Posted on

Veterans Day 2013 Ceremony in Ridgewood

Veterans_BEST_Day_2013_Ceremony_in_Ridgewood_theridgewoodblog.net

Photo credit: Boyd A. Loving
Veterans Day 2013 Ceremony in Ridgewood
November 11,2013
Boyd A. Loving
12:39 PM

Ridgewood NJ, Village of Ridgewood 2013 Veterans Day services began at 11 AM on Monday on Veterans Field in Ridgewood.  The ceremony was coordinated by members of American Legion Post 53 based in Ridgewood.  This year’s event was held, as always, to honor all veterans, but especially those from the Korean War era military.

Veterans_Day_2013_Ceremony_in_Ridgewood_theridgewoodblog.netVeterans2_Day_2013_Ceremony_in_Ridgewood_theridgewoodblog.net

Veterans6_Day_2013_Ceremony_in_Ridgewood_theridgewoodblog.net

Veterans5_Day_2013_Ceremony_in_Ridgewood_theridgewoodblog.net

Veterans4_Day_2013_Ceremony_in_Ridgewood_theridgewoodblog.net

Veterans3_Day_2013_Ceremony_in_Ridgewood_theridgewoodblog.net

Veterans11_Day_2013_Ceremony_in_Ridgewood_theridgewoodblog.net

Veterans12_Day_2013_Ceremony_in_Ridgewood_theridgewoodblog.net

Veterans14_Day_2013_Ceremony_in_Ridgewood_theridgewoodblog.net

Photo credit: Boyd A. Loving

Posted on

Flag Day

Ridgewood_5Memorial_Day_Ceremony-2013_theridgewood-blog.net_1-300x225

photo by Boyd Loving

Rep Scott Garrett reminds us its flag day

“We identify the flag with almost everything we hold dear on earth, peace, security, liberty, our family, our friends, our home. … But when we look at our flag and behold it emblazoned with all our rights we must remember that it is equally a symbol of our duties. Every glory that we associate with it is the result of duty done.”

-President Calvin Coolidge

Posted on

Bergen County Executive Kathleen A. Donovan Wishing Everyone a Happy Mothers Day

images

I want to wish all the mothers and grandmothers in Bergen County a Happy Mother’s Day and let you know how special I think you are.

There is no job more difficult, more demanding or more important than that of being a mother.

Mothers give love unconditionally and everlastingly. Mothers comfort us when we are down, forgive our mistakes, and offer us a haven from the world’s troubles. Mothers love us for who we are.

Mothers are taxi drivers, cooks, doctors, teachers and psychologists all rolled into one. Mothers inspire greatness as well as kindness.

For those of us whose Mothers have passed, we remember her with great affection and love on this day and everyday.  

To the Moms everywhere, I hope you spend the day surrounded by the children you love and the families you created.

And to all you sons and daughters, take a moment to show your mother that you appreciate all the things she has done for you  — all the sacrifices she made, without complaint, year after year. It is her unconditional love that has taken you this far.

Happy Mother’s Day!
Bergen County Executive Kathleen A. Donovan

Posted on

The Mothers day countdown is on!

Karma_theridgewoodblog.net

The Mothers day countdown is on!

Only a few more days left till MOM’s big day…yes indeed Mother’s Day. A rainbow of fabulous natural nail polish colors await at Karma. We have great gift certificates as well for our products and salon services.

The weekend is here…time to treat yourself
We have fabulous manicure and pedicure salon services!

Open Saturday’s from 9am-6pm and Sunday’s 10am to 6pm. Have a wonderful weekend everyone.

At Karma Organic Spa we are dedicated to creating an eco-friendly environment with organic products as a healthy alternative for your beauty needs. We even use fresh flowers, herbs and fruits in our treatments.

Looking for high quality nail polish and remover without the harsh chemicals you find in traditional products? Discover our Karma Organic signature nail care products. Our toluene, formaldehyde and phthalate free nail polishes and our soy-based, non-toxic organic nail polish removers are the answer to the eco-conscious nail care user. For an organic spa experience, check out all of our Karma Organic salon services.

32 Wilsey Square, Ridgewood, New Jersey 07450
Phone(201) 857-5300
Emailcustomerservice@karmaorganicspa.com

https://www.karmaorganicspa.com//

Posted on

Columbus Day, History and Controversy

chrisColumbus

Editors Note: Christopher Columbus was a very controversial figure in his day ,perhaps even more so than now. Many students of history suggest that Columbus would have thrived in today’s culture of “no press is bad press ”  and would have basked in all the attention. 

