Weekender: Busy Friday at Paper Mill

Art, music, hiking and volunteering are all part of what you can do this weekend in the area.

More than 60 artists from northern and central New Jersey have their work on display at the Renee Foosaner Art Gallery at Paper Mill Playhouse. The juried exhibit is the summer show of the Millburn-Short Hills Arts Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the development of local artists. The show remains on view until Aug. 19. The public is invited to a free meet-the-artists reception on Friday at 4-6:30 p.m.

Right after the gallery reception at the playhouse, the Paper Mill will offer the first of three performances of "New Voices of 2010" at 7:30 p.m., bringing to its historic stage 120 of New Jersey's most talented high school students celebrating "the songs and shows that open the doors of our imaginations." The show includes a number of Millburn-Short Hills residents. If you miss it Friday, you can catch it Saturday at 3 and 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $22.75 to $38.75, and you can purchase them through the Paper Mill's website or by calling 973-376-4343.

In South Orange, you can catch Dreamcatcher Junior's Hippopotamus Sandwich, a musical revue of songs, stories and poems, at the Baird on Friday  at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m. All tickets cost $10. There is no charge for season passholders. To guarantee a seat, buy tickets online. The in-person box office accepts cash only. Hippopotamus Sandwich is based on the poetry of Shel Silverstein.

If you want to look to do something good, the Millburn-Short Hills Chapter of the Red Cross is holding its monthly blood drive at the library on Saturday at 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. You don't need an appointment, but you can make one to speed up the process by calling 973-379-4198.

If the weather remains this beautiful, you may be unable to resist the urge to go on a hike in the South Mountain Reservation on Saturday at 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The hike meets and departs from the Elmdale parking lot on Brookside Drive, which is one-quarter mile north of Glen Avenue and one and one-quarter mile south of South Orange Avenue. The hike is described as a "challenging four-mile" walk. It will be led by Lou Nocito. Call 973- 953-7099 for more information or visit the website.

If the weather is not so lovely, you may want to join the Friends of the South Orange Public Library (FOSOPL) as they invite book lovers and heavy lifters alike to help sort some 90 boxes of donated books. From 9:00 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Saturday, when the library is closed, volunteers are welcome to stock the new "Book Nook," which will function as a small, second-hand bookstore and provide funds for the library. There's still room for more volunteers. If you would like to participate, email Janyce Wolf at friends@sopl.org.

In Maplewood, Highland Place will be hopping this weekend with Nat Adderley Jr. bringing jazz to the joint on Friday night, piano man Larry Hunt on Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. and a gospel and jazz brunch on Sunday from 1-4 p.m. (prix fixe brunch for $24; reservations needed).

It's not the weekend, but the Millburn Police Department brings back National Nigh Out for its second year on Tuesday at 5-8 p.m. Main Street will be closed between Millburn Avenue and Essex Street for the festivities that includes free food for kids, moon bounces and face painting. The police and fire departments also will be on hand to give out safety information.