Local Scotch Plains resident Ira B. Kraemer’s avocation is his vocation:  fine string instruments.  A professional violist and conductor, Ira serves the professional string players in the NJ-NY metro area with his business, Ira B. Kraemer & Co.  He repairs, restores and sells violins, violas, cellos, basses and bows.  Time permitting; he will even make a new violin or viola in house.

It is a privilege to have Ira “show and tell” about New Jersey violins at the monthly Tuesday evening meeting of the Historical Society of Scotch Plains and Fanwood on November 25th.  From his extensive collection– one of the largest on the east coast—Ira will bring a selection of instruments and teach us about the construction of violins and the variation in design during the last 200 years.

Mr. Kraemer is listed in the “Who’s Who in America” and the “Who’s Who in the World” because of his conducting a youth orchestra in Middlesex County for 13 years.

This informative and special meeting is free and open to everyone.  The meeting takes place at the Scotch Hills Country Club on Plainfield Avenue and Jerusalem Road in Scotch Plains,  on Tuesday evening, November 25 at 8:00PM. Fellowship and refreshments follow the meeting.

Contact Connie Klock at 908-232-9489 for further information or write to us.

Did you know that “hallow” is from an Old English word meaning “spirits” or “souls” and that “sen” is the contraction of “eve”?  Thus as the words have evolved into Halloween, so have the customs surrounding it evolved.  Did you also know that early day colonists used turnips for their jack-o-lanterns, not pumpkins?

At the meeting, more facts about the evolution of Halloween from Roman Times to today will be presented.  Some of our eldest local citizens (spotlighting Betty Lindner, Mary Spaldo, Flo Clark, Marie Leppert, Mauro Checchio and Pete & Judy Terry) to our younger local citizens (spotlighting Darlene Palombo and hopefully Phil Tice) will share their memories of Halloween.  We will be tracing our own local evolution of celebrating Halloween for the last 90 years.

Treats will be at this spooky and spiritual meeting.  It is free and open to everyone.  Guests are welcome.  Costumes and encouraged!

The meeting takes place at the Scotch Hills Country Club on Plainfield Avenue and Jerusalem Road in Scotch Plains,  on Tuesday, October 28 at 8:00PM.

Contact Connie Klock at 908-232-9489 for further information or write to us.

The Osborn Cannonball House Museum, located at 1840 Front Street, Scotch Plains, NJ 07076, will be open on Saturday Oct 18^th 2014 from 10-5 and Sunday , October 19, 2012 from 12-5pm as part of the Union County Four Centuries in a weekend historic sites tour.

We will be featuring a presentation explaining why the US government gave the township a World War I era cannon.  Guides will be on hand to conduct tours and share some history with you.

Check out the other sites and get a guide at the Union County site.

Hope to see you there!