From basset hounds on parade to cherry blossoms in bloom, there's lots to experience in the Garden State.
IT'S TIME to release the hounds! More than 500 basset hounds will be in the spotlight Saturday at Ocean City's 31st annual Doo Dah Parade. The lighthearted event starts at noon, at Sixth Street and travels downtown Asbury Avenue to 12th Street, then turns to the Boardwalk at 12th Street and finishes at the Ocean City Music Pier (Boardwalk between Eighth and Ninth streets). There will be marching bands, floats, a grand marshal and, of course, the canine brigade. The parade will be followed by the annual "PieAsco," a tribute to Soupy Sales. People of all ages sit in grandstands and smush each other with shaving cream pies, as Sales did on his TV show. Visit oceancityvacation.com.
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The kind-hearted Miss Nelson can't control her unruly students. Then the kids discover "Miss Nelson Is Missing!" and must find a way to bring her back as the head of the class in this musical comedy presented Saturday at 11 a.m. as part of Centenary Stage Company's Young Audience Series. The theater is located at 715 Grand Ave., Hackettstown. Tickets are $12.50 for adults and $10 for children 12 and younger. Recommended for grades K through 4. Call (908) 979-0900 or visit centenarystageco.org.
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The 35th annual Black Maria Film Festival unspools Saturday from 3:30 to 5 p.m. in Caldwell. The event, which honors the Black Maria film studio built by Thomas Edison in West Orange in 1893, features award-winning short documentary international films. It will be presented at Caldwell Flowerland, 329 Bloomfield Ave. Tickets are $12 and are available at Caldwell Flowerland. Festivalgoers can receive a 20 percent discount off dinner after the show with an admission ticket at these restaurants: Bangkok Kitchen, Caldwell Seafood, Cedar Grill, Cloverleaf Tavern and Dough Artisan Pizzeria. Visit caldwellmerchants.com.
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Kids will have a howling good time sharing Breakfast With the Wolves on Sunday at Turtle Back Zoo. During the breakfast, from 8:30 to 10 a.m., the "honorary pack members" will meet the zoo's wolf keeper, enjoy activities and crafts and end the morning at the wolf exhibit -- practicing their howling skills. Tickets are $30 and include admission to the zoo for the day. Recommended for families with children ages 5 and older; all children must be accompanied by an adult with a ticket. Located
at 560 Northfield Ave., West Orange. Visit essexcountynj.org/turtlebackzoo.
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Beginning Sunday, see the cherry blossoms in bloom on a guided historic park tour of Branch Brook Park in Newark. The 45-minute journey starts at the Essex County Cherry Blossom Welcome Center daily, at 11 a.m., noon, and at 1 and 2 p.m. Tours continue through April 23. Transportation around the park is provided. Tickets are $5 and are available at the welcome center on tour dates; reserve tickets by calling (973) 433-7469. Or take a free, self-guided tour accessed by cell phone. Spend a day exploring one or two -- or all -- of the 72 tour stops. Call (973) 433-9047 or scan the bar code at each tour stop to learn about the park's history and horticulture. Visit essexcountynj.org.
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Trumpeter James Gibbs III performs Sunday at 7 p.m. as part of the Jazz in the Loft concert series at the South Orange Performing Arts Center. Gibbs, who was born in Newark and raised in Irvington, began playing the trumpet at age 14 and has worked with musicians from John Lamb, of Duke Ellington's Orchestra, to Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Joe Thomas. Located at 1 Sopac Way, South Orange. Tickets are $15. Call (973) 313-2787 or visit SOPAC.now.org.
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"From the Ground Up: Archaeology | Artisans | Everyday Life," a new exhibit has opened at the Museum of American Glass in Millville. The exhibit explores the role of archaeology in preserving and interpreting the past, and features items excavated from South Jersey and Philadelphia. Visit wheatonarts.org.
LATER THIS MONTH
Cape May's 21st annual Spring Festival kicks off April 29, featuring such culinary attractions as a Chocolate Lover's Feast, a Winery Cellar Tour and Tasting, and Cape May Cocktail Week. The festival, which runs through May 8, also offers INNteriors tours, ghost tours, murder mystery dinners, living history programs and much more. Call (800) 275-4278 or visit capemaymac.org.
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Oh, mother! A week before a family celebration, Miranda invites her overbearing mom to stay with her -- and that's when the hilarity begins as "All the Days" premieres April 29 at the McCarter Theatre Center in Princeton. Performances, presented in the Berlind Theatre, are Tuesdays through Thursdays, at 7:30 p.m.; Fridays at 8 p.m.; Saturdays, at 3 and 8 p.m.; and Sundays, at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 to $94.50. Located at 91 University Place. Call (609) 258-2787 or visit mccarter.org.
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Eat to your heart's content on April 30 and May 1 at the spring edition of the "Truck"erton Food Truck & Brew Fest in Tuckerton. The event, which begins at 11 a.m. on both days at the Tuckerton Seaport, features gourmet specialties from more than a dozen food trucks. In addition, there will be live music, vendors, family activities, boat rides, decoy carving and boat building. Admission, which includes access to the Seaport's 40 acres, is $8 for adults and free for seaport members and children younger than age 5. Food, beer and wine prices are set by individual vendors. Visit tuckertonseaport.org.
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