Photo by Ron Leir
A demolition crew was still at work at the scene of the March 10 fire at Frank E. Rodgers Blvd. North and Davis St.

By Ron Leir

Observer Correspondent

HARRISON –

The Town of Harrison has signed a new labor contract with the local Fireman’s Mutual Benevolent Association but perhaps even more important is a side agreement that will improve the Harrison Fire Department (HFD)’s firstresponse efficiency.

A five-alarm fire March 10 at Frank E. Rodgers Blvd. North and Davis St., that triggered a backdraft injuring five members of the Jersey City Fire Dept. who were part of the mutual aid response, ignited serious concerns among fire chiefs in Hudson County over whether the HFD had enough resources to deliver an adequate level of firefighting service, with proper supervision, as the first units responding to a fire in town.

At the March 10 fire – which displaced 17 residents and wrecked two eateries and a worship hall – and at another local fire about one week prior, the HFD had to rely on neighboring East Newark fire volunteers to supply a ladder truck, reportedly because the department didn’t have enough personnel to staff its truck.

But union and town leaders say that the new agreement, signed by both sides March 29, should help defuse these worries because it proposes the promotion of four firefighters to lieutenant, which, in turn, will ensure the HFD enough coverage to ride an engine and ladder truck on a first-response to a fire.

The promotions of Henry Zienowicz, David Prina, Joseph Scaperotta and Joseph Faugno from a certified state Civil Service list – expected to be confirmed by action of the mayor and Town Council this month – would give the HFD a total of eight lieutenants, which, together with an existing five captains (one assigned to administrative duties), will allow the HFD to staff at least one tour commander, two lieutenants and four firefighters per shift – the minimum staffing for one engine and one truck.

To ease the town’s financial burden, the union has agreed to defer the pay raises for those promoted (about $13,300 a year more in base pay per man) for 12 months from the day of the promotions.

Additionally, for the balance of 2013, if the town needs to call in additional personnel for overtime duty, it can give that extra compensation as half straight time and half compensatory time, on the condition that the “comp” time can only be taken when it won’t leave the HFD short.

“So we’re putting the ladder truck into service at a substantially less price,” said Town Attorney Paul Zarbetski.

Even with the new labor contract – which, according to FMBA President Prina, was overwhelmingly ratified by the union membership – the town is getting a break.

The old contract expired Dec. 31, 2011, and both sides agreed to a four-year extension but for the first year – 2012 – there will be no pay raise.

For 2013 and 2014, the town will provide a 1.5% increase each year and, for 2015, it will grant a 2% hike.

So, over the life of the contract, top annual pay for firefighter will rise from the current rate of $83,530 to $87,776; top pay for lieutenant will go from the current $95,833 to $100,705; and top pay for captain will climb from the current $108,137 to $113,634, according to calculations by Zarbetski and Robert Murray, the town’s labor attorney.

In a concession to the town, the FMBA accepted a new contractual provision that prevents its members from “banking” any more unused vacation days beyond those already accumulated as of March 18, 2013. Murray and Zarbetski said that capping members’ cumulative unused vacation time will save the town from paying out potentially substantial cash when a longtime FMBA member retires.

Also, the FMBA agreed to switch from its current Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield health care provider to the state health care benefits plan – something that Gov. Chris Christie’s administration has been pushing for statewide, according to Murray.

While the town has made no commitment to new hirings, Prina said that during negotiations, “the mayor (Ray McDonough) promised he would rebuild the Fire Department (now at 29 employees), in anticipation of the new redevelopment coming on line. My feeling is that two years from now, we’ll be back on track.”

In the meantime, the town is proceeding with what Murray described as “informal conversations” with police union representatives on extending their labor contract. “We’re hopeful we can continue that informal dialogue,” he said.

Photo by Ron Leir
Margaret Bixler in the Roosevelt School toddler playground.

By Ron Leir

Observer Correspondent

KEARNY –

From age 7 onward, there was never any doubt in Margaret “Peggy” Bixler’s mind where she was headed.

Fifty-seven years as a Kearny public school teacher is proof enough.

Next month, Bixler – who retired in June 2011 – will be accorded honors, on two separate occasions, for her work as a loyal educator in the community.

On May 3 at 1:30 p.m. the Parent Teacher Association of Roosevelt Elementary School, with backing by the Board of Education, will name one of the school’s two playgrounds for the former instructor and on May 16 the Salvation Army of Greater Kearny will fete her at a dinner.

When she reached the half-century mark, the Kearny Board of Education recognized her achievement at a public meeting.

It was at Roosevelt School where Bixler spent 53 years opening the minds of kindergarten and first-grade children to the wonders of words and numbers. For the prior four years, she taught kindergarten at Garfield School.

