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Did you know that more than 40% of adults in the United States suffer from obesity? Unfortunately, there is no miracle cure for this condition. Perhaps worse is that more and more adults and children are gaining weight across the country, choosing the convenience of fast and nutrition-deficient foods over healthy eating, exercise, and positive life choices. From an aesthetic standpoint, being overweight is a struggle - clothes don't fit right, people make uncomfortable comments about how you look, and everyday activities are less appealing.
From a health and wellness standpoint, however, being obese is much worse. Your life is literally on the line. The people who love you and depend on you to be in their lives could lose you sooner than you expect. With time, you have a higher chance of suffering from significant, life-changing issues such as:
While obesity is a serious problem, a new medication on the market is giving hope to millions of men and women across the U.S. This game-changing treatment is called Semaglutide in Blawenburg, NJ. This anti-obesity medication is unique because it treats obesity as a chronic metabolic disease, rather than a problem that can be solved through sheer willpower. The best part? Semaglutide and other medical weight-loss peptides are now available at Global Life Rejuvenation.
At Global Life Rejuvenation, we understand that losing weight is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Our medical weight loss clinic offers custom medical weight loss plans tailored to your body, rather than plans based solely on your age or weight. In fact, our team of doctors and practitioners provides personalized guidance to help you achieve real results and live a healthier life.
Because the truth is maintaining good health and fitness are crucial in the modern world. Research has shown that viruses and diseases are more likely to affect those who are overweight and unhealthy. At Global Life Rejuvenation, we take a comprehensive, custom approach to medical weight loss that includes peptide therapy and more. We then work with you to make positive lifestyle changes, so you can lose weight, get healthy, and boost your wellbeing permanently - not for a few weeks or months.
If you're ready to get back to loving your life with more energy, confidence, and positivity, medical weight loss with peptide therapy may be for you. But to truly understand the benefits of peptides like Semaglutide, it's important you grasp what peptide therapy is and how it benefits your body.
Many individuals turn to peptide therapy to enhance their overall wellbeing by boosting hormones. Different types of peptides can target different areas of health, such as collagen peptides that can help improve skin, hair, and gut health.
Other peptides, such as AOD 9604, CJC 1295, and Semaglutide in Blawenburg, NJ, are incredibly beneficial for losing weight. Compared to vitamin supplements, peptide therapy works differently as peptides are already part of the proteins in our bodies, making them easier to absorb and benefit from. Conversely, our bodies can sometimes fail to absorb all the nutrients present in multivitamins, leading to their excretion through urine.
However, it's important to note that weight loss is a complex process that involves various factors like age, genetics, lifestyle, exercise, and diet. While peptides like Semaglutide can provide much-needed assistance in achieving your weight loss goals, they are most effective when combined with healthy dietary choices, regular exercise routines, and overall healthier lifestyle choices.
If you've already tried different weight loss plans and diets but haven't had any success, medical weight loss with peptide therapy may provide that extra boost you need to realize your goals.
If you're looking to lose weight and keep it off, diet and exercise are important, but it can be difficult to stick to a routine. For busy adults and parents, Semaglutide can be a helpful tool for weight loss. This injection, approved by the FDA for diabetes and obesity, works by stimulating GLP-1 receptors in the brain to aid in weight loss and improve long-term health.
You may be wondering to yourself, "That sounds great, but how does this type of peptide work?" Semaglutide acts like glucagon in your body, which signals to your brain that you're full and don't need to eat anymore. When you take Semaglutide, and you try to overeat, your body waves a proverbial red flag as if to say, "That's enough."
Semaglutide also slows down digestion, reducing unnecessary snacking throughout the day. By reducing glucose spikes after meals, it reduces inflammation, which is important for overall health. Additionally, Semaglutide helps your pancreas secrete insulin, regulates the glucose levels in your body, and even has anti-aging and longevity properties. If you're struggling to lose weight, peptide therapies for weight loss like Semaglutide can be an invaluable addition to your weight loss plan from Global Life Rejuvenation.
