Bobby Messano will give free Buchmuller Park concert May 23
The Town of Secaucus and Jon D’Amore have joined together to offer a free concert featuring legendary blues guitarist and New Jersey native Bobby Messano. The concert will take place at 8 p.m. on Friday, May 23 in Buchmuller Park.
Messano has toured with Steve Winwood (Spencer Davis Group, Traffic, and Blind Faith), Lou Gramm (Foreigner) and a long list of others. He has received 19 first round Grammy nominations and in 2012 was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame. He is currently touring America and Europe promoting his recent album, “Welcome to Deltaville.”
Messano and D’Amore met in the 1970s playing for different bands throughout the New Jersey and New York club scene. D’Amore, author of the novel “The Boss Always Sits in the Back” often played in the old Plaza Arena and produced concerts in Buchmuller Park and Kane Stadium in the 1970s. He will join Messano for a reunion on stage.
Mayor Michael Gonnelli said he’s pleased the town is able to offer its residents another free concert in addition to its annual July and August Concert Series. “It’s great to have another style of music that we haven’t offered before and to have Jon, a former resident, join in the concert,” he said.
Two free concerts upcoming this summer
As a thank you to its Secaucus neighbors and patrons of Harmon Meadow’s 25 plus restaurants, seven hotels, stores, and Kerasotes Showplace 14 Theaters, Hartz Mountain Industries, in partnership with the town of Secaucus, will host two free concerts this summer: “Invincible” Glorious Tribute to Michael Jackson on Thursday, June 12, and “The Infernos” on Thursday, Sept. 11. Both concerts will take place from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Harmon Meadow Plaza Courtyard (near Houlihan’s). No purchases are necessary to enjoy the free concerts.
The Harmon Meadow Plaza Courtyard is at 700 Plaza Drive in Secaucus. There is ample free nearby parking. All events are subject to change. Please call (201) 348-1200 for schedule updates and rain dates.
New CEO of Meadowlands Hospital looks to turn things around
Thomas Considine has been named the third CEO of Meadowlands Hospital Medical Center (MHMC) since 2010.
The for-profit hospital has had some challenges. It is listed among the most expensive hospitals in the country. It has been fined $58,000 by the state Health Department for withholding financial reports. Union leaders have accused MHMC of anti-union practices. And the hospital is aggressively pursuing managed care companies that it claims are cutting back on reimbursements.
Considine, a former MetLife vice president before becoming chief regulator of the banking and insurance industries from 2010 to 2012, claims to be initiating a new era of transparency at the hospital. The long-overdue report to the Health Department will, he said, be released within the week. Although the government has already imposed three liens on the hospital for delinquent payroll taxes, Considine stated that there will be no further liens in the future.
Union leaders have expressed “cautious optimism” about Considine’s offer to engage in open discussion with the Health Professional and Allied Employees union.
Hackensack River pontoon boat cruises and canoe tours begin June 4
The New Jersey Meadowlands Commission’s (NJMC) pontoon boat cruises and canoe tours of the Hackensack River are set to launch in June, giving visitors a unique, up-close chance to explore the amazing natural beauty and wildlife of the Meadowlands while learning about the history of the river and the region. Cruises start on Wednesday, June 4, at 5:30 p.m., departing from the NJMC’s River Barge Park in Carlstadt. The canoe season begins on Saturday, June 14, at 8:30 a.m., launching from Mill Creek Point Park in Secaucus.
Expert NJMC staff will narrate the two-hour boat cruises. While talking about the Hackensack River estuary’s storied history, they also point out wildlife along the way.
Canoe tours last three hours and focus on the river’s marshes, taking participants on a journey through a diverse array of vegetation and wildlife. Paddlers will learn the basics of salt marsh ecology and enjoy the magnificent scenery while rowing past wetlands and down creeks.
Pontoon boat and canoe trips are for ages 10 and up. Canoes hold up to three people, and at least one person should have canoeing experience. Requests for group pontoon boat and canoe trips are welcome. Reservations are recommended. Canoe tours are $15 per person and the suggested donation for pontoon boat rides is also $15 per person.
All pontoon boat rides depart from River Barge Park in Carlstadt. Canoe trips launch from River Barge Park as well as Mill Creek Point Park and the Saw Mill Wildlife Management Area, both in Secaucus.
For a complete schedule of trips and to download a registration form, visit www.njmeadowlands.gov. For more information, call (201) 460-4677.
Third-Tuesday-of-the month nature walk available
This free two-hour walk of Mill Creek Marsh in Secaucus features raptors, waterfowl, and late spring migrants. Participants will meet at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, May 10 at the marsh entrance (directions are on meadowblog.net in the left-hand column). The walk is sponsored by the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission (NJMC) and the Bergen County Audubon Society (BCAS). Check meadowblog.net for last-minute weather updates. Participants will have to sign a standard liability release that is good for NJMC/BCAS events throughout the year. To RSVP, contact Don Torino of the BCAS at greatauk4@aol.com or (201) 230-4983.
High Tech High School production nominated for seven awards
High Tech High School earned seven nominations and an honorable mention in the Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Awards for their recent production of “Spring Awakening,” presented by the HT Musical Theatre Department.
Among the top nominated high schools, High Tech received nominations for Best Overall Production, Best Direction (Alex Perez), Best Supporting Actress (Ana Beliakova), Best Chorus, Best Student Orchestra (led by Rod Shepard), Best Lighting Design (Jams Bonkosky), and Best Scenic Design (Greg Cilmi), with an honorable mention in Choreography (Alex Perez).
The Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Awards are modeled after the Tony Awards. Paper Mill Playhouse’s program serves the entire state of New Jersey with nearly 100 entered productions from public, private and parochial high schools. Paper Mill Playhouse conceived and created the awards in 1996 to give schools the opportunity to showcase their musical arts programs on a statewide level. The musicals are adjudicated by Paper Mill Playhouse throughout the spring by a group of 70 evaluators, with each school receiving four independent evaluations.
As one of the nation’s leading regional theaters and producing partners for Broadway, Paper Mill Playhouse has a well-earned reputation for launching both performers and shows for Broadway. Since their inception in 1996, the Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Awards for Excellence in High School Musical Theatre have ignited the careers of many notable performers, all of whom attended high school in New Jersey.
The 2014 Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Awards ceremony will take place at Paper Mill Playhouse, 22 Brookside Dr., Millburn, on Tuesday, June 3 at 7:30 p.m. Schools nominated for Outstanding Overall Musical and Leading Actor/Actress nominees perform at the event and award recipients are presented with an engraved crystal award from Tiffany & Co. For additional information call (973) 315-1668.
Correction
A letter in the May 11 edition of the newspaper, “Work is worship,” incorrectly added “former mayor” under the signature of letter writer Bhikhubhai Patel. He is a Secaucus resident but not a former mayor of any town.