Roosevelt PTA President Melanie Pasquarelli, whose daughter and whose grandfather’s second wife were both Bixler’s students, said that Bixler merited bravos as a “super, dedicated teacher.”

But, Pasquarelli noted, “she didn’t tell anybody she was retiring.” Had the PTA known beforehand, Pasquarelli said, “we’d have acknowledged her in a big way. … We found out on Sept. 12 [the first day of the 2011 fall term] she wasn’t returning.”

At that point, Pasquarelli said, the PTA “thought one of the best things we could do would be to honor her by naming the [toddler] playground for her.”

It seemed the ideal choice, since it seemed that whenever Bixler wasn’t in her classroom, she was outside on the school grounds, around the play areas, busy planting bulbs – sometimes with the students – or yanking weeds from a garden or tending to those flowerings that Superstorm Sandy ravaged.

And now will be perfect time to do it, the PTA leader said, now that one of the organization’s members, Paula Fernandes, successfully applied for a $5,000 Lowe’s Charitable & Educational Foundation grant – matched by $1,850 raised by PTA playground committee head Jennifer Cullen and PTA members – to refurbish the playground as an interactive play area for kids with a map of the U.S. painted on the asphalt, alongside hopscotch and funnel ball courts.

Once, Pasquarelli recalled, Bixler’s class took up a collection and gave her a digital camera as a gift so Bixler immediately set out to snap shots of her students working on class projects and other activities and sent them to the children.

Even in retirement, Bixler has been no stranger to Roosevelt School, returning to watch the sixth-graders’ annual play, share in birthday celebrations and “just generally support our school,” Pasquarelli said.

“There are no words to describe how dedicated she has been to our school community,” Pasquarelli said.

All of this attention is a bit overwhelming for Bixler who says, “I feel humbled for sure. Not totally at ease. It’s a very big honor for those who came before me.”

A product of Kearny public schools, Bixler attended kindergarten at Washington School, then switched to Garfield for first through third grades, then on to Lincoln Jr. High for seventh and eighth grades, before finishing at Kearny High, graduating in 1949.

She got an undergraduate degree in elementary education from Newark State Teachers College in 1953 and began her teaching career that same year at Garfield School in Kearny. Since then, she’s never looked back.

“Once I got in the classroom and saw what it was like, I never thought of [doing] anything else,” Bixler said.

Her inspiration has always come from her students, she says. “They’re full of life. Once in a while, an acre of pain.” But, for the most part, the positives outweighed any discomfort, she said. “At that age, they’re so bubbly. Eager to learn. Like sponges. Eager to please you. Energetic, upbeat kind of kids. It’s a wonderful environment to work in. I don’t believe I ever had a boring day of teaching. … It was a tremendous satisfaction to see how kids can learn so much.”

Over the long span of her career, Bixler estimates she’s seen more than 1,000 students come through her classroom doors – many comprising two generations of the same families – and some like onetime student and former Roosevelt School colleague Dorothy Connor who’ve followed her into the teaching ranks, several in Kearny schools.

Connor, who had Bixler as a kindergarten teacher at Garfield in 1955 and who ended up “working across the hall from her” teaching second grade at Roosevelt, called Bixler a “totally giving, warm person” who always strives to expand her field of knowledge. “She goes to the nth degree to learn everything. And she’s truly creative: Every year she [did] different things with the kids and individualized the curriculum to meet the student’s needs.”

Perhaps the biggest adjustment she had to make in the classroom, Bixler recalls, was adapting to computers as a teaching tool when they were introduced to Kearny schools in the late ‘80s. “I had never touched a computer and, at the time, I didn’t know whether I wanted to learn.”

But she decided to accept the challenge.

“After I got the consent of the principal, I took the Apple equipment home with me every Friday – carrying it up two flights of stairs – so I could practice with it over the weekend,” Bixler said. “And I did that for a year until I was addicted.”

Even now, Bixler is keeping herself updated in the tech world, getting tutoring in photo shop from Kearny art teacher Dan McShane, another of her former Roosevelt students.

Bixler kept active professionally, serving as treasurer of the Kearny Education Association and as a charter member of the Kearny Pi chapter of Alpha Delta Kappa, the international women’s educators sorority.

Stepping away from the classroom “was a hard decision to make, when it actually came to putting my signature to my letter [of retirement],” Bixler said. “I felt I still had the energy and all but I finally said it has to happen.”

Still, Bixler admits it’s been hard to stay away: Since June 2011, she’s returned to help with the national Read Across America program and she responded to a staff request to help with the planting of tulips and daffodils on school grounds.

She and her husband Ed have volunteered to serve on the steering committee for the newly emerging Kearny Community Garden, spearheaded by Jenny and David Mach, at Riverbank Park.

