Bands announced for ICC Feast in September
The bands and entertainment have been announced for the Immaculate Conception Church (ICC) Feast taking place in Buchmuller Park from Thursday through Sunday, Sept. 10-13. The feast will take place from 6 to 11 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 4 to 11 p.m. on Saturday, and 2 to 8 p.m. on Sunday.
Performing on Friday, Sept. 11 will be Adrianna Napolitano and Jonathan Cordova on vocals and keyboard, and music by Juke Junction. On Saturday, Sept. 12, Group Therapy and Faculty Group will perform. Closing out the event on Sunday, Sept. 13 will be a performance by the DJC Trio.
“ICC’s past carnivals were huge successes with gaming booths, rides, food and fun for all ages,” said Fr. Victor Kennedy, pastor of ICC. “Last year’s event that added new dimensions of a feast was an even bigger success.”
A raffle will be drawn on the final night. Three winners will walk away with half the money raised through the raffle, divided at 50 percent to the first prize winner and 25 percent each to the two runners-up. Tickets are $5 each and can be purchased in advance or at the feast.
With the feast and carnival spread over four days, Fr. Kennedy noted that there is always a need for volunteers to run the gaming booths, cook the food, and do other chores associated with an event of this size and scope. “Volunteers do not have to commit to helping all four days; we appreciate any time you can give. If you can donate some time to this undertaking, please contact the church office at (201) 863-4840,” he said.
Library’s mini-fair tricky-tray table raffle to offer valuable prizes
The 18th Annual Friends of the Secaucus Public Library Mini-Fair is set for Saturday, Sept. 19 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the library grounds. Rain date is Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Baskets at this year’s Super Basket Table Raffle will include some “first time ever” prizes.
“We are so excited to announce some never before offered prizes to augment our usual great offerings already announced, including two children’s bikes and helmets and a gas barbecue grill,” said Gladys Tous, who with her husband Luis has been an annual fixture selling chances at the raffle. Among the new prizes being offered are a tour of the QVC Studio in West Chester, Pa. for five people; admission tickets for two to the Longwood Gardens, Pa.; and admission tickets to the Broadway Comedy Club and the Greenwich Comedy Club, both in New York City. “Make Wine with Us” in Wallington donated a two-hour wine and cheese sampling for 12 people and a gift basket with two bottles of wine. Many gift certificates are part of the baskets, including one from Spuntino Wine Bar in Clifton, and Shop-Rite Supermarkets.
The Trash & Treasure Table is back and the Fair Share Raffle is underway at $1 per chance. “The popular ‘$5 for a Bag of Books’ tables will offer a free, reusable Friends of the Library bag, while supplies last,” noted Library Director Jenifer May. “There is also still room for vendors as well.” For more information, email may@secaucus.bccls.org or call (201) 330-2083 ext. 4011, or call Lee Penna at (201) 330-2083 ext. 4009.
Secaucus is no. 4 on list of ‘Best places to start a business in NJ’
Number-crunching site NerdWallet just released a list of the “Best places to start a business in New Jersey” and number four on the list is Secaucus.
A total of 231 municipalities were ranked, each with a population of 10,000 or more, and no less than 500 businesses. Among the key takeaways of the study was that “small cities lead the way.” Eight of the 10 top cities on our list have a population under 25,000,” according to the site, which cites a population of 17,106 for Secaucus.
“Solid revenue is a key to success,” the article continued. “Solid sales are a key driver of business success in the places on our list. For example, 10 of the top 20 cities and towns were also among the places with the highest average annual revenue per business.”
Secaucus, with 2,374 businesses, reflected an average annual revenue per business of $5,538,767, according to NerdWallet, while unemployment is a low 4.2 percent.
Rankings were based 65 percent on the business climate and 35 percent on the local economic health. Data was culled from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Survey of Business Owners, weighing factors including the number of businesses with paid employees and the average annual revenue per business. Additional data from the American Community Survey provided information on income, housing costs, and unemployment rate.
The next highest Hudson County town on the list is Hoboken at 110, followed by Kearny at 157, Bayonne at 159, Weehawken 173, Jersey City 176, Harrison 189, North Bergen 206, with West New York and Union City near the bottom at 214 and 215 out of 231.
