By Doreen Rutherford This is the time of year that I feel the cold in my bones and my body is telling me I need

some pampering. It certainly helps the winter to seem shorter if you treat yourself to spa services. I found a spa that has reasonable rates for exceptional service. It is in my "must go" category not because it is a huge spa with water fountains and fancy gold leaf columns, but because the services are consitantly excellent for a reasonable price. I really don't feel too good when I go to a spa and pay a grand amount of money for services only to feel as though I ended up with a minimal service. I actually feel worse than when I

went in. I assure you this will not happen at Jennifer's Hair Salon and Day Spa located at 6 East Main St. in quaint Pen Argyl. It is owned by Jennifer Reto-Renaldo and she is always at the spa making sure you are getting the best of care. Jennifer has operated her business for over 34 years starting with hair services and then providing clients with spa treats as well. The Spa experience was possible by creating a "Spa Space" on the second floor making room for; massage therapy, facials and body scrubs. The Massage Therapist, London Dickey, specializes in Swedish, Deep Tissue and Hot Stone massage.

On the second floor there is also a consignment boutique with some very cute items for Men, Women and Children including shoes, handbags and accessories. I prefer the deep tissue massage. London has very strong hands, but she also does the Swedish method well and is always attentive to whatever physical issues I might have at that time. Everyone works hard to make sure you have the most relaxing experience possible. The massage is 60 minutes on a heated table in a pleasant room. After your massage, make sure you rest and drink plenty of water. I recommend calling the salon to inquire about their holiday spa packages, it would make a great gift to a friend, family member or, like I do, to yourself. They are having an Open House on Sunday December 8th from 5pm to 7pm with appetizers, door prizes and Santa. Christmas Specials gift certificate for all services will be available as well as a whole list of unique vendors.

Theatre Ensemble since 2011, has previously starred as Clara and appeared in the roles of Garland, Chinese and Angel. New Jersey Dance Theatre Ensemble is known throughout New Jersey and the New York metro region as one of the premier preprofessional ballet Savannah Tilley, 16, of Hardwick, will join world-renowned dancers when she appears in the soloist roles of Dew Drop and Arch Angel in this years full-length production of New Jersey Dance Theatre Ensembles much loved The Nutcracker. Internationally acclaimed dancers Christina Dooling, Mark Caserta, Rosemary Sabovick-Bleich, Joseph Fritz, Bradley Shelver, Ricardo Zayas and Darwin Black, from such renowned dance companies as Metropolitan Opera Ballet, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, NJ Ballet, Shen Wei Dance Arts and TU Dance, join the Ensemble for three performances at the Wilkins Theatre @ Kean University, 1000 Morris Avenue, Union, NJ on Saturday, December 14 at 2:00pm and 7:00pm, and Sunday, December 15 at 2:00pm. Savannah, daughter of Susi and Richard Tilley of Hardwick, and a junior at North Warren Regional High School, will also be dancing the roles of Snowflake, Marzipan and Rose Waltz. Savannah, who has been dancing with the New Jersey Dance and modern dance companies. Its high-caliber training in ballet, contemporary and modern dance, as taught by some of the dance worlds most notable dancers, teachers and choreographers, includes guest faculty from such prominent dance companies as The Paris Opera Ballet, Netherlands Dance Theatre, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Nacho Duato & Compaa Nacional de Danza, Jose Limn Company, Lar Lubovitch Dance Company, Bat Sheva Dance Company, Martha Graham Dance Company, Paul Taylor Dance Company, Twyla Tharp, Parsons Dance, Mark Morris Dance Group, and The Ailey School/Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, among others. This 43rd annual production of The Nutcracker, set to the classic music of Peter Tchaikovsky, is choreographed by the Ensembles Artistic Director, Nancy Turano, and features dancers aged 7 through 18. Please call the Wilkins Theatre box office at 908-737-7469 or log onto www.kean stage.com

