For a more educational experience, guests could learn about Cherry Hill’s history and contribute to a mini history project.  This project consisted of residents sharing their favorite memories and recording them for others to hear and enjoy.  Three of Cherry Hill’s talented art programs performed at the festival.  The All Cherry Hill Chorus, composed of fifth grade students from around the district performed “The Star Spangled Banner,” and winners of the photography contests “Focus on Cherry Hill” and “Fall into the Arts Juried Photography Contest,” displayed their work.  This festival yearly brings people in the township together.

“I think it’s one of the nicest events opened to the community,” said Megan Brown, director of the Cherry Hill Recreation Department.

There is a hoagie-making competition at the opening of every Wawa, and Friday, students from Cherry Hill East and Cherry Hill West competed. The competitors from East were Adam Rosenthal (’12), Andrew Adler (’13), Becca Mulberg (’12), Greg Weinstock (’13), and Harrison Kim (’12).

The new Wawa’s general manager, Michelle, said that usually the hoagie making competitions are between policemen and firemen. “I saw that this community has a lot of kids, and I wanted to do something to include everyone,” she said.

Prior to the competition at 10:30, both teams said that they felt confident that they would win. The East students won by boxing a total of 51 hoagies, while West boxed 43.

Wawa gave the winners of the hoagie-making competition $1000 for their choice charity, and the runners-up got $500 for their choice charity. Both teams chose to give the money to the Cherry Hill Education Foundation. The money will most likely be used for grants to give better opportunities to both teachers and students.

After the opening ceremonies—which included a dance competition, the chicken dance, a performance by East’s Jazz Standards and a group picture—the hoagie-making competition was held.

According to Derek Jones, a Field Merchandising Coordinator for Wawa, the Wawa Company purchased the plot of land ten years ago. However, the Wawa Company needed township approval before beginning construction.

“There are a lot of permits and things that you need to get before you can start building,” Jones said. “I think it’ll be busy because it’s right down the street from the highway.”

A La Mode serves fresh, home-made ice cream in Ocean City, NJ.

After many summers trying different ice cream places locally and while traveling, I found the one that I can finally call my favorite: Á La Mode Ice Cream Parlor in Ocean City, New Jersey is by far my favorite ice cream shop with its fresh, homemade, flavor packed ice cream.  Although I cannot recount the exact time I first tried Á La Mode, I believe it was when I vacationed in Ocean City a few years ago.  My family and I tried this ice cream parlor because it was close to where we were staying.  My family and I loved the ice cream right away and go to Á La Mode several times a year (not only during the summer.) 

Á La Mode’s ice cream is hard served and it has the perfect speed of melting—not so fast that you have to eat it before it becomes soft-serve, but enough speed that it starts to melt just as you eat it so that you can savor the incredible taste.  This is something I have found in no other ice cream.  As far as flavors go, I have tried the cherry vanilla, peanut butter twirl (vanilla ice cream swirled with peanut butter), chocolate chip, and mocha fudge.  But my all-time favorite is banana.  I know, banana.  Some people may not like bananas, or more likely never think that banana ice cream would be good, but it is.   All of Á La Mode’s flavors are homemade, with fresh fruit or specific flavor chunks like chocolate chips or peanut butter in the ice cream that give it its incredible flavor.  

On the menu, there are more than 25 flavors to choose from.  Not only does Á La Mode have good ice cream, but their sundaes are creative and delicious.  Á La Mode makes a plethora of them and other treats such as ice cream splits,  milkshakes, waffles, sodas, and hence the name—á la modes—ice cream with baked goods such as cake, cookie, or brownie.  Since the ice cream is so good on its own, I do not normally choose a sundae, or one of these other specialties.  However, in the few times I did, I have enjoyed them greatly.  Besides, who doesn’t like ice cream in a bowl full of syrups, whipped cream, and toppings?  

In addition to selling suburb ice cream, Á La Mode is customer friendly with its prices.  Since everything looks so good, if you can’t decide, sample a few flavors, then if you still can’t decide, order a larger cone.  The small size is three dollars and fifteen cents, and the large is four dollars and seventy-five cents.  There is nothing on Á La Mode’s menu that is over seven dollars—the only exceptions are the 32 ounce banana split and super milkshake, which cost just fewer than or equal to eight dollars.  Compared to other places, Á La Mode is inexpensive and the prices are reasonable for the shore, which makes it more enjoyable.  