Final weekends for dinosaur park before closing
Field Station: Dinosaurs will fill its final weekends with activities before it closes for good on Sept. 7 to make way for the new High Tech High School. NJ State Museum Paleontologist Jason Schein will share discoveries from his recent paleo-dig in a family-friendly presentation entitled “Dispatches from a Dinosaur Dig” on Saturday, Aug. 29 from noon to 5 p.m. Former Field Station Expedition Manager Brooke Rowzee will give a firsthand account of her experience on the adventure as well.
Then on Saturday, Sept. 5 at 1 and 2:30 p.m., Philadelphia-bred “Dino Don” Lessem, the world’s leading popularizer of dinosaurs and advisor to the motion picture “Jurassic Park,” will be a special guest. Meet the dinosaur connoisseur (and ask him how it was to work with Steven Spielberg) at the Look Out. Lessem has advised on many Disney films and theme parks and is author of more than 50 dinosaur books.
The 20-plus acre park contains more than 30 life-sized, realistic dinosaurs, many of them with moving parts and sound effects. Recently restored to his perch was Quetzalcoatlus, a flying pterosaur damaged during Superstorm Sandy, now repaired and replaced – just in time to come down as the park prepares to vacate.
Numerous possible sites are being considered for the park, from an unnamed spot in Hudson County to as far away as Kansas. New Jersey native Guy Gsell, the executive producer of Field Station: Dinosaurs, has expressed his preference to keep the facility in Jersey. Through the park’s Facebook page, he asked for suggestions of possible new sites.
“Imagine hiking a forested trail and discovering a T-Rex on the banks of a scenic river. Imagine taking a break from the beach and meeting up with the Dinosaur Troubadour at the Jersey shore. Imagine an abandoned amusement park overrun with velociraptors. There are hundreds of great spots in New Jersey and we’ve been busy narrowing down the list.”
But time is running out, as the dinosaurs must vacate beginning Sept. 8. For more information visit FieldStationDinosaurs.com.
Register for charity Wiffle ball tournament on Sept. 27
Register today for the Wiffle ball tournament on Sunday, Sept. 27 from 1 to 5 p.m. at Kane Stadium. Proceeds go to stamp out hunger in Secaucus and Hudson County.
Teams consist of at least five players. Each game is three innings. Winning teams will receive trophies. Corporate and at-large team donations are $150. Student team donations are $25 or two bags of canned goods. To register contact Don Evanson at (201) 902-9742 or secaucusspec@aol.com.
September is Library Card Signup Month
Don’t have a library card? Getting a library card is fast, easy and free. Adults must bring two proofs of Secaucus residency, one with a photo identification and one other document (property tax bill, utility bill, or bank statement). Stop by the library and register for your free card in September, during Library Card Signup Month, and be eligible to win one of two prizes that will be chosen randomly in a raffle.
Already have a library card? Sign up to receive a monthly e-newsletter or provide your email address to receive information about upcoming events and you will also be entered in the prize drawing. Winners will be chosen at the end of the month. Prizes include a chance to win adult and teen books or a $25 TD Bank gift card.
Sponsor a local police officer in the 2015 Tour de Force 9/11 Memorial Ride
Seven Secaucus police officers will take part in the 2015 Tour de Force’s 9/11 Memorial Ride that will depart Sept. 10 from New York City. The riders will bicycle through the lower Hudson Valley and through Connecticut into Massachusetts where they will join 150 cyclists from the Boston area as the tour rolls into Boston’s Harbor. The four-day, 270-mile bicycle ride is a dual purpose event. The ride honors those killed during the 9/11 attacks, and raises funds for the families of police officers across the country killed in the line of duty.
Secaucus police cyclists are Lt. Carlos Goyenechea, Sgt. Francis Cotter, and Police Officers Marc Schoch, Chris Rinaldi, Kiril Petrov, Christina Prospero, and William Smith.
“Each rider must raise a minimum of $1,250 in order to even participate in this event. The funds raised are donated to families throughout the country in honor of their fallen loved ones,” said retired Police Captain Joseph Kickey, chairman of the Secaucus PBA Local 84 Civic Association. Donations can be designated for either an individual Secaucus officer or a group of officers by including the officer’s name, along with the PBA or Tour name, in the “pay to” line on checks. Checks written to either the Secaucus PBA Local 84 or the Tour de Force Bike Ride, Inc. should be mailed to Secaucus PBA, PO Box 1038, Secaucus, NJ 07096-1038.
For more information about the 2015 Tour de Force 9/11 Memorial Ride and how it got its start, or to make an on-line donation in the name of a particular officer, visit www.tourdeforceny.com.
