The Place To Be

The end of the semester is here, and that means the end of the class this blog was started for. I certainly learned a lot while doing this. Lessons that will help me make an even better blog sometime in the (near?) future. As for this one: I’m going to leave it up, but without as many updates. If major things happen in Washington Township I’ll post about it, but the weekly posts will most likely come to an end. I’d just like to thank everyone who came here. Believe it or not, seeing my hit count slowly but surely rise much higher than it would’ve if I had been the only one coming here made me feel pretty good. When I do make another blog I’ll be sure to make a post here linking to it. Until then, au revoir, Pee-wee!

Looking around town I noticed that the amount of big stores or chain stores outweighs the amount of small or family owned stores. I took a drive throughout the township and took some pictures of some of the main shopping areas. But I’d like to start out with some banks.

The newly renamed TD bank is on the corner of Hurffville Crosskeys Road and Ganttown Road. On the corner diagonally across from it is a Wachovia bank. I couldn’t find a single small bank anywhere nearby.

Across Hurffville Crosskeys Road from the TD bank is a Rite Aid.  Then, not a 30 second drive down Ganttown Road where it intersects with Egg Harbor Road, is a Walgreens that was built last year. Previously, there had been a residence on the property. This type of land development is happening across the township at an alarming rate.

If you drive 20 seconds down Egg Harbor Road you’ll come to a large shopping center that has an Acme on one end. On the other end, there is a Starbucks. This Starbucks stands on the ground of what used to be a small, family-owned ice cream shop. There were picnic tables out front and it was popular among families during the summer. But now there’s a Starbucks and adjoining Cold Stone Creamery instead.

Elsewhere in town there are even bigger chain stores. One of them is a Lowe’s. Directly across a small side street from the Lowe’s is an Office Max. In the same complex as the Office Max is a Target. This is just one, small section of the Black Horse Pike, which is arguably the town’s main street.

A little further down the road we come to the grand daddy of big chain stores, Walmart. But this isn’t any Walmart. This is a Super Walmart.  The Super Walmart takes up one of the shopping center’s three sides.  The two big stores on the other side are Ross and Marshalls.

Is it any wonder there aren’t as many small, family owned stores as there are big chain stores? With more and more big chains opening it’s going to become even harder for local businesses to stay afloat. In this economy though, could even the big chains fail? Could this be the future of all the big shopping centers in town? Hopefully not. But at the rate township land is being bought up by big businesses and land developers, only time will tell if the investments were worth it.

On Wednesday, Dec. 10, Dave Koz will headline a musical show in the Commerce Bank Arts Centre at Washington Township High School.  Koz, a saxophone player, will also be joined by Jonathan Butler, Jeff Golub and Keiko Matsui.  Ticket prices range from $35 – $68.  For more information and directions on how to order tickets, go here.

As most residents of Washington Township know, Mayor Paul Moriarty decided not to run for reelection.  His successor, Matthew Lyons, will take over the reins of government in January.  But before he does, Moriarty is still in office for the remainder of the month, and he decided to make a goodbye video for the township’s residents. So without further ado, here it is.

Duffield’s Farm is one of the few remaining farms in Washington Township.  Founded in the 1930’s by Claude Duffield, the farm has stayed in his family ever since and has even grown.

A unique fixture in Washington Township amid the numerous housing developments constantly springing up, Duffield’s Farm has been enrolled in farmland preservation to make sure it will always be there.

On the grounds of the farm is a store that sells the farm’s produce as well as an in-store bakery and deli.  In addition to the store, the farm also has numerous family events such as hayrides and corn mazes.

Duffield’s Farm is a good example of what Washington Township was like decades ago when it was a farming community, before it became a suburb. If you want to visit it, you’ll find it at 280 Chapel Heights Road, Sewell NJ 08080.

The 21st Annual Christmas House Tour will be on Monday, December 8 from 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. The tour will include visiting six homes, the Old Stone House Village and one church all decorated for the holidays.

There will also be a Lunch buffet and Evening Dessert buffet served at the Wedgewood Country Club on 200 Hurffville Road, Turnersville NJ 08012. The Lunch buffet will be from 11:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. and cost $14. The Dessert buffet will be from 6:30 p.m. – 10:30 p.m. and cost $8.

Tickets cost $12 in advance and $14 the day of the tour. To order tickets call Betty Bartkovsky at (856) 227-1489.

I conducted a short interview with a Washington Township resident named Dennis Emory about his thoughts on our fair town.

Dan Shaffery:  How long have you been living here?

Dennis Emory:  Nine years next month.

DS:  Do you think it’s a nice town to live in?

DE:  Yeah.  I mean, it has its problems, but what town doesn’t?  At least it’s nothing too serious.

DS:  What’s something you like about it?

DE:  It’s conveniently located near a lot of sites and attractions: Philadelphia, the shore, a lot of shopping centers.

DS: What’s something you dislike about it?

DE:  There really isn’t a lot to do once you grow out of playing youth soccer.  There are a lot of sports for kids, but once you hit high school you have to make your own entertainment.  Which can lead to problems.  It’s surprising that a community of our size doesn’t have a YMCA or something for teenagers to go to.

DS:  Do you plan on moving out of Washington Township any time soon?

DE: No, I’ll be living here at home while I’m in law school.

Quantum of Solace is the much anticipated sequel to 2006’s Casino Royale, which showed the origin story of the redone James Bond.

Quantum of Solace currently has a 67% fresh rating at RottenTomatoes.

Kevin Carr says, “It’s a ton of fun with plenty of action and excitement.”

Meanwhile, Joe Morgenstern disagrees, saying, “This is low-rent Bond — it’s short and sour, with semicoherent action that plays like third-rate Jason Bourne.”

If you’re curious which review you’ll feel closer to, or if you just want to see the movie, it is currently showing at the United Artists theater at 121 Tuckahoe Road.

The Mozzarella Grill at 415 Egg Harbor Road is an Italian restaurant that has many choices available.

When my party sat down we were given a basket of rolls and a plate with olive oil and seasoning to use as dip.  As a fan of olive oil and seasoning, I was very pleased.

I had a Caesar salad and a Sprite.  The salad, served as a large portion, was very filling.  In addition to the lettuce and dressing it had croutons and cherry tomatoes.  All together it tasted very good.

My only complaint would be the floor was noticeably sticky, which was quite distracting.

For a reasonable price and good food, I recommend Mozzarella Grill.

A Beef and Beer benefiting the Eddie Hoban Scholarship Fund will be held at the Whitman Square Fire Hall on Johnson Road from 7 – 11:30 P.M.

Catered food will be offered and a DJ will be there for four hours.

Tickets cost $30 and must be ordered in advance of the event. Call (609) 828-8883 or (856) 589-4690.