And the Bixlers continue to be active members of the First Presbyterian Church of Arlington.

Photos by Ron Leir
Views of newly completed field house at Veterans’ Field in Kearny.

It wasn’t easy but, finally, Kearny’s new field house at Veterans’ Field is finished and ready for business … if you overlook issues with the concession stand.

The new facility was dedicated coincidental with this past Saturday’s Opening Day ceremonies for Kearny Little League baseball, held at Veterans’ Field, which also hosts Kearny Recreation softball and football and men’s baseball at night.

As posted by the town’s web site, the play area now has “a 1,580 sq. ft., state of the art sports facility with a concession stand, ADA [Americans with Disabilities Act] accessible upper lever announcer’s booth, baseball and football storage rooms and new bathrooms.”

At the public ceremonies, Mayor Alberto Santos said: “We are very excited to open this environmentally friendly facility just a few days before Earth Day 2013.”

It comes with a green roof and trellis system, a water recycling system for toilets and maintenance-free metal roof and siding – all designed to keep the building cool – and delivered by the contractor for a cost of $750,000, paid for by outside government sources: $483,000 from the Hudson County Open Space trust fund, $158,000 from a federal Energy Efficiency and Conservation block grant and the rest from Community Development Block funds for the ADA component. So far, the town has paid the contractor, UNIMAC of Garfield, $718,875.

Construction began in November 2011 and was due to be ready in time for the start of the football season last fall. It wasn’t. There were delays scheduling work, which proceeded in fits and starts. And there were issues with building materials.

For instance, as Town Administrator Michael Martello explained at a recent Town Council meeting, there was an issue with the cistern (receptatacle that captures rainwater): “It appears that the materials were not according to specifications,” Martello said. “When the pump comes on to feed the toilets, it’s airlocked.”

Still, by Saturday, according to Santos, most pending construction issues had been successfully dealt with but still remaining, he said, was an irksome design issue.

Some of the volunteers who staff the concessions have told Santos and members of the Kearny Recreation Commission that “they won’t be able to see the games and that it will be hard to sell the concessions.”

They contend that the stand window is “too small” and “not high enough” to easily access customers “so if you’re taller than, say, 5-feet-six, you’ve got to bend down to look into the booth to talk to the person inside,” Santos said.

Also, he said, because of the tight quarters, “it’s hard for two people to work together inside the concession stand.”

And because the stand is “located in a difficult corner of the building,” the folks inside cannot get a clear view of what’s happening on the field, Santos said.

“So we’ve got a space that’s inefficient and inconvenient for both the workers and the public,” the mayor said.

Santos said there may be a structural way to remedy the problem and, to that end, he’s trying to get estimates of what the work would cost and whether there’s money available to do it.

The Musial Group of Mountainside were the architects on the job, he said.

– Ron Leir

Photo by Ron Leir
Newly appointed Public Works Superintendent Robert Van Riper.

By Ron Leir

Observer Correspondent

HARRISON –

Harrison has a new Department of Public Works superintendent and the town didn’t have to look very far to find him.

Robert Van Riper, 41, a former employee of the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission in Newark, where Mayor Ray McDonough used to work as a supervisor, was hired April 1 to replace the late Ronald Catrambone after the town got state approval for the new hiring.

April 1 was also Van Riper’s 10-year anniversary as a parttime $25,000-a-year DPW/ buildings and grounds employee for Harrison, handling heating, ventilating and air-conditioning work and in-house construction projects such as the Police Department dispatch center, Harrison Redevelopment Agency offices, and town beautification programs.

During two decades at the PVSC, Van Riper worked on infrastructure and equipment repairs at the commission’s sprawling sewage-treatment facility. “The PVSC has hundreds of miles of pipes, along with wastewater-treatment equipment, that needed to be maintained,” he said.

McDonough was effusive with praise for the new superintendent. “Robert can fix motors, boilers, pumps; he can do welding, plumbing, electric; he can drive any piece of equipment; and he’s had managerial experience [at PVSC],” the mayor said.

He also fixes diesel and gas engines.

“It amazes me how much knowledge he has,” McDonough added.

Now, Harrison will be the beneficiary of Van Riper’s skills, seven days a week.

He’ll be paid $87,500 a year for his normal work as superintendent, plus an additional $25,000 for a minimum of 10 hours a week devoted to municipal buildings and grounds, for a total of $112,500.

Town Attorney Paul Zarbetski said that because the superintendent job is listed as “unclassified,” Van Riper won’t have to take a state Civil Service test for the position. However, Van Riper is attending mandated Rutgers University classes to qualify as a state-certified municipal public works manager, Zarbetski said.

