PAGE 23 KIDZ CONNECTION theconnectionsnj.com Now enrolling for Fall 2026 QUALITY, AFFORDABLE CHILD CARE FOR 50+ YEARS Full time and part time schedules available for children: 6 weeks to 6 years. 816 Old York Road, Raritan, N. J. 08869 908-722-6789 Visit our website: www.thelearninggate.org Call to find out more details about our Infant through Pre-K programs. nce upon a time, in a land far, far away…” So begins almost every fairy tale from our childhood. Those fairy tales of your youth, however, are not so far away. They have been vividly brought to life in Oak Ridge, NJ in a magical place called Fairy Tale Forest. The young and the young at heart are invited to come and experience this magical place. Opening day is in May. Fairy Tale Forest was the product of the creativity, imagination, and hard work of Paul Woehle, Sr., a German immigrant. He spent four years hand-crafting the many characters, houses, and tableaus that are nestled along the pathways in the forest. The park originally opened in 1957 and generations of New Jerseyans have memories of lazy afternoons touring the displays and allowing their imaginations to go wild. Fairy Tale Forest closed in 2003, but is now restored and reopened by Christine Vander Ploeg, Paul Woehl’s granddaughter. You enter this magical world by passing through a gate with a story book castle on one side and the shoe belonging to the woman who had so many children she did not know what to do on the other. The pathways throughout the park lead you into a world inhabited by the Three Little Pigs, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, forest gnomes, Rapunzel, The Gingerbread Man, Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel, Pinocchio, Davy Crockett, Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater, Cinderella, Robin Hood, Little John, Friar Tuck, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Humpty Dumpty, and more! The beauty of the park is that it does not rely on animation and computer-generated images to entertain. The old-world craftsmanship tells a story and sparks your imagination in a thousand different ways. Many parents and grandparents are eager to share the park with their children or grandchildren as a way of slowing down and introducing these classic tales in the way they were meant to be seen. You don’t need to have a child with you to enjoy the magic. The park is a favorite with people of all ages. Christine, the owner, noted that more than half of their patrons are adults. Many find the park a fun place to share a date, to appreciate the structures, or to reminisce about a simpler time. The “Bluebird Stage” in Fairy Tale Forest is a place where actors present fractured fairy tales, interactive story times, and special guests like magicians and musicians perform. A schedule of events will be available by midApril on the website at www.fairytaleforest. com. No outside food is permitted, but there is a picnic area where you can enjoy fare from the “Gnomes Nest” concession and grill. Fairy Tale Forest is not just a place to relive memories from your childhood. It is a place for a whole new generation to create new memories and let their imaginations roam. Check out the website for more information and come see the fairy tales brought to life in a land not so far away! Fairy Tale Forest By Joanne Kleinle FAMILY ADVENTURES “O
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