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VERNON — The snow came a day early in New Jersey’s northwest.

While many looked over weather reports Wednesday night, the mechanical whir of fans and compressors squeezing mist into the ice-cold air blanketed the hill behind Mountain Creek’s Red Tail Lodge.

Thursday’s pending nor’easter was the impetus to put a portion of the resort’s 1,200 snow guns into action as a base for the 5 to 8 inches of expected snow, said Evan Kovach, Mountain Creek Resort’s director of sales and marketing.

“With weather like this there’s always opportunity to get things started sooner,” he said. “It seems mother nature is picking up where she left off last March, and we’re not complaining.”

The resort is planning a mid-December opening, but the prospect of an early storm is exciting, said Joe Hession, the president of resort operator SNOW Operating. Kovach said the business is about getting people out to enjoy sliding on snow.

A combination of below freezing temperatures and low humidity allows the snow machines to blow cold mist into the freezing air to create snow. Some of the resort’s technology, including nearly 60 new SMI fan guns, HKD high-efficiency stick guns and SGT Sledgehammer super-efficiency snow guns, allows for some of the best surfaces for skiing.

Story continues below photo gallery.

“For a beginner or intermediate skier or rider, a freshly groomed man-made surface is ideal,” Kovach said. “That said, who doesn’t love the ambiance of fresh snow falling, and making turns through natural snow?”

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Thursday’s storm was the earliest snowstorm in New Jersey since 2014, according to data compiled by the Office of the State Climatologist. Last year’s first storm was Dec. 9, when 5 inches fell on Vernon.

Despite that later start in 2017, the cold and dry conditions this time last year allowed the resort to begin making snow on Nov. 13. These consecutive mid-November starts have been the earliest for the resort in recent history, Kovach said.

“As soon as we see a window of opportunity, we jump at it," he said. "We’re glued to the weather this time of year. As we say, ‘we’re ready when mother nature says it’s time.’”

On Thursday, workers were busy setting up tables in the resort’s Red Tail Lodge. In about a month, the great hall could be packed. That possibility is mostly credited to snowmaking.

As a ski resort is northwest New Jersey, a storm dumping a foot or more of snow is possible. It happened in each of the past three winters. Still, compared to resorts out West or farther north, Kovach said Mountain Creek is not as blessed with natural snow.

This past winter, the resort received about 69 inches of snowfall. That is about 20 inches less than Burlington, Vermont received and 68 inches less than fell on Aspen, Colorado.

To compensate, the resort has been making snow for more than 50 years. It can currently pump millions of gallons of water per day into the air above its 35 trails and all 11 terrain park areas, Kovach said. The system allows the resort to not only open in mid-December but run to late March in some years.

The goal is always to open sooner and stay open longer, however, Kovach said. To that end, the resort invested more than $500,000 in snowmaking technology this past summer to create a more consistent surface. Trail erosion and other projects were also executed, as were modern technologies for guest admissions designed to get people on the hill more quickly.

“Our philosophy was to do whatever it takes to improve our ability to get open and stay open, and we’re excited to share that with our guests this winter,” Kovach said.

For more information, including data on trails, lifts and conditions, visit mountaincreek.com.

Email: [email protected]

Staff Writer, @karayorio

A small but triumphant voice came through the fog that had descended the mountain.

“I did it!” she yelled.

A little earlier in the day, an instructor could be heard through the mist praising a different skier – “Good job, Anna!” the woman yelled. “Look at you! Look at you!”

Visions of just these kinds of moments are what inspired the re-imagining of the former Hidden Valley skiing site in Vernon into the National Winter Activity Center.

A non-profit facility formed by the National Winter Sports Education Foundation and dedicated to an instructional and competition program for kids 6 to 17, the activity center's mission is to improve the lives of young people through winter sports, but its focus isn’t simply on the snow.

It also promotes healthy eating -- giving the kids snacks, a meal and a little nutritional education while they are there -- and attempts to instill some core values that include “persistence, respect, humor,” according to Schone Malliet, the center's CEO.

“At the end of the day, our goal is to improve the life and health of youth through winter activities,” Malliet said. “We do that with this facility, which is dedicated, by giving the opportunity to develop as young men and young women, the opportunity to compete if they want to. ... The other things you need are a healthy meal and equipment. We provide equipment, a healthy meal, instruction and mentorship.”

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The organization runs programs for instruction and competition in alpine and cross-country skiing and snowboarding. The Vernon site provided the perfect place for a dedicated facility and mountain. There are no adults weaving around the children, who are just learning. As a private center, there are no crowds of people filling the line to the ski lift.

