Around Town

Belleville

Belleville Irish American Association is sponsoring a trip to Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, Boston and Mohegan Sun from June 3 to 7. Cost is $465 per person, double occupancy, including hotel, transportation, four breakfasts, four dinners. Open to everyone. For itinerary or information, call Pat at 973- 751-5308.

Bloomfield

Bloomfield Public Library will have a genealogy class/ workshop, which will meet every Saturday at noon. Registration is not required and all are welcome to stop by at any point. Come and learn how to research your family tree!

The program will be conducted by community volunteer Miguel Ramos, a certified teacher of Social Studies and American History, with a BA in History from Bloomfield College. He currently substitute teaches for the Bloomfield Public School District.

For more information on this event or upcoming programs please call 973-566- 6200, ext. 502.

The library’s book club will meet on Monday, April 1, from 6:45 to 7:45 p.m. in the Quiet Study Room to discuss “Brideshead Revisited” by Evelyn Waugh.

A plot summary: Charles Ryder meets Sebastian Flyte during their first year at Oxford. Invited to visit the family estate, Brideshead, Charles falls in love with Sebastian’s twin sister, Julia. His ties to the entire family will change his life, as he finds friendship, passion, and faith at Brideshead.

The book was made into both an Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning British miniseries and a 2008 feature film. For further information or for help in locating a copy of the book club selection, call the Reference Desk at 973- 566-6200, ext 502.

Admission is free and all are welcome to attend.

The library’s Financial Book Club for beginners is expanding meetings to every Tuesday night at 5:30 p.m. Registration is not required and all are welcome to stop by at any point. Each month, the group will read a book and articles, as well as schedule some mini-workshops to practice lessons learned during the meetings and listen to guest speakers. The program is facilitated by community volunteer Chris Taylor, entrepreneur, and personal financial organization consultant.

The next dinner meeting of the MetroEast Region of the New Jersey Association of Women Business Owners (NJAWBO MetroEast) will be held at Bar Cara, 1099 Broad St., Bloomfield, on Tuesday, March 19, from 6 to 9 p.m. This meeting will focus on: What you Need to Know to Say “No” with Conviction, Courage, and Grace.

The price, which includes dinner, is $35 for members and $45 for non-members. Bar Cara Restaurant is located at 1099 Broad Street, Bloomfield. For reservations, register online at http://whoscoming. com/njawbo-region2/. Questions can be directed to Felicia Lucco at felicia@ yourcyberpartner.com.

Join Dr. Frank P. Femino, Medical Director of Orthopedics at Clara Maass Medical Center, as he discusses evaluation and treatment of joint pain, as well as advanced and minimally invasive surgical techniques, at Job Haines Homes, 250 Bloomfield Ave., Bloomfield, on Wednesday, March 20, at 6:30 p.m. Light dinner will be served.

This event is free of charge. Registration is required. To register, please call Donna Plotnick at 973-743-0792. All Clara Maass Medical Center Community Health events are run by members of their health care team.

Harrison

Harrison East Newark Elks #2326 will host a Good Friday fish fry on March 29 from 4:30 to 8 p.m. Cost is $10 for adults and $8 for children and senior citizens. Children under age 5 are admitted free. The event will include a choice of fish (baked or fried) or shrimp. Dinners include French fries or baked potato and cole slaw. Pick-up and deliveries are available. Call 973-485-9478.

Kearny

West Hudson Christian Center, 557 Kearny Ave., Kearny, is hosting a Rock-NRoll Easter event for families on Saturday, March 23, from 1 to 3 p.m. Kids ages 2-10 can take part in an indoor Easter egg hunt beginning promptly at 2 p.m. Other free activities include a puppet show, crafts, games, egg painting, and a fun make-your-own snack! All families will also receive a free 8 x 10 digital photo for stopping by! To pre-register or for questions, visit www.whccag.org or call 201-997- 7762.

Local artist Larry Mach will explain the techniques of portrait painting for the Evening Membership Department of the Woman’s Club of Arlington at their regular meeting on Wednesday, March 13, at 7:30 p.m. at the Henrietta Benstead Center, Columbia Avenue, Kearny.

