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Get alerts about emergencies and other important community news by signing up for NB Connect or Guttenberg’s Code Red. These notification systems enable the municipalities to provide critical information quickly in a variety of situations, such as severe weather, unexpected road closures, missing persons, and evacuation of buildings or neighborhoods.
Visit the town websites and fill in the appropriate information to be notified by your local emergency response team in the event of critical community alerts or emergency situations. You will receive time-sensitive messages wherever you specify, such as your home, cell, or business phone, email, text messages, hearing impaired receiving devices, and more. You pick where, you pick how.
North Bergen residents visit northbergennj.org and click on NB Connect in the top banner. Guttenberg residents visit guttenbergnj.org and click on Reverse 911: Code Red in the top banner.
Local artist’s paintings address gun violence and racism
As part of The Newark Arts Council Open Doors Citywide Arts Festival, North Bergen artist Ray Arcadio will exhibit works at the exhibit “Sancocho” at 85 Market St. at Gallery Affero and in the exhibit “More Human than Human” at 210 Market St., SEED Gallery. Both galleries are in Newark. Opening receptions will be held on Saturday, Oct. 17 from 6 to 10 p.m.
Arcadio will exhibit a collection of original work composed of surreal portraits depicting popular icons. The images are the artist’s reaction to American culture; specifically, people’s obsession with self image, authority, race, sex, celebrity, and commerce.
In the show “More Human than Human,” curated by Roland Ramos, a painting titled “Big Mouth” from Arcadio’s PopRox series shows a giant round face with a big toothless smile and cartoony images of racist symbols. “American racism is a special kind of brand… packaged and sold to all who arrive and live here,” said Arcadio. Another painting, titled “Gunhead Custer,” depicts a Civil War general whose face has been replaced by the nozzle of a gun.
In the show “Sancocho,” curated by JoEl Lopez, Arcadio offers more images from his Gunhead series, where a man in a suit looks upwards as a gun nozzle slides out from his face. Arcadio is also showing artworks from his InShape series, where every character is circular, square or triangular. These are visual puns that represent our constant need to get in shape and fit in, physically and/or psychologically, within our society or some group in our society.
Open Doors is a citywide arts tour and community event that celebrates Newark’s unique and diverse contributions to the arts and to American culture. Participating this year are over 40 venues hosting visual, performing, and literary art.
North Bergen police to run vehicle inspection checkpoint on Oct. 23
The North Bergen Police Department, in conjunction with the New Jersey State Motor Vehicles Commission Mobile Inspection Unit, will be running a vehicle inspection checkpoint within the township on Friday Oct. 23. The operation is designed to remove dangerous vehicles from the road and promote safe driving practices.
“The safety of our residents is our number one concern,” said North Bergen Chief of Police Robert Dowd. “By removing vehicles from the road that don’t comply with the guidelines set out by the New Jersey State Motor Vehicles Commission we are ensuring the safety of those that call North Bergen home.”
Any vehicles found to be delinquent in their annual inspection will be ticketed and then inspected on the spot by the NJ MVC Mobile Inspection Unit. Vehicles that are deemed too dangerous to drive due to serious mechanical defects will be impounded and the driver will be given an additional summons.
Attend the flea market at Our Lady of Fatima Church on Oct. 24
On Saturday, Oct. 24 Our Lady of Fatima Church will hold their fall Flea Market. Tables are $25. Contact the office for more information. Donations are welcomed. No clothes.
The church will also hold their All Saints Day Procession on Nov. 1 at 9:30 a.m. The religious education children will come dressed as saints and proceed into the church for the 10 a.m. mass. Parents should have their children dressed as saints and be at O’Gorman Hall by 9:15 a.m.
Our Lady of Fatima is at 8016 Kennedy Blvd. Tel: (201) 869-7244. Fax: (201) 869-0940.
Email: office@ourladyoffatimanj.org.
Tax collector’s office hours extended on Nov. 10
The hours for the North Bergen tax collector’s office will be extended from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 10.
Free health fair coming to St. Joseph of the Palisades Church on Oct. 24
A family health fair will be held on Saturday, Oct. 24 at St. Joseph of the Palisades Church in West New York from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Palisades Medical Center and St. Joseph of the Palisades Church are teaming up to sponsor the fair, which will feature free health screenings and information, as well as free activities and attractions for children.