Columbus Day

Columbus Day is a U.S. holiday that commemorates the landing of Christopher Columbus in the New World on October 12, 1492. It was unofficially celebrated in a number of cities and states as early as the 18th century but did not become a federal holiday until the 1937. For many, the holiday is a way of both honoring Columbus’ achievements and celebrating Italian-American heritage. Throughout its history, Columbus Day and the man who inspired it have generated controversy, and many alternatives to the holiday have appeared in recent years.

https://www.history.com/topics/columbus-day

Origins of Columbus Day
A U.S. national holiday since 1937, Columbus Day commemorates the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the New World on October 12, 1492. The Italian-born explorer had set sail two months earlier, backed by the Spanish monarchs King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. He intended to chart a western sea route to China, India and the fabled gold and spice islands of Asia; instead, he landed in the Bahamas, becoming the first European to explore the Americas since the Vikings set up colonies in Greenland and Newfoundland during the 10th century.

Later that month, Columbus sighted Cuba and believed it was mainland China; in December the expedition found Hispaniola, which he though might be Japan. There, he established Spain’s first colony in the Americas with 39 of his men. In March 1493, the explorer returned to Spain in triumph, bearing gold, spices and “Indian” captives. He crossed the Atlantic several more times before his death in 1506; by his third journey, he realized that he hadn’t reached Asia but instead had stumbled upon a continent previously unknown to Europeans.

Columbus Day in the United States
The first Columbus Day celebration took place in 1792, when New York’s Columbian Order–better known as Tammany Hall–held an event to commemorate the historic landing’s 300th anniversary. Taking pride in Columbus’ birthplace and faith, Italian and Catholic communities in various parts of the country began organizing annual religious ceremonies and parades in his honor. In 1892, President Benjamin Harrison issued a proclamation encouraging Americans to mark the 400th anniversary of Columbus’ voyage with patriotic festivities, writing, “On that day let the people, so far as possible, cease from toil and devote themselves to such exercises as may best express honor to the discoverer and their appreciation of the great achievements of the four completed centuries of American life.”

In 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed Columbus Day a national holiday, largely as a result of intense lobbying by the Knights of Columbus, an influential Catholic fraternal benefits organization. Originally observed every October 12, it was fixed to the second Monday in October in 1971.

https://www.history.com/topics/columbus-day

Columbus Day Alternatives
Opposition to Columbus Day dates back to the 19th century, when anti-immigrant groups in the United States rejected the holiday because of its association with Catholicism. In recent decades, Native Americans and other groups have protested the celebration of an event that indirectly resulted in the colonization of the Americas and the death of millions: European settlers brought a host of infectious diseases, including smallpox and influenza, that decimated indigenous populations; warfare between Native Americans and the colonists claimed many lives as well. The image of Christopher Columbus as an intrepid hero has also been called into question. Upon arriving in the Bahamas, the explorer and his men forced the native peoples they found there into slavery; later, while serving as the governor of Hispaniola, he allegedly imposed barbaric forms of punishment, including torture.

In many Latin American nations, the anniversary of Columbus’ landing has traditionally been observed as the Dìa de la Raza (“Day of the Race”), a celebration of Hispanic culture’s diverse roots. In 2002, Venezuela renamed the holiday Dìa de la Resistencia Indìgena (“Day of Indigenous Resistance”) to recognize native peoples and their experience. Several U.S. cities and states have replaced Columbus Day with alternative days of remembrance; examples include Berkeley’s Indigenous Peoples Day, South Dakota’s Native American Day and Hawaii’s Discoverer’s Day, which commemorates the arrival of Polynesian settlers.

https://www.history.com/topics/columbus-day

Columbus Day Traditions
In many parts of the United States, Columbus Day has evolved into a celebration of Italian-American heritage. Local groups host parades and street fairs featuring colorful costumes, music and Italian food. In cities and towns that use the day to honor indigenous peoples, activities include pow-wows, traditional dance and lessons about Native American culture.

https://www.history.com/topics/columbus-day

Posted on

Gold Star mothers day 2012

imgres

Gold Star mothers day 2012

Some residents from Ridgewood and nearby area have been meeting recently to organize the
honoring of Gold Star Mothers, an organization of mothers whose sons or daughters served
and died while serving their nation in times of war or conflict. The Gold Star Mothers Day is a
national event to honor mothers who have lost a son or daughter in the service of our country.

