The semester is at an end, and so is this blog, for now. These past four months have been fun, as well as an educating experience for myself, and I hope for all my readers. I have visited many places in South Jersey, and discovered that life here is not boring, but instead different. South Jersey lives at a different pace than a kid from North Jersey is used to. But I have found that if you look hard enough, and open your mind up to different experiences, you can find fun in the most unassuming of places.

Here is a look back at some of the places I have visited this semester. I visited the last drive-in movie theater in new jersey, I visited a inflatable play pen, I kicked off the autumn season with a trip to a Haunted Walk, and ended it with a night of terror at a Christian farm. I showed you a little bit about Rowan University and Glassboro, and took you to a pumpkin festival in South Jersey. I let you tell me a little bit about Rowan, and I heard from council members as well. I spent some time in the water, and ended with a trip in the snow.

This has been a great semester for me, and I would like to thank all those who helped, and supported this project. And to any future readers, I leave this website as a guide. A catalog of ideas for your life in South Jersey. Thank you.

-Christopher Carmena

The Experience: So the semester is drawing to a close and so do my posts for this blog. For my final adventure out in to the world of South Jersey I had originally planned out a visit to a local high performance kart track in Millville. Unfortunately the racing season is over, I had no idea go-karts were a seasonal business, and I have been informed it will restart some time in March. For any of my adrenaline driven junkies who want to find out some more information, you can read up on it here.

As a replacement I figured I would do something more time appropriate, and with the spirit of the upcoming holiday I will be attending the Dickens Festival in Medford, NJ. The event itself will be held on route 541, or Main Street, in Medford and you can get Mapquest directions here. The event was held Saturday 6th, 2008 in the historic portion of main street, as a free celebration of the holidays.

When I got there, on a snowy Saturday in December, the streets were swamped with people walking up and down the streets. We parked about a quarter mile off the main road and walked out into the frigid night. Police officers directed the major traffic down a side road, because about a mile off road was blocked off for the festival.

The Experience: This week I visited Adventure Aquarium in Camden, NJ.  And, yes I made it there safely. No problems. No assaults. I wasn’t mugged. But it was freezing outside, that was about the worst of it. The directions to get there were clear enough, and there was only a little traffic on the way back.  The only Aquarium that I have been to before this is the Baltimore Aquarium which sits on the bay in Inner Harbor. So for this article I will commonly refer back to the that visit as a reference point, and a fair comparison between the two aquariums. 

When we got there I was not surprised to find that the Aquarium is enormous. From the outside, the building stretches, what seems to be several “blocks.” It is brightly decorated on the outside, and sports a beautiful view of Philadelphia. We paid for our tickets, which were pretty expensive considering the two 4-D shows we added to the bill, and rushed in to avoid being in the biting cold any longer. We shed our jackets and winter clothing and found a locker to stash our stuff for the rest of the day. After a bit of confusion, a dollar refund later, we figured out the proper way to use the lockers and were ready to continue 

For this week I will be headed to the Adventure Aquarium in Camden, NJ. I keep hearing from people in the area that the aquarium is amazing, and is a must see if you live in South Jersey.

Expectations: The problem is, so I hear, is that Adventure Aquarium is in Camden (dark ominous music similar to a DUM DUM DUM). It seems that most people, when they talk about such cities, talk in a hushed and scared voice. Always with a reassured passion that the city itself is uninhabitable. Intrinsically dangerous, and most definitely to be avoided. I have heard it about New York as a kid in North Jersey, Philadelphia when I came to college, and Camden and Newark, well just about always. I have never cared to much about this. The truth seems to be, everything is dangerous in some way, keep your eyes open, be smart, and you will most likely be ok. As for the aquarium itself, I expect to see some cool stuff. I am somewhat of an animal person, I have worked at pet stores before, and had different kinds of pets, so I am interested to see what this aquarium has to offer.

Hours of Operation: Open every day 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Pricing: It is a little pricey at $18.95 a person, but it is nothing that will break your wallet. Also their are IMax and 4D shows that are offered as well for an additional fee.

Location: Conveniently the aquarium has it’s own street and is located on 1 Aquarium Drive in Camden, NJ.

Mapquest directions from Rowan University.

Website: For any other information you may want about the Adventure Aquarium, check out their website here.

Joseph Brigandi Jr., 52, has been Glassboro’s Borough Administrator for 10 years and Gloucester County Freeholder for nearly 11 years. Brigandi, a lifelong resident of Glassboro,resides with his wife, Elaine, and his three children, Joey, Sean, and Bethany. Brigandi, served as Councilman in Glassboro from 1991-1998, and served as council president for a brief period of time. He played a fundamental role in the creation of the Glassboro Economic Development Corporation, where he served as a founding member and vice-chairman.