When combined with healthy lifestyle choices like diet and exercise, Semaglutide can help provide:
There are multiple medications available to combat obesity by suppressing appetite and promoting weight loss. However, Semaglutide stands out as an exceptional option.
A recent study of 2,000 obese adults examined the effects of Semaglutide when combined with a diet and exercise program. The results were compared to those who only made lifestyle changes without taking Semaglutide. After 68 weeks, it was found that half of the participants using Semaglutide lost 15% of their body weight, with nearly a third losing 20%. In contrast, those who only made lifestyle changes lost an average of 2.4% of their weight.
It's obvious, then, that Semaglutide is a safe and effective supplement for your weight loss journey with Global Life Rejuvenation. But who is the ideal patient who should be taking it?
If you have a body mass index (BMI) of 27kg/m2 or higher and at least one weight-related condition, such as high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, or high cholesterol, or if your BMI is 30kg/m2 or higher, the FDA recommends Semaglutide for weight loss.
As medical weight loss experts, one thing our doctors and practitioners know at Global Life Rejuvenation is that true weight loss isn't dictated by medicines. It's achieved by sticking to a combo of exercise, healthy life choices, and healthy eating habits. From there, peptides like Semaglutide in Blawenburg, NJ are great for taking your weight loss efforts to the next level of success.
One area where many patients fail in this process is with their diet. If you're considering Semaglutide treatment, keep these diet tips in mind.
To enhance your dietary habits, a practical approach is to concentrate on consuming whole foods, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, and healthy fats. These food items are rich in nutrients and can provide a feeling of fullness and satisfaction while also promoting your overall wellbeing.
Eating mindfully involves being fully present and engaged during meals. This entails taking the time to enjoy the flavor of your food, being aware of your body's hunger and fullness signals, and avoiding distractions like electronics or television.
To maintain good health and support weight loss, it's crucial to drink plenty of water. It's recommended to drink at least 8-10 cups of water daily. You may also try adding low-calorie drinks like herbal tea or infused water to keep things interesting.
Planning your meals in advance is an effective approach to maintaining a healthy diet. Set aside some time each week to plan your meals and snacks, keeping in mind to incorporate a balance of protein, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats. This will prevent impulsive food choices and guarantee that you have nutritious options available when hunger strikes.
Unlike many medical weight loss clinics, which only offer cookie-cutter weight loss plans and one or two additional fat-busting solutions, Global Life Rejuvenation provides access to new, innovative supplements and medicines. If you're used to fad diets and "quick" weight loss plans, peptides like AOD 9604 and others may be new to you. To help build your foundation of healthy living knowledge, let's take a look at a few of the most popular weight-loss peptides and medicines available at Global Life Rejuvenation.
Often combined with Semaglutide regimens, AOD 9604 is known to promote fat breakdown, inhibit lipogenesis, and support tendons and cartilage. However, most recently, it has gained popularity due to its ability to boost metabolism and aid in burning fat.
What sets AOD 9604 apart is that it stimulates the pituitary gland without affecting tissue growth or blood sugar levels. Additionally, it can burn fat without causing overeating, making it a viable option for obese men and women who are trying to implement better eating habits.
Interestingly, AOD 9604 activates your body's fat-burning processes without requiring an HGH receptor. It also releases obese fat cells and reduces the accumulation of new fat cells. By helping to regulate blood sugar and manage insulin levels, AOD 9604 is excellent for weight loss but also for other maladies like inflammation.
Some conditions that this powerful peptide can help address include the following:
This medical weight loss supplement Is technically a combo of two peptides. These substances work by stimulating your pituitary gland to produce more of your body's natural human growth hormone, which is secreted during both waking and sleeping periods.
This results in increased protein synthesis and levels of insulin-like growth factors. As hormone secretagogues, they help release hormones into circulation while mimicking the pituitary gland's production. Extensive research has been conducted on the effects of CJC 1295 and Ipamorelin. As a tool for medical weight loss, it has shown very promising results.
