Posted on Leave a comment

Shakespeare in the Park

William-Shakespeare-theridgewoodblog

Sun, July 19, 2015
Time: 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM

Memorial Park at Van Neste Square, E. Ridgewood Ave. at Van Neste Square

PERFORMANCES: Jul 19
Sunday @ 1PM in Van Neste Park, Ridgewood
Directed by Ryan Pifher
Starring PLP’s Summer Interns
A special thank you to our show sponsor: Ridgewood Chamber of Commerce

Shakespeare’s classic love story gets a modern update with PLP’s latest adaptation starring our summer interns. Check out this dynamic performance in Van Neste park in Ridgewood and visit Porch Light’s table for discounts and info on our upcoming season.

For more details, please call us at 201-445-2600 or email [email protected] www.experienceridgewood.com

Posted on Leave a comment

The Third Annual Great Ridgewood Duck Derby

DSCF2034

photos by Boyd Loving

July 11,2015

the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, On Saturday, July 11th, Ridgewood Parks & Recreation, in cooperation with Jacobsen Landscape Design and Construction Inc. of Midland Park, hosted the Great Ridgewood Duck Derby at Graydon Pool. Residents came out and embraced the national “Come Alive Outside” campaign and joined in for an afternoon of fun family activity.
This event featured an array of different types of entertainment. There was a number of different kinds of activities throughout the day such as beach games, a sand sculpture contest, duck decorating, face painting, and ultimately concluding with an exciting rubber duck race down the Ho Ho Kus Brook.
DSCF2069
DSCF2100
DSCF2159
DSCF2178
Posted on 1 Comment

Harper Lee’s ‘Go Set a Watchman’ in stock at Bookends July 13th

GoSetaWatchmanWide

Review: Harper Lee’s ‘Go Set a Watchman’ Gives Atticus Finch a Dark Side
By MICHIKO KAKUTANI

We remember Atticus Finch inHarper Lee’s 1960 classic, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” as that novel’s moral conscience: kind, wise, honorable, an avatar of integrity who used his gifts as a lawyer to defend a black man falsely accused of raping a white woman in a small Alabama town filled with prejudice and hatred in the 1930s. As indelibly played by Gregory Peck in the 1962 movie, he was the perfect man — the ideal father and a principled idealist, an enlightened, almost saintly believer in justice and fairness. In real life, people named their children after Atticus. People went to law school and became lawyers because of Atticus.

https://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/11/books/review-harper-lees-go-set-a-watchman-gives-atticus-finch-a-dark-side.html?_r=0

Monday July 13th or call for pre-order : Bookends, 211 E. Ridgewood Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ   07450   201-445-0726

Posted on 2 Comments

A Sign for the Times

scope_the poop_theridgewoodblog

Reader says ,”I think the Village of Ridgewood should incorporate these signs. Not because people don’t pick up dog poop, but because it’s awesome!”

 

Village’s “pooper scooper” law. It does not ban dogs from school grounds, regardless of what these signs indicate 11/22/2009

https://theridgewoodblog.net/villages-pooper-scooper-law-it-does-not-ban-dogs-from-school-grounds-regardless-of-what-these-signs-indicate/

Posted on Leave a comment

Food Meets Fitness with the Launch of Mediterranean Zone in Ridgewood

Lisa Mayisoglu Preparing Mediterranean Zone Menu

Lisa Mayisoglu of Lisa’s Mediterranean Cuisine Introduces Personal Training and Healthy Meal Services

(RIDGEWOOD, NJ, July 9, 2015 — Lisa Mayisoglu, Chef/Owner of Lisa’s Mediterranean Cuisine, is pleased to announce an exciting new business venture, Mediterranean Zone, which combines her two greatest passions, food and fitness.

Mayisoglu, a certified Personal Trainer and Nutrition Consultant, is now offering personal in-home training sessions, group fitness classes and balanced, healthy meals for clients.Mayisoglu, an avid fitness enthusiast and marathon runner, has acquired advanced training in fitness, wellness, nutrition and weight management for all ages. Said Mayisoglu, “Life is too short; I believe everyone should do what makes them happy. Fitness and food are huge parts of my life and with Mediterranean Zone, I have created a business that combines both. People lead such busy lifestyles and often don’t have time to take care of themselves properly. By offering exercise instruction and healthy, portion controlled meals, I’d like to help people lead healthier, more active lifestyles.”

In-home personal training sessions begin with an initial complimentary baseline fitness assessment, followed by exercise routines which are customized for each client based on levels and goals. Each program focuses on cardiovascular exercise, strength and agility building, balance and flexibility. By
using a mix of kettle bells, resistance bands, weights, Pilates/Bousu/medicine balls and more, Mediterranean Zones’ always-varying routines keep clients motivated and enthusiastic. Individual 55 minute sessions are $100, or ten sessions can be purchased for $900.

