Phil Manganaro doesn’t brave the markets for much of the produce on his menus these days. Ingredient shortages? Something’s always blooming. High prices? His precious haul is always free. Social distance shopping? You could say the chef has taken that to the extreme, with only a big lodge of beavers nearby currently in sight. The Merchantville chef and his 8 year old son, Dean, regularly spend hours after home schooling on foraging missions to fuel the unconventional menus at his Park Place Cafe - the intimate fine-dining BYOB-turned-drive-through - which is unlike any takeout you’ve sampled during this pandemic. His loyal customers have responded, phoning their orders into the hotline to claim one of the 72 time slots for pick up Thursday through Saturday shortly after he posts the menus on Instagram each Sunday night. 

Beloved wife of 53 years to the late Leonard F. Formanek. Born in 1929 in Philadelphia to the late Collette A. (Rowan) and William S. Gannon and raised during the Great Depression in the Cramer Hill section of Camden. Colette worked as a long-distance operator for Bell Telephone in the Bourse Building in Philadelphia. After her marriage in 1950, Colette raised her nine children over the span of four decades in Paulsboro, East Camden and Merchantville. She is survived by her nine children, Colette (David) New of Tabernacle; Barbara (Charles Stevenson) Formanek of Williamsburg, VA; Judith (Theodore) Pettek of Toms River; Leonard (Sharon) of Charlotte, NC; Eileen (Charles) Gorman of Camden; Joseph (Cynthia) Formanek of Coopersburg, PA; Maria (Thomas) Murt of Hatboro, PA; Lisa (Patrick) Roche of Doylestown, PA; Michele (Stephen) Pedrani of Neshanic Station, and a legacy of 20 grandchildren and 23 great-grandchildren. Full obituary.

The princess has spoken at The Juice Bar! Good health is the mind, body and soul living in harmony as one and it fills our hearts with joy to see children enjoy a healthy drink. In our continuing effort to provide you with the most nutritious and delicious juices, we are transitioning to bottled cold pressed juice only. Cold pressed juice protects & preserves the nutrients of the fruits & vegetables which means you get 100% of the vitamins, minerals, & nutrients in each juice! Cold pressed juices also have a longer shelf life so you can save your juice for up to 5 days (refrigerated) without worrying about losing any of its flavor or nutrients! Juices will be available to grab and go in our front refrigerator! Business hours - Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Call 856-324-0436 to order ahead for safe pick-up.

Spirit to Sole Connection is bringing you it's first virtual shopping experience. Join Jeannie, Katrina and Amanda to shop our teas, loose herbs, and products from the comfort of your home or lawn chair. We will walk you through the store - and educate you on our products - giving you a personalized boutique experience. While shopping with us LIVE you will get to claim your products. There are currently limited quantities and seasonality means some things will be gone until this fall or winter. We have dry elderberry in stock in limited quantities. All online purchases are 15% Off. 

Mary F. Gaskill-Santana of Cherry Hill passed away Tuesday, May 26, 2020. She was 73. Born in Pittsburgh, she was a graduate of Rutgers University and a longtime member of the First Presbyterian Church of Merchantville, where she served as an Elder. Mary had also worked as a Training Specialist for the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia and was a make-up artist for Estee Lauder. Wife of the late Lawrence Santana, she is survived by her brother, William Gaskill (Jean); a sister, Patricia Eckersley (Jack); two step-children, David Santana (Taiza) and Patricia Grasso (Robert). Full obituary.

Patricia M. Evans (nee Hickey), age 75 of Merchantville passed away peacefully at Virtua-Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Camden, New Jersey on Thursday, May 21, 2020. Born May 1, 1945 in Philadelphia, PA to James V. Hickey and Catherine C. Hickey. She worked at JC Penny in Cherry Hill Mall where she retired after over 30 years, then worked at McFarlan’s Market in Merchantville for 7 years. She is survived by her loving husband, Robert W. Evans. Devoted mother to her two children, Tricia Evans and Amy Evans. Beloved sister, Mary Jane (Jim) Mallon. Full obituary.

Merchantville School is committed to providing food to the students of Merchantville and this process will continue to be available on Mondays while the building closure is in effect. Grab and go breakfast and lunches for the week were distributed on Tuesday, May 26th from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm., because school was closed on Memorial Day.  To pick-up meals students should use the door by the playground to enter the building. This service is open to all resident students in Merchantville and Haddon Heights High School. For the remainder of this year, there will be no cost to families for meal pick up.  The District has been notified that a waiver was approved for the state.  At this time, all students in the district who have experienced financial hardship due to COVID-19 may receive meals.  It is important to stress that free lunches now include all students who are experiencing financial hardship and not only those students eligible for free or reduced lunch. If you have difficulty getting to Merchantville School to pick up the lunches, please contact Mr. Strong at 856-663-1091 Ext 512 or through email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The Borough of Merchantville, in concert with F.W. Grigg American Legion Post 68, will be hosting a virtual Memorial Day Ceremony this Memorial Day, May 25th at 10:00 a.m., and we invite you to join us virtually at that time on the Borough’s website, www.merchantvillenj.gov or the official Borough of Merchantville Facebook page where the ceremony will be streamed. Remembering those who have served and paid the ultimate sacrifice through solemn ceremony on Memorial Day is a tradition in the Borough of Merchantville for many decades. Honoring those who have fallen at our memorials in Wellwood Park is one of the most important events that our Borough holds. Although we are restricted from a public ceremony due to COVID-19, we must not forget to honor those who did give the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms.