Lines on the Pines ‘breathing new life’ into the event’s 13th year
With 13 years in the books, the event’s Founder and President, Linda Stanton, said they decided to put a special spin on this year’s theme titling it “13 Years and the 13th Child.”
For more than a decade, an event has brought New Jersey residents together in celebration of what makes the Pine Barrens distinct. “Lines on the Pines” returns for the 13th year on Sunday, March 11, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., with the event taking place at Stockton University Campus Center in Galloway for the first time.
“Lines on the Pines” is a free, indoor event featuring authors, artists, historians and crafters who display their work in the hopes attendees might learn something new about what’s taking place in their backyards. The event is organized each year by It’s A Sign of the Pines, a nonprofit dedicated to informing people about the Pine Barrens.
With 13 years in the books, the event’s founder and president, Linda Stanton, said they decided to put a special spin on this year’s theme, titling it “13 Years and the 13th Child.” Stanton said according to popular folklore, one of the Pine Barrens’ most famous residents, the Jersey Devil, was the 13th child of “Mother Leeds,” and so they decided to bring an array of Jersey Devil-themed programming to this year’s event.
“If you don’t breathe life into it each year, you would be left with the same old, same old every year,” Stanton said of their efforts to make each year special.
She said attendees will be greeted by a Jersey Devil made entirely out of mums, and children will be guided through creating a Jersey Devil-themed painting. A costumed Jersey Devil will also be available for photographs.
Hosting the event at Stockton has expanded this year’s offerings, Stanton said. Attendees can join a guided walking tour around Lake Fred, view the documentary “John Hart: Portrait of a Patriot” and meet more than 90 “Pine Barrens celebrities” who want to impart the history and culture of the area on those in attendance.
The event has grown in size each year. What started out as a small authors’ event featuring around five tables at Sweetwater Casino has grown exponentially over the course of a decade. In contrast, this year more than 90 tables will be set up at Stockton University, featuring a full array of ways attendees can engage and learn more about the Pinelands.
For Stanton, the event is about focusing on the beauty, nature, history and folklore of the area. She said this can come in a variety of forms from artists who bring paintings to filmmakers showcasing a documentary of the area. She said the event draws people of all ages.
“Some may come because they’re interested in folklore or fantasy,” Stanton said. “Some want history and facts.”
Samuel Still, chairman of the Dr. James Still Historic Office and Education Center in Medford, has set up a tabletop at “Lines on the Pines” for the last three years. Still said the event is a great way to inform people about the life of Dr. James Still, and to encourage people to come to the Still Center, which is the first African-American site purchased by the state for historic preservation.
Apart from his role at the event as an educator, Still said as an attendee, he’s found “Lines on the Pines” enriching every year.
“What I found interesting is all the different arts and all the different historical societies have stuff that I never would have known or never thought about,” Still said.
Author Barbara Solem, who has written three books on the Pine Barrens, echoed Still’s sentiments. She said “Lines on the Pines” pulls together photographers, basket weavers, artists and authors from across Pine Barrens communities.
She said by her estimate, nearly 1,000 people came through last year to learn more and engage with the unique biosphere that is the Pine Barrens.
“There’s just many, many wonderful ways to enjoy this great wildness that we’re very lucky to have,” Solem said.
To learn more about Lines on the Pines and for a full list of vendors, visit www.linesonthepines.org.
