August 25 - September 1

Spread your wings and reach for the Skylands this and every week this summer. Don't wait; its over before you know it!

Nowhere Fast

Have you ever followed a highway sign and gotten nowhere? Follow some directional markers off Northwest New Jersey country roads and that's just what you'll get. Unless of course you slow down long enough to take a closer look. A few older homes clustered together, a crumbling foundation, cemetery stones worn with time: these places tell stories worth knowing.

Huntsville, in Sussex County, is such a place. There is no post office, general store, fire station, or church. Yet upon closer inspection, those old buildings hold clues to the town which once thrived. Step back in time, just a mere fifty years, and the town of Huntsville exists again.

The best known feature of the Stillwater area is probably Swartswood Lake State Park, but there are myriad treasures throughout the rolling hills and three villages in that corner of Sussex County. The lake was a major resort in the early 1900s, and readers remember Louis Lakehouse.

Hutcheson Memorial Forest, also known as Mettler's Woods, is a 65-acre tract of old growth forest in Franklin Township, Somerset County, is one of only three patches of virgin woods remaining in New Jersey, and one of the last uncut, unburned White Oak--American Beech forests in the country. It is listed in the National Park Service Registry of Natural landmarks.

The Crowley family settled in Ironia, near Chester, in the 1940s. They purchased the general store from the Strykers, and became Postmasters. Bill Crowley worked as Postmaster from 1944 ­ 1982, served on the original Ironia Fire Department from its inception in 1947 until the 1960s, and opened Bill's Luncheonette and General Store in 1949. The general store retains much of the character of a store from a by-gone era. More...

Check our day trip destinations map for lots and lots of interesting places to go!

Cool Floats

Once more for our sponsoring liveries! If you haven't been paddling this summer, now's the time. There's nothing like a late summer float down the Delaware.

Upper Delaware

• Indian Head Canoes
  Canoe, raft, kayak, camping on the upper Delaware River. New log cabins, easy 2 hour drive from NYC, family specials, group rates. 1-800-874-2628
• Kittatinny Canoes and Rafts
  Canoe, whitewater raft, kayak, tube and camp on the Delaware River. Bimonthly learn to canoe and kayak days. Scouts/church youth groups camp free. Dingmans Ferry , 1-800-FLOATKC
• Silver Canoe and Raft Rentals
  Canoe, rafts and kayak rentals on the Delaware River. Low rates, group rates, prompt and friendly service. 1 1/2 hr from NYC. 1-800-724-8342

Delaware Water Gap Area

• Adventure Sports
  Specialty in canoe, kayak & raft trips through the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. 2 mi. off I-80, exit 309. 1-800-487-2628
• Chamberlain Canoes, Rafts, Tubes
  One or milti-day trips for groups of all sizes, overnight river camping. Located one mile off Rt. 80 in PA Poconos. 1-800-422-6631
• Kayak East
  ACA certified instructors. Kayak classes and guided tours for adults and children. Various locations in northern and central New Jersey. 1-866-529-2532

Hunterdon and Bucks (PA) Counties

• Bucks County River Country
  Tubing, calm water rafting, canoeing & kayaking trips on the Delaware River in historic Bucks County (near New Hope, PA). 40 years of family fun for all ages. “We love to see you wet!" 215/297-5000
• Delaware River Tubing
  Affordable relaxation for you and your family or group on a leisurely drift down the river. Your trip includes a free floating barbecue lunch! Easy access 1 mi. south of Frenchtown. 908/996-5386

Cool Savings! Click for Delaware River Trip Discounts!

Labor Day Weekend Approaches, Plan Ahead!

Saturday (9/5): CRITERIUM BIKE RACE. Top riders from all over the East Coast compete all day for cash prizes. Events include races for everyone (including the kids) and entertainment at Shappel Park in Phillipsburg. 908/454-5500 x338

Saturday and Sunday (9/5-6): POCONO GARLIC FESTIVAL. Indulge all of your garlic fantasies at this fun-filled event, a mix of aromatic and tasty foods liberally laced a variety of Pocono-grown entertainment at Shawnee Mountain; 570/421-7231

Saturday, Sunday and Monday (9/5-7): WILDLIFE AND SPORTING ART SHOW. The annual show features the original paintings and woodcarvings by some of America s most acclaimed sporting artists. Decoys and Wildlife Gallery; 55 Bridge St., Frenchtown.908/996-6501

Sunday (9/6): ANNUAL SCANDINAVIAN FEST. Foods, crafts, gifts, four entertainment stages, dancing, music, folkdress, and kids's events, celebrate the Nordic cultures: Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden. 10am - 6pm. $14/ $13 12 and under. Vasa Park, 1 Wolfe Rd. in Budd Lake. Click or call 610/868-7525

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Northwest New Jersey and destinations just beyond those borders, in Pennsylvania and New York, are equally intriguing and convenient offer colorful ways to get out and enjoy the pleasures of the season. Keep an eye on our calendar for great things to do all the time! And we've got a crop of new stories to help you on your way.

If you like what you read and don't subscribe, you can get a copy of our summer publication here. If you've received free copies for a while, and you'd like to continue, please consider a paid subscription. It has become impossible to fulfill our entire list for free. Or you can pick up a copy at any one of these distribution points.

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