I did not grow up with formal religion and any references that I do have are Catholic as my mom was raised very strict Italian Catholic back in the 1930’s and 1940’s. Recently a friend of mine retired from working at a local Presbyterian Church. They asked her what she wanted for food and without hesitation responded, a traditional potluck dinner.

I must admit I’m a little bit leery of potlucks especially when the food is prepared outside of what I’m familiar with. My family had Auntie Gloria’s lasagna as a traditional standby…you anticipated eating it and it never disappointed. So, while I wanted to support my friend, admittedly I was hesitant to go to this retirement party as I did not know what to expect.

Well, I’m so glad that I attended. The food was varied but absolutely delicious. When I commented that to some of the parishioners, they were not surprised at all and said Presbyterians always have great potlucks.

Who knew? I did not. So, my tip is if you are ever invited to a Presbyterian potluck immediately say yes and save your appetite for a lot of delicious food and camaraderie.

The Sterling Hill Mining Museum, located in Ogdensburg, NJ, formerly known as the Sterling Hill Mine, once had one of the world’s richest zinc ore deposits and is now recognized as a National Historic Site. If that were not enough, they have recently made some discoveries and connections to a collection of native artifacts, dating back 12,500 years ago!

In the Fall of 2024 archeologists along with educators and students examined a private collection of arrowheads and stone tools. Everett Conklin, one of the researchers noted, “When I first saw the collection at the mine, it was beautiful, but there was no archaeological or cultural context. There was no timeline to help the public understand what they were looking at.”

With help from Sussex County Community College’s archeology lab and modern x-ray fluorescence analysis they were able to trace these artifacts to known quarries and other sites in Sussex County. The college is now using this collection as an educational tool helping with preserving and cataloging this very important part of our local history and its first inhabitants.

Based on these findings, the museum is developing a new paired down archeological exhibit. Conklin states, “Instead of displaying 335 artifacts, we want to curate about 70 pieces that represent specific time periods and cultural developments. Our goal is to create a meaningful, well-organized research collection that is thoroughly documented and accessible for both students and the community.”

The year marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Communities large and small throughout the country will be celebrating what is also known as the nation’s semiquincentennial! I am old enough to remember the bicentennial in 1976. I had a lot of fun collecting the bicentennial quarters. That year our school play was about the bicentennial and I vaguely recall that I spoke about Francis Scott Key who wrote The Star Spangled Banner. What does spangled mean anyway? From Vocabulary.com, “Spangled means to be decorated, covered, or sprinkled with small, shiny objects like sequins, beads, or jewels that catch and reflect the light”

On a national level, The United States Semiquincentennial Commission was established by Congress in 2016. It’s a nonpartisan group which has several initiatives as part of the 250th celebration also known as America 250 including:

· Give 4th Initiative – encourages everyone to make this Independence Day and every year thereafter a day of charitable giving

· America Gives Initiative – asks that we make this year the largest ever in volunteering Learn more about these initiatives and other activities at https://america250.org/.