Summer Programs 2013
Summer Programs 2013
www.theconnectionsnj.com
PAGE 28
2013
kent
place
summer
camp
June 10 – August 23
•
•
•
•
Coed, Ages 3 – 15
•
June and August Mini-Camps
•
Extended Care and Sports Clinics
•
Creative Arts Workshop
•
Day Camps
•
New Preschool Offerings
•
Summer Academy
•
Counselor-in-Training Programs
www.kentplace.org/summercamp
•
www.fb.com/kentplacesummer
For
Open House
and registration
information
visit our
website!
42
Norwood Avenue
•
Summit, NJ 07902
•
(908) 273-0900,
ext. 297
By: Jill Stolz
New Jersey can claim its fair share of
famous natives including actors (Bud
Abbot and Lou Costello, Meryl Streep),
musicians (Count Basie, Whitney Hous-
ton, Bruce), writers (Mitch Alboum, Philip
Roth), businessmen (Steve Forbes) and
even Supreme Court Justices (William
Brennan). But the crown jewel in the ros-
ter of famous New Jerseyans is without a
doubt inventor and businessman,
Thomas Alva Edison. Among Edison’s
1,093
U.S. patents that changed the
world forever are the electric light bulb,
the phonograph and motion pictures.
Some of his other important inventions
are the stock ticker, improved telegraph
technology (in fact, he nicknamed his
first two children “Dot” and “Dash”)
and improved telephone technology,
which enabled the early telephones to be
put into practical use.
When Western Union offered to buy
out the 24-year-old’s inventions and
technologies for $40,000, Edison invest-
ed the money into a factory building in
Newark where he set up his first work-
shop. After five years, he was ready to
move with his wife and two children to a
larger space away from the city. He pur-
chased 34 acres from the family of an
employer in Menlo Park and by the
spring of 1876, all of his research and
development took place there. He called
it his “Invention Factory.” After inventing
the phonograph in 1877, Edison became
known as “The Wizard of Menlo Park.”
(
The area became Edison Township in
1954.)
After inventing the light bulb in
1879,
he lit up his home on New Year’s
Eve for the whole world to see. Shortly
after that, he used a generator to light
up an entire street, proving his theory
that a central generator could supply
power in bulk. From then on, he was rich
and famous.
By the early 1880s, Edison’s opera-
tions were outgrowing the facilities at
Menlo Park. He moved his family to New
York City where he was building the
world’s first central electric distribution
site, and in 1884 his wife died of typhoid
fever. The following year he met and
married Mina Miller and they had three
children. In 1886, he began building a
much larger laboratory in West Orange
and moved his family and his business
there where he spent the remaining 44
years of his life continuing to create new
inventions and improve on the earlier
ones. The Menlo Park property was left
to deteriorate and his home there was
destroyed in a fire. A memorial tower
with a large replica of a light bulb at the
top was built to commemorate the 50th
anniversary of the light bulb.
Today, the two New Jersey sites are
open to the public as museums dedicat-
ed to the world’s greatest inventor. The
Thomas Edison Center at Menlo Park
consists of the Menlo Park Museum and
the Edison Memorial Tower. The tower is
listed on the National Register of Historic
Places and is currently being restored.
The small museum, open Thursday
through Saturday, 10:00am to 4:00pm,
showcases many of Edison’s inventions
as well as related memorabilia. Interac-
tive exhibits and multimedia presenta-
tions tell the story and explain the con-
tinuing relevance of the inventions. There
is no fee, but a suggested donation of
$5.00 is appreciated. The remainder of
the estate is now Edison State Park.
Edison’s Laboratories in West Orange
and Glenmont, the 29-room, Queen
Anne-style mansion where he lived with
his family in nearby Llewelyn Park, are
designated as a National Historic Park,
offering ranger-led programs as well as
self-guided tours Wednesdays through
Sundays, 9:00am to 5:00pm. The Labo-
ratory Complex included 20,000 square
feet of exhibits, including two floors in
the main building that were previously
closed to the public. In addition, visitors
can explore the chemistry labs and see
and learn about the Black Maria, the
name given to the courtyard building for
the recording of motion pictures. The
large, black building resembled police
wagons of the time, which were called
Black Marias. Not to be missed are the
20-
minute orientation film, “The Inven-
tion Factory,” and the 1903 silent movie,
“
The Great Train Robbery.”
Tickets are $7.00, which includes
Glenmont (you must get passes for Glen-
mont at the Visitor Center in the Lab
Complex), and $5.00 for the Audio Tour.
Children under 16 are free. Another
option is to purchase an annual National
Park Pass for $30.00, which admits the
holder and three other people and is
good for a year at all the national parks.
This is a really interesting, really cool and
really worthwhile activity for families
with children ages 9 and up. And it
makes us New Jerseyans proud!
Summer Excitement Experience
July 1-July 26
For Above Average Students
Grades 1–8
Choose 2 or 4 Weeks of
Day Camp from 2 Campuses:
Mountain Lakes:
The Wilson School
Summit:
Oratory Prep
Call for our
open house dates
973-831-7779
seecamps.com
Your Search is Over...
Fun & Exploration in Science,
Theater, Art, Sports & Games
The Small Society Academy
Daycare/Nursery School/Pre-K • Infants thru 6 Years
20
Bay Street
Stirling, NJ 07980
908-647-3838
www.smallsocietyacademy.com
link