On September 25th, owner Jeannie Francis announced with great sorrow and sadness that she will be closing her storefront shop at 23 North Centre Street in Merchantville, Spirit To Sole Connections. She will still maintain her retail shop on line and all of their products can be purchased and shipped to you through her website: www.spirit2soleconnection.com  Jeannie, a Reflexology therapist, Reiki Master, Master Herbalist and Master Gardener, opened this center for healing therapy, enlightenment and fun in March 2015. When this virus clears, she plans to offer services from my home, or will come to your home. The shop closing will happen in October and she will let everyone know the details as they are made. Next month, stop in to pick up a bag of your favorite, organically grown, herbal tea and thank Jeannie for her contribution to our business community!

In the past few weeks parents and kids have come upon some delightful, little wooden carvings hidden in the trees while traveling the bike path. These clever sprites are are Koroks from  a race in "The Legend of Zelda" series. They are small, wooden people who wear leaf masks over their faces. Their personalities may differ greatly, and are often reflected in their masks. They are spirits and protectors of the forest they live in. The Koroks are very shy, and do not normally appear to humans - so if you find one you're very lucky! The key to finding Koroks is to look for something out of place. Look for things like a rock that's sitting on top of a pillar, or a balloon with a target painted on it, or an unnatural arrangement of stones. If you listen very carefully, you may also hear a wooden wind chime sound when you're close. Enjoy the hunt!

Support our local businesses by getting into the Halloween spirit with these ghoulish t-shirts! Our gruesome zombie will be sure to provide a fright, while our costumed gremlins will make kids jump with scary delight. Shirts come in long or short sleeve with sizes from YOUTH MEDIUM to ADULT XXL. Available for a limited time! Order cutoff date is October 8th. Community Sports Shop will contact each customer to pick up their order at their shop during normal business hours. Use this link to place your order.

We were looking forward to the town-wide yard sale, but totally understand it being cancelled. We are going ahead with our sale on Saturday, September 26th at 308 Somerset Avenue. Every penny raised in this multi-family sale will be donated to help the homeless animals at the Animal Welfare Association where we are volunteers. Come shop or donate! We'll be wearing masks and social distancing and ask that you do, too. Hope to see you there!  State of New Jersey information on yard sales, garage sales, estate sales, and similar private sales. Municipalities may impose additional restrictions on these sales.

"I'll take a chocolate coke please." Sentiments like this can be found on the recently created Merchantville Neighbors Uncensored - one of an ever-growing array of community social media pages. This new FB page, managed by Adam Wallace, seems to have sprouted in reaction to an uproar on the Merchantville Neighbors page last July when Lawrence Damian Capua, Sr., a prolific poster of local lore, began to dispense large doses of positivity through his historic memories of Merchantville and nearby communities. For a while his musings brought pleasure to many and a welcome change from many posts on that page. But sadly, that tempered tone was short-lived as some contributors voiced concerns that his "cheerful" posts were co-opting their right to a rowdy debate forum. Turns out those lighthearted posts from an unassuming grocery clerk and former Merchantville High grad had clearly ruffled the feathers of some consummate curmudgeons. There were calls for Merchantville Neighbors moderator, Mike McLoone, to pre-approve, censor or even banish him - Oh, my!  Well, "Lovable Larry" and his swarm of loyal supporters won the day but, "the bloom was off the rose" and it was clearly time to find a more hospitable nest. Enter Neighbors Uncensored, a friendly, welcoming home where local facebook fans can freely reminisce with Larry about life during simpler times untroubled by social media muggings. So, if you're interested in Merchantville and browsing around Facebook to find your "cup of tea" there are a variety of perspectives on pages and groups to test drive including: Borough of Merchantville, Merchantville Online, Merchantville Living, Merchantville Observer and Merchantville Matters.

Mayor Brennan would like resident to know that "there are plenty of options for dropping off Vote By Mail ballots. For Merchantville, each of our neighboring communities, Camden, Pennsauken and Cherry Hill have drop boxes. These are secure ways to vote by mail should you have concerns about voting through the USPS." The State of New Jersey has provided vote-by-mail (VBM) drop boxes for each county in advance of the general election on Nov. 3. Camden County will have 13 VBM drop box locations that will be available 24 hours each day through the close of polls on election day. Each location is well-lit, secured and monitored by video surveillance cameras. Camden County’s VBM drop boxes can be found at the following locations local to Merchantville: Pennsauken Municipal Building, 5605 North Crescent Blvd., Cherry Hill Municipal Building, 820 Mercer Street; Haddon Township Municipal Building, 135 Haddon Ave. and the Camden Administration Building, 600 Market Street.

The CDC director and several other government officials testified before the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies and reported that face masks may provide more protection than coronavirus vaccine. Face coverings are “the most powerful public health tool” the nation has against the coronavirus and might even provide better protection against it than a vaccine, the head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told lawmakers Wednesday. “We have clear scientific evidence they work, and they are our best defense,” CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield said, “I might even go so far as to say that this face mask is more guaranteed to protect me against Covid than when I take a Covid vaccine.” Redfield also predicted that it will take “six to nine” months to get every American vaccinated, saying the U.S. should have enough doses to return to “regular life” by the third quarter of next year. 

Borough enforcement of parking permits will resume on October 1, 2020. Parking on the streets and highways of Merchantville is prohibited between the hours of 2:00 am and 6:00 am, 7 days a week without a parking permit. Parking permits can be obtained from police headquarters, M-F, 8:30 am – 4:30 pm. Parking Permit Application. Residents needing to call a vehicle in for overnight parking now have two options. You can use our new e-mail option by sending a description of your vehicle, including tag number, the location and your phone number to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or the overnight phone system if you wish, by calling 856-662-2474, extension 316. If they will be staying more than one night you have to call the vehicle in every night of their stay. If you have any difficulty using either system, please contact the police department using our 24-hour non-emergency number, 856-662-0500 and ask to speak to an officer. 

Camden County has partnered with Touch New Jersey to bring FREE food distribution to those in need throughout Camden County every Friday at 10:30 a.m. Drive-up and walk-up options available. Everyone must wear a mask and practice social distancing. Computers will be available at the food distribution events through September for people to fill out the 2020 Census. Next Events: Friday, September 18th at Lindenwold Memorial Park, 1000 United States Ave, Lindenwold; Friday, September 25th at St. Joseph’s Procathedral, 2907 Federal Street, Camden; Friday, October 2nd at Pennsauken Soccer Complex, 1601 Bethel Ave, Pennsauken; Friday, October 9 - Antioch Baptist Church, 690-700 Ferry Ave, Camden 10:30am **Friday, October 16th at The Parkview at Collingswood, 700 Browning Road, Collingswood; 10:30 a.m. Friday, October 23rd at St. Joseph’s Procathedral, 2907 Federal Street, Camden 10:30 a.m. and, Friday, October 30th at Camden County College, Blackwood Campus, Lot 6.

The Camden County Library System is gradually reopening to the public, starting with limited services and hours at our larger locations the week of September 14th. We will continue to offer no-contact pickup at all branches, several times a week, for those who would prefer to get their materials that way. Hours and services may change. Please check our website or call your branch before your visit. We will offer morning hours on some days, and evening hours on other days, so that everyone can find a time to visit. Merchantville will continue to offer No-Contact Pickup Only: Monday and Wednesday, 5:00-8:00 p.m. and Saturday, 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.