Every day in Jadwin Gymnasium, sneakers squeak, balls bounce and high hopes of Ivy championships and post-season NCAA Tournament play float through the air.  That wouldn’t be the case if it wasn’t for an extraordinary and uncommon group of young women that laced those sneakers, bounced those balls and dreamt BIG.  This group is the Women’s Basketball team, and they are proud to wear PRINCETON across their chest.

You’re probably wondering what this has to do with the community.  Well, we Tigers believe that the Princeton community is made up of an extraordinary and uncommon group of people.  A community bound by warm, kind and passionate people; people who are proud to claim PRINCETON.  There’s a connection here – what we share in uniqueness and pride is what ties us together.  With that said, here’s why we think you should take a trip to Jadwin.

Senior co-captain Lauren Edwards had an inclination that there was going to be something special about this program from the moment she considered Princeton as her college choice. “I thought there was a lot of potential with our coaching staff,” Edwards said. “They’re great recruiters, and they’re great at talking to the team, so I knew that over the years the team would grow into something like it is now.”

So what is  “it” now?  Here’s the 411 on these Tigers.

“It” is a team of 13 players hailing from 8 different states.  This past fall, this group trekked across the globe to Paris, France and Senegal, Africa to test their limits on the court and serve a country in need.  Two out of our three seniors currently have jobs in N.Y. next fall (one as a financial analyst and the other as an investment banker) while the other will pursue a professional basketball career overseas. One player studied abroad at the London School of Economics in England last summer while another interned at a financial company in Neuchatel, Switzerland. One of them is fluent in Mandarin while two others are conversational in French.

I guess what you’re really wondering is if these Tigers’ talents off the court match their skills on it.  Here are some basketball tidbits.  Their record stands at 17-4 overall and 7-0 in the Ivy League thus far.  They’ve battled with ESPN/USA Today Top 25 teams like Stanford (3) and DePaul (20). Three of our players have scored their 1,000^th career point this season.  This team has won back-to-back Ivy League titles the past two years and is on pace to have a three-peat this season.

Although this group is made up of individuals and they each have their own set of stripes, they come to Jadwin Gym every day with the same collective goal:  to learn, grow and be better today.

It’s already mid-February and the season is quickly coming to its end, but if you want to witness something truly special in Jadwin Gym, we come out  for one of the followings evenings.

Friday, 2/24 at 7PM vs. Harvard

Saturday, 2/25 at 6PM vs. Dartmouth

* “Princeton Plays Pink” Night in support of Robert Wood Johnson, the Breast Cancer Research Center, and the Kay Yow Cancer Fund)

Tuesday, 3/2 at 5PM vs. Penn

For all the details visit their website.

When the word “love” springs up in a conversation, commercial or even a billboard, what’s the first thing you think of? One of the few things that has once or twice crossed our minds is what exactly is “love” and how do you express your interpretation with others? This daunting task has been assigned to any Princeton artist daring enough to submit a piece for the exhibit of the third annual LOVE SHOW at  Small World Coffee’s Witherspoon Street café.

From heart-shaped strawberries to a radiant heart, the expressions of love through different artistic mediums allow you to see talent that’s brewing in Princeton. The best part of it all is that the LOVE SHOW doesn’t stop with exposing the talent of local artists but also raises money for a local non-profit organization. The Arts Council of Princeton and The D&R Greenway have experienced the effects that the LOVE SHOW has on the community by being previous recipients. In the spirit of tradition and an expression of love, this year donations are being raised for Northeast Organic Farming Association of New Jersey (NOFA NJ).

The LOVE SHOW is up until Tuesday March 6^th, so make sure you take a look around while you enjoy a cup of coffee that’s made with what Small World Coffee knows best, LOVE.

-By Gabriella Castelan for PrincetonScoop

Even though it is still feeling wintery, Spring is around the corner and it won’t be long before our shrubs and trees start to bud and bloom.  Wondering what you should be doing in the garden this month to prepare for Spring?  Our friends at Mund’s Outdoor Living in Lambertville have given us the scoop on February Garden Tasks.

Deciduous shrubs and trees are still dormant enough to transplant this month. Once the buds have begun to swell, it will be too late. Azaleas and other small shrubs transplant easily but moving large Rhododendrons and other specimen size plants takes considerably more effort and require some additional help.

Trees that weren’t fed last fall should be deep fed by punching a series of 1-2 inch holes two feet apart around the drip line and filled with the appropriate food. A mulch of well composted manure is also an excellent treat for your tree.

