Good morning, Hunterdon.
We're four weeks out from school starting. If you have kids, you already knew that. If you don't, consider it your four-week warning that the morning roads are about to get a bit slower.
In today's Hunterdon Scoop:
Holland Township banned data centers in every zone in town.
A bear cub named Aurora is recovering in Pittstown.
51 things to do between Thursday 8/6 and Sunday 8/9.
Let's get to it.
- Steve
IN ALL ZONING DISTRICTS
Holland Township banned data centers.
Ordinance 2026-15 was adopted on final reading at the 7/21 Township Committee meeting and took effect when it was published on 7/22. It creates a new "Prohibited Uses" chapter and puts data centers in it "whether as a principal or an accessory use, in all zoning districts within the Township." The definition is written wide on purpose. It names cloud services, video streaming, blockchain and crypto mining, artificial intelligence and machine learning, and "any and all functionally-equivalent but differently-named uses."
Certain data centers, the ordinance says, "may require up to approximately three hundred (300) megawatts of continuous electrical power," and large-scale ones "may require millions of gallons of water per day." The committee's conclusion is that those impacts "cannot be adequately mitigated through site-specific conditions, buffering, or operational controls."
The vote: Tuesday 7/21, roll call 4-0. Moustakas, Miller, Young and Deputy Mayor Wilhelm all voted yes. Mayor Dan Bush joined the meeting by phone and dropped off at 7:10, so by the time the roll was called he was recorded absent. Moved by Moustakas, seconded by Miller.
Two residents spoke at the public hearing. Gregory Hanna had questions about the ordinance. Tony Rizzello asked about towns in New Jersey now being sued for restricting data centers. Smart to ask, as more than 25 New Jersey towns have some form of data-center ban, and two of them, Monroe Township in Gloucester County and Andover Township in Sussex, got sued over theirs in July.
Scoop essentials
🔧 45 trades: what the job costs here and who does the work · or tell me the job and I'll send one name
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SLEEPING BEAUTY OF RICK ROAD
A 35-pound juvenile black bear was struck by a vehicle on Rick Road in Alexandria Township. Five days in, she is still in critical condition, and she is starting to fight.
A good Samaritan picked her up off the road, and the Animal Hospital of Clinton-Perryville found no broken bones and no internal injuries, likely a concussion. Staff named her Aurora, after the Sleeping Beauty princess, because the strike knocked her out.
She is now at Woodlands Wildlife Refuge in Pittstown, unconscious most of the time. In its day-five update this week, the refuge reported that she got onto all fours using the wall of her enclosure for support, and a day later did it without the wall, then went straight back to sleep.
The refuge is asking for donations toward her care at woodlandswildlife.org/donate.
In other news . . .
☎️ The Sheriff's Office says somebody is calling residents pretending to be one of its officers. The callers use real officers' names and spoof the caller ID so the Sheriff's Office number displays. The story is that you missed a court proceeding where you were to testify as an expert witness, and that you must pay immediately to avoid arrest. One resident was told $10,000. Another was told $35,000, "reduced" to $3,500 if paid immediately. Officials say real law enforcement and court officials never demand over-the-phone payment, gift cards, or account access. If you get this call, hang up, then call the Sheriff's Office directly at 908-788-1166.
🚧 Road work coming to Alexandria and Franklin. The county starts resurfacing around Monday 8/10 on Route 513 between Everittstown and Pittstown, and on Quakertown Road (CR 616) between Quakertown and Cherryville. Expect alternating one-lane traffic once the sealing starts.
🌉 Kuhl Road is open again. The Raritan Township bridge reopened 8/3 after closing 12/15/2025. Milltown Road in Kingwood is still shut, due back around 8/31.
🕷️ Ten for ten. A new statewide tool, TickZone, scores all 564 New Jersey municipalities for tick-bite risk on a 0-to-100 scale, recalculated daily from the weather. When it launched in mid-July, the ten highest-scoring towns in the state were all in Hunterdon County, every one of them in the 90s. It is free and searchable by town at tickzone.app.
