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Community Educa�on and Be�er Health Programs located in SIX09 pg 15
MAY 2023
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Seward Johnson sculpture to have new Awakening
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Billy Briggs Scholarship gives teens a taste of Irish Culture
By SUe Ferrara
By Joe Emanski
Rare is the local resident who has not come upon a person engaged in a daily routine, only to discover the “person” is made of bronze. Commuters can’t navigate to the NJ Transit train station in Hamilton without seeing the larger-than-life mariachi band, or the characters from Grant Wood’s American Gothic, standing tall, with a suitcase. These creations and more are the work of J. Seward Johnson, a man who serendipitously left his mark on the art world, and did so until March of 2020, when he died of cancer at the age of 89. On Sunday, May 21 at 11 a.m., the Hopewell Valley Arts Council and The Seward Johnson Atelier–in conjunction with D&R Greenway Land Trust, and the artist’s family– will host an opening ceremony for a six-month-long celebration of Johnson’s life and artwork. The event will be held on the grounds of D&R Greenway’s St. Michaels Farm Preserve, where one of Johnson’s iconic See AWAKENING, Page 16
Billy Briggs created more than just a bar when he opened Tír na nOg on Hamilton Avenue in Trenton in 1991. He also created a community. And although the man widely known as “Irish Billy Briggs” died in 2008, his bar, his legacy and that community endure to this day. The Ancient Order of Hibernians Division No. 10 is a fraternal organization that sees Tír na nOg as a sort of second home. In 2010, Division 10 created a scholarship program in Briggs’ name as a way to honor him.Each year, the program sends two high school seniors on a three-week journey to County Donegal, Ireland, where they are immersed in Irish culture and history. Michaela McFadden and Lauren Tracey were the first two winners of the scholarship. Thirteen years later, the Steinert High Graduates remain a part of the program, serving as co-chairs. To help raise some of the funds needed to keep the scholSee BRIGGS, Page 18
Joey’s Place, a playground in Limewood Park in Hamilton, was dedicated on April 6, 2023 to Joey Angiolino, who died at the age of 15 months in 2009 due to a rare disease. (Photo by Joe Emanski.)
Joey’s Place gives Hamilton a new place ‘Where angels play’ By Joe Emanski
Hundreds gathered in Limewood Park on April 6 to celebrate the grand opening of Hamilton Township’s newest playground — one with deep sentimental meaning for many of those in attendance. The sign above the walkway leading to the playground reads, “Joey’s Place.” Joey is
Joey Angiolino, a township resident who was diagnosed in 2009 with Hurler’s Syndrome, a rare genetic disease. He was seven months old. Joey’s parents James and Nicole Rogers Angiolino, tried every treatment for Joey in the fight to overcome the illness. Despite their best efforts, Joey died in the pediatric intensive care unit of Duke University
Hospital in July 2010. In honor of their son, they created Joey’s Little Angels, a nonprofit organization that raises money with the aim of donating it to pediatric hospitals across the country. Joey’s Little Angels also joined forces with a regional nonprofit organization, the Where Angels Play Foundation, to build the See JOEY, Page 14
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