On Thursday, May 14, 2015, the Long Hill Township Historical Society honored a group of 29 students who had submitted winning entries in the Society’s recent essay contest: “What I Like About Long Hill Township – Old and New.” The honored students were presented with a certificate and a book. Students were offered the opportunity to read their essay to the large audience of friends, family and Historical Society members. One of the students described Long Hill as a “Brigadoon,” which the Merriam Webster Dictionary describes as “a place that is idyllic, unaffected by time, or remote from reality.” While the community has certainly been affected by time, as evidenced by the growth in population since the community’s founding in 1864, and by the changes in the various amenities the local residents can enjoy, the strong sentiment conveyed over and over again in these essay was that the students consider Long Hill Township an “idyllic” place to grow up.
The essays displayed an in depth knowledge of the history of Passaic Township, the former name of Long Hill Township. Students described the ice harvesting that took place at Stirling Lake, the Stirling Silk Mills, the original Schoolhouse located in Millington and the Nicholas Thomas Lumber Company that operated on Long Hill Road in Millington in the early 1900’s. They articulated the many aspects of the community that they cherish such as Gillette, Millington and Central Middle Schools, the excellent recreational facilities available, including Matthew Kantor Memorial Park and the Little League Complex, and the accessibility of the Great Swamp and Hicks Tract for hiking and communing with nature. Stirling Lake was singled out as a favorite location with year ‘round activities including swimming, skating, and dances. The addition of the wibit inflatable water park last summer was a big hit with the lake-goers. Students expressed fond memories of attending story hour at the Long Hill Township Public Library and participating in the many free children’s programs offered there. They are grateful for the D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) Program and the way it has connected them to the local law enforcement officers in a friendly and helpful way. They look forward to the annual visits by the Fire Departments for Fire Prevention month in the fall. The scouting programs and wide range of recreation sport programs were also celebrated.
The business community was also recognized. The new Kings supermarket was mentioned frequently as one of the “new” aspects of Long Hill Township that they like. They enjoy visiting the quaint downtown shopping on Main Street in Stirling. As has been the case for decades, Central Middle School students enjoy socializing at Dorsi’s store and have added Biaggio’s as a new location to get together after school with their friends. While they now can enjoy a great dinner with their families at the Stirling Hotel, the origins of the Stirling Hotel as a haven for city folks yearning to enjoy the fresh air and relaxing setting the “country” had to offer was also described.
At the conclusion of the evening, the singular impression conveyed was that these students did a more masterful job at describing the virtues of life in Long Hill Township than any Madison Avenue advertising agency could have ever done. It was uplifting to see the joy and passion this youngest generation of Long Hill residents has for the people, the history and the uniqueness that Long Hill Township continues to offer its citizens.
The contest winners were:
1st Grade 1st place Daniel Raimer
Grade 2 1st Luke Mazza 2nd Lucia Perez
Grade 5 1st place winners: Sam DeMizio , Dylan Singh, Connor Dreyer, Jake Oleske, Kate Schmitt
2nd Place winners: Luka Hadzic, Payton Carn, Scott Donahue, Rohan Prabhu, Melissa Sabatella
Grade 6 1st place Matthew Gentile Wendy Molina
2nd place Christian Capawana Tarun Panesar
Grade 7 1st Place: Maija Golden, Justine Wang, Ruben Alvarez, Alexander Martin, Maxim Nikolov
2nd Place: Matthew MacKrell, Abi Gallant, Ryan Lin, Emily Thompson, Maggie Kusik
Grade 8 1st place Alan Muchnik
2nd place Jimmy Clark
