Participants in the Kenilworth Historical Society’s spring Afternoon Tea on Sat., May 18, will explore the unique, mysterious and peculiar side of New Jersey through an enlightening presentation by Mark Moran and Mark Sceurman, founders and publishers of the acclaimed Weird N.J. magazine.
The “Afternoon Tea With a ‘Weird N.J.’ Twist” will take place at the Kenilworth Veterans Center (Kennedy Room), 33 South 21 Street, starting at 12:30 p.m. In addition to the featured program highlighting little-known N.J. legends, folklore, ghost sightings and other fascinating stories, the event will include a gift auction, 50/50 raffle and door prizes. Assorted teas, tea sandwiches and desserts will be served. Admission is $30. Advance reservations are required (by May 1 recommended), as seating is limited. For reservations/tickets, please call 908-709-0434 or visit Love You More floral boutique (13 North 20th Street, Kenilworth), where tickets are being sold.
During the Afternoon Tea, Moran and Sceurman will speak of people, places and happenings in New Jersey that are not found in most tourist maps or historical records, as the primary focus of their backroad travels and research is on local unwritten history and modern folklore considered to be strange, odd or unique.
Proceeds from the Afternoon Tea will benefit the Kenilworth Historical Society’s Oswald J. Nitschke House (c. 1880) “living history” museum and cultural arts center by helping defray operating expenses, including the cost of an elevator that makes all levels of the site (“living history” museum, exhibition center and cultural arts center) fully accessible to everyone.
Moran and Sceurman began their search of unwritten N.J. history and modern folklore more than 30 years ago in the course of compiling a homespun newsletter, called “Weird N.J.,” that they distributed annually to their friends. The pamphlet, comprising odd news, bizarre facts, little-known historical anecdotes and anomalous encounters from across the Garden State, was based on the idea that “every town in the state had a least one good tale to tell.” Soon thereafter, “Weird N.J.” evolved into the popular self-published magazine Weird N.J.: Your Travel Guide to New Jersey’s Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets. At that time, “the two Marks,” as they familiarly are referred to, started conducting their own investigations into local legends, ancient mysteries, bizarre beasts, ghosts, unexplained phenomena and fabled people and places throughout New Jersey.
In 2003, Barnes & Noble released the first Weird N.J. hardcover book, authored by Moran and Sceurman under their own imprint. Additional books followed in a nationally successful Weird U.S. series, also produced by “the two Marks.” A number of Weird N.J. publications will be available for sale during the Kenilworth Historical Society’s May 18 “Afternoon Tea With a ‘Weird N.J.’ Twist.”
In 2005, Weird U.S. became a weekly television series, starring Moran and Sceurman, on the History Channel. “The two Marks” currently are commentators on the program Paranormal Caught on Camera, which airs weekly on the Travel Channel and on Discovery +.
The Kenilworth Historical Society (www.kenilworthhistoricalsociety.org) is an independent, volunteer-based, non-profit, tax-exempt, 501(c) (3) organization dedicated to the research, preservation and interpretation of the Oswald J. Nitschke House (c. 1880), local history and culture.
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PHOTO DESCRIPTION: Mark Moran and Mark Sceurman, founders and publishers of Weird N.J. magazine, will discuss the unique, mysterious and peculiar side of New Jersey during an Afternoon Tea to be presented by the Kenilworth Historical Society on Sat., May 18, at the Kenilworth Veterans Center (Kennedy Room), 33 South 21 Street, starting at 12:30 p.m. The event will feature an enlightening presentation by Moran and Sceurman, highlighting little-known N.J. legends, folklore, ghost sightings and other fascinating stories, plus a gift auction, 50/50 raffle and door prizes. Assorted teas, tea sandwiches and desserts will be served. Admission is $30, and advance reservations are required. For tickets/information, please call 908-709-0434.