Once the only school around, Hackettstown Middle School is marking 140 years of continuous operation.

Hackettstown Middle School is celebrating 140 years of continuous education with a number of events throughout, all meant to honor the history of the building and the many scholars who have passed through the halls.  

What once started as the only school building in Hackettstown, servicing the town and surrounding areas as the K-12 building in 1875, it has evolved and grown to accommodate the changing times and needs of the community.  Currently, the school educates about 400 fifth- through eighth-grade students from Hackettstown.  

Throughout the current school year the "140 and Counting" committee, comprised of staff members and administration, will work together to share the spirit of growth and higher learning.  The year started out with an activity where 140 red construction paper bricks were displayed on each of the three floors of the building representing the memories shared by this generation.  

Recently, the staff hosted a school spirit dress down day to raise money for the Hackettstown Historical Society. The Tigers' traditional colors, black and orange, were worn and a donation of $1.40 was requested. A total of $115.40 will be presented to the Historical Society to assist in preserving the town's history.

In the continuing months students will take part in activities honoring and showcasing the history of the building. 

An artifact museum of exhibits will be researched and displayed at HMS for students, staff and the community to learn and remember past events that took place in this 140- year-old building.

The annual event gives residents and players alike a chance to talk about all things PHS ahead of the big game against rival Easton.

The Brakeley Park Center recently hosted an intergenerational event with the Phillipsburg High School senior football players.

For the fifth year, the players visited patients and residents as part of their pre-Thanksgiving Day festivities. The day is enjoyed by all and brings back many memories that are shared with the boys.

RELATED: Rotary Club of Easton hosts pre-game luncheon

Included in the photo is Billy DeGroat, team manager and Brakeley Park employee; Alvin Pursel, grandfather of Zach Troxell and Adam Pursell; Joan Frinzi, former PHS cheerleader and wife of Mickey Frinzi, 1945 All State, 1946 all time leading scorer, football coach 1968-1972 and former athletic director; Sara Chando, 1949 graduate, chorus member and mom to George Chando, PHS superintendant; Agnes Terleski, retired PHS teacher of 20 years; and Rhonda Schnell, 1980 PHS graduate, girls field hockey, girls basketball player and cousin of coach Sam Hall.

It's one of several activities the teams participate in prior to Thursday's traditional rivalry game.

The Easton-Phillipsburg football rivalry is as much about what happens off the field as on it.

On Monday, senior players from both high school teams visited The Comfort Zone adult day care center in Lopatcong Township.

Players have visited the last several years, spending time with folks and talking about the rivalry and the Thanksgiving Day football game.

The adult center is in the Hillcrest Professional Plaza off Memorial Parkway and is run by St. Luke's University Health Network.

RELATED: Phillipsburg kicks off rivalry week activities (PHOTOS)

The visit was capped by a cake-cutting from the teams' coaches, Easton's Steve Shiffert and Phillipsburg's Ryan Ditze.

The game will be played at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at Lafayette College's Fisher Stadium.

But there are other events before then. The senior girls' powder puff football game is set for 6 p.m. Monday at Cottingham Stadium in Easton. And both schools and communities will hold pep rallies Wednesday on the even of the traditional rivalry.

Jim Deegan may be reached at jdeegan@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @jim_deegan. Find lehighvalleylive on Facebook.

The Washington Community Food Pantry was the recipient of many bags of food thanks to the efforts of some local Girl Scouts.

Girl Scout Ambassadors Troop 94252 recently held a Thanksgiving Food Drive to benefit the Washington Community Food Pantry.

Erin Kenny, Alyssa Duant, Cassidy Duncan and Rache Phillips, all students at Warren Hills Regional High School, collected food at the Washington ShopRite the Nov. 14, which was delivered to the Washington Food Pantry on Nov. 20.

The pantry is housed at the First Presbyterian Church, 40 E. Church St., Washington.  

The U-12 Visions Training Soccer Academy team won the league championship recently.

Vision Training Soccer Academy's under-12 Tornadoes defeated North Plainfield 5-2 Nov. 22, completing an undefeated season with a 9-0-1 record in the Mid New Jersey Youth Soccer Association league to claim a championship.

The Tornadoes' offense scored 39 goals against all opponents while only conceding five, thanks to tight defending and top goalkeeping. It's the second trophy for this age group as they won their flight in spring 2014.

Vision Training Soccer Academy, is a nonprofit corporation offering soccer development in the eastern Pennsylvania and northwestern New Jersey areas. The under-12 Tornadoes compete in the MNJYSA along with the under-10 Typhoons while the under-14 Hurricanes compete in the MAPS league.

VTSA teams play out of Lopatcong Township. 

ShopRite of Washington, local community answer call for Thanksgiving food bags.

Bags full of food are prepared for delivery to the Washington Food Pantry.  

ShopRite of Washington, their employees and all the local Washington community recently donated Thanksgiving bags of food to the Washington Community Food Pantry.

RELATED: Girl Scout Ambassadors collect food for pantry

The pantry is housed at the First Presbyterian Church, 40 E. Church St., Washington.

The road was closed in both directions. No one was injured, police say.

A truck hauling trash rolled over Monday afternoon on Route 46 in Liberty Township, closing the road in both directions for a portion of the afternoon.

The truck was westbound before the crash, which was first reported at 2:16 p.m. near the Pequest Fish Hatchery and the township's border with Mansfield Township.

New Jersey State Police are investigating. Troopers were still at the scene as of 4:15 p.m., a state police spokesman said. No one was injured, the spokesman said.

It was not immediately clear what caused the wreck.

Nick Falsone may be reached at nfalsone@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @NickFalsone. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.

NORWESCAP Career & Life Transitions Center is holding an open house on Monday, Nov. 30, at its offices in Flemington and Washington.

NORWESCAP Career & Life Transitions Center is holding an open house on Monday, Nov. 30, at its offices in Flemington and Washington.

The Flemington office open house takes place 9 a.m. to noon at The Old Egg Auction Building, 84 Park Ave., Suite E-103, Flemington. For more infromation or to RSVP, call 908-788-1453.

The Washington location open house takes place 2-5 p.m. at Midway Plaza, 16 Broad Street, Suite 7. Call 908-835-2624 to RSVP.

NORWESCAP has been serving the Hunterdon, Mercer, Somerset and Warren counties for over 30 years.

The annual game played by senior girls from Easton Area and Phillipsburg high schools leads into the Thanksgiving Day rivalry football game. Watch video

It's now back-to-back years that Phillipsburg has prevailed in the annual powder puff football game against archrival Easton.

Monday's 54-40 P'burg triumph saw plenty of offense by the senior girls from the two high schools at Easton's Cottingham Stadium.

http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/phillipsburg/index.ssf/2015/11/easton-pburg_football_players.html#incart_river_home

All profits benefit the PA Wounded Warriors and Hope Loves Company.

The matchup comes ahead of the schools' annual Thanksgiving Day football game, which will be held 10:30 a.m. Thursday at Lafayette College's Fisher Field.

Scroll through the gallery above for images from the game.  

Matt Smith may be reached at msmith@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @msmith_photo. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.

The powder puff game and all that comes with it are part of the festivities that lead up to the Easton-Phillipsburg Thanksgiving Day football game.

The on-the-field plays weren't the only action during Monday night's traditional Easton-Phillipsburg powder puff football game.

Senior boys from both high schools took the halftime show to a new level with a series of hilarious cheers and dance moves.

The senior girls from both high schools are the featured attraction in the powder puff game. Phillipsburg won 54-40 in a thrilling, high-scoring affair watched by about 500 to 600 fans at Cottingham Stadium.

MORE: Adult day care clients get lift from Easton-Pburg players (PHOTOS)

Both bands also participated.

The powder puff game is one of many activities held in the run-up to the annual Thanksgiving Day football game between Easton Area and Phillipsburg high schools.

The game kicks off at 10:30 a.m. Thursday.

 

Jim Deegan may be reached at jdeegan@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @jim_deegan. Find lehighvalleylive on Facebook.

Check out the low temperatures reported at 55 weather stations across the Garden State on Tuesday

With all the talk about the spring-like weather descending upon New Jersey on Thanksgiving and Black Friday, this morning's frigid air was a sharp reminder that November can be a strange month of temperature swings.