Common questions and the answers:

When Should I fertilize my shrubs and evergreens?  Mid to late February

What kind of fertilizer should I use?  Use an acid type Rhododendron fertilizer to feed evergreens, conifers, broad leaf evergreens, Rhododendrons, Azaleas and Camellias.  Use an all-purpose fertilizer to feed Roses and other deciduous trees and shrubs.  If you use granular type fertilizers, be sure to water it in thoroughly.

When should I begin pruning?  Prune your summer flowering shrubs now but be aware that spring bloomers have already produced their buds last fall, and pruning them now will result in the loss of flowers.  Forsythia, Spirea and other early spring flowering shrubs should be pruned a little later, after they have finished flowering.  Pruning should be done to improve the shape of the plant, as well as to open up the center of the plant to good air circulation and sun exposure.

What steps should I take to prune my shrubs?  Always start your pruning by removing all dead, decayed or broken branches.  The methods of pruning Roses vary, depending on the type of Rose. Climbing roses should be thinned out to get rid of last year’s tangled growth.  Now is a good time to stroll around and trim back any branches that were damaged by the winter cold.

If you have not applied your dormant spray to your fruit trees, DO IT NOW. The sprays will provide treatment for disease and over winter pests. Be sure to prune your tree before you spray and if there are buds on your fruit trees do not spray, you are too late.

Mund’s is a great resource for all your outdoor needs and they have the knowledge to help you with all of your outdoor living needs.  http://www.mundsoutdoorliving.com/

For those of you with smart phones, I don’t need to tell you how much ease and convenience they bring to our daily lives. Calendars that synchronize from our phones to our computers? Check. To-Do lists that send us reminders on a daily basis? Check. An app that will bring up movie times for all the theaters in your area? Check.

At Princeton Scoop, we’ve developed a mobile app that will help you find great deals from local retailers, with just the tap of a finger.

Princeton is bustling with events, news, and deals from your favorite local businesses. Some of those deals are shared with you thru our weekly newsletters and social network feeds, but what about when you are out and about and need to find the location of a mexican restaurant, the phone number of a hair salon, the hours of the children’s store or simply a great deal fast? The PrincetonScoop  mobile app compiles the best deals, specials and information about your favorite local businesses all in one convenient tool right on your iPhone (note: an android version is in the works).

When you open PrincetonScoop Mobile, you are greeted with a list of current deals, a search by category option, and links to our Facebook, Twitter, and blog. Are you out for a quick bit of shopping and need to know what’s on sale today? The current deals are all listed in one clean, easy-to-read list. For example, right now Jane is offering a Valentine’s Sale.  You’ll see it listed under current deals as are offering 10% off all jewelry and party clothes through Febuary 14^th. The list automatically updates as sales end and new ones start. Are you wondering if your favorite shop is open tonight? Use the search by category option to find it in our alphabetized list, and voila! There’s the address, a description,  contact info and operating hours. You can even set up alerts for your favorite places, and you’ll receive a pop up alert on your phone when they add new specials!

The PrincetonScoop Mobile app offers something completely different than Facebook and Twitter. The app does not replace these valuable resources, but enhances and builds on them while avoiding the lag of a typical smart phone internet browser. On Facebook and Twitter, you need to be following and regularly checking a specific company to keep updated with their specials and deals.  Our mobile app includes all local area businesses and is updated by the business owners themselves and they are offering you deals you won’t find elsewhere.

So download the app and check it out for yourself…here in the App store.

Then tell a friend or two ’cause sharing is caring.

By Stefanie Vitale for PrincetonScoop.

It’s that time of year when everyone gathers around the living room tv and watches the final game of football….it’s SuperBowl time. This year, how about sharing that experience at a local restaurant or bar with some friends and neighbors? Princeton has fantastic local eateries that are offering amazing deals on game day so as you cheer for the Giants or the Patriots this Sunday, choose a spot and avoid the hassle of clean up post-game.

Here are a few choices for food, drink and cheer this Sunday:

1. The Alchemist & Barrister Restaurant & Pub (28 Witherspoon) -a great place to catch the game & a deal.  From 4pm to 10pm the appetizers will be half off and there will be a free buffet at half-time!

2. Looking to find other fans and amazing specials? Then look no further than the Princeton Sports Bar (128 Nassau)  Starting at 3 pm a $20 cover gets you a drink, access to a food buffet and enters you in a drawing to win amazing prizes. There will also be a variety of food, beer, and drink specials throughout the evening.

3. Head to the Triumph Brewing Company (138 Nassau Street)  in Princeton for 7 house-brewed drafts to choose from for $4 and $5 appetizer including sliders, wings, and nachos.  What more does one need?

