Around Town

Belleville

Belleville Public Library and Information Center, 221 Washington Ave., hosts:

• The Mad Scientist’s Laboratory on Tuesdays at 2:30 p.m., offers crafts and activities, open to all ages. Topics covered for  July will be: Planet Earth on July 8, The Seasons on July 15, Rocks  on July 22 and Water on July 29.

• School-Age Children’s Storytime is open to K to grade  6, every Wednesday, beginning July 9.

• Children’s films will be screened Fridays at 2 p.m. Here’s the schedule: July 11 – “Frozen,” July 18 – “Wall-e” and July 25 – “Finding Nemo.”

For more information on these programs, call the library at 973-450-3434.

Belleville Dutch Reformed Church, 171 Main St., kicks off Independence Day festivities at 10 a.m. July 4 at the church’s cemetery. The annual event honors Belleville’s first troops, the 66 Revolutionary War  soldiers buried there, one of the largest group of 1776 patriots buried at any one site in the U.S. To participate or for more information, call Michael at 973-780- 7852 or email bell1776patriots@  yahoo.com. After the ceremony, the Belleville Historical Commission and Historical Society  host the designation of the former Dutch Reformed Church, which is now known as Iglesia Pentecostal “ La Senda Antigua” C.L.A. as a historic landmark.

Bloomfield 

Bloomfield Public Library, 90 Broad St., offers the following:

Adult Programs:

• Summer Yoga Class is held  for one hour on the second and fourth Mondays at 6 p.m. on July 14 and 28 and Aug 11 and 25. Registration is required. To register, call 973-566-6200, ext. 602, or visit http://www.bplnj. org/programs/.

• Author Rick Wright dis cusses his newly-released birding field guide on Tuesday, July 8, from 6 to 8 p.m. Books will be available for purchase.

• The library Board of Trustees meets on the first Wednesday of every month at 5:30 p.m. The public is welcome.

• Monday and Thursday movies are screened at 12:15 p.m. The schedule: July 3 – “White House Down,” July 7 – “Nebraska,” July 10 – “Lone Ranger,” July 14 – “Wolf of Wall Street,” July 17 – “Prometheus,” July 21 – “American Hustle,” July 25 – “Book Thief,” July 28 – “Catching Fire” and July 31 – “Saving Mr. Banks.” Children’s programs:

•Kids ages 10 and up can learn cartooning skills and make a comic on July 16 at 4 p.m. Participants can register online at www.bplnj.org/programs.html for this program.

• Kids in Pre-K and up can meet Ronald McDonald  on Wednesday, July 9, at 2 p.m. Registration is required.

• The Essex County Environment Center presents a pro gram on “Drummer Birds” for children ages 5 to 8 on Wednesday July 16 at 2 p.m. Registration is required.

To register, call 973-566-6200, ext. 212. Participants must  be Bloomfield residents and library cardholder for programs where registration is required. All other programs are open.

Kearny 

Kearny Health Department, 645 Kearny Ave., offers the following programs for Kearny  senior citizens:

• Vouchers for the Kearny Farmers Market are now avail able for low-income senior citizens. Vouchers are limited  and distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Applicants must be age 60 and over, show proof of residency and of limited income. Applications will be accepted until all vouchers have been distributed. All applicants  must also sign statements attesting to their income qualifi cations for the vouchers. Each qualified senior will receive four $5 vouchers to be used  only with the farmers signed up with the voucher program. Interested seniors may apply at the Health Department, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday to Friday, excluding holidays. For more  information, call the Health Department at 201-997-0600.

• Cruise aboard the Spirit of New Jersey on the Hudson River. Tickets are limited and advance sign-up is required. Buses will depart from the  Henrietta Benstead Senior Citizens Center, 60 Columbia Ave., at 10:15 a.m. Wednesday, July 30. Lunch is included. Tickets  will be handed out on a first-come, first-served basis starting at 9 a.m. Monday, July 7, at the Kearny Health Center. Anyone unable to walk unassisted is  advised that there is a long two-block walk from the bus parking area to the ship’s docking area.  For more information, call the Health Department.

Lyndhurst

New Jersey Meadowlands  Commission hosts the following:

• First Sunday-of-the-Month Bird Walk, with the NJMC and Bergen County Audubon So ciety, features a free two-hour guided nature walk in DeKorte Park on Sunday, July 6, at 10 a.m.

• Butterflies for Beginners, with the NJMC and BCAS, is a 30-minute talk and slide show about butterflies, and a walk around DeKorte Park, set for Sunday, July 6, at 1 p.m. For both these programs, check meadowblog.net for last-minute updates and weather  advisories. Guests must sign a standard liability release. To R.S.V.P., contact Don Torino of the BCAS at greatawk4@ aol.com or call 201-230-4983.