One day it can be warm in the 60s, and the next day the high can struggle to move past 45 degrees. 

How cold was it Tuesday morning?

The mercury dropped to 15 degrees (without the wind chill factored in) in Walpack in Sussex County, and 16 degrees in Berkeley Township in Ocean County, Kingwood in Hunterdon County and Pequest in Warren County.

Why was Sunday's sunset so spectacular?

Although no records were broken, there's no denying it was a bitter-cold morning, said Mitchell Gaines, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Mount Holly.

Gaines noted it's not unusual for New Jersey to see wild temperature fluctuations in late November. "It's typical here when we're changing seasons," he said.

However, the warm days we're expecting on Thanksgiving and Black Friday -- with daytime temperatures heading up to the low to mid-60s in most parts of the state -- will be far above the norm for this time of the year, Gaines said.

MORE TEMPERATURE READINGS ACROSS N.J.

Click on the red dots on the map to see how cold it was Tuesday morning in 55 locations across the Garden State. The temperature readings were reported by the NJ Weather & Climate Network and the National Weather Service.

Len Melisurgo may be reached at LMelisurgo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @LensReality. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

A 25-year-old man living in a Mansfield Township housing complex was revived by police following an alleged heroin overdose.

A 25-year-old man living in a Mansfield Township housing complex was revived by police following an alleged heroin overdose.

A Nalaxone kit. (NJ.COM File Photo)Pamela Sroka-Holzmann | For lehighvalleylive.com 

Police say the man, whose name wasn't released, shortly after 9 p.m. Friday was lying on the floor unconscious when a Mansfield Township police officer arrived.

An officer attempted to revive the man at the Warren Village Complex with a bag valve mask while another officer  administered a dose from the state-issued nasal Narcan kit.

After no change in condition, the officer administered a second dose, police say.

The man eventually regained consciousness and was able to breathe on his own, according to police. He then told officers he injected heroin, police say.

Rescue workers transported the man to the hospital for further treatment. Police seized 5 bags of heroin and drug paraphernalia from the home.

Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.

Four of the committee's five seats have new occupants after a series of resignations.

Every seat on the Greenwich Township Committee is occupied once again.

Four of the five elected spots turned over after a series of resignations that started in September.

Three of the new committee members were appointed by Gov. Chris Christie in October. State law requires the governor to make selections when a majority of the local government is at stake.

3 appointed to Greenwich Twp. committee while 4th member steps down

The committee was completed Monday, when it unanimously selected former Mayor Frank Marchetta to the fifth and final spot.

"If last night's meeting is any indication, we're going to work well together," Marchetta said Tuesday. "We communicate well."

Jim Adams is sworn into the Greenwich Township Committee in 2014. Adams, now the township's mayor, is the only original 2015 committeeman left on the five-person board after a series of resignations. (lehighvalleylive.com file photo)

Already on the committee were Christie's appointments -- William A. Spencer, Bob Barsony and Bill Kanyuck.

"I was honored to be picked by the governor," Kanyuck said, adding that he wants to get the township "moving forward." He previously served as the township's mayor in 2006 and 2007, and as a committeeman in 2008.

"There is so much going on in the town," he said. "It's upsetting that we're seeing all our hard-earned tax dollars being wasted on attorney fees and other issues."

Barsony said his philosophy for local government is to "keep it simple." On Monday, he successfully motioned to eliminate a civilian police director position, a job that -- had it been filled -- would have replaced the police chief vacancy.

"I'm looking to simplify the governmental process in Greenwich Township ... I want to lessen the bureaucracy rather than increase it," said Barsony, a security officer in the Phillipsburg School District who has previously served in the Warren County Prosecutor's Office and Pohatcong Township police department.

The new committeemen join Mayor Jim Adams, the lone holdover from the resignation blitz. Neither Adams nor Spencer immediately returned calls for comment Tuesday.

3 resignations leave Greenwich short a governing body

The resignations began with Committeeman Tom Callari's letter to the township dated Sept. 15 announcing he would step down Sept. 30 because he was moving out of town.

Committeeman Joe Tauriello's immediate resignation was tendered Sept. 25, days after a DUI charge from June was publicly reported.

