Weehawken’s ‘Own Lef’ releases new mix tape
Twenty-two-year-old Weehawken rapper Tony Cimino, a.k.a. Own Lef, has been rapping since he was 12. As his father Joe and mother Cindy are well-known local musicians, he was surrounded by music since birth.
On Feb. 29, Cimino released a mix tape of 14 tracks he wrote entitled “Curtains,” named for a photograph of curtains his friend took that he used as cover art.
Cimino writes his own lyrics, plays guitar, piano, and mixes his own tracks; “I do the whole nine,” he said. Joe remarked that Tony will disappear for 12 hours at a time in his Union City studio to write and play.
“It opens me up,” Tony said. “It gives me a place to go.”
“Curtains” is full of “deep lyrics” about Own Lef’s “emotional life situations,” and can be found at http://www.hotnewhiphop.com/lef-t-the-rocketeer-mixtape.35205.html, or visit Cimino’s Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/JerseysOwnLef.
Archangel Airborne to hold local Haiti benefit concert
Archangel Airborne will hold a Haiti benefit concert at Park United Methodist Church at 51 Clifton Terr. in Weehawken on Saturday, March 17 at 3 p.m. The concert will help fund medical missions and will include original works by Archangel Airborne President and Founder Stuart Douglas Hirsch on guitar and vocals, Charu Suri on piano and organ, Matthew Minucci on trombone, and other musical guests.
Refreshments will be available at intermission.
For more information and tickets, visit the website at www.archangelairborne.org or call (646) 234-8484. Tickets will also be sold at the door. Suggested donation is $25.
Peace walk potluck dinner to be held at Weehawken Swaminarayan Temple
The organizers of the “No More Fukushimas Peace Walk” will hold a potluck dinner on Wednesday, March 7 at 6:30 p.m. at the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Temple, located at 4 Louisa Place in Weehawken. Dominique French, an anti-nulcear activist and expert, will speak along with several Japanese Peace Walkers.
On March 11, 2011, the Fukushima nuclear disaster caused people to question the intelligence of using nuclear power to provide electricity. Oyster Creek Nuclear Power Plant in Forked River, N.J. has the same design as the Fukushima Nuclear Plant.
A group of Japanese Buddhists, Fukushima eye-witnesses, and U.S. citizens will walk over 200 miles from Oyster Creek to the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant to bring awareness of the terrible risks of nuclear power. The “No More Fukushimas Peace Walk” is led by nun Jun Yasuda.
Attendants are requested to bring vegan food out of respect for the temple.
For information call Hemal Trivedi at (646) 535-3953.
Weehawken Recreation to hold girls’ softball try outs and registration
Weehawken Recreation will hold its girls’ softball tryouts and registration at the Webster School Gym located at 2700 Palisade Ave. from 6:30 to 8 p.m.
Try outs and registration for girls 10 and under will be held onTuesday, March 13 and 20; for girls age 12 and under on Wednesday, March 14 and 21; and for girls age 16 and under on Thursday, March 15 and 22.
Age is determined by player’s age as of Dec. 31, 2011. Candidates must wear sneakers and bring a glove. Proof of residency and birth certificate required.
For more information call recreation at (201) 319-6061.
Weehawken Recreation to hold baseball tryouts and registration
Weehawken Recreation will hold its Baseball league try outs and registrations on Saturday, March 3, at the Webster School Gym located at 2700 Palisade Ave.
Tryouts for Cal Ripken Minors (age 8-10) will run from 2 -3:30 p.m. and Cal Ripken Majors (age 10-12) will run from 3:30 – 5 p.m.
Early registration for T-Ball (age 4-5) and Rookie League (age 6-7) will be held from 2 – 5 p.m.
Babe Ruth Baseball try-outs (boys 13-15) will be held on two Sundays, March 4 and 11 at Weehawken Stadium located at 372 Park Ave. from 2 -3:30 p.m.