The activity center began with a pilot program in 2015, when it had 180 kids. Last year there were 800, and this season it's pushing past 1,000.

One weekend in late January, the facility is loud and bursting with activity as kids get off their buses, then rush into the building to eat, gear up and hit the slopes. On the first floor, near the stairs down to the locker room where the equipment waited, were racks with winter coats and ski pants. For kids who can’t afford or don’t have any of their own, these are theirs to take and keep. The skiing equipment is provided as part of the cost of the program, which Malliet stresses is for children of all socioeconomic levels.

“We could take any kids from anywhere along the spectrum of skills, from any economic environment or geographic environment,” he said. “The idea is to make sure kids who wouldn’t necessarily have access, that’s who we seek out. That access is more than socioeconomic. Sometimes they don’t know.”

The activity center runs it programs for groups, partnering with youth organizations such as Boys and Girls Clubs, the YMCA and schools, which offer the program at a cost generally much lower than it would be for a family to take a child to a public ski facility and rent equipment, get lessons and lift tickets, etc. The programs run six to nine weeks for one day on weekends or on Tuesdays and Thursdays after school.

The Wayne YMCA is one of the organizations that has sent kids the last couple of years. The majority of kids who attend the program enjoy it, according to Albana Maliqi, site supervisor for the group.

Some kids are so excited they get to the Y as early as possible to wait for the bus and rush eating so they can get out onto the mountain as soon as possible, Maliqi said.

“They really love the program,” she said, adding that when an instructor praises a student they are quick to excitedly tell their parents when they are picked up, clearly proud of their accomplishment.

Out on the mountain in a constant drizzle that day, most of the kids seem to be enjoying themselves and trying hard. The instructors keep it fun – especially for the younger and more inexperienced skiers, who spend some time warming up by walking around in hula hoops to work on balance before clicking their boots into the ski bindings (and being reminded repeatedly that it’s toe-first).

A couple of hours later, at the end of their lesson, the same group takes off their skis, walks up a small incline and makes some snow angels while their instructor points out all the positives and improvement from the day.

Samantha Walter from the Sussex County YMCA is out on the slope with that group, encouraging them as they go. Also part of the program last year, Walter has seen the children not only improve in their skiing skills, but in their attitudes toward trying and in their belief in themselves.

“It builds confidence,” she said.

The afternoon lessons end with generally happy but exhausted kids taking off their equipment and heading upstairs for a well-earned snack before boarding buses for home. Another successful day on the slopes, despite the slightly inclement weather.

Malliet intends for this to be just the beginning, the anchor of a national program.

“We hope to replicate, if not the facility, the program in other places around the country ... maybe 70 to 80 miles from an urban area with a large population of kids, whether urban, rural or suburban, who don’t have access, and to use the program to continue to make a difference.”

Music booms over Vernon Township High School's turf field as the field hockey team gets ready for a game. Head coach Kieran Killeen designed the playlist, mixing in broadcast calls of Vikings' highlights with some of his players' favorite songs.

The music lines up with Vernon's warmup: ball and stick basics, then shooting and passing, followed by invasion drills when the offense and defense face off.

Killeen doesn't think a track, a drill, or even the turf field is the secret to the field hockey team's success. But the Vikings have blossomed in the past five seasons.

Vernon has a 62-18-1 record since the start of 2019, losing at home just four times.

"He gave us that number, and I was like, 'Wait, that's actually crazy,'" senior midfielder Sidney Van Tassel said. "We have so much pride playing for our school. The team chemistry we have is what drives us to be the best we can be. We all act like a family on and off the field."

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Vernon field hockey was last in the spotlight from 1988 through 1996, winning seven North 1, Group 4 championships and reaching the NJSIAA final four times. The Vikings also won North 1, Group 2 and were a NJSIAA finalist in 1980.

The recent resurgence began in 2019, when Vernon shared the NJAC-Freedom title with Newton and reached the North 1, Group 2 final. During the COVID-impacted 2020 season, the Vikings were 13-1 and went undefeated in their division. They lost to Morristown Beard in the Northwest B final.

In 2021, Vernon went 15-6 and reached a Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex semifinal. Last fall, the Vikings rebounded after losing four of their first five, finishing 12-7-1.

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"We've worked extremely hard at establishing Vernon field hockey back to where it once was," said Killeen, a South African expat in his eighth season at the helm.

"There's a lot of pride in Vernon field hockey. We are very passionate about the game, so any time someone comes to play us, we're going to give it everything."