That's because when growth hormone levels increase, nutrients are transported through the body faster, more fat is burned, and weight management becomes simpler. Additionally, because CJC 1295 and Ipamorelin increase the amount of growth hormone in your body, it stimulates the breakdown of triglycerides in adipocytes, leading to improved fat metabolism and reduced abdominal fat.
Benefits of CJC 1295 and Ipamorelin for weight loss include:
A Methionine Inositol Choline (MIC) injection is a mixture of lipotropics that aid in fat breakdown. The key components - methionine, inositol, and choline - work together to metabolize fat cells and eliminate stored fat deposits in the liver and body. Methionine is an important amino acid, inositol contributes to proper cell formation, and choline is a water-soluble nutrient that promotes healthy liver function. When combined, these compounds may help reduce body fat.
When used in conjunction with a medical weight loss plan from Global Life Rejuvenation, MIC injections can be a powerful addition to reclaiming your health and wellbeing.
Request AppointmentLike other weight loss peptides and medicines on this page, Phentermine can help you lose weight when you stick to a medical weight loss plan that includes dieting, exercise, and smart life choices. It does so by reducing your appetite, which limits the number of calories you eat every day.
As is the case with Semaglutide, Phentermine has been approved by the FDA and is supported by clinical studies that show it can support weight loss. With time, patience, and healthy living, this supplement may help you reach your wellness goals sooner than you thought possible.
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In the body, 7-keto-DHEA is produced from dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), which is a hormone made by glands near your kidneys. However, unlike DHEA, 7-keto-DHEA is not converted into androgen and estrogen in your body. Instead, 7-keto-DHEA is used orally or topically to boost your body's metabolism. It also helps convert more of your energy into heat, instead of storing it in your body as fat, which can accumulate with time and lifestyle choices.
Much like Semaglutide treatment in Blawenburg, NJ, 7-keto-DHEA has been shown to be very effective for weight loss as well as a host of other issues. Additional benefits of taking 7-keto-DHEA may include the following:
Have you tried everything under the sun to try and eliminate the cellulite on your legs, arms, and other areas of your body? If you're like most people, getting rid of cellulite isn't just difficult - it's nearly impossible. Fortunately, those days are over. Lipo Sculpt Cream from Global Life Rejuvenation can help reduce the unsightly appearance of cellulite while also refining your figure and firming up your skin.
The active ingredients in this product have the ability to reduce and prevent the growth of fatty tissue while also improving microcirculation. They work together to treat both adipose and aqueous cellulite, and aid in the elimination of fatty deposits and excess water stored in the tissues. This results in a reduction of dimples and an overall improvement in the appearance of your skin.
If you have experienced success with a medical weight loss plan and reached your target weight but still suffer from cellulite, Lipo Sculpt Cream is a fantastic choice to consider. A few of the most common benefits include:
Are you craving a productive life at a healthy weight? Are you ready to make a meaningful difference in your life and the lives of your loved ones? The pathway to wellbeing starts by contacting our office for an in-depth consultation, where we'll learn more about your weight-loss goals and needs.
From there, we'll create a custom weight-loss plan tailored to your body. This plan will map out the steps of your weight-loss journey, including peptide therapies like Semaglutide in Blawenburg, NJ. Though every person's weight management goals are different, when you're a patient at Global Life Rejuvenation, you benefit from dedicated doctors and practitioners committed to improving your weight and, in turn, your health.
Whether your health is on the line, or you don't like how being overweight makes you look and feel, our team is ready to guide you toward long-term health and happiness. This way, you can get healthy, stay in shape, and fall in love with your newfound body.
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The Montgomery Strawberry Festival isn’t your average community event. Sure, there’s food and live entertainment, even a silent auction. Yet, between the bustling crowds of people, you might notice something surprising.The people selling and collecting the tickets, serving the food, and running the event aren’t adults, but a group of about 70 strong-minded boys in tan and green uniforms.On Sunday, June 12 from 12 to 5 pm, Montgomery Scout Troop 46 will host its 54th annual Strawberry Festival at the Lower Midd...
