Dustin Dumas
Name?
Dustin Dumas.
What town do you live in, and how long have you lived here?
South Orange. I have lived here since 2011.
SOMA or MapSO?
SOMA.
What do you do?
I am an entrepreneur, writer and I manage South Orange Maplewood Television Station [SOMAtv]. I also produce and host Dustin’s Kaleidoscope, on the same station. I do many other things but I will leave it there for now.
Why do you live/work/interact here?
I like being near South Mountain Reservation where I can go hiking and just get lost in the woods.
What series are you binge watching right now?
Columbo.
What SOMA event is your favorite and that you’ll be at once the pandemic restrictions end?
Play Day in South Orange is one of my favorite events. I like that it brings out the community and there are so many things to do, see and eat!
How do you contribute to our community?
I help South Orange and Maplewood residents develop and produce local television shows and I help residents with genealogy research, often using my two Union Civil War ancestors as examples. I also enjoy contributing to the community with our family’s Annual Dumas Turkey Trot. We started it in 2013 and we open it up to the community. The “entrance fee” is a non perishable food item. We have donated these items to a different food pantry each year. We started it because we wanted to encourage our neighbors to get out and engage in physical activity and give back in a meaningful way to our larger community.
What’s your favorite outdoor space in SOMA?
South Mountain Reservation! I am there several days a week. I started hiking and running in the Reservation years ago, before I even moved here. I joined South Mountain Conservancy hikes and eventually started leading hikes for them. I am not a cold weather person but I enjoyed the hikes so much during the other seasons that I wanted to continue during the winter and volunteered to lead hikes during the winter months. The Conservancy had never held hikes in the winter but many people enjoyed them and we continue them to this day.
What’s your favorite thing about living here?
I like being able to walk to many places in town and not be reliant on my car to do things such as go to the library, the post office or even pick up a few things from the grocery store. Another favorite thing is the Duck Pond! I enjoy watching the ducks and the turtles in the warm weather months and the snow and ice on the pond in the cold weather months.
What’s your favorite place to go on Saturday morning?
South Mountain Reservation with my camera. It’s a beautiful way to start the weekend.
What is your favorite place to park in Maplewood or South Orange Village?
I usually just keep my car parked at home and walk around town.
What superpower would you like to have? Would you use it for good or evil? And would you use it to get a parking spot?
I would use my superpower for good! My superpower would be to detect cancer, cure people immediately and for it to never return.