On Sunday, September 30, 2012 our nation will honor our Gold Star Mothers and families. The
American Legion Post 53 and Ridgewood’s Blue Star Families are spearheading the effort to
bringing awareness to our community and commemorating the sacrifices these mothers and their
families have made. In Ridgewood, we will light luminaries from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. on Sunday,
September 30th at Van Neste Park. Residents will also light luminaries at the end of their
driveways. The goal is to see thousands of luminaries lit throughout Ridgewood to honor Gold
Star Mothers on September 30th!

The effort has seen a lot of enthusiasm from local groups such as the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts,
Order of Elks, VFW and many businesses. To find out how you can be part of this event, please
contact Maria Bombace or Bob Paoli.

Posted on

Presidents Day : 40% Consider Reagan Most Influential President Of Last 50 Years

>Presidents Day :40% Consider Reagan Most Influential President Of Last 50 Years

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Americans continue to believe Ronald Reagan is the most influential president of the last half century, but they are a bit more divided over which president should be next in line to be honored by a federal holiday.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of American Adults shows that 40% regard Reagan as the most influential president of the past 50 years. Bill Clinton is a distant second with 16%, closely followed by John F. Kennedy with 14%. Barack Obama, who is making his first appearance in this question, comes in fourth with 11%. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

https://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/lifestyle/holidays/february_2012/40_consider_reagan_most_influential_president_of_last_50_years

Posted on

Presidents Day: 44 Facts You Didn’t Know About U.S. Presidents

>Presidents Day: 44 Facts You Didn’t Know About U.S. Presidents
The Huffington Post   Seena Vali   First Posted: 02/17/2012 11:02 am

While most Americans celebrate Presidents Day Weekend metabolizing the high levels of alcohol in their bloodstreams, we want to make sure that you guys actually learn something.

With that in mind, we collected 44 lesser-known facts about the leaders of this nation. Sure, everyone knows the story about President Taft getting stuck in the bathtub, but did you know about Benjamin Harrison’s fear of touching light switches? Or FDR’s movie credit? Or Gerald Ford’s modeling days?

So set aside your political allegiances and take a brief moment to read up on our country’s presidents. For without them, we would not have Monday off from work.

https://tinyurl.com/6nbcj6f

Posted on

History of a Village : Exhibit ‘tells the story’ of Civil War era in Ridgewood

History of a Village : Exhibit ‘tells the story’ of Civil War era in Ridgewood

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2011
BY JOSEPH CRAMER
STAFF WRITER
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

Two American flags hang in opposite corners of the Schoolhouse Museum, something that may not seem overly strange considering the prevalence of the national symbol in classrooms, municipal buildings and flagpoles throughout Ridgewood. But a closer look reveals that one of these flags has 34 stars; the other, 35. And spread out underneath them is a wealth of materials not likely to appear anywhere else in the village.

Starting on Sunday, Oct. 2, the Schoolhouse Museum will be home to “The Civil War Years: At Home and on the Battlefield,” a new exhibit created by the Ridgewood Historical Society, the local group that operates and maintains the museum on East Glen Avenue.

Coinciding with the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, the exhibit “tells the story of the Civil War through an extraordinary collection of artifacts and ephemera,” said Sheila Brogan, president of the Ridgewood Historical Society.

https://www.northjersey.com/community/events/130801323_Exhibit__tells_the_story__of_Civil_War_era_in_Ridgewood_.html

Posted on

Presidents Day: more than just a Presidents Day sale

George Washington

>Presidents Day: more than just a Presidents Day sale

Presidents Day: How George Washington and Abe Lincoln Got Screwed Out of Their Own Holidays
Feb 20, 2011 – 10:07 PM

Happy birthdays!

This year, the holiday informally recognized as Presidents Day falls on Monday, Feb. 21. Commemorating the birthdays of two of the nation’s most beloved presidents — George Washington and Abraham Lincoln — the holiday was not always a joint celebration. Surge Desk takes a look at the birth of this mash-up federal day off.

George Washington gets his day
The father of our country was so beloved by American citizens that his birthday, Feb. 22, was celebrated across the land long before it actually became an official holiday. Congress proclaimed that date as “Washington’s Birthday” in the year 1880; starting in 1885, all federal workers were given the day off.

