Tag: Memorial Day

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Ridgewood Run set for Monday

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The Fred d’Elia Memorial Day Ridgewood Run, organized by North Jersey Masters, will take place on Monday, May 25. The race has been taking place in Ridgewood for 39 years and the 40th will have a few changes and special guests.

Founded in 1976 by the late Fred d’Elia and his wife, world-renown marathoner Toshiko, North Jersey Masters is the largest running club in Bergen County and one of the largest running clubs in New Jersey. Many Ridgewood residents belong to the club.

At last year’s race, a memorial was given in honor of Toshiko d’Elia, who passed away last February.

This year, her daughter Erica Diestel of Allendale will once again walk the course with family members and friends of “Toshi.

 

https://www.northjersey.com/community-news/clubs-and-service-organizations/ridgewood-run-set-for-monday-1.1340119

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The 40th Annual Fred D’Elia Ridgewood Run 2015

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Memorial Day – Monday – May 25th, 2015

Veterans Memorial Field
Ridgewood, NJ

Come Run With Us

The premier road race in northern New Jersey. One of the longest running races in the tri-state area. There is something for everyone: 10K, 5K, Road Mile, Fun Run – the must-run event for all!

THE 2015 RACE REGISTRATION IS OPEN

Please join us on Memorial Day in 2015 we hope to make the race better than ever. It will be our 40th running!

Register now by mail in form or online at Race Forum.

Online registration closes on THRUSDAY!

“All ages, all abilities, all welcome!”

The Fred d’Elia Memorial Day Ridgewood Run is a family-focused day of events that provide a fun environment in a festive open-park atmosphere. Seven distinct events provide the center of activity. They start at 8:15 AM and continue until after the conclusion of the Fun Run at noon. The road races are run through the tree-lined streets of the Village of Ridgewood NJ. Ridgewood is located in Bergen County bordering Rockland, Westchester, and New York counties.

Video produced and provided by mybergen.com. Copyright © 2011.
“All ages, all abilities, all welcome!”

History of the Fred d’Elia Ridgewood Run

The Fred d’Elia Ridgewood Run was created by Manfred (Fred) d’Elia and his wife, world-class runner Toshiko d’Elia, in 1976. Tired of driving his wife into Manhattan for competition with the New York Road Runners, Fred decided to create his own race to attract serious runners to their hometown. The inaugural Ridgewood Run took off with runners sporting hand-made bib numbers with Fred acting as race director, course certifier and timer. “With no money to put on a race, we all had our tasks,” recalls Toshiko d’Elia. “I hand-delivered all the race applications around town to save on stamps and our daughter Erica, was handed a black dri-marker to make race numbers.”

Since its inception, this homespun race which is always held on Memorial Day has grown to 3,500 nation-wide participants who compete for prize money in the 10K, 5K, masters mile, and elite mile events. There is also a Fun Run/Health Walk for children and walkers. The Henry H. Kessler Foundation Wheelchair 10K was introduced in 2001 with an outstanding field of 23 athletes and in 2002, 40 athletes attended, including world record holder in the 10K, Krige Schabort from South Africa, who set a new course record of 19:56 in 2006.

The evolution from hand-made bib numbers includes time clocks at every mile, ChampionChip scoring and online registration. Despite these state-of-the art devices, the event remains runner-friendly. It is truly a community-driven event. The North Jersey Masters Track and Field Club, started by the d’Elias’ in 1976, are the organizers of the race.

Park Ave BMW of Maywood has been the major sponsor since 1996. The Ridgewood YMCA is the perfect sponsor for the Fun Run/Health Walk, and the Valley Hospital is the proud sponsor of the Elite and Masters Mile races. All sponsors have a very strong commitment to the community.

Proceeds of the Ridgewood Run provide donations to support local charities and organizations. Main beneficiaries in past races were the Special Olympics New Jersey, the Ridgewood YMCA, the Kessler Foundation, the Village of Ridgewood Parks and Recreation, Social Service Association, College Club. Assistance is also give to other local charitable organizations and scholarship recipients.

The close proximity to New York City gives families from the NY Metropolitan area a chance to celebrate the holiday by spending a fun-filled weekend that concludes with a day of healthy exercise. At the Ridgewood Run, one spouse might run the 10K, the other the 5K, and then accompany the children in the Fun Run.