The Knowlton United Methodist Church Thrift Store is accepting donations: Stop in and check out the inventory at 503 Route 94, Knowlton (2 doors down from the church). Open Thursday through Saturday, 10am to 2pm. Blairstown Plans Free Rabies Clinic on December 7th from 9am-noon at the Blairstown Township DPW Garage, 25 Lambert Rd. All dogs and cats must be leashed or confined and accompanied by an adult. Licenses can be purchased by check only. After Jan. 1st licensing may be done through the mail or in person at the

Municipal Building at 106 Route 94, Blairstown, NJ Mommy & Me Food Art Fun Program starting Monday December 2nd - 23rd, 2pm-3pm at the Catherine Dickson Library. Registration accepted now at the Blairstown Recreation Office. Fee is $45.00 and includes all the fun, creativity, and special memories! On Saturday, December 7 at 11am the Warren County Library, located at 2 Shotwell Drive, Belvidere, presents Gingerbread Fun for Kids! Do you know the story of the gingerbread man? Join us as we share gingerbread man stories

and decorate gingerbread cookies. Hopefully, our cookies wont run away! Sign up at warrenlib.org Call to Artists for the Sussex County Arts and Heritage Council Small Works Exhibit at the Spring Street Gallery. Artists may enter works of art related to this theme of small scale pieces of original fine art in any medium if they are members. The Exhibit will run from December 7, 2013 to January 4, 2014. Opening reception will be held on Saturday December 7, from 4 to 6 pm. Artists may drop off their work at the Councils office on Sunday December 1, 12 to 3 pm and Tuesday, December 3, 9 am to 3 pm. The SCAHC gallery/office is located at 133 Spring Street, Newton, NJ, 973-3830027. Member enrollment can be found at

www.scahc.org, or at the Councils office. December Monthly Observances World Aids Month, Bingo's Birthday Month, National Drunk & Drugged Driving, (3D) Prevention Month, National Write A Business Plan Month, National Tie Month, Quince and Watermelon Month, Root Vegetables and Exotic Fruits Month, Safe Toys and Gifts Month, Spiritual Literacy Month, Tomato and Winter Squash Month, Universal Human Rights Month, Worldwide Food Service Safety Month We love hearing from you! Send your tidbits of information to: The PRESS PO Box 430 Blairstown, NJ 07825 thepressnews@enter.net Visit us online at thepressnewsonline.com Like Us on Facebook!

The following is a list of books added to the Warren County Library collection this past week. Things That Matter: Three Decades of Passions, Pastimes, and Politics (Electronic Format) By Charles Krauthammer. From Crown Forum; Forte Forte. From Columbia; One Summer: America, 1927 (Electronic Format) By Bill Bryson. From Doubleday; The Man Who Killed Kennedy By Roger Stone. From

Skyhorse Publishing; The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (+UltraViolet Digital Copy) From Sony Pictures Home Ent; American Mirror: The Life and Art of Norman Rockwell By Deborah Solomon. From Farrar, Straus and Giroux; Lady Catherine, the Earl, and the Real Downton Abbey By Countess Fiona Carnarvon. From Broadway Books.No Good Duke Goes Unpunished: The Third Rule of Scoundrels By Sarah MacLean. From Avon; The Fast Metabolism Diet Cookbook: Eat Even More Food and Lose Even More Weight By Haylie Pomroy. From Harmony; The Art of Simple Food II: Recipes, Flavor, and Inspiration from the New Kitchen Garden By Alice Waters. From Clarkson Potter; The 21-Day Sugar Detox: Bust Sugar & Carb Cravings Naturally By Diane Sanfilippo. From Victory Belt Publishing; League of Denial: The NFL, Concussions and the Battle for Truth By Mark FainaruWada. From Crown Archetype; The Supercharged Hormone Diet: A 30-Day Accelerated Plan to Lose Weight, Restore Metabolism, and Feel Younger Longer By Natasha Turner. From Rodale Books; Baby Loves Winter!: A Karen Katz Lift-the-Flap Book (Karen Katz Lift-theFlap Books) By Karen Katz. From Little Simon.

