Pulaski Skyway closed this weekend through Sunday
The Pulaski Skyway, which closed Friday morning, is scheduled to be closed through the weekend and will reopen at around 5 a.m. Monday, Aug. 26 so that workers can install a new floor beam that will support travel lanes over the Tonnelle Circle in Jersey City.
During the closure, all Route 1 and Route 9 traffic will be detoured with the northbound highway closed at the Skyway entrance near Newark Liberty Airport. Route 1 and Route 9 southbound lanes will be closed at the ramp from Route 139 westbound to the Tonnelle Circle.
Motorists will who are heading south on Route 1 and 9 trying to get onto the Skyway near the Tonnelle Circle will be able to do so. Motorists going west on Route 139 will be able to cut through the circle and get on the Skyway southbound.
A long-term truck detour for all large-truck traffic from Tonnelle Avenue headed for Route 139 eastbound lower level (Holland Tunnel approach) was implemented two weeks ago and will remain in place until early September.
This work is associated with the $1 billion project to rehabilitate the Pulaski Skyway, an 80-year-old elevated highway that carries 67,000 motor vehicles per day between Newark and Jersey City and serves as an express link for cars and buses to and from the Holland Tunnel. The massive improvement project will extend the life of the Skyway by 75 years.
The rehabilitation work has been controversial, however, since the two northbound lanes will be closed for two years beginning in February or March 2014. There is concern among many residents in the Marion section of the city that the closure will cause motorists to use local streets instead.
Police director Shea adds new public safety meeting
James Shea, Jersey City’s new public safety director, will host another public meeting on public safety with the community on Tuesday, Aug. 27 at 6:30 p.m. at the Hank Gallo Community Center, Lincoln Park. She has already held four similar meetings with the community at locations throughout the city.
Annual library event gets new name, moves to new day
The event formerly known as Tales of Our City, a yearly local authors’ showcase hosted by the Jersey City Free Public Library, will for the first time in its six-year history, move to a Sunday and will this year be titled Tales of Our Cities. The array of amazing talent highlighted at the event will, however, remain the same. Tales of Our Cities will take place on Sunday, Sept. 15 in Van Vorst Park on Jersey Avenue from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
This year, 30 authors and five live performers – including Rick Stromoski, creator of the award-winning comic strip “Soup to Nutz,” and former National Basketball Association player Luther Wright, author of “A Perfect Fit” – will read from their work. This year there will also be a separate area for children’s authors who will be reading throughout the day. There will also be face-painting, storytelling, and other activities for kids.
Training program will help you make a difference in the lives of the terminally ill
Would you like to make a difference in the lives of the terminally ill and their families? If so, you can register for the volunteer training class beginning Sept. 10 at the Hudson Hospice Office, 93 Clerk St., Jersey City.
The program consists of eight classes on eight consecutive Tuesdays. Participants must attend all eight. They can be taken mornings from 10 to noon or evenings from 7 to 9. The classes end on Oct. 29.
Volunteer roles offered include companionship for the patients, emotional support for patients and families, errands help, and telephone reassurance.
For more information, call Sister Carol Van Billiard at (201) 433-6225.
After 10 years, Jersey City’s Fourth St. Art and Music Festival to end this Oct.; annual event to be replaced with summer concert series
Call it the end of an era, and the dawn of something new.
A recent online posting regarding the 2013 Fourth Street Art and Music Festival, hosted annually by Fourth Street Arts, caught our eye and took us a little by surprise. For the past nine years, Fourth Street Arts hosted the festival, which the organization billed as a day of “art, music, and community,” to coincide with the city’s annual Artists’ Studio Tour weekend, held each October. The free festival was something of a distilled combination of Not Yo Mama’s Craft Fair-meets-Groove on Grove-meets-Artists’ Studio Tour and attracted thousands of attendees each year.
Given the festival’s success, it’s not surprising there would be another one scheduled for October 2013. But unlike previous mentions of the festival, the ominous word “final” was included in the most recent online posting about the event, as in “The final Art and Music Festival.” Could that really be true? Was that a typo? Did we misread that?