The Ridgewood Run has established itself as the must-run road race in the NY-NJ-Connecticut area on Memorial Day. The North Jersey Masters (NJM), the premier running club in Northern NJ, has been the organizer of the race since it’s inception in 1976. In those years NJM has built a reputation for hospitality and the ability to put on a quality day for all participants (see Race History).

Race Amenities in 2015 are:

commemorative made in the USA high-tech performance T-shirt – a real keeper!
a Flat & Fast USATF certified course;
B-tag Timing;
Mile Clocks
Water Stops
a Family Team competition in the 5K;
Photography by Sports Memories.

Awards and Prizes are plentiful: 1) Prize money to the top three finishers in the 1-Mile races, top 3 finishers in the 5K and 10K. 2) New Balance Gift Certificates and trophies to the top three finishers in each five-year age-group bracket. 3) Finisher’s Medal to all registered finishers of the Ridgewood YMCA Fun Run/Health Walk, 10 years and younger.

Mark your calendar to celebrate Memorial Day 2015 at the
Fred d’Elia Ridgewood Run!
Monday, May 25, 2015.

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BFMS Hosts Third Annual Memorial Day Remembrance on May 20

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The public is invited to join the Benjamin Franklin Middle School community for a very solemn remembrance on the night of Wednesday, May 20 in the Ben Franklin auditorium at 7 p.m.

This event is a short presentation on the true meaning of Memorial Day, featuring honored guests from the community, as well as former and current military veterans. As in the past, there  will be a luminary display outside of the school to honor those who have served and paid the ultimate sacrifice.

This year the school will be selling miniature flags before and during the event. All money raised will be donated to the Wounded Warriors Foundation, an organization which helps veterans wounded in past wars. It is our goal to continue to raise money for this worthy cause and even if you do not purchase a flag, any donation you can make is greatly appreciated. In the past two years over $4,000 has been raised.

Questions or donations may be directed to: John Fiocchi@ridgewood.k12.nj.us, Michael Mitchell@ridgewood.k12.nj.us. Jason Ordini@ridgewood.k12.nj.us or Mollie Van Horne@ridgewood.k12.nj.us.

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Today Ridgewood became the first Bergen town to fly the Honor and Remember flag.

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Today Ridgewood became the first Bergen town to fly the Honor and Remember flag.
May 26th 2014
Freeholder Maura DeNicola

Ridgewood NJ, American Legion Post 53 in Ridgewood’s Memorial Day Ceremony. Today Ridgewood became the first Bergen town to fly the Honor and Remember flag. photo by Freeholder Maura DeNicola

The Honor & Remember flag was developed by the Honor and Remember organization. The goal of this organization is to promote broad national awareness of the flag, so that military, government and educational facilities as well as households throughout the country world begin flying the Honor and Remember flag to promote recognition of our nation’s fallen warriors. A flag that is a visible reminder to all Americans of the lives lost in defense of our national freedoms. Annin & Co. gives back a portion of the proceeds from the sale of these flags to the Honor and Remember organization. They, in turn, use these funds to support the effort of donating an Honor and Remember flag to those families who have lost a loved one in military service to America.

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Memorial Day and the Meaning of Freedom

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file photo Boyd Loving

Memorial Day and the Meaning of Freedom
By Jeff Deist
Saturday, May 24th, 2014

Memorial Day provides the political class countless opportunities to ruin an otherwise thoroughly enjoyable holiday weekend.  Like clockwork, local congressmen, mayors, city council members, et al. materialize at parades, picnics, and churches to give speeches about “freedom.”

But what does freedom really mean?

Just as we should repudiate Junk English in economics, we should demand precision when it comes to the language of political posturing! In other words, we should insist that politicians use defined terms (I’m not holding my breath).

In essence, freedom is the absence of state coercion. Nothing more, but certainly nothing less.

Dr. Ron Paul explains this coercive reality behind those invoking freedom while advocating state action:

Few Americans understand that all government action is inherently coercive. If nothing else, government action requires taxes. If taxes were freely paid, they wouldn’t be called taxes, they’d be called donations. If we intend to use the word freedom in an honest way, we should have the simple integrity to give it real meaning: Freedom is living without government coercion. So when a politician talks about freedom for this group or that, ask yourself whether he is advocating more government action or less.