Hackettstowns unique Holiday Celebration is coming soon and the HKTWN BID is happy to offer the event FREE to the community. Main Street is dressed and ready with the beautiful lighted holiday wreaths on every lamppost. Thanks to the Hackettstown Parking Authority for donating the funds for all of the wreaths and the Hackettstown Fire Department for installation. They help make Hackettstowns shopping district very festive for one and all that visit! The celebration begins on Friday Dec. 6th at 5:00 pm with music, crafts and treats at Centenary Colleges Front Parlours of the Edward W. Seay Administration Building, 400 Jefferson Street. With the crowd favorite horse-drawn carriage rides from 5:00 pm 6:00 pm from Centenarys front gates and continuing throughout the evening from the Moore Street Fire House. These carriage rides evoke the wonderful old time holiday feeling while enjoying some of the finest historic architecture found in Hackettstown. The Main Street District will be host to

many musical groups including several bell choirs. With the 3rd annual Holiday Bazaar Tent, featuring 2,400 square feet of great Shopping and Dining. Plus the star of the night Santa with a parade fit for the celebrity he is, he turns the switch to light the Holiday Tree. With all this plus a magically festive Holiday spirit. NEW this year we are happy to announce that each Santa photo will be printed as a 5x7 photo FREE of charge, available for pick-up at the new HKTWN BID office at 219 Main Street during the following week. Also NEW this year we are offering a Boys and Girls Bike Raffle! While waiting for your turn with Santa, make certain you enter to win a Youth Bicycle plus tickets to a Centenary Stage Company Young Audience Series show! The schedule is packed full of fun things to do for young and old! 5:00 6:00 pm Music, crafts and treats (Centenary, Seay Bldg.) 5:00 6:00 pm Carriage Rides (Centenary, Seay Bldg. front gate pick up) 5:15 pm Grand Illumination of Seay Building Centenary College 6:00 9:00 pm - Carriage Rides (Moore Street

pick up) 6:00 9:00 pm Holiday Bazaar Food and Shopping Tent, C&L Subs n Grub, Mamas Restaurant, Pandan Room, Philly Pretzel Factory, Stella Gs, The Grove, Skylands Community Pharmacy, Petals n' Pine and Precious Things, Centenary Stage-'A Christmas Carol, Fur Love of Pawz, NORWESCAP Family Success Center, 6:00 6:30 pm St. James Episcopal Church Bell Choir

(Gazebo) 6:30 6:55 pm Hackettstown Community Band (Gazebo) 6:30 7:00 pm Littlest Angels Choir (Trinity) 6:45 7:15 pm Colonial Musketeers Senior Corps (Hometown Hardware) 7:00 7:40 pm Hackettstown High School Choir (Gazebo) 7:15 7:30 pm Santa Parade with Tree Lighting and Caroling (Gazebo) 7:30 7:55 pm Trinity United Methodist Church Bell Choir

(Trinity) 7:45 8:15 pm Stone Soup Symphony (Gazebo) 7:30 9:00 pm Photos with Santa (Moore Street Fire House) Special Thanks to Robert Michael Productions! 8:00 pm Centenary Stage A Christmas Carol (Centenary, Lackland Center) The 8th Annual Hometown Holiday Celebration is possible with a big thanks to all of the groups who have volunteered their time and talent, the HKTWN BID Event

Committee and our very generous sponsors - Motion Kia of Mount Olive, Centenary College, Johnson Dodge, Marleys Gotham Grill, Robert Michael Productions, Heart & Sohl Photography and Hackettstown Regional Medical Center. Please feel free to contact the HKTWN BID office for additional details on the Hometown Holiday. Phone 908-850-5004 Or visit us at: hackettstownbid.com.

