“Life is like a box of chocolates,” “Play it [again], Sam,” “the Candy Man can,” and some of Hollywood’s most memorable lines will make their way to Bayonne this Saturday as “Hollywood on the Hudson” comes to 22nd Street and Delmonte Drive.
It’s a free day of films, fun, and indoor and outdoor family activities, brought to the public thanks to the efforts of the Bayonne Town Center and the Bayonne Urban Enterprise Zone, with special thanks to the Polish American Home.
The day will run from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sept. 18.
The screenings will be showed in the Polonaise Room at the Polish American Home, 29 West 22nd Street, and include such classics as Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory at 11 a.m., Casablanca at 1:20 p.m., and Toy Story at 5:15 p.m. The main event will be the outdoor showing of Forrest Gump at 7 p.m.
During the day, visitors can catch look-alike entertainers such as Austin Powers at 1 p.m., Bette Midler at 3 p.m., Elvis Presley at 4 p.m. and a variety of surprise cartoon characters at 1:15 p.m. and 4:15 p.m.
Activities conducted during the hours of 1:30 to 6:30 p.m. will include a “balloon typhoon,” a junior challenge obstacle course, a moon walk bounce house, speed pitching, and various vendors, photo ops with celebrity cutouts, face painting, tattoos, balloon sculpturing and surprises throughout the day.
What is the Town Center?
The concept of a Town Center began in April 1990, when a group of local merchants and property owners got together with city officials to develop a plan for the revitalization of Broadway from 17th Street to 27th Street. The Bayonne Merchants’ Board presented a city ordinance that would create a town center and establish a Town Center Management Corporation that would provide services to improve business and economic growth within the special improvement district, along with the regular property tax payments.
They would also levy assessments on the properties. The assessments would be placed in the corporation budget, with funds being used for beautification of the Town Center, newspaper advertising, finding solutions to parking and safety problems, and other measures addressed by the merchants.
Town Center Management Corporation was designed to be governed by a board of trustees consisting of nine members, one from the City Council; two residents from Bayonne who are not owners, tenants or business people in the Town Center; two business people from Town Center; and four business people or employees who conduct business in Town Center.
The board uses the funds collected to do those things that help bring business into that district, with the intent of making those blocks desirable for investment and perhaps even attractive to upscale stores.