Springtime Means Fishing at Lake Parsippany

The trout were jumping and fishermen's spirits were high.

April 7 marked the official start of fishing season for the township. Since then, men, women and kids have taken advantage of the opportunity to get in some recreational angling. Some were lucky or skilled enough to land magnificent catches for their dinner tables. One such fisherman is Tony Suprum, a 45-year resident of the Lake Parsippany area. On Tuesday afternoon, Suprum's efforts were rewarded with not one, but two trout, including one that was more than a foot long. A variety of trout are swimming now in the lake, including rainbow, brown, golden and brook trout. Stocking took place a week before the nearly year-long season began. Suprum said other varieties of fish, including bass, are in the lake, but they must be released back …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (7)

Get Out

All Hail All Hallows: Tricks, Treats and the Great Pumpkin Ball

Cool things to do this Halloween weekend

Halloween is on Monday, and you know what that means: toilet tissue in your trees all weekend. There's no use worrying about forthcoming tricks. Instead, treat yourself to lots of great weekend activities for you, your sweetie and your kids. Many of the items are seasonal or Halloween-related, but you'll find some non-holiday offerings as well, including a Tricky Tray fund raiser in Lake Hopatcong, a locavore-themed Sunday supper in Morristown and a chance to learn the smooth moves of the ICONic Boyz dance crew in Parsippany. Halloween at the Hills/High When/Where: Friday from 5-7 p.m. at Parsippany Hills High School; Monday from 5-7 p.m. at Parsippany High School Why Go: Clubs at both Par-Troy high schools present two nights of safe, …

• Photos (1)

Day Tripper: Out of Town, But Worth the Trip

For the Record: A Place to Feel Vinyl's Warmth

The Record Collector in Bordentown also attracts plenty of bands.

Record stores have undergone a necessary transformation over the last decade, as the entire music industry has changed. At first, the CD revolution in the early 1990s disrupted the vinyl record segment (and buried cassette tapes). Vinyl became fringe, the refuge for punk and alt-rock bands looking to distinguish themselves from the standard issue, but the cost of manufacturing became prohibitive and extinction loomed. In a way, the best things to happen to vinyl were the ascendance of the MP3 and new models (like Apple's iTunes) for buying music over the Internet. The backlash from audiophiles, purists, and people who really wanted to spend a lot of time with their music gave the classic vinyl new life. Record sales may never be what they …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (3)

Get Out

Chills, Thrills and the Alpocalypse Tour

Your weekend list of marching orders

Another weekend is upon us and Patch has its half-fortnightly list of suggestions for things to do. We start seeing Halloween events this week with the grand opening of the Mount Tabor Volunteer Fire Department Haunted House. (We've seen a preview and we're still scared.) If you're not in the mood for All Hallows trickery, treat yourself to other options, including the yearly Morristown Craft Market and Plant Sale, the musical stylings of "Weird" Al and Parsippany's Annual Happy Apple Bazaar. Go on, get out! Mt. Tabor VFD 2nd Annual Haunted House When/Where: Friday from 6-11 p.m. at 5 Simpson Ave., Mt. Tabor Why Go: To get the fright of your life while supporting District 1's volunteer fire department Cost: $6 per body  "Distant Thunder" …

• Photos (1)

Get Out

Classic Cinema, Craft Beers and Cooking with Quinces

Your weekly weekend activity list

Let us guess: You've worked hard all week and just haven't had time to figure out what to do when the weekend comes. You've come to the right place: What follows is a list of lots of entertaining, edifying and/or enriching events for singles, families and kids of all ages. In honor of Breast Cancer Month, we do want to give a special shoutout about the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer taking place in Parsippany this weekend; check out the information below. In fact, go through the entire list, find an event that interests you and get out of the house. The Maltese Falcon: Literature into Film Where/When: 6:30 p.m. Friday at Parsippany-Troy Hills Public Library, Lake Hiawatha Branch, 68 Nokomis Ave. Why Go: To explore the 1941 classic by…

• Photos (1)

