ing a benefit basketball game on March 27 from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM in the High School Gym. Playing in the game will be teams from local groups such as the Police Department, Fire Department, Coaches, Teachers, Parents, Alumni, and Students. We will also be holding a Silent Auction of Sports and Fitness items in the Auxiliary Gym during the game. Tickets are $5.00 in advance and $7.00 at the door, if available. Tickets are available at all Hopatcong Borough Schools, from team captains, and will be available for purchase

outside the Post Office on Saturday March 14 from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM and outside Quick Chek on Sunday March 15 from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. For more info con- tact Terry Bond at 973-398-1229 or rtbond@optonline.net.

Project Graduation is a drug free, alcohol free, end of the year all night celebration which takes place on the night of gradua- tion. Students are safely transported by bus back and forth from the High School to the site where the event is held. Fundraising for this event is being done by a dedicated group of parent and student volunteers. Please come support this worthy cause.

Ed Sekula,
who had served
as the founding
Chair in 1989,

Board after
20 years
of continuous

Hathaway was
sworn in by Board
Attorney Clifford
Lundin as Netcong's

at Netcong Borough Hall, electing Earl Riley of Byram as its new Chair. Riley has served on the Board as Byram Township's representative since 2006. A former Byram Township Councilman who has a background in Land Preservation, Riley was nominated by Barney Hunts of Stanhope, who remains as Vice-Chair. Joe Keenan of Netcong was re-elected secretary/treasurer.

Outgoing Chair Douglas Zellman, who seconded Riley's nomination, served as Chair for four years and as Vice-Chair for three years. Under his leader- ship the Board received DEP grants for weed harvest- ing, acquisition of equipment and operating funds for lake management, as well as grants for bathymetric mapping to set the ground work for lake dredging. Zellman, who will continue to serve on the lake man- agement committee, said, \u201cI appreciate Earl's willing- ness to take over the leadership of the Board and I look forward to working with him in the coming year.\u201d

Ed Sekula, who had served as the founding Chair in 1989, retired from the Board after 20 years of con- tinuous service. Bob Hathaway was sworn in by Board Attorney Clifford Lundin as Netcong's repre- sentative.

The Lake Musconetcong Regional Planning Board is one of only two regional planning boards in the State of New Jersey. The Board's representatives are appointed by their respective entities of Byram, Netcong, Roxbury, Stanhope, the Counties of Morris and Sussex and the State of New Jersey. The Board meets on the third Wednesday of each month at the Netcong Municipal Building.

together at the Hopatcong Civic Center to paint and decorate small clay keepsake hearts for women with cancer and men and women in the military.

This program, called Hearts of Hope, is sponsored by Interregnum, a local grief, loss and transition services agency. Hearts of Hope is comprised of two community service programs: Healing Hearts which offer support for women with cancer and people whose loved ones have died; and Hearts for Heroes which support actively serving and retired military personnel.

\u201cGrief and sadness are not always brought on through death\u201d, says Judy Pedersen,

executive director of Interregnum. \u201cDevastating illness, divorce or having a family member deployed to war can also create feelings of profound loss. Our programs give community members a way to reach out and offer caring, compas- sionate support. In this way, we hope to help

GSNNJ Hopatcong Junior Troops 1049 and 1856 worked together to plan and run this event. They made heart SWAPS and they baked over 400 cookies to serve to every participant. One of the moms even made us beautiful tye-die shirts to wear to the event. The girls were so excited to be a part of such a wonderful cause. They put this project together to earn their Bronze Award and really enjoyed every minute of it.

Over 350 hearts were painted that day for distribution in March to local cancer centers in Morris, Bergen and Essex coun- ties.\u201d Each heart is accompanied by a greet- ing card filled out by \u201cpainters\u201d with spe- cial personal messages.

