From Our Home To Yours…

Wishing you and yours every happiness this holiday season, and a healthy and prosperous New Year.

Happy Thanksgiving

Lois Schneider Realtor Wishes You and Yours a Very

Happy Thanksgiving!

Fireworks and Festivities

If the Fourth of July conjures up visions of community celebrations, picnics, fireworks, families and fun, then you are definitely in the right place! There are so many fantastic events happening right here in the towns where we work, live and play…and if you’re looking for a bigger bang…well then, head to the Hudson for the Macy’s Fourth of July Fireworks Display. There is definitely an extravaganza to suit everyone!

For those looking to stay closer to home, here are a few of the local events:

Summit, NJ–Memorial Field is the place to be on Monday, with festivities starting at 9:45 am with a flag raising ceremony, and ending with fireworks scheduled for 9:15 pm. Events include the children’s bicycle parade, a softball game, music, rides, ponies, crafts and sweet treats! Come one, come all. Remember, Ashland Road will close at 6:00 pm, so come early! For more information, visit  http://summit.patch.com/events/summits-64th-annual-fourth-of-july-celebration.

Chatham, NJ–Chatham Borough will start the celebrating on Monday at 9:15 am with a flag raising at the firehouse, followed at 10:30 a.m. with a parade beginning at the intersection of Main Street and Hillside Avenue and proceeding to the grounds of Chatham Middle School on Main Street. Activities continue later that night at the Middle School with musical performance beginning at 7:00 pm and fireworks starting around 9:00 pm. For more information, including rain dates, please click here.

Millburn/Short Hills, NJ–Festivities are scheduled all day, from 9:00 am – 10:00 pm. Starting in Taylor Park, between Main Street and Millburn Avenue, there will be rides, duck races, pony rides, bungy bouncing, rock climbing, train rides, refreshments and even a reenactment of Independence Day with peopled dressed in 1776 garb! Fireworks begin at 9:00 pm (gates open at 7:00 pm) at the Millburn Senior High School football field on Millburn Avenue. For more information regarding specific events, times, and tickets, please visit http://millburn.patch.com/articles/gearing-up-for-july-4th.

Maplewood, NJ–A full day of fun is scheduled for Maplewood Township, beginning with opening ceremonies at Ricalton Square at 7:45 am. The festivities continue in Memorial Park with a bike parade, races, a 5-K run, art projects, ice cream eating contests, baking contests, pet show, kids percussion forest, circus, music, food–the list goes on and on! The evening will end with fireworks over Memorial Park beginning at 9:00 pm. For more information about specific times, tickets and events, please visit http://maplewood.patch.com/events/celebrate-july-fourth-in-maplewood.

These are just some of the happenings for this holiday weekend–we invite you to post fireworks and festival times in our comments section or on our facebook page.

Lois Schneider Realtor wishes you all a very safe and Happy Fourth of July….”from every mountainside, let freedom ring.”  ~Samuel F. Smith, “America”

From Our Home to Yours

May the joys of the season fill your heart and your home.

Wishing you every happiness this Holiday Season, and a healthy and prosperous New Year.

Lois Schneider Realtor

“Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love.”

– Hamilton Wright Mabie

A New Jersey Home for the Holidays

“Homemade Holidays–New Jersey Style” is the decorating theme for Drumthwacket, the official residence of the Governor of New Jersey. The honor of decorating this beautiful, historic residence was given to the finest garden clubs in the state, including the New Vernon Garden Club. Barbara Harrison, a Lois Schneider Realtor sales associate and member of the NVGC, stated that it was “a pleasure and an honor to be part of the group responsible for decorating the formal dining room, and we are very proud to have won first prize for our vision and decor.” In keeping with the theme, each Garden Club used natural materials to decorate their specific rooms, which were then awarded prizes by invited judges. The People’s Choice Award is decided by visitors to Drumthwacket, so there is still time to tour this lovely, architecturally significant residence and cast your vote.

Located in Princeton, NJ, Drumthwacket is open for tours between 11 am and 2 pm on Wednesdays and Sundays throughout the month of December. Reservations are required and can be made by calling 609.683.0057 or visiting www.drumthwacket.org. A donation of $5.00 to the non-profit Drumthwacket Foundation is requested.