Van Riper, son-in-law of former Harrison Municipal Court Judge John Johnson (currently special counsel to the Harrison Redevelopment Agency), grew up in Paterson but his family moved to Elmwood Park during his high school years.

After spending time in Harrison (he lived on William St.), he moved to Mendham Township with his wife Sharon and four children, ages 9, 11, 14 and 18.

Van Riper said his primary short-term goal, as the head of a department with 21 employees, is to focus on “vehicle maintenance,” in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy which “did quite a bit of damage” to the DPW rolling stock.

“We managed to salvage most of it,” Van Riper said, “but we still have a lot of work to do on the stuff we have.” For the long-term, Van Riper said that with local redevelopment and construction proceeding, along with increased volume of traffic through town – particularly on days when the Red Bulls are home – he sees his challenge as “keeping the roads safe and clean and keeping taxpayers happy with their services.”

Van Riper said the town is also counting on him to schedule senior citizen transportation, maintain roads, fix potholes, clean up any debris, weeds, uncut grass and graffiti from municipal properties, make sure traffic lights are working properly and supervise garbage pickups.

Asked about snow removal – another of his responsibilities – Van Riper said: “I think we’re the best in the state” at the job, which he credits to DPW employees whom he described as “hard-working individuals and I plan on having their trust.”

When he’s not dealing with his Harrison duties, Van Riper is coaching his daughter’s West Morris High School soccer team or spending quality time with his family at home.

Photo courtesy Project Graduation
KHS senior-class team in 2012 and

The annual Kearny Project Graduation Volleyball Tournament, an always much-anticipated event, is scheduled for this Friday, April 26, in the Kearny High School gym.

Doors open at 6 p.m., and the games begin at 6:30.

Traditional rivalries will be renewed as the combatants meet on the court.

The matches are: Franklin Falcons vs. Washington School; Garfield School vs. Roosevelt School; Lincoln Lightning vs. Schuyler Tigers; Board of Education members vs. Town of Kearny employees; KHS Teachers vs. KHS Seniors, and Firefighters vs. Police Officers.

General admission is $5; $3 for senior citizens and students with IDs.

Photo courtesy Project Graduation
 2012 Tournament Champions representing the KPD.

The tournament is second only to the 50/50 raffle (tickets for which will be sold at the tourney) in raising funds for Project Graduation, which treats KHS seniors to a nightlong, post-commencement party. It’s an alcohol-free event, launched in 1996 as a safer alternative to private house parties.

According to Project Grad’s president, Kearny Fire Chief Steve Dyl, typically about 80% of each graduating class elects to attend the event, which costs about $30,000 to run. Hence, the need for fundraising.

There is also a continuing need for adult volunteers, as planners, coordinators and party chaperones. Project Grad vols meet on the last Thursday of each month, the next meeting being this Thursday, April 25, at 7:30 p.m. in the KHS teachers’ lounge.

For more information, those who might be interested in volunteering are invited to call Dyl at 201-991-7467. “Or just go to the meeting,” he said.

As for the raffle tickets, which are $10 each, they can always be purchased by contacting either Dyl at the number above or Sandy Hyde at 551-265-8969.

– Karen Zautyk

Recent reports from the Kearny Police Department blotter included, but were not limited to, the following:

April 12

At 7 p.m., Vice Unit detectives spotted a vehicle double-parked on the 800 block of Devon St., the same car they had seen earlier that evening occupied by a known drug offender who was wanted on a warrant. When they approached the car at 7, however, they found it to be occupied by another individual — one who, police said, was observed trying to pop a pill. He reportedly was attempting to ingest Oxycodone. Charged with possession of a CDS, being under the influence of a CDS, and hindering apprehension by trying to hide evidence was Domingo J. Armental, 40, of Kearny. Motor vehicle summonses were issued for double-parking and possession of a CDS in a motor vehicle. The wanted person seen in the car earlier was no longer in it.

April 13

At 2 a.m., Sgt. John Becker stopped a vehicle for tailgating at Kearny Ave. and Dukes St. and observed a person in the back seat crouching low and apparently trying to conceal something. After an inquiry and their reported detection of a strong odor of marijuana, Becker and his backup, P.O. Ben Wuelfing, arrested 23-yearold West Washington, N.J., resident Richard Ferreira on charges of possession of marijuana and of paraphernalia and on an outstanding warrant from Washington Township.

At 6:30 p.m., P.O. Jose Resua stopped a vehicle on Devon Terrace after his mobile- computer inquiry found the owner to be wanted and suspended, police said. Jorge Guillen, 47, of Newark was arrested for driving while suspended and on a $400 outstanding Newark, warrant and his car was impounded for being unregistered.

April 14

P.O. Frank West responded to a 2:30 p.m. report of a man harassing people at Kearny and Laurel Aves. The man, a 32-year-old South Orange resident, denied harassing anyone, said he was down on his luck and was just looking for money for food and coffee, and wished the officer a “Happy Father’s Day.” Shortly thereafter, West observed the same man drinking a beer on Kearny Ave., suds he is thought to have purchased with his coffee money. He was cited for drinking in public and transported at his request to Penn Station.

April 15

In another case of locked-out and locked-up, P.O. Brian Wisely did come upon a vehicle blocking a driveway on the 200 block of Kearny Ave. at 6 p.m. and did approach a female who was standing alongside it. She claimed she had locked herself out of the car but had just regained access as the officer arrived. One of the windows was down, and Wisely reportedly detected a strong odor of marijuana.

Under questioning, the woman admitted she had just ingested the drug inside the car, police said. A search of the vehicle reportedly uncovered three bags of marijuana, 14 partially smoked marijuana cigars and an open bottle of alcohol. Kearny resident Idalina Fidalgo, 28, was charged with possession of pot and paraphernalia and was issued traffic summonses for blocking a driveway and open alcohol in a vehicle.

At 6:38 p.m., Officers Rich Pawlowski and Pat Becker were on patrol in the 590 tract off the Belleville Pike when they observed two men leaving a warehouse through a broken door and placing brand new packages of copier toner cartridges into a vehicle, police said. When questioned, the men claimed they had permission to take the items, but police said the distributor confirmed they were stealing the items, valued at an estimated $1,000. Arrested and charged with criminal trespass and receiving stolen property were Abdulla Barr, 38, of East Orange, and Howard Ruddock, 39, of Irvington, who was also found to have on outstanding warrant from Elizabeth.

April 17

At 1:10 p.m., Detective Mike Gonzalez and Sgt. Paul Bershefski arrested Scott Huaman, 22, of Kearny, on the 200 block of Chestnut St. on an outstanding warrant issued by Clifton. A search incident to that arrest found that Huaman was in possession of two marijuana cigarettes, police said, and he was additionally charged with possession of a CDS and paraphernalia.

At 2:06 p.m., P.O. John Fabula observed 27-year-old Sidnei Antunes (no known address) on the steps of the Kearny Library and arrested him on an outstanding warrant issued by the Kearny Municipal Court. He was transported to headquarters for processing.

P.O. Officer Ben Wuelfing was dispatched to a noise complaint on the 200 block of Maple St. at 11:30 p.m. and arrived to find a doubleparked vehicle obstructing traffic. When the occupant, Piero Duilio-Soto, 26, of Kearny, opened the window, there was a strong odor of marijuana and Wuelfing observed several partially smoked marijuana cigarettes / cigars in the interior, police said. Soto was charged criminally with possession of a CDS and paraphernalia and issued summonses for being double parked, having a CDS in a motor vehicle and failure to exhibit proof of insurance.

Shortly before 10 p.m., Kearny units were alerted to a hit-and-run accident on Liberty St. involving a silver Jeep and were notified that a concerned citizen was following the fleeing vehicle. The Jeep was located in a private driveway on Hillcrest Road by Officers Chris Medina and Giovanni Rodriguez and Capt. John Gouveia. Police said the woman behind the wheel, identified as 19-yearold Kearny resident Jenna Marino, took the keys from the ignition, threw them to her male passenger and told him to say he was driving, apparently not thinking that the cops would hear this.

Given the prior accident, the fact that she was not in her own driveway and that she gave off a heavy odor of alcohol, Marino was administered field sobriety tests and placed under arrest for DWI, police said. Transported to HQ, where she was administered an alcotest, Marino allegedly became hostile and combative, punched Medina in the stomach, kicked him in the leg and attempted to bite another officer. In addition to DWI, leaving the scene of an accident and reckless driving, she was also charged with aggravated assault on a police officer.

April 18

Officers Ben Wuelfing, Kevin Canaley and Chris Medina responded to the area of Oakwood Ave. and Devon St. at 3 a.m. on a report of suspicious persons tampering with parked cars. Shortly after arriving, they detained two individuals reportedly known to them from past police encounters. While interviewing the pair, the officers were informed by concerned citizens that the two had entered at least two vehicles, and a check of the area uncovered two GPS units that had apparently been dropped at the curb on the officers’ arrival, police said. The GPS units were activated by the officers and their respective owners were notified of the theft and recovery of their property.

Arrested were a 17-yearold Kearny male and 18-yearold Kearny resident Daniel Tammaro, who allegedly was in possession of two Vicodin pills. Both were charged with attempted burglary and conspiracy to commit burglary, and Tammaro was additionally charged with possession of a prescription-legend drug.