Committeeman Angelo Faillace resigned late Sept. 30, after a special meeting to vote on a replacement for Tauriello was cancelled due to a lack of a majority. Faillace said he was unhappy with the selection process.

On Oct. 27, the day Christie announced his three picks, Deputy Mayor Elaine Emiliani submitted her immediate resignation, citing personal reasons.

Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.

 

A look at what's closed and open over the Thanksgiving Day holiday.

Thanksgiving Day in the United States has been celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November since 1863. In its simplest terms, it is a celebration of the blessings of the year, including the harvest. It also is the start of the holiday shopping season.

Many people in the Lehigh Valley start Thanksgiving Day by watching the Easton-Phillipsburg football game on television or live from Lafayette College. Express-Times File Photo 

Government offices, businesses, schools and many other community buildings are closed on Thanksgiving Day.

Some offices and businesses are also closed on the Friday after Thanksgiving Day.

The following is a list of what's open/closed on Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday.

Mail: U.S. Post Offices are closed Thursday but open Friday. There is no mail delivery Thursday.

Liquor stores: All Pennsylvania liquor stores will be closed Thursday. New Jersey stores are privately owned so the decision to open or close is not bound by government policy.

Department of Motor Vehicles: All driver license and photo centers, including the full-service center in Harrisburg, will be closed Thursday and Friday, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. 

The New Jersey Department of Motor Vehicles lists only Thursday as a holiday.

Local and municipal offices: All local offices are closed Thursday. Northampton County reopens Friday, however Lehigh and Warren counties' offices remain closed Friday.

Many local municipal offices are closed Friday, including Phillipsburg, Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton, Forks Township, Palmer Township and Pen Argyl. It's probably a good idea to check with your local municipality if you are not sure.

Money and markets: The New York Stock Exchange is closed Thursday and has shortened hours on Friday, closing at 1 p.m. In general, banks are closed Thursday; hours and closings vary by location Friday.

Schools: Schools are closed Thursday and Friday, and some remain closed Monday, which is the first day of deer-hunting season in Pennsylvania.

Libraries: Libraries are closed Thursday. Friday hours/openings vary by community. The Bethlehem Area Public Library closes at 4 p.m. Friday because of the Bethlehem tree-lighting ceremony in Payrow Plaza. The Warren County Library is closed Thursday through Sunday. Hackettstown Public Library reopens Friday; Phillipsburg Free Public Library remains closed through Saturday.

Community: Community centers are closed Thursday but most reopen Friday. Many communities host holiday tree-lighting ceremonies Friday.

Public transit: No LANTA bus or van service Thursday; regular schedule Friday. Trans-Bridge will operate an adjusted schedule Thursday and Friday.

Retail: Area malls open later in the day on Thanksgiving, except the Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley. Stores there are open 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday.

Thanksgiving/Black Friday hours are as follows:

The Lehigh Valley Mall is open 6 p.m. Thursday to 1 a.m. Friday. It reopens at 6 a.m. Friday and closes at 10 that night.

Palmer Park Mall is open 6 p.m. to midnight Thursday and 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday.

The Phillipsburg Mall opens at 8 p.m. Thursday and some stores will remain open throughout the night and into the morning. The mall does not officially close until 9 p.m. Friday.

The Outlet at Sands Bethlehem will be open 6 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. Thursday and 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday.

Both Liberty Village, in Flemington, and The Crossing Premium Outlets in Pocono Township open at 6 p.m. Thursday and remain open into Friday, until 10 p.m.

Email KJ at kjfrantz@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow lehighvalleylive.com on Twitter at @lehighvalley. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.

Any place you can stay while away from home - whether it's a luxury resort or an inexpensive motel - offers its own value. Watch video

The Pocahontas Motor Lodge in Williamsburg, Va., was the first inn I ever stayed as an overnight guest. I was 10 years old and traveled to the colonial city with my family. For me, staying in the motor lodge was, quite possibly, the highlight of the trip.

There were so many things to fascinate a child - the ice machine in the hallway where multiple visits were made, the beds positioned so a kid could jump from one to the other and the swimming pool we were permitted to use ... even at night!

As it would happen, I didn't get to spend too much time in the pool because my stomach turned after driving from south Jersey in a bouncy VW Squareback. (I was kept on a diet of soft-boiled eggs for a couple of days). Still, it was all so new, so different and so wonderful. And, I checked ... it's still there!

