Guide Me Home to Chatham, NJ

Spring has arrived when cyclists start showing up in greater numbers along the beautiful country roads that wind through New Vernon. The kids are back on the fields playing lacrosse and baseball and running through both Madison and Harding Township for track and conditioning.

It’s definitely Spring when the sign goes up for the Fishing Contest sponsored by Township of Harding. It happens every year, early April, for children up to 12 years old. You’ll notice more people out at the pond practicing for the big day. Now past, you will still find people trying their luck with the rod and reel.

A hot spot once the weather starts warming up is the ice cream store on Main Street in Madison. On any given day when the weather is good, you can watch people sitting on the bench, deep in thought, taking their time with an ice cream filled cone.

Both Harding and Madison have Memorial Day Parades set for Monday, May 25, 2009 at 9:30 am.

The natural beauty of the area is starting to shine with all of the rain we have had of late.

Until next time, enjoy the day.

Posted by:Lois Olmstead

Harding Township is a rural community made up of New Vernon and a section of Green Village (the rest of Green Village is part of Chatham Township).

Harding Township and its surrounding communities share a special resource: The Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. It’s one of my favorite places to take a walk.

Part of “the swamp”, as it is affectionately called, is in Harding Township. It’s essential to Harding’s character and helps preserve the rural setting. Another important function of the swamp is to help clean and maintain the watershed. It is a wonderful community entity, with several educational centers and numerous trails. The “wildlife” part of the title is well deserved as it is home to a variety of thriving wildlife.

One Saturday morning we took my brother, his wife and our nephews, (who were visiting from Connecticut) on a hike in the swamp.

It was a beautiful sunny day, perfect for such a venture. As we approached the Wildlife Observation Center on Long Hill Road, we noticed the parking lot was full. There were people everywhere; volunteers from the Friends of Great Swamp greeted us with lots of information about their programs and asked for donations to help support this worthy cause. Highlights of our walk included seeing, by my nephew Michael’s count, about 25 painted turtles. There was a group of adult volunteers who allowed us to look through a special telescope to see an egg that was in a nest closely guarded by a female Mallard. We were told it will be about 28 days and that she must keep the egg warm and moist for incubation. It was an exciting trip!

Posted by:Lois Olmstead