This edition of our Mercer Monthly newsletter highlights County government news as well as events that are coming up in June. You’ll find important dates related to the June 6 primary election, and announcements about the County’s Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program, which provides qualifying older adults with funds to purchase fresh produce, and the Mercer County Senior Art Show, for which registration begins June 1.

Mercer County Clerk Paula Sollami Covello would like to remind all eligible voters that sample ballots have been mailed out for the upcoming June 6 Primary Election. It is important for all registered voters to be aware that certain voting locations have changed since the last election. To find your designated voting location, visit the Board of Elections website here.

Early voting will be held from June 2 to June 4: Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. No matter where you live in Mercer County, you can vote your specific ballot in person at any of our county's seven designated in-person early voting locations. Read more.

Mercer County Executive Brian M. Hughes announced that starting June 1, the Mercer County Office on Aging/Aging & Disability Resource Connection (ADRC) will accept applications for the Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program, which provides funding for the purchase of fresh, nutritious, unprepared foods like fruits, vegetables and herbs to low-income older adults.

To qualify for this program, you must be able to verify that: you are 60 years of age or older; you live in Mercer County; and your income does not exceed $26,973 per year ($2,248 a month) if applying as a single person or $36,482 per year ($3,041 a month) if applying as a couple.

Those eligible will receive $50 to spend for use at participating vendors at area farmers markets. Read more.

Mercer County Executive Brian M. Hughes, along with the Office on Aging and Division of Culture and Heritage, is pleased to present the 2023 Mercer County Senior Art Show from July 28 through Aug. 15 at The Conference Center at Mercer at Mercer County Community College.

Any Mercer County resident age 60 or older may submit one entry that has been completed in the past three years. Artwork must be the original work of the applicant and must not have been previously entered into the County show. The categories included in the 2023 Mercer County Senior Art Show are acrylic, craft, digital art, mixed media, oil, pastel, photography, print, sculpture, watercolor, and works on paper (drawing).

Registration through the Office on Aging begins June 1 at 9 a.m. and ends July 17 at 11:59 p.m. Artwork should be delivered to The Conference Center at Mercer on July 24 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Read more.

Thanks to a new law, the working papers process will be online and streamlined. Rather than going through local schools, younger workers will simply visit this site and be walked through a few easy steps.

MORE INFORMATION FOR YOUNG WORKERS: https://nj.gov/labor/youngworkers

Most Mercer County government offices, including all branches of the Mercer County Library System, will be closed Friday, June 16, 2023, in observance of Juneteenth, which commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African-Americans. 

The full holiday closings announcement, which includes holiday hours for Park Commission facilities, can be found on the County News page of the Mercer County website.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the state and federal governments created programs and increased funds to protect and assist those financially affected. In response, supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP) benefits temporarily increased. With the National Public Health Emergency (PHE) ending on May 11, 2023, many programs and protections are ending, leaving recipients concerned about what's next. 

Discover Mercer Lake by boat

What says summer more than a day on the water? The Mercer County Park Marina boat rental is now open for the season. Come out and enjoy the boat rentals at the Marina and explore Mercer Lake with pedal and rowboats and single and double person kayaks. There is no swimming permitted in Mercer Lake, and boat rentals are weather permitting. For any questions or concerns, please call the Marina Office at (609) 448-4007 or visit their webpage at www.mercercountyparks.org.

The Mercer County Improvement Authority's second Household Hazardous Waste and Electronics Recycling event of 2023 will be June 10. It's time to visit those corners of your shed, garage and home office to weed out offending products and keep them out of our landfills. Click on the flyer for more information.

Summer is coming. Experience nature!

Registration is now open for the 2023 Summer nature programs! Click here or on the image for a copy of the brochure. Just a few June highlights include: 

• Free Fishing Day, Saturday, June 3, 9 to 10:30 a.m. and 10 a.m. to noon, Dam Site 21, 500 Hughes Drive, Hamilton NJ 08690. Free. Ages 8+. Instructions and equipment provided.
• Juneteenth at Capital City Farm, Saturday, June 10, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., 301 N. Clinton Ave., Trenton. Free. All ages. No registration. 
• Kayak Nature Tours, Friday, June 9, 9 a.m. to noon, Mercer County Park Marina. $30 in county; $35 out of county. Age 16+. Other dates available.
• Family Sundays at the Nature Center – second, third and fourth Sundays from 2 to 2:45 p.m., Tulpehaking Nature Center, 157 Westcott Ave., Hamilton. Free, all ages. No registration.
• “Pontoon Boat Nature Tours” – Wednesday, June 14 and 21 (weather permitting), 8:30 to 10 a.m. or 10:30 a.m. to noon, Mercer County Park Marina. $10 adult, $8 senior in county, $12 out of county/$10 seniors. All ages. Boat seats 15 people. Registration required. Other dates available.

For a complete list of Park Commission nature programs and registration information, click here or on the image.

The Mercer Oak was a large oak tree that stood in Princeton Battlefield State Park in Princeton. The tree, a white oak, was about 300 years old when it was torn by strong winds in March 2000. The tree is the key element of the seal of Mercer County.

The Mercer Oak was named after Hugh Mercer, a brigadier general in the Continental Army during the American Revolution. During the Battle of Princeton, Mercer was stabbed by an English soldier's bayonet. According to legend, he was unwilling to abandon his troops, and rested on the tree's trunk while they stood their ground. After the battle, Mercer was taken to the Clarke House where he died from his injuries nine days later.

On March 3, 2000, a wind storm felled the oak's last four branches. Following the tree's death, several grafts of the tree were planted around the battlefield. In May 2000, an 8-foot sapling grown from a Mercer Oak acorn was planted inside the stump of the former tree.

• Wednesday, June 7, 3:30-5:30 p.m., 1440 Parkside Ave., Ewing
• Saturday, June 24, 10-11:30 a.m., Mercer County Library, 61 Scotch Road, Ewing
• Tuesday, July 11; Thursday, July 20, 12-3 p.m., Rescue Mission, 98 Carroll St., Trenton
• Saturday, Aug. 26, 10-11:30 a.m., Mercer County Library, 2751 Brunswick Ave., Lawrence
• Info? Call 609-278-7165