Day Tripper: Out of Town, But Worth the Trip

Scare Up a Good Time at Haunted Hayride

C. Casola Farms has been setting the spooky standard for 15 years.

During the summer, C. Casola Farms in Marlboro is a busy yet unassuming farm and marketplace, with nothing untoward peering out. The fruit grows and the flowers bloom. But it's not summer anymore. Gone are the hot days (maybe), and the humidity (well, in New Jersey? Maybe not so much). It's fall, the time to start thinking about spooky things, goblins, ghosts and goodies. Yes, Halloween's approaching, and with it comes the Haunted Hayride at C. Casola Farms. At this yearly event, the (crypt) keepers of the farm deck out the place in several shades of scary, with frightful attractions that range from the slightly weird (for the youngest in the crowd) to the sincerely unsettling (for advanced thrill-seekers). “We have been doing the haunted …

• Photos (5)

Get Out & Play

Ready for Wind at RVA Johanson Memorial Park

Go fly a kite in nearby Boonton Township.

Right behind the RFL Electronics building at 353 Powerville Road  in Boonton Township you will find beautiful fields, walking paths, a large gazebo and a fun playground. This complex hosts many soccer and football games during the weekends in the fall and spring, but otherwise isn't too busy. It's a great place to bring a kite on a windy day. All that wide open space creates an opportunity for tremendous gusts. The equipment is made of wood and plastics and offers some more challenging climbing for older ones, mirrors and things like a play train for little ones. Once you are done, take a right back out on Powerville Road toward Mountain Lakes and turn onto to Old Denville Road to get to Hamilton Farms, which offers a great hayride during …

• Photos (1)

Get Out

Get Out: Real Live Angry Birds, Motorcycle Exhibit and More

Lots to do this weekend throughout Morris and Somerset counties

Running Company Beginner Group Runs Where/When: From 6 to 7 p.m. on Thursday at the Morristown Running Company. Why Go: Because you are a beginner who wants to start running, regardless of age. Pricing: Free. The Mothers’ Club Where/When: From 10:30 a.m. to noon on Thursday at Postpartum Place in Chatham. Why Go: Mothers and their babies can come to this fun, social time and receive expert advice in a safe and supportive environment.   Pricing: Free. Friends of the Library Book Sale When/Where: From 9:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m on Thursday and from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Friday at the Bridgewater Township Library. Why Go: To pick up some great titles while benefitting the library.  Pricing: Pricing varies. 'The Power of 9' Art Exhibition Where…

• Photos (1)

Mom Next Door

Host Your Kid's Birthday Bash Out of the House

Local options for celebrating your child’s birthday in a location other than your living room.

Before I had kids of my own, I thought it was extravagant for parents to spend money to celebrate their kids’ birthday anywhere other than in their own homes.  I used to wonder what happened to good old fashioned fun in the family room? Why not enjoy a few games of Duck-Duck-Goose or Pin the Tail on the Donkey with a piñata and cake at home? Now I know. Nobody really wants a dozen 6-year-olds wired on fruit punch running around the house smearing cheese doodle stains on the walls and furniture. The fun of a piñata also carries the risk of resulting in bodily injury or a hole in your sheet rock. When you have a birthday party outside of your home, you don’t have to spend hours making your house presentable, you don’t have to tuck away the …

• Photos (1)

Super Slides Rule at Northvail Elementary School

Schoolyard playground is home to some of the fastest slides in town

On the side of Northvail Elementary School at 10 Eileen Court, you'll find challenging slides and climbing structures that are sure to thrill even the most seasoned playground hopper. The main "course" of equipment is definitely more suitable for children ages 5 and up than for toddlers. It has some super-fast slides that will have the kids squealing. The sliding boards are tall and curved, which makes them extra exciting. There's also a structure like a spider's web that hangs from posts attached to the rest of the playground so kids can ascend and descend. It's part of an overall obstacle course the children create themselves. A separate piece of equipment features a rocky slide or climbing structure that looks like a river bed or …

• Photos (3)