🏗️ Raritan Township, the Lowe's at 150 Route 31. The Zoning Board of Adjustment meets Thursday 8/6 at 7 PM on Lowe's request for site plan approval with a 'd' variance for outdoor seasonal storage, plus bulk variances for parking. There is no virtual option for the public, so it is in person or not at all. Next meetings 8/20 and 9/3.
🌾 Holland is preserving another farm. Final approval of a development easement on about 24.39 preserved acres of a 26.6-acre farm at 231 Riegelsville Milford Road was on the committee's agenda Tuesday 8/4, at $12,347 an acre. The landowners accepted the offer 7/23. No houses go on the preserved ground.
Deadlines & dates
📆 Third-quarter property taxes: the standard 10-day grace period on the 8/1 due date runs out Monday 8/10 in most Hunterdon towns before interest starts, but towns can extend it (Union Township went to 8/17), so check your own collector.
📆 NJ property tax relief, form PAS-1, due Monday 11/2: one form now covers ANCHOR, Senior Freeze and Stay NJ. Most homeowners under 65 are enrolled automatically. Seniors and residents on disability benefits have to file manually.
📆 First day of school: Hunterdon Central, Wednesday 9/2. Class of 2030 parent orientation is Tuesday 8/25 at 6:30 PM and student orientation Wednesday 8/26, 8:15 AM to 12:15 PM. Flemington-Raritan, Thursday 9/3.
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WEATHER
Thu 8/6 | 91 / 70 | ⛅⛈️ | 40% after 5 PM
Fri 8/7 | 89 / 68 | ⛈️ | 70%
Sat 8/8 | 88 / 68 | 🌤️ | 30% after 2 PM
Sun 8/9 | 89 / 68 | ☀️ | 0%
Thursday 8/6 is the hot one: the heat index reaches 102 in the afternoon. Friday 8/7 is the washout risk. Sunday 8/9 is the clear day.
👦👩👧 Events for kids
Thursday 8/6
1. Preschool Storytime · Free
Thursday 8/6, 10 to 10:30 AM · Ringoes, South County branch library. Stories and songs for the pre-K set. Two seats left as of Wednesday 8/5, so register before you drive out.
2. Toddler Storytime · Free
Thursday 8/6, 10 to 10:30 AM · Clinton, North County branch library. The younger-sibling version of the same half hour. Register first.
3. Outdoor Story Time · Free
Thursday 8/6, 10 to 11 AM · Tewksbury, township library. Storytime held outside on the library grounds, which makes it weather-dependent. Call the library if Thursday morning looks wet, because there is no posted rain plan.
4. Family Maker: cooking · Free
Thursday 8/6, 10:30 AM · Flemington, county library headquarters. A family cooking session in the maker space. Three seats left as of Wednesday 8/5.
5. Sand Art drop-in · Free
Thursday 8/6, 2 to 3:30 PM · Flemington, county library headquarters. Layer colored sand into a jar and take it home. Drop in, no registration, which makes it the easy one on this list.
6. Ben's Balloons · Free
Thursday 8/6, 6 to 7 PM · Lambertville, Free Public Library. A balloon-twisting show for kids, one hour, no charge.
7. LEGO Club · Free
Thursday 8/6, 6:30 PM · Clinton, North County branch library. Build night using the library's bricks. Two seats left as of Wednesday 8/5.
8. LEGO Club · Free
Thursday 8/6, 6:30 PM · Flemington, county library headquarters. The same program, the same night, the other end of the county. Register first.
Friday 8/7
9. Guitar Bob · Free
Friday 8/7, 10 AM · Flemington, county library headquarters. A kids' sing-along concert in the biggest room the library has. 83 seats open as of Wednesday 8/5, which is more open capacity than any other kids' program this week.
10. Maker: decorate your own socks · Free
Friday 8/7, 10 AM to 12 PM · Flemington, county library headquarters. Heat-press your own design onto socks. Registration required.
11. Books & Babies · Free
Friday 8/7, 10:30 AM · Clinton, North County branch library. Lap-sit stories, rhymes and bouncing for the under-twos.
12. Building Buddies · Free
Friday 8/7, 3:30 PM · Ringoes, South County branch library. Open-ended building with blocks and connectors. One seat left as of Wednesday 8/5.
