This past weekend Safety and Survival Training, LLC trained 5 probationary members from the Merchantville Fire Department - Niagra Fire Company - on RIT operations. This training is required by the department to become a non-probationary member. The department has served the Borough of the Merchantville and its residents faithfully and with pride for the last 125 years. Currently the department is comprised of 1 career personnel, 30 volunteer firefighters, 3 support personnel and 3 junior firefighters. Niagara Fire Company provides fire suppression, prevention and education for the residents of Borough of Merchantville.

Are you able to have a garden this year? Interest in growing food is on the rise in Merchantville, but having your own plot of produce or herbs may seem impossible if you lack enough outdoor space, sun or just don’t know how to garden. The answer is garden sharing and it's happening here. According to the National Gardening Association, at least 2 million people have caught onto this idea and are gardening at the home of a friend, neighbor or relative already. It’s a great way to get more people growing food, eating healthier and building connections in their community. Learn more and share your green space!

Recently, seniors from Saint Peter Parish in Merchantville filled a bus for a trip to Ventnor to “Follow the Way of Saint James on the Road to Life,”. The event was sponsored by Vitality Catholic Healthcare Services, as a way to celebrate and support the health and well-being of parents and grandparents. Starting at Saint James Church for morning prayer, the group of 100 proceeded to the boardwalk and walked 1.5 miles to Margate’s Blessed Sacrament Church, praying together along the way. Dating back to medieval times, The Camino de Santiago (Way of Saint James) is a network of pilgrims’ paths that end at the shrine of Saint James in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain, where it is said that the saint is buried.

Yes, fiddleheads look like they came right out of a Dr. Seuss cookbook, but the furled fronds are actually a delicious, nutritious, and increasingly popular spring seasonal ingredient. The menu at Park Place Café & Restaurant in Merchantville is often busting with seasonal (even foraged) ingredients, so we weren’t surprised to find they celebrated fiddlehead season with a simple, show-stealing roasted side dish. Here’s a small round-up of New Jersey restaurants serving fiddleheads right now. 

Make your reservations now for our first Farm to Fork dinner of the year on Tuesday, June 4th. The dinner features Chef Mark Smith of The Tortilla Press and Tortilla Press Cantina. Proceeds benefit the Camden Children's Garden.The Camden Children's Garden is operated by the Camden City Garden Club. Our Mission inspires and educates people of all ages by providing opportunities to improve their quality of life, health and community through horticulture. Reservations are required. $75/person. Call The Tortilla Press catering at 856-979-3333 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Camden Catholic High School mourns the passing of one of our greatest honorary alumni, Coach Jim Delaney, former football coach and faculty member. Coach Delaney is revered among generations of alumni for his legendary coaching style, mentorship and inspirational leadership. He coached the Irish to 62 wins in a total of 13 seasons and is the all-time leader in football wins for the green and white. His 1966 team went 9-0, winning the SJ Parochial A Title, one of only three undefeated football teams in school history. Delaney also is the only Camden Catholic football coach, other than Tom Kenney, to have five consecutive teams with winning records, and six straight non-losing seasons. His 1979 Parochial A Championship team was recently inducted into the Camden Catholic Hall of Fame on April 14, 2019. At the time of their win in '79, Coach Delaney had remarked "Camden Catholic's Fighting Irish is a prime example of how an impossible task can be accomplished with the effort and determination of the team and the support of the school."

James “Jim” P. Delaney, age 83 years of Moorestown, passed away peacefully on April 30, 2019.  Beloved husband of Elizabeth “Betty” (nee Boyle) for 59 years.  Devoted father of Terence (Helene), Maureen (William) Handlan, Kathleen (Thomas) Gosse, Elizabeth Delaney-Runfola (James) and Mary Delaney-Beane (Christopher).  Cherished grandfather of Meaghan, Colleen, Patrick, Brendan, Michael, Margaret, Thomas, Anne, Timothy, Daniel, Kevin, Patrick, Sean, Matthew and Christopher.  Dear brother of Edward, Elizabeth and Kathleen.  Also survived by many nieces and nephews. Visitation on Friday from 6-9 PM at the Falco/Caruso & Leonard Pennsauken Funeral Home. Full obituary.

Today the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports 704 measles cases in 22 states."This is the greatest number of cases reported in the United States since measles was eliminated from this country in 2000," says a CDC statement issued late Wednesday. The agency attributed the high number of cases primarily to a few large outbreaks — one in the state of Washington and two others in New York state. The longer they continue, the greater the chance measles will once again get a foothold in the United States,' said Dr Nancy Messonier. Children younger than 5 years of age and adults older than 20 years of age are more likely to suffer from measles complications. One in 20 children end up with pneumonia and 1 of 1,000 with brain swelling enchephalitis. For every 1,000 children who get measles, one or two will die from it.

Measles is on the rise again, all around the globe and travelers should protect themselves. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people who were vaccinated prior to 1968 with an early version of the vaccine, which was made from an inactivated (killed) virus, "should be revaccinated" with at least one dose of live attenuated measles vaccine. Meanwhile, most of the eldest Americans — those born before 1957 — are considered to be protected against measles and don't need a booster, because the virus was so widespread in their youth that nearly everyone was exposed.

Join the Pennsauken-Merchantville Area Chamber of Commerce at a networking luncheon on May, 8th from 10:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. to meet new business contacts, have lunch and hear from our informative guest speaker Karl Chase from Camden County Habitat for Humanity. This even takes place at Marco's Restaurant, Pennsauken Country Club. Karl will be speaking about the role of ReStore to support local businesses and residents while raising funds for Habitat's core mission of building affordable housing.