4. Winberies Restaurant & Bar (One Palmer Square) is trying to spoil all of their die-hard footballs fans.  During the big game there will be $8 Miller Lite pitchers, a free half-time buffet, and many prizes & giveaways. Winberies is enhancing your Super Bowl experience by adding the appearance of the Miller Lite girls so head out with the boys for an evening of fun.

Why stay in when you can head out and enjoy some good old American fun with your community?  We hope you have a great evening and we urge you to drink responsibly and designate a driver for the ride home.

-By Gabby Castelan for PrincetonScoop

We are thrilled to bring you you our Shop Local with Pinterest 2012 Campaign.

We will be posting to our Pinterest boards local products, photos of videos of all sorts of things you can buy locally.  From home decor to dining options, gifts and flowers to fashion – we’ve got you covered.

Come see what we are loving at http://www.pinterest.com/PrincetonScoop

Usually when the New Year rolls around, it brings a blanket of snow with a side of terrifyingly cold weather. This year, however, started by teasing us with spring weather in early January. Unfortunately, now that New Jersey has remembered that January is supposed to be freezing, it has limited the options of what to do with a free weekend.  Luckily the 2012 Princeton Environmental Film Festival has come to our rescue.

Since the festival starts at 7 p.m. on Thursday January 26 (thru Sunday February 12), it gives you a chance to run through your list of friends or family members who might like to join you for these next three weekends.  Considering that the film festival is being held in the Princeton Public Library in downtown Princeton, it takes the stress out finding it or struggling to park as the garage is right next door.

You won’t want to miss the first day as the opening film “Connected: An Autoblogography of Love, Death and Technology” by Tiffany Shlain was an official selection of the Sundance Film Festival.  A chance to see a fab movie without the hassle of going to Utah.  Hurrah!  Many of the other movies in this festival have earned honors or special recognition so you are sure to catch something great each day.

If you are a big movie fan of well, big movies then you will want to know the there are actually two films being shown that were honored at Sundance: “Buck” (being shown on Feb. 3) and “If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front” (being shown on Feb. 10).

With so many different films about the environment being shown throughout these weekends, it might actually be hard to fight the urge to go out there and make a change as soon as Spring arrives.  In  the meantime, I think watching highly-recognized films over the next few weekends might be what the doctor recommended for this cold weather. Be sure to take the winter blues away with the 2012 Princeton Environmental Film Festival at the Princeton Public Library starting Thursday January the 26^th at 7p.m. See you there.

For the full list of festival films, go to www.princetonlibrary.org/peff or go to their official Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/princetonenvironmentalfilmfestival

Written for PrincetonScoop by Gabriela Castelan.

It’s January.  Which means it isn’t even February yet. Which means there will still be March to contend with before we even meet the brave little shoots that will become the Spring grasses that will grow when the air is warm again.

But it is January and we must soldier on or at least muddle through.  So you might as well grab a friend or 3 and get your butt out the door and go do something fun this weekend.

Please wear a hat.

Thursday January 19th

If you are looking for inspiration today you might to choose to take in this free lunchtime concert of 17th century music at 12:15 at the Nassau Presbyterian Church with a performance by the faculty of the Westminster Conservatory or perhaps attend a free talk about natural design by Aylin Green. Green’s art springs from the crusty tables of flea markets, the sewing boxes of fashionable women, and the button jars of bygone days. Join her at 7 pm at the Johnson Education Center of the D&R Greenway Land Trust.

OR

Consider this: If your New Year’s resolution is to eat a healthier diet, you are not alone.  If you have fallen off the wagon, you are not alone.  If you are ready to give it another go, you need to meet Marsha Rudolph tonight at 7 pm. She will arm you with simple practices to raise your awareness around eating & body image. At the Center for Relaxation and Healing in Plainsboro. Pre-registerHERE - $25

Friday January 20th 

Catch a flick or ten…

This weekend marks the opening of the Sundance Film Festival. Sadly, we aren’t there either. But you can still experience film festival fun if you head to the 30th Annual NJ Film Festival at Rutgers in New Brunswick tonight starting at 7 pm. Tickets are under $10. A full run down of what’s on tap can be found on their website, www.njfilmfest.com.  If New Brunswick is still too far head to the cozy Princeton Public Library Community Room at 10 am for a free screening of ‘Julie and Julia’.