The Montgomery Strawberry Festival isn’t your average community event. Sure, there’s food and live entertainment, even a silent auction. Yet, between the bustling crowds of people, you might notice something surprising.
The people selling and collecting the tickets, serving the food, and running the event aren’t adults, but a group of about 70 strong-minded boys in tan and green uniforms.
On Sunday, June 12 from 12 to 5 pm, Montgomery Scout Troop 46 will host its 54th annual Strawberry Festival at the Lower Middle School Cafetorium.
First held in 1966 by Troop 46, the festival is a family-friendly event featuring games, food, and live performances. The Strawberry Festival provides an opportunity for scouts, particularly those older, to foster and display their leadership skills.
“46 is a scout-led troop,” Michael Babler, a troop leader from Montgomery Township, says. “All the leadership from the very top level through the lower levels is run by the scouts. My [only] job is to guide them through the program.”
Tickets are five dollars and can be purchased online through the troop’s social media, a current Troop 46 member, or seven dollars at the door. Proceeds go to the troop to help fund future activities.
The festival will feature live entertainment provided by the Blawenburg Band and two Montgomery School District band ensembles.
To affirm its popularity, the Strawberry Festival reached up to 4,000 attendees in 2019, the most recent year it was hosted. Troop 46 Board of Directors member Justin Mayer notes that community turnout is particularly crucial this year with respect to meeting goals for fundraising.
The Strawberry Festival is one of two large fundraisers hosted by Troop 46 throughout the year. Funds are required to pay for supplies, materials, and outings such as the troop’s monthly campouts. “We need this year’s event to be a success,” Mayer says.
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Troop 46 is still currently accepting item donations for their silent auction and support from local businesses to cover recent inflation costs.
Yet beyond that, Mayer adds, “The Strawberry Festival has been going on for over five decades. It’s multi-generational, appeals to both the very young and the very old. I’m most excited to see everybody come back together as a community once again.” ?
John Figlar/For The Star-LedgerMONTGOMERY -- Clement Fiori didn’t start out as an environmentalist, he thought of his work as more of an “art project.”“I like the ability to be outside doing things with the landscape and seeing it really shape up,” the Montgomery resident said. “It’s almost like an art project for me.”The 66-year-old photographer said he started on his path to preservation while riding his bike and capturing New Jersey’s eroding landscape.&ldqu...
John Figlar/For The Star-Ledger
MONTGOMERY -- Clement Fiori didn’t start out as an environmentalist, he thought of his work as more of an “art project.”
“I like the ability to be outside doing things with the landscape and seeing it really shape up,” the Montgomery resident said. “It’s almost like an art project for me.”
The 66-year-old photographer said he started on his path to preservation while riding his bike and capturing New Jersey’s eroding landscape.
“The pictures I think are lovely in a certain way,” he said, pointing to black-and-white photos of tree-baren land. “But they also showed how the landscape was changing and I felt I had to do something.”
Fiori began going to planning meetings and took an interest in a housing project that would have paved over 50 acres behind his home. He rallied his neighbors.
“I suggested purchasing the 50-acre park and donating it to the town where everyone could enjoy it,” he said, adding that within a week the developer donated Hobler Park to the township.
That was in 1984. Fiori, who lives in the Blawenburg section of Montgomery with his wife Joanna, has been protecting the land ever since. Last month, Fiori won the Governor’s Environmental Excellence award, which is given to volunteers who significantly impact their communities through environmental protection.
A retired Princeton University Press photographer, Fiori has spent 35 years planting and protecting open space throughout Montgomery. “People look and see a field and think it’s just a field, but when you get down there you see a real diversity of species and plant life,” he said.
Fiori, who has two grown sons, spends several weekends a year making sure that others have a chance to “get down there” by leading volunteers in planting native species and tracking the different kinds of plant and wildlife that live in the spaces he’s helped preserve.
“It’s another way to get people out to appreciate what’s there to see what we’ve set aside with taxpayer money,” he said, adding that aside from lightening the work load, it ensures the work will continue.
