Ridgewood NJ, The two major events on Memorial day in the Village of Ridgewood are the Fred D’Elia Ridgewood Run at Veteran’s Memorial Field, Monday at 8 a.m. and the American Legion Post 53 will host a service at Memorial Park Monday at 11 a.m. in Van Neste Square on East Ridgewood Avenue.
Don’t you find it quite odd that the on-line Village “Community Calendar” has no information contained within about Memorial Day Services, nor The Ridgewood Run, nor Michael Feeney’s Greatest Day Ever, nor the upcoming Taste of Ridgewood? Is someone asleep at the switch over there in Village Hall, or does the outgoing administration just in “we don’t give a damn” mode now?
The Ridgewood Run is the premier road race in northern New Jersey and one of the longest running races in the tri-state area. Choose either the 10K, 5K, Road Mile, Fun Run – all or one of them.
Mon, May 30, 2016
Time: 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Veteran’s Field, N Maple & Linwood Aves, Ridgewood, NJ 074502016 Race Day ScheduleRace Day Registration for all events, up to field limit of 4000 runners.8:15 – The Kessler Foundation Wheelchair 10K
8:15 – 10K Runners in corrals
8:20 – Park Ave BMW 10K
10:15 – Park Ave BMW 5K
11:15 – Valley Hospital Mile
12:00 Noon
Ridgewood YMCA
Fun Run/Health Walk Mile
Ridgewood NJ, with Memorial Day weekend just a few days away, WalletHub today followed up its study on the Best States for Military Retirees by releasing its 2016 Memorial Day By The Numbers Report. This includes an expert Q&A on the meaning of Memorial Day and the manner in which we celebrate it as well an infographic full of factoids – both serious and fun – about various facets of the holiday.
You can find a handful of highlights of the report below.
42+ Mil: Americans have served the country in war time.
1.3 Mil: Members of the armed services have lost their lives in conflict.
89% – Of Memorial Day weekend travelers will drive to their destination (2.1% increase from 2015).
818: Hot dogs are consumed every second from Memorial Day to Labor Day (7 billion total).
25%: More home-cooking fires happen on Memorial Day than average.
900K+: Expected participants and spectators in Rolling Thunder, the annual Memorial Day motorcycle rally in Washington, DC.
Ridgewood NJ, the Orpheus Club Men’s Chorus has volunteered to be a part of Ridgewood’s Memorial Day Ceremony on Monday, Memorial Day. It is our civic duty and our privilege to give our time, talents, end efforts to support the Village’s remembrance of our war dead.
Thanks to Mayor Paul Aronsohn, and Memorial Day Committee chair Bob Paoli, we will be singing Battle Hymn of the Republic, In Flanders Fields, and vocal accompaniment to an Armed Forces Medley performed by the Ridgewood High School Wind Ensemble.
The ceremony starts at 11:00 am and should conclude at noon.
Ridgewood NJ, Council members Mike Sedon and Susan Knudsen along with Council elect members Jeff Voigt , Ramon Hache and Bernie Walsh spent the morning at Valleau Cemetery in Ridgewood placing flags at the graves of Veterans. Thanks to American Legion Post 53 and Andy Haderthauer for allowing us the opportunity to participate in this beautiful tradition.
The kids were proud too, to take part in the placement of flags on the graves of veterans at Valleau Cemetery.
The tradition is that shortly before Memorial Day, American Legion members place U.S. flags on the graves of their fallen comrades at Valleau Cemetery.
The listing were incomplete and the Legion knew that their quiet tribute missed the graves of some veterans in the 33-acre cemetery. Some graves at Valleau go as far back to the Civil War.
In the past the Legion used what could only be described as a low-tech system for noting the graves of veterans. It consisted of seven plywood boards in the shape of sections of the cemetery. On top of the boards were worn-out sheets of paper with the names of the veterans and the plot numbers. A lot of those names and plot numbers are illegible . We just had to computerize the whole system.