What’s Abraham Lincoln, chopped liver?
Unfortunately for Abraham Lincoln, his birth date was too near Washington’s; if not, he no doubt would have been granted his own holiday. But with Feb. 12 right around the corner from the 22nd, it was hard to justify two days off so close together for state and federal workers. Though Lincoln’s birthday was never formally recognized by the federal government, following his assasination in 1865, commemorations were observed by a number of states.

https://www.aolnews.com/2011/02/20/presidents-day-how-george-washington-and-abe-lincoln-got-screwe/

Bookmark and Share

Posted on

Village History : 1828 The Naming of Godwinville ie… Ridgewood

Abraham-Godwin_theridgewoodblog

Village History : 1828 The Naming of Godwinville ie… Ridgewood 


The Naming of Godwinville (In 1828) (Ridgewood, NJ)
Reprinted from Short Sketches on Passaic County History, 1935
by Edward Graf

The ceremony of naming this village, in Bergen County about four miles north of Paterson, was performed in the following manner. On the morning of January first, 1828, the persons particularly interested in the cotton industries, established at that time in the neighborhood, proceeded from Paterson with a number of friends to that place where they met a number of its inhabitants assembled on the same occasion, who had prepared a splendid Liberty pole. This pole was borne to the corner of the road, near the store of David Lydacker by the unanimous assistance of the company present. After being decorated by an elegant Gilded Liberty Cap, presented by General Abraham Godwin, at the signal given by a discharge from a six-pounder, it was raised amidst the cheers of the surrounding multitude. The flag of the United States, also presented as above, was then hoisted to the top of the pole under a discharge of canon and cheering of the assembled citizens. After this they formed and marched to the new cotton factory of Messrs, Munn and Whitehead, where an excellent collation was provided by the proprietors of the respective cotton establishments in the vicinity, of which the whole party partook, and fared most sumptuously.
Abraham Van Rypen, one of the oldest inhabitants then addressed his neighbors in the following words:

Friends and fellow citizens – as one of the oldest residents of this neighborhood, I take the liberty on this occasion of welcoming among us the gentlemen who have availed themselves of our water powers and established manufacturies, destined, I trust and at no very far distant day, to make them rich and happy – give employment to the industrious and clothe and feed the needy. Already do we see and feel the good effects of their genius and enterprise. Out property has risen in value, our recently vacant houses have become tenanted, and many new ones erected and erecting, giving to what was, as it were yesterday a wilderness, the appearance of a thriving village. Permit me therefore to give it a name whereby it may be perpetuated and handed down to posterity.

In commemoration of one of the few that now remain of that worthy band, who breasted the storm of war in defense of our liberties and independence, and which enable us at this day to sit down under our own vine and fig tree, and to enjoy uninterruptedly such happy festivity as we have on the present occasion the pleasure of partaking and to testify our respect for the Revolutionary Patriot whose company we now have the pleasure to enjoy; I propose to you for this place the name of Godwinville.

The above was received with unabounded applause and General Godwin being present made the following brief reply:

Fellow citizens, with sentiments of unfeigned gratitude, I rise to tender to you my sincere acknowledgement for the flattering compliments you have paid me, and the honor conferred in selecting my name, in preference to any other, wherewith to perpetuate your village. My sincere wish is, that it may be a rising prosperous and happy one and that its general characteristic may be that of industry and honesty, and genuine republican principles and by pursuing strictly the last three qualifications, I have no doubt of your obtaining the former ones; and that it may be the case with each and all of you, permit me to reiterate my ardent solicitude.
This reply was also received with marked approbation. The company then again formed procession and returned to the Pole and after appending to the same in handsomely painted letters the newly acquired name of the village, it being about sunset, the flag was lowered until another discharge of cannon and the company retired to their respective places of abode, apparently well pleased with the proceedings of the day.

https://www.lambertcastle.org/speaking.html

Bookmark and Share

Posted on

Presidents Day : Calvin Coolidge

>1243221702 coolage
Calvin Coolidge: 30th President

“Champion of limited Government and Limited Government Ambition”

At 2:30 on the morning of August 3, 1923, while visiting in Vermont, Calvin Coolidge received word that he was President. By the light of a kerosene lamp, his father, who was a notary public, administered the oath of office as Coolidge placed his hand on the family Bible.

Coolidge was “distinguished for character more than for heroic achievement,” wrote a Democratic admirer, Alfred E. Smith. “His great task was to restore the dignity and prestige of the Presidency when it had reached the lowest ebb in our history … in a time of extravagance and waste….”

Born in Plymouth, Vermont, on July 4, 1872, Coolidge was the son of a village storekeeper. He was graduated from Amherst College with honors, and entered law and politics in Northampton, Massachusetts. Slowly, methodically, he went up the political ladder from councilman in Northampton to Governor of Massachusetts, as a Republican. En route he became thoroughly conservative.

