MANALAPAN-ENGLISHTOWN, NJ — The American Legion Molly Pitcher Post #434 last year announced the "triumphant return" of the traditional Memorial Day parade in 2022 after COVID postponements.

But residents of the area won't be seeing a parade for 2023, Post #434 Commander Jorge Irizarry said this week.

The 75-year-old parade was a tradition in Manalapan, where the post is located, and in the borough of Englishtown.

The parade returned in 2022 with the cooperation of the post, Englishtown Borough's Community Development Committee, Manalapan Township, first responders in Englishtown and Manalapan and various civic organizations, according to announcements last year.

The parade had been a joint effort between the two municipalities, but it didn't work out this year.

Find out what's happening in Manalapanwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Mayor Susan Cohen of Manalapan explained the township's plans in a statement:

"Manalapan Township, in conversation with the Manalapan Veteran Affairs Advisory Committee, decided to hold its annual ceremony at the Veterans Walk of Honor at 11 a.m. on Memorial Day. This ceremony is more solemn and less strenuous on our aging veteran community. The earlier start time has been found to be easier on the veterans," she said.

"This is the same style of ceremony that we held during the pandemic restrictions of 2020-21. The decision to have or not to have a parade was made by others, not Manalapan Township. We were always invited to participate by Englishtown Borough, as the parade has never been organized by Manalapan Township," Cohen said.

"The American Legion has been invited to participate in this year’s Manalapan’s ceremony, as well as Englishtown residents and anyone who wants to honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice," Cohen said.

Irizarry said the post will finalize its own plans soon for a service.

"Our organization's just going to do its own little ceremony," he said. Irizarry said he is an Army veteran of the Iraq War.

The post event is expected to take place on Monday, May 29, Memorial Day. Details and time are still being worked out, Irizarry said, and he expects to post information on the post's Facebook site.

The parade normally started at the Veterans Monument at Manalapan Town Hall, then went to the Veterans Monument at Englishtown Borough Hall and circled back to Post #434 at 11 Sanford Court, according to last year's parade route.

A majority of the Englishtown Borough Council voted to repeal its ordinance prohibiting marijuana businesses in town.

Patch Staff

|Updated Sat, Nov 5, 2022 at 12:10 am ET

ENGLISHTOWN, NJ — The Borough Council has repealed its prohibition of cannabis businesses in town by a vote of 4-2.

Now, licensed cannabis businesses can apply to operate in the borough.

Councilman Daniel Francisco made the motion to repeal the prohibition at the Oct. 26 meeting. His motion was seconded by Councilman Bill Lewis. They voted for the repeal as did Councilmen William Sabin and Bill Marter. Councilmembers Cindy Robilotti and Eric Mann voted against the repeal. Mayor Thomas Reynolds votes only in a tie.

Any class of cannabis business could now apply for approval to operate in the borough, Francisco said, adding that the town still would have to approve the business.

Cannabis operations "are a legal business and should be viewed as anything else," Francisco said, when asked about the repeal of the prohibition.

Find out what's happening in Manalapanwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

According to New Jersey's Cannabis Regulatory Commission, it issues licenses for medicinal and recreational cannabis business operations.

Each business requires a license, which must be active and in good standing, to perform any commercial cannabis activity, including:

The commission is currently accepting applications for personal use (recreational) cannabis businesses in the following categories:

License applications will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis until indicated otherwise. Social Equity Businesses, Diversely-Owned Businesses, Impact Zone Businesses, and applications that receive bonus points will be afforded priority review, scoring, and approval, the commission says.

There is no established limit on the number of cannabis business licenses available statewide. By statute, however, the number of Class 1 Cultivators is to be held to 37 licenses until February 22, 2023.

Municipalities are then responsible for establishing their own rules for getting local approval to operate a cannabis business, the state noted.

Francisco said the Englishtown location would be attractive to potential marijuana businesses because it is central in the area, and there are no nearby cannabis retail outlets or storage facilities.

"We're in a prime location. We want prospective businesses to know," Francisco said.

Francisco said the borough needs to develop its downtown business district with a variety of new businesses - not just a cannabis operation.

He said he envisions Englishtown's developing its downtown to become a destination such as Freehold.

Patch is asking candidates for local school boards to share their views on the issues. David Kane of Manalapan presents his ideas.

Patch Staff

|Updated Wed, Oct 26, 2022 at 9:33 pm ET

MANALAPAN-ENGLISHTOWN, NJ — David Kane is one of four candidates seeking election to three full-term seats on the Manalapan-Englishtown Regional Board of Education in the Nov. 8 general election.

In these profiles, based on questions provided, the candidates give voters background about themselves and their positions on the issues. Patch is publishing individual profiles leading up to the election.

Kane says educational excellence and school safety are top priorities, but he also cites challenges because of cuts in school funding. "Collectively, the board and district administration have worked together to try to find ways to absorb the cuts while minimizing the impact on student education and taxpayers," he says.

Read more from candidate David Kane:

Name: David Kane

Find out what's happening in Manalapanwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Age: 39

Town of residence: Manalapan

Position sought: I seek re-election to the Manalapan-Englishtown Regional School District Board of Education.

Are you an incumbent or have previous school board or civic experience? Yes, I have been serving on the Board since January of 2020.

Do you have a campaign designation or slate? My campaign designation is "Focused on Education."

Campaign website: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100075539843205

Family: I'm married to my wife, Jodie, who is a public school kindergarten teacher in a local district. We have three daughters, with two currently in our school district (and the third still in preschool).

