Cranford Radio

You've likely seen their work as you travel around town. It might be at the gazebo in February or in front of the Cranford Public Library. I'm talking about the knit and crocheted public art that the Cranford YarnStormers install.Teresa Murray is the founder and yarn boss for the YarnStormers and she tells us about how the group came about and how they do their work. While they get permission to decorate public spaces they want their projects to be a surprise.YarnStormers Instagram page

With spring here outdoor activities are on the increase. On any sunny weekend day you'll find the walking path through Nomahegan Park crowded with folks getting exercise and enjoying the outdoors. Did you know that if you continued north on the pathway, you'd eventually end up at the Canadian border and if you continued south your final destination would be Key West? The East Coast Greenway connects urban areas along the Atlantic coast. Dennis Markatos-Soriano is the executive director of the East Coast Greenway Alliance and he's my guest on this week's Cranford Radio podcast.

The members of BreakTime have been performing together a little over a year but they've already released one EP with a second on the way. The four member group features Cranford resident and Cranford High School grad Peter Roefaro (Peter Matthew) on drums. Cranford Radio sat down with the group to learn a bit more about their music, how they came together and what they hope to accomplish. We also learned from Peter how the CHS marching band played a big role in his musical life and the role of jazz in not just BreakTime but other areas, as well.Links to BreakTime's music and more

Cori Ardente grew up in Cranford so when she wanted to open a business Downtown Cranford was a natural choice. Not only did she open ANTHEM style + gift, but in 2020 she opened a second store, Max & Luna.In this week's episode you'll hear Cori describe her first retail experience, why she decided to take the leap into opening a second store, and who Max and Luna are.

Under Cranford's form of government, the chairperson of the township committee is selected by the township commissioners. At the January reorganization meeting, they unanimously approved Brian Andrews to serve as mayor.As I've done with a variety of elected officials over the years, I did a "getting to know you" interview with Brian to learn about his background and what prompted him to run for elective office. 

The NJTPA is the metropolitan planning organization responsible for the distribution of federal transportation funds for 13 counties in northern New Jersey, including Cranford. They also assist counties and municipalities in improving transportation infrastructure.David Behrend serves as the executive director of the agency and Ted Ritter is the manager of external affairs. They join me this week on the podcast to talk about the work of the agency and to provide examples of how their work directly affects the movement of people and freight through Cranford.

When Melanie Cecilio, the founder and culinary director for Little Fox Kitchen, opened her business in 2018 she envisioned it as a cooking school drawing customers from Cranford and surrounding towns. Today, that side of the business continues but she also teaches virtual classes worldwide and companies come to her for team-building events. In this episode of the Cranford Radio podcast, we learn more about Melanie and what brought her from the Philippines to Cranford and how COVID allowed her to pivot and transform her business.Little Fox's Instagram page

Today at most public high schools you'll find a full program of girls sports. The passage of Title IX in 1972 required schools receiving federal funding to not discriminate based on sex. It took some time for Cranford Public Schools to begin offering girls sports. It started with a field hockey team and in 1973, a girls basketball team was created. That team not only was a first, but it distinguished itself by playing in the state championship game its first season.Three seniors were the core of that team. Carol Blazejowski, Nancy French and Lisa Levine played together going back to their elementary grade days at Lincoln School. This week's Cranford Radio podcast brings the three together to  talk not only about that magical season, but to go back even further to the formation of their friendship and then to catch up on what they did after graduation.

Whenever you attended high school it likely was a time of growing. Depending on how far removed you are from that experience, things have changed quite a bit with today's students. Under the direction of Nikki Savino Mulcahy, an intergenerational studies program is taking place at Cranford High School. It brings together older residents with current students to compare how things have changed over the decades, as well as what is not all that different.Three students, Isabella Alvarez-Gomez, Neil McGovern and Ryan Lynskey, along with Mrs. Savino Mulcahy, join us on this week's podcast, recorded in the Dr. Deborah Cannon Partridge Wolfe Library and Learning Commons, to not only talk about the class but to share a bit of what their high school experience is like.

