The team from “Travels with Darley” attended another sold out screening for “Revolutionary Road Trip,” a sub-series of “Travels with Darley.” This time, it was in New Jersey at the historic State Theatre in New Brunswick. This screening showcased and highlighted Middlesex and Somerset County in an episode which is the third part of the “Revolutionary Road Trip” series on New Jersey.
The screening event was attended by community members, business leaders, historians and included a special appearance from Perth Amboy Mayor Caba Helmin.
The evening started off with socializing and networking with light fare from local restaurant, plus, a special performance put on by a fife and drum band. Afterwards, notable speakers like Lina Llona, President of the Middlesex County Regional Chamber of Commerce/Convention & Visitors Bureau, opened and welcomed the event. Darley shared her insights into why this area of New Jersey was chosen to spotlight, which included the diversity of the restaurants and history. Attendees then watched Emmy-awarded nominated TV host and executive producer, Darley Newman, debut the PBS episode for the first time.
Stars of the episode were on hand to watch the episode together with the local community for the first time. Mayor Helmin Caba from Perth Amboy, City Historian John Dyke, Middlesex County Historian Mark Nonestied, and Isha Vyas, Division Head of Folklife and Cultural Heritage for the Arts Institute of Middlesex County were in the audience and are featured in the episode.
“Travels with Darley: Revolutionary Road Trip Part III” begins in Somerville, where Darley meets Dr. De Rode at the Wallace House, where George Washington spent a winter during the Revolutionary War. Here, Darley learns about the significance of the Washington Rochambeau Trail and History on the Green. Darley also tours downtown with Natalie Pineiro with the Downtown Somerville Alliance to dine at family-owned Boulevard Seafood for lunch, and later meets Dr. De Rode at a French restaurant across from The Green to toast history. Darley continues to the town of Hillsborough where Jeremy Lees, the creator of Flounder Brewery located inside a centuries-old barn, shares the history and preservation story of this cool brewery.
Darley then heads to East Jersey Old Town in Piscataway. County historian Mark Nonestied shows Darley around the site’s collection of historic buildings. Darley steps inside one of the colonial homes and meets Sharon Goodman, who tends the kitchen garden and creates colonial-inspired dishes. She lets Darley sample bread made from a centuries-old recipe. Darley then takes a look inside the Indian Queen Tavern, originally built in the 1700s in New Brunswick, but relocated to East Jersey Old Town in the 1970s.
Darley heads over to New Brunswick, home to the main campus of Rutgers University. Mark Nonestied meets Darley on campus to share insights into New Brunswick history and Rutgers’ colonial roots. Then, Isha Vyas, Division Head of Folklife and Cultural Heritage for the Arts Institute of Middlesex County, takes Darley for an afternoon drink to share more about how this hub city draws in diversity and culture.
Back in Piscataway, Darley meets Mark at the Cornelius Low House, one of only two homes left from the historic port community of Raritan Landing. For dinner, Darley returns to New Brunswick, where Chef Bruce Lefebvre trained at the Culinary Institute of America, serves up colonial inspired dishes at his restaurant, The Frog and the Peach.
New Jersey Revolutionary Road Trip (Part 3) :60 Travels with Darley from Darley Newman on Vimeo.
The journey continues in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. Lisa Nanton takes Darley though the Proprietary House, home of the last New Jersey Royal Governor, William Franklin, the illegitimate son of Ben Franklin. Darley takes a walk through the gravestones at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, where remnants of the American Revolution remain today. Darley stops for lunch at The Barge, a restaurant established in 1925, and locally loved for its seafood. Darley checks out Perth Amboy’s City Hall, where Mayor Helmin Caba shows Darley its impressive interior, and City Historian, John Dyke, joins them to share more about the city’s history.
Once the screening concluded, attendees had the opportunity to participate in a Q&A along with trivia questions presented by Darley, and winners of the trivia questions won “Travel with Darley” t-shirts. One member of the audience felt so moved by the screening that she told everyone that it almost had her in tears and that she could not wait to share this with her family and others. The event was a success!
Viewers can watch “Travels with Darley” on NJ PBS locally and free streaming on GoTraveler.