Mediterranean Zone also ofers group classes for those who want to team up with others on a fitness journey. Fat Burning, Energy Zone, Strength and Cardio classes include a total body workout in a group setting to boost motivation. Sessions are held Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings 8:00am, 9:30am and 10:30am now through October at the Ridgewood Duck Pond (1100 East Ridgewood Avenue, Ridgewood). Individual 55 minute sessions are $25, ten sessions $200. Reservations are suggested Tel. 201.978.5384.

Lisa Mayisoglu Mediterranran Zone

To complement Mediterranean Zone’s fitness instruction, nutritional support is available for a complete lifestyle change. Mediterranean Zone meals, which are prepared at Lisa’s Mediterranean Cuisine and exclusive to fitness clients, can be picked up at the restaurant or delivered during in-
home sessions. The menu includes several deliciously, healthy appetizers, salads, main dishes and sides, each with calorie content and portion size noted. Highlights include:

Zucchini Pancake: Grilled zucchini, dill, onions, feta and warm Turkish spices. 12 ounces, 165 calories

Shepherd’s Salad: garden tomatoes, cucumber, onions and parsley with light dressing. 2 cups, 147 calories

Beet Salad: Beets, romaine lettuce, red onions and feta with light dressing. 2 cups, 125 calories

Salmon Grape Leaves: Poached salmon wrapped in grilled Turkish grape leaves. 6 ounces, 342 calories

Grilled Bronzini: Grilled whole Mediterranean Bronzini. 11 ounces, 330 calories

Added Mayisoglu, “Fad diets come and go. The Mediterranean diet has been around for ages andproven to reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer. Mediterranean Zone’s menu includes heart-healthy foods that taste great and will naturally promote weight loss. Most diets aren’t successful
because they leave people feeling hungry; that simply isn’t the case here. This isn’t a diet, it’s a lifestyle with real food. You won’t find any shakes on our menu.”

Mediterranean Zone is located at 28 Oak Street, Ridgewood, NJ 07450. For more information, clients can call 201.978.5384, or visit https://www.facebook.com/MediterraneanZone, or Instagram at Mediterranean_Zone.

Posted on 1 Comment

Fallen Ridgewood Tree Limb takes out Power Hawthorne

fallen_tree_limb_theridgewoodblog
photos courtesy of Boyd Loving Facebook page
Fallen Ridgewood Tree Limb takes out Power Hawthorne
July 11,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, On 7/10/2015: Police and fire department personnel in two (2) neighboring municipalities responded to separate reports of fallen tree limbs that blocked roadways and disrupted electric service late Friday afternoon.
11709931 416813901837982 5075152153138975375 o
Ridgewood public safety teams were dispatched to a home on Oak Street, where a Village owned tree limb had fallen on the front lawn, knocking out electric, phone, and cable TV services. In neighboring Hawthorne, police and fire units converged on Minerva Avenue, where a limb from a privately owned tree had crashed to the ground, destroying a back yard shed and taking down several wires. No injuries were reported in either incident.
11717462 416813858504653 5648192318331917510 o
11235390 416813988504640 875648117348494130 o
Posted on 4 Comments

Village Say No Alligators in Graydon

Lake-plaicd-lake-placid-movies-theridgewoodblog
July 10.2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Reader says Village should offer an alligator amnesty program for residents who wish to get rid of these illegal, exotic pets?

Ridgewood NJ, Village and Wildlife officials in Bergen County believe an alligator found swimming in the Passaic River Wednesday may have been someone’s pet that was released into the wild.

The alligator discovery is now raising concerns about how the owners obtained it in the first place and where it will go.
In New Jersey alligators are classified as a “potentially dangerous species,” which means only highly trained  expert should be handling them . A source at the Village Hall said , “keeping Graydon gator free is a top Village priority “.
Posted on Leave a comment

Live Music and Art in Ridgewood July 10

music_at_night_theridgewoodblog

file photo ArtChick

Ridgewood NJ, Come enjoy beautiful music and art in downtown Ridgewood, NJ tomorrow, July 10, 2015. The Ridgewood Guild is coupling its weekly summer program, Music In the Night, with the first ever Art in the Park.This will be located in Van Neste Square Memorial Park. Visual artists will be present with their work on display and for sale.

The musical feature at the park will be Take 4, a trio fronted by James Mabli.

Around town, you can catch the following musical artists at these fine restaurants:

Mike Flanagan – It’s Greek to Me
Emily Ertle – Ridgewood Coffee Company
Brielle Liebman – Due / LaTour / Malee
Dom Boresta – Mediterraneo / Sant. Egidio
Deirdre Morgan – Kilwin’s
Jake Thistle – Ben and Jerry’s
Johnny Horizon – Daily Treat

Posted on 13 Comments

Village Hall: the economic demographics of Ridgewood make this a highly attractive town for burglaries

Ridgewood_Police_theridgewoodblog

file photo by Boyd Loving

Village of Ridgewood – E-Notice – Thursday, 09 July 2015

Dear E-Notice Residents,

Early this week we had a burglary on the west side of town – last week we had one as well. I wanted to drop everyone a note as a reminder as to how we best protect ourselves; the economic demographics of Ridgewood make this a highly attractive town for burglaries but there are many things that we can do together to deter this.