17-year-old Boy Scout Andy Haderthauer, a junior at Ridgewood High School heard about the problem at a Memorial Day Service and applied his computing skills to come up with a solution. Haderthauer put in about 130 hours of work to set up a computerized a system .
With the help of Valleau Cemetery Superintendent Guy Kostka, Haderthauer began his project in August. First he put the board names on the computer list, then set out on a tour of the cemetery, looking over some gravestones that date to the early 1800s.
He also the help of some buddies and fellow Scouts, saving him days of walking the graveyard alone and three months later, Haderthauer had made up his list, and then used software to display the information by name and plot number.
Last year, there were only 350 graves at Valleau that were known to be the resting places of veterans. Now, double that number have been identified through Haderthauer’s efforts.
The project gained Haderthauer recognition as an Eagle Scout and the gratitude of the daughter of Master Sgt. Charles Ernest Hosking Jr. – a winner of the Medal of Honor. Hosking, a 24-year Army veteran, was awarded the military’s highest decoration after he was killed by an explosion in Vietnam in 1967. He jumped on a Vietnamese prisoner who was about to set off a grenade, protecting his men from the blast.
Brendan Corcoran Proclamation
July 15th 2015
Boyd A. Loving
Ridgewood NJ, Presentation of New Jersey State Senate Proclamation made during the Ridgewood Village Council meeting held on Wednesday, July 15 from State Assemblyman David Russo, (R) District 40, to Ridgewood Fire Department Lieutenant Brendan Corcoran for his Guinness World Record Breaking Full Firefighters’ Gear Run on Memorial Day, 2015. Pictured with Lt. Corcoran and Assemblyman Russo is Corcoran’s 5-year old daughter, Cailin.
MAY 26, 2015 LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015, 1:21 AM
THE RECORD
Bank on Brown
For the 40th consecutive year — the entire life of the event — Jacob Brown lent a supporting hand at the Ridgewood Run.
This time it was giving out water and juice to runners not far from the finish line Monday.
He was overseeing quite a few members of his Ridgewood High School girls track team that also were volunteering their services on the refreshment line for the thirsty competitors.
In past years, Brown has done any number of jobs at the race, including patrolling the grounds, picking up trash, using his ever-present camera for photography work — basically whatever assignment that needed to be handled, he did it enthusiastically.
The 69-year-old Brown, who is retiring after 44 seasons as the legendary coach of the Maroons’ track and field squad (and as a health education teacher) was there at the beginning in 1976 when race founder Fred d’Elia turned to him for advice.
“Basically it was all about the logistics of how to put something like this together starting from scratch; I was sort of like an aide-de-camp for Fred,” said Brown.
“He was able to get all the politicians and police and other departments to close the streets off, but he also needed a plan to actually formulate on how and where everything would take place.
“We were very surprised that first year because we thought that less than a hundred people would show up and we got eight or nine times that many entrants.”
MAY 26, 2015 LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2015, 1:21 AM
BY ED MILLS
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
RIDGEWOOD — A year ago Mike Fisher was too sick to compete. This time it was a healthy Fisher who made the rest of the field look pale in comparison next to him.
Employing a sound strategy all the way through, Fisher, of Brookline, Mass., earned first place in the Men’s 10K at the 40th annual Fred d’Elia Ridgewood Run on Monday with a time of 32 minutes, 17 seconds, as he broke away from Fair Lawn’s Anthony Fatuzzo (32:57) down the stretch to build a solid margin at the end.
“I was supposed to run here last year for the first time but on the eve of the race I came down with food poisoning,” said the 31-year- old Fisher. “This time, I was at full strength and the weather [mid-60s and a small breeze at race time in the morning] was a major boost; the cloud cover overhead helped. And I used my experience in marathons [five, including Boston twice] to pave my way through some of the rolling hills and winding paths in the middle of the course.”
Also taking a clear route to a championship was Roberta Groner of Randolph, who was clocked in 35:53 in the Women’s 10K, with Leonia’s Elizabeth Eickelberg coming on strong in the final couple of miles to place second in 36:22.