‘Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over’ campaign continues
Hudson County sheriff’s officers will be cracking down on drunk drivers as part of the 2015 Labor Day “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign. Running through Sept. 7 the Hudson County Sheriff’s Office is adding additional patrols to the streets to combat drunk driving.
“More than 10,000 people are killed in the United States each year in alcohol-impaired driving crashes, and these crashes cost our society nearly $50 billion annually,” said Acting Director of the Division of Highway Traffic Safety Gary Poedubicky.
The “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign was created in 1999 and aims to eliminate drunk driving during the summer season, particularly around busy holidays such as the Labor Day weekend. Law enforcement agencies taking part in the 2015 campaign advise those who will be out celebrating their Labor Day weekend to follow these following rules and plan ahead before heading out: designate a driver who will not drink alcohol; take public transportation or ask a sober friend to drive you home; if traveling on foot ask a sober friend to drive you to your doorstep; if possible spend the night where the activity is held; help report impaired or aggressive drivers to local law enforcement officers by dialing #77; and remember to always buckle up regardless of where you are seated in a car.
Free course on coping with family mental illness begins in September
The National Alliance on Mental Illness of Hudson County (NAMI Hudson) will offer the acclaimed NAMI Family-to-Family education program consisting of twelve 2-½ hour classes for families and close friends of adults living with a mental illness, beginning in mid-September. The classes will focus on schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, clinical depression, panic disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
The course will be given by family members of individuals with a mental illness, who have been trained by NAMI as educators of the Family-to-Family Program. The leaders truly understand what family and friends are going through and know how to help learn about and cope with mental illness.
Many family members describe this experience as life changing. Participants will learn about family responses to the trauma of mental illness, symptoms, medications and side effects; practice problem solving skills and communication techniques; develop strategies for handling crisis and relapse; and focus on self-care and coping with stress.
The course schedule is Wednesday evenings, Sept. 16 through Dec. 2, from 7 to 9:30 p.m., at Jose Marti Freshman Academy, 1800 Summit Ave., Union City. The course is free but registration is required. For more information call or email Carmen at (201) 310-5828 or garciacarmen524@gmail.com.
Glen Oaks Club to host The Barclays in 2017
The Barclays will add a new venue to its rotation of courses in the greater metropolitan New York/New Jersey area in 2017, Glen Oaks Club in Old Westbury, N.Y, on Long Island. On Thursday, tournament officials for The Barclays at Plainfield Country Club also announced the future course rotation for the tournament through 2022. The Barclays is the first event of the FedExCup Playoffs and features the top 125 in the FedExCup Standings. This year’s event began on Thursday, Aug. 27.
“The Glen Oaks Club is a fantastic addition to a rotation of some of the best courses in the metropolitan New York/New Jersey area,” PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem said. “The Barclays has a proud tradition of visiting the very best golf courses in the area, and Glen Oaks fits perfectly with the other tremendous sites in the rotation. We look forward to heading there for the first time in 2017 for an exciting event to kick off the FedExCup Playoffs.”
The Glen Oaks Club was formed in 1924 south of Lake Success on land purchased from the estate of William K. Vanderbilt, and later moved to the current site in Old Westbury. The course was designed by Joe Finger and opened for play in 1971. The 27 holes at Glen Oaks were largely unchanged until 2011, when Joel Weiman and Craig Currier, the superintendent of the club, led a renovation that was completed in 2014. Glen Oaks was named the 2015 Club of the Year by the Metropolitan Golf Writers Association.
In addition to naming Glen Oaks to the rotation, The Barclays also announced the course rotation through 2022, which includes some of the best courses in the greater New York area. The rotation includes:
2016 Black Course at Bethpage State Park, Farmingdale (LI), N.Y.
2017 Glen Oaks Club – Old Westbury (LI), N.Y.
2018 The Ridgewood Country Club, Paramus
2019 Liberty National Golf Club, Jersey City
2020 Plainfield Country Club, Edison
2021 Black Course at Bethpage State Park, Farmingdale (LI), N.Y.
2022 Liberty National Golf Club, Jersey City
Daily and practice round ticket offers are available at thebarclaysgolf.com. Fans are reminded that each year, up to three youth 18 and younger are admitted free of charge to The Barclays when accompanied by a ticketed adult.
For additional ticket options, please call (844) 868-7465.