Vernon is in Group 2 North again this fall. The team is currently 5-1, tied with Lenape Valley atop the NJAC-Freedom.

The Vikings' only loss came against the Patriots – on the road.

Vernon earned the third seed in the HWS Tournament, and will begin play on Oct. 3 at home.

But for Van Tassel, the current success actually goes back to middle school. That's when she and most of her current teammates started playing field hockey.

Van Tassel was at Lounsberry Hollow School, but bused to Glen Meadow to be part of the team.

"On the field, you can tell we're playing for each other, which is not something you can say for all teams," said Van Tassel, who has verbally committed to play lacrosse at St. Bonaventure near Buffalo.

"There's something about playing on our field that makes us so much more energetic. It's our second home."

VERNON — A new community partnership is providing students in one of Sussex County's largest school districts digital access to any of six public libraries in the county.

Vernon Township students in pre-K through 12th grade, as well as all district faculty members, now have a library card that allows them to check out online resources from the Sussex County Library System. The system includes the main library in Frankford and five branch libraries — including the Dorothy Henry Branch in Vernon.

The library card initiative was spearheaded by Vernon High School media specialist Michelle Aluotto, who previously worked for the county library.She said there was a need to create the partnership because many students are unaware of everything a library offers.

"I think it's important for them to realize this is a publicly available resource that they have access to," Aluotto said. "I'm a big library proponent. I love libraries, so I think everyone should know the value of a library."

The Vernon Township School District was home to 2,878 students as of the 2020-21 school year, according to data from the New Jersey Department of Education, only second in the county to Sparta, which had 3,050 students enrolled.

To access the catalog, Vernon students visit the Sussex County Library website and enter their student ID number. They can then browse all online materials available in the database, including audiobooks, language learning and information for research papers.

Aluotto said the digital card offered by the school does not allow students to rent hard copies of books or DVDs. However, they can obtain a physical card by visiting any of the six libraries and providing proof of residency in Sussex County.

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The libraries' partnership with Vernon is being treated as a "pilot program" as the district tries to "work through the kinks," Aluotto said. Eventually, the goal is for the initiative to expand to as many districts as possible.

While the partnership between Vernon and the county libraries is still in its infancy, Aluotto said she has already heard some positive feedback from students and teachers in the district. She is optimistic the program will help reinvigorate the role of libraries in the community.

"I think it's going to grow into more use for the public libraries, so it's good for everybody. Everybody wins," Aluotto said.

The Vernon Township Council on Monday amended its cannabis ordinance to allow three cannabis cultivators in the township’s light industrial zone.

The council also approved a second amendment that affirmed the R-2 zone mentioned in the ordinance is indeed located west of County Road 517.

The amended ordinance was reintroduced at Monday’s Township Council meeting, and a second reading and public hearing is expected on June 27.

The township currently has two companies – Sussex Cultivation and Garden State Green Genetics – that have conditional cannabis cultivator licenses and they must provide the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission (NJCRC) a host of documents by Aug. 9 to meet the conditions needed to maintain their licenses.

According to Chris Dowling of Sussex Cultivation, the company is confident their final approval will be forthcoming, and their proposed location is on a “rural piece of underutilized property here in town.”

Two months ago, the NJCRC limited the number of conditional cannabis cultivation licensing awards and is not expected to issue any more for at least two years.

Both companies received support in the form of a resolution from the Vernon Township Council on Dec. 13, 2021. Garden State Green Genetics intended to establish its facility at 1761 Route 565 and Sussex Cultivation intended to establish its facility at 1785 Route 565.

The council recently introduced Ordinance 22-11, which would have allowed an unlimited number of cannabis cultivators in the light industrial zone and also taken away the restriction of two cultivators in the McAfee Village Mixed Use Zone. It also allowed cultivators on R-2 (low-density residential properties) with a minimum of six acres located west of Route 517 and on R-1 Zone (rural residential) properties with a minimum of six acres on the northbound side of Route 517.

The township’s Land Use Board found the proposal for the R-2 and R-1 zones to be inconsistent with the township’s master plan, but recommended to not allow cannabis cultivators in the township’s R-1 zone.

The council declined to remove the R-1 zone from the ordinance, and R-1 Zone properties with a minimum of six acres located on the northbound side of Route 517.

Township attorney Josh Zielinski said the ordinance does not need to go back to the Land Use Board because the amendments only change the number of cultivators allowed and the other amendment only clarifies what was originally stated.