The parlor sits on the corner of Fifty-Fifth Street and West Avenue in Ocean City, and its pretty exterior draws attention to it.  The staff is very friendly and moves quickly when there is a crowd.  In Á La Mode there is also a large quantity of tables to sit and when up against other ice cream places in Ocean City and other shore towns, Á La Mode is by far the best.  The popular Kohr Brothers cannot match the quality, flavor and texture of Á La Mode.  Even Springer’s, the renowned “best ice cream place” according to Stone Harbor and Avalon locals and summer renters, cannot beat Á La Mode.  Á La Mode is far better than any places around Cherry Hill, and it is a special treat to visit Ocean City to get the best of the amazing concoction everyone today loves—ice cream.  So, if you happen to be in or near Ocean City, NJ this summer, make it a point to stop by Á La Mode Ice Cream Parlor.  You will not be disappointed.

Hosting their Open Mic night every Tuesday from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., Coffee Works, located in the Ritz Center in Voorhees, has become a musical sanctuary for new up and coming musicians at East.

“Two summers ago, [Jeremy Savo (‘09)] and I played at Coffee Works, and I’ve been playing here for the last five months. It is such an easy environment to play in and it’s also an easy way to get [your music] out there and have people listen, since it’s so crowded,” said Josh O’Neil (‘13), an avid Coffee Works musician who has been playing the electric guitar for seven years.

The easy-going environment at Coffee Works has provided East students with the energy and fire to continue improving their music. Most newbies’ first times at Coffee Works are a worthwhile experience.

Nick Cavaliere (‘12), who learned through friends about Coffee Works’ Open Mic night, played Little Lion Man by Mumford and Sons for his first performance. Unfortunately, his guitar was out of tune, spurring some of his nerves. But, in spite of the guitar mishap, the crowd still sang along and appreciated his efforts.

 “It’s so much easier to get everything you have on the table here, because it’s such a chill environment where a lot of people play,” Cavaliere (’12) said.

 O’Neil’s first time playing went off without a hitch, but when he played for his third time to a larger group of older people, he was shaking in his shoes expecting less enthusiasm.  Instead, all he could see as he performed was the crowd forming the words to his Bob Dylan song.

“When I saw their smiles on their faces, it really created the drive for me to continue, because when you play live it dramatically increases your confidence and you drive to learn and crew new music,” O’Neil (’13) said.

But the satisfaction of seeing the crowd’s appreciation is not the only thing some East students receive from the experience; they also create new connections to help them in their pursuit of a musical career.

 “I’ve made so many friends and connections here. I am currently recording my EP and I’m not paying any money for the studio time, because of all the friendships I’ve made here,” said Mike Riesman (’09).

 Playing the guitar for nine years and acoustic for one, Riesman found his own music to have improved from the time he has spent at Coffee Works’ Open Mic Night.

“There is no competition here, it’s just a really friendly environment where you support each other and nurture each other’s musical talents,” Riesman said.

             Many people spend Memorial Day weekend at the shore or at a barbeque, but there are other events to attend besides these usual ones.  The following lists local events that take place Memorial Day weekend:

            Wildwood International Kite Festival- If you are going to the shore, consider attending the festival. Kit builders from around the world will fly their kites and show demos on how to make them. This event takes place all weekend.

            Morey’s Pier Curley Fry Food Festival- If you will be down the shore, and enjoy food festivals, than attend this event on Saturday May 28 at the Surfside Pier. Be prepared to observe a massive mess of curley fries. 

            Haddonfield Parade on Main Street on May 30.

            Philly Riverlink Ferry- Enjoy a 12-minute tour of Philadelphia from a ferryboat. This relaxing trip lets you enjoy the scenery and historic landmarks of the city while floating through the Delaware River. 

              Whatever you chose to do on Memorial Day weekend, remember to take a moment and honor those men and women who gave their life for our country.

            The Camden Center for Environmental Transformation, which is partnered with Sustainable Cherry Hill, makes its home on several blocks of Camden’s Waterfront South neighborhood, with which Ferich has a special connection.

            “I just bought my house about a year ago. I live right here,” said Ferich.

            Rather than ignore the unfair disadvantage right on her doorstep, Ferich actively works for retribution and neighborhood cleanup. The Center for Environmental Transformation, right in Ferich’s backyard, educates, employs and rebuilds to improve the city. Ferich describes her work as “a great way to unify the neighborhood and educate.”

            Ferich’s deep concern for her community is not unfounded. The neighborhood shares a home with more than seven scrap metal recyclers and junkyards, a petroleum transfer station, a paint varnish factory and many abandoned industrial sites. Arsonists recently burned down its playground and 50 percent of its houses were abandoned by the time Ferich moved in. The city has 28 known EPA environmental hazards and little is done to rectify these wrongs. Moreover, Camden is at the terminal end of the sewage line, and a whiff of the neighborhood makes this very real offense putridly clear. So unique is Camden’s location at the butt-end of nearby sewage lines that Ferich and volunteers have coined a term to describe it.