“I was happy with my overall performance,” said Groner, who moved from Pittsburgh to Morris County less than a year ago. “It doesn’t get much better than this. I didn’t need to do much sprinting and I kept a pretty even keel throughout. There were some ridges with some slight slopes and then a few dips, but overall the course ran very smoothly.”
MAY 25, 2015, 3:28 PM LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, MAY 25, 2015, 3:35 PM
BY STEFANIE DAZIO
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
RIDGEWOOD — Temperatures in the mid-70s couldn’t stop him. A recent bout of bronchitis surely didn’t. And forget about those 25 pounds of firefighting gear — including three and a half pounds of boot on each foot.
In the end, Ridgewood Fire Lt. Brendan Corcoran smashed the Guinness World Record he’d been chasing by more than a full minute on Monday. The previous record for the one-mile run wearing full fire gear was 7 minutes 58.02 seconds. Corcoran unofficially clocked in at 6 minutes 45 seconds on his brother Greg’s watch, a fellow firefighter who ran alongside him at the Fred d’Elia Memorial Day Ridgewood Run.
You might say Corcoran has been training for this run since age 7, when he ran his first 10-kilometer race in Ridgewood with his Uncle Greg. Since then, he’s competed in marathons, half-marathons, triathlons and Ironman Triathlons — including one half-marathon in March in full firefighter gear that’s soon to become the new world record with 1 hour 48 minutes 24 seconds.
Fast forward to 2001, when he was working as a personal trainer and living in Hoboken. Sept. 11 hit and he realized he wanted to step up for his community.
Memorial Day Ceremony, Ridgewood
May 25,2015
Boyd A. Loving
12:41 PM
Ridgewood NJ, American Legion Post 53 conducted a Memorial Day service on Monday, May 25th 2015 . It took place at 11 am in Veterans Memorial Park in downtown Ridgewood.
Today we remember the loss of the heroic men and women who sacrificed their lives in defense of freedom and liberty. We owe our way of life to their courage. Their willingness to fight is the reason why we live in a country free from tyranny and oppression.
In honor of Memorial Day, I’m happy to announce that the Oversight and Government Reform Committee this week passed my bill to rename the United States Post Office building located at 1 Walter Hammond Place in Waldwick, NJ the “Staff Sergeant Joseph D’Augustine Post Office Building.” This action clears the way for this important legislation to be passed by the House of Representatives and sent to President Obama for his signature.
As you may know, Staff Sergeant Joseph D’Augustine, a 2001 Waldwick High School graduate, was killed in action in the Helmand province of Afghanistan on March 27, 2012. He gave his life while protecting his fellow men and women in uniform. Renaming the Waldwick Post Office after a hometown hero would be a fitting tribute to this brave young man.
POSTED: 05/21/15, 6:28 PM PDT | UPDATED: 2 DAYS AGO
Larry Maxam was his name, and before we begin filling our propane tanks, roasting the hot dogs and cracking open a beer, I’d like to tell you his story.
Because, to me, he is the perfect face of Memorial Day. The guy we should all be thanking this weekend.
Sometimes we lose track of what Memorial Day is all about. It’s not a patriotic celebration of military might, but a remembrance of the 1 million plus casualties of all our wars who never made it home.
Most of them were still kids, really, like Maxam.
His buddies from Vietnam say he was a friendly, quiet guy who wore his Mormon religion on his sleeve right next to his corporal stripes.
“Other guys would go out, get rowdy, whatever, but not him,” says Larry Clinesmith, who shared a foxhole with Maxam. “He was quiet, always looking to help the new guys coming into the platoon.”
No one ever made the quiet kid from California as a hero.
The night he died, Feb. 2, 1968, Maxam was in charge of a fire team of four men protecting part of a defensive perimeter set up around the Cam Lo District Marine headquarters.