Gift a Book! Catherine Dickson Hofman Branch will be accepting new or like new children's books (preschool to teen) through December to distribute as gifts for children in need in the Blairstown area Pastie Sale (Meat Pies). The united methodist women are having a pastie sale on December 6th. Orders will be taken by December 1st by calling Michelle Peterson at 908-362-6703. Orders can be picked up at the First United Methodist Church, 10 Stillwater Road, Blairstown NJ from 4-6pm. The Warren County Department of Human Services. The Warren Haven Advisory Committee and the Office on Aging through its advisory committee will hold a Public Forum to hear from the residents of Warren County: Friday, December 6, 2013: 9am noon, at the Freeholder Meeting Room in the Wayne Dumont Administration Building, 165 County Route 519 South, Belvidere. The Warren County Community Singers, celebrating 21 years of performing in Warren County, will be performing a Winterfest of

Music, at 7:30pm on Saturday, December 7 at Grace Lutheran Church, 300 Roseberry Street, Phillipsburg, and at 3pm on Sunday, December 8 at the First Presbyterian Church, 40 East Church Street, Washington. The Childrens Chorus of Warren County will join them on both dates. The concerts are free, however a freewill donation will be greatly appreciated. Blairstown Plans Free Rabies Clinic on Dec. 7., 2013 from 9am-noon at the Blairstown Township DPW Garage, 25 Lambert Rd. All dogs and cats must be leashed or confined and accompanied by an adult. Licenses can be purchased by check only after Jan. 1st licensing may be done through the mail or in person at the Municipal Building at 106 Route 94, Blairstown, Breakfast With Santa Sunday Dec. 8 from 8AM-12 PM Warren Grange, 102 AsburyBroadway Rd, Broadway, NJ Sponsor: Venturing Crew 63, BSA Call 908-285-0537 The Skylands Sierra Club Group will be hosting a holiday social event on Tuesday,

December 10, 7:00-9:00 p.m., at the Unitarian Fellowship Hall, 1 West Nelson Street in Newton. For more information, contact Susan Williams at SkylandsGroup@gmail.com or 973600-4960. The MOMS Club of the Blairstown Area will host a Holiday Meet & Greet at the Catherine Dickson Hoffman Library meeting room on Wednesday December 11th from 3:30-5:30pm. FMI find us on meetup, call (908) 912-MOMS or e m a i l BlairstownMOMSClub @gmail.com. Santas Secret Workshop Blairstown Elementary School Gym. Saturday, December 7th from 9 a.m. until 12 p.m. All gifts are $12 and under. 21st Annual Holiday Home tour on December 7th, Yellow Frame Presbyterian Church, 1 Yellow Frame Road, Newton, 10am to 4pm. Snow date is December 14th. Tour 5 homes decorated for the holidays and enjoy a luncheon at the church. Not suitable for children or strollers. Tickets: call 973-3835364 to reserve... Warren County Technical School Key Club

Food Drive at Crafts in the Warren Tech 2013 Saturday, December 7th - 9 am to 4 pmWarren County Technical School, 1500 Route 57, Washington NJ 07882 (Warren County) For more info e m a i l craftsinwarrentech@live. com or visit our facebook page:https://www.facebo ok.com/CraftsintheWarre nTech Holiday Mini-Bazaar, sponsored by the Friends of the Hackettstown Library, on Monday, December 9, from 10 am to 7 pm, in the library, located at 110 Church Street. Crafts, home baked goods, and a white elephant table. All proceeds benefit the library On December 28 at 1:00 the Warren County Library, located at 2 Shotwell Drive, Belvidere, presents Winter Holiday Fun with Mad Science! Jack Frost, Frosty the Snowman, and an elf named Eggbert join the Mad Scientist from Mad Science of West New Jersey to bring you a fun-filled winter-themed show perfect for the whole family! Includes audience participation. Sign up at www.warrenlib.org.

Hello fellow readers, Winter predictions are always a popular topic this time of year. You've heard the folklore; the wider the middle brown section of the wooly bear caterpillar the milder the coming winter. The more frenzied the nut collecting of squirrels the harsher the winter. While visiting the Lakota Wolf Preserve in early August, Pam noted their critters were way ahead in developing winter coats indicating a tough winter ahead. The legends go on and on and are fun to anticipate but we look