April 19

At 1:25 p.m., Officer Jack Grimm was on patrol at Bergen and Kearny Aves. when he observed an individual rush out of a bank and head toward Kearny Ave. However, when the man noticed the officer, he quickly reversed direction and appeared to conceal himself behind a parked van, police said. Grimm left the patrol car, searched the area on foot and located him a few moments later in the rear of an eating establishment. The 40-year-old Paterson resident, Daniel LaRock, reportedly admitted he had no business in the bank and was looking to get some money from passersby. Police said a warrant check found that LaRock was wanted by New Brunswick and Irvington. He was placed under arrest and later turned over to the New Brunswick police.

–Karen Zautyk

Jasmine Foot Spa, 397 Kearny Ave., Kearny, celebrated its grand opening on April 9. At the event, from l., are: owners Sandy Sun and David Cheng flanking Mayor Alberto Santos, an unidentified well-wisher, and Town Council members Carol Jean Doyle, Eileen Eckel and Susan McCurrie.

Belleville

Save Monday, May 20, for Clara Maass Medical Center Foundation’s annual golf invitational at the Montclair Golf Club. Proceeds from the links event benefit the programs and services of Clara Maass Medical Center. To register, or for more information, visit www.claramaassfoundation.org or contact the foundation at 973-450-2277.

East Newark

West Hudson Brave Women Fighting Breast Cancer meets on the last Friday of every month from 7 to 9 p.m. at the East Newark Senior Center, 37 President St. The group will provide an atmosphere of warmth and comfort for patients and family. For more information, call Emma at 201-998-6828, Rosa 201-246- 7750, Fatima 973-485-4236 or email emidura2@yahoo.com. Together we will fight this disease.

Harrison

Holy Cross Church announces last call for an eight-day cruise, Aug. 22-29 from New York City and an Atlantic City bus trip to Taj Mahal on May 5.

Call Joan for more information at 973-481-2434.

Family Music Studio is offering Suzuki Early Childhood Education classes for ages up through 3. These fun and educational classes provide active exposure to music and lay the foundation for future instrumental study. Classes are Tuesdays at 10 a.m. at Our Lady of Czestochowa, 115 S. 3rd St., 4th floor, Harrison. The teacher, Lillian Bielinski, has an M.A. degree in music and teaching certification in the Suzuki Method. Contact Lillian at 913-645-9511 or e-mail her at lillianbielinski@gmail. com for more information.

Kearny

Kearny Public Library, 318 Kearny Ave., will present an afterschool Story Time with Stuart Little, sponsored by the West Hudson Arts and Theater Company on Tuesday, April 23, at 4:30 p.m. in the library’s Children’s Room. This program is free.

Stuart Little will be on hand for an afternoon of fun stories and surprises. It’s a preview of what’s ahead with a production of “Stuart Little” offered by the West Hudson Arts and Theater on the weekend of April 27–28 at the W.H.A.T. theater, 131 Midland Ave., Kearny. Free tickets will be available for children who attend this special Story Time event.

For more information on library programs, call the library at 201-998-2666 or visit www.kearnylibrary.org. For more information on upcoming W.H.A.T. performances, check out whatco.org.

Kearny Public Library will present a free program on the Jersey Devil on Wednesday, April 24, at 7 p.m., featuring a lecture by Brian Regal, assistant professor of the history of science at Kean University. Regal has lectured and presented papers at Columbia University, Princeton and the University of Oxford in England. More recently, his work has centered on cryptozoology and the study of monsters. His newest book is called “Searching for Sasquatch,” and he has published several articles on a range of interesting subjects, including sea serpents, werewolves and Bigfoot.

Snacks and beverages will be served. For more information on this or other programs, call 201-998-2666 or visit www.kearnylibrary.org.

The Kearny Public Library’s Book Discussion Group will host a Gift-a-Book Event in honor of William Shakespeare’s birthday on Wednesday, April 24, from 5 to 7 p.m. on the main floor of the Main Library. Come one, come all and choose from a vast selection of recent and past bestsellers in great condition. Any and all donations will be used to benefit the library’s Book Club fund.

The group, which meets on the second Wednesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. on the lower level of the Main Library, will next meet on May 8 to discuss Erik Larson’s nonfiction book, “In the Garden of Beasts,” a vivid portrait of Berlin during the first years of Hitler’s reign, as chronicled by American ambassador William Dodd. Copies of the book are available at the Main Library while supplies last.

Kearny Public Library will host a free film screening of “Gasland” about gas hydraulic fracturing, also known as “fracking,” on May 1 at 7 p.m. on the library’s lower level. Free organic popcorn and refreshments will be served. For more information, contact Matt Smith at msmith@fwwatch.org or call 201-321-1967.

