Mapsopoly is hot off the press and on sale now

SOUTH ORANGE / MAPLEWOOD, NJ — The best board game in town is back! Mapsopoly is a localized South Orange and Maplewood version of the board game Monopoly. All proceeds from the sales of the new, updated issue of the game will go to Columbia High School’s Midnight Madness fund, a drug- and alcohol-free post-graduation party. Board spaces and monetary denominations are sponsored by local South Orange and Maplewood businesses, which helped pay for up to 40 percent of the cost of production of the games. All six local elementary schools are featured on the game board as well.

Midnight Madness, also known as Project Graduation, is a program designed to help prevent the substantial increase in accident fatalities on graduation. One third of all accident fatalities for those ages 21 and younger occur during the graduation season. CHS has been providing a safe all-night, drug- and alcohol-free, celebration on graduation night for more than 30 years.

After the graduation ceremony, graduates are bused to a secret location, where they are served dinner and participate in a variety of fun activities, including dancing, games and other entertainment options. An early breakfast is served before the graduates board buses and return home at 5 a.m. To offset the costs for families without the means to pay the full ticket price, the HSA Midnight Madness committee raises funds, ensuring that all graduates can celebrate together. The committee’s goal is to lower the ticket price to $50 this year, when the actual cost of the evening is closer to $150 per student. Fundraisers such as the Mapsopoly game, an upcoming wine tasting on Dec. 7 and the ongoing Flamingo Flocking go toward bringing down the costs per family.

The games — a perfect holiday gift — are $25 and are being sold at businesses in the town towns. In Maplewood, you can purchase the game at The Able Baker, 187 Maplewood Ave.; The Paper Hat, 94 Baker St.; No. 165, 165 Maplewood Ave.; and Cedar Ridge Cafe and Bakery, 410 Ridgewood Road. In South Orange, you can purchase the game at Sadies, 65 Valley St.; Sparkhouse Toys, 9 Village Plaza; Kitchen a la Mode, 19 South Orange Ave.; and D&I Fitness, 9 South Orange Ave. Games are also being sold on the Columbia High School HSA website’s Midnight Madness page at https://www.columbiahsa.org/midnight-madness/ and are available on the CHS Midnight Madness website www.CHSMidnightMadness.columbiahsa.com. Free delivery is available in South Orange and Maplewood!

  Columbia High School