Sunday, May 19, 2024 - 11:00am to 5:00pmhttps://www.facebook.com/events/451861853976962/451861860643628/?event_time_id=4...Cost: FreeStep into a world of vibrant crafts, tantalizing tastes, and endless entertainment at the Cranford Street Fair, a bustling playground of vendors and festivities. Get ready to stroll through a kaleidoscope of crafts, flavors, and rhythms, where every corner holds a new adventure. This is a street-fair style event featuring 100+ artisans and Cranford Businesses along North Union Ave and Alden St. Admission is free, family friendly, and open to the public. Food trucks and live music perform by the Fire Department parking lot next to the gazebo.   Recommended Age: AllNew JerseyNorthernUnionEventsShows & ExhibitionsAge: PreschoolersKidsTweens & teensGrown-ups Downtown Cranford North Union Ave 07016 Cranford , NJ Phone: 908-514-8431 40° 39' 39.9672" N, 74° 17' 58.632" W New Jersey Ticketed: Activity Category: ArtsFairs & FestivalsFreeAdmission Services

Photo by Mark Blinch/NHLI via Getty Images Last year, the Devils had several 20-goal scorers at 5 on 5. This year? Not so much. That drop in 5v5 scoring was fairly substantial and needs to be addressed next year. In the 2022-23 NHL season, there were 39 forwards who scored at least 20 goals at 5 on 5 play. The New Jersey Devils had 4 players among those 39: Jack Hughes had 28 goals, Timo Meier had 22 goals, and both Jesper Bratt and Dawson Mercer had 20. It was a stellar showing for a playoff team, especially considering the overall youth of those who made the list. Fast forward to the 2023-24 season, and things look quite a lot different for NJ. This year, there were only 30 forwards in the NHL who hit the 20 goal plateau at 5 on 5, so overall, it was somewhat of a more down year in the NHL in that regard. However, it was much worse for the Devils. Whereas the season before, there were 4 forwards to hit that mark, this past year, there were zero. No Devils forward managed to score at least 20 goals at 5 on 5, which is truly disappointing considering that four made it the year prior, and these guys are still growing and entering their primes. Realistically, 4 forwards hitting that mark should have been a baseline for the Devils, but instead, none made it. For the Devils, the highest scorer at 5 on 5 was someone who actually did not hit 20 goals last season either, and that was Nico Hischier. He ended the season this year with 18 5v5 goals, leading the Devils in that category. Among the four who hit the mark last season, Jesper Bratt did the best, ending the year with 17 5v5 goals. Dawson Mercer had 16, Timo Meier had 15, and Jack Hughes only had 13, 15 fewer 5v5 goals than he had the year prior. But as you can see, that is a major drop-off. Hughes alone had 15 fewer 5v5 goals this year versus last. Meier had 7 fewer, Mercer had 4 fewer, and Bratt had 3 fewer. If you just assume that all of Meier’s goals last year were for NJ (which they weren’t, but just to make it simpler to follow), that is 29 fewer 5 on 5 goals among those four guys year-over-year. That, of course, is a massive difference and equates to the difference between several wins and losses, no doubt. Now, that is not to say that the blame for the disappointing season should be on the shoulders of Hughes, Bratt, Meier, and Mercer. Bratt was the champ of the team this season, easily a team MVP, I wouldn’t feel comfortable with that. This doesn’t take into account the shallow blueline that developed, the poor play from people who were supposed to be top-four defenders, and it of course doesn’t even scratch the goaltending issue. But it is just another data point to showcase how the team disappointed this year all around. It is easy to blame one thing in particular, especially the goaltending as that makes the most sense, and it was arguably the biggest difference maker in the negative for this team. But in truth, it was a failure across the board in many ways, not just goaltending or just defense or just forwards. But the forwards also were to blame for sure, and this is one point to prove that. To not have any forwards hit 20 5v5 goals after having four of them the year prior is quite poor on the offense as a whole. Next season, this forward corps will need to get back to how they were scoring two years ago, especially when it comes to 5 on 5. Without better scoring in this format, they will still struggle to outscore opponents without exceptional special teams scoring. And that will ultimately lead to fewer wins than this team should be getting. Things will definitely need to improve on this front, and with this roster, they are more than capable of doing so.

Sunday, May 12, 2024 - 4:30pm to 6:00pmhttp://www.somastage.orgCost: Free, with $15 suggested donationBroadway in the Park 2024 is here with a special Mother’s Day Edition. Bring the whole family to celebrate with local Broadway moms as they sing songs about motherhood and children. As always, admission is free with a $15 suggested donation.  Recommended Age: All New JerseyNorthernEventsAge: BabyPreschoolersKidsTweens & teensGrown-ups Memorial Park Amphitheater 580 Valley Street 07040 Maplewood , NJ 40° 43' 47.8236" N, 74° 16' 27.9048" W New Jersey Ticketed: Activity Category: MusicAdmission Services

Kevin Kelly opened his first salon when he was only 18 years old. Now, at 25, the Keyport salon owner and celebrity hairstylist has a mission of making people feel beautiful and empowered, in and out of the styling chair. That’s why Kevin Kelly Salon began its charitable fashion shows four years ago, where local boutiques and designers are celebrated while local non-profit organizations are supported. This year’s show was an all-white, Vegas-themed brunch at Piazza di Roma in Aberdeen, packing in more than 150 guests. It was hosted by Real Housewives of New Jersey star Danielle Cabral, who joined the cast in season 13. This year’s beneficiary was Hazlet’s Hope Network, a peer-based non-profit organization that lends support to those struggling with substance abuse. “One of the reasons I chose this charity was that I did have a father who struggled with alcohol and substance abuse, so it just touched home,” Kelly says. “Hazlet Hope actually helped one of my really good friends, too, so they’re near and dear.” The organization, in short, provides hope to the Bayshore area. Those in crisis or looking to live a sober life can call Hazlet’s Hope Network any hour of the day and be connected with a certified coach to seek help. The coaches’ part of the peer-based program have first-hand experience with addiction and recovery. More than $5,000 was raised for Hazlet’s Hope Network, from ticket sales, raffle tickets, casino games and donations. Phil O’Hara, a representative from the organization, says the money will go toward providing financial support for patients who may be in need of housing, treatment, and other costs that are difficult to cover during recovery. The highlight of the event, of course, was the spectacular outfits. Nearly everyone was draped in white head to toe, including the guests; glitzy Vegas show girls; NJ-based drag queen Jolina Jasmine; Cabral (who was in a lacy white jumpsuit with a tulle skirt from Monmouth County-based Pretty Chaos Boutique); and Kelly (who rocked a solid white suit, then a white suit with abstract faces painted on by his grandmother). The only people not in white—but just as chic—were the runway models, showing off pieces from Bijoux Boutique in Middletown, Jenna Rose’s Boutique in Old Bridge, Ronny Kobo, Zemer Jewelers and The Shoe Fairy. On the back of each program was a QR code for a look book of all the runway looks. There will be more fashionable, charitable fun this Friday night, April 26, when another New Jersey salon and housewife will hit the runway for a good cause. Melissa Gorga, veteran RHONJ cast member, will host the 9th Annual Renaissance Runs the Runway, a charitable fashion show by celebrity hairstylist Jennifer Korab’s Renaissance Salon in Hillsborough. Proceeds benefit Steps Together, a Hillsborough-based non-profit that supports families enduring medical crises. The event is already sold out, but keep an eye on their social media for the looks of the evening. No one knows New Jersey like we do. Sign up for one of our free newsletters here. Want a print magazine mailed to you? Purchase an issue from our online store. The post ‘RHONJ’ Star and Celebrity Hairstylist Host Charitable Fashion Show appeared first on New Jersey Monthly.