Twelfth Night is one of William Shakespeare's comedies and it comes to the CDC stage throughout the month of February. Director Susie Speidel and actor Zach Mazouat join me to talk about the show, the challenges of performing Shakespeare, and what this show has to do with New York City in the 1970s.

In July, the Cranford United Methodist Church welcomed a new pastor, Rev. Dr. HyunHui Kim.  Pastor Kim is not only the first woman to serve as pastor of CUMC, but she is also the first person of color.In this episode we learn a bit about her story from her growing up years in a suburb of Seoul to what brought her to New Jersey.

Following the murder of George Floyd in May 2020, the Cranford community created the Equity and Inclusivity Initiative to examine what needed to be done to make the town welcoming to everyone. Leaders of the project include a wide range of community members, including representatives from the township committee,  public schools, clergy, police and citizens. Meetings, which were open to all members of the public, developed draft mission, value, vision and goal statements, an action plan and a strategic plan.On January 9 a survey was released seeking feedback from all stakeholders. Cranford Radio spoke with several leaders of the initiative to learn more about their work and the purposes of the survey. Guests on the episode are Police Chief Ryan Greco, Sherry Williams, Rev. Alfred Brown of the First Baptist Church, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Scott Rubin, Dr. Christopher Chapman of the Roselle Chapter of the NAACP and Township Committee member Kathleen Miller Prunty.

In this Cranford Radio episode the tables are turned and instead of being the interviewer, Bernie becomes the interviewee. She discusses her recent announcement that she has transitioned to living as a woman and in general about being transgender. Interviewing Bernie are five members of the Cranford Unity Project; Sanjeevanee Vidwans, Patricia MacLean, Jill Wohrle, Karen Bennett, and Jo Ann Boyle.

Friday and Saturday nights (December 16 & 17) at 8, the Celebration Singers will be presenting their Hope for the Season concert at St. Michael's Church in Cranford. As a rehearsal was underway this week, I had an opportunity to sit down with the director, Louise Chernosky, as well as two members, Cindy Higgins and Holly Gessner, to chat about this weekend's performance and about the Celebration Singers.

Santa isn't the only one delivering at this time of year. The UPS Store at 16 South Avenue West is lending a hand by not only shipping gifts and more, but by helping you pack those items so they arrive safely.To help you prepare for whatever shipments you might be making, Cranford Radio spoke with Jackie Reese, the manager of Cranford's UPS Store and her assistant, Beatrice Beard.

Harry Dworchak has sung in many of the greatest opera houses in the world and with some of the finest singers. After living in places as diverse as Barcelona, Philadelphia and New York, he's settled in Cranford.A 1986 New York Time review of his performance with the New York City Opera called his bass voice one of the finest to be heard in New York at the time. A year later he was given the prestigious Richard Tucker Award.  On this week's podcast we talk about what led him to become an opera singer, some of the unique challenges of performing opera and about his role as a teacher.

For nearly 20 years, a group of Cranford residents and educators have served as a resource for teachers throughout the district to provide funding for initiatives that haven't been funded through traditional budgeting. The CFEE raises money through a variety of methods, including an annual Trivia Night, which will return in February after a two-year absence. Tara O'Connor serves as a co-president of the organization and she joined me in one of the projects funded by the CFEE.

Jan Lilien's life touched many. When she died in 2021, her husband Richard Brown wanted to continue her legacy through the creation of the Jan Lilien Education Fund. The fund has worked with the Hanson Park Conservancy to provide educational programs on sustainability and environmental awareness. Richard also wanted to memorialize Jan with something permanent in Hanson Park which might give comfort to others suffering from grief. That dream became a wind sculpture which was installed this month in the park. On this episode of Cranford Radio we hear from Richard, as well as Ellen McHenry, the president of the Hanson Park Conservancy and Rabbi Renee Edelman of Temple Sha'arey Shalom in Springfield.

Deborah Cannon Partridge Wolfe was born and raised in Cranford before becoming a nationally-recognized educator. Dr. Wolfe will be recognized with a reading garden that is being constructed in a corner of Lincoln Park where Old Peppy once stood.TV35 and Cranford Radio spoke with Mayor Kathleen Miller Prunty, Pat Pavlak and Betty Crawley about the project and Dr. Wolfe's legacy.