At the Main Library, 318 Kearny Ave., Preschool Play/ Story Times for ages 2 1/2 to 4 1/2 will continue on Tuesday mornings from 11 a.m. – noon, and also on Thursday mornings from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Baby Steps play/story time with music and bubbles for ages 0 – 36 months will continue on Wednesday mornings from 10:30 to 11:15 a.m. At the Branch library, 759 Kearny Ave., Preschool Play/ Story Times will continue on Thursday mornings from 10:15 to 11 a.m.

Children ages 4 and older are invited to enjoy a funny puppet show at 4:15 p.m. on Thurs., March 14. Uncle John’s Puppets will present a fast moving show that is made up of lots of silly skits with silly characters.

Children ages 5 and older are invited to attend an art class with Mrs. Mills from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 21. The library will provide the materials for making fancy Easter eggs. Seating will be on a first come first served basis.

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, families are invited to enjoy the film, Darby O’Gill and the Little People, about a contest with the king of the leprechauns. Rated G.

The library will continue its series of movie premieres with a special screening of the family film “Wreck- It Ralph” (Rated PG / 108 Minutes) at 4 p.m. on Friday, March 15. This Academy Award-nominated Disney animated adventure features the voice talents of John C. Reilly, Jack McBrayer and Jane Lynch.

Popcorn and light refreshments will be served. This program is free and everyone is welcome. Look for the continuation of this series in April with the newly-released Academy Award-winners “Lincoln” and “Les Miserables!” For more information on any of our many programs, call the library at 201-998-2666 or visit our website at www.kearnylibrary.org.

The Kearny Seniors are planning a bus trip to Mt. Airy Casino on Friday, April 5, leaving the Henrietta Benstead Center, 60 Columbia Ave., Kearny, at 9 a.m. The cost is $30. If interested, contact Therese at 201-997-7269.

The Presbyterian Boys- Girls Club, 663 Kearny Ave., will hold its annual St. Patrick’s Dance on Friday, March 15, from 7 to 10 p.m. Guests are encouraged to wear their green and get into the Irish spirit. Guests are restricted to teenagers only. The dance will be supervised by Thomas Fraser, Lincoln School guidance counselor and members of the board of directors.

The Presbyterian Boys- Girls Club, is conducting a canned food drive during the month of Marc. The canned foods will be delivered to elder John McCartney who directs the food pantry at the First Presbyterian Church of Arlington.

Children may donate two canned foods as their admission during the month. The top three contributors will be taken to a N.Y. Yankees game.

Tom Fraser, director of the PBGC, encourages all children to get involved in helping people within their community. The club is open from 7 to 9 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and noon to 4 p.m. Saturdays.

The Rosary Society of Our Lady of Sorrows Church, 136 Davis Ave., Kearny, will be selling palm crosses before and after all Masses on March 9 and 10 and March 16 and 17. Cost is $9.

The Parish Life and Rosary Society of Our Lady of Sorrows Church, will sponsor a fish fry on Friday, March 15, at the LCC, 6 Davis Ave., Kearny, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. The site is handicapped accessible. Cost is $20 per dinner. Eat-in or take-out. For tickets, call Kathy at 201-998- 8265, Jean 201-991-4732 or the rectory 201-998-4616.

Kearny Public Schools will be holding pre-k and kindergarten registration for the 2013-2014 school year. Registration is a two-step process. Proof of residency/ registration will be held at Kearny High School and will be by last name. Pre registration is March 7 to 14 and Kindergarten, March 15 to 21. Log onto www.kearnyschools.com for complete details.

Lyndhurst

Benjamin Franklin will stop by the Lyndhurst Historical Society’s meeting on Wednesday, March 20, at 7 p.m. at the American Legion Post 139, 217 Webster Ave., in Lyndhurst. The event is free and open to the public. This is a re-scheduled lecture from last fall.

Franklin, a printer and former postmaster general, served in the Second Continental Congress and helped draft the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Attendees at the Lyndhurst Historical Society’s March 20 event will learn this and more about Franklin’s life.

Benjamin Franklin will be portrayed by Jack Sherry, a teacher of American history at Paramus Catholic High School. Sherry has been actively involved with living history re-enacting since 1980, portraying the common Loyalist soldier who fought during the American Revolution, 1775-1783.