First and foremost if you see anything or anyone suspicious please call our Police Department. Look out for your neighbors. Also, try to make your home look like it’s occupied – for example, take your newspapers in, try not to leave dry cleaning on your front door, leave a car in the driveway, and put your lights, tv and/or radio on timers so they are on during the proper times. Also, please make sure that your doors are locked. If you have two sets of doors, i.e. a storm/screen door and a regular entry door insure both are locked – locking just the screen door (which tends to be easier to force open) is not sufficient. Close and lock your garage door; one of our burglaries recently was the theft of a bicycle out of a garage. In fact we have had a significant number of bike thefts so putting bicycles away is a good idea as well. When you are leaving your home for an extended period of time, you can call our Police Department and let them know. Also, if you leave your car outside, please make sure that nothing of value is visible within the car and that it is locked – entering a car and stealing is common and can largely be avoided.

I am by no means minimizing the level of burglaries in Ridgewood this year but the metrics indicate that this is similar to last year. We have had 9 residential burglaries and 3 attempts this year versus 10 last year during the same time frame. We remain a very safe community with a top notch law enforcement capability.

In the last two weeks the two west side burglaries were in the Old Country Club area, and last fall we saw a number of burglaries on the east side of our Village. We see this concentration of activity in a particular area for a time and then it seems to shift to another section of town or other municipalities. The Police Department is actively investigating these crimes and they are a priority.

Have a safe, relaxing and wonderful summer, Roberta

Best regards,

Roberta

Posted on 11 Comments

Ridgewood Council to keep it simple on Hudson Street garage

7th_Penn_Parking_Lot

JULY 9, 2015    LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015, 3:09 PM
BY MARK KRULISH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

The results of a parking study performed by the New York-based firm Walker Parking Consultants are in, and the choice was simple for village officials – a traditional self-park deck is the way to go at Hudson Street.

While an automated garage would have provided more parking spaces, the gain would have been negated by its higher price tag.

The cost of a traditional deck was reported to be approximately $11 million to $12 million, while building an automated garage is estimated at $17 million to $24 million.

These numbers are dependent upon the amount of spaces built, among other factors that are typically handled during the request for proposal (RFP) and subsequent design phase.

Officials also cited some disadvantages that come with the technology used in automated garages, particularly at a site where commuters and rail passengers are often moving in and out of the area and would prefer to get to their cars quickly.

In the report, Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld said a traditional deck could yield a net gain of as much as 318 spaces over what already exists at Hudson Street, while one of the automated garage scenarios would only give the village an additional 322, but would cost several million dollars more.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/council-to-keep-it-simple-on-garage-1.1371637

Posted on 8 Comments

Ridgewood to ask voters about plan for downtown parking garage

highlander-garage-fight

JULY 9, 2015, 5:48 PM    LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015, 5:53 PM
BY CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

RIDGEWOOD — When they enter polling booths this fall, village residents will be invited to weigh in on the proposed expenditure of $15 million for a parking garage in the central business district.

The language for a non-binding referendum will ask Ridgewood voters whether they favor bonding $15 million “in public funds” for the construction of a parking garage at Hudson and South Broad streets.

The outcome of the vote will have no impact on the council’s final decision on the garage’s construction, which Ridgewood officials have been considering for months.

The financing of the garage “would be paid for by using parking revenues,” according the referendum’s language, which was read at Wednesday night’s council meeting.

Councilman Mike Sedon said Wednesday he supported gauging public sentiment on the building of a parking garage downtown. Deputy Mayor Albert Pucciarelli also backed adding the referendum question to this fall’s ballot.

Councilwoman Gwenn Hauck said she thought it was important that Ridgewood residents understand their annual municipal taxes won’t be impacted by any garage-related costs. Councilwoman Susan Knudsen also endorsed the ballot measure.

 

https://www.northjersey.com/news/ridgewood-to-ask-voters-about-plan-for-downtown-parking-garage-1.1371721

Posted on Leave a comment

Charlotte Samuels of Ridgewood our very own Super Hero

charlotte samuels1

JULY 9, 2015    LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015, 1:20 AM
BY DARREN COOPER
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

The Charlotte Samuels story isn’t close to being over, but the book is being written.

The Ridgewood senior is the youngest person to complete the triple crown of open water swimming, traversing the English Channel, Manhattan Island and the Catalina Channel off the Southern California coast.

