Does Central Jersey Exist?: A playful trip through the Garden State's history and quirks with a group of opinionated New Jerseyans

New Jersey is the fourth smallest state, but is number one when it comes to having the most people per square mile. Due to its close proximity to two major metropolitan areas, the state has raised individuals with wide-ranging personalities and opinions. New Jersey (arguably) can be split into three distinct cultural areas. When you grow up in New Jersey, you develop strong feelings about the customs, food and sayings that make your area unique, and you find yourself having serious fights over whether it's called pork roll or Taylor ham.

For this Wintersession, native New Jerseyans will present on the high points of their area of this eccentric state. We'll share the history of the land that was originally settled by the Lenape. We'll talk about the pine barrens, the Delaware Water Gap and going down the shore. Where do hoagies end and subs begin? Attendees will learn all about this state's quirks and will have the chance to decide where their loyalties lie as honorary New Jerseyans. Are they choosing North, South or the hotly contested Central?

We hope at the end of this good-natured session participants have a better understanding of the state in which they live and/or work and start to feel the same sense of pride and fierce loyalty to New Jersey that lives in those of us fortunate enough to be born here.

Meet the Facilitators
Sara Logue was born in a small South Jersey town right along the edge of Wharton State Forest in the area known as the pine barrens where she spent the first 18 years of her life before attending Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey for college. After that she moved around the country, but it turns out you can take the girl out of South Jersey, but you can’t take the South Jersey out of the girl. She never stopped rooting for Philadelphia sports, believes that the best produce is available from a roadside stand on Route 30, and is convinced most bad moods can be fixed with a visit to the Cherry Hill Mall. Though she now lives in PA, she is a staunch supporter of jughandles and will go out of her way to not pump her own gas whenever possible. A trip down the shore is incomplete without salt water taffy and fudge from Shriver’s. She has strong feelings about the boundaries of South Jersey, does not believe Central Jersey exists, and isn’t quite sure what goes on in North Jersey (nor does she care), but she will defend the whole state to any outsider who dares to disparage it in her presence. In her day job, she is a Librarian in Special Collections in the Princeton University Library.

Brian George was born and raised in a city in North Jersey. As a kid, he grew a strong attachment to his region while having his face buried in maps in the backseat of the car. He attended the School of Visual Arts in New York City. He then lived and worked in The City for more than 20 years and never expected to live again in his home state. But Jersey is hard to escape. In 2022, he moved from Brooklyn to the Princeton area. Now he rambles for hours about the amount of time he’s spent on the PATH train and NJ Transit. He will wax nostalgic about camping at Round Valley or hiking at Hacklebarney State Forest or looking for spooky times on abandoned roads in the forests of West Milford. He will tell you about the Summit Diner, even if you didn’t ask. And he will, without provocation, tell you that he doesn’t think Central Jersey exists. In addition to being an illustrator, he is the Preparator for Princeton University Library.

Casey Reca might not have been born in Central Jersey, but she prides herself on being raised in Mercer County, the most Central part of the state. Casey grew up in the pizza mecca of NJ with Papa's and Delorenzo's tomato pies around the corner and the birthplace of Pork Roll. She walked the historical streets of Princeton and tested her courage on rides like Kingda Ka or became one with nature in the Safari Off-Road Adventure. She learned to appreciate the arts at Grounds for Sculpture and live music at the Stone Pony while enjoying her summers down the shore at the countless beaches in Central Jersey. While attending Ithaca College in Upstate New York, Casey learned two things: how to pump her own gas (which she would not recommend) and to defend New Jersey's honor against all who dare slander its name. Those folks just didn't get it. Returning back to Jersey to earn her Master's degree at Rider University, the fight did not end as she had to defend the existence of her home against the Central Jersey Deniers. Reminding all that some of the best parts of New Jersey are located here, such as the institution where we all work. After a couple of years out of state again, this time in Virginia at Old Dominion University to start her doctoral journey, she officially moved back to Jersey last year to work in one of Central Jersey's finest institutions as the Special Collections Office Coordinator at Princeton University's Firestone Library.

What to Expect
Mini Workshop (90 mins. total)

To request accommodations for this event, please contact the workshop or event facilitator at least 3 working days prior to the event.

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