He also played a large part for Glassboro’s Revitalization plan, along with Mayor Leo McCabe. The revitalization plan is a  combined effort between Rowan University and Glassboro to create a new downtown area in Glassboro, that will facilitate the need of new businesses as well as students. It contains a new 884 bed housing complex for students, a new Barnes & Nobles bookstore, a 100 room Holiday Inn, and 125 new retail stores and businesses. This new downtown is aimed at adding new revenue, as well as giving students a place where they have something to do. Below is a slightly edited interview with Joseph Brigandi.

How long has this project been in the works?

Approximately 8 – 10 years

Are you happy in the way it has come to fruition? Is everything in the plan that had originally been planned, or were certain things left out, or unable to be passed?

Yes, very happy. I don’t recall anything that has been taken out of the plan, but it has been tweaked at times over the years.

What are the major goals of this plan? Short term as well as long term?

To improve the quality of life for the Glassboro and Rowan Communities. To make a seem less transition from Rowan to the Downtown so that you don’t realize when you are leaving the University and entering the downtown and vise-versa. To increase tax ratables and jobs and to make this a walkable, sustainable mixed use community using smart growth principles.

The Rowan Boulevard Project plans to bring in “125 new retail stores and restaurants, and more than 400 new local jobs.” What is the local impact of this improvement?

 Increased property values for all, better relationship between Rowan and Glassboro, less traffic and congestion, and improved quality of life for all.

Continue below to see the rest of RU Bored’s intervew with Joseph Brigandi

The Experience: This week I attended a small store called The Clay Place, in Sicklerville, NJ. My intentions were to give students a creative, and fun way of getting cheaper ideas for holiday gifts. And I think this store serves as just that.

The outside of the store may scare most college students away but I urge everyone reading this to push on. Covered in a loud, bright rainbow and other array of blazing colors it is hard for this store not to stick out like a sore thumb. The store itself is small on the outside, and is part of a small strip mall off of Cross Keys Road. Inside the store is much larger, and extends further back. We were greeted by an friendly older woman, who was helping out another kids in the store.

The walls are decorated with shelves of pre-made objects, that all come with different prices depending on their size. Prices are anywhere from $4 on smaller ornaments to $15 on larger pieces. There is also a section with previous seasonals that are sold at a discount price. They also offer different types of art as well as classes in mosaics, beaded jewelry, scrap-booking, and other clays.

For me, the pre-made ceramic ornaments were perfect. I decided to paint three of them, a snowman, two children holding a heart, and Santa (keep in mind this is probably for my mom). We chatted with the woman for a little, and then selected our paints. My girlfriend painted her stuff neon green and purple, I stuck with the traditional Christmas colors: red, green, and white.

As the Christmas season draws closer most students will be fretting over essays and finals, rather than presents and holidays. And considering that most students will procure the same tool box, or snow globe for their respective parents, I thought it would be a good idea to offer another, creative and relatively cheap idea for a present. This week I will be headed to The Clay Place in Sicklerville, NJ. The Clay Place offers an array of pre-made ceramics which you can paint and design with any colors you want.

Expectations: I don’t know much about the place, but my girlfriend works at a similar store back home, and I thought they were always interesting. The only problem is, I lack pretty much all artistic ability when it comes to painting and drawing. But on the upside, this will probably be a present for my mom or another family member, so either way I’m making it up on the fridge!

Hours of Operation: Fall and winter hours- Closed Mondays

Tuesday-Friday 1:00 p.m -8:30 p.m

Saturday 11:00 a.m – 5:00 p.m

Sunday 12:00 p.m – 4:00 p.m (Starting in October)

Pricing: Prices vary according to the size of the ceramics you pick, and how you paint it. Studio fee is four dollars, which includes the use of the store and painting materials. You can reach The Clay Place at 856-740-3100 for more pricing information.

Location: The Clay Place is located on 672 Cross Keys Rd, Sicklerville, NJ.

Mapquest directions from Rowan University.

Website: Check out the Clay Place’s website here for more information and possible deals.

The Experience: This week I was headed to Haddonfield, NJ for their “First Friday.” Haddonfield is a pleasant town, with brick faced stores lining their main street and a collection of art studios. Their are floral stores, framing shops, antique shops, restaurants, cafes, etc.

The town offers several buildings, antiques in architecture, that add to the general tone of the town. A massive Municipal building that puts most towns to shame. Large trees border the sidewalks, and the streets are lit by black antique street lamps that cast a soothing trickle of yellow light. The town itself is very similar to Princeton, although not as much history, and a way better driving situation.

Walking through the town, their was an array of music on every corner. Nothing special, in the sense that I had heard it before, but it was simple and tasteful. I heard covers of piano man, blues traveler (the man looked like Jerry Garcia incarnate), and elsewhere you could find blues, Christmas music, garden variety pop, and even bagpipes.

