Catch A Local Game
For our readers who recently returned home from vacation, welcome back! We hope everyone had a great summer. Now that most people have returned to town, aside from a few stragglers lucky enough to still be down the shore, it’s time to turn our attention to all that is happening in Livingston.
Fall is a busy time in our community. The cooling temperatures mean that children have returned to school and, in addition to classes, they are quite likely engaging in a long list of extracurricular activities, from art, to music programs, to dance classes, to fall sports.
You can learn more about these activities within the pages of the Tribune each week. In next week’s issue, we encourage you to take a look at our annual Livingston High School Fall Sports Preview, featuring great photos, season previews, and schedules. It’s everything you will need in order to get to know this season’s student athletes.
At the Tribune, we attempt to coordinate with the coaches to update our readers on results of the games they cannot attend. Coupled with the always excellent photos taken by photographer Don Schwartz, we’re very proud of our weekly local sports coverage in the paper, and we’re thrilled to have it back again after a summer break. Nothing says “community newspaper” quite like cheering on our local teams.
We are also excited to see local children at the middle and grade school levels playing on our fields each week. We will do our best to highlight them as well (with some help from coaches and parents – submissions are always welcome at [email protected]). If you do not see a particular team in the paper, let us – and the coach – know about it!
There is a varied list of fall sports to check out, including soccer, cross country, field hockey, football, tennis, and volleyball. Most high school sports have both boys’ and girls’ teams, and are played at the freshman, junior varsity and varsity levels. We also have competitive marching band and cheerleading squads supporting our athletes. All are worth your time to watch and cheer on.
It’s worth noting, too, that you don’t need to have a child on a team to catch a game. Come out and support your neighbors (and their children). Feel the sense of township pride that comes with watching our community compete and succeed.
Get caught up in the excitement of a Friday night football game. From the energy in the stands at kickoff, to the halftime marching band show, to simply enjoying a hot chocolate on a crisp autumn evening, it’s the perfect slice of Americana to usher in a weekend. The varsity team will play at Millburn High School this Friday at 7 p.m. They return to Livingston for their second home game of the season, against West Orange, on Friday, September 20, with a 7 p.m. kickoff.
Good luck to all of our Lancer athletes on their fall seasons! We’ll continue to follow our teams in the Tribune each week. In the photos, we hope to see all of you cheering in the stands.
Be Prepared
September is National Preparedness Month and we encourage residents to be prepared for potential emergencies. This is the time of year when Mother Nature sometimes decides to take summer out with a bang by way of hurricanes, or even the occasional autumn snowstorm. In recent years, New Jersey has faced its share of catastrophic storms, from Hurricane Irene to superstorm Sandy, and with more than two months left in the Atlantic hurricane season, we are not out of the woods just yet this year.
However, being prepared for emergencies such as these does not have to be complicated. Simple steps, such as assembling an emergency kit and making a family evacuation plan, can help everyone be better prepared for hurricanes, or other disasters.
According to the American Red Cross, emergency kits should contain at least a three day supply of water (one gallon per person, per day); at least a three day supply of non-perishable, easy-to-prepare food; a battery-powered or hand-cranked radio; a flashlight and plenty of extra batteries; a First Aid kit; prescription and non-prescription medication (at least a seven-day supply); copies of important documents; cell phone chargers; personal hygiene items; extra cash; and pet supplies if you have furry family members.
Family evacuation plans should include local maps and alternate evacuation routes from home, work and/or school. Individuals should know where they are going and how they plan to get there before they leave home. In addition, develop a family communication plan and identify an out-of-area contact person that family members and friends can call if they are separated from one another.
Once you have taken these simple steps, revisit them annually by checking your kit for expired items or updating your emergency plans, as necessary. We hope no residents need to enact these plans or utilize their emergency kits, but we will all sleep more soundly having them ready to go at a moment’s notice.
