Community Corner
🌱 Patch AM: Parents Ask Bernards Township District To Revisit Shortened Student Lunch Period At William Annin
And on the Basking Ridge Patch calendar - A Garden Conservancy Open Garden Day!

Good morning Basking Ridge! Your connection to what's happening around town is here. Take a sip of coffee and read on. ☕️️
In today's newsletter:
- Parents push back on shorter lunch at William Annin Middle School
- Basking Ridge neighbor honored for decades of lifesaving volunteer service
- Why a Basking Ridge firefighter traveled to Utica for 9/11 remembrance
Also on today's calendar: A Garden Conservancy Open Garden Day! and 9 more events.
Today's riddle: What is the difference between black eyed peas and chick peas? 🤔 (Answer below!)
- Wednesday: Mostly sunny and nice, with a high of 79 and low of 64 degrees.
- Thursday: Mainly cloudy and humid, temps: high: 83, low: 64.
- Friday: Times of clouds and sun, with a high of 82 and low of 57 degrees.
📰 News we're reading
• Parents Ask Bernards Township District To Revisit Shortened Student Lunch Period At William Annin (patch.com) — Parents in Basking Ridge are pushing Bernards Township school officials to reconsider cutting William Annin Middle School's lunch period from 40 to 25 minutes, saying students are left rushed and stressed. A petition with more than 700 signatures urges the district to study impacts on nutrition, equity, student well-being, and social time, and to share the data behind the schedule change.
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• Basking Ridge's John Orfan Honored For Decades Of Service (patch.com) — Basking Ridge resident John Orfan has been recognized as a Senior of Distinction for more than three decades of volunteer service with Bernardsville Fire Company No. 1 and its First Aid Squad. Honored at Congressman Tom Kean Jr.'s district-wide event, Orfan's long record as an EMT, 9/11 responder, and local leader showcases the deep commitment of Basking Ridge neighbors to regional emergency services.
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• Retired NYC firefighter Tim Duffy speaks during 9/11 vigil in Utica (uticaod.com) — A Basking Ridge firefighter joined fellow first responders in Utica for a moving 9/11 candlelight vigil, where retired FDNY firefighter Tim Duffy shared emotional reflections on that day and its impact on his life. Her remarks highlighted Duffy's courage and continued service, underscoring how firefighters from New Jersey and beyond still gather to honor the fallen and remind communities to never forget.
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📸 Around Basking Ridge
Show off your photography skills and the sights around town! Click here to submit your Photo of the Day to Patch AM!
🗓 Upcoming Events in Basking Ridge
Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!
★ Featured events ★
- A Garden Conservancy Open Garden Day! →
130 Stevens Ln, Far Hills
10:00 am - Warren County Hot Air Balloons, Fun & Games Festival →
Warren County Community College, 475 NJ-57, Washington
1:00 pm - ACEing Autism Tennis Clinic Begins →
Green Knoll Tennis Center, 587 Garretson Rd, Bridgewater
9:00 am - Finch Writing Club Fall Workshops! →
26 Church St, Bernards
2:30 pm
Saturday September 19
Sunday September 20
Tuesday October 6
Want to see your event featured? Click here!
Other local events
- September Daytime Book Discussion →
Bernards Township Library, 32 S Maple Ave, Bernards
11:00 am - Atlantic Adult Day Center Open House →
200 Mt Airy Rd, Bernards
4:30 pm - Music & Movement with Colorful Colby (ages 2+) →
Bernards Township Library, 32 S Maple Ave, Bernards
10:30 am - Farmstead Arts Presents "Voices of the Revolution" →
450 King George Rd, Bernards
11:00 am - Join The Next LIVESTRONG® Sessions at Somerset Hills YMCA! →
Somerset Hills YMCA, 140 Mt Airy Rd, Bernards
12:00 pm - Creature Comfort Read to the Dogs (ages 6+) →
Bernards Township Library, 32 S Maple Ave, Bernards
3:00 pm - Butch Cassidy and the Wild Bunch →
Bernards Township Library, 32 S Maple Ave, Bernards
7:00 pm - NEW! Walk & Talk Book Club (Sept. 22 - The Correspondent by Virginia Evans) →
Pleasant Valley Park, 3405 Valley Rd, Bernards
9:30 am
Wednesday September 16
Saturday September 19
Monday September 21
Tuesday September 22
📣 Basking Ridge Shout Outs!
Want to say something great about someone in town? Click here to submit your Shout Out to Patch AM! It's free!
Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.
Thank you 👏👏👏 to these businesses for making Basking Ridge PatchAM possible:
- David A. Abrutyn, M.D. — (908) 685-8500
- Lash & Body Studio by Sammi — 2019498788
- Environmina Pest Control LLC — (848) 482-0479
- Feldspar & Flint — 9084177800
- Ridgedale Wealth Management Group of Wells Fargo Advisors — (973) 534-8014
- Insurcomm Restoration — (866) 708-5357
- PSE&G — (800) 436-7734
- Fairways at Cranford — (908) 913-8138
- Prime IV Somerset — (908) 895-6413
- Somerset Cosmetic & Reconstructive Surgery — (908) 222-0070
- The Pool Boss — (973) 823-7007
Click here to show your appreciation! 💚
Want to see your business here? Click here to connect with local customers.
💬 Chatter
What your neighbors are talking about on social media
- Disabledperson, Inc posted a job opening for Stocking Team Associate at Walmart in Watchung, New Jersey in Watchung. Apply here.
- Acosta posted a job opening for Product Demonstrator PT in Watchung. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Basking Ridge here.
🗞 Nearby News
Bernardsville
- Wells Road vacant lot fetches $19.9M on near North End of Palm Beach (palmbeachpost.com)
- Veteran TAPinto Publisher Audrey Blumberg Launches TAPinto Branchburg (tapinto.net)
Mendham
- Hike For Hope To Mark Suicide Prevention Month In Mendham (patch.com)
Watchung
- Watchung Hills Field Hockey Rallies From Two-Goal Deficit to Edge Gov. Livingston, 4-3 (tapinto.net)
- Watchung Marks 25th Anniversary of 9/11, Remembers Lives Lost and Calls for Unity (tapinto.net)
Ok Basking Ridge! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!
-- The Patch AM Team
P.S. The answer to today's riddle: Black eyed peas can sing us a song but chick peas can only hummus one. (Thank you Bev H. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!
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