Sometime around midnight, the VC — Viet Cong — threw everything they had at the perimeter. Maxam spotted a hole in the defense where a large group of VC was gathering for a full frontal attack.
He got there before they could break through, set himself up behind an abandoned machine-gun placement, and began firing.
This week, The Heritage Foundation will host the debut of the film“Honoring a Commitment: The Story of PFC Gordon.”
“Honoring a Commitment” is a feature-length film about Pfc. Lawrence Gordon, who went missing in action during World War II.
Gordon, a Canadian citizen, enlisted in the United States Army not long after Pearl Harbor was bombed on Dec. 7, 1941.
Gordon served in the Reconnaissance Company, 32nd Armored Regiment, 3rd Armored Division. In August of 1944, he was listed as missing in action while in Normandy.
His family was given only his wallet. They would have to wait almost 70 years to discover what happened to his body.
“Honoring a Commitment” is the story of their search.
Jed Henry, the producer of the film, told The Daily Signal in an interview that the film “was never supposed to be a documentary.”
“It just sort of turned out that way,” he said.
During a trip to Europe to learn about his grandfather’s service in World War II, Henry discovered that Gordon was the only member of the unit who was still listed as missing.
Henry contacted Gordon’s family—including a nephew who had been named Lawrence in honor of his uncle—and they decided to see if they could determine what had happened to him.
“This is worth a look, to see if there’s anything we can do about this,” he said.
They initially started recording friends and family discussing Gordon and the search for them to show the “humanitarian” side of the story to the various U.S. agencies and foreign governments they asked for help.
“It started out as a small little video to explain why the family wants this,” said Henry. “After 70 years, there’s a lot of skepticism, and people asking ‘What are you hoping to accomplish?’”
After an extensive search by the team of “rank amateurs,” Gordon’s remains were finally found.
After he was killed, Gordon was misidentified as a German, and was laid to rest in a French cemetery for German soldiers.
French authorities performed a DNA test. Gordon had been found.
Henry said that Gordon’s story is “a case study,” showing that the process of finding the remains of those who are missing in action “hasn’t kept up with modern technology.”
He said that he hopes that the film “sheds light on the MIA community.”
“I hope it opens people’s eyes to the inefficiency,” said Henry. “I don’t think we’re fulfilling the promise to bring everyone home.”
Henry, who has years of experience in the television industry, has never distributed a film before.
“This is a new venture for me,” he said.
The film has been submitted in film festivals, but distribution “is still in the works.”
“We’re looking for places to spread the word,” said Henry. “The debut is exciting for us.”
The Heritage Foundation, in partnership with National Review, will screen “Honoring a Commitment: on Thursday, May 21 at 4:00 p.m. in Heritage’s Lehrman Auditorium.
Ridgewood NJ, Various roads on the East Side of Ridgewood will be closed starting at 7:30am for the Memorial Day run. Main roads including Linwood Ave E.Ridgewood ave E.Glen Ave and Franklin Turnpike will be affected. If your planing to travel through town plan an alternate route to avoid delays.
MAY 23, 2015, 4:48 PM LAST UPDATED: SATURDAY, MAY 23, 2015, 11:41 PM
BY KATHLEEN LYNN AND KIM LUEDDEKE
STAFF WRITERS |
THE RECORD
Despite a decidedly unsummer-like chill, visitors flocked to the Jersey Shore on Saturday, strolling along its boardwalks and filling restaurants and shops in celebration of the long Memorial Day weekend.
“Today’s been nice. Good crowd,” said Nicky Kaslov, owner of the Beach boyz clothing store on the Seaside Heights boardwalk. “I’m hoping to have a good year.”
As the Memorial Day weekend kicks off the traditional summer tourism season, business owners and analysts say that lower gas prices, an improving economy and a craving for sunshine after a tough winter are likely to bring more visitors to the Shore this year.
Experts at Stockton University in Galloway predict a 4 to 5 percent increase in tourism at most Jersey Shore communities this summer — assuming the weather’s bright.
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