Looking for your own dream home for the holidays? Stop by the Lois Schneider Realtor office at 431 Springfield Avenue in Summit, NJ, and let one of our local real estate experts give you a tour of the beautiful homes our towns have to offer!

*Photo courtesy of New Vernon Garden Club. From left to right: NVGC Members Jane Riley, Nan Hewit, Elaine Grillo, Caron Menger, Mindy Papetti, and Barbara Harrison.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Moms are notorious for going about the business of their day, taking care of all that needs taken care of, and all the while doing it with no expectation of thanks. They will drop everything at the smallest hint of being needed, whether it is to feed and change a new baby, kiss the boo-boo of a toddler, help a tween or teen navigate the angst of adolescence, or gently push their young adults out of the nest. Moms stand strong in the face of their children’s adversity and they beam with pride over every accomplishment. And for one beautiful spring day every year, the whole world says thanks!

At Lois Schneider Realtor, we want to be part of the celebration of Mother’s Day. That is why we are so proud to sponsor the Wharton Music Center’s presentation of “Like Mother…Like Daughter: A Mother’s Day Cabaret Celebrating Mother-Daughter Relationships.” The cabaret features songs by Johnny Mercer, Stephen Sondheim, Frank Wildhorn, and Jason Robert Brown, performed by vocalists Michelle Oram and Alex Keiper, with accompaniment provided by pianist, composer, and musical theatre director Dan Kazemi.  The cabaret will be held on Sunday, May 9th at 3:00 pm at the New Providence Memorial Library, located at 377 Elkwood Avenue.  A pre-concert performance will begin at 2 pm, and will feature the Advanced Cabaret students of Stagestruck at Wharton Music Center. The concert is free and open to the public.

The Judith G. Wharton Music Center is a non-profit, charitable organization, and Northern New Jersey’s largest independent community music school, featuring a wide range of instrumental and vocal instruction for students of all ages, abilities and backgrounds.  For more information about the Wharton Music Center, as well as the performers of “Like Mother…Like Daughter,” please visit the WMC website at www.WhartonMusicCenter.org.

This Mother’s Day, along with the flowers, breakfast in bed, fingerpaint handprints and macaroni picture frames; why not add the gift of music. Sing a special song of thanks to all of the wonderful Moms who have touched our lives!

Symbols and Traditions of Saint Patrick’s Day

Seems we are all a bit Irish on March 17th, but if you are not versed in the traditions of the Emerald Isle, you may feel left out while friends and family spin tales around the symbols of the day. Thanks to History.com, here are a few fun facts to casually drop into a conversation while sipping a Guinness or an Irish Coffee tomorrow.

The Shamrock

The shamrock (originally dubbed the “seamroy” by the Celts) symbolized the rebirth of spring.  In the 17th century, it became a symbol of Irish nationalism and was worn as a symbol of pride by the Irish who were displeased with English rule. Some say it was used by St. Patrick himself as a way to describe the Christian concept of the Trinity when he brought the religion to the Celtic people.

The Leprechaun

In Celtic folklore, leprechauns were cranky little fairies who were responsible for mending the shoes of other mythical fairies. One legend of the leprechaun says that when the Danes plundered Ireland, they left their gold under the watchful eye of the mythical little elf.  And so, if you can catch him, he will be forced to tell you where the gold is hidden. But be careful—to keep him from disappearing, you have to hold his gaze and this master of mischief will use all of his tricks to make you look away. And when you do—poof, he is gone!

Corned Beef and Cabbage

Irish immigrants living in the lower east side of New York City are responsible for this one.  In an attempt to save money in the late 1800s, the immigrants substituted corned beef in their traditional dish of Irish bacon and cabbage—a less expensive alternative they learned from their Jewish neighbors.

Go to History.com to read more about St. Patrick and the holiday named in his honor.  Here at Lois Schneider Realtor, we will be wearing our green and exchanging recipes for Irish soda bread and Shepherd’s Pie–and if you are looking for more than a bit of “the luck of the Irish” when it comes to buying or selling your home, stop by and see us at our office at 431 Springfield Avenue in Summit, New Jersey. We’ll provide you with the expert advice and service you’re looking for—no blarney!

Share your favorite St. Patrick’s Day Traditions with us—we would love to hear your comments!