forward to the official opinion of the experts. Marcia of Columbia turned me onto an authority in our area the Eastern Pennsylvania Weather Authority (EPAWA) who recently released their 2013/14 Winter Outlook. They provide detailed technical information based on trends of several indicators using acronyms and lingo that frankly are puzzling to me kind of like todays business jargon. "There are some indications that warming in ENSO regions 3.4 and 4 would suggest a weak El Nino may begin to develop sometime in January. This, combined with some other factors (especially a declining QBO) is a grand slam for snow lovers. Oh boy, at least I understand the grand slam part. They did share some easy to understand asso-

ciations such as there is significantly more snow cover in Canada this time of year as compared to the last two indicating less chance cold air will moderate as it reaches our latitude. Translated, arctic blasts are likely to last longer. Another variable, the sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic are warmer than usual due to the lack of tropical storm activity which may hold snow events longer on land. Wahoo, it sounds like a grand slam indeed! Speaking of business jargon mumbo jumbo; while trying to predict this winters forecast, I read through the analytics and drilled down to get to the minutia of the winter weather ahead. But at the end of the day, I circled back and reached out to the reliable woolly bear caterpillar. Garden dilemmas? askmarystone.com

Gabe Hurley presented at North Warren Regional High School on Wednesday, November 20, 2013. A crash involving a young driver who was driving recklessly caused vehicle parts to fly through the air and directly into Gabes vehicle. Gabe was severely injured in that motor vehicle crash in 2009 and he now travels the state speaking to students about the dangers of driving recklessly. His presentation displays his life

before and after the life changing crash. He does not dwell on the fact that he lost his sight, sense of smell and about 60% of his ability to taste. His overall message is that young people must be responsible drivers and to always remember to focus on the things that they have and to always remain positive. Gabe is also an accomplished musician. He gave the North Warren School Community a sample of his talent by playing his electric

guitar and playing a video of his band, The New Black, as part of his presentation.

Commissioner Harold J. Wirths of the Department of Labor and Workforce Development helped to load, package and distribute more than 120 Thanksgiving Day turkey dinners to needy families today as he and other cabinet members engaged in another holiday season of charitable efforts under the Christie Administrations third annual Season of Service campaign. Coordinated annually through the Sussex Help Center and many charitable organizations in Sussex County, the Thanksgiving turkey dinner preparations this season began early today with frozen turkeys being loaded into trucks by Commis-

sioner Wirths and others at the Weiss Market on Route 23 in Franklin (Sussex County). From there, the turkeys were delivered to the United Methodist Church on Bank Street in Sussex, where volunteers packaged them with donated canned goods and other seasonal foods. Commissioner Wirths, his wife and their two daughters joined volunteers at the church in packaging the meals, and distributed them at the church from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. to families in need. Everything was donated and made possible through the generosity of residents, businesses and local organizations throughout Sussex County.

All cabinet officials in the Christie Administration are spending time volunteering and highlighting service opportunities through the end of December as part of the "Season of Service" initiative. The Sussex Help Center, where Commissioner Wirths and his family traditionally volunteer their time, provides a variety of programs to Sussex and Wantage neighbors in need. Aside from providing special holiday meals, the organizations storefront on Main Street in Sussex Borough Funding for the center comes from private donations, individuals and churches. The charity receives no federal, state or government assistance. The center always accepts non-perishable food donations, including canned vegetables, canned meals and fruit, gelatin, pudding, soup, sandwich spread, peanut butter, jelly, tuna fish, mayonnaise, canned meat, macaroni, spaghetti, sauce, rice, tea bags, powdered milk, and sugar-free food for diabetics. For more info about donating or if you know a family in need, please call (973) 7021922.

The boys' and girls' basketball teams from Blair Academy in Blairstown answered the shout-out from

LocalShare and recently spent an afternoon gleaning 544 pounds of turnips from Caristi Farm in Blairstown. Gleaning is an age-old practice where people gather the useful remnants of a crop from the field after harvesting. Often, after a farmer has harvested a field, some of the crop remains behind, perhaps because the vegetables are too small, slightly bruised, or otherwise inappropriate for market. Yet, they are perfectly edible. The turnip picking went well, said Joe Caristi of Caristi Farm. It did, however, get a

little out of control! It's hard to manage two high-school sports teams! . . . We ended up with 544 lbs of turnips! We also made them all try a piece of raw turnip dipped in ranch dressing, and they all loved it. LocalShare, a program of the Foodshed Alliance that connects people in need with local, organic food, organizes gleaning projects to both assist local farmers and to deliver food to those who need it most. The turnips, all 544 lbs. of them, went to soup kitchens and food pantries in Warren and Sussex counties. Some will be served during community meals and the rest will be placed in weekly and Thanksgiving baskets. To help people prepare the turnips, LocalShare donated these recipe cards.