Apparently not, according to festival founder Mike McNamara.
“Yes, I did post that,” McNamara said when asked. “[You’re] probably wondering why. It’s just time to wrap this…event up, and the tenth is a nice place to do it.”
Each year, the 10-hour music-oriented festival presented the best live local acts from the rock, soul, and jazz genres. The festival also included interactive public art displays creative activities for kids. In the last few years the festival has added a live comedy stage to its mix of entertainment offerings. Emerging artists from local high schools who received education grants from Fourth Street Arts were also given an opportunity to showcase their talents during the festival.
All that will come to an end after the Art and Music brings down the curtain for the last time this October.
But fear not, festival fans. The Fourth Street Arts crew has bigger and better plans in store for Jersey City next year, according to McNamara.
“We are evolving the organization,” he said, “and focusing on a new event: a ‘Summer 2014 Jersey City Waterfront Concert Series.’”
Before fantasizing about amazing outdoor concerts set against the New York skyline coming Jersey City’s way next year, say goodbye to the art festival that was. Studio Tour weekend will take place on Saturday, Oct. 5 and Sunday, Oct. 6, with the final Fourth Street Art and Music Festival taking place that Saturday.
Rising Tide Capital to Host Start Something Challenge Video Tutorial and Workshop
On Tuesday, Aug. 27, Rising Tide Capital will host a video pitch tutorial and workshop to prepare New Jersey entrepreneurs to enter their business ideas into the Start Something Challenge. The tutorial will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in Room 508 at the Hudson County Culinary Conference Center, 161 Newkirk St. in Jersey City. Staff from Rising Tide Capital will assist participants with preparing their video submissions for the 2013 Challenge.
The second annual Start Something Challenge, hosted by Rising Tide Capital, is free to enter and open to any New Jersey resident 18 years or older, who operates a microbusiness, or who has a strong business idea. This year $30,000 in prizes are up for grabs, including a $10,000 first prize. Entrepreneurs have until September 6 at 5 p.m. to submit their video pitch, which will enter them into the competition. Every participant must create a 30 second video commercial for their business or business idea, using the Animoto platform. To ensure that every participant has a chance to win the top prize, Rising Tide Capital will provide each entrant with hands-on coaching and mentorship.
Three winners will be announced at the Start Something Challenge Gala in December.
To RSVP for the tutorial or more information on the Start Something Challenge, contact Justyna Krygowska at (201) 432- 4316, ext. 110, or e-mail her at justyna@risingtidecapital.org.
Diggin’ in the crates
Open Crates, which dubs itself a “vinyl culture collective,” will host a vinyl meet-up at The Dopeness, 332 Second St. downtown, on Friday, Aug. 30 from 6 to 10 p.m.
The last Friday of each month Open Crates hosts social gatherings for “vinyl enthusiasts” who want to spin their old records, get exposed to unknown musical acts, and share their favorite two-sided albums with others. Interested parties are encouraged to bring a few records to share, perhaps bring records they might be interested in swapping for other albums, or just come to experience the old school vibe.
The free event is a BYOB affair.
Last Green Villain BBQ of the season
The last Green Villain BBQ for 2013 will take place on Saturday, Aug. 31 at the Lafayette Community Learning Garden, 314 Pacific Ave., from noon to 8 p.m. A suggested donation of $20 buys entry to the BBQ, plus food and beer (River Horse Brewery Keg). A donation of less than 20 bucks grants entry to the event and the opportunity to buy food separately at the BBQ. Those who make a donation of less than $20 will not have an opportunity to buy beer separately.
Bazaar and Flea Market at St. Paul’s Episcopal
Tickets are now available for the Sept. 21 Bazaar and Flea Market to be hosted by St. Paul’s Episcopal Church from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. To purchase tickets or to reserve a table for $20, call Irma at (201) 401-9847.