feature story / 35 Luther King, Jr. alone in room 306 of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis on April 3, 1968, struggling with his past, anxious about his future and coming to terms with his life. For details and ticket information, call 973-395-5551 or visit lunastage.org. Essex County ADAPT, Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention Team, presents SOMA Talks: Getting Rid of the Stigma at The Woodland in Maple- wood April 18 and April 25 at 7:30 p.m. Session one will focus on signs of usage and addiction and what to do when evidence is discovered. Session two focuses on strategies for recovery, coping with the disease, and erasing the stigma of addiction in the family. For details, contact Candice Davenport at cdavenport@twp.maplewood.nj.us. Join South Orange Symphony for its free spring concert April 29 at 3 p.m. at South Orange Middle School. Susan Haig leads the orchestra in the music of Elgar, Bernstein and others. The orchestra’s silent auction fundrais- er will take place during intermission and a reception will follow the concert. For details, email southorangesym@aol. com or visit sosymphony.org. The Spring 5K Fun Run at 9 a.m. on March 17 – St. Patrick's Day – will benefit the Columbia High School Track & Field Program. The race starts at Dunnell Road near the Ma- plewood Fire Department. Register online for $25 by March 13 at register. compuscore.com/cougars5k. Day of race registration is $30. For details, email columbiacougars5K@gmail.com. FOOD MATTERS Food Matters showcases some of our local food and dining options. Bon appetit! B: breakfast Full bar L: lunch Delivery D: dinner Price range: $10, $$ 11-30, $$$ 31-60, $$$$ 60+ Papillon 25 25 Valley St., South Orange 973-761-5299 papillon25.com Papillon 25 is all about gourmet food in elegant surroundings. Featuring a fusion of French, Italian, Caribbean and American influences, Executive Chef Yanick Ranieri creates a seasonal menu with organic produce and herbs. Sample one of the 70 marti- nis offered at the martini bar. Open daily. (L, D) $$-$$$ Sprout 181 Maplewood Ave., Maplewood iheartsprout.com This new eatery offers homemade salads, wraps, soup and grain bowls made with love and fresh, local ingredients. Open daily. (L, D) $ Splurge Bakery 105 Main St., Millburn 973-379-0740 splurgebakery.com Desserts and cakes are baked from scratch in small batches using only the finest ingredients. Try kid’s birthday cakes, specialty event fondant and buttercream cakes. Unique theme dessert tables, personalized logo and photo cookies, and corporate gifts ship throughout the country. Now shipping our famous Rainbow Cake! Open daily. 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. $ St. James’s Gate Publick House 167 Maplewood Ave., Maplewood 973-378-2222 stjamesgatepublickhouse.com Experience the best of Ireland’s pub traditions beside the fire at this family-friendly gastropub. Serving traditional comfort food that is both basic and delicious and changes seasonally. Raw bar Fridays 4-7 p.m. Open daily. (L, D) $$ case the library’s future renovation. The plans to transform the building will allow the library to host speakers in two beautiful spaces: one with stadi- um seating facing the park and anoth- er capable of seating up to 230 people. Lester looks forward to the day when the library will no longer host speakers in the basement. The Maplewood Library funds the Ideas Festival through the generosity of the Friends of the Maplewood Library, the Maplewood Library Foundation, the Maplewood Woman’s Club, the New Jer- sey State Council on the Arts, and Words Bookstore. For detailed information on this year’s schedule, see p. 9 of Local Matters or go to maplewoodlibrary.org. Ellen Donker is a big fan of libraries and recalls her days in elementary school when she would often scour every branch of the Wayne Public Library to secure unread Nancy Drew books. An interesting addition to the fes- tival in 2015 was Makers Day, hosted in the “Create Space” at the Hilton branch. Here children, teens and adults get to use their creativity by ac- cessing new technologies and software such as Studio One 3 sound engineer- ing software and equipment, a 3D printer and 3D CAD software, as well as circuitry kits, a laminator and color printer. This space has been part of NJ Makers Day ever since and this year will be one of more than 300 loca- tions state-wide celebrating the maker movement on March 10. Special proj- ects will include making your own paint spinner and building an analog clock, as well as a wind tunnel chal- lenge, the Arduino pen plotter, string art with Maplewoodshop, and an escape room. The community has enthusiastical- ly supported the Ideas Festival with in- creased attendance year over year. For 2018, Lester and her staff have lined up another enviable list of speakers. A dominant theme of identity and em- powerment has emerged, highlighted by a number of strong and powerful women. Local resident and author Marina Budhos will receive the Ma- plewood Literary Award. This year, Lester is especially enthu- siastic about the opportunity to show- TThe Maplewood Woman's Club presents a check for $300,000 to the Maplewood Library Foundation as they kick off their Capital Campaign to raise funds for a renovated Main Library. Marina Budhos' most recent novel, Watched. Local Matters continued from p. 11