The Humane Society of Bergen County, 221-223 Stuyvesant Ave., Lyndhurst, has a supply of dog food both canned and dry available to anyone who due to unemployment, disability or any other financial difficulty cannot afford to feed their dog. Just stop by or call for more information 201-896-9300. Hours Monday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The Lyndhurst food pantry, 253 Stuyvesant Ave., (across from Spa Lady) is in need of gift cards and holiday hams for their clients. The food pantry is run by the Woman’s Club of Lyndhurst on a daily basis. Clients must show that they are Lyndhurst residents and show proof of need.

The pantry is open four days a week, Monday to Thursday, 1 to 3:30 p.m. The food pantry is also in need of canned goods, beans, rice, pancake batter, syrup, peanut butter, jelly, dry cereal, oatmeal , coffee, sugar, hot chocolate, cookies, etc. Please check your expiration dates. Expired foods are not accepted and will be disposed of. Remember Easter and Passover are just around the corner.

Monetary donations can be sent to the Woman’s Club of Lyndhurst, 481 Roosevelt Ave., Lyndhurst, N.J. 07071. Please make checks payable to the Woman’s Club of Lyndhurst. If you have a ham or food to donate please drop it off at the Town Hall Annex, 253 Stuyvesant Ave.

Learn when and how to properly use prescribed antibiotics at the Lyndhurst Health Department on Friday, March 15, at 10 a.m. This forum will be hosted by Clara Maass Medical Center and a light breakfast will be served.

The breakfast forum regarding Bone and Joint Health on Tuesday, March 19, has been rescheduled to Tuesday, March 26 at 10 a.m. Lyndhurst Chiropractor, Dr. Robert Haley, will host this forum at the Health Department’s new location at 601 Riverside Ave. Please call 201-804-2500 to reserve a seat. If you are a resident of the Carucci Apartments, transportation will be provided via the Parks Department.

The Health Department will hold its annual Men’s Health Clinic on Thursday, April 4, at 9 a.m., open to all male Lyndhurst residents age 40 and over. This screening, made possible through a partnership with Clara Maass Medical Center, is aimed at detecting prostate cancer, which has become one of the leading causes of cancer deaths among men. This free event includes a prostate exam, a PSA blood test, and a stool check for blood. Please call 201-804-2500 to make an appointment.

The NJMC and Bergen County Audubon Society will host the Third-Tuesday- of-the-Month Bird Walk on Tuesday, March 19, from 10 a.m. to noon at the Harrier Meadow programs. in North Arlington (on Disposal Road near Schuyler Avenue). (Note: There may be construction vehicles on Valley Brook Ave., so Harrier Meadow may be best reached by Schuyler Ave. Check meadowblog.net for last-minute updates. You will have to sign a standard liability release that is good for NJMC/BCAS events throughout the year. To R.S.V.P., contact Don Torino of the BCAS at greatauk4@ aol.com or 201-230-4983.

Out of This Solar System: Planets Orbiting Stars, a program for all ages, will be presented at the Meadowlands Environment Center, DeKorte Park Plaza, Lyndhurst, on Wednesday, March 20, from 2 to 3 p.m. Following a brief, non-technical overview of our own solar system, Dr. John Sloan will discuss new and exciting findings about planets orbiting other stars known as extrasolar planets, or exoplanets. We will examine some of these strange worlds beyond our solar system and explore whether they can support life as we know it. Admission is $5 per person and $4 for MEC members. For more information, call 201-460-8300 or visit www.njmeadowlands.gov/ec.

The William D. McDowell Observatory in DeKorte Park hosts free open viewing nights every Monday and Wednesday in March from 8 to 10 p.m. Jupiter should be visible in the early part of the month. Saturn is expected to join the show the last week of March. The observatory also offers “Let’s Talk Astronomy” learning sessions on Tuesday nights from 7 to 9 p. m. This month’s theme is “The Life Cycles of Stars.”

“Signs of Spring: Watercolor Painting for Kids.” will be held at the Meadowlands Environment Center on Saturday, March 23, from 1 to 3 p.m., for kids ages 6 to 12 accompanied by an adult. Participants are invited to celebrate the arrival of the new season by using watercolor pencils to both draw and paint images of DeKorte Park and the signs of spring. Take-home art supplies are included. Cost is $10 per child, $8 for MEC members.