Proof of residency and birth certificate required. For more information please call Weehawken Recreation at (201) 319-6061.
Hispanic Business Council Scholarship Foundation deadline approaches
The Hispanic Business Council Scholarship Foundation of NJ, Inc. is accepting applications for the annual scholarship and stipend awards for current college and college-bound Hispanic students for the 2012-2013 school term.
The HBCSF, a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization, has a mission to advance the educational aspirations of Hispanic students to become professionals, leaders, and valued citizens of the community.
The current application can be accessed through www.hbcsf.org and is open to all New Jersey residents of Hispanic heritage. Applications and all required information must be postmarked by Wednesday, Feb. 29, 2012.
PERC to hold Welcome to Summer Gala
Palisades Emergency Residence Corporation, which runs a homeless shelter in Union City and offers various services for the needy in Hudson County, will hold its Welcome to Summer Gala fundraiser on May 22 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. atThe Graycliff, located at 122 Moonachie Rd. in Moonachie, N.J.
PERC will celebrate 31 years of providing shelter, food, services, and those in need in Hudson County with a cocktail hour, dinner, auction, and raffle.
For more information, contact PERC at (201) 348-8150 or e-mail events@percshelter.org.
N.Y. Giants Snow Bowl to benefit Special Olympics
The N.Y. Giants will team up with Special Olympics New Jersey to sponsor the sixth annual Snow Bowl Flag Football Tournament presented by Wyndham Worldwide on March 2 through 4 at MetLife Stadium.
The Snow Bowl, a six-on-six flag football tournament with light blocking, is played over three days and features recreational, competitive and co-ed divisions. Several of the registered teams will represent local police and fire departments. Each team was responsible for raising a minimum of $1,600 to play in the tournament, and many have gone above and beyond that.
Proceeds from Snow Bowl benefit Special Olympics New Jersey and help to support more than 22,000 children and adults with intellectual disabilities who train and compete, free-of-charge, year-round in 24 sports.
For more information on Snow Bowl or Special Olympics New Jersey, visit www.sonj.org.
NJ Festival of Ballooning to hold statewide contest
PNC Bank and the Quick Chek N.J. Festival of Ballooning invite N.J. students in grades 2 through 12 to take part in the 9th annual PNC Bank American Patriot Essay Contest by writing a short essay on the topic “What the American Flag Means to Me.”
The largest summertime hot air balloon and music festival in North America will celebrate its 30th anniversary July 27 through 29at Solberg Airport in Readington, NJ and will feature the PNC Bank American Flag balloon: the largest free-flying flag in the world.
This year’s Grand Prize winner will receive a visit to his or her school by a 75-foot-tall hot air balloon in June and a special VIP package at this year’s festival: a hot air balloon ride for two, four Blue Sky Club VIP tickets, and the opportunity to meet one of this year’s concert headliners, which have included the Jonas Brothers and Disney stars Demi Lovato and Emily Osment in the past.
Second and third place prizes will include festival admission and merchandise.
The winning student’s immediate classmates will each receive one complimentary general admission ticket to the festival and the winning student’s teacher and school principal will each receive two Blue Sky Club VIP tickets.
Every teacher in the state who submits a group of 15 essays or more on behalf of their students will receive two free general admission tickets to the festival regardless of whether one of their students submits the winning essay.
The essays should be 100 words or less. They will be judged by a panel of representatives from PNC Bank and the balloon festival. Winning essays will be selected based on creativity, poignancy and clarity with consideration given to the grade level of the contestant. Contestants are not required to be U.S. citizens.
Entries should include the student’s name, home or school address, home or school telephone number, grade, age, school name and the name of their teacher.
Entries should be sent by May 1to Essay Judges, Quick Chek New Jersey Festival of Ballooning, 363 Rte. 46 West, Suite 200, Fairfield, N.J., 07004. Students can also enter the contest through the festival web site at www.balloonfestival.com or by emailing their essays to information@balloonfestival.com.