As President, Coolidge demonstrated his determination to preserve the old moral and economic precepts amid the material prosperity which many Americans were enjoying. He refused to use Federal economic power to check the growing boom or to ameliorate the depressed condition of agriculture and certain industries. His first message to Congress in December 1923 called for isolation in foreign policy, and for tax cuts, economy, and limited aid to farmers.

He rapidly became popular. In 1924, as the beneficiary of what was becoming known as “Coolidge prosperity,” he polled more than 54 percent of the popular vote.

In his Inaugural he asserted that the country had achieved “a state of contentment seldom before seen,” and pledged himself to maintain the status quo. In subsequent years he twice vetoed farm relief bills, and killed a plan to produce cheap Federal electric power on the Tennessee River.

The political genius of President Coolidge, Walter Lippmann pointed out in 1926, was his talent for effectively doing nothing: “This active inactivity suits the mood and certain of the needs of the country admirably. It suits all the business interests which want to be let alone…. And it suits all those who have become convinced that government in this country has become dangerously complicated and top-heavy….”

Coolidge was both the most negative and remote of Presidents, and the most accessible. He once explained to Bernard Baruch why he often sat silently through interviews: “Well, Baruch, many times I say only ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to people. Even that is too much. It winds them up for twenty minutes more.”

But no President was kinder in permitting himself to be photographed in Indian war bonnets or cowboy dress, and in greeting a variety of delegations to the White House.

Both his dry Yankee wit and his frugality with words became legendary. His wife, Grace Goodhue Coolidge, recounted that a young woman sitting next to Coolidge at a dinner party confided to him she had bet she could get at least three words of conversation from him. Without looking at her he quietly retorted, “You lose.” And in 1928, while vacationing in the Black Hills of South Dakota, he issued the most famous of his laconic statements, “I do not choose to run for President in 1928.”

By the time the disaster of the Great Depression hit the country, Coolidge was in retirement. Before his death in January 1933, he confided to an old friend, “. . . I feel I no longer fit in with these times.”

https://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/calvincoolidge

Bookmark and Share

Posted on

Presidents Day

>Presidents Day

Washington’s Birthday is the official name designated to what many of us know as President’s Day. During the month of February the birthday of two of our greatest President’s takes place. Both George Washington who was born on Feb. 22nd and Abraham Lincoln born on Feb. 12th.

However, Washington’s birthday has been publicly celebrated since he was in office, before Abraham Lincoln was even born. Much of the debate over the name of the holiday springs from the fact that state’s can follow their own holidays how they see fit and many of them chose to also honor Lincoln, calling the celebration President’s Day.

It was in 1968 that the term President’s Day came up for legal consideration in the Congress but was shot down, though the holiday was moved to fall between the two President’s birthdays. Again in the 1980’s there was a resurgence of the term with advertisers which solidfied the holiday name in American culture. Today, few Americans perfer to call the holiday Washington’s Birthday in lieu of President’s Day.

https://www.patriotism.org/presidents_day/

To Honor Presidents Day the Ridgewood blog will use this week to give a little back ground on a few of our late presidents , we started with Lincoln last week and we will end with Washington next Monday.

Bookmark and Share

Posted on

Presidents’ Day

>

Until 1971, both February 12 and February 22 were observed as federal public holidays to honor the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln (February 12) and George Washington (February 22). In 1971 President Richard Nixon proclaimed one single federal public holiday, the Presidents’ Day, to be observed on the 3rd Monday of February, honoring all past presidents of the United States of America.

s g washGEORGE WASHINGTON (February 22, 1732 – December 14, 1799). Early in his life George Washington became an experienced surveyor. Following these years, he fought in the French and Indian War. After the war he returned to Mount Vernon in 1758, married Martha Dandridge in 1759, and became a planter. That same year he became involved in politics when he was elected representative to the Virginia House of Burgesses. He was a representative until 1774 when he became a delegate to the Continental Congress. In May of 1775 George Washington was appointed Commander of the American army during the Revolution. He was the first President, (1789 1797) governing the 13 states.

lhead3ABRAHAM LINCOLN (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865). Abe Lincoln was born into a poor family and had little formal schooling. He basically taught himself to read and write and walked long distances to borrow books. He failed in early business and political ventures, yet became President in 1861 and guided the Union through the Civil War. He shaped his own character and education as was evident in the simple language he used in his speeches. His famous Gettysburg Address was delivered in 1863. LincGln was assassinated on April 15, 1865 during a performance at Ford’s Theatre in Washington just a few days after General Robert E. Lee and his army surrendered.

https://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~maggieoh/Pd/prindex.html