“By making the land accessible to the public you create more advocates for open space since they can be on it,” he said.
Montgomery Mayor Louise Wilson said the township owes its strong open space program to Fiori’s efforts and noted that his efforts have inspired others.
“He’s perhaps the finest example in contemporary times of someone putting their heart, soul and mind into perserving what he loves about the town and helping others recognize and appreciate those things too,” she said last week. “He serves as an example that people who are able to and choose to volunteer really do have the ability to shape a community in profound ways that really do last.”
Between his role as chairman of the Montgomery Open Space Committee, adviser to the board of trustees of the Montgomery Friends of Open Space and trustee of the New Jersey Conservation Foundation, the Princeton Artists Alliance member said he tries to find time to exhibit his artwork at least once a year.
The majority of his work, including “The Vanishing New Jersey Landscape,“ - a book he published in 1994 - depicts photographs of the very landscapes he’s trying to protect as well as a series of sculptures carved from his collection of tree stumps.
Though you won’t find the Governor’s award displayed on his coffee table or resting on a mantle near his framed nature prints, Fiori said he will use it to get projects moving.
“When I bring proposals to people who need to make decisions about things, it lets them know that I’m not just coming off the street telling them what to do,” he said. “That (the award) makes things a little easier.”
He hopes it will come in handy with his current project, the 350-acre Cherry Brook Preserve. Fiori wants the township to turn 90 of those acres into hiking trails.
Fiori said that he understands the need for development, but is concerned with safeguarding the farming culture of the township. “We have to balance what we develop with what we preserve because if we don’t it won’t be worth living here anymore,” he said.
“The bikes we have in our garages, or sitting around that we are not using, can make a big impact on people’s lives in certain communities,” according to Blawenburg Church Pastor Jeff Knol.Donated bikes allow health workers to see more clients, students to stay in school, farmers to get goods to market, and small business owners to support their families.Blawenburg Church will hold its third annual drive to collect bicycles, spare bicycle parts, and bicycle accessories at the church parking lot (424 County Rou...
“The bikes we have in our garages, or sitting around that we are not using, can make a big impact on people’s lives in certain communities,” according to Blawenburg Church Pastor Jeff Knol.
Donated bikes allow health workers to see more clients, students to stay in school, farmers to get goods to market, and small business owners to support their families.
Blawenburg Church will hold its third annual drive to collect bicycles, spare bicycle parts, and bicycle accessories at the church parking lot (424 County Route 518, Blawenburg) on Saturday, May 6 from 9 am to 1 pm
Pastor Jeff Knol and his daughter Margot collect bikes during a previous Bikes for the World drive.
The collection will benefit Bikes for the World, a national reuse charity based in Rockville, Maryland that repairs and sends bikes to partner organizations in underprivileged communities — including regions in Appalachia, Central America, South Asia, and Africa.
Taylor Jones, executive director of Bikes for the World, says, “In 2022 we put more bikes than ever in the hands of local youth and refugees. We also helped our international partners.
“People who bike or walk live happier and healthier lives and have a greener footprint. As the groundswell of support for non-motorized transport starts to crest, we’re providing our partners the tools to capture that wave to improve lives one bike at a time.”
Leading the local drive is Pastor Jeff Knol of Blawenburg Church, assisted by church volunteers and Montgomery Scout Troop 46.
Pastor Jeff says he realized the importance of affordable and practical transportation in impoverished areas during a 2013 mission to Uganda.
Bicycling “added hours to each day” as a more efficient alternative to walking, which is common for people in rural communities without access to public transportation systems or money to afford transportation.
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Please come consider donating unused bikes and parts to the drive. It will help people in impoverish communities to travel further distances and connect vendors and buyers to markets. It also helps widen job opportunities, and increases schooling possibilities for children.
Blawenburg Church encourages a $10 donation for each bike donated to support transportation costs of the bikes to their final destinations.
“We are honored to have the opportunity to invite our neighbors and our friends and our community to try to make an impact on other’s lives,” Pastor Jeff says.