13. Family board games · Free
Friday 8/7, 3:45 PM · Lambertville, Free Public Library. They put the whole collection out and you drop in. No sign-up.
Saturday 8/8
14. Young Aerospace Engineers · Free
Saturday 8/8, 3 to 4 PM · Clinton, North County branch library. Build-and-fly hour for grade-schoolers. Five seats left as of Wednesday 8/5.
🎮 Events for teens
Thursday 8/6
15. Teen Level Up · Free
Thursday 8/6, 11 AM to 1 PM · Clinton, North County branch library. Drop-in tabletop, card and video games in the teen space.
16. Teen Dungeons & Dragons · Free
Thursday 8/6, 4 to 6 PM · Clinton, North County branch library. A campaign run by a GM, with characters ready for anyone who has never played.
Friday 8/7
17. Teen DIY craft · Free
Friday 8/7, 1 to 2 PM · Lambertville, Free Public Library. The weekly craft hour. Bring your own project or use theirs.
Saturday 8/8
18. Intro to the laser cutter · Free
Saturday 8/8, 10 AM to 12 PM · Flemington, county library makerspace. The certification session that lets you book the machine on your own afterward. Four seats left as of Wednesday 8/5.
19. Magic: The Gathering Hobbit prerelease · price not posted
Saturday 8/8, call for the start time · Flemington, Comic Fusion. Prerelease play for the new set, whose official prerelease window runs 8/7 through 8/13. Call the shop for the start time, the entry fee and to check seats.
💸 Free events
Thursday 8/6
20. Music Under the Stars: Hunterdon Choral Alliance
Thursday 8/6, 7 PM · Flemington, Deer Path Park. The county's outdoor concert series, in its 50th season, and this is the choral night. Bring a chair or a blanket. If the sky turns, the concert moves indoors to Hunterdon Central High School at 84 Route 31; the call gets made late afternoon at 908-782-PARK. With storms possible after 5 PM Thursday 8/6, keep that number handy.
21. Drawing Night: Phantom Limbs
Thursday 8/6, 5 to 7 PM · Frenchtown, ArtYard. Open drawing alongside the current exhibition. Materials are there, registration is required.
22. Chi Kung
Thursday 8/6, 1 to 2 PM · Lambertville, Free Public Library. Slow standing movement, no floor work, no mat. Seven seats left as of Wednesday 8/5.
23. Spanish conversation workshop
Thursday 8/6, 7 to 8:30 PM · Lambertville, Free Public Library. A practice session rather than a beginner class. Come with some Spanish already.
Friday 8/7
24. Chair Yoga
Friday 8/7, 9 to 10 AM · Tewksbury, township library. Seated yoga, one hour, nothing to bring.
25. Mahjongg
Friday 8/7, 12:30 to 3 PM · Tewksbury, township library. The weekly game. The regulars will teach you if you turn up cold.
Saturday 8/8
26. Flemington Corn, Tomato & Beer Festival
Saturday 8/8, 12 to 8 PM. Rain date Saturday 8/22 · Flemington, Main Street, closed to traffic. This is the weekend. More than 140 vendors down Main Street, nine to twelve thousand people expected, and nothing to pay to walk it. The beer garden is pay per pour. There is a VIP ticket at $45 covering 2 to 6 PM, capped at 400 people. It runs eight hours, so there is no reason to arrive at noon and fight the whole county for a parking space. If Saturday washes out the entire festival moves to Saturday 8/22, not to Sunday.
27. Paint & Sip with mocktails
Saturday 8/8, 10 AM to 12 PM · Flemington, county library headquarters. Guided painting, no alcohol, supplies provided. Free, but registration is required and this is the program that fills.
Sunday 8/9
28. Flemington DIY gallery hours
Sunday 8/9, 11:30 AM to 2:30 PM · Flemington, Flemington DIY. The gallery open to walk in and look at, three hours, nothing to pay.
29. Women's comedy open mic
Sunday 8/9, 2:30 to 5 PM · Flemington, Flemington DIY. An open mic in the same room straight after gallery hours. Free to watch.
