, an international sticker art show. Mail your stickers to 614 S 4^th Street, #212, Philadelphia, PA 19147 or drop them off in person at Tattooed Mom, 530 South Street, Philly. ALL stickers are welcome.

I grew up going to the Italian Market in Philly on Saturdays but haven’t been in ages. I recently learned that my friend and co-worker, Melissa, is a tour guide with Our Market Project! When I travel one of my favorite things is taking tours like these because it really helps you get to know a place. I’m looking forward to learning more about this corner of Philly, which I only kind-of-sort-of know. Melissa has tours scheduled for September 20 and October 4 (I’ll be on the September tour because I need to see what this is all about ASAP!). You can book tours for your group of whatever (office, party, church, random looking for something to do).

Save the date for the Rhythm & Roots Fall Festival on October 17-18 in downtown Woodbury! We'll be celebrating Best Bud's one year anniversary with music, contests, local artists, crafts, and vendors. Would you like to get involved? Reach out to them at amanda@bestbudsnj.com or call 856-371-7329.

I can't believe I'm talking about Christmas already but here we go: Tickets are on sale now for The West Deptford Seniors' trip to New York City to see the Rockettes! They've reserved a fantastic block of seats in the orchestra section for this trip! The show is November 15, the bus departs from Riverwinds, and tickets are $239 per person (optional travel insurance is available). Get in touch with Judy Tobia-Johnson to make your reservation - 856-685-9694.

The Woodbury Heights Fire Department 2nd Annual Truck Raffle has been extended! - 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 will now take place on September 16. 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):

West Deptford's Annual Family Fun Day returns Saturday, September 20 at RiverWinds Community Center! This free community event features a full day of activities including the 6th Annual West Deptford's Got Talent Show at 2:30 PM. Vendors welcome - 10x10 spaces available for $40. Talent show registration at https://my.cheddarup.com/c/funday2025/. Contact Latiya Holmes at 856-845-4004 ext. 228 for vendor info.

Something mysterious is happening in Woolwich, where there now exists a farmstand full of magical ingredients and curiosities. They "aim to have something of interest on the stand every day. It may or may not be what you were seeking, but it could be what you need." Right now they offer veggies, flowers, and herbs (they had patchouli last weekend!), and their offerings will change seasonally. You can visit the Witches of Woolwich here and follow @WitchesoWoolwich on Instagram to see what they're offering that day.

Tickets are on sale now for the Happy Hour Fundraiser to benefit Woodbury Heart & Soul programs, which include things like Pride Fest at Lot 323 and our upcoming Porch Fest! Happy hour is on September 18 at 7 p.m. At Colonial Cafe. Tickets are $35 (save $5 by purchasing tickets in advance), includes three drinks and appetizers

Plans are being hatched for this year's Woodbury Porchfest, brought to you by Woodbury Heart & Soul! Sign up to host a band here! Save the date: October 5 from 12-5 p.m.

American Legion Post 133 will be holding a yard sale on September 6, 2025. Do you have things to sell? Contact Donna at 609-500-9800. $15 donation with your own table, $20 if you use one of theirs. Setup at 7 a.m. And open to the public 9-5. Snacks will be available!

The 2025 America’s Farmers Market Celebration™ by American Farmland Trust started on August 1 and and runs through September 30! Help your favorite market [AHEM THE WOODBURY FARMER’S MARKET] take home a piece of the $15,000 prize pool! In addition to the prize money, the top markets also receive national and local press coverage, a complimentary American Farmland Trust membership, No Farms No Food® gear, and other swag! You can flutter over to the website to vote for our amazing farmer’s market right here! Woodbury is a popular city to host farmer’s markets, there are like three of them, so make sure you vote for ours!

Zillow Snoop and Swoop

Dream nests near and far

Swoop

My keen warbler eyes must be playing tricks on me, but on Zillow it looks like there are double or even triple the number of nests up for sale in our area compared to when I started this newsletter just a few months ago (or even a couple of weeks ago!). Is everyone flying the coop all at once? The housing market is definitely worth keeping our beaks on - more chirping about this soon!

Anyway! This adorable mobile home has just gotten a complete makeover and is looking absolutely tweet-worthy. We're talking new kitchen, new flooring, new siding, and a fresh coat of paint that would make any bird proud. The grass is lush and it has a lovely backyard nestled into the Willow Woods Manufactured Home Community in West Deptford. With reasonably-priced homes being rarer than a quiet crow these days, I'm sure someone will swoop this gem up quickly!

Snoop

Sometimes you just need to get away from it all. Like really, really away from the daily chirping and squawking. You're in luck! The Smith Point Lighthouse in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay just happens to be for sale - talk about your ultimate bird's nest view!

It's a bit rustic, but this perch has everything you need to boat out there and get started on your hermit crab life: a kitchen, four bedrooms, a 550-gallon water tank, a wastewater treatment system, hurricane-rated windows, and crab pots and tackle just in case your grocery store delivery drone gets caught in a headwind. The U.S. Coast Guard maintains the lamp on the lighthouse, so you might even have the occasional neighbor drop by for a chat! Just don't lean too heavily on the railings right now - they look about as stable as a sparrow in a tornado.

One last warble...

Final chirps before I fly away until next week

KitKat Playroom is the first nonprofit featured in our new Community Directory! I’m so excited to start finally being able to build this and spotlight all of the amazing nonprofits in our community that make T W Towns a great place to live!

Would you like to join KitKat Playroom in the Community Directory? Please send me:

1. An image, either your logo or from an event that shows your nonprofit in action
2. A link to your website
3. A link to where you typically share information (either an email signup page or social media)
4. A short blurb on what your organization does

Have a great week, neighbors!

Singing the songs of our shared communities,

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

Forwarded this email by a friend (you lucky bird!)? Please join our flock!

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• Local information about The W Towns – Woodbury, Woodbury Heights, Westville, West Deptford, and Wenonah — delivered straight to your inbox without your having to peck around the internet to find it!
• It’s FREE!
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• Won’t get lost in the social media algo

Wake up and be amused by warbling first thing every Wednesday!!

Thumbnail Image: By El Golli Mohamed - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=149712896

©️2025 Caged Bird Media, LLC

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