Community Building

About 3,000 people gathered at Zarephath July 21 to play in the mud, but for a good cause. It was the MuckFest MS, a 5k run/walk obstacle course through a muddy trail. The event was sponsored by Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, under the auspices of the New Jersey Metro Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. …

More than two dozen township students graduated from the township police department’s Junior Police Academy during a July 20 ceremony held at Franklin High School. The 25 cadets spent the previous week drilling, marching and learning various aspects of law enforcement, from the local level through the national level. The program included a trip to the Somerset County forensics lab …

Hundreds of Franklin Food Bank supporters gathered July 16 at the Palace at Somerset Park for the organization’s annual “Gathering for Groceries.” The event was the second half of a two-pronged fundraiser, the first being “Golf for Groceries,” held earlier in the day at the Royce Brook Golf Club in Hillsborough. The day-long event is the food bank’s largest fundraiser …

Preparations are underway for the annual backpack and school supply drive run by state Assemblyman Joe Danielsen (D-17). School supplies will be collected through Sept. 7, according to a press release from Danielsen’s office. “The collective kindness and generosity shown by the wonderful residents, businesses, and social organizations brings unity to our community, which I am proud and humbled to …

It was a siren-wailing, horn-honking, candy throwing group who participated in Middlebush Volunteer Fire Company’s annual July 4 parade through the village. Embarking from the front of the fire house on Olcott Street, and with the accompaniment of patriotic songs blaring from the Middlebush Reformed Church, the marches made their way down Olcott, turned left onto Railroad Avenue, made another …

It looked iffy during the day, but Mother Nature cooperated July 3 and allowed the township to hold its annual Independence Day celebration. Hundreds of people showed up to the municipal complex on DeMott Lane and were greeted by food, games and music. The fireworks display went off as scheduled, with attendees staking out their viewing spots early in the …

More than 500 people crowded into the Palace at Somerset Park June 11 for the 19th annual Elijah’s Promise Chef’s Night. The event is the largest fundraiser of the year for the New Brunswick-based charitable organization, proceeds of which go to support the group’s Promise Culinary School. The attendees – 550 in total – were treated to menu samplings from …

The Franklin Township Police Department once again took part in the annual Law Enforcement Torch Run for the Special Olympics on June 8. A pair of FTPD officers ran with a contingent from the South Brunswick Police Department. The group set off from Bennington Parkway, after FTPD Sgt. Mark Reiner took the torch from a fellow officer. The group ran …

Mother Nature cooperated May 28 and the township’s Memorial Day commemoration once again included a parade down DeMott Lane. Participants in the parade included the township’s Boy Scout, Girl Scout and Cub Scout troops, the Franklin High School Warrior Marching Band, and a contingent from the Canal Walk Veterans Association. A formal ceremony, including a flyover by a U.S. Coast …

The inaugural Graduation Conference, sponsored by the Warrior For Life Scholarship Foundation and the Franklin Youth Initiative is set for noon to 3 p.m. June 17 at the township Community/Senior Center in the Municipal Complex on DeMott Lane. The event is designed to provide resources to township students and families focused on pre-college programming, post-high school planning, and career readiness. …