For more information and to register for all programs except bird walks, call 201-460-8300 or visit www.njmeadowlands.gov/ec.

The NJMC will hold an information session and make bid documents available on Thursday, March 14, for 17 boat slip rentals on the Hackensack River at the Commission’s River Barge Park in Carlstadt. The information session will be held at 6 p.m. in the Commission’s administrative offices at DeKorte Park in Lyndhurst. The slips are suitable for boats with a maximum length of 28 feet, including all appurtenances.

There will be a minimum bid due for each of four categories of slips. The categories are based on minimum expected water depths at low tide. Minimum bids range from $500 to $1,800 per season, which runs from April 1 to Nov. 1.

Bid documents will also be available for download on the NJMC website, www.njmeadowlands.gov, beginning on March 14. Those interested may also request that bid documents be mailed or emailed. They will also be available at the NJMC administrative offices. Further details about the hours, rules, and operations of the park and marina will be included in the bid documents. Sealed bids will be opened at 9 a.m. on Saturday, March 23, at the NJMC administrative offices.

For more information, contact Lisa Cameron at 201-460-4658 or lisa.cameron@ njmeadowlands.gov.

North Arlington

North Arlington Elks, 129 Ridge Rd., will host a fish fry on Good Friday, March 29, from 5 to 8 p.m. Price is $12 per dinner and includes fish (fried or broiled), chips, a bowl of clam chowder, a baked clam and cole slaw. Shrimp cocktail and clams on the half-shell are available for an additional price of $4 for a half dozen and $6 for a dozen.

North Arlington Health Department announces upcoming programs for March.

Blood Pressure/Health Risk Assessment – Second and fourth Tuesday of each month, from 1 to 2:45 p.m. No appointment necessary.

“Evidence-based tools to quit smoking,” – Free program on Thursday, March 14, beginning at 6 p.m., at the Senior Center, rear of the Health Department building at 10 Beaver Ave. Featured speaker will be Roland Romano, LPC, CTTS, RRT, and Community Outreach Coordinator for the St. Barnabas Lung Cancer Institute. Get advice on what really works! Limited seats available. Open to surrounding communities. Registration is required.

Multiphasic blood screening – Thursday, March 28, beginning at 7 a.m.– by appointment. Includes complete blood count with differential, chemistry and lipid profile with CHD risk factor. Fasting required — $22 fee. C-Reactive protein, Homocysteine level tests, Hemoglobin A1C, and Vitamin D level testing are also available at additional cost.

For information and appointments, call the Health Department at 201-955-5695.

The borough will host a paper shredding day on Saturday, March 30 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the borough hall parking lot on Ridge Road.

Residents are invited to bring any personal documents they no longer need to the shredder, which is on loan through Bergen County Utilities Authority.

The borough will be selling blue, 25 gallon recycling barrels to residents for just $10 each on shredder day.

Nutley

An art exhibit for Women’s History Month will be presented by the Women’s Initiatie of Nutley at the Nutley Free Public Library, featuring works in oil, watercolor, pastel, pencil and photography. The exhibit spotlights the artwork of the following local artists: Dolores D’Achille, Karen DeRose, Susan Farr, Carolyn Gregor, Ruth Ann Konopka, Yuko Okabe, Margot Parker, Teresa Ruffo, Edith Sirmons,Dianne Louise Wilson, Marleen Valdez , Susan Vogel, and Karyl Zuniga. These inspiring local artists have won awards in local, regional, and national competitions.

Celebrate Women’s History Month and Jazz Appreciation Month with a concert by the Jane Stuart Jazz Quartet at the Nutley Public Library on Saturday, March 23, at 2 p.m. This “Tribute to the Great Ladies of Jazz” features the songs of Ella Fitzgerald, Lena Horne, Billie Holiday and more and will include interesting tidbits about the artists and their careers. Enjoy a fun lesson in the art of “scatting” and a sing along. Jane Stuart resides in Nutley, has released two recordings, teaches vocal technique and performance locally, and performs throughout the metropolitan area.

Call the library at 973- 667-0405 for more information about this and other programs.

The schedule of programs is available at the library and on the library’s web site at http://nutley.bccls.org

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