Summer Nights

It’s been a long time since I’ve set up a lawn chair on the Oval for an evening of music under the stars. I remember the Dapper Dans, their barbershop harmonies drawing huge crowds with wholesome respite from the turbulence of the times, civil rights, woman’s rights, and the unrest over Vietnam. We could look to the sky and swear we saw man landing on the moon.

Tonight at the Gazebo on the Oval, Parrot Beach provides the escape as the band kicks off the summer series each Sunday during the month of July. They’ll be singing the songs of Jimmy Buffett, who has a great knack for helping you take it easy. Music played outside, especially after dark, is one of the great pleasures of summer. I look forward to spreading a blanket and dreaming that my son, who last week got to see the last space shuttle launch, may someday be flying among the stars.

We hope you are clicking onto Patch daily for news of Livingston and receiving our daily or weekly newsletter. We run half a dozen stories a day of interest to Livingston residents, covering our town and people who live and work here. We launched Local Voices, blog posts written by Patch readers, to continue the conversations we are having in our homes with a broader audience.

In case you missed it, here is a review of some of the week's top stories:

Neighbors

: An 11-year-old boy is a witness to history as the final Space Shuttle lifts off.

: Jared Kirsch appears in 'David,' a film about cultural difference and tolerance.

: Louise Goldsmith chases her Ironman Triathlon dream.

Austin Taylor has big dreams as he begins intensive training at Grammy Camp.

: Livingston champ taking it to the next level at national competition.

: Talented tween competed In Idol Amateur Talent Competition.

4^th of July

. The hometown's Going Dark, Livingston Leo warm up the fireworks crowd.

. Ron Case from Verona struts his stuff with 4th of July car buffs.

. Ceremonies salute veterans and scouts at poolside ceremony

The Caped Crusader and his Cruiser steal the (car) show.

Livingston wins the American Legion's 4th of July baseball game.

: Bands, rides, games warm up the crowd before Livingston's grand finale of red, white and boom!

Arts

Arts Council of Livingston salutes glass artist Leonard DiNardo for winning national award.

Sports

: Kushner caps milestone season with title win in Yeshiva Baseball League.

: Lancer boys take first, girls take second in conference race.

Business

: Utility will hold a public meeting Thursday in Livingston to share plans on transmission upgrades.

: Thursday is market day in Livingston for farmer's produce.

: Restaurant brings jobs to area; offers contest to Twitter followers for a preview before July 18 opening.

News

: Disappointing June jobs report renews fears for residents struggling in tough job market.

: With bill signings and vetoes, Christie got what he wanted. But is that what's best for New Jerseyans?

. NJ Spotlight: School districts anxious to know how much they'll actually get and how they can spend it.

: Princeton International Academy Charter School requests a second one-year extension.

: While school is out there is millions of dollars of construction going on in Livingston schools.

: Jamad Ali was arrested after federal drug agents seized kilo of cocaine, $1M from home.

. The Livingston Water Summit taps into this environmental crisis.

: Monsignor vows his innocence of abuse allegations.

You can find all the news on top of the Livingston Patch site by clicking on the tab for News. You can browse by Arts, Government, Business, Police and Fire, School News, Sports, Announcements and now -- Local Voices. If you're interested in blogging, email marilyn.lehren@patch.com.

To get daily headlines, sign up for the Patch newsletter. We will send you an email every morning. Follow us on Twitter and friend us on Facebook to keep up on what’s happening throughout the day.

Our pick for the week, : Livingston police are looking for a purr-fect ending. The township is caring for a cat that was lost and injured and looking for her owner.  Let us know if you recognize the kitty.

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