For more information about this event, or to learn how you or your group or organ- ization can become involved, please call Susan Macheska at 862-812-6543 or visit the website, www.interregnum.org. or our- heartsofhope.org.

soring a pilgrimage to the Passion Play and are invit- ing anyone interested to join them for this once-in-a-life- time opportunity.

Every 10 years, the world famous Passion Play takes place in the city of Oberammergau, Germany. Some of the highlights of the trip will include the Hungarian Horse Show, Mathias Church, Fishermen's Bastion, Renaissance dinner, Schoenbrunn Palace, Danube River Cruise, and Salzburg.

Pilgrimages have a long tradition in Christianity. There are records of pilgrims going to Jerusalem from the third century and of course in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. The famous Oberammergau passion play is presented every ten years in fulfillment of a vow made by the town's people in the middle Ages. This trip will be one of touring the famous sights and houses of worship of the Austro- Hungarian Empire including the cities of Vienna, Prague and Budapest which have played pivotal roles in the life of the Church. Mass will be celebrated each day. In Prague mass will be celebrated at Our Lady of Victory Church which contains the Statue of the Infant of Prague. The culmination of the trip will be the passion play in Oberammergau.

This pilgrimage is leaving July 29, 2010 and returning August 7, 2010. The accommodations will be four star hotels. Included are 16 meals, all transfers, round trip bus

transportation from Blessed Kateri to Newark Airport. There are a very limited number of seats for this trip.

For more information call the Parish office 973- 729-1682 or Byram Travel 973-347-8800 email: regi- na@byramtravel.com

Send us your photos, press releases
and upcoming events and we\u2019ll publish
them in our next issue.
Email us at mjmediaeditor@gmail.com

sponsoring a Spring Clothing Drive on Thursday, April 23, 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., Friday, April 24, 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., Saturday, April 25, 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., held in the Hopatcong High School Auditorium.

We are accepting the following items: Wearable Clothing, Shoes, Boots, Purses, Belts, etc, Linens (blankets, sheets, table-

cloths, etc.), Toys (hard & soft), Small bikes, Little Tykes play sets (including large outdoor toys), Baby items: Car seats, Playpens, baby swings, high chairs, strollers, bouncers, walkers, and Luggage. We receive payment for every pound donat- ed.

Please participate\u2026this is a \u201cno money out of your pocket\u201d, PAINLESS fundraiser! Any questions, call Jacki 973-770-4997

of Netcong N.J. has recently become recognized as a member of Sigma Alpha Lambda, National Leadership and Honors Organization at the Montclair State University. Sigma Alpha Lambda is a national leadership and honors organization

dedicated to promoting and rewarding aca- demic achievement and providing members with opportunities for community service personal development and lifelong fulfill- ment. Congratulations on your achievement to Rachael Verdi. Rachael is a graduate of Lenape Valley High School.

state wrestling tournament in Atlantic City. Vinny Campanile, a senior wrestling in the 215 pound class finished fourth and Billy Hagany, a sophomore com- peting in the 103 pound class finished sev- enth.

Campanile, a third place region qualifier, was written off by many as not having a shot to place. But right from the time he arrived at the Jersey Shore, all bets were off. Vinny decided since he was in Atlantic City, he was going to \u201croll the dice\u201d. He com- pleted the tournament with a 5-2 record all five of his wins came via the fall, dropping one opponent in just 38 seconds. Campanile finished his senior campaign with an out-

Hagany also qualified for the tournament by way of a third place region finish. Unlike Campanile, a lot of people expected Billy to make some noise in his weight class. Right from the opening whistle, Hagany was \u201call in\u201d for his quest to bring home a state medal. He amassed a record of 4-2 for the tournament, recording three wins by fall and one by a 9-0 major decision. Hagany ended his season with an audacious 41-4 record. Only a sophomore, look for Billy Hagany to be on the podium again in 2010 and 2011.

As a team, Lenape Valley enjoyed one of the finest seasons in school history, finish- ing 18-5 and capturing its first North Section 1 Group 1 championship.