Home Instead Senior Care Advises Family Caregivers to Keep a Close Eye on Older Adults during Frigid Temperatures The extreme temperatures and snow of winter can be particularly dangerous for older adults. The elderly and those with heart disease are at special risk, according to the American Heart Association. As people age, their ability to maintain a normal internal body temperature often decreases. Because elderly people seem to be relatively insensitive to moderately cold condi-

tions, they can suffer hypothermia without knowing they're in danger, the Heart Association reports ( w w w. a m e r icanheart.org). Hypothermia means the body temperature has fallen below normal. It occurs when your body can't produce enough energy to keep the internal body temperature warm enough and the condition can kill. Heart failure causes most deaths in hypothermia, the American Heart Association notes. The following tips, from the local Home Instead Senior Care

office, will help you safeguard a senior loved one or neighbor. Fill the cupboard. Help your senior stock the staples and groceries theyll need in the event of a large snowstorm or cold spell. Maximize energy. Encourage your senior to make sure they have adequate insulation and to check and clean the fireplace and furnace. Replace furnace filters monthly. Minimize drafts. Help your senior fill old socks with sand and use them in drafty windowsills and door jams. Weather-strip around windows and doors. Keep doors closed to

unused rooms and close curtains at night. Stay toasty. Advise your senior to add an extra blanket to the bed and warm the bed in advance with a hot water bottle. Never use electric blankets. A senior may not be able to operate the controls if the temperature needs to be adjusted Dress warmly. A seniors circulation decreases with age. Encourage your senior to wear an extra sweater or sweatshirt, and sweat pants during the winter. Monitor the thermostat. Check with your senior to make sure that theyre keeping the thermostat above 65 degrees during the cold

weather. Older adults are particularly susceptible to hypothermia, which can develop over a few days and weeks even in the mildly cool indoor temperatures of 60 to 65 degrees. Beware of budget problems. Make sure your senior isnt trying to save money by keeping the thermostat down. Many communities have energy assistance programs for lowand fixed-income households. Avoid slips. Make sure your senior has made arrangements to have driveways and walkways cleaned. Salt and sand should be available to speed melting.

Stay in touch. Check on your neighbor or loved one frequently during periods of cold and snowy weather. Build a network. You cant always be around to help your elderly loved one. Call on neighbors, family and church members to help. Or contact your local Home Instead Senior Care office. For more information about the cold, visit the National Weather Service Website at www.noaa.gov and the Federal Emergency Management Agency Web site at www.fema.gov. To learn more about Home Instead Senior Care, log on to www.homeinstead.com.

We hope that you had the chance to visit the Red Mill Museum Village in 2013 -- our 50th anniversary year in operation as a museum! Open 6 days per week through the end of 2013. Open on Saturdays and Sundays from January through March. Throughout our 50-year history you have supported the essential operations of the Museum -caring for our historic buildings, including the iconic Red Mill, our artifacts, and our 10-acre site, running our school and public programs, and welcoming visitors to our exhibitions. Please consider making acontribution to the Red Mill Museum Village during our 2013 annual appeal. To make a donation through PayPal simply visit our home page,www.theredmill.org and click "Donate".

American Country Real Estate wants to thank all of our Agents & everyone who donated food for the Saint John's Methodist Church food pantry! Joseph DeLucia who helped spear head this effort said We Hope that our donation will help some families this Thanksgiving season

We are now gearing up for our food drive for Christmas! Please feel free to help us fill the boxes in our office. 100% of everything donated will go directly to the Saint Johns Hope food pantry!! American Country Real Estate your home town office helping to stamp out hunger in our home town!