The Kearny Police Department will be participating in the DEA Operation Take Back 2013 on April 27, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Kearny Police Department, 237 Laurel Ave.

Residents are encouraged to turn in unwanted, unused or expired medications, over the counter or prescription. This is an anonymous no questions asked program.

Kearny UNICO is sponsoring a 50-50 raffle as a fundraiser for its scholarship fund and other charities. Tickets are $5 each or 3 for $10. The raffle will be drawn at 8:30 p.m. at the chapter’s May 2 meeting at Siena Ristorante, Kearny and Quincy Aves. Tickets may be obtained from any Kearny UNICO member or by contacting Chapter President Lou Pandolfi at 201-368-2409.

Kearny UNICO is sponsoring a “Flapjack Fundraiser” at Kearny Applebee’s on Saturday, May 4, from 8 to 10 a.m. Tickets are $10 each and include pancakes, sausage, scrambled eggs, juice and coffee or tea. Tickets are available from any Kearny UNICO member.

Kearny UNICO is sponsoring a fund-raising spring bus trip to the Showboat Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City on Sunday, May 19. Cost is $30 per person with $25 in slot credit back from the casino. A bus will depart at 8:30 a.m. from the parking lot of Kearny Federal Savings on Kearny Ave. in Kearny. For more information or tickets, contact Pandolfi.

The Presbyterian Boys- Girls Club, 663 Kearny Ave., will hold a Tricky Tray on Saturday, April 27, at 6 p.m. Admission is $15. Buy tickets in advance.

Refreshments will be served. For tickets, call Vanessa Vieira at 201-334-8336 or email v_vieira28@yahoo.com.

Thistle FC United U 15 girls will hold open tryouts for the 2013-2014 season on May 6 and 13 at 8 p.m. at Harvey Field, 280 Schuyler Ave., Kearny.

The team will train in the fall for competition in highlevel tournaments. During the winter, the team will train and compete indoors and in the spring will play in an elite league and participate in highlevel tournaments.

To be eligible, players must have been born on or after Aug. 1, 1998.

For more information contact Coach Pepe Rodriguez at peprodriguez13@gmail.com.

St. Stephen’s School of Religious Education, 131 Midland Ave., Kearny, is holding registration for next year’s CCD classes. Forms are available at the school’s office or at St. Stephen’s rectory, 141 Washington Ave. Call 201-991-3271 or 201- 998-3314 for more information.

Lyndhurst

A flea market and swap meet will be held on Saturday, April 27, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Quality Inn, 10 Polito Ave., Lyndhurst. Collectibles, military, household and tropical fish-related items will be available.

North Jersey Aquarium Society will hold a tropical fish auction on Sunday, April 28, at the Quality Inn, Lyndhurst. The auction will include tropical fish, plants and related items and $5 bidder cards. Registration will be held from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. The auction starts at noon.

The Humane Society of Bergen County/Lost Pet, Inc., 221-223 Stuyvesant Ave., Lyndhurst, will hold its annual meeting on April 30. The public is welcome. Officers will be elected. For more information, call 201-896-9300. The Humane Society has a supply of dog food both canned and dry available to anyone who cannot afford it due to unemployment, disability or any other financial difficulty. Hours are: Monday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Tuesday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Lyndhurst Health Department, 601 Riverside Ave., will host a stroke, aneurysm, osteoporosis and vascular disease screening provided by Life Line Screening on Wednesday, May 8. The price varies with each screening. Pre-registration is required. Appointments can be made with Life Line at 1-800-324-1851 or receive a $10 discount off your package by signing up at www.lifelinescreening.com/community-partners.

The Woman’s Club of Lyndhurst is sponsoring a trip to Mt. Airy Casino and shopping at the Commons on Monday, June 3. A bus will leave from the New Jersey Transit Lot at 8:30 a.m. and return at 7 p.m. Cost of the trip is $30. Anyone interested call Janet Ritigliano at 201-935-1208.

The Polish American Citizens Club, 730 New Jersey Ave., Lyndhurst, will sponsor a trip to Nashville, Tenn. (seven days, six nights; six breakfasts and four dinners). The bus will leave on July 28 at 8 a.m. and return Aug. 3.

Cost is $625 with a $75 deposit at signing; final payment is due May 21. For more information, call Alice at 201- 935-3830.