Taking this definition a step further, Hans-Hermann Hoppe describes a free society as the absence of aggression against one’s body and property:

A society is free, if every person is recognized as the exclusive owner of his own (scarce) physical body, if everyone is free to appropriate or “homestead” previously un-owned things as private property, if everyone is free to use his body and his homesteaded goods to produce whatever he wants to produce (without thereby damaging the physical integrity of other peoples’ property), and if everyone is free to contract with others regarding their respective properties in any way deemed mutually beneficial. Any interference with this constitutes an act of aggression, and a society is un-free to the extent of such aggressions.

In The Ethics of Liberty, Murray Rothbard similarly defined freedom as the “absence of invasion by another man of any man’s person or property” (italics in original).

This encapsulates the critical libertarian concept of negative liberty, as opposed to the view of positive liberty in the form of mastery over one’s person and surroundings generally favored by “progressives.”

This definition of freedom is fundamental.  It means free people should be able to use their minds, bodies, and talents to advance their well-being (whether material, intellectual, or spiritual) as they see fit.  It does not mean they can demand freedom from material want, or scarcity, or illness, or unhappiness, or unpleasantness generally.  It does not mean anyone owes them housing, medical care, food, or a “living wage.” It means, in sum, the freedom to be left alone.  And this is precisely what the political class of all stripes cannot abide.

https://bastiat.mises.org/2014/05/memorial-day-and-the-meaning-of-freedom/

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God Bless Those Who Have Fallen In Defense of Our Freedom

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God Bless Those Who Have Fallen In Defense of Our Freedom

Dear Friend,

This week I voted in the House to give the Congressional Gold Medal to a number of military heroes.  The bills I supported, among others, include H.R. 1726 to honor the 65th Infantry Regiment, known as the Borinqueneers; H.R. 1209  to honor the Doolittle Tokyo Raiders; and H.R. 685 to honor the American Fighter Aces.  As you may know, the American Fighter Aces are an elite group of combat pilots that destroyed at least five hostile aircraft in air to air combat.  Interestingly, New Jersey’s Fifth District serves as the home to three of these distinguished pilots, Major Thomas Buchanan McGuire of Ridgewood, Colonel Edward Stanley Popek of Hackensack and Captain Richard Dike Faxon of Haworth.

Though we can often get caught up in the parades and barbeques, this Memorial Day I urge you to truly reflect on what we hold so dear and who we have to thank for those blessings.  We are a nation of free people because of those who never wavered in their commitment to liberty and democracy.  As President Reagan said in his first inaugural address, “we must realize that no arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women.”  To all the soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines and coast guardsmen who paid the ultimate price for our freedom, thank you.  

On this Memorial Day, may God bless the families who grieve for their loved ones, and may God bless all those who have fallen in defense of the United States of America.

Sincerely,



Scott Garrett

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Village of Ridgewood to hoist Honor and Remember flag

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Village of Ridgewood to hoist Honor and Remember flag

MAY 25, 2014    LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY, MAY 25, 2014, 1:21 AM
THE RECORD

RIDGEWOOD — A new flag will be hoisted into the air above Memorial Park at Van Neste Square on Monday morning.

It is a civilian symbol of remembrance, honoring American soldiers killed in combat.

The village’s Memorial Day ceremonies will commence at 11 a.m. at Van Neste Square, with the Honor and Remember flag being raised to join the Stars and Stripes.

Featuring a red and white background, gold star and flame design in the center, along with additional patriotic elements, the flag was developed by the father of a soldier who died while fighting in Afghanistan.

Only 19 states officially recognize the flag, and Ridgewood is one of a handful of towns in New Jersey to embrace the flag.

A movement is afoot to have the flag adopted as the nation’s official remembrance flag; opponents claim the U.S. flag suffices.

– https://www.northjersey.com/community-news/village-to-hoist-honor-and-remember-flag-1.1023160

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A Memorial Day Message from Bergen County Executive Kathleen A. Donovan

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A Memorial Day Message from Bergen County Executive Kathleen A. Donovan

This Memorial Holiday weekend you and I will enjoy many privileges and freedoms.

We will travel freely throughout the state or perhaps to another state. We may go to a concert to hear the band of your choice. Many of us will go to church to worship God as we see fit. Some of us will go to parades in your community; and others will go shopping and have at our disposal variety of goods and services found almost nowhere else in the world. Many of us will freely assemble in a park or a stadium or just enjoy the quiet of our backyards. Some of us will log on to the internet, read a variety of news reports offering differing opinions and some of us will leave our opinions, critical or in favor of a government action or elected leader.

