Cherry Hill Mall

      Wednesday, January 4, 2023: Cherry Hill Mall, 2000 Route 38, Cherry Hill (Camden County), New Jersey (856-662-7440) first opened on October 11, 1961. At the time, it was the first enclosed shopping mall to open east of the Mississippi River. Back then, it was located in Delaware Township, but on November 7, 1961, those in power changed the name to Cherry Hill Township. I remembered my parents taking me there in December 1961. In those days, I was five, and the staff decorated the mall for Christmas. Throughout the year during the 1960s, Cherry Hill Mall contained fountains, birds in cages, plants & flowers, and plenty of stores. Just looking around here proved to be a great experience! Meanwhile, the stores ranged from budget to upscale. Through the years, the mall officials added part of a second floor, and removed the birds in cages, plants & flowers, and most of the fountains. Instead, the staff replaced them with small vendors selling mostly upscale products. In fact, most of the stores nowadays have been upscale. The date above was the first time I’ve been here since 2019, and while a few stores changed, the overall effect of the mall looked the same. Nevertheless, I am glad to see a mall operating at almost full capacity after so many other malls have few stores in them or closed altogether. From what I saw, this mall isn’t in danger of closing, and I’m glad.   

Wells Mills County Park

     Tuesday, January 3, 2023: Later, after seeing the Popcorn Park Zoo, and being in the mood for nature and seeing more of the New Jersey Pinelands, I went to Ocean County’s largest park: Wells Mills County Park, 905 Wells Mills Road, Waretown (609-971-3085). At over 900 acres, this park contained over 20 miles of hiking trails. Other activities offered here included boating and fishing, as well as a picnic area and playground near the nature center. This nature center educated me better about the local wildlife nearby via texts, pictures, and taxidermy animal exhibits. Videos in this center presented a history of Wells Mills and its past lumber industry that used to thrive here by way of two saw mills. The local Atlantic White Cedar wood has been prized by many people for constructing buildings, boats, fences, and so forth because it was lightweight and rot resistant. From the 1700s to the late 1970s, different people owned the land. Then, the NJ Conservation Foundation bought 200 acres of this land. Since then, the county bought more land that increased the park size. In another room, I watched another video about the industries in the NJ Pinelands from the 18th century into the early years of the 20th century: ironworks, glassworks, saw mills, clay mining, cranberry farming, blueberry farming, etc. Therefore, between being informed about the nature around here and the history of this area, I learned a lot!    

Popcorn Park Zoo

      Tuesday, January 3, 2023: Because the weather in January was mild in New Jersey, I decided to look at animals in Ocean County at the Popcorn Park Zoo, Humane Way at Lacy Road, Forked River (609-693-1900). (The “Popcorn” in the name refers to the popcorn that some of the animals receive as a treat.) When I arrived, the first thing I noticed were several peacocks and peahens, both the colorful breed and the white breed, and they had the run of this place. Different humane societies operate this zoo, and there has also been an animal adoption center here as well. Unlike other zoos, Popcorn Park Zoo only took in rescue animals. The exotic and wild animals could not survive by themselves in the wilderness, and some of these animals had been abandoned or abused by their former owners. On seven acres in the NJ Pinelands, this zoo included three kinds of animals: exotic animal species that originated from other parts of the world, wild animals native to this area, and farm animals. In a setting of mostly double chain-link fences, I found it interesting to think that those fences were the only barrier between me and many of those animals! First I entered the reptile house where I saw a boa constrictor, two alligators, and an iguana. A nearby aviary displayed some cockatoos and parrots, and the rest of the exotic animals consisted of monkeys, baboons, and lions, as well as tigers, llamas, tortoises, etc. Much of the indigenous wildlife on exhibit included turtles, hawks, owls, bears, bobcats, cougars, deer, squirrels, and others wild species. This zoo also presented the following farm animals: pigs, horses, donkeys, ponies, goats, sheep, cows, chickens, pigeons, and so on. All in all, I spent a few hours here learning about the history of some of these animals who are currently being taken care of in this pineland setting. I definitely recommend a visit to this zoo.