The Township of Lyndhurst will host Lyndhurst Day, on Saturday, May 11. Admission is free. Events start at 9 a.m. with a 7th and 8th grade track meet at Lyndhurst High School track, “Kids On The Move” event for younger children (bouncy house, face painting, etc.), Swim-a-Thon at the community pool benefiting the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and a 5K Run/Fitness Walk benefiting Tomorrow’s Children Fund, beginning at Town Hall Park, followed by a Health, Safety, and Life Expo at Town Hall Park, Delafield and Court Aves., at 11 a.m. with over 100 informational booths, health screenings, a Police Department SWAT team demonstration, and appearances by Anthony Lagruth, maestro of the Garden State Philharmonic, and Kevin Rooney, winner of TV’s “Chopped.”

There will be giveaways, food and entertainment, including Soul Xpress and the Jersey Four (a tribute to Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons). For various registration forms and more information on all of these events, visit www.lyndhurstnj.org.

The Lyndhurst Health Department, 601 Riverside Ave., Suite 1, will hold its annual free eye screening on Wednesday, May 15, at 1:30 pm. This exam, performed by Dr. John Favetta, will check for vision acuity, visual field, and glaucoma. On Friday, May 17, Clara Maass Medical Center will sponsor a free breakfast and lecture on eye care at 10 a.m. at the Lyndhurst Health Department. Call 201-804- 2500 for an appointment.

The Lyndhurst Elks is running a bus trip to the Sands in Bethlehem, Pa., on May 19. Cost is $30 per person you get $20 back in slots and $5 for food. Bus will leave the Lyndhurst Elks, 247 Park Ave., at 9 a.m. and return at 6 p.m. For tickets, call Julie at 201-424-2659.

North Arlington

Dr. Richard Ekstein will donate free dental services on Saturday, April 27, with the help of Mellissa Porcile, Liz Gutierrez, Sharon Long, and staff. Free teeth cleaning, fillings, extractions and any other dental work which can be performed in one visit will be provided to those who are unemployed or who are the spouse or child of someone unemployed. Call 201-991-1228, ext. 2, for Stephanie, to reserve your appointment time. Appointments will be accepted between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.

The Senior Harmony Club of North Arlington has scheduled a trip to the Taj Mahal Casino on Tuesday, May 7. Cost is $25. Call Florence at 201-991-3173 for more information or reservations.

North Arlington Public Library, 210 Ridge Road, will host “How Mighty Adult of You for Listening to My Problems,” a teen poetry event on Saturday, April 27, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The event will feature Kearny children and teen author/poet Laurie Perrone (www.plaidflowers.com). Teens are invited to come and recite. The event will also feature poetry of high school students from Kearny and North Arlington. There will be refreshments and prizes.

Registration for the North Arlington’s summer recreation program has begun and will continue through May 24, Registration will take place from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Youth Center, 1 Legion Pl. (behind Borough Hall, next to the firehouse). Space in the program is limited.

The recreation program runs from June 24 through August 16 for children ages 4 to 10.

For questions about the program, please call 201-997-7709.

Nutley

The Nutley Golden Age Club will sponsor its annual trip to Wildwood from June 3 to 6. The trip includes four days, three nights lodging, three breakfasts, lunch, two full-course dinners, tour of the Renault Wintery, dolphin watch sightseeing cruise and more. Cost is $375 per person double occupancy, which includes transportation, lodging, luggage handling, taxes and gratuities. Call Jo Ann Andriola at 973-418-5015 for reservations. Deposits will be accepted no later than May 20.

The Nutley-Belleville Columbus Day Parade Committee will host its fifth annual “Taste Of Italy” on Sunday, April 28, at the Nutley Parks and Recreation Building, 44 Park Ave. From 2 to 5 p.m. attendees will savor a wide assortment of dishes, desserts and coffee from more than 25 local Italian restaurants. Come enjoy the food, music, door prizes and support the area’s largest Columbus Day Parade. Tickets are $25. For more information, call 973-477-5072.

Join the Pen to Prose Writing Group at the Nutley Public Library, 93 Booth Drive, on May 20, at 6:30 p.m. as poet Maya Stein tells how she set out by bicycle from Amherst, Mass., and rode for 40 days and more than 1,200 miles to Milwaukee, Wis., toting a typewriter behind her, stopping in various communities and enlisting people in a collaborative writing experiment.

All writers are encouraged to bring their work to share with the group during the critique hour in which Stein will participate. Learn more about Stein at http://www.mayastein.com.

Nutley Health Department, in partnership with Department of Parks and Public Property, will host a “Shed Pounds with Hounds” event on Sunday, April 28, in Kingsland Park from 1 to 3 p.m. Residents are invited to walk with their dogs in designated areas throughout the park, and visit a number of caninerelated displays, workshops, and veterinarians. There will also be a meet and greet with “Daniel the Wonder Beagle.”

The event will begin at the Rutgers St. and Passaic Ave. entrance. The ASPCA has designated April as “Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’ Month.”