These things we routinely do as Americans, but we seldom think of how fortunate we are to have these privileges. This weekend offers us a poignant reminder that our personal and political freedom was paid for by men and women who gave their lives in defense of liberty and in the face of tyrants. It’s a time of solemn remembrance and a reminder that the price of liberty is often very high.

As the listing below illustrates, since World War Two well in excess of 500,000 American military men and women died in the service of our country.

Their willingness to pay the ultimate price has not only preserved freedom here and abroad, but has sent a signal  throughout the world to dictators, terrorists and zealots that Americans will fight and die for a just cause no matter how far from our shores.

I hope you enjoy the Memorial Day weekend to its fullest, but I also hope that you take just a few minutes to remember those who paid the ultimate price and thank their families,  so you and I can enjoy our personal freedom and political liberty.
 
U.S. MILITARY CASUALTIES SINCE WORLD WAR II
 
World War II – 407,316

Korean War   1950-1953 – 36,516

Vietnam War 1955-1975 – 58,209

Afghanistan (ongoing) – 3,395

Iraq – 4,804

Persian Gulf War 1990-1991 – 258

These figures do not count the military men and women that have died in numerous other conflicts such as Bosnia, Somalia and Beirut – But they are remembered here.

Yours in Freedom and Remembrance,
 
  
                  

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Click It or Ticket campaign in N.J. is looking for more than seat belts

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file photo Boyd Loving

Click It or Ticket campaign in N.J. is looking for more than seat belts

MAY 23, 2014, 11:19 PM    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2014, 11:52 PM
BY DAVE SHEINGOLD
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD

The yearly Click It or Ticket campaign aimed at increasing seat-belt use is turning into a catchall for police departments across New Jersey, which are writing more tickets for violations such as hand-held cellphone use, expired registrations and reckless driving, than for failing to buckle up, according to state data.

As studies show that more and more New Jersey drivers are buckling up, the number of seat-belt summonses issued by police departments funded by the federal program has dropped, and tickets issued for other infractions have soared during the annual two-week campaign, raising questions about whether the effort still serves its stated purpose..

An analysis by The Record of statewide Click It or Ticket data found that police wrote 20,000 tickets to seat-belt and child-restraint scofflaws state­wide under the program in 2013, down by more than half from the 53,200 written in 2007. At the same time, the number handed out for all other violations has jumped from 33,400, to 44,000. As a result, only about 30 percent of tickets written under the program now are issued for seat-belt infractions.

Police departments in Hackensack, South Hackensack, Garfield, Northvale and the city of Passaic are among those in Bergen and Passaic counties seeing significant drop-offs.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/click-it-or-ticket-campaign-in-n-j-is-looking-for-more-than-seat-belts-1.1022775#sthash.7C9GkBPN.dpuf

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The 39th Annual Fred D’Elia Memorial Day Ridgewood Run – Monday – May 26th, 2014

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The 39th Annual Fred D’Elia Memorial Day Ridgewood Run – Monday – May 26th, 2014

Memorial Day – Monday – May 26th, 2014
Veterans Memorial Field
Ridgewood, NJ

The premier road race in northern New Jersey. One of the longest running races in the tri-state area. There is something for everyone: 10K, 5K, Road Mile, Fun Run – the must-run event for all! This video is a recap of the 2012 race:

 IMPORTANT SAFETY PROTOCOLS FOR THE RIDGEWOOD RUN

The Ridgewood Police Department asks all participants to cooperate with the following:

Volunteers arriving at Veteran’s Field for the Ridgewood Run on Monday, May 26th are asked to park in the lot on the corner of Linwood Ave and Northern Parkway ACROSS from Graydon Pool.
All participants are encouraged to leave any purses, bags, backpacks, etc. at home. If you must bring personal items, please check them at the Baggage Tent next to the baseball backstop. No bags will be permitted along the race course or near the finish line.
Any vehicle on the course or on the field must display an “OFFICIAL RACE VEHICLE” placard. If you anticipate needing vehicular access to these areas, please contact Cheryl Moses, Race Director, for an ACCESS APPLICATION. moses.racedirector@gmail.com or 551-427-2505.

The Fred d’Elia Memorial Day Ridgewood Run is a family-focused day of events that provide a fun environment in a festive open-park atmosphere. Seven distinct events provide the center of activity. They start at 8:15 AM and continue until after the conclusion of the Fun Run at noon. The road races are run through the tree-lined streets of the Village of Ridgewood NJ. Ridgewood is located in Bergen County bordering Rockland, Westchester, and New York counties.

