Cranford Radio

The Fourth of July usually means a full day of activities in Cranford and things kick off with the Cranford Jaycees Firecracker 4 Miler and Fun Run. Taking over the duties as race director for the Jaycees this year is Kevin Cumiskey. Cranford Radio spoke with Kevin about the race.

Former President Bill Clinton stopped in Cranford to campaign for his wife, Hillary Clinton, in advance of Tuesday's New Jersey primary. Derek Roseman serves as the communications director of Hillary for New Jersey and Cranford Radio spoke with him about the campaign.

The St. Michael School Drama Club will be presenting The Music Man at the school on May 25 and 26. Fourth through eighth grade students are in the play with other children working behind the scenes. Lorraine DeMan is the director of the play and she spoke with Cranford Radio's Bernie Wagenblast about the production.

The 2016 Tony Awards are in the news but it’s a 2006 multiple Tony Award winner that will be getting all the attention at the Cranford Dramatic Club this month. The Drowsy Chaperone will be presented May 6 through 15 at the theatre at 78 Winans Avenue in Cranford.

As they do their final rehearsals Cranford Radio spoke with the directors, Ken and Mary Webb, as well as three of the performers, E. Dale Smith-Gallo, Judi Laganga and Gene Lough. We began with Ken Webb giving an overview of the play.

Back in 1904, when Gustav and Henry Dreyer purchased their Cranford farmland, there were still quite a few farms around Union County. Today, Dreyer Farms is the last remaining farm in the county and a popular spot for not just vegetables, but a variety of foods, plants and more. One of the most popular programs at the farm is the CSA. Cranford Radio spoke with Dawn Salerno, who runs the CSA program and is involved with many aspects of the business.

Relay for Life Cranford is a fun way to raise money for a very worth cause, the American Cancer Society. This year's relay will take place on May 20 and 21 behind Orange Avenue School. Linda Miklencic is organizing the Cranford event, working with Daniel Stermer of the ACS and both spoke with Cranford Radio.

Usually albums are created after a play is written. In the case of American Idiot, the album preceded the play. Green Day's album was their seventh and tells a story through its songs. The album won a Grammy Award in 2005 and inspired a Broadway musical. The Cranford Dramatic Club is taking on the unusual production which is nearly 100% music.

As the cast and crew prepare for the musical's debut on February 12, Cranford Radio had the opportunity to speak with three of the leads, Ali Gleason (Whatsername), Bill Geltzeiler (Johnny) and Ben Simons (Will), as well as the director/choreographer Megan Ferentinos.

Each season the Cranford Dramatic Club puts on a children's show and this year's production is Rapunazrella White. Cranford Radio had the opportunity to speak with four of the participants, director Anita Esteve, Marlo Avidon (Snow White), Adena Weisholtz (Queen Rhoda) and Joel Redmont (Herschel, the Dwarf). We started off asking Anita to tell us a bit about the play.