• Pontoon boat rides for  seniors, offering two-hour cruises along the Hackensack River, depart from River Barge Park, Carlstadt, Monday, July 7, at 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. (Rain date – July 15). Admission is $7 . Bring cameras and sneakers. Note: The boats cannot accom modate wheelchairs. Advance registration and payment are required. To register, call 201- 777-2431.

• Seniors are invited to join staff from the Marine Mammal Stranding Center (MMSC)  and learn about the mysterious lives of marine mammals and sea turtles, and the problems  facing these creatures and their environment Thursday, July 10, at 7 p.m., at the NJMC Science Center, 3 DeKorte Park. Reg istration is recommended and appreciated. To register, call 201-777-2431 or 201-460-8300.

The Lyndhurst Public Library Children’s Room, 355 Valley Brook Ave., hosts the following  events during July:

• Children in pre-k to grade  2 are invited to hear a story and do some coloring Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. No registration is required.

• Children in pre-k to grade 6 can learn how to make origami every Monday and some  Wednesdays (July 2, 7, 9, 21 and 30), from 3 to 4 p.m. No registration is required. Registration is required for the following programs. Call the library at 201-804-2478 to  register.

• Children of all ages may  register for a screening of the Disney movie “Finding Nemo,” set for Tuesday, July 8, 2:15 to 4 p.m.

• Children ages 7 to 14 will  get a chance to become a scientist as they erupt volcanos, examine a geode mineral and more at Art Kids Academy Thursday, July 10, 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.

• Children in grades 2 to 6 get some insider tips on playing checkers Tuesday, July 1, Thursday, July 3 and Monday, July 7, 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.

• Children in grades 2 to 6, can be part of a checkers tournament and must be committed to all three rounds. Tournament schedule: First round – Wednesday, July 9; semifinal round – Tuesday, July 22; and the final round – Tuesday, July 29, 2 to 4 p.m. each day. A prize  will be awarded to the champion Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2 to 4 p.m.

North Arlington 

Chief Louis M. Ghione of the North Arlington Police Department announces that applications are available for residents to sign up for a block party during National Night Out, Tuesday, Aug. 5. That evening,  residents are encouraged to meet their neighbors and leave a porch light on overnight as a  show of unity against crime.

Stop by the Police Department, 214 Ridge Road, for an application. The Police Department will seek borough approval for closing down a street to traffic from 5 to 9 p.m.

The first 10 blocks organized  will receive a free barbecue package, courtesy of the Borough’s Crime Prevention Unit.

Police officers and elected officials will visit block parties  with giveaways.

Nutley 

Total Soul takes the stage at Memorial Park I (Mud Hole) July 17 for a Recreation Department sizzling summer concert. The free show, which begins at 6:30 p.m., includes everything from Motown, to today’s pop and R&B, to the jazz/Big Band standards of the 1940s. The rain  date is July 28. For further information, call 973-284-4966 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

Nutley Public Library, 93  Booth Dr., announces the following programs:

For children:

• Babygarten is available only to township residents  who can register children ages 23 months and under for this program, set for Tuesdays, starting July 8, at 10 a.m.

• For “Lego Movie,” children of all ages can make a movie-themed craft (while supplies last) Tuesday, July 8, at 2 p.m. No registration is required.

• For Preschool Storytime, registration is open for Nutley residents only, ages 3 to 5. The program will be held Wednesdays, starting July 9, at 10 a.m.

• Tech Workshop: “Lego Robots” for ages 3 to 6 is set for Wednesday, July 9, at 2:30 p.m. Kids ages 3 to 6 may be registered for this program.

• Essex Environmental Workshop on “Drummer Birds” is open to ages 5 to 8  who must be registered to participate in the program scheduled for Thursday, July 10, at 11 a.m. • Science Workshop: “Magnets” is open to ages 8 and up and will be offered Thursday, July 10, at 2:30 p.m. Registration is required.

• Two-Year Old Story Time is for Nutley residents only, ages 24 to 35 months, Fridays, starting July 11, at 10 a.m. Registration is required.

• Play Fridays, with Legos,  tech gear, toys and video game, is held Fridays, starting July 11, at 1 p.m.

• Science Scavenger Hunt, with registration open to library patrons ages 4 and up, is set for Monday, July 14, at 2 p.m.

For adults, the library offers First Friday Films, with a new film shown the first Friday of each month, opening  with a screening of “Philomena” Friday, July 11, at 2 p.m. Check the library’s event  calendar for a schedule.

Learn more about the writer ...