All health screenings and evaluations are open to the public and will be provided free of charge. Health information will be available in English and Spanish and bilingual medical professionals will be on hand to answer questions. Health test and screenings will include blood pressure, heart rate, percentage of oxygen in the blood, peak flow/respiratory, Body Mass Index – BMI, HgbA1c blood test for diabetes, eye exams for vision and glaucoma, SNAP-ED program, diet information and demo, breast exams with certificates for referral for mammography, and blood tests for lead levels.
Children will also enjoy the many games and activities at the family health fair, including face painting, a bounce house, and more. St. Joseph of the Palisades Church is located at 6401 Palisade Ave. For more information call (201) 854-5793.
Join the Halloween Parade on Oct. 29
The North Bergen Recreation Halloween Parade steps off on Thursday, Oct. 29, sponsored by Mayor Nicholas Sacco and Commissioner Hugo Cabrera. The parade will start promptly at 6 p.m. and last until 8 p.m. Boys and girls, ages infant through 9 years old, should meet at the Recreation Center, 6300 Meadowview Ave. Put on your costume and join the fun. This event is for North Bergen residents only.
2015 NB football schedules available online
Check out the North Bergen Recreation 2015 Pee Wee Football Schedule, the North Bergen Recreation 2015 Football Schedule, and the 2015 HCYFL North Bergen Football Schedule. All are available online at northbergen.org.
2015 recreation basketball registration going on now
Mayor Nicholas Sacco and Commissioner Hugo Cabrera invite boys and girls, ages 5 thru 16, to register for North Bergen Recreation Basketball. Registration will be held at the North Bergen Recreation Center, 6300 Meadowview Ave, on Mondays through Fridays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday evenings, Oct. 22 and Nov. 12. There will be no sign-ups on Nov. 11.
A $35 non-refundable registration fee is required, along with birth certificate and proof of residency. Cash or money order only. Call (201) 861-9601 for more information.
How to report a heat complaint in Guttenberg
With the winter approaching, Guttenberg residents are encouraged to take the following steps if they experience a situation without heat. Between Oct. 15 and April 15, call the numbers below and an inspector will call back.
Weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., call the Health Department at (201) 868-2315, ext. 149. From 4 p.m. to 8 a.m. on weekdays or anytime on weekends or holidays, call the Police Department at (201) 868-3300.
Guttenberg Arts Gallery showcases impossible airplanes
“The Impossible Lightness of Being,” a solo exhibition of works by Chad Stayrook, is on view at the Guttenberg Arts Gallery, 6903 Jackson St., through Nov. 4. Stayrook is currently an artist in residence at the gallery. His works, built around the form and function of a simple paper airplane, focus on the struggle to find meaning, happiness, and salvation, and combine his expectation of failure with the fantastical wanderings of his imagination to create a world that is as believable as it is strange and impossible.
The title of the exhibition is a nod to Milan Kundera’s novel “The Unbearable Lightness of Being,” which examines the concept of eternal recurrence and the weight of meaning (purpose) in our lives. Similarly, the exhibition plays with the weight of meaning as pertains to objects when presented in a context outside of their assumed function. The paper airplane is a familiar and playful object often associated with lightheartedness and clowning around. However, in the context of the exhibition this form becomes the pedestal that bears the weight of art. The centerpiece of the installation is a wooden frame built in the shape of a paper airplane.
For more information, contact studio@guttenbergarts.org or (201) 868-8585. Guttenberg Art Gallery is free and open to the public by appointment. The gallery website is at www.guttenbergarts.org.
Enjoy Halloween in the Meadowlands on Oct. 29
Celebrate this ghoulish time of year on Thursday, Oct. 29, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at DeKorte Park, Lyndhurst, in the Meadowlands. There will be games, crafts, and activities throughout the evening, including hayrides and Halloween stories in the Witch’s Den. The guided “Creepy Creatures of Halloween and Why They’re Not So Bad Once You Get to Know Them” spooky walk is suitable for children ages 5 to 12, when accompanied by an adult. Throughout the walk, kids will meet bats, cats, spiders, and other spooky creatures. The guided walk lasts about 40 minutes.
Registration and advance payment of $8 per person are required and online only. Sign-up for a Spooky Walk time slot and come early to enjoy all the fun. Space is limited so register early at njsea.com.