The close proximity to New York City gives families from the NY Metropolitan area a chance to celebrate the holiday by spending a fun-filled weekend that concludes with a day of healthy exercise. At the Ridgewood Run, one spouse might run the 10K, the other the 5K, and then accompany the children in the Fun Run.

The Ridgewood Run has established itself as the must-run road race in the NY-NJ-Connecticut area on Memorial Day. The North Jersey Masters (NJM), the premier running club in Northern NJ, has been the organizer of the race since it’s inception in 1976. In those years NJM has built a reputation for hospitality and the ability to put on a quality day for all participants (see Race History).

Race Amenities in 2014 are: commemorative made in the USA high-tech performance T-shirt – a real keeper!, a Flat & Fast Course, B-tag Timing, a Baggage Check Area, Mile Clocks, Water Stops, Certified Routes. Other extras are: a Family Team competition in the 5K, Hotel discounts, and Photographs by Ken Shelton Photography.

Awards and Prizes are plentiful: 1) Prize money to the top three finishers in the 1-Mile races, top 3 finishers in the 5K and 10K. 2) New Balance Gift Certificates and trophies to the top three finishers in each five-year age-group bracket. 3) Finisher’s Medal to all registered finishers of the Ridgewood YMCA Fun Run/Health Walk, 10 years and younger.

Mark your calendar to celebrate Memorial Day 2014 at the 
Fred d’Elia Ridgewood Run!
Monday, May 26, 2014.

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Ridgewood Run co-founder to be honored at Memorial Day event

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Ridgewood Run co-founder to be honored at Memorial Day event

MAY 23, 2014    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2014, 12:31 AM
BY GAIL KISLEVITZ
CORRESPONDENT

RIDGEWOOD – In honor of world-class marathoner and village resident Toshiko d’Elia, who passed away in February at the age of 84, a one-time monetary prize will be awarded to the first female masters (40-and-older) winner of the 5K and 10K events at the 39th annual Ridgewood Run on Monday, organized by North Jersey Masters Track and Field Club, which was founded by d’Elia and her late husband Manfred.

The first female masters award, presented on behalf of the executive staff of The Valley Hospital and the d’Elia-Diestel family, is for $500. This is in addition to the standard prize structure of the event, which offers $300 for the first masters winners. d’Elia’s daughter, Erica Diestel, wanted to honor her mother at the race this year, the first time Toshiko will not run since the inaugural race in 1976.

“My mother came late to running when she was already a masters, so I think she would love the idea of a special award just for female masters,” said Diestel. The first female masters award is open to all registered women age 40 and older.

In addition to the prize money, a trophy and special “Toshi” T-shirt will be awarded to the winners. To further honor d’Elia, North Jersey Masters has installed a bench at Veterans Field next to a tree that was planted in honor of Manfred d’Elia when he passed away in 2000.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/sports/running/late-co-founder-of-event-to-be-honored-1.1022158#sthash.MHsgUsFp.dpuf

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Village of Ridgewood Memorial Day Service

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file photo by Boyd Loving

 

Village of Ridgewood Memorial Day Service – May 26

American Legion Post 53 will conduct a Memorial Day service at 11am, Monday, May 26 at Memorial Park at Van Neste Square. All residents are invited to attend. Please bring a chair or blanket.

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file photo by Boyd Loving

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BFMS Holds Public Observance of Memorial Day on May 22

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file photo Boyd Loving
BFMS Holds Public Observance of Memorial Day on May 22

On Thursday, May 22, Benjamin Franklin Middle School will host the second “Evening of Remembrance” in honor of Memorial Day.  Students, parents, teachers, veterans — all are welcome to participate. The event will take place in the BFMS Auditorium starting at 7:30 p.m.
This year marks the 70th Anniversary of D-Day and the BFMS community will be looking closely at honoring the memory of “The Bedford Boys,” a small Virginia town that lost 19 young men that day.  The evening will feature student poems, reflections and a video telling the story of the Bedford Boys. BFMS students will also be decorating luminaries for display that evening. They will also be selling luminaries in honor of veterans and the fallen. To purchase a luminary in memory of a relative or friend, please send $10 payable to BFMS c/o Mollie Van Horne at Benjamin Franklin Middle School, 335 N. Van Dien Street, Ridgewood, NJ 07450, no later than May 16. The proceeds of the sale of the luminaries will be donated to the Wounded Warrior Project.

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