Saturday January 21

A little music to lift you

Need a sweet? Head to the new(ish) Thomas Sweet in Montgomery (near ShopRite-10 pm) for a blend-in & catch local crooners from The Spring Hill Band from 7-10 pm

Need a jolt? From 8:30-10:30 pm catch a band with a name that I suspect is best written in glitter glue: Rainbow Fresh.  They play at Small World on Witherspoon tonight and we bet they like their coffee strong.

Love local indie rockers? (You should!) Our friend Sarah Donner hosts Princeton’s Indie Music Night a the Arts Council of Princeton tonight at 7 p.m. $5 donation.

Or rock out at McCarter Theatre to Mavis Staples tonight at 730; she is super groovy.  Doubt us? Watch this YouTube clip. Then visit www.mccarter.orgfor your tickets.

OR 

A walk in the woods perhaps?

Today at 8:30 am come learn about Birding at the Lawrence Nature Center in Lawrenceville. For both adults (8:30 am) and children (10 am). It is free but you should pre-register. Or head to Pennington at 11 to the Stony Brook Millstone Watershed for the tapping of the Maple trees.  You’ll get a brief education and a guided walk so you should dress for winter weather with boots & coats and pre-register.  Cost is $3. Then stick around and get Wild & Woolly at 1 pm to spin your very own yarn (for ages 11+). $20.

Sunday January 22…

Slow it down Sunday

Yes, there are things happening today.  No, we don’t want you to go out and do them. Yep, we really just wrote that.  It’s a quarterly holiday we call STAY AT HOME SUNDAY.  If we could plan your day we’d have you make a green smoothie for breakfast, do some at-home yoga, reorganize your pantry, clean out the car, clean up your diet, start a jigsaw puzzle and take a long walk somewhere closeby.  Then, take a bath, eat some comfort food, snuggle by the fire and turn in early. Winter…we are only one month in…we all need to replenish our stores for the cold days ahead.  Don’t feel guilty, take a day for you. Namaste.

We just discovered this free 21 day Vegan kickstart program that includes nutritional webcasts, a restaurant guide, a full 21 day meal plan, a community forum for support as well as daily messages sent to you to keep you motivated.  It starts on January 2, 2012 so you have exactly 12 days to make the choice.

If you aren’t sure this kind of diet isn’t for you we suggest you watch the documentary Forks Over Knives  and gain a better understanding of the old slogan, “You are what you eat!”

I did a 25 day vegan, caffeine/wheat/alcohol free purge last January and I can honestly say I felt great the entire time.  I prepped myself for it and had recipes ready to go.  I ate tons of fruits and vegetables and lots of fiber, green tea, oatmeal and beans.  I felt healthy. While I didn’t stay that strict in the 11 months to follow I was much more aware of what I was putting into my mouth.  So, I will do it again this January and hope to learn more and make new adaptations to my eating regime.

There is more on the kickstart website.  It’s all brought to us by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine…which means medical doctors are behind this movement to get America on the healthy train.

This is just one of a whole array of choices you can make towards getting healthier.  You don’t have to pick this one….just pick one.

Cheers to a HEALTHY and happy New Year!  –Melissa

We garnered a preview of the shop on Sunday as they were starting to set up.  So many passersby staring thru windows and asking for just a quick peek make us confident that Wednesday morning there will be a line at the door.  Here is your inside scoop on what’s inside.

Tons of designer shoes in every size height and color.  Prada, YSL, Louboutin and Manolo are the majority.  Some are barely worn and prices are often less than 25% of retail.

Did someone say Chanel?  Jackets in every color of the rainbow are sure to please.

Our two favorites in the store are truly remarkable. First, this Chanel coat with bright red fox fur trim.

Or this vintage Judith Leiber bag from the same line as the one Christie’s is auctioning off that belonged to Elizabeth Taylor.

fashionaires Judith Leiber bag

And accessories are plenty.  Tons of gorgeous Chanel vintage jewelry, belts,  bracelets and bags including timeless black Chanel leather quilted pieces.

Just an FYI: We have our eyes on the in-perfect-condition Louis Vuitton Speedy bag, Pucci blouses, Vintage DVF wrap dresses and maybe a Chanel gripoix bracelet and chain  belt. We’ll be there on Wednesday morning at 9:59 am and hope to see you too.

Reminder: MasterCard, Visa, Amex or Cash.  No checks.

Dates:  Wednesday, December 7th through Sunday, December 11th

Palmer Square

19 Hulfish Street

Princeton, New Jersey

Wednesday               10am – 6pm

Thursday                   10am – 8:30pm

Friday                        10am – 8:30pm

Saturday                   10am – 6:00pm

Sunday                      Noon – 5:00pm

For more info:          (609) 468-8548