If you miss the used-bike collection at Blawenburg Church on May 6, learn more about how to support this important charity by visiting BikesForTheWorld.org.
Bikes for the World relies on a huge network of volunteers and donors. They need drivers, bike shop partners, mechanics, and people or groups who are able to organize bike collections. ?
Join the League of Women Voters, Central New Jersey Network Television, and The Montgomery News at a School Board Candidate Forum at Montgomery High School on Tuesday, October 11 at 7 pm.Here is the link to the live stream event The forum will also be available on demand on the Montgomery News Facebook Page.All 10 candidates were invited. Five candidates have responded that they ...
Join the League of Women Voters, Central New Jersey Network Television, and The Montgomery News at a School Board Candidate Forum at Montgomery High School on Tuesday, October 11 at 7 pm.
Here is the link to the live stream event The forum will also be available on demand on the Montgomery News Facebook Page.
All 10 candidates were invited. Five candidates have responded that they plan to attend the forum. The five candidates are: Phyllis Bursh, Michelle Dowling, Douglas Herring, Craig Rothenberg, and Richard Specht. At the forum, the candidates will discuss their ideas for the Montgomery school district and answer questions from voters.
Information about the five candidates who have chosen not to attend the candidate's forum, or who have failed to respond to the invitation, is available on The Montgomery News Website. The five candidates are: Mohammed Fahd Ansari, Danish Mirza, Joanna Filak, Ania "Anna" Wolecka-Jernigan, and John A. Sangiovanni, III.
Should these candidates decide they do want to meet the voters in person at the forum, 10 seats will be set up on stage in the Montgomery Performing Arts Center at the high school. The candidates simply need to show up at 6:30 pm on Tuesday.
Two incumbents and eight new candidates are competing for three seats on the Montgomery Township Board of Education in the upcoming November 8 election. New candidates Mohammed Fahd Ansari of Belle Mead; Michelle Dowling of Skillman; Danish Mirza of Belle Mead; Joanna Filak of Skillman; Ania Wolecka-Jernigan of Belle Mead; Douglas Herring of Skillman; Craig Rothenberg of Belle Mead; and John A. Sangiovanni, III of Skillman, along with incumbents Phyllis Bursh of Belle Mead and Richard Specht of Belle Mead, are on the ballot.
Profiles for all candidates are available online.
Candidate Ania "Anna" Wolecka-Jernigan explained the reasoning why she and her running mate Joanna Filak will not attend the forum to meet voters — primarily, they do not trust the newspaper.
"Joanna and I have been working hard meeting with our community and sharing our views and aspirations for the future of our school district. We found that too often we enter into a debate about fundamental needs of our children, we are firm believers that school board positions are not about opposition but collaboration among members to do best for our schools and children.
As you know, we have been vocal participants at local BOE meetings for almost two years, we have worked on workshops with our community and we continue working on establishing better communication with our existing board members, the work we have been engaged in has been very rewarding and our community continues to show their desire to do the right thing for our kids.
Unfortunately our experience with The Montgomery News and some other local organizations has been concerning, filled with misrepresentation of our views, continued attacks on our character, but most importantly it has not helped our mission of transparency and partnership between schools and parents. Therefore, we are politely declining your invitation. Joanna and I will continue to engage with the community through other means and events where residents are able to share their concerns and understand how we can support them if elected."
The Montgomery News stands by its reporting, and dedicated four full pages to the candidates in the September issue of the newspaper. The Montgomery News also posted the candidates' unabridged profiles on TheMontyNews.com. The editor regrets that these candidates will not be able to speak live and in-person to the voters of Montgomery.
The League of Women Voters of the Princeton Area and The Montgomery News have worked together on three previous candidate forums. They co-sponsored a School Board Candidate Forum in October 2020 and a Legislative District 16 Democratic Primary Forum in May 2021. Both events were on Zoom on account of the pandemic. In September 2021, Central New Jersey Network joined with the LWV and the paper to cosponsor an in-person LD 16 Assembly & Senate Forum at Raritan Valley Community College.
The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan, grassroots organization working to protect and expand voting rights and ensure everyone is represented in our democracy. They empower voters and defend democracy through advocacy, education, and litigation, at the local, state, and national levels. Learn more at lwvprinceton.org. Their voter guides are available at www.vote411.org.
Central New Jersey Network (CNJN), formally Princeton TV, provides original New Jersey content as well as local, national and international news coverage, CNJN delivers programming that speaks to the local community. CNJN also acts as a forum for citizens to produce and broadcast their own shows, films, videos commercials and more by providing the opportunity for use of camera equipment, TV studios and training. Learn more at cnjn.org.
The Montgomery News is a monthly newspaper serving Belle Mead, Blawenburg, Griggstown, Rocky Hill, and Skillman. It mails 21,000 papers first-class using the U.S. Post Office to every home in Montgomery Township, Rocky Hill, and parts of Princeton, Hopewell, Hillsborough, and Franklin Township. Another 2,000 to 3,000 papers are delivered bulk to the Montgomery Municipal Complex, The Princeton Fitness and Wellness Center, and to various newspaper boxes through town. There is also a weekly online newsletter, that is distributed to subscribers via email. And the website is updated daily.
As described by the Montgomery board of education website, "the board’s responsibilities include: setting and evaluating policy; establishing goals; overseeing that the district schools are well run by the administrators they have hired; and adopting a fiscally sound operating budget for the school district. Board members act on the superintendent’s recommendations, meet with civic groups, and receive input from parents, students, and community members."
The board has a total of nine members who usually serve three-year terms, as elected by residents of Montgomery Township and Rocky Hill. Three seats usually come up for election each November.
Steve MeklerWith Independence Day just around the corner, small-town sentiment and white-picket-fence Americana bubble up in the national consciousness.Parades, fireworks, watermelon, children running barefoot in the grass — these rites have continued uninterrupted from at least as far back as the childhoods of Winslow Homer and Mark Twain.Nothing embodies the tradition of a childhood Fourth better than the concert band, that staple of recreational parks and seaside gazebos that reached the apex of its popularity p...
Steve Mekler
With Independence Day just around the corner, small-town sentiment and white-picket-fence Americana bubble up in the national consciousness.
Parades, fireworks, watermelon, children running barefoot in the grass — these rites have continued uninterrupted from at least as far back as the childhoods of Winslow Homer and Mark Twain.
Nothing embodies the tradition of a childhood Fourth better than the concert band, that staple of recreational parks and seaside gazebos that reached the apex of its popularity probably 100 years ago.
The Blawenburg Band is the living embodiment of another era, a musical time machine to halcyon days before booming subwoofers rocked even the most remote neighborhoods. It was a time when members of a community relied not on records or radio, but on themselves and their neighbors for musical entertainment.
Jerry Rife has directed the Blawenburg since 1985.
“It’s a band of about 65 members,” he says, “a full concert band, with flute and clarinets and oboes and wooden instruments.”
The band was founded in Blawenburg, a section of Montgomery Township, in 1890. It is the oldest continuously performing community band in the state, and one of the oldest in the country.
A piece of living history, the band plays roughly 30 concerts a year, an all-occasions ensemble, with appearances at parades, church socials and community events. A number of the concerts are annual occurrences, some extending back more than a century.
Rife mentions a flier that surfaced recently advertising the band’s appearance at one of its current venues. The handbill dates from 1911.
The band will appear in Yardley, Pa., on Wednesday for its annual Fourth of July concert, which Rife describes as “pure, blatant Americana at its best.”
The indoor event will include such hits of yesteryear as the overture to Sigmund Romberg’s “The Student Prince,” the World War II song “I’ll Be Seeing You,” and a medley of patriotic standards by George M. Cohan. John Williams’ “Midway March” will be featured, along with a selection of Leroy Anderson’s popular encore pieces, “America the Beautiful,” and of course plenty of marches by the likes of Karl King, Henry Fillmore and John Phillip Sousa.
