In 2020 a group of Cranford women came together to create the Cranford Unity Project. In the short time CUP has been in existence, they have taken on a number of projects to educate, advocate and support People of Color, LGBTQ+, religious and other marginalized groups through the community.
On this week’s episode we speak with CUP members Sanjeevanee Vidwans, Karen Bennett and Patricia MacLean.
Historically, learning a trade was what most people did after their school years were finished. In more recent times, especially in towns such as Cranford, there’s been more of an emphasis on attending college after high school graduation.
Danny Ghanime owns Brighton Air Corp. in Cranford and he’s seen first hand not only what you can do with a trade but the tremendous need for people in the trades. In this episode of Cranford Radio he talks about some of the advantages of learning a trade and why he worked with the Cranford Jaycees to offer a scholarship to trade schools for Cranford graduates.
Reviving a previous feature of Cranford Radio in which we interview elected officials who represent Cranford, I speak with 21st District Assemblywoman Michele Matsikoudis (R). She was elected to the seat in November and most recently served as a councilwoman in New Providence.
In this week’s discussion, we talk about her life, why she decided to run for public office, and some of the issues most important to her.
In a joint venture between TV 35 and Cranford Radio, Mayor Kathleen Miller Prunty discusses two pressing issues facing town, the municipal pools and flooding.
In the first episode of In Focus since before the pandemic, we take the time to get in-depth on these two topics. This is expected to be the first of a number of In Focus shows where we have the opportunity to dig deeper on issues of concern to township residents.
Singers, actors, instrumentalists are all part of the performing arts in the Cranford school system. Cranford High has a well-deserved reputation for turning out exceptional artists in all three arenas. Doing so takes money, sometimes more than is available in the budget. The Cranford Schools Friends of the Performing Arts was created to step into that gap and by supporting the performing arts in other ways.
Today on Cranford Radio I speak with Chris Hoffman, a board member for the organization. She tells us a bit about the group and some of their upcoming events, including the Cranford Film Festival.
For the second straight year the Cranford Theater will serve as one of the hosts of the Garden State Film Festival. The festival is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year and features movies from filmmakers from around the world both in person and virtually. Cranford’s nights in the spotlight will be Wednesday, March 23rd and Saturday, March 26th.
Joining us on Cranford Radio to talk about the film festival are Doreen Sayegh, owner of the Cranford Theater; Lauren Concar Sheehy, the GSFF executive director and Diane Raver, the founder and treasurer of the GSFF.
Two years ago, just as everything was shutting down at the start of the pandemic, the Cranford Dramatic Club was finalizing preparations for its spring musical, A Chorus Line. The show was too good to skip so here, in 2022, it’s back. Six cast members, along with the director and producer, came together to talk about the show and why they all are looking forward to staging it.
Joining us for the podcast are Michael Kidney, the director and choreographer, Sean Lough (Zach), Nicole Boscarino (Cassie), Kylie Francis (Maggie), Nick Halecki (Bobby), Tyler Talmage (Al), Gail Cevallos (Judy) and the producer, Joe Leo.
Cranford resident Joe Leo has seen a lot in the quarter century he’s owned an independent book store in Downtown Union. Despite the challenges, Here’s The Story has more than survived. In this episode of Cranford Radio, Joe talks about what sets his bookstore apart from Amazon and Barnes & Noble. We also talk about Joe’s other role as the president of the Cranford Dramatic Club and how the CDC has also had to adapt.
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Catarina Guimaraes is a world-ranked adaptive athlete, the author of two novels and a motivational speaker. In this Cranford Radio episode, she talks about why she became involved in sports, some of her adventures competing on the international stage and what she hopes to do after graduation in June.
Cranford is just wrapping up its 150th anniversary. One of the ways the community marked the milestone was the publication of the book, Celebrating Cranford. Maureen Strazdon authored the book which includes a look at how the township marked each of its 25 year increment anniversaries. In today’s podcast we not only talk about the book but we discuss some of her research, some of the surprises she learned, and what future Cranford historians might do when they look back to our present day.
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