            “Sewer shed is a term we came up with for the place where, when it rains, or when you flush your toilet, it all comes to one place. Here, it’s Camden city,” said Ferich.

            To fight their environmental woes, Ferich encourages volunteers at the center to reduce their water usage and has implemented an active water conservation system. Ferich employs people in the neighborhood to create storm barrels to be sold.

            “The more storm water we can keep in one area, the better we can make life here,” said Ferich.

            Recently, this project found success when Haddon Township purchased one hundred of their rain barrels, a major victory for the center. In addition to employing neighbors in green projects, she invites local school children to help out, for fun and learning. She also hosts a myriad of classes and workshops for locals.

            “Every Friday, we have cooking classes. Whatever’s in season, we cook to bring in the aspect of health and renewability, “ Ferich said.

            Especially important here is growing and using fresh food for the neighborhood, which Ferich said has only one supermarket. Their medium-sized yard has a high-tech greenhouse, a chicken coop appropriately decorated with a peace sign and a large, compost-friendly plot ready for planting. Boys from across the street, known affectionately as “chicken cowboys,” come over to tend to the chickens and the plants.

            “It’s really important to have great places to play,” said Ferich.

            While the cowboys’ joy in wrestling chickens is palpable, it is also, as is everything in Ferich’s work, a great boon for the community. The chickens peck the garden plots, thus fertilizing and weeding to make way for food for the community. Ferich is always thinking of new ways to use and reuse what can be used to benefit the area.

            “Maybe we can have some sort of creative neighborhood Easter egg hunt,” Ferich suggested lovingly to the chicken cowboys.

            Their greenhouse is filled with hundreds of seedlings, occupying planters as well as bathtubs, which will soon be fresh fruits and vegetables. 

            Walking into the greenhouse, a chicken cowboy exclaimed, “It’s like heaven! This is the most wonderful thing in my life.”

            However idyllic their indoor garden is, it is also a great display of hard work and ecological ingenuity. The plants are watered through a self-rigged hydropump, which collects rainwater and is powered by a repurposed bicycle.

            “It’s a great way to get exercise, saves energy and it’s better for the plants because the water hasn’t been treated,” said Ferich.

            In the greenhouse, Ferich is also working on an innovative new irrigation system, known as “closed-loop aquaponics.” 

            “It’s called closed-loop because waste is used to feed the plants,” said Ferich.

            With this seemingly science-fictional contraption, a tank of live tilapia would start off the irrigation line and the nitrate-rich fish water would circle though the system, providing water and fertilizer for the plants. 

            The center has done no shortage of good for the community. In the fall, they planted an 18-tree fruit orchard for the fresh produce deprived neighborhood. Ferich has also organized a vast project to create an environmental retreat, which recently ran its first program. The retreat center occupies an abandoned twin-home and former convent, which has been miraculously converted into a bright, clean and comfortable hostel, which employs neighborhood people as cooks. Ferich has also involved local children in painting a mural depicting important neighborhood figures, including writers and activists.

            “[The mural is] to say we shall rise, like a phoenix coming out of the ashes,” said Ferich.

            Their efforts in community renewal have not gone unacknowledged. Ferich was recently recognized by the EPA for her work in environmental transformation, an announcement that produced rousing applause from volunteers. Poet’s Walk at the center, an alley with bricks honoring neighborhood dwellers favorite poets (Pablo Neruda and God made the list), too, houses a symbol of their revitalization, known as the James Joyce brick.

            “There was an international lawyer from Ireland, who brought us a brick from James Joyce’s house, which he gave to places of great resurrection,” said Ferich.

            And the Camden Center for Environmental for Transformation truly is a place of great resurrection. Though Ferich’s neighborhood is unfairly ignored and unjustly subject to everything its neighbors get rid of, it is on the rise thanks to those who care enough to nurture it. Like all the plants Ferich and her neighborhood friends grow, the community needs a bit of love, time and hard work to bloom.

            It is hard to imagine that teens living only a town over are struggling to pay for basic necessities and fearing for their safety, while simultaneously the average East student is worrying about how he can find enough time to finish his homework.

            The city of Camden, located only a couple of miles away from Cherry Hill, has one of the highest crime rates in America. Data collected by neighborhood scout.com states that “one’s chance of becoming a victim of either violent or property crime” in Camden is one in 11. Camden’s alarming crime rate stems from the poverty stricken lives of the people who live there. 53.6 percent of Camden residents live below the poverty line; that means 40,987 people are living on incomes less than $22,000.

            Determined to bring a positive light into the city, the Salvation Army is building a state of the art 120,000 square foot facility located in the Cramer Hill section of Camden. Since 1865, the Salvation Army has been serving the less fortunate. In 2004, Joan Kroc, the heiress to the McDonald’s fortune, donated 1.6 billion dollars to the Salvation Army. However, Mrs. Kroc had specific instructions to be carried out with her donation. 50 percent of her gift would go towards building 30 brand new community centers in poor neighborhoods throughout the country. The rest of her donation would be used for the initial endowments to sustain the center. After reviewing proposals from 28 cities in the eastern division, Camden was selected to receive 59 million dollars for the community project.

            The Kroc Center will be located over 24 acres and will serve up to 350,000 people throughout not only Camden, but Burlington and Gloucester counties as well. The center will be the home of a plethora of service-orientated programs, such as food and utility assistance. Also, the center will have a competition pool, numerous gyms, a chapel, learning center, performing arts center, and day care center. The center not only will be the ultimate safe heaven for those in the community, but a source of hope for the many underserved families and individuals.

            Although Mrs. Kroc’s donation lays the foundation for the center, her gift was not meant to be the sole provider. In addition to Mrs. Kroc’s gift, other contributions total over 21 million dollars. However, local support is needed to pay for the remaining 11 percent of the 90 million dollar project goal. Over the next three to five years, Joan Kroc crops hope to raise 10 million dollar to start building the center. Looking only to support the community, all money raised will be donated to the center.

            To learn more about helping to transform a neighborhood, visit the Salvation Army’s website.

Opening for Adele was a band called The Civil Wars, whose performance began at 8:30 p.m. Relatively new to the scene, as their first album debuted in February of this year, the Southern-based band’s sound served as an elegant warm-up for Adele when their beautiful harmonies rippled over the Electric Factory. Comprised of singer/songwriters Joy Williams and John Paul White, the duo played a 6-song set including their hits of “Barton Hollow” and “Poison & Wine.” Also included was a folksy-cover of Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean.” Armed with just a guitar and two voices, the duo’s beautiful blending and brilliant chemistry offered the crowd forty-five minutes of musical excellence.

As The Civil Wars’ set began to wind down and the crowd grew anxious to see Adele, White joked, “we know you didn’t come to see us, and that’s just fine.”

With a twenty-minute turn-around, Adele claimed the stage around 9:30 p.m., singing “Hometown Glory” from “19,” the first song she ever wrote, with just her and her pianist on stage. After that song, the stage opened up to reveal two back-up singers, a drummer, a banjo player and a guitarist. As per usual, the stage was adorned with lampshades hanging that added dramatic lighting. For example, during “Set Fire to the Rain,” the lampshades’ light bulbs ignited. However, dramatic lighting was not the only captivating element of her performance.

Playing around twleve songs, including ones from both “21” and from her debut album  “19” which came out in the summer of 2008, the crowd was enraptured in her—her sound, her stories told in between each song and the idea of seeing her standing just feet away. Whereas most performers these days sound better in a studio recording, Adele managed to blow the crowd away by providing deviations to the recorded tracks that still sounded just as good—if not better.

At one point during the performance, Adele stopped to thank Philadelphia for being so receptive. Fans passed up a couple posters and a t-shirt that read “PhilADELEphia” as tokens of their appreciation. In these ways and more, Adele managed to interact with the crowd in the midst of her singing. She also felt her lyrics, as several times she paused to wipe tears from her eyes, to which the crowd responded by showing their support through cheers. Also, the crowd consistently sang along, offering a symbiotic community, if only for that one performance. After about an hour into the performance, Adele exited the stage, but then returned to offer an encore performance including her playing guitar for the introduction of “Someone Like You,” and then ending the show with a “Rolling In the Deep” finale extravaganza, as the windows of the Electric Factory shook and the crowds’ ears echoed with such catchy and inspirational lyrics, such as “throw your soul through every open door.”

Ending at around 11 p.m., a satisfied crowd exited the premises, enthralled after a few hours of an incredible performance.

However, on Saturday, May 21, Rittenhouse Square will transform into a joyous festival attracting over 50,000 locals. The Rittenhouse Row Spring Festival is an annual celebration on a Saturday in May and marks the beginning of summer. To most Philadelphians, it offers a welcoming to a sweet season filled with festivities.

With eclectic sources of amusement including food, fashion, art and entertainment, the festival promises a productive day for any local looking to enjoy spending time outside in the nice spring weather.

The area is completely designated for the celebration, and Walnut Street is closed off to traffic. The festival literally takes charge of one of the nicest neighborhoods in the city.

Some of last year’s most exciting features were fitness guru Kimberly Garrison, a kids zone with face painting, various wine samplings and other fun activities for people of all ages. The food tables have been very popular in the past years, so anyone going for the sake of delicious treats should arrive early so they can eat before the food runs out and avoid major crowds.

To most locals the Rittenhouse Row Spring Festival is an age-old tradition, and to those who have never experienced its merriment, it promises to be a holiday worth partaking in.