“And it will be air-conditioned,” Rife adds.
The Blawenburg plays its share of outdoor concerts — in fact, it is more the rule than the exception, with appearances at carnivals, train stations and gazebos — although the band does play indoors at a number of continuing care retirement communities and assisted living residences, bringing cheer to audiences that have limited mobility.
“The spirit and mission of the Blawenburg Band is to bring music to our community,” Rife says. “Our members and I feel these are the most important performances.”
Rife is excited about the band’s Fourth of July concert, and thinks the venue couldn’t be any more appropriate.
The Yardley Community Centre has been a meeting place for area residents since 1851. Once used as a private school (tuition was 35 cents a week), it also served as a center for “The Sons of Temperance” and one of the country’s first Odd Fellows lodges. In 1878, the center was expanded to accommodate church services, fire company suppers and theatre productions.
“The hall will be fully decked out in red, white and blue,” Rife says. “You will think you walked off Main Street and right into a concert in Yardley in 1922. This music is from the golden age of bands, a time when communities relied on live band concerts as their primary entertainment.
“The Blawenburg Band perfectly recreates this feeling of nostalgia. It recaptures a time long past. It transports an audience back to its roots. This truly is the best way to experience the holiday of independence, with a parade, barbecue, fireworks, and a stirring band that guarantees to have you marching in your seats.”
The band has a full roster of summer concerts, including three appearances at the Hopewell Train Station, on July 9, July 23 and Aug. 6.
"It's a real hoot," Rife says of the popular concerts. "The train blows through during a number. It's just pure Americana." Further concerts take the band to the Hunterdon County Library on July 25, Pennswood Village in Newtown on July 30, Rosehill Assisted Living in Robbinsville on Sept. 9, Hunterdon Care Center in Flemington on Sept. 23 and Stonebridge at Montgomery in Skillman on Oct. 7.
The Harvest Home festival at Griggstown Reformed Church (Aug. 18) is an annual tradition.
“It’s right on the canal,” Rife says. “It’s a huge carnival, with lots of home-baked food, corn on the cob, shortcake … It’s a really fine concert.”
While most of the band’s appearances are free of charge, there will be an admission fee for the Fourth of July and Harvest Home appearances, to benefit the host venues.
The Blawenburg Band is a wholly volunteer ensemble, made up of musicians from all walks of life — scientists, lawyers, homemakers, computer specialists and active retirees. Players range in experience from dedicated amateurs, who discovered a love for music as schoolchildren, to those who have had years of training and professional opportunities. Musicians in their teens play cheek by jowl with colleagues in their retirement years.
Says Rife, with pride, “The Blawenburg Band is part of the fabric of central New Jersey, and has been so for well over a century.
"The kind of stuff that we play is golden age concert band music — a lot of transcriptions, opera overtures, some solos, Herbert L. Clarke, Arthur Pryor, a ton of Sousa marches. A lot of small, short, accessible pieces that are fun to listen to." Rife is on the faculty of Rider University, where he has been chairman of music in the fine arts department since 1984.
In addition to directing the Blawenburg Band, he is an active performer himself, playing clarinet with his jazz ensemble, The Rhythm Kings, for the past 25 years. He remarks dolefully (as if anything about Rife is doleful) that since the economy has taken a downturn, the Kings play “only” about 150 concerts a year.
The Blawenburg Band rehearses nearly every Monday evening, year-round, mostly at the Princeton Junior High School on Fackler Road.
More information on the band may be obtained by contacting Rife, at (609) 882-4148 or [email protected], or the ensemble's vice president and booking manager, Sharif Sazzad, at (609) 475-2831 or [email protected].
For a full roster of the band's summer activities, visit its website, princetonol.com/groups/blawenburgband.
Blawenburg Band Independence Day Concert
When
: 4 p.m. Wednesday
Where
: Yardley Community Centre, 64 S. Main St., Yardley, Pa.
Admission
: $15; (215) 493-5014