This week I will be headed to Haddonfield, NJ for their First Friday. First Friday is Haddonfield’s main street event, that involves artists, music, shopping, and dining along with it.

Expectations:I don’t know much about Haddonfield, except I’ve heard it is a pretty ritzy type area, so I don’t know what to expect. I will say though, my experience with such “main street” events is that they are usually towns that have a cute, Soho or Village type atmosphere, with many little stores. The problem that I have usually found with this Soho inspired “main streets” is that ultimately it’s not New York. The street’s atmosphere only lasts so long before in turns back into suburbia. If your interested in attending events of this type, check out this article by the Courier-Post.

Hours of Operation: Being held on two dates: November 7, and December 5.

                                 5 to 9 p.m.

Admission: FREE!

Events: Check out some of the artists, events, and promotions that will take place here.

Location: 101-198 Kings Highway in Haddonfield, NJ. The numbers are broad because it is not a specific place but instead a location that includes a portion of Kings Highway. Somewhere between these numbers is the best place to start.

Mapquest directions from Rowan University.

Website: If you have any additional questions about Haddonfield’s First Friday, check out there website here.

For about two months now I have been working on this website with the assumption that Rowan University students had nothing to do. I had heard it from students over and over again, and I myself felt this way to.

So today I decided to go out and talk to some students and findout exactly what they thought of Glassboro and why.

Eddie Samuel, 20, a marketing and entrepeneur major at Rowan University thinks of Glassboro as a “pretty blue collar town aside from the school.” Samuel, who has followed business says of Glassboro, “the real estate seems pretty depressed.”

But for Samuel he has not experienced the greater part of Glassboro much. “I have had to much experience, I usually just stay in here at Rowan. There isn’t anything to do really.”

When I asked Samuel what there is to do in Glassboro, he stopped thought, and replied by asking me the same question. After a smirk, he said, “well I guess we have a Wal-mart and other stuff.” He immediately began laughing at his reply and added, “yea there is not much to do.”

But Samuel is not alone in this.

View Larger Map

                                           

The Experience: Last Friday i visited Creamy Acre’s Night of Terror, a farm located somewhere in the open pastures of Mullica Hill. I arrived to find a decent amount of people there, but not overcrowded. The entrance hosted many tables of foods and treats, including high school kids raising money for certain clubs. The farm also has a main store which sells hot apple cider, hot dogs, and things for the house. Once we purchased our tickets, $25 after our $5 off coupons, we entered the long maze of emptied lines that lead us to our first of six destinations: the ride of terror.

Before I start with the rest of the review, I will warn you ahead of time, if you want to be surprised I would NOT continue reading from this point.

The Ride of Terror is Creamy Acres’ name for their hayride, and it does not disappoint. In length, the hayride probably lasts anywhere from 20 minutes to a half hour, which is definitely not bad, and brings you down a winding path that changes in nature several times. The hayride is abundant in the usual ghouls and ghosts, who jump a board encouraged by the shrieks of the young children and girls. Sporting chainsaws, baseball bats, and other utensils they pass around the tractor smacking the sides, and frequently brushing by those on the ride. The ride takes you through several enclosed areas which were the highlight of the ride. They all had their own individual theme, such as prisons, or southern bars, but they all used the same tactics with frightening success. Disorientation by lights, loud sounds such as clashing of metals, and many talented actors working for them. I could not help think to myself, wow. This is well done. How much money do these people have? These are Christians?

After hearing several people talk about this local event, and finding my car ambushed with fliers, I will be heading this week to Mullica Hill, NJ to attend the Night of Terror.

Expectations: I have heard only good things about this place. Several people have claimed they either soiled themselves or could not continue. From the looks of their website, the production value seems good and they seemed to have spent a lot of money and dedication in an effort to refine their gory product. My only reservation happens to be that the farm, Creamy Acres, calls itself a Christian run farm. In fact on their website their mission statement reads, “To glorify God by being faithful stewards of all that is entrusted to us.” I have to question the quality of sheer “terror” that I will find at this place. And although most would consider such “Jesus freaks” akin to the kids in the documentary Jesus Camp as terrifying, I happen to find the situation of a christian farm having a night of terror as rather ironic, and just a little amusing.

Schedule & Pricing: For both of these, check out this link and find schedule and pricing at the top. Careful though, price rates change depending on which day you go, and the hours of operation change accordingly. Double check everything before you go and expect to spend at the most $30 for the six attractions that come with it ( attractions include haunted hayride, cornfield maze, and four other attractions). Also if you can, look around for the thousands of fliers that have been passed around Rowan University Campus, as well as local outlets.

Location: 448 Lincoln Mill Rd Mullica Hill, NJ.

Mapquest directions from Rowan University.

Website: You can check out all other information at Creamy Acres website.