🍷 Date nights
Thursday 8/6
30. Wine & Trivia Thursday · $10
Thursday 8/6, 6:30 to 8 PM · Ringoes, Old York Cellars. Team trivia in the tasting room, ten dollars a head, wine by the glass or the bottle.
31. Books on the Vine · Free, registration required
Thursday 8/6, 5:30 to 7 PM · Ringoes, Old York Cellars. The county library's book club, held at the winery instead of the branch. Six seats left as of Wednesday 8/5.
32. Bonsai Bar · ticketed, price at booking
Thursday 8/6, 6 to 8:30 PM · Lebanon, Sunken Silo Brew Works. You build a bonsai at a brewery table and take the tree home with you. The ticket covers the tree and the pot. Book ahead, it does not sell at the door.
Friday 8/7
33. The Will Rogers Follies, opening night · about $36
Friday 8/7, 7:30 PM · Lambertville, Music Mountain Theatre. Opening night of the Ziegfeld-styled musical, which runs through 8/30. It plays again Saturday 8/8 at 3 and 7:30 and Sunday 8/9 at 3. Tickets about $36 at showpass.com. Buy ahead.
34. Chef José's Friday Paella · price not posted
Friday 8/7, 4 to 9 PM · Ringoes, Old York Cellars. Paella cooked outside on the patio across a five-hour window. No reservation posted, so call if you want a table rather than a spot on the lawn.
35. British Invasion weekend · price not posted
Friday 8/7 through Sunday 8/9, 12 to 8 PM daily · Whitehouse Station, Readington Brewery and Hop Farm. Three days of British-themed pours and food out on the hop farm. Identical hours all three days, which makes it the flexible option on a crowded weekend.
Saturday 8/8
36. The Will Rogers Follies · tickets at showpass.com
Saturday 8/8, 3 PM and 7:30 PM · Lambertville, Music Mountain Theatre. Two performances Saturday. Take the 3 PM if you want dinner in Lambertville afterward.
37. Wine & Comedy: Keith Purnell · price not posted
Saturday 8/8, 7 to 10 PM · Ringoes, Old York Cellars. A seated stand-up show at the winery, wine by the glass or bottle. Reserve ahead.
38. Bubbly Brunch · price not posted
Saturday 8/8, 11:30 AM to 2:30 PM · Ringoes, Old York Cellars. Brunch with sparkling wine in a three-hour sitting. Runs again Sunday 8/9. Reserve ahead on a festival weekend.
Sunday 8/9
39. The Will Rogers Follies · tickets at showpass.com
Sunday 8/9, 3 PM · Lambertville, Music Mountain Theatre. The Sunday matinee, and the last of the four performances inside this window.
40. Bubbly Brunch · price not posted
Sunday 8/9, 11:30 AM to 2:30 PM · Ringoes, Old York Cellars. The same sitting as Saturday, one day later and one day quieter.
41. Slow Stitch Sundays: pincushion · included with museum admission
Sunday 8/9, 1 to 4 PM · Clinton, Red Mill Museum Village. Hand-sewing on the museum grounds across the three hours, free for members. Museum admission gets you in, and they ask for an RSVP.
42. Tiny Talk: Rebecca Reeves · registration required
Sunday 8/9, 11 AM to 12 PM · Frenchtown, ArtYard. A one-hour artist talk in a small room. Registration is the only way in.
🎵 Live music
Fri 8/7 | Clinton, downtown (anchored at The Guild of Clinton) | Come Together Friday Night Music | 7-9 PM | price not posted
Fri 8/7 | Pittstown, Beneduce Vineyards | Locals Night + Il Forno pizza truck | time not posted | price not posted
Fri 8/7 | Flemington, Flemington DIY | Vethaken / We Used To Cut the Grass / My So Called Summer | doors 6:30, music 7-10 PM | $10 suggested
Sat 8/8 | Ringoes, Old York Cellars | Allan Willcockson | 1-5 PM | no cover posted
Sat 8/8 | Clinton, Red Mill quarry | Rocking the Quarry: High in the Mid-80s (opener 6 PM, headliners 7 PM) | 6 PM | $10 at the door
Sat 8/8 | Pittstown, Beneduce Vineyards | Group Therapy w/ Kinderhook, Rolling Kusina truck, 21+ | 5-9 PM | $10 reservation
Sun 8/9 | Lambertville, farmers market | Julia Hess | 9 AM-12 PM | Free
Sun 8/9 | Ringoes, Old York Cellars | Michael Patrick | 1-5 PM | no cover posted
Sun 8/9 | Pittstown, Beneduce Vineyards | Sunday Picnic: Cushetunk | music 2-5 PM | $10 reservation
🌳 Outdoors events
Thursday 8/6
43. Let's Try Trail Running · Free
Thursday 8/6, 5:30 to 6:30 PM · Flemington, Hunterdon County Parks. A county-run beginner session on park trails, built for people who have never run on dirt. Weather-dependent with no posted rain date, so check the parks calendar Thursday afternoon.
Saturday 8/8
44. Stangl Factory Farmers' Market · Free to walk in
Saturday 8/8, 9 AM to 3 PM · Flemington, 50 Stangl Road. Thirty-plus vendors in and around the old pottery kilns. It is a short walk from Main Street, so the market and the festival are one trip. Go early for the parking.
45. Holland Township Farmers' Market · Free to walk in
Saturday 8/8, 9 AM to 12 PM · Milford, Holland Township firehouse, Route 519. The small one. Three morning hours, growers from that end of the county, and no crowd.
Sunday 8/9
46. Dvoor Farm market · Free to walk in
Sunday 8/9, 9 AM to 1 PM · Flemington, Dvoor Farm, Mine Street. The Sunday market on the Land Trust's farm. Corn and tomatoes are both in, and the morning after the festival is a calm time to buy them.
47. Lambertville Farmers Market · Free to walk in
Sunday 8/9, 9 AM to 12 PM · Lambertville, the library parking lot on Lilly Street. Three hours, with Julia Hess playing through it.
Thursday 8/6 through Sunday 8/9
48. U-pick at Phillips Farms · pay by weight
Thursday 8/6 through Sunday 8/9, 9 AM to 6 PM, last check-in 5:30 PM · Milford, Phillips Farms. Blueberries, tomatoes and flowers are the posted u-pick right now. What is ripe changes day to day; the farm updates its message line daily at 908-995-0022.
49. U-pick at Melick's Town Farm · pay for what you pick
Thursday 8/6 through Sunday 8/9, farm hours · Califon, Melick's Town Farm. No reservations needed, and entry fees are waived for the season. Check melickstownfarm.com for what is picking before you drive out.
🚗 Worth the drive
Saturday 8/8
50. Delaware River Railroad Mine Train · $6 add-on to a River Train ticket
Saturday 8/8, departures at 10 AM, 12 PM, 2 PM and 4 PM · Phillipsburg, Warren County, Delaware River Railroad Excursions. A train ride out to an old mine site with a dig for the kids at the far end. The mine leg is a $6 add-on to the regular River Train ticket, not a standalone fare. Book at 877trainride.com. About 35 minutes from Clinton.
Saturday 8/8 and Sunday 8/9
51. New Hope Automobile Show · $10, under 12 free
Saturday 8/8 and Sunday 8/9, 9 AM to 4 PM both days · New Hope, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The 69th year of it. Saturday is the domestic cars, Sunday is the foreign ones. Ten dollars in, under 12 free, parking $5, and it is a walk over the bridge from Lambertville if you would rather park on the New Jersey side.
The 4-H and Agricultural Fair, at a glance: Wednesday 8/19 through Sunday 8/23, South County Park, 1207 Route 179, Lambertville. Free to get in, $20 a car to park, and $30 at the Fair Office turns one day's parking into a pass for the whole run. Wednesday through Friday noon to 10 PM, Saturday 10 AM to 10 PM, Sunday 10 AM to 5 PM.
Thanks for reading. Hit reply and tell me what you went to, or what I missed. I read everything.
If this was useful, forward it to someone with a kid going back to school on 9/2. They have four weekends left, and one of those Saturdays already belongs to Main Street.
- Steve
P.S. If you know someone who would like to see this, please forward this to them!