Organic produce comes to Princeton

A John Deere tractor, an apple cider stand, and crates of lettuce and tomatoes are not usual attractions on the walkway outside Firestone Library, but because of the efforts of the Greening Princeton dining group and the Garden Project, every Tuesday this fall they will be.
“The food is fantastic - and the prices are good,” English professor Benjamin Widiss told the students in his 11 a.m. lecture Sept. 25, the opening day for Greening Princeton’s Farmers Market. “Don’t all jump up now,” Widiss added, “but after class, go out and get some food that’s not from the dining hall.”
From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Tuesday through Oct. 23, seven local organic food vendors will be selling their goods to students and community members at the market in Firestone Plaza. The organizers, Kathryn Andersen ‘08 and Ruthie Schwab ‘09, hope that the market will appeal to independent students who cook on their own. The market also could help to build the community’s relationship with organic farmers.
“From what I saw, the market was a resounding success,” Schwab said. “I couldn’t have dreamed that the first market would go any smoother than it did.”
Schwab said that the responses from the vendors were all very positive. In fact, many were excited to see their products selling out way ahead of schedule and plan on bringing much more of the popular items to future markets, she said.
University Dining Services, which is collaborating with Greening Princeton on the project, will host a chef at the market each week to demonstrate cooking tips for products sold by the farmers. Also, University representatives from the Office of Sustainability will be on hand to answer questions and discuss projects dealing with campus environmental issues.
Offerings at the market stands range from organic cheeses from Valley Shepherd Creamery to bacon, beef, and eggs from Cherry Grove Farm. Vendors familiar to students, like Small World Coffee, the Bent Spoon, and the Witherspoon Bread Company, have sold treats as well. By Julia Osellame ‘09
Photos by Julia Osellame ‘09

Alumni in the arts

Singer/songwriter Tina deVaron ‘78 will share her mix of jazz, blues, and pop tunes in a show called “Moms and Dads Night Out,” Oct. 6 at 8 p.m. at the Yardley Community Center in Yardley, Pa. The show will include selections from deVaron’s upcoming musical, Mom is Not My Real Name. … Los Angeles-based poet and actor Joe Hernandez-Kolski ‘96 will perform his show, “Refried Latino Pride,” at William Paterson University in Wayne, N.J., Oct. 11 at 12:30 p.m. In the production, Hernandez-Kolski combines comedy, spoken-word poetry, and dance to explore his mixed Polish and Mexican heritage. … The Rockae, a new musical from composer and lyricist Peter Mills ‘95 and director Cara Reichel ‘96 based on Euripides’ The Bacchae, will run through Oct. 14 at the Hudson Guild Theatre in New York.

Cutting the ribbon

Meg Whitman ‘77, CEO of eBay, was on hand Sept. 27 when the University dedicated Whitman College, Princeton’s newest residential college. Whitman was the lead donor for the Demetri Porphyrios *80-designed dormitory complex, which President Tilghman called a “seamless integration of residential, academic, and social life.” Whitman and college master Harvey Rosen cut an orange ribbon at the ceremony, but the college actually opened its doors to students in early September.
Photo by Frank Wojciechowski

History in the making

In its 138 seasons, the Princeton football team has done just about everything, winning national championships, completing undefeated seasons, and facing off against more than 70 different opponents. But the Tigers’ Oct. 6 game against Hampton Oct. 6 will be something new: the first time that Princeton will play against a historically black college. The University is marking the occasion with several alumni events, including a lecture by English and African American studies professor Daphne Brooks at 11 a.m. in McCormick Hall, an open house at the Center for African American Studies, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and the annual Association of Black Princeton Alumni tailgate, near the observatory, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. The game, which starts at 3:30 p.m., has attracted local interest as well. Trenton Mayor Doug Palmer, a 1973 Hampton alumnus, taped an advertisement for the Princeton athletics Web site, promising a “battle of the titans” between the Pirates, last year’s Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champions, and the Tigers, 2006 Ivy League co-champions. Hampton (3-1) suffered its first loss, to Delaware State, last week, while Princeton (2-1) is coming off a 42-32 win over Columbia.