As with anything else, tastes in travel accommodations run the gamut; some folks will stay only in hotels that have five-star ratings while others will stay only where there are rock-bottom rates. I'd like to go on record as saying any place you can stay while away from home - whether it's a luxury resort or an inexpensive motel - offers its own value.

MORE: Vintage photos around New Jersey

This gallery features a range of vintage hotels, motels and inns. But first, a few N.J. "accommodations" factoids:

it wasn't just Magic Fingers; it was a "relaxation service!"courtesy of presentatonsunplugged.com 

* The Wildwoods Shore Resort Historic District notes that more than 300 motels were built in the city's shore district during the "Doo-Wop era" of the 1950s and 1960s.

* The Chalfonte Hotel in Cape May, established in 1876, is recognized as the oldest continuously operating hotel in Cape May and on the east coast.

* And, are you ready for this? "Magic Fingers" vibrating beds were invented in New Jersey! The credit here goes to John Houghtaling who conceived the notion in Glen Rock in the 1950s.

Be sure to click on the captions button to read even more about these classic photos.

Greg Hatala may be reached at ghatala@starledger.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregHatala. Find The Star-Ledger on Facebook.

Featured video 

A Warren County Special Services house lets kids practice skills to become self-sufficient.

The house was bustling like any other on Thanksgiving.

In the living room, children sang holiday songs while wearing paper hats. Pots and pans clattered in the kitchen as the dinner was prepared. In the dining room, the table was carefully set with place holders -- turkey legs crafted out of paper bags with the children's names on them, surrounding an edible cornucopia as the centerpiece.

"Never done it," 15-year-old Brandon Babbage said of cooking a holiday feast last week as he threw a large bowl of corn in the microwave, "but it seems exciting."

It hardly seemed like a classroom, but essentially that's what it was.

The HILLS House -- which stands for Helping Individuals Learn Life Skills -- is nestled in a corner of the Centenary College campus in Hackettstown. It serves as a realistic setting for pupils under the Warren County Special Services School District to practice what they're taught.

The district serves special needs students from kindergarten to age 21, imparting life skills that may seem natural to others.

How to clean or do laundry, how to shop for food or set a table, how to use the phone to order a meal or contact police in an emergency -- all are taught in a classroom, but practiced in the house with the goal of making students self-sufficient adults. There are two kitchens, multiple bedrooms to practice home-making and an office is in the works for technology skills.

"They can transfer those skills from the classroom to real life," said special services Superintendent Joe Flynn.

The partnership with Centenary, now in its second year, also benefits up-and-coming teachers, district and college leaders said.

Want to major in Twitter? N.J. college starts social media expertise center

For the Thanksgiving feast held Nov. 17, special services students and adults worked together to prepare the home. Some of the bigger preparations, like the turkey, were provided (Flynn did the carving himself).

But the students, under supervision, took care of a good deal of the dinner.

Bill Spencer, the special services district board president and a school board member in Phillipsburg, said the holiday provided yet another unique learning opportunity.

"Not only are you teaching them the life skill of preparing" for a large gathering, he said, "but you're teaching them about family values. You're teaching them what holidays are and how they're meaningful."

Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.

Unlike most college campuses, Lafayette College in Easton is abuzz on Thanksgiving Day.

Most college campuses are quiet on Thanksgiving Day. Not Lafayette College.

The school on College Hill in Easton serves as the setting for the annual Easton-Phillipsburg Thanksgiving Day football game.

On Thursday morning, tailgaters crowded at the Fisher Stadium parking deck, grilled, drank a variety of beverages and celebrated their blessings at one of the greatest high school football rivalries in the nation.

This is the 109th game between the cross-river communities.

Each rallied Wednesday night. Easton lit a roaring bonfire behind the high school while Phillipsburg students and fans took in a spectacular fireworks display at Maloney Stadium.

Thursday's game starts at 10:30 a.m. Follow live updates of the game action on lehighvalleylive.com.