Education: I grew up attending public schools in Monmouth County. I then graduated from Rutgers University in 2005 and Boston University School of Law in 2008.

Occupation: I am an attorney and partner with the law firm of McCarter & English, LLP, where I've worked for more than 14 years.

Why do you want to run for the school board and what in your experience or background prepares you for election:

I first ran for the board - and am running for re-election - because I want to ensure our district provides the highest possible quality of public education so our students have all of the tools and opportunities needed to succeed.

I've served on the board for nearly three years since January of 2020. Previously, I served for three years from 2016 through 2018 as an elected member of the Manalapan Township Committee, as well as appointed terms on the Planning Board and Environmental Commission. Through all of those roles, I've gained first hand knowledge of the issues facing our town and school district, as well as hands-on experience with budgeting and fiscal responsibility.

Name what you see as the top issues currently facing your district and how you plan to address them. These can be local issues and/or statewide issues:

The most important issue facing our district right now is the significant loss in state funding. Collectively, the board and district administration have worked together to try to find ways to absorb the cuts while minimizing the impact on student education and taxpayers.

In addition, we continue to focus on school security to keep our children safe. I currently chair a Board subcommittee focused on trying to remove polling locations from our schools, which we believe will continue to improve safety.

What changes or improvements do you see for the district that could enhance educational life and is there a way you might accomplish that?

The district should continue to work on improving education for all learning levels. To do that, we need to refine the processes in place for students with the greatest needs, as well as ensure all students have access to ever improving educational materials and technology.

Candidates for Manalapan-Englishtown Regional Board of Education:

Full Term - Vote for Three

Candidates who have not received their request for profile information from Patch should check their spam folders or can contact Pat McDaniel at patricia.mcdaniel@patch.com for another email of our candidate questions.

ENGLISHTOWN, NJ — It's the end of a fabled Central Jersey institution: The iconic Raceway Park in Englishtown suddenly announced this week they will no longer be hosting drag racing. Calling it "a new era for Raceway," the Napp family, which owns the park, says they will no longer have drag racing there.

The 480-acre Raceway Park will remain open, however, and the Napp family promises most of the other events there will continue, including auto swap meets, car shows, motocross racing/practice, kart racing and drifting.

The grandstand and about half of the drag racing strip will be converted to an outdoor concert venue.

The news means the fabled Summernationals, a beloved summertime drag racing event, will no longer be held at Raceway. The National Hot Rod Association, which runs the Summernationals, seemed very disappointed in Raceway's decision:

"Yesterday Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, N.J., informed NHRA that it will no longer host any drag racing events at its facility, effective immediately. This includes the 49th annual NHRA Summernationals, scheduled to take place this June," the National Hot Rod Association said in a statement they released.

Raceway Park is about as close to Nascar-territory as New Jersey gets: It's technically located in Old Bridge Township, but the beautiful, rural farming country that surrounds the raceway looks more like the Deep South. Every year, thousands of people from across the tri-state area descend on Englishtown for the Summernationals and other car racing events.

The Napp family called it a "reorganization."

"Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, the Napp family-owned and -operated business, announced today a reorganization of the company’s business operations," the company said in a statement on their website. "To achieve this goal, Raceway Park will no longer conduct quarter-mile or eighth- mile drag racing events effective immediately."

"It is with a great sadness that the Napp family is discontinuing drag racing, however the family looks forward to continuing to provide the best outdoor events in this new era of Raceway Park," they said. "The Napp family wishes to express their most sincere gratitude to the NHRA, and the many thousands of racers and fans, without whom would have never allowed Raceway Park to become the iconic and nationally recognized drag racing facility it has over the past five decades."

Image via Pixabay

New Year's Eve 2022 in the Manalapan and Englishtown area: Family fun at iPlayAmerica in Freehold Township.

Patch Staff

MANALAPAN-ENGLISHTOWN, NJ — The celebration of the holidays - in worship services, gatherings of family and friends and many other events - is now looking ahead to the New Year.

In the Manalapan and Englishtown area, you can find a variety of New Year's celebrations, such as a party at Bar Bella at Bell Works in Holmdel or a family event at iPlayAmerica in Freehold Township.

Here is a look at some events happening in the Manalapan and Englishtown area.

In the United States, one of the most popular New Year’s Eve traditions is, of course, the dropping of the giant ball in New York City’s Times Square. Various cities have adopted their own iterations of the event — the Peach Drop in Atlanta, the Chick Drop in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and the giant Potato Drop in Boise, Idaho.

The end of one year and beginning of another is often celebrated with the singing of “Auld Lang Syne,” a Scottish folk song whose title roughly translates to “days gone by,” according to Encyclopedia Britannica and History.com.

Find out what's happening in Manalapanwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The history of New Year’s resolutions dates back 8,000 years to ancient Babylonians, who would make promises to return borrowed objects and pay outstanding debts at the beginning of the new year, in mid-March when they planted their crops.

According to legend, if they kept their word, pagan gods would grant them favor in the coming year. If they broke the promise, they would fall out of God’s favor, according to a history of New Year’s resolutions compiled by North Hampton Community College New Center in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

Many secular New Year’s resolutions focus on imagining new, improved versions of ourselves. The failure rate of New Year’s resolutions is about 80 percent, according to U.S. News & World Report.

There are myriad reasons, but a big one is they’re made out of remorse for gaining weight, for example, and aren’t accompanied by a shift in attitude and a plan to meet the stress and discomfort of changing a habit or condition.