June is the month we celebrate Merchantville's birth in 1874! While current circumstances have caused states to ban public gatherings, such as parties and celebrations, let's toast the founding of our small but strong borough 146 years ago and, honor the efforts of the many public servants, volunteers and business owners who have helped to strengthen and sustain our community. As we start planning for the Borough's Sesquicentennial, Mayor Brennan and Council want you to know that they are committed to continuing their work on your behalf and moving initiatives forward that will promote progress and secure a vital and prosperous future for residents and businesses. Merchantville's history.

All-time record cold for May is expected this weekend with parts of the Northeast and Midwest anticipating snow and the potential for a New England bomb cyclone! The strong cold front sweeping across the Midwest and East will make it feel more like late March than early May. High temperatures will be 10 to 25 degrees below average Mother's Day weekend and much of the Northeast will stay in the 40s on Saturday. Merchantville will have a high of 47 and low of 35 today. Protect those seedlings and newly planted gardens!

Hot off the presses! On April 1st Mayor Brennan introduced The Borough Brief - a digital newsletter containing updates on Borough of Merchantville happenings. Please subscribe on the front page of the Borough's website. Articles in this first edition include conducting virtual Council meetings, how to track the spread of coronavirus across the state by county on the dashboard at NJ DOH, the re-opening of The Blue Monkey Tavern and some ideas on how you can support our businesses to keep our local economy going during this difficult time. Links are also provided to the coming virtual Council meeting, NJ 2-1-1 and Camden County Covid-19 updates.

Happy Mother's Day 2020 to moms, grandmoms and great-grandmoms. Mother's Day is a celebration honoring mothers and celebrating motherhood, maternal bonds and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on various days in many parts of the world, yet most commonly in March, April, or May. In most countries Mother's Day is celebrated on the second Sunday in May, among them the USA, Canada, most European countries, Australia, New Zealand, India, China, Japan, the Philippines and South Africa. One notable exception to this rule are the UK and Ireland, which celebrate Mother's Day on the fourth Sunday in Lent. Most Arab countries celebrate Mother's Day on March 21st - The Vernal Equinox - and East European countries celebrate Mother's Day on March 8th. 

The May edition of The Borough Brief contains updates on Borough of Merchantville happenings. Please subscribe to this digital newsletter by entering your email address in the box on the front page of the Borough's website. Articles in this edition include the mayor's latest Covid-19 message, the importance of completing your census online, an interview with Laura Panarello on the frontline, grant funds for rails-to-trails, renovations to the Community Center park and information on local food pantries.

Mayor Brennan provided an update to the community about the Covid-19 status in the Borough. He reminded residents that Merchantville's parks, sports fields and the multi-use path are all closed at this time and while he feels and understands the frustration with these closures and desire to exercise it continues to be necessary. He thanked everyone for their cooperation. He noted that additional testing sites are now available and this has lead to a corresponding increase in positive cases in our neighboring communities of Cherry Hill and Camden. The mayor informed residents that the Primary election has been moved to July 7th and encouraged  anyone concerned about on-site voting to apply for vote by mail through the county. He assured residents that he and Council are working with their partners in government, faith based groups and our schools to support businesses and obtain the resources that our community needs.