MORE COVERAGE

Everything you need to know about the 2015 Easton-P'burg game

WATCH: Building to burning the bonfire in 58 seconds

Spectacular fireworks cap Phillipsburg pep rally (PHOTOS, VIDEO)

Easton celebrates annual pregame bonfire on Nov. 25, 2015 (PHOTOS)

Phillipsburg students rally for 2015 Thanksgiving Day game

Easton holds student pep rally for 2015 Thanksgiving Day game

7 Phillipsburg football players to watch vs. Easton

7 Easton football players to watch vs. Phillipsburg

5 keys for Phillipsburg football team today

5 keys for Easton football team today

Jim Deegan may be reached at jdeegan@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @jim_deegan. Find lehighvalleylive on Facebook.

For children in foster care, these experiences are often missed. Several local partners are working to mitigate that loss by filling these children's wish lists and providing holiday gifts for them.

The holidays are a time for families to get together, build relationships, and make memories. For children in foster care, these experiences are often missed. Several local partners are working to mitigate that loss by filling these children's wish lists and providing holiday gifts for them.

This effort was coordinated by the Court Appointed Special Advocates of Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren Counties (CASA SHaW). This non-profit recruits, screens, trains, and supervises community volunteers to act as advocates in court for children in foster care. Each child in Somerset, Hunterdon, and Warren counties with a CASA advocate will have their holiday wishes fulfilled, as will several other children living in foster care in the tri-counties.

CASA SHaW had a record number of partners this year, including long-standing contributors like Financial Resources, Fulton Bank of New Jersey, New York Life, the Somerset County Library, J&J Supply Chain, and Falcon Engineering. New partners this year include Actavis, Waterloo United Methodist Church, the Pear Family, and the Mull Family. Falcon Engineering went one step further - in addition to filling wish lists, they provided 10 new bicycles for children ages 4-7.

"It was a wonderful gesture on their part," says Tracey Heisler, CASA SHaW's executive director. "Falcon Engineering has been such a generous partner over the years - this was such a wonderful surprise!"

CASA of Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren Counties is part of a statewide network of community-based, non-profit programs that recruit, screen, train and supervise volunteers to "Speak Up for a Child" removed from home due to abuse or neglect. CASA is the only program in New Jersey that uses trained volunteers to work one-on-one with children, ensuring that each one gets the services needed and achieves permanency in a safe, nurturing home.

Visit www.casashaw.org or call 908-689-5515 for more information about CASA of Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren Counties.

The Thanksgiving Day rivalry game is as anticipated for the marching bands and cheer teams as it is for the football players.

The Easton-Phillipsburg rivalry is built around a football game. But it's so much more than that.

Students, parents, alumni -- the whole community gets into the act.

The game is as much a showcase for the high schools' marching bands and cheerleaders as it is for the football players.

At halftime, the bands and cheerleaders take the field to perform in front of an estimated 15,000 fans on Thanksgiving Day.

Get a look at some of the scenes from Thursday's halftime at Lafayette College's Fisher Stadium by scrolling through the gallery above.

MORE COVERAGE

Everything you need to know about the 2015 Easton-P'burg game

Phillipsburg High School band profile 2015 (PHOTOS)

Easton Area High School band profile 2015 (PHOTOS)

WATCH: Building to burning the bonfire in 58 seconds

Spectacular fireworks cap Phillipsburg pep rally (PHOTOS, VIDEO)

Easton celebrates annual pregame bonfire on Nov. 25, 2015 (PHOTOS)

Phillipsburg students rally for 2015 Thanksgiving Day game

Easton holds student pep rally for 2015 Thanksgiving Day game

Jim Deegan may be reached at jdeegan@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @jim_deegan. Find lehighvalleylive on Facebook.

Take a break from Thanksgiving to see how well you know New Jersey news.

You've probably completed your Thanksgiving feast, watched your fill of football and exhausted the list of non-incendiary topics to talk about with your family. Your options are now limited to plotting late-night pre-Black Friday shopping, grazing Thanksgiving leftovers or taking NJ.com's News Quiz.

The correct choice is obvious: The seven questions below will not add to your soaring cholesterol count, max out any credit cards or further strain frayed family relationships. For extra fun, challenge your Thanksgiving guests to see who gets the highest score. The loser does the dishes. Share your scores in comments, and remember that there's no Googling allowed.