Susan J. Ott, longtime Pennsauken resident passed away Friday, May 31, 2019. She was 70. A graduate of Haddon Twp. High School and Glassboro State College, Susan had retired as a teacher for Camden City Schools after over 36 years of dedication. She was an active member and supporter of the Friends of the Pennsauken Library and Pennsauken High School’s many extracurricular activities. She thoroughly enjoyed her visits to Sea Isle City and the time spent with “The Posse” and her crochet club. Daughter of the late George and Lorayne Pims; wife of the late Andrew Ott; she is survived by her two beloved daughters, Lindsay Makrinos (Chris), Jamie Ott (Pete); a cherished grandson, Cameron; a loving sister, Lynn McHugh (Joseph); dear sister-in-law, Teresa Noell (Peter); and numerous nieces, nephews, and dear friends. Her memorial service will be held 11 am, Friday, June 7th at the Gaskill-Brown Funeral Home, 33 West Maple Ave., Merchantville. Relatives and friends may visit with the family Thursday evening from 6 to 9 pm and again Friday morning from 10 am until time of service. Full obituary.

Please be advised that beginning on or about Monday, June 3rd the following roads: Westminister Ave (Maple to Somerset), Poplar Ave (Maple to Myrtle) and Cedar Ave (Centre St to Penn St), are scheduled for concrete, improvements, and the removal and repair of the existing roadway, a new asphalt surface course will be placed. No vehicles are to be parked in the roadway from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. During most times the roads will be open to local traffic only.

Please be advised that beginning Monday, June 3rd, Borough Hall will be on the follow summer hours schedule: Monday through Thursday from 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. and Friday from 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. The main phone number at Borough Hall is 856-662-2474 with a specific extension for each Borough function and name listed here. For assistance finding the person you need please contact Borough Clerk, Denise Brouse at extension 303. 

On May 30th, Ladder 129 and Squad 1-1 from the Merchantville Fire Department covered the Collingswood Fire Department while they operated at a late afternoon fire in a Collingswood triplex that drew an all-hands response from seven local fire companies to the 100 block of Haddon Avenue. The following day they stopped by Merchantville School to promote the Junior Firefighter program where the 7th and 8th graders had an opportunity to learn about the responsibilities of becoming a volunteer fire fighter. Thanks for your service!

Merchantville School's Science Expo on 5/30 was a success! Their STEM Escape Room was more challenging—and more humid—than ever, yet all teams thought productively and worked together like champs! Congrats to teams Drama Llama Ding Dong and Taco Cat for escaping the rooms first in their age groups. These groups were made up of 8th grade and 4th grade girls, respectively. Way to show serious girl power! Congrats also to teams Golly GENE and The No-names, who successfully escaped as well. Thank you to all the faculty, staff, families and friends who supported this event and help promote a passion for STEM in our school community!

Merchantville School Parents! It is that time of year again where you can buy your school supplies online. If you do so between now and June 23rd, the supplies will be delivered to the school before school starts! The School Toolbox website is easy to use and adding multiple children is a breeze! All proceeds go to helping our NJHS support local and global charities PLUS each box bought helps starving children...it's a win-win-win!

Do your laundry at Tri-Town Laundromat! We have a comfortable seating area with TV and free WiFi. Grab a snack from our neighbors at Circle Mini-Mart  or a crepe from Charlie's while your clothes dry. We have 14 Wascomat washing machines (including two 35-pound and two 50-pound loaders that can handle even the largest blankets) and then to dry your clothes we offer 9 modern and efficient Maytag commercial-dryers along with 3 enormous “vintage” models for heavy-duty loads. Open weekdays: 9:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. Saturday & Sunday: 9:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Only one more day until the start of a new Merchantville Market Off Centre season. Who’s excited? Here are our farms: Katt Paradise Farm, our longest tenured farm and vendor is returning for another season. We are so happy to have them back for our opening day on June 1st; Rosa Brothers Produce will have Old North Sea strawberries available in limited quantities - rare small berries found by the seed company in an ancient Viking village; and ,Sparrow Lake Farm will be there with farm fresh chicken and duck eggs. Here are some other vendors you'll see: Mikey’s Sharpening, Taddy Creations, The Flower Peddler, Graceful Knit Knots, Memom's Upcycled Crafts, Inspire Light Candle Co, Bijou Blessings, Bear Soaps, Clark Family Breast Cancer Services, Aradia's Treasure Metaphysical Shop, Watkins Wreaths, Tara’s Cozy Kitchen, Grace Church Merchantville New Jersey and Danette’s Kids Zone. See you tomorrow at 10!

Don’t just throw away those plastic pots your plants came in. Here are our favorite ways to reuse and recycle plant pots. Plant halo: Take an old plastic pot and cut off the bottom. Push it partway into the soil, and then plant your tomato inside. When you water the plant, the pot will retain the moisture and let it gradually soak into the soil at the roots. Planting guide: When repotting a plant into a larger container, place an empty plastic plant pot the same size as the smaller, original one into the middle of the container, and then continue to fill around it. DIY bug hotel: Stuff a pot with short lengths of bamboo cane, hollow stems, twigs, or corrugated cardboard, and then site the DIY bug hotel on its side in a safe, sheltered spot. Read more here.

The Merchantville Observer is an independent newspaper serving the residents of Merchantville. It is published monthly, distributed to households in the Borough and available in stores of advertisers. It is operated by General Manager: Edward H. Bohn III; Editors: Jeff Bonfield and Gail Meister; Distribution Managers: Jim and Jane Moore; and, Advertising Manager: Wally Hussong. Monthly .pdf versions are available on their FB page. Persons interested in helping with this publication and businesses interested in advertising in it may contact us at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or PO Box 1516, Merchantville, NJ 08109.