The 17-year old now is working on a memoir of her experiences, titled “Guts,” and consulting with a literary agent.

“You have to have guts,” Samuels said. “You really have to put yourself out there to accomplish things.”

While Samuels is serious about her swimming and has a new challenge lined up, she also is serious about writing. “Guts” will not be ghostwritten.

This month, Samuels is attending a young women’s writing workshop at Smith College in Massachusetts. She is refining her book – and may use her swim across the English Channel as the frame for her other life experiences — and learning about poetry.

Back home, Samuels is a star whose exploits have made headlines all over New Jersey. She was honored at the New Jersey State House, spoke at halftime of a Ridgewood football game, and was grand marshal at the Ridgewood Fourth of July parade.

https://www.northjersey.com/sports/high-school-sports/girls-swimming/it-s-a-sure-thing-samuels-goes-the-distance-1.1371218

Posted on Leave a comment

Yes there really are farms behind Kings Just Picked Promise Program

John Ploch
July 8th ,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, As you know, Kings’ Just Picked Promise Program is back in full swing again this summer, bringing Ridgewood customers locally grown, farm-fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs within 24 hours of being picked.
Like many of you we were a bit skeptical with the “farm fresh “claim , so we reached out to Kings and they offered us a behind the scenes look at the people who make this program possible…the farmers.

tractor in romaine field
Meet John Ploch the farm owner of Ploch Farms in New Jersey, located south of Ridgewood in Vineland NJ  and is just one of the farms that play a huge role in giving shoppers the benefits of a local farm stand in the convenience of their neighborhood food markets.

John Ploch from Ploch Farms shares his day-to day experience explaining how, “Every day is something a little different, especially if we received weather overnight. We start our day at 5:00 a.m. assessing the harvest and assigning responsibilities to our crews for the day. We’ll then spend the remainder of the morning planting and bringing in produce that is going out that evening or the next day. By midday we have to be in the packing house due to the heat because we can’t harvest when it’s hot out. We finish up reviewing orders for the next day and trying to get as ahead as possible.”

cabbage field
John notes that his farm history goes back to the 1800s with his great grandfather who moved from Germany to Northern New Jersey and started a dairy farm, where they were only a nine acre farm back then. Today, they farm about 250 acres, between the main farm and rented property.

The farm provides Kings’ Just Picked program with greens, including arugula, chard, collards, dandelion greens, kale, lettuce, and spinach as well as its herbs, including basil, dill, mint, and parsley.

When asked what his most rewarding part of his job is, John said, “Working with my father. We both have a great work ethic and work well together – you really can’t beat it.”

Its local farmers like John allow Kings’ Just Picked Promise Program to bring its customers the freshest, seasonal products over the summer months.

Posted on Leave a comment

Local Veteran Receives Korean War Honor At Ridgewood 4th of July Parade from NJTPC

101_0790

July 4, 2015

RIDGEWOOD, NJ , Rep. Scott Garrett (NJ-05) honored Korean War Veteran and Wanaque resident Thomas Falato, during today’s flag raising ceremony, which traditionally starts the Annual Ridgewood 4th of July Parade.  Reaching the rank of Corporal, Mr. Falato served in the Second Korean Winter of 1951-1952, where his many medals included the Korean Service Medal with two Bronze Stars.  He served in the U.S. Army from 1951-1953 and the U.S. Army reserves from 1953-1957.

101 0785

“What better time of the year to be reminded of what great country we live in, then to pay tribute to our veterans, especially those who fought in the dangerous and often inhospitable battle conditions of Korea,” said Garrett while presenting a congressional resolution to Mr. Falato, which recognizes his dedicated and unselfish service to his country.

101 0793
Born and raised in Hackensack, Mr. Falato has stayed active in veteran activities, serving as Post Commander of Korean War Veterans Association Taejon Chapter #170 in Saddle Brook.  He is also a retired manager from Verizon.

Mr. Falato’s complete list of medals and honors:

Korean Service Medal with two Bronze Stars

Army Good Conduct Medal

United Nations Medal

National Defense Service Medal

Combat Infantry Badge

 

101 0800

Posted on Leave a comment

Lego Movie Night at Graydon – July 10th

11146211_757664894331939_3183964653958980690_n

THE LEGO MOVIE

Starring: Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Nick Offerman, Alison Brie, Charlie Day, with Liam Neeson and Morgan Freeman.

Directed By: Phil Lord & Christopher Miller
Release Date: June 17, 2014

ON THE BEACH AT GRAYDON– Movie will begin at sundown

Admission begins at 7:00pm, free to Summer Day Campers* and their families

*must wear your camp shirt for free admission

All others—$5 per person or $10 per family

Please bring folding chairs or a blanket and a flashlight

The Water’s Edge Café will be open for dinner menu and special movie treats of:

popcorn, candies, ice cream and beverage.