As we come to the end of 2024 and look forward to the new year, here’s a look back at the top stories in Hillsborough.
Donald Stern flew around the Verrazzano Bridge towards the Freedom Towers and circled the Statue of Liberty in a small aircraft for his 101st birthday. Along with Stern’s birthday celebration, the day also saw a ribbon cutting and blessing of 3,700 feet of new runway at the Central Jersey Regional Airport in Hillsborough.
Birthday Flight
For his 101st birthday, Donald Stern flew around the Verrazzano Bridge towards the Freedom Towers and circled the Statue of Liberty in a small aircraft.
The skies are familiar territory for the World War (WW) II Air Force veteran. He flew 32 combat missions in a B-17 Flying Fortress with the 817th Squadron of the 15th Air Force’s 483rd Bombardment Group (H) from January through April 1945. His last combat mission took place on April 24, the day before his 22nd birthday.
Stern, who was born on April 25, 1923, was boosted in with the help members from Robert Wood Johnson emergency medical services. He flew with his son, Russell Stern.
Retired Air Force Major Glenn Sinibaldi, who flew 25 combat missions in Desert Storm, piloted the father and son for the special birthday trip.
When asked what he would like for his 101st birthday, Stern said “to fly in a small aircraft again.”
And that’s what he did. A partnership between the Tri-State Aviation flight school at the Central Jersey Regional Airport and the Brandywine Princeton senior living community where Stern resides helped make his birthday wish come true.
Along with Stern’s birthday celebration, the day also saw a ribbon cutting and blessing of 3,700 feet of new runway at the airport.
The Public Television Series Travels with Darley visited Central Jersey last summer to film three special episodes called “Travels with Darley: Revolutionary Road Trips,” including Flounder Brewing in Hillsborough.
Revolutionary Road Trips
The Public Television Series Travels with Darley visited Central Jersey last summer to film three special episodes called “Travels with Darley: Revolutionary Road Trips,” including an episode (Part III) that features historic sites and restaurants in Somerset County.
The public was invited to a sneak preview of the episode featuring Somerset County on Tuesday March 19 at 5 p.m. at Flounder Brewing in Hillsborough, one of several local businesses featured in the show. Program host Darley Newman will participate in person, including in a panel discussion after the screening.
“Somerset’s Board of County Commissioners is incredibly proud of our Revolutionary history, and we believe it will become a major driver of tourism and economic development as we approach the nation’s 250th anniversary in 2026,” said Somerset County Commissioner Director Shanel Y. Robinson.
A drone photo of a dairy barn on the Hillsborough Golf and Country Club property was taken on Feb. 12 looking east. The Somerset County Board of Commissioners approved the $6.75 million purchase of the 402-acre property from the estate of the late Bryce Thompson IV.
Open space purchase
A collaboration among the Somerset County Board of County Commissioners, the state’s Green Acres program and Hillsborough Township will help preserve the Hillsborough Golf and Country Club property expanding the 6,000-acre Sourland Mountain Preserve.
The Somerset County Board of Commissioners approved the purchase of the 402-acre property at a meeting on Feb. 13 for $6.75 million from the estate of the late Bryce Thompson IV.
Somerset County led the negotiations with the Thompson family and will contribute the largest amount to the purchase using approximately $3 million from the county’s dedicated open space tax fund. New Jersey’s Green Acres program is expected to contribute about $2.3 million, and Hillsborough Township will contribute the remaining amount from its open space fund, according to the county.
The 402 acres stretch from the north side of the Sourland Mountain to the Amwell Valley below and are visible from miles away. The parcel south of Wertsville Road consists of 75 vacant acres on the side of the mountain with areas of mature woodland and open farm fields. The portion north of Wertsville Road consists of 327 acres, including approximately one mile of Neshanic River frontage, and had been utilized as a golf course and polo field. Structures on the property include three storage barns, three residences, a small motel, and a clubhouse.
The 6,300 acre Sourland Mountain Preserve is county owned and administered by the Somerset County Park Commission, according to the county’s website. The Preserve provides passive recreational opportunities in an undisturbed natural setting. The Preserve occupies a portion of the northeast “point” of the Sourland Region, which stretches southwest across Hillsborough and Montgomery townships through southern Hunterdon and northern Mercer counties to the Delaware River.
The Sourland Mountain Preserve offers several recreational opportunities in an undisturbed natural setting, including hiking, mountain biking, bird watching, bouldering, and horseback riding.
It is extremely rich in natural resources, and an area that boasts a variety of stream corridors, geologic outcrops, and an ecological preserve that provides a core habitat for a diversity of plant and animal species. The Sourlands is especially known for its nesting birds on the edges of their breeding areas including